Gaming revenue in the state of Nevada fell below $1 billion for the first time this year when the April numbers came in at just over $936 million. Total revenue for the stats was down 1.8% from last year. Most of the states revenue is derived from slot machine play, which accounted for $658.8 million of the total gaming revenue. There was, however, a drop of nearly 6% in casino table games, card games and sports and race betting to just short of $278 million. Read more at iGaming Business.

The possibility of Louisiana sports betting appears to be lost for the year after the state’s House of Representatives rejected amendments bill that would have legalized wagering. That original House bill primarily focused on regulating daily fantasy sports in the state, but was amended by the Senate to include betting on sports. Had it been approved by the House (and secured a majority of votes in a state election of Louisiana citizens) it would have enabled to establishment of regulatory framework for sports betting. However, the House rejected the bill quickly in a 97-0 vote. The current legislative session ends…

Illinois sports betting legislation was passed over the weekend and will most likely bring legal sports betting to the state. The bill will allow sports betting online and at the state’s casinos, racetracks and at larger sports facility. According to ESPN, sports betting licenses will cost the operators $10 million and are valid for four years. Operators will be taxed at 15 percent of their total revenue. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is likely to sign the bill later this month. “Today is the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work, determination…

Caesars sports betting now operates 17 sports books across the United States, and Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in particular. The company is now eying Iowa as the next field for expansion with legislation still pending. During the quarter, Caesars landed an important partnership with DraftKings which continues to be part of the corporation’s attempts to break into new revenue streams. While adopting DraftKings’ solutions, Caesars will continue to push forth with its own branded app. There has been significant backing from the likes of NFL, Bleacher Report and a number of sports organizations. Tribal operators have been disinclined…

This past Thursday was the deadline for submitting Arkansas casino applications, and four more were submitted just in time. If approved, the applications would allow the land based gambling operation in Jefferson and Pope County under an amendment approved by voters approved last year. The newest applications came from the Cherokee Nation, Tri-Peaks Entertainment Group, Robert and Ruth Kehl Family and the Choctaw Nation. The state had previously received an application from Gulfside Casino Partnership. Only one application has been submitted for Jefferson County, from the Downstream Development Authority. The Racing Commission will consider the applications June 13. Read more…

The American Gaming Association has recognized Representative Dina Titus and Darin LaHood for her campaigns towards raising the threshold for reporting slot winnings tax from $1,200 to $5,000. Under federal law, casino patrons were previously obliged to report any slot machine winnings upwards of $1,200 or more, while the machine was removed from the casino and the patron signs a W-2G tax reporting form. Following the work of Titus and LaHood, the threshold of which patrons now have to report winnings would be pushed upwards of $5,000. Slot jackpots have gradually increased with inflation over recent years, however the $1,200…