An effort to ban gambling on the Internet has picked up prominent supporters in Congress, although significant obstacles remain in the way of it becoming law. The Restoration of America’s Wire Act, which would make online gaming illegal nationwide, was introduced in the Senate last week by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has pushed similar legislation before. This time, however, the bill includes a bigger name among its co-sponsors: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Rubio and Graham are contenders for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, but Rubio’s political star power — as reflected by his poll numbers — is much higher….

Video games hold more interest for the current generation than slot machines. These games of skill usually end in bragging rights only, but Nevada is trying to find a way to bring gambling to the new generation. High scores could start paying out for the best video game players in casinos, according to a June 30, 2015 reveal. Plans to offer arcade video games with winnings paid out for the gamblers skills are currently in the works. Nevadans are working towards regulations to make the changes happen. A bill with rules is being drafted and will be handed to the…

An online gambling bill in Pennsylvania remains in limbo as a deadline for the state budget looms and an impasse between Gov. Tom Wolf and Republicans in the legislature is unresolved. Since a Senate hearing in the Community, Economic, and Recreational Development Committee held earlier this month, there’s been little to report in terms of progress for any of the five proposed bills in Pennsylvania that would regulate internet gambling. The online gambling bill, though, is just one of the moving parts as Pennsylvania attempts to pass a budget to fund the state government. The budget has a soft deadline of Tuesday. Republicans…

Swedish online gambling group Betsson has announced it will acquire Georgia-based Europe-Bet for US$50 million. An extra $35 million will be paid in 12 months’ time, provided that gambling regulations in the Caucasian country remain favorable, the company said today. The move will fortify the company’s strategic presence in the region, explained Betsson CEO and President Magnus Silfverberg. As a result of the deal, Betsson will immediately become the second-largest operator in Georgia, with a 30 percent market share, behind Adjarbet. In 2014 Europe-bet, which offers online and land-based sports betting, as well as online poker and casino, reported revenues…

American Gaming Association (AGA) Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Sara Rayme issued the following statement after the California Supreme Court ruled that Internet sweepstakes cafes are illegal: “Today’s ruling affirms what we already knew: Internet sweepstakes cafes are illegal entities that should be shut down. In stark contrast to the legal, highly regulated casino gaming industry – a $240 billion industry that supports 1.7 million jobs and generates $38 billion in taxes across 40 states – illegal gambling operations, such as Internet sweepstakes cafes, fund violent crimes and drug and human trafficking, prey on consumers and don’t pay a penny…

Computerized “sweepstakes” games offered at special Internet cafes are the equivalent of slot machines that are illegal under state law, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The court said the sweepstakes are games of chance because customers have no way to influence the unpredictable outcome. “When the user, by some means (here swiping a card or entering a number), causes the machine to operate, and then plays a game to learn the outcome, which is governed by chance, the user is playing a slot machine,” Associate Justice Ming Chin wrote for the court. The state last year explicitly banned such…