A North Carolina sports betting bill that would allow the activity on tribal lands has been passed by the state Senate, and transferred to the House of Representatives. S154, introduced by Republican Senator Jim Davis, would allow tribal gaming facilities to offer sports betting alongside other forms of gambling currently permitted under existing compacts with the state. It was passed by the Senate at its second reading, with 43 Senators voting in favor and seven against. This means the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, currently the only tribe that has agreed a compact with the state, would be able to…

An Iowa sports betting bill was advanced by lawmakers through a crucial Senate committee last week, setting up a likely vote before the entire chamber in the coming days and pushing legal wagering on step closer to fruition. Following the recommendations of a three-person subcommittee meeting earlier this week, the Senate Ways and Means Committee passed SF 366, which would allow licensed riverboat casinos and racetracks to take wagers on sporting events. More significantly, it allows third-party online vendors into the market, drastically expanding the potential for betting on sports in Iowa. If passed, Iowa could become just the seventh…

Governor Ralph Northam has signed into law a bill that opens the door for Virginia casino gaming, as well as providing a route to law for sports betting in the state. Northam has ratified SB1126, filed by Senator Louise Lucas in December 2018, which allows cities to establish casinos, provided they meet a series of conditions. Cities are eligible to host the venues if they have an unemployment rate of at least 4%, a poverty rate of 20%, and had experienced a population decline of at least 7% between 1990 and 2016. Tribal casinos, meanwhile, would be permitted in cities…

An attempted Bellagio robbery in Las Vegas ended in a gunfight between police and the suspect late Friday. An armed man walked into the casino and approached a popular poker cage, where he demanded money, before quickly fleeing out the north entrance, Las Vegas police said in an overnight press conference. The suspect attempted to carjack someone at the valet but was confronted immediately by four uniformed officers. The man turned and fired at least one shot in the direction of an officer who was struck in the chest, police said. Kevin McMahill with the Las Vegas Police Department said…

GameCo Awarded Nevada License! Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman Tony Alamo thinks he might be the oldest guy co-oping from an Xbox at 1 in the morning. He told fellow commissioners that he believes in the prospect of turning skill-based video games into casino floor revenue generators. “I’m probably at the tail end of the bell curve,” he said at Thursday’s commission meeting. “I’m kind of old.” Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the Gaming Control Board recommendation of approval for GameCo and its executives. GameCo, previously licensed in New Jersey, plans to bring skill-based games to market for play on casino…

Questions have been raised about Sheldon Adelson’s failing health as the start date looms for a trial in Clark County District Court that could cost the company millions of dollars in damages. Hours after news surfaced that Sheldon Adelson is seriously ill, the company confirmed he has non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It is unclear whether Adelson, 85, will be able to testify in the civil lawsuit brought by Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen, who has been seeking compensation from the gaming giant since 2004 over the assistance he claims to have provided Adelson and the company in landing a lucrative concession to…

New Governor J.B Pritzker has raised hopes of legal Illinois sports betting after including $200 million in future tax revenue from wagering activities in his 2020 budget proposal. Pritzker is proposing to legalize sports betting at facilities across the state, including in-person and online gambling. Those betting via the internet would be able to do so from inside Illinois or in a jurisdiction that has entered into a reciprocal agreement with the state. Pritzker has said Illinois could generate between $384m and $680m in gross sports betting revenue per year under full implementation. Based on the proposed 20% tax rate,…

In a “shocking” announcement, Governor Gary Herbert said he does not support horse racing in Utah, or the bill submitted there to regulate parimutuel betting. Senator David Hinkins filed the bill, and it would allow counties to decide whether they want to allow betting on horse racing or not. However, the governor of the state has already expressed “serious concerns about allowing parimutuel betting into Utah.” The governor’s spokesman Paul Edwards said in a statement that “parimutuel betting doesn’t add to economic prosperity.” Moreover, the spokesman said that because of how federal law treats gaming on Indian reservations, horse racing…