After an iGaming bill failed to advance earlier this year, expectations are rising that the issue could again find itself on the agenda when the state legislature reconvenes in 2024. There are signs of growing public support to be able to play poker, slots, or roulette on their laptops or cell phones. But union officials in the state are sounding the alarm that iGaming would lead to lost jobs at the state’s six casinos.

Meanwhile, a recent state-commissioned report found that iGaming would quickly become a nearly billion-dollar industry.

Maryland lawmakers failed to act on an iGaming bill introduced this year before adjourning in the spring. But there are signs the issue will return to the agenda when the legislature begins its new session in January. The state Department of Legislative Services Office of Policy Analysis included iGaming in a recent comprehensive report on key issues that could be considered next year.

Up to $900M Market

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, which regulates sports betting and casinos in the state, also recently released a report on the prospects of iGaming in the state. The state commissioned Las Vegas-based consulting firm The Innovation Group to prepare the report.

The tax rate for iGaming would be a key consideration in any upcoming legislative push, and the report outlines options ranging from 10% to 30% of gross receipts. While online gaming should typically be taxed at a higher rate than land-based casinos, the report says that consideration needs to be balanced against policymakers’ desire to lure players away from existing black market online casinos. Maryland currently taxes table games at a rate of 20%.

“With current gaming tax in Maryland at the level it is, it would be challenging to give online gaming a higher tax rate and simultaneously expect operators to aggressively market to players at illegal online casinos,” the report stated.

If the state wants to see any benefit from iGaming, the tax rate needs to be at least 15%, according to the report. At that level, the state would see $37.4 million in new tax revenue in 2029, according to the report, while it would lose $7.8 million if iGaming were taxed at only 10%. If the tax rate were set at 45%, the state would see nearly $308.9 million, according to the report, which assumed gross revenues would remain constant in all scenarios.

The report also cites concerns that problem gambling cases would rise with the introduction of online gaming, as has reportedly happened in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The authors also point to an existing and strong problem gambling program in Maryland, and note that some of the iGaming proceeds would be dedicated to those efforts.

Poll: 75% Would Vote Yes

A new poll found 75% of Marylanders said they would vote in favor of a measure legalizing online casinos if it is included on the 2024 ballot. The poll of 1,000 self-identified registered voters was commissioned by MDBetting.com and conducted by the online survey firm Pollfish, Inc., and found strong support across all subcategories by age, gender, and education level.

Before the question can be put to voters, the Maryland legislature has to vote to add it to next year’s ballot.

Unions Warn of Lost Jobs

The prospect of iGaming is worrying to the employees of Maryland’s land-based casinos. In an op-ed published Wednesday, two union leaders say the Lottery Commission’s report didn’t capture the potential of job losses that could accompany an expansion of iGaming.

Jason Chorpenning, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 27, and Shane Sterry, vice president of the Seafarers Entertainment and Allied Trades Union, called on the legislature to reject iGaming.

With its myopic focus on the gaming revenue these out-of-state and foreign companies might generate, the report glosses over the massive losses of Maryland jobs that would inevitably accompany iGaming,” Chorpenning and Sterry wrote in an op-ed for MarylandMatters.org. “For example, in neighboring Pennsylvania, iGaming has eliminated 2,000 jobs — nearly 10% of all Pennsylvania brick-and-mortar casino jobs. Many other states, like Indiana, have said “No” to iGaming for the same reason — it’s a job killer.”

With a Democratic governor and majorities in both houses of the legislature, labor unions are generally seen as holding a fair amount of influence in the state capital.

The post Maryland iGaming Sees Signs of Public Support, Union Opposition? appeared first on Casino.org.

The move is a sign of optimism on the tribe’s part that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will ultimately prevail in defending the gaming compact he and the tribe negotiated in 2021, authorizing the expanded gaming.

While legal fights are ongoing, the tribe and its allies scored key court victories over the summer and fall. That prompted the tribe to open its Hard Rock Bet sportsbook to a limited pool of customers last month after a two-year hiatus.

I think we are always respectful to the legal process. So until a court makes a decision in a different direction, we move forward,” Hard Rock Chairman Jim Allen told the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Hard Rock Bet began advertising itself as open to anyone in Florida over the age of 21.

Court Fights Continue

West Flagler Associates, a pari-mutuel operator, has led the legal battle against the tribe’s sports betting monopoly for the last two years. But its options are dwindling. Its hopes now rest on the U.S. Supreme Court or the Florida Supreme Court, both of which have declined to step in.

Hard Rock Bet is throwing its doors open a day after DeSantis and state legislative leaders defended the 2021 gaming compact and urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject West Flagler’s case.

West Flagler has signaled it expects the state case to be decided in the next two months, and it has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to give it until February to file an appeal there in a separate proceeding.

Underlying both cases is West Flagler’s contention that the tribe’s operation of a mobile sportsbook constitutes off-reservation gaming that violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the Florida Constitution. The tribe and its defenders say the approach complies with the law because the Hard Rock Bet computer servers that process the wagers are located on tribal land.

Revenue Boost

The gaming compact was negotiated between DeSantis and tribal leaders in 2021 and approved by the Florida legislature.

It is expected to raise $2.5 billion for the state in its first five years.

In addition to authorizing the mobile sportsbook, the gaming compact also allows the tribe to offer roulette and craps at its six brick-and-mortar casinos in Florida. Those games will begin being offered starting Thursday.

Sports betting is available to anyone over the age of 21.

The post Online Sports Betting Now Open to All in Florida appeared first on Casino.org.

A pair of pari-mutuel companies are asking the Florida Supreme Court to invalidate the 2021 gaming compact between the tribe and the state that opened the door to let the tribe operate an online sportsbook. Lawyers for DeSantis and the legislature say those companies waited too long to bring their challenge and that their claims are without merit.

Not until losing its federal appeal did West Flagler take its case to the Florida Supreme Court, asking for a “writ of quo warranto” to effectively undo the actions of the governor and legislature related to the gaming compact.

“Petitioners provide no basis for this Court to upend work approved by three sovereigns in their third-choice legal venue,” the state’s lawyers wrote in a response filed Friday.

‘Last Resort’

By waiting so long to file, the company has undermined its claim to need the court to step in, the governor’s attorneys argued.

Original jurisdiction over quo warranto actions is reserved for truly extraordinary circumstances, where the review of Florida’s highest court is necessary immediately, rather than as a last resort,” the state argues in its response. “That process prevents prejudice to the opposing party that may arise from the uncertainty surrounding extended litigation — here, depriving the State and the Tribe of a mutually beneficial gaming compact.”

The state also argues that West Flagler doesn’t have the authority to seek a writ of quo warranto, which traditionally can only be sought by the state attorney general.

Notwithstanding those procedural issues, the state also argues that West Flagler’s challenge should fail on the merits. That’s because the tribe’s sports betting operation fits within the boundaries of state and federal law. Essentially, because the servers accepting wagers through the Seminole’s Hard Rock Bets platform are located on tribal land, the wagering itself is “deemed” to have taken place there.

Friendly Terrain

The governor faces relatively friendly terrain at the Florida Supreme Court. Five of the seven current justices were appointed by DeSantis, who is pursuing what Politico has described as a “complete makeover” of the court.

While much of the attention on DeSantis’ legal strategy has focused on culture war issues, such as abortion or education as opposed to the future of sports betting, the governor has a strong track record so far. The court’s “right-of-center majority … has repeatedly enabled DeSantis’s political agenda,” the Washington Post reported earlier this year.

“[T]he fact that Petitioners bet the farm on successfully defending their dubious district-court victory on appeal, only to lose their federal suit much more slowly than Andrew Warren lost his … is no excuse for their more-than-two-year delay in bringing their state-law claims to this Court,” DeSantis’ lawyers write, “which they knew full well would be live if they lost the appeal.”

The post Gov. Ron DeSantis Defends Florida Sports Betting Compact? appeared first on Casino.org.

The state Lottery Commission launched a licensing page at ncgaming.gov, where sportsbook operators, service providers, and suppliers can apply for licenses to operate in the state.

Applications are due by December 27, but state regulators are asking would-be-licensees to get everything in as soon as possible to expedite the eventual launch of betting.

Earlier this week, the chairman of the Lottery Commission acknowledged that North Carolinans won’t be able to place bets in time for the Super Bowl in February but didn’t provide any additional indication of when regulators would be ready to launch. The sports betting law North Carolina enacted earlier this year gives the commission until June 15 to get a program up and running.

Agreements With Teams, Venues

Mobile sportsbook operators must secure “written designation agreements” with sports teams, leagues, or venues before submitting their applications. “These agreements are a unique requirement in North Carolina’s sports betting law,” according to the lottery commission. “They are private business agreements that must be established between an operator applicant and a sports team, a sports league, or venue.”

North Carolina’s sports teams lobbied the state legislature ahead of the sports betting law’s passage to secure a cut of the proceeds sportsbooks will bring in. While sportsbooks will be required to enter agreements with the venues, North Carolina won’t allow sportsbooks to become the primary sponsor of arenas or stadiums.

$1M Licensing Fee

The state established three types of licenses. “Interactive sports wagering operator licenses” will be required by online sportsbooks that have reached agreements with sports teams or venues. Prospective operators must pay the state a $1 million licensing fee along with their application.

Suppliers of goods and services to sportsbooks also require a license under North Carolina law. Those licenses come with a $30K fee.

Applicants must submit detailed documentation and agree to background checks for key personnel.

Key requirements of all applications include demonstrated compliance with state law and the establishment of responsible gaming programs.

Until the commission gives mobile sportsbooks a green light, wagering will be limited to the state’s three tribal casinos where in-person bets have been legal.

The post North Carolina Opens Sports Betting Application Portal? appeared first on Casino.org.

The North Carolina Lottery Commission is asking sportsbook operators to submit applications by December 27. But officials haven’t yet determined a go-live date for wagering.

We know people are excited. One question I know I have gotten a number of times … is whether sports betting will be up and running in time for the Super Bowl,” Lottery Commission Chairman Ripley Rand said at a public meeting Wednesday. “While the commission is committed to making sports betting available in an effective manner as quickly as we can, with all the remaining work to be done, that unfortunately won’t be the case.”

The applications require a 60- to 90-day review period for regulators to conduct background checks on key companies and personnel, meaning it would be late February, at the earliest, before betting would go live.

New Deadline

North Carolina legalized sports betting last year, and the new law directed the commission to establish a sports betting program as soon as Jan. 8, 2024, the date of the college football national championship game.

Rand said a go-live date would be announced after applications are submitted and proposed rules are in place.

Application Process Begins

At Wednesday’s meeting, the Lottery Commission unanimously approved application procedures for sportsbook operators interested in setting up shop in the Tar Heel State. The state is asking potential sportsbook operators to compile thousands of pages of documentation to support their applications and demonstrate compliance with state law.

Sports betting is highly regulated, and like in other states, North Carolina will have high expectations and strict requirements for licensees,” Rand said.

An application portal will be added to the state’s sports betting website, ncgaming.gov, by the end of this week or early next week, Rand said.

Before submitting their applications to the state, sportsbooks also will have to reach agreements with North Carolina’s professional sports teams and major venues. That’s where brick-and-mortar sportsbooks will be able to open.

North Carolina’s sports betting law authorizes in-venue sportsbooks at four professional stadiums – Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, the Spectrum Center, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, PNC Arena, home of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, and WakeMed Park, home of the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage.

Temporary sportsbooks also can open during events hosted at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which hosts two NASCAR races yearly, and Sedgefield Country Club and Quail Hollow Club, home of two annual PGA Tour tournaments.

Next Steps

Reed said regulators are moving as quickly as possible, and hope to be able to announce a go-live date soon after applications are submitted.

Until then, the commission has its work cut out for it.

“We’ll set that date when we know how many applicants we have for licenses, when we complete the initial rulemaking process for sports betting, when we’ve completed background checks on the applicants and their key individuals, when we’ve approved provisional licenses for suppliers, and when we’ve made sure that licenses operators have proposed internal controls that are robust and compliant and that their key equipment and software have all be certified by an independent testing laboratory,” Rand said.

The post North Carolina Sports Betting Won’t Come in Time for Super Bowl appeared first on Casino.org.

Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft approved eight versions of the sports betting proposal on Tuesday. That clears the way for supporters to begin gathering signatures necessary to get it on the ballot.

Organizers will have to gather more than 170K signatures from state residents to place a measure on the ballot. If a majority of voters approve, the language would be added to the Missouri Constitution. The Missouri Gaming Commission would then be able to establish regulations to govern sportsbook operations.

Bill DeWitt III, president of the Cardinals and a leader of the effort, said organizers would meet with mobile gaming industry members to decide which version of the ballot measure to pursue. They then begin collecting signatures.

We’re going to do that here in the next week or two,” DeWitt said Tuesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The teams appear to have their work cut out for them in convincing voters to back a gambling expansion. That’s according to a poll last week conducted by Remington Research Group on behalf of the Missouri Scout, a subscription newsletter covering state politics. As cited by the Post-Dispatch, the poll found 54% of likely voters opposed legalized sports betting, compared to 26% who support it, and another 20% who are unsure.

10% Tax, Up to $29M Expected for State

Betting would be limited to individuals over the age of 21, and sportsbook revenues would be taxed at a rate of 10% under all versions of the proposed language.

Because sportsbook operators will be able to claim various tax deductions, organizers said they can’t know how much ongoing revenue the state will claim. The proposal estimates state tax revenues ranging from $0 to $28.9 million annually, and says local government estimates are unknown.

Tax revenues from sports betting would be dedicated to education spending. That’s after covering the Gaming Commission’s expenses and required contributions to a Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund.

If a ballot measure is approved, sports betting would be available at the 13 casinos in Missouri, as well as at professional sports arenas and online through mobile sportsbooks.

Legislative Stall

The push for a public vote comes after supporters twice failed in the past two years to pass a new sports betting law through the Missouri legislature.

The state House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a new sports betting law earlier this year on a 118-35 vote. But the measure stalled in the Senate, and the chamber adjourned without voting.

The legislature reconvenes in January, and organizers of the ballot measure say they will drop their push if lawmakers act, although they’re not optimistic that will happen.

“I would be thrilled if we could get legislative action because then we wouldn’t have to do it,” DeWitt said, according to the Post-Dispatch. “I’m hopeful, but I’m also being realistic.”

The post Missouri Sports Betting Ballot Language Clears Key Hurdle? appeared first on Casino.org.

The request comes in a filing submitted Monday by West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., the Florida pari-mutuel operators who are trying to overturn the tribe’s gaming compact. The companies say they need until February 9 to file a writ of certiorari asking the Supreme Court to overturn a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that upheld the tribal gaming compact.

West Flagler says the delay is necessary to give the Florida Supreme Court time to decide on a separate challenge the companies have filed. That seeks to invalidate Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) and the Florida legislature’s approval of the compact in 2021.

“This fiction was adopted to deem the Compact to be solely dealing with gaming on Indian lands, and thereby to circumvent a Florida constitutional ban on the expansion of casino gaming absent a citizens’ referendum, except for casino gaming covered by a valid IGRA compact for gaming ‘on tribal lands,’” West Flagler’s lawyers wrote in the request for a time extension Tuesday.

Sportsbook Online With SCOTUS Stay Gone

In mid-October, Chief Justice John Roberts issued a stay preventing the compact from taking effect. But that hold was lifted two weeks later.

Since the stay was lifted, the Seminole Tribe has relaunched its Hard Rock Bets platform in Florida for some customers. In addition, the Florida Supreme Court has denied a request to expedite proceedings in its case. DeSantis must file a response by December 1 in the state case.

Now, opponents say that the ultimate outcome of the state proceedings will influence how they present their case to the high court.

West Flagler owns the Bonita Springs Poker Room in southwest Florida. It also, until recently, owned the Magic City Casino in Miami.

‘Absurd Trap’ Possible Without Delay

The federal court decisions have been relatively narrow in scope. They hold that the Interior Department, which oversees tribal gaming, only has the authority to approve activity that happens on tribal lands, and that is all the department did in this case.

Questions over whether the tribe’s operation of a mobile sportsbook is allowed under state law is a separate question. But the DC Circuit did say that the tribal compact “cannot provide independent legal authority for gaming activity that occurs outside of Indian lands, where that activity would otherwise violate state law,” according to West Flagler’s filing.

The companies also point to an observation from Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh that there are “serious equal protection issues” if “the Seminole Tribe—and only the Seminole Tribe—[can] conduct certain off-reservation gaming operations in Florida.”

The Florida Supreme Court’s resolution of the State Petition may be relevant to whether the reasoning of the Circuit Opinion is accepted, or whether instead the Applicants are caught in an absurd trap between two judicial systems saying inconsistent things about the nature of this Compact,” according to West Flagler’s latest filing.

If the Supreme Court doesn’t grant the companies’ request, they will have to file a cert petition by December 11, 90 days after their D.C. Circuit rehearing request was denied.

The post Florida Sports Betting: Tribe’s Foes Seek More Time in US Supreme Court appeared first on Casino.org.

Workers at Hollywood Casino at Greektown and MotorCity Casino voted over the weekend to ratify a proposed new five-year contract, while those at MGM Grand Casino will remain on strike after their members voted to reject the proposed deal.

Under the new five-year contract, workers will receive an immediate $3/hr pay increase, which will grow to $5/hr over the life of the contract. The result is an average wage increase of 18% for employees, which the union calls the largest pay raise in the history of the Detroit casino industry.

The Detroit Casino Council, a coalition of unions representing the striking workers, said they will seek to schedule additional bargaining dates with MGM to continue contract talks.?

The strike began on October 17, when 3,700 employees at the three properties walked off the job to secure better pay, benefits, and job protections. With the ratification vote, 2,100 employees are returning to work at Hollywood and MotorCity casinos as of Sunday evening.

While the casinos remained open during the strike, the reduced workforce led to led to service cutbacks and revenue declines at the properties.

MGM Disappointed, Considers Next Steps?

Matt Buckley, president and COO of MGM Grand’s Midwest Group, lamented the result in a letter to employees. According to Buckley, around 600 MGM employees voted in favor of ratifying the contract.

This is a very disappointing result, especially considering the historic nature of our offer and the fact that it would immediately and positively benefit our DCC-represented MGM Grand employees and their families,” Buckley wrote in the letter, a copy of which was shared with Casino.org.

Buckley said MGM would remain open, as it has been since the strike began on October 17, and employees who want to cross the picket line are free to return to work. He didn’t indicate if the two sides have any specific plans to return to the bargaining table.

“I will continue to keep you posted as we consider our options for next steps,” he wrote.

New Contract Includes Better Pay, Benefits

In addition to the pay raise, employees won additional concessions from the casino companies. Workers will face no increase in their health care costs, and they will see lighter workloads going forward.

The new contract also includes new job protections and language related to technology changes. For the first time, employees will be eligible for up to $1,000 in 401k employer match contributions starting in their second year of work. The new contract also includes Juneteenth as a paid holiday.

“The settlements at Hollywood Casino at Greektown and MotorCity Casino represent another win for union workers nationwide fighting for economic justice with a historic wave of strikes that have resulted in big gains for American workers across many industries,” the Detroit Casino Council said in a statement.

The council is a coalition of five unions that represent dealers, cleaning staff, restaurant workers, and other employees: UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW Local 7777, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.

The post Detroit Casinos Strike Ends at Hollywood, MotorCity, But Not For MGM appeared first on Casino.org.

In a brief order Friday, the court denied a request from pari-mutuel operators West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp. to suspend sports betting and expedite a resolution to the case. The unanimous order did not provide reasoning for the court’s decision.

West Flagler has asked the court to invalidate a tribal gaming compact the Seminole Tribe reached with the state in 2021. The gaming compact, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and endorsed by the state legislature, allowed the tribe to expand the games offered at its casinos in the state and gave it exclusive access to mobile sports betting.

Sports betting in Florida has been in limbo for most of the past two years, as West Flagler fought the tribal gaming compact in federal court. The U.S. Supreme Court in October let the compact take effect, and the tribe last week launched its Hard Rock Bets mobile sportsbook in the Sunshine State.

Case Continues

While Friday’s order is a discouraging sign for opponents of the sports betting arrangement, it is not the end of the road for West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers. The underlying case will continue, with a ruling expected sometime next year.

Opponents of the compact say it violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the state’s constitution by allowing the tribe to offer access to gaming off of its reservation. Supporters of the arrangement say it is legal as long as the mobile sportsbook is hosted on server located on Seminole land.

West Flagler owns the Bonita Springs Poker Room in southwest Florida. It also, until recently, owned the Magic City Casino in Miami. The company said in its request for expedited action in state court that the tribe stands to potentially earn millions from activity that the court may eventually find to be unconstitutional.

Expanded Access Expected

In the meantime, mobile sports betting is likely to expand for Floridians. Starting last week, Hard Rock Bets allowed select customers to begin placing bets.

The opportunity was limited to those who had opened an account during the few weeks the platform was online in 2021 or who belonged to the loyalty program for patrons of Hard Rock casinos. New customers can sign up for a wait list.

In addition to sports betting, the tribe’s casino offerings also are expanding to include craps and roulette under the terms of the 2021 compact. Those games are being rolled out at the six tribal casinos in the state beginning next month.

The post Florida Supreme Court Lets Sports Betting Continue? appeared first on Casino.org.

Unions representing the workers announced a deal Friday with three casino operators that will end the month-long strike in the Motor City.

UNITE HERE Local 24, one of the unions involved in the negotiations announced the deal on social media and called it the “best agreement in [the] history of [the] Detroit Casino industry.”

Around 3,700 unionized casino employees walked off the job on October 17, seeking better wages, benefits, and working conditions. The deal announced Friday will have to be ratified by those workers before it takes effect.

The strike led to service cutbacks and revenue declines at the three affected casinos in the city, MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino Hotel, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown.

New 5-Year Contract

The tentative agreement sets the terms for a new five-year contract between the unions and the casino operators.

Workers were represented by the Detroit Casino Council, which includes UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW Local 7777, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. The unions represented casino dealers, cleaning staff, restaurant workers, and other employees.

“This historic agreement rewards the sacrifice that casino workers made throughout the pandemic,” said Milledge McCaster, an engineer at Hollywood at Greektown for 14 years and a member of the Operating Engineers Local 324, in a statement. “We set a new standard with major wage increases and ground-breaking wins like first-ever workplace technology language and other job protections that will empower workers to have a say in the future of work in this industry.”

‘Largest Wage Increases Ever’

Under the new contract, workers will see an immediate average pay bump of 18%, which reflects part of a deal the council called “the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the Detroit casino industry’s 23-year history.” The deal also includes “no health care cost increases for employees, workload reductions and other job protections, first-ever technology contract language, retirement increases, and more,” according to the unions.

The unions didn’t release additional details Friday.

The strike took a significant bite out of the casinos’ revenues in Detroit. MGM Grand Detroit collected $37.3M last month, down 16.5% from October 2022. MotorCity Casino Hotel earned $25M, down 19.2%, while Hollywood Casino at Greektown brought in $19.4M, a 20.2% drop.

The post Detroit Casino Unions Reach Tentative Deal to End Strike? appeared first on Casino.org.

This week, the Ohio Casino Control Commission sent letters to former coach Brad Bohannon and Indiana businessman Bert Neff II. The notes informed them that they are going to be placed on the Sports Gaming Involuntary Exclusion List.

The commission’s letters recount allegations that Bohannon gave Neff nonpublic information about an Alabama baseball game and that Neff attempted to place bets based on that information.

“Your presence in a sports gaming facility or participation in the play of sports gaming poses a threat to the interests of the state,” OCCC Executive Director Matthew T. Schuler wrote in separate letters to the two men, dated November 14.

The letters cite an April 28, 2023, incident involving the University of Alabama baseball team. Bohannon, then the team’s head coach, “shared information not available to the general public … for the purpose of participating in sports gaming.”

‘A Threat to the Interests of the State’

Bohannon allegedly told Neff that Alabama’s star pitcher, Luke Holman, wouldn’t start that day’s game against Louisiana State University, according to earlier press reports.

Neff, a youth baseball coach from Mooresville, Ind., was allegedly texting with Bohannon via the messaging app Signal while he was standing at the sportsbook window in April. His son is a pitcher at the University of Cincinnati but wasn’t believed to be involved in the alleged scheme, according to press reports. Two other members of the UC baseball staff were fired in May, allegedly for being aware of it.

Appeal Possible

The Ohio ban isn’t yet in effect, and the two men will have an opportunity to appeal the decision and plead their case before the commission if they wish. An appeal must be filed within 30 days.

The Commission has initiated the process of adding Brad Bohannon and Bert Neff, Jr. to Ohio’s Sports Gaming Involuntary Exclusion List, as their presence and/or participation in sports gaming poses a threat to the interests of the state and the effective regulation of sports gaming,” Schuler said in a statement this week. “Bohannon and Neff are entitled to due process, including a hearing if they choose, and any final action pertaining to the Sports Gaming Involuntary Exclusion List will occur at a public Commission Meeting.”

The commission halted betting on Alabama baseball in the immediate wake of the scandal. But that order expired Wednesday, ESPN reported.

Bohannon was fired from the University of Alabama in May of this year.

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It is unclear when legal wagering will be available in the Tar Heel State. But it could come as late as June 15.

The North Carolina Lottery Commission is tasked with establishing new regulations for sports betting. Regulators on Tuesday told the commission’s sports betting committee that they won’t be able to hit the January 8 launch date, according to press reports.

Sterl Carpenter, North Carolina’s deputy executive director for gaming compliance, told the commission that numerous steps remain before North Carolinians can place their bets, according to local news outlet WRAL.

January 8th is the first date, but probably won’t be the date when betting is authorized?” Commissioner Ripley Rand asked Carpenter during the meeting.

“Absolutely correct,” Carpenter responded.

Commissioner Cari Boyce said the commission would have to meet daily in order to get sports betting online as soon as envisioned under the law. “Thank you for clarifying this would not all be done by Jan. 8,” she said at the meeting, WRAL reported.

A spokesman for the Lottery Commission confirmed the accuracy of those comments in response to a request from Casino.org.

Regulations to Be Adopted

The commission is taking several steps this week to bring sports betting closer to reality. On Thursday, the commission plans to meet to adopt its first set of sports betting rules along with a sports wagering catalog approved on Tuesday by the committee.

The draft sports wagering catalog includes dozens of professional, collegiate, and international competitions across 45 different events.

North Carolina also has adopted a new website, ncgaming.gov, to provide updates on the rulemaking and licensing process.

Additional Steps Required

Before sports betting can begin, several additional steps are necessary.

Regulators will have to approve additional rules after going through a formal comment process to consider input from the public. Then they will proceed with an application and licensing process, which will involve conducting background checks on key applicants and personnel.

After issuing licenses, regulators will be tasked with overseeing sportsbook programs to address key priorities, such as internal controls and responsible gaming. Sportsbook operators will then be required to enter into designation agreements with a sports team or governing body, and will only be authorized to operate in that team’s facility.

North Carolina’s sports betting law authorizes in-venue sportsbooks at four professional stadiums – Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL Carolina Panthers, the Spectrum Center, home of the NBA Charlotte Hornets, PNC Arena, home of the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, and WakeMed Park, home of the NWSL North Carolina Courage.

Temporary sportsbooks also can open during events hosted at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which hosts two NASCAR races yearly, and Sedgefield Country Club and Quail Hollow Club, home of two annual PGA Tour tournaments.

“Until the rulemaking and licensing are completed, a ‘go live’ date for sports betting can’t be scheduled. No start of sports betting is anticipated by Jan. 8, 2024, the earliest date allowed under law,” Van Denton, director of communications for the North Carolina Lottery, said in a statement Tuesday. “The commission remains committed to ensuring that sports betting gets up and running in an effective and appropriate fashion as soon as possible, and at this time is on track to achieve that ahead of the June 15 deadline identified in the law.”

The post North Carolina Sports Betting Won’t Be Available by January 8? appeared first on Casino.org.

The Detroit Casino Council, a coalition of unions representing casino workers, called for a public boycott of four sports betting and online casino platforms. All are linked to the three casinos where workers have been on the picket lines.

The unions say patrons should avoid FanDuel, which is affiliated with MotorCity Casino, the soon-to-launch ESPN Bet and Hollywood iCasino, both linked to Hollywood Casino at Greektown, and BetMGM, the online outpost of MGM Grand Detroit.

Starting Monday, the council will launch a digital ad campaign targeting users of the three platforms and encourage them to gamble somewhere else until the strike is resolved. The move extends the picket lines into cyberspace and is aimed at informing online bettors who may be unaware that workers have been on strike at the casinos since mid-October.

The online platforms represent “critical sources of revenue for the companies that operate Detroit’s three casinos,” said Nia Winston, President of UNITE HERE Local 24, in a statement Friday.

Workers have been outside the physical locations 24/7 since going out on strike three weeks ago to win a fair contract,” Winston said. “Now, they’re calling on the public not to cross their virtual picket line either, and to boycott these apps until the strike is settled.”

The unions are not targeting other iGaming platforms such as Caesars Sportsbook, Caesars Palace Online Casino, WynnBET, DraftKings, Sports Illustrated Sportsbook, and others.

Negotiations Ongoing?

Approximately 3,700 Detroit casino workers have been on strike since Oct. 17, when their contracts expired at the MGM Grand, MotorCity Casino Hotel, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown. They are represented by unions, including the United Auto Workers, Teamsters Local 1038, UNITE HERE Local 24, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, which are negotiating under the umbrella of the Detroit Casino Council.

The two sides continue to negotiate, but differences remain. Earlier this month, casino companies offered to reduce health care premiums to $40 from $60 and to increase wages by $1.95/hour. The unions want health care premiums reduced to zero and wages raised by $3.25/hour.

Vegas Strike Avoided

The Detroit unions are flexing their muscle amid a time of rising power for labor across the economy, including in the auto industry and Hollywood entertainment, where strikes were recently resolved.

Las Vegas hospitality workers were prepared to go on strike this week in the gaming sector. But the action was avoided after a deal was reached with the major casino operators.

The post Detroit Casino Unions Urge Patrons Away From iGaming During Strike? appeared first on Casino.org.

With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, 58% of Richmonders cast a ballot against the casino referendum, with just 42% in favor.

The result follows a hard-fought campaign after backers of the proposed $562 million casino result faced a narrower defeat of a similar measure in 2021.

Local activist Paul Goldman, who organized the anti-casino campaign, called it a “David versus Goliath” battle in which he and his allies were significantly outspent by the companies hoping to build the casino.

“This is a victory for the people of Richmond. It’s not my victory. It’s a victory for the people,” Goldman told Casino.org in a phone interview Tuesday evening. “You can’t build a new city on the old politics of resentment.”

Casino Developers Concede

The unofficial results released by the state Board of Elections don’t include nearly 18K early voting ballots. But the margin was large enough for casino voters to concede defeat.

We are proud to have run a community-centered campaign to create more opportunities for residents of this great city to rise into the middle class,” pro-casino group “Richmond Wins Vote Yes” said in a statement Tuesday. “We are grateful to the thousands of Richmonders who voted for good jobs and a stronger city, especially those in Southside who poured their hearts into this project.”

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney lamented the loss of the $562-million project, which he and proponents hoped would bring economic development to the city’s south side.

“I will continue to be a voice for communities that have been historically overlooked and underserved,” Stoney said in a statement. “I will work for more accessible and affordable child care, for good-paying jobs, and for an abundance of opportunities for ALL Richmonders – no matter their zip code or socioeconomic status.”

Second Effort, Worse Result

The lopsided result marks the second time Richmond voters have rejected plans to build a casino in the city. In 2021, a similar referendum failed on a much narrower margin, 51%-49%, leading developers and city leaders to mount a second effort this year.

The project would have been developed by a partnership between Maryland-based media company Urban One and Churchill Downs, the racing and gaming company most famous for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby.

Richmond was one of five Virginia cities targeted for casino development as part of a state legislative package adopted in 2020. Four other cities, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, and Danville, passed their own casino referendums years ago, making Richmond the only locality to reject such a development.

The post Richmond Rejects Casino Again?By Wider Margin Than Before appeared first on Casino.org.

Access to the online sportsbook is limited to existing customers who signed up for an account when Hard Rock Bets first launched two years ago. Also allowed are casino patrons who participate in the “Unity by Hard Rock” loyalty program.

The platform was online for a few weeks in 2021, and anyone who signed up then can place bets now. Wagering is also available for anyone who was in the casino loyalty program before Monday, November 6.

New customers can sign up for a waitlist. But it is unclear when they can begin placing bets.

Court Challenge Continues

The mobile launch comes amid ongoing litigation by opponents of the Seminole Tribe’s monopoly on sports betting, led by pari-mutuel operator West Flagler Associates. It indicates the Tribe’s optimism that the gaming compact it signed with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will ultimately survive.

After losing an appeal in federal court this fall, West Flagler filed a new challenge in the state supreme court alleging that the gaming compact violates the Florida constitution. The briefing continues in that case, with a reply due from DeSantis next month. It’s unclear how long that case will take to resolve.

A key turning point in the federal case came last month, when the U.S. Supreme Court let the gaming compact take effect. But opponents can still appeal that decision.

The federal case was narrowly focused on the role of the Interior Department, which oversees tribal gaming. Interior said its authorization extended only so far as gaming that happened on Tribal lands themselves, and that any off-reservation gaming would be subject to state authority.

In-Person Betting Set for Next Month

The launch of the Hard Rock Bets platform means existing mobile customers get to place wagers a month before sports betting is available to everyone at the six brick-and-mortar casinos the Tribe operates in Florida.

Sports bets will be able to be placed in person beginning December 7 at three Seminole casinos in South Florida, and will continue to be rolled out at other locations over subsequent days.

The post Seminole Tribe Relaunches Florida Sports Betting App appeared first on Casino.org.

A list of events eligible for wagering will be posted on the department’s website Friday morning, Executive Director Milton Champion told Casino.org via email.

Maine’s sports betting law gives the state’s four Native American tribes the exclusive rights to operate sportsbooks in the state.

The market’s launch follows a lengthy review by the Gambling Control Unit, a small agency with just three full-time employees. More than 600 comments were filed on the proposed rules during the lengthy review process.

Caesars, DraftKings Prepare to Launch?

The vast majority of sports bets in Maine are expected to be placed online, as is the case in most of the country. Mobile sportsbooks are expected to take approximately 85% of sports bets in the state.

Existing sportsbook operators have partnered with the tribes to offer mobile sports betting platforms in Maine.

Caesars Sportsbook earlier this year partnered with three tribes, the Penobscot, Maliseet, and Micmac nations, to handle their sports betting operations. This week, DraftKings announced its own partnership with the fourth tribe, the Passamaquoddy.

“Building a relationship with the Passamaquoddy Tribe is a fantastic opportunity for DraftKings, as we look to bring customers in the state of Maine safe and legal sports betting,” said Jason Robins, CEO and DraftKings co-founder in a press release. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with the Maine Gambling Control Unit as we become the official mobile sports betting provider of the Passamaquoddy Tribe and launch in our industry-leading 25th state.”

The law also allows for retail sportsbooks at the state’s two brick-and-mortar casinos, Hollywood Casino Bangor and Oxford Casino Hotel, as well as racetracks and off-track betting facilities.

Revenue Split With Tribes

Providing an economic boost to the four tribes was among the top priorities behind Maine’s decision to legalize sports betting. The tribes were recognized under a 1980 law that provides narrower rights than are enjoyed by other Native American tribes, including the ability to organize gaming.

The sports betting legislation was passed last year after lengthy negotiations over a variety of provisions, including taxation and tribal water rights. Poor water quality has been of particular importance for the Passamaquoddy Tribe, according to press reports.

Caesars and DraftKings will keep 40% of the revenues collected in Maine, with 50% going to the Tribes and 10% in tax to the state.

Maine’s sports betting law allows anyone age 21 or older to place bets. Resources for problem gambling are available via a state helpline, 211 Maine, or by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

The post Maine Legalizes Sports Betting, Caesars and DraftKings Prepare for Launch appeared first on Casino.org.

The Seminole Tribe on Wednesday announced that it would begin taking sports bets, as well as offering craps and roulette, at its six Florida casinos starting December 7. The new games are provided under a revised gaming compact between the tribe and the state that was agreed to in 2021 but which has been held up in litigation since then.

The announcement comes after the Supreme Court last week solidified the tribe’s right to offer the new games on its own land.

“The Seminole Tribe thanks the State of Florida, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Department of Justice for defending our Compact. By working together, the Tribe, the State, and the federal government achieved a historic legal victory,” said Marcellus Osceola Jr., chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, in a press release.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who signed the compact two years ago, praised the announcement, saying the new games would “create jobs, increase tourism, and provide billions in added revenue” to Florida.

Mobile Sportsbook Remains In Limbo

The announcement made no mention of plans to open a mobile sportsbook in Florida, and the tribe didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The federal case was narrowly focused on the role of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees tribal gaming. Interior said its approval of the compact only went as far as authorizing activity that actually took place on tribal lands and that anything else was outside of its purview.

State Decision

That appears to leave the decision in the hands of state courts, where opponents of the tribe’s sports betting monopoly, led by pari-mutuel operator West Flagler Associates, are still pressing their case. West Flagler and its allies say that the Florida Constitution prohibits anyone, including the tribe, from operating an online sportsbook without first putting the question to the state’s voters, and they are asking the Florida Supreme Court to effectively overrule the governor and state legislature.

DeSantis’ office has requested an extension to file in the case, and the court has extended the response deadline to December 1.

Last week, West Flagler filed a new notice in the state case, citing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s reasoning in dismissing the federal case as additional evidence for their state claim.

“If the compact authorized the Tribe to conduct off-reservation gaming operations, either directly or by deeming off-reservation gaming operations to somehow be on-reservation, then the compact would likely violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, as the District Court explained,” Kavanaugh wrote in the excerpt cited with emphasis by West Flagler.

Six Casinos to Host Craps, Roulette, Sportsbooks

The rollout of retail sports betting will begin December 7 at three Seminole casinos in South Florida: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.

The following day, the new games will be available at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. On December 11, they will launch at Seminole Casino Immokalee near Naples and Seminole Brighton Casino on the northwest side of Lake Okeechobee.

Hard Rock says the new games will create 1,000 new jobs in the state.

The post Seminole Tribe to Introduce Sports Betting in December, Mobile Sportsbooks Still Uncertain appeared first on Casino.org.

The move is another setback in Gov. Kevin Sitt’s long-running effort to modify the state’s approach to tribal gaming.

A representative for the governor, Trevor Pemberton, argued the compacts would represent an economic boon for the state by increasing the proceeds collected from casino gaming, compared to an earlier compact, according to press reports.

Sitt negotiated the compacts with the United Keetoowah Band and the Kialegee Tribal Town in 2020 as part of a larger renegotiation mired in controversy. The compacts would allow the tribes to offer sports betting, otherwise illegal in Oklahoma, and they would let new tribes open casinos in the state.

Tribes Disappointed

The committee’s decision came as a disappointment to the tribes, who were hoping that new casinos would deliver an economic boost to their communities.

We are disappointed that we didn’t get to tell our side of the story,” United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Chief Joe Bunch said after the meeting, according to NonDoc, a local news site. “Today’s defeat, it hurt. It hurts big, particularly not to have the opportunity to discuss these issues.”

Sitt has defended the compacts as an effort to let smaller tribes open casinos, an opportunity currently available only to the largest tribes in the state.

“I don’t understand why these guys can’t game and the other guys can,” Sitt told reporters after Wednesday’s hearing, according to the Oklahoman. “They are federally recognized. I don’t think most Oklahomans know the difference or understand why wouldn’t we allow this tribe to game if 20 other tribes are able to game in the state of Oklahoma. That’s what’s a head-scratcher to me.”

Litigation Continues

The two compacts rejected Wednesday were among four Sitt negotiated in 2020. The Oklahoma Supreme Court has previously rejected them, and related litigation is ongoing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has previously excoriated the governor’s handling of the tribal gaming issue and is seeking to take over representing the state in the ongoing litigation.

Drummond has accused the governor of wasting taxpayers’ money and misrepresenting the state in the case. The governor opposes Drummond’s involvement, and the two sides still argue the issue in court briefs.

The case was filed by the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Citizen Potawatomi, and Choctaw nations against the Interior Department, which oversees tribal gaming at the federal level, and other defendants.

At the hearing Wednesday, State Sen. Kay Floyd (D-Oklahoma City) cited the ongoing litigation as a reason to hold off on approving the compacts, according to local TV station KOKH Fox25.

The post Oklahoma Legislature Blocks Tribal Gaming Compact appeared first on Casino.org.

The Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted for a resolution declaring it “stands in solidarity with striking Detroit casino workers,” and endorsed their calls for better pay and working conditions.

The Detroit City Council supports working people across every sector of our economy and recognizes that working people deserve respect, adequate workplace protections, and the right to a living wage,” the resolution declares.

Union members walked off the job at the MGM Grand, MotorCity Casino Hotel, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown on October 17, after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the casinos’ owners.

The casinos remain open, but offerings have been limited. Workers on strike include cleaning staff, engineers, food and beverage servers, table game dealers, and valets

The ongoing strike comes as unionized hotel and restaurant workers in Las Vegas are considering their own strike, and plan to step up their public activism this week. The labor actions in the casino sector are a small piece of a nationwide resurgence of labor unions’ bargaining power, exemplified by ongoing strikes of Hollywood actors and autoworkers at plants around the U.S.

Hundreds of Workers Press Council

More than 700 striking workers attended Tuesday’s council meeting in Detroit to demonstrate their support for the resolution, the Detroit News reported.

The striking workers are represented by the Detroit Casino Council, which includes the United Auto Workers, Teamsters Local 1038, UNITE HERE Local 24, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.

The unions and their supporters say casino owners have failed to provide adequate health care, job security, and retirement benefits. That’s while cutting overall employment levels, leaving remaining workers to carry a heavier load.

“For them to be making the billion dollars they are making, how dare we not pay the workers what they have earned? What they sacrificed and broke bones for and sacrificed time with their kids for,” Councilman Coleman A. Young II said to a roaring crowd at Tuesday’s meeting, according to the Detroit News. “If you need any time to get involved and say solidarity forever, this is it.”

Casinos Generate Millions for City

The inability of casinos and their workers to agree on a contract threatens to diminish a key funding source for the city of Detroit, both from taxes on gambling revenues paid by the casinos themselves, as well as from the income taxes not being paid by striking workers.

“The City of Detroit is prepared to manage through short-term disruptions in revenue because the Mayor and City Council have worked together over the years to create a fiscal plan that is based on financial resiliency. We are hopeful that a fair agreement can be reached between the casinos and the casino workers’ unions soon,” the city’s CFO’s office said, according to the News.

The post Detroit City Council Backs Striking Casino Workers appeared first on Casino.org.

Local activist Paul Goldman, who founded the group No Means No Casino, sued the state board earlier this year, claiming he was improperly denied voter lists traditionally made available to political candidates and committees. The case was initially filed in city court and elevated to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where a trial was held last week.

Richmond city leaders are supporting the proposed $562 million casino project backed by Urban One, a Maryland-based media conglomerate catering to the Black community, and Churchill Downs, the Kentucky-headquartered racing and gaming giant. City voters narrowly rejected a similar ballot measure two years ago, and another close vote is expected this time.

Negotiations ‘In Progress’

District Court Judge M. Hannah Lauck also ordered Goldman and the Elections Board to try to negotiate a resolution over Goldman’s access to separate lists of all registered voters in Richmond.

The lists allow groups to contact potential voters in the lead-up to an election. Still, Goldman said he was told he couldn’t access the information without submitting the proposed communications for review.

Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals told the court earlier this month that the board wasn’t seeking to review Goldman’s potential communications before they are sent.

Goldman told Casino.org early Monday afternoon that discussions with the board on the registered voters list were a “work in progress.” A spokesperson for the Board of Elections didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Early Voting Started Last Month

The ruling comes too late to reach thousands of Richmonders who have already cast their ballot in this year’s election. Early voting in Virginia began September 22, and nearly 7,400 ballots had been cast in Richmond by Sunday, according to data compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project.

Early voters were more likely to support the casino two years ago, especially among those who voted in person. Mail-in early votes broke narrowly in favor of the casino, 50.2% to 49.8%, while in-person early voters supported the casino by a 54%-to-46% margin.

Election Day voters were narrowly against the casino, 51% to 49%, the same as its overall margin of defeat.

Precincts on Richmond’s South Side, closest to the casino’s proposed location, were more likely to support the measure than those in the north of the city.

Urban One and Churchill Downs are spending more than $8 million to support the ballot measure this year, and supporters have been organizing free Uber rides to get voters to the polls early.

Goldman has said his group has around $200K to spend fighting the referendum, a disadvantage he says has been compounded by the delay in receiving the voter lists.

The post Richmond Casino Foes Win Access to Voter Data in Lawsuit appeared first on Casino.org.

Regulators are asking for more details about how the network plans to promote gambling on its airwaves once its ESPN Bet platform replaces Barstool Sportsbook later this year.

At a meeting this week, members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) said they wanted more information from Penn about its relationship with ESPN and how sports betting will be promoted during ESPN broadcasts of college football and other programming.

Penn representatives have been in touch with MGC staff and are eager to provide whatever information is necessary to maintain their sports betting license. Additional discussion of the issue is expected at a November 7 commission meeting.

Little Communication So Far

Commissioners said they haven’t received any formal submissions from Penn since the ESPN deal was announced, and they want more information about how gambling will be promoted during ESPN broadcasts. So far, commissioners said their only information about the deal had come from media reports.

Everything I know about what is proposing to happen here has not really come from Penn Entertainment,” Commissioner Nakisha Skinner said at Thursday’s meeting. “So that’s I think a disadvantage for us as a commission because we really don’t know where to start.”

Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said she wanted to avoid situations in which ESPN anchors were recommending specific bets on the ESPN Bet platform.

Similar concerns were addressed prior to Barstool receiving its license, and commissioners seemed optimistic they would be able to resolve any concerns with ESPN. But, they said they need time to go through the process and sign off on the particulars before the sportsbook officially changes its name.

Late November Launch Eyed

Citing press reports that ESPN Bet plans to launch by November 20, commissioners said time is of the essence to get more information from Penn.

Staff were unsure if the rebranding plan had been addressed in any of the other states where Barstool Sportsbook operates.

ESPN Bet won’t be able to go live in Massachusetts until regulators sign off on the proposal.

A special meeting to discuss next steps is expected to be scheduled for November 7.

ESPN Bet earlier this week unveiled a new logo for the sportsbook and said it hopes to go live next month. The sportsbook plans to open in 16 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The post Massachusetts Regulators Have Questions on ESPN Bet appeared first on Casino.org.

In a motion filed Thursday, attorneys for the governor and state legislative leaders say they need until December 1 to craft a response to the gambling companies who initiated the proceeding. Led by pari-mutuel operator West Flagler Associates, the companies are asking the Florida Supreme Court to invalidate the tribal gaming compact signed by the governor in 2021. The compact allows the tribe to operate sportsbooks at its casinos and take mobile sports bets from anyone in the state, so long as the computer servers accepting the wagers are on tribal land.

The request from the governor comes three days after a local anti-gambling group, No Casinos Inc., filed its own brief in support of the West Flagler petition. DeSantis’ attorneys point out that No Casinos received a 10-day extension to file its amicus brief and that the court previously said that the government may seek an extension as well.

Full Schedule

“Due to the press of other matters, counsel does indeed require additional time to complete the response in this case and for client review,” reads the submission from the Florida Attorney General’s office.

The brief lists 16 pending cases in state and federal court where filings from the state are due within the next two weeks.

Given that the challenged compact initially went into effect in 2021, and West Flagler only brought its case to state court last month, an additional delay should not hamper the proceedings, the state’s attorneys argued. West Flagler only agreed to a seven-day extension, according to the motion.

The court will decide in the coming days whether to grant the motion.

Betting Remains On Hold

Whatever happens in the state case, legal sports betting in Florida will remain on hold pending the outcome of a federal legal case.

West Flagler has been fighting the gaming compact in federal court since its enactment, and the case has now made its way to the US Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts this month stayed a lower court ruling that would have allowed the compact to take effect in order to give the high court time to consider whether to take the case.

Feds Say State Court Should Decide

The Interior Department, which oversees tribal gaming and is the plaintiff in the federal suit, this week filed its first response in the Supreme Court docket.

The department is responsible for reviewing gaming compacts such as the one between the Seminoles and Florida to ensure they comply with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Interior said its responsibilities only stretch as far as gaming that does happen on tribal land, and that the off-reservation sports betting envisioned by the compact falls outside of its purview. Essentially, those activities were separately authorized by the actions of the governor and state legislature that are now at issue in the state supreme court proceeding.

The Interior Department said West Flagler’s federal case “lacks merit” and is unlikely to succeed and that critics of the tribe’s sports betting arrangement are better off taking their case to state courts.

“If the Florida Supreme Court concludes that the Florida Legislature’s authorization of the placement of wagers outside Indian lands is not permissible under the Florida Constitution, that would afford applicants the relief they seek,” Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote on behalf of the Interior Department. “That pending case provides the appropriate forum to resolve applicants’ claims based on the meaning of state law.”

The post Gov. Ron DeSantis Seeks Extension in Florida Sports Betting Challenge appeared first on Casino.org.

No Casinos, Inc., which has fought gambling expansion for decades, filed a brief in litigation this week before the Florida Supreme Court. It seeks to invalidate the tribal gaming compact that would give the Tribe a monopoly on mobile and retail sportsbooks in the Sunshine State.

The group wrote a constitutional amendment to ban the expansion of casino gambling without explicit approval by voters. In 2018, the group led a successful campaign to get that language added to the Florida constitution, with support from 71% of voters.

Three years later, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe, allowing it to expand its casino offerings and to begin taking sports bets. The compact would have let the Tribe begin accepting bets online, so long as the sportsbook servers were located on tribal land.

The gaming compact “violates the text, spirit, and public policy” behind that amendment,” No Casinos wrote in its amicus brief in the case. No Casinos is lending its support to opponents led by pari-mutuel operators West Flagler Associates who are asking the Florida Supreme Court to invalidate that compact and implementing laws enacted by the state legislature.

No Casinos’ intervention is the latest move in a years-long fight that has left Florida, one of the largest states in the U.S., without a legal sports betting regime.

Multipronged Legal Fight

Opponents led by pari-mutuel operators West Flagler Associates have spent the intervening years fighting the gaming compact in federal court on the grounds that allowing online betting violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s prohibition of off-reservation gaming.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week blocked the compact from taking effect while it prepares to consider its opponents’ request to take up the case.

Chief Justice John Roberts placed a stay on an earlier ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, DC, Circuit, which had declined to rehear the case.

Legal sports betting has been unavailable in Florida since a federal court first blocked the gaming compact in November 2021.

In its brief filed in state court this week, No Casinos points out that federal courts have side-stepped the question of whether the “hub and spoke” model envisioned by the compact is suitable under state law.

Indeed, the DC Circuit explained that state law is critical to the question of whether the parties to the Compact could lawfully ‘deem’ sports betting throughout Florida to be occurring on Indian land,” No Casinos wrote. “Thus, the court explicitly left it to this State’s courts to say what Florida law means, and how that affects the Compact.”

No Casinos says it is up to the state supreme court to declare that the governor and legislature cannot authorize off-reservation gaming of the type the compact would allow.

“The Compact and statutes that perpetuate and endorse the notion that ‘Indian lands’ exist wherever a mobile phone with a gambling app exists is a blatant attempt to legislate in an area that is, in fact, outside the authority of the Governor or the legislature,” No Casinos wrote.

Tribe Sits Out SCOTUS Case

The Seminole Tribe this week told the U.S. Supreme Court that it doesn’t plan to file a response in the case. West Flagler’s suit names the Department of Interior, which oversees Tribal gaming, as the defendant, and the case seeks to invalidate the Interior Secretary’s tacit approval of the underlying Florida compact.

In a letter to the court, the Tribe’s lawyers outlined its previous efforts to intervene on sovereign immunity grounds. It also covered the D.C. Circuit’s denial of those efforts on the grounds that it was upholding the underlying compact.

“For these reasons, the Tribe does not intend to file a response to the stay application,” the letter read. “However, the Tribe would gladly file a response should the Court desire one from the Tribe.”

The post Anti-Gambling Group Adds Voice to Florida Sports Betting Case? appeared first on Casino.org.

The Supreme Court is putting on hold a proposal that would have allowed the Seminole Tribe to open a sportsbook in the Sunshine State. That’s while it considers an appeal from local gambling companies opposed to the arrangement.

The move will further delay legal sports betting in Florida, and if the high court decides to take up the underlying case, it won’t be resolved until sometime next year. That would mean bettors may not have access to legal sportsbooks until after this year’s NFL season, or even next year’s March Madness college basketball tournament, typically some of the busiest times of year for sportsbooks.

Lengthy Legal Fight

West Flagler has spent the last two years attempting to reverse a 2021 agreement between the Seminole Tribe and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that would have given the tribe a monopoly on sports betting in the state. In addition to allowing sportsbooks at the tribe’s chain of Hard Rock casinos, the gaming compact also would have allowed people to bet online and via mobile apps anywhere within the state.

Sports betting was available in Florida for three brief weeks in November 2021. That’s before a federal judge first stepped in to block the compact. That decision was eventually overturned on appeal, and last month, the US Court of Appeals for the Washington, DC, circuit declined to rehear the case, delivering a jolt of optimism to local gamblers.

Now, the path forward has again been thrown into doubt.

Next Steps

Roberts’ order didn’t include any reasoning for his decision. He requests a response from the Interior Department to West Flagler’s initial stay request by October 18.

West Flagler also has committed to filing a petition for certiorari by November 20, asking the court to take up the case.

Meanwhile, the company also is pursuing a separate legal path in the Florida Supreme Court in a parallel attempt to invalidate the gaming compact. The court has asked DeSantis’ office to file a response by November 21 in that case.

The post Supreme Court Blocks Florida Sports Betting Plan Pending Appeal? appeared first on Casino.org.

West Flagler Associates and the Bonia-Fort Myers Corporation have filed a motion asking the justices to prevent a lower court decision from taking effect until they can consider the underlying case. The motion is dated October 6 and was added to the Supreme Court docket this week. A full petition for certiorari will be filed by November 20, the companies said in their motion.

The compact “deems” that any bets placed online actually happen on Seminole land, because that is where the Hard Rock servers are located. But West Flagler says that arrangement effectively opens the door to “off-reservation” gaming prohibited by federal law.

“Absent a stay, the Compact will give rise to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of sports betting transactions that violate both state and federal law before this Court has the opportunity to address the merits,” West Flagler writes in its Supreme Court petition. “The Circuit Opinion enables a dramatic change in public policy on legalized gaming that, once started, may be difficult to stop. It is in the public interest to preserve the status quo with respect to online gaming until such time as this Court has a chance to review Applicants’ petition for a writ of certiorari.”

Bonita Springs offers pari-mutuel betting on horse racing and jai alai, along with table games such as ultimate Texas hold ‘em and three-card poker. It has “competed with the Tribe for gaming patrons since 2009,” meaning the parent companies will “be harmed by the Tribe’s operation of online sports betting throughout Florida.”

Key Arguments

Under federal law, the Department of Interior has oversight of tribal gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Tribes are able to operate Las Vegas-style casinos on tribal land as long as they enter into gaming compacts with the states where such facilities are located, as the Seminole Tribe has done for decades at its Hard Rock casinos around Florida.

The motion from West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers raises three key issues it says warrant a full review by the Supreme Court.

First, it asks whether the IGRA allows the Secretary of the Interior to allow compacts to be approved when they authorize a tribe to offer sports wagering throughout the state “and thus off Indian lands.”

The motion also argues the compact violates the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act because Florida’s constitution prohibits sports betting except on tribal lands.

Finally, the companies ask whether the compact’s approval violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution. That’s by allowing the Seminole Tribe to offer sports betting statewide “while simultaneously making such conduct a felony if done by anyone of a different race, ancestry, ethnicity, or national origin.”

Parallel Proceeding

In addition to its federal court fight, West Flagler has also asked the Florida Supreme Court to step in and effectively invalidate the compact DeSantis signed two years ago.

DeSantis hasn’t yet filed a response in the state Supreme Court case, but one has been requested by November 21, according to the court docket.

Another Florida organization, “No Casinos, Inc.,” also has been granted an opportunity to intervene in the case on West Flagler’s behalf. No Casinos’ amicus brief is due by October 16.

The post Florida Sports Betting Compact Opponents Take Case to US Supreme Court? appeared first on Casino.org.

Hundreds of electronic bingo machines have been deployed by charities such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, but state regulators have consistently said that such devices are illegal. The owners of the primary company marketing the devices to Arizona charities are facing criminal prosecution, and regulators are warning charities that they risk legal trouble if they keep the machines in place.

“Possession of a bingo gambling device remains a crime,” the Arizona Department of Gaming warned in a recently released notice to bingo licensees (emphasis in the original).

Arizona law authorizes only traditional live-call bingo games, in which someone pulls balls and calls numbers in front of a group of players. The electronic devices at issue function similarly to slot machines, and allow individuals to play at any time, although their results are based on bingo pulls fed into the machines by employees of the charities where they are located.

2017 Law at Issue

The current showdown stems from a 2017 law that allowed charitable bingo providers to provide electronic devices, in narrow circumstances, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

At least, that’s how it was presented at the time by its chief sponsor, State Sen. Sonny Borrelli (R), and others involved in drafting the legislation.

All this is really doing is allowing these nonprofits to use a technological aid for somebody that actually complies with the ADA,” Borrelli said at a 2017 hearing on the legislation, known as Senate Bill 1180.

Allowing charities to deploy slots-style devices would risk violating Arizona’s gaming compact with the state’s Native American tribes, which have exclusive rights to offer casino-style games, advocates warned at the time.

Shifting Justifications

Borrelli has since changed his tune and is now accusing the state of going after veterans groups that have come to rely on the revenue from the machines. Borrelli is a conservative Republican who has helped spread the theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.

At a press conference earlier this month, Borrelli surrounded himself with veterans. He released a statement accusing state officials of “sacrificing Arizona’s veterans” to benefit tribal casinos.

“That? allegation is as incorrect as it is offensive,” wrote Arizona Department of Gaming Director Jackie Johnson and other regulators in a letter to Borrelli after the event. “What we are actually doing is protecting Arizonans,? including veterans and seniors, from unregulated, potentially predatory gambling machines that? are not properly audited or monitored, which is our statutory mandate.”

Regulators have been consistent in their interpretation of the law through the administrations of former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and current Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who was elected last year. In a? 2017 notice, regulators warned that electronic bingo devices remain illegal, using similar language to the notice issued this year, although the on-site inspections are new. No charities have faced formal sanctions from the state for offering the machines.

Borrelli’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Casino.org Tuesday.

Entrepreneur Being Prosecuted

Borrelli’s legislation was written with help from a local gaming entrepreneur, who has boasted of selling millions of dollars worth of the machines to veterans groups and others in the state.

Greg Mullally, the founder of Lynxx Gaming, has boasted of his role in drafting the legislation, and? subsequently, “grossing well over $1M per month,” in messages posted to an online message board.

This bill, one I wrote and which was carried through the legislature by Mohave County Senator Sonny Borrelli, will allow us to start placing gambling type equipment off the reservation in AZ,” reads an August 2017 post to Mullally’s profile on a message board for members of the Helena High School class of 1963.

The Arizona Republic first uncovered the message board posts. Mullally downplayed their significance in an interview with the paper.

Mullally and three other men involved in Lynxx Gaming are facing felony charges in Maricopa County related to the bingo machines. A trial is expected to begin next year.

A call to Mullally’s lawyer seeking comment was not immediately returned on Tuesday.

The post Arizona Regulators Crack Down on Slots-Like Bingo Machines appeared first on Casino.org.

The NCAA’s policy recommendations come as universities and leagues grapple with the growth of sports betting and the varying patchwork of rules in the more than three dozen states where it is now legal.

NCAA President Charlie Baker joined the organization this year after serving two terms as the governor of Massachusetts, and he has first-hand experience with establishing a sports betting program. As governor, Baker signed the Massachusetts law authorizing sports betting and appointed the program’s regulators. He has portrayed sports betting as a major opportunity for the NCAA since beginning in his new role.

The NCAA is making changes to help student-athletes make smart choices when it comes to sports betting, but given the explosive growth of this new industry, we are eager to partner with lawmakers, regulators, and industry leaders to protect student-athletes from harassment and threats,” Baker said in a news release this week.

“Some states have great policies on the books to protect student-athletes from harassment and coercion and to protect the integrity of the games,” he added, “but as more states pass or amend laws, more needs to be done.”

Student-Athletes Targets of Harassment?

College athletes are frequently the target of harassment from gamblers. According to the NCAA, 72% of universities are dealing with gambling issues, and a comparable share of athletes are the targets of harassment from frustrated bettors.

As such, Baker is calling on gaming regulators to develop new systems to monitor for harassment or coercive behavior, and to refer such cases to law enforcement authorities.

Betting by student-athletes is also a growing problem, exemplified by ongoing scandals involving players at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

Limit Betting to 21+

In its recommendations, the NCAA is calling for states to require bettors to be at least 21 years of age and to dedicate funding for problem gambling awareness education directed at high-risk college students. Most states already require bettors to be 21, but a handful allow all adults to place a sports wager.

In New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, and the newly legal Kentucky, anyone over the age of 18 can place a bet.

“We are in a time where student-athlete health and well-being is the main priority,” said Morgyn Wynne, vice chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. “With the legalization of sports betting, it is imperative that we take a proactive approach to protecting student-athletes from the potential of negative engagement with bettors. Thirty-eight states have clearly passed 38 different laws, but one thing that needs to be consistent across all is prioritizing the student-athlete experience and preventing harmful activity that jeopardizes the integrity of sports.”

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The Culinary and Bartenders Union said 95% of its workers voted to authorize a strike if contract negotiations with the casino operators go south. As of Wednesday, workers remained on the job. But the strike authorization vote is likely to increase the unions’ leverage in the talks.

Today, Culinary and Bartenders Union members have sent the strongest message possible to the casino industry to settle a fair contract as soon as possible. We have negotiations scheduled next week with MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn/Encore Resorts, and it’s up to the three largest employers in Las Vegas to step up and do the right thing,” said Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union.

“If these gaming companies don’t come to an agreement, the workers have spoken and we will be ready to do whatever it takes – up to and including a strike,” Pappageorge added. “Workers brought every single one of these companies through the pandemic and into a great recovery, and workers deserve a fair share. Companies are doing extremely well and we are demanding that workers aren’t left behind.”

Better Pay, Security Sought

The unions represent hotel and restaurant workers, bartenders, and other nongaming staff at the major resorts along the Las Vegas Strip. Their contracts with MGM, Caesars, and Wynn expired in June but have been extended through September.

“We are the glue that keeps these hotels together, and we should be paid what we deserve,” Deanna Virgil, a longtime employee at Wynn Las Vegas, told The Associated Press after casting her vote Tuesday morning.

Union members say they’re continuing to negotiate in good faith and hope to reach an agreement with the casinos without a strike. The unions are asking for better pay and working conditions, as well as additional safety protections for employees, among other desires.

In a statement reported by several news outlets, MGM Resorts said it has successfully negotiated with the unions for decades and was hopeful the talks would be fruitful. “We continue to have productive meetings with the union and believe both parties are committed to negotiating a contract that is good for everyone,” MGM said.

Wynn and Caesars declined to comment, according to the New York Times.

Labor Growing Elsewhere

The union’s previous five-year contract expired in 2018, and a strike was also authorized at the time. A deal ultimately was reached before any walkout.

Meanwhile, the would-be developers of a proposed casino in Richmond, Va., this week said they would build the project with union labor if they win approval for the project in November.

The post Las Vegas Culinary and Bartenders Union Votes to Authorize Strike? appeared first on Casino.org.

The owners of two South Florida gaming establishments are asking the Florida Supreme Court to effectively invalidate a Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe. The compact, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2021, would give the tribe a monopoly on sports betting in the state through its existing casinos and online Hard Rock Bet sportsbook.

Opponents believe the gaming compact violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act by allowing off-reservation gaming through the mobile sportsbook. Supporters of the deal say it is legal because the sportsbook computer servers accepting bets would be located on tribal land.

Federal Court Avenues Dwindling

West Flagler failed to convince the full D.C. Circuit to rehear a decision by a three-judge panel upholding the tribal gaming compact, leaving the US Supreme Court as its only remaining outlet for federal intervention. The company has asked the D.C. Circuit to stay its ruling to allow it to mount a Supreme Court appeal.

The Department of Interior, which regulates tribal gaming at the federal level, told the D.C. Circuit in a filing this week that further delay would be inappropriate.

In its initial ruling, the appeals court panel “makes explicitly clear that the Compact does not purport to—and as a matter of law, could not—authorize the gaming activities outside Indian land that West Flagler believes are illegal, and that West Flagler’s dispute is instead with the Florida law that does authorize those activities,” Interior wrote in a filing Monday.

“West Flagler’s assertion that this Court’s opinion nevertheless raises questions of exceptional importance rests on the same misreading of the opinion advanced in its unsuccessful petition for rehearing en banc.”

State Writ Sought

Now, West Flagler and its allies are taking their case to the highest court in the Sunshine State.

The petition argues that DeSantis and the state legislature violated the Florida Constitution’s requirement that any off-reservation gambling be subject to a statewide ballot before going into effect.

The Seminole compact represents “a clear expansion of casino gambling in Florida without a voter-approved constitutional amendment by citizens’ initiative, as required by Article X, Section 30,” petitioners argue.

Petitioners ask the court to declare that DeSantis and the legislature have exceeded their authority and that the only way to allow off-reservation sports betting in Florida is by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot for voters to approve.

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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Friday announced that it was rejecting a proposal from KalshiEX LLC to offer a political event contract based on which party controls Congress.

After reviewing the complete record, the CFTC determined the contracts involve gaming and activity that is unlawful under state law and are contrary to the public interest,” the agency said in a statement announcing the decision.

Kalshi allows traders to bet on the outcome of various events in politics, pop culture or the economy.

In June, Kalshi sought CFTC approval of its congressional contract after failing to win the agency’s blessing for a similar market last year.

The disapproval announced Friday is a setback for Kalshi, but it is likely not the end of the road.

Court Challenge Possible

Kalshi is evaluating its next steps and has not announced its plans. But a likely next move would be to file a lawsuit attempting to overturn the CFTC’s decision.

In a series of social media posts following the CFTC’s announcement, Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said the decision was “arbitrary and capricious,” hinting at an argument the company likely would make in upcoming litigation.

Federal law requires agencies like the CFTC to make well-reasoned decisions supported by evidence. Convincing a judge that the agency acted arbitrarily would be key to Kalshi’s legal strategy.

We are evaluating options and are considering what the best course of action is,” Mansour wrote. “We believe we are right and are considering what it will take to make the government see what we see.”

For now, Kalshi is not offering a congressional elections contract on its platform, but other markets remain active. Contracts were being traded on events including the end of the Hollywood writer’s strike and the next federal interest rate, among others.

Given the growing likelihood that Congress cannot pass an appropriations bill to keep the government open past Sept. 30, when current funding expires, Kalshi has expanded its markets related to the risk of a shutdown.

PredictIt Recommended

Political betting is also currently available through PredictIt – an avenue Mansour himself recommended. PredictIt has been engaged in its own face off with the CFTC, but it has so far been successful in challenging the agency in court.

New contracts have been appearing on PredictIt in recent weeks, signs of the site’s confidence following the recent court victories.

PredictIt had 20 active markets as of Monday, including the winner of this year’s Kentucky governor’s race?and next year’s GOP presidential primary in New Hampshire. On the congressional front, the site is offering contracts tied to the Arizona and Ohio Senate races as well as the question of whether New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez files to run for president next year.

Notably, PredictIt is not taking bets on which party will control the House or Senate, the subject of Kalshi’s CFTC denial.

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal — a Connecticut Democrat who chairs the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations — issued a subpoena Wednesday. His target is the U.S. subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which owns the upstart LIV Golf tour.

The subpoena comes as part of an ongoing investigation by the Connecticut Democrat into the Saudi government’s efforts to cover up its record of human rights abuses. The Saudis hope to improve their reputation by investing in U.S. institutions like the PGA Tour.

Saudi Investments Growing

In a memo outlining the basis for the subpoena, Blumenthal argues that the Saudi government is engaged in a multi-front campaign to increase its influence in the U.S. by acquiring key assets.

The Subcommittee’s inquiry thus far has demonstrated that PIF’s planned takeover of professional golf is part of a much larger planned expansion of its investments worldwide,” Blumenthal wrote.

Since 2015, the investment fund has seen its assets under management grow from $152 billion to $776 billion, and the Saudi government ultimately hopes to have that hit at least $2 trillion by 2030, according to the memo.

The PIF has invested in major U.S. companies, including Meta Platforms, JPMorgan Chase, and Uber, as well as prominent private equity firms, according to the memo. But Blumenthal argues there is a “lack of visibility” into how those investments may contribute to broader Saudi influence-peddling efforts.

‘Sportswashing’ Allegations

The fund could “use investment to suppress unfavorable narratives about Saudi Arabia,” Blumenthal warns, citing reports that Vice Media removed a documentary critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after merging with a Saudi media company.

Blumenthal also warns that PIF investments can be used to “distract” from negative stories about Saudi Arabia.

PIF’s PGA Tour investment fits in this bucket because it appears to be a classic attempt at a practice known as ‘sportswashing,’” Blumenthal wrote.

The subpoena targets the PIF’s wholly-owned U.S. affiliate, USSA International LLC, and seeks documents related to the fund’s involvement with the PGA Tour and other U.S. investments. Blumenthal says the subpoena is necessary after PIF? and PIF and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, have refused to voluntarily cooperate with the subcommittee’s investigation over the past three months.

“The Saudi’s Public Investment Fund cannot have it both ways: if it wants to engage with the U.S. commercially, it must be subject to U.S. law & oversight,” Blumenthal wrote on social media Wednesday.

Betting Scrutiny?

The subpoena comes amid scrutiny of LIV by some gambling regulators around the U.S.

Massachusetts banned wagers on LIV events this summer soon after announcing its interest in the PGA.

Earlier this month, a Kentucky Horse Racing Commission member questioned whether the eye-popping sums LIV offered to some of its top golfers undermined the league’s competitive integrity. But regulators included the league in the commonwealth’s new betting catalog.

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C., Circuit on Monday said it would not reopen a case seeking to overturn a tribal gaming compact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe. The agreement, signed in 2021 by Gov. Ron Desantis (R), gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on retail and online sports betting in the state.

Barring a long-shot intervention by the Supreme Court, the stage is now set for the Seminole Tribe to begin operating its Hard Rock Bet sportsbook online and at its half-dozen casinos around the state.

Hard Rock Back From the Dead?

The Tribe could not immediately be reached for comment. But Hard Rock Bets appeared to welcome the news by posting a .gif of WWE’s The Undertaker rising from a coffin soon after the judges issued their decision Monday.

The decision is the culmination of nearly two years of legal challenges led by West Flagler Associates, which operates the Bonita Springs Poker Room in South Florida.

A district court judge agreed with West Flagler and nullified the compact in 2021. But that decision was overturned on appeal in June of this year by a three-judge panel on the DC Circuit.

In August, West Flagler filed a petition for an “en banc” rehearing by all 11 judges on the circuit. The judges denied that petition Monday with a brief per curium order.

West Flagler was founded in Miami in the early 1950s as a partnership controlled by the prominent Havenick Family, and it currently operates the Bonita Springs Poker Room in South Florida. Last year, West Flagler sold Magic City Casino, which offers poker and slots, to Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians for $600 million.

Demand Appears High

Legal sports wagering was available in Florida for just three weeks in 2021 before being shut down. The state is one of the largest where sports betting is not currently available, alongside major holdouts like California and Texas.

Potential bettors in the state seem eager to get back online.

“Don’t play with me, man. I need my gambling back in Florida,” one user wrote in response to Hard Rock Bets’ Undertaker post.

Another user was more blunt: “Open up to Florida for Monday night football, you cowards,” they wrote.

The post Florida Sports Betting: Court Denies Redo, Clearing Way To Resume Wagers appeared first on Casino.org.

“Bet these New York teams to win tonight on 9/11,” DraftKings advertised, according to screenshots posted on social media.

The offer of +651 for the Mets, Yankees, and Jets to win their games Monday was headlined, “NEVER FORGET.”

DraftKings later pulled the parlay and apologized.

“We sincerely apologize for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11.? We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected,” the company said.

Gaming Commission Calls Ad ‘Reprehensible’?

The parlay offer attracted quick condemnation in New York, where the World Trade Center fell 22 years ago.

This was reprehensible,” a spokesman for the New York State Gaming Commission told Casino.org in an email Monday. “We expect all licensees to exercise sensitivity.”

DraftKings is the second-largest of the nine sportsbooks operating in New York, according to financial data collected by the gaming commission.

Parlays such as the one offered by DraftKings are legal under New York regulations, and licensees have broad discretion over how to market or advertise those parlays. Aside from some bad publicity, it appears DraftKings is unlikely to face any regulatory repercussions for the 9/11 parlay.

New York Post Opines?

The New York Post labeled the bet “tone deaf” and pointed out that DraftKings wasn’t even offering good odds on the parlay. Fair value for the same three-way bet would pay +682 on FanDuel, compared to the +651 offered by DraftKings.

“This pre-made parlay could’ve used a different name, perhaps not referencing a national tragedy where thousands of Americans lost their lives,” the Post’s Eric Richter wrote.

New York-based writer Tom Ley, editor-in-chief of Defector.com, had a more philosophical take on the controversy.

It can be hard to understand how, 22 years after the 9/11 attacks, something like the Never Forget Parlay can be conceived and freely shared. How is it that with two decades worth of groan- and apology-worthy 9/11 posts piled up behind them, brands and the people that speak for/as them online are still finding ways to stack it a little higher?” he asked in a post Monday.

“The answer is that the Never Forget Parlay is not actually a faux-pas. Its existence is easy to comprehend when viewed as what it is: not some aberrant expression of mourning, but the natural product of American culture’s perverse grieving process.”

The post DraftKings Apologizes for 9/11-Themed Parlay? appeared first on Casino.org.

Amid ongoing contract talks with the major hotel and casino chains, the powerful Culinary and Bartenders Unions have announced a strike vote to take place on Sept. 26. The unions represent 53,000 bartenders, guest room attendants, cooks, and other nongaming staff at properties on the Las Vegas Strip and downtown.

The unions ‘ top priorities in the ongoing negotiations are better wages, reduced housekeeping quotas, and enhanced security protections for employees. Workforce reductions implemented during the pandemic have persisted even as more visitors return to Las Vegas, the union says, meaning employees must take on a larger workload to compensate.

“We are negotiating for the best contract ever in the Culinary Union’s history to ensure that one job is enough,” Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union, said in a news release. “Companies are generating record profits, and we demand that workers aren’t left behind and have a fair share of that success.”

Labor On The Rise

A potential Las Vegas strike comes amid a wave of labor actions across the country, including the ongoing strikes in Hollywood by the writers’ and actors’ unions, rolling strikes by workers at Los Angeles-area hotels, a narrowly averted strike of UPS drivers in June, and the potential for the United Auto Workers Union to strike when their contracts expire next week.

“My job got so much harder since the pandemic and I’m in constant pain at work,” said Evangelina Alaniz, a guest room attendant at MGM Resorts International’s Bellagio and Culinary Union member for 18 years, in a news release. “When I get home I feel guilty that I don’t have energy to spend time with my son, help him with his homework, or even cook dinner some nights.”

Potential Travel Disruptions

The unions have launched a website, www.vegastravelalert.org, to keep visitors and conference organizers abreast of any potential labor disputes that could disrupt travel plans.

The union has not had to strike recently. But the effects of such a shutdown likely would devastate the city’s recovering economy. In 1984, the Culinary Union held a 67-day strike of its 17,000 members, crippling the Las Vegas hospitality industry.

The post Las Vegas Culinary and Bartenders Union Workers to Vote on Strike appeared first on Casino.org.

Beshar’s wager carried a whiff of home-state politicking, with Election Day just two months away. The Democratic incumbent has made legalization of sports wagering a central plank in his pitch to voters.

The governor bet $20 on the parlay, wagering that the universities of Louisville and Kentucky would both hit the over on wins for the football season, and that their perennial rival, Duke, would hit the under.

“Today is a great day to celebrate and have a little bit of fun doing so,” Beshear said in a statement. “It has taken many years to get here, but sports wagering is finally a reality in Kentucky. This is a win-win for Kentuckians, who can enjoy a quality entertainment experience and benefit from funds staying right here in our state to help us build a better Kentucky.”

Beshar placed his first bet Thursday morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and later in the afternoon placed another bet at the Red Mile in Lexington.

The governor signed the new bipartisan sports betting law in March, and put its implementation on a fast track in order to allow bets to be placed in time for the start of the NFL season. While in-person wagering began Thursday at horse tracks and off-site facilities around Kentucky, mobile sportsbooks will not begin taking bets until Sept. 28.

Election Season

The governor has frequently touted his support for the sports betting law, and lists it among his top accomplishments, alongside things like legalizing medical marijuana, investing in clean drinking water, and expanding broadband access.

Beshar’s opponent in this year’s election is Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, whose campaign has heavily focused on conservative culture war attacks. During a GOP primary debate in March, before the new law passed, Cameron said he “didn’t think much” of sports betting, but would support legalization with the proper regulatory framework.

A Cameron spokesman tried to downplay Beshar’s role in sports betting. “The legislature deserves the credit for moving this ball down the field. Beshear once again is trying to take credit for this victory when all he did was cheer from the sidelines,” Sean Southard, a Cameron campaign spokesman, said in a statement to the Associated Press.

Beshar said he worked closely with the Kentucky legislature. “They all know the truth,” Beshear said of the criticism, according to the AP. “It’s just an election season. But why don’t we all just be happy today. Sports betting is legal in Kentucky. Let’s not play politics with it.”

Whether the advent of sports betting helps Beshar in November remains to be seen. But the jockeying over how much credit the governor deserves suggests both parties see the issue as a winner.

In the political betting markets, Beshar has a clear leg up. Shares in a Democratic victory in Kentucky were trading for 72 cents on PredictIt.

Economic Impact

Kentucky’s new law is estimated to raise at least $23 million per year, the bulk of which will go toward public pensions. A newly created problem gambling fund will receive 2.5% of the proceeds.

In-person wagers, like those being placed on Thursday, will be taxed at a rate of 9.75%, while mobile sportsbooks will be taxed at a 14.25% rate later this month when they start operating.

The post Kentucky Sportsbooks Welcome First Wagers appeared first on Casino.org.

Now dubbed the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino, the $562 million project would include a luxury hotel and spa, as well as an entertainment venue and community park. The casino would feature table games, poker, slots, and an on-site sportsbook.

Voters in Richmond will decide this November whether to allow the project to proceed. City leaders are supporting a second ballot measure after an earlier effort fell short in 2021, when a casino referendum was rejected by a two-point margin.

Supporters say the project would create 1,300 jobs and generate $30 million in revenue for Richmond. It will be built without taxpayer subsidies.

Richmond Grand is a joint venture between Urban One, Inc., a Maryland-based, Black-owned entertainment company, and Churchill Downs, Inc., the Louisville-based company famous for organizing the annual Kentucky Derby. The casino plans were “informed by hundreds of conversations with Richmonders,” the developers said in a news release this week.

“This is a plan by Richmond, for Richmond, and when we vote yes, all of Richmond wins,” Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins, III, said in a statement.

If approved, the new complex would be built in south Richmond, along I-95 near a Philip Morris manufacturing facility.

Richmond is the last of five cities in the state to vote on a casino referendum, after the state legislature opened the door to commercial casinos several years ago. Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Richmond all are authorized to build one casino each, as long as voters approve.

Campaign Kicks Into Gear

The casino referendum will appear as Question 1 on Richmonders ballots this fall. Unlike the vote two years ago, there is no governor’s race on the ballot in November, meaning turnout is likely to be lower.

Richmond’s city council voted in June to put the casino measure back before voters, and the referendum has already survived several legal twists and turns.

A local judge last week sided with the city against a local nonprofit that sought to block the casino referendum, in part over concerns that it would undercut charitable gaming operations. An appeal of that decision is possible, but otherwise the choice will be up to voters. This week also brought news that the state budget will not block the casino vote, according to a Richmond TV station.

The pro-casino campaign is being overseen by Tierra Ward, a Richmond resident who served as local elections director for the state Democratic party.

Two years ago, casino supporters spent nearly $2.5 million on the campaign in favor of the ballot measure, according to campaign finance reports for its political committee. The group has not filed updated campaign finance reports this year.

Opposition Looms

Casino opponents are being organized by Richmond Lawyer Paul Goldman, who has established his own political committee, “No Means No Casino,” funded in part with $100,000 from the Ukrop family, who owned a popular local chain of grocery stores.

Goldman earlier this week filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Elections alleging that he is being denied access to voter data necessary to run the campaign.

The 2021 referendum failed by a 51%-49% margin.

The post Richmond Casino Backers Unveil New Design appeared first on Casino.org.

Paul Goldman, a local attorney and political consultant, established a new political group, “No Means No Casino,” to advocate against a ballot measure that would authorize the casino project. Richmond voters narrowly rejected a similar casino referendum in 2021, but city leaders want to revisit the question this year.

Goldman’s group wants to send mailers to voters and run a door-knocking campaign using voter data from the Virginia State Board of Elections. But he says the board is violating his constitutional rights by not handing the information over.

Under state law, voter data must be made available to candidates and political action committees, and Goldman says his group should be entitled to the same data to argue its case against the casino measure ahead of the November 7 election. He says elections officials are refusing to share the information.

Lawsuit Filed

Goldman filed a lawsuit in Richmond City Circuit Court against Virginia Department of Elections commissioner Susan Beals and members of the Board of Elections, according to a copy of the complaint provided to Casino.org.

A Department of Elections spokeswoman said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and city council members have been broadly supportive of plans for the new casino, which they say will bring jobs and economic development to the city. Project proponents plan to unveil new plans for the $500M facility on Thursday evening.

Goldman says out-of-state interests are preying on residents, and the project will not deliver on its promises.

Grocery Magnates Fund Opposition

“No Means No Casino” was established in late July, according to paperwork filed with the State Board of Elections.

The organization has received a single cash donation of $100K from Barbara and Jim Ukrop, scions of a popular local chain of grocery stores and backers of an earlier anti-casino effort. According to campaign finance records, Richmond Action, LLC, another organization founded by Goldman, has made nearly $40K worth of “in kind” contributions.

The post Richmond Casino Opponent Sues Election Board Over Voter Data? appeared first on Casino.org.

The events catalog released by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission includes all major US professional leagues, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, PGA, and WNBA. The list includes a variety of other sports in the US and abroad, including billiards, cornhole, cycling, darts, Olympic events, and tennis. It also includes NASCAR and IndyCar motorsports, but not international Formula 1 competitions.

Collegiate sports eligible for wagering include football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, and softball. More events, such as women’s volleyball, may be added in the future.

Kentucky is also jumping on the growing eSports trend, allowing wagering on eight video games, including Call of Duty, League of Legends, NBA 2K, and Valorant.?

Sports betting in Kentucky begins September 7 at retail sportsbooks at the state’s horse tracks and satellite facilities. Mobile sportsbooks can begin accepting wagers on September 28, but residents can sign up for accounts now.

To be included on the list, an event must be operated by a governing body and be reviewed to ensure the competitiveness and integrity of the game. Bets won’t be accepted on events such as in-game penalties. Awards shows like the Oscars won’t be eligible for wagering in Kentucky.

The list will likely be updated on a rolling basis, and additional events will likely be added by the time mobile sportsbooks are online, officials said Thursday.

UFC In, Slap Fighting Out

Wagering on mixed martial arts will be limited to Ultimate Fighting Championship contests, but regulators are steering clear of newer, more brutal forms of combat sports, such as slap fighting.

Concern over where to draw the line was raised Thursday at a Kentucky Sports Wagering Advisory Council meeting, a group of commissioners and at-large members established to issue recommendations to the Horse Racing Commission.

KHRC Commissioner William May, an advisory council member, said he’s unfamiliar with all types of mixed martial arts contests. But, without pointing to specific events, he worried that some newer varieties seem designed to inflict as much pain as possible on participants.

I would not want for this body to recommend any activity that exists simply to maim someone or cause harm,” May said at the meeting.

Hans Stokke, the director of sports wagering at the commission, assured the commissioner that the catalog was assembled with such concerns in mind.

“We don’t want anything in this catalog that is the result of mayhem,” Stokke said. “So there are some specific types of sports that we left out of that after review.”

LIV Golf Included

May also asked about the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour, which gave some of its top stars eye-popping bonuses before its inaugural season last year. He asked, “Are those events competitive? Is there an incentive for the players to win?”

Stokke noted that the potential merger of LIV with the PGA Tour would require a reevaluation if it goes forward. A new league would not simply be grandfathered in, he said.

What About Pickleball?

One notable omission from the list jumped out to Jonathan Blue, an at-large member of the advisory council and the chairman of a Louisville-based private equity firm.

“I didn’t see pickleball on there,” Blue said at Thursday’s meeting. “I think it’s the fastest growing sport in the world, or something, right now it’s everywhere. Everybody’s building these courts, and I know there’s a professional league all over the place. I would just ask should that be included, or what was your logic there?”

Stokke agreed with the sentiment but said the sport was still under review.

“It is an exciting sport,” Stokke said. “Once we’re more comfortable with the governing bodies that pickleball is subject to, and as long as we can vet those, it could be something we could consider in the future. Our research so far hasn’t allowed us to get that far with pickleball, but it’s something we’d love to see in the catalog going forward.”

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In late July, a federal court allowed PredictIt to remain online while the site appealed a move by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to shut it down. In a 2-1 decision, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals panel determined that PredictIt and its users were likely to win in the end.

The site’s future will, however, ultimately be up to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, which has not yet set a schedule to proceed.

Prior to the July ruling, PredictIt largely avoided taking new wagers, aside from a handful of existing markets related to the 2024 presidential election. That began to change this month, with the launch of eight new markets related to the Republican primaries and a handful of other statewide contests.

Presidential, Statewide Contests

The first new PredictIt contract to resolve will come this November with the outcome of the Kentucky governor’s race. Incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is seen as a strong favorite by traders, with shares in a Democratic victory going for 68 cents as of Wednesday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is seen as the most likely second-place finisher in Iowa, with his shares at 36 cents in a separate market tied to that question.

PredictIt users also can bet on who will become the Republican nominee for vice president, and opinions are more closely divided there. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is trading at 17 cents in that market, compared to 14 cents for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, 13 cents for South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and 10 cents for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

2024 General Election Markets Available

Looking ahead to the general election, bets are being accepted on two state’s presidential ballots and one Senate race so far.

PredictIt users expect the Democratic presidential nominee will win both Wisconsin and Georgia in 2024, with shares in each trading at 58 cents on Wednesday.

PredictIt users are giving Democrats an edge in Arizona, with shares trading at 53 cents on Wednesday, compared to 34 cents for a Republican win and 12 cents for an Independent victory.

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The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) is considering proposed rule changes that would require sportsbook operators to do more to prevent underage bettors from accessing their platforms through shared accounts.

The commission wants sportsbook operators to do a better job of informing customers that account- sharing is prohibited and that they may not place bets on behalf of people under the age of 21.

The changes come amid a deepening investigation into student athletes at the state’s universities.

Warnings Required

Sportsbook websites and apps would be required to include the following disclaimers if the new rules are adopted:

“(1) Account-sharing is prohibited. Each account holder must not share usernames or passwords with other people. Each wager made on an account shall be made by only the registered account holder, and shall not be made on behalf of any other individual.

“(2) Persons under the age of 21 are prohibited from wagering. No person shall attempt to circumvent account setup procedures designed to prohibit wagering from individuals under the age of 21. Registered account holders shall not attempt to assist in the placement of a wager by any individual under the age of 21.”

Another proposed change would require sportsbooks to take extra steps to enforce prohibitions on betting by coaches, players, and others affiliated with sports teams. Operators would either have to maintain their own lists of prohibited bettors, or join a third-party organization that maintains such a list.

Additional proposed changes would add account-sharing to a list of violations sportsbook operators are required to report to regulators, and add new requirements related to account verification procedures to prevent underage access.

Players Allegedly Used Shared Accounts

The proposed rules come as dozens of student athletes from Iowa and Iowa State are suspected to have placed sports bets in violation of NCAA rules.

Seven players have been charged in a state gambling probe and accused of using other people’s accounts to place sports bets, including some games involving their own teams.

Iowa wide receiver Jack Johnson, for example, allegedly placed 380 bets on a DraftKings account set up by his mother while he was underage.

Iowa State running back Jirehl Brock allegedly bet more than $12K using a friend’s name and account, including at least three football games in which he played.

Public Hearing Scheduled for October

A public hearing is scheduled for October 10 in Des Moines.

Individuals or organizations can submit comments on the proposal between now and then.

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