Pew States – Many Internet cafes that have popped up in suburban strip malls and gas stations offer something more than coffee and access to the Web and email. Known as Internet sweepstakes cafes, they sell time on computers that can have the look, sound and feel of slot and video poker machines, sometimes with cash payouts for winners. State and local authorities say the operations are illegal gambling, but shutting them down hasn’t been easy. More than $10 billion in revenue a year is the incentive to stay in business for these storefronts, numbering in the thousands. For some…

The Cato Institute and the Pacific Legal Foundation this week filed an amicus brief which supports the New Jersey sports gambling appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding online sports betting. In February, Chris Christie’s administration filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, stating the federal ban on sports gambling in all but 4 states (the PAPSA law) is unconstitutional. The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank located in Washington D.C. The think tank was founded in 1974 by Charles Koch. It is considered one of the leading think tanks in the world, sitting at 6th best among American…

The Hill – Legislation to ban online gambling that was written with the help of lobbyists for Republican super-donor Sheldon Adelson will soon be introduced in Congress. Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., is on a crusade to stop online gambling, arguing it would be harmful to children and the nation’s moral fabric. He is pushing for a federal law to stop the industry in its tracks. But the bill will face a firestorm of opposition from state lotteries, poker players and major casinos who see a bright future for the gambling industry online. Charlie McIntyre, executive director…

iGaming Business – Online gambling company Betfair has joined forces with Income Access, a provider of technology and affiliate iGaming management solutions, to launch the Betfair Casino affiliate programme in the US state of New Jersey. The new affiliate programme will complement Betfair Casino’s online slots, poker and table game products that were launched in the state in November 2013. Betfair and Income Access will now work together to help affiliates benefit from these products and supply them with experience on how to best promote and drive traffic in the regulated New Jersey online gaming market. In addition, Betfair said…

Daily Finance – The casino industry commands $37 billion in annual revenue. As far as competitive pastimes go, Americans spend more money on gambling than we do on professional sports. And if it’s the rush that’s the draw, there’s no competition: We shell out $9 billion more on gambling than we spend on coffee and video games combined each year. But when you dig into the demographics of gambling, a troubling trend emerges. Among senior citizens, gambling is a primary social outlet — more so than outings to museums, libraries, and zoos, according to one survey of activity directors from…

Biz Journals – Is Philadelphia the next Las Vegas? With the city now home to several casinos, a City Councilman wants to take it a step further, by installing slot machines at the airport. Councilman Jim Kenney is arguing for the measure, saying the city could use the proceeds to fund its struggling education coffers. It wouldn’t be for the general public, just people flying in and out of the city. Here’s what he told Newsworks: “We need new revenue sources for the school district. The state legislature has been reticent to pay anything with the word tax associated with it. 1,300 machines at…