Casino tycoon Steve Wynn said he is actively involved in the campaign to bring the Raiders National Football League (NFL) franchise to Las Vegas. Last month it was announced that from next year a National Hockey League (NHL) team will become the first major league to play in the Nevada gambling resort. For many years the major sports leagues, including the NFL and NHL, were opposed to their teams playing in a city in which sports betting is legal due to fears over integrity. However, with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis having been in discussions with Las Vegas about a…

The regulated fantasy sports industry notched some wins but failed to capture a majority of states after an all-out push this year to preserve its legality amid concerns the online games amount to illegal sports betting operations. Six states – Colorado, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Indiana and Virginia – enacted laws legalizing and regulating games offered by Boston’s DraftKings, New York’s FanDuel and dozens of other smaller operators. They join Kansas, which passed a law legalizing the games last year. But 21 other legislatures, including Arizona, Florida, Maryland and Washington, declined to take action this year before adjourning. And six more…

Casino tycoon Steve Wynn said he is actively involved in the campaign to bring the Raiders National Football League (NFL) franchise to Las Vegas. Last month it was announced that from next year a National Hockey League (NHL) team will become the first major league to play in the Nevada gambling resort. For many years the major sports leagues, including the NFL and NHL, were opposed to their teams playing in a city in which sports betting is legal due to fears over integrity. However, with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis having been in discussions with Las Vegas about a…

Delaware’s attorney general has sent cease-and-desist letters to online fantasy sports betting operators, telling them that Delaware law does not allow them to charge players to play, or players to win monetary prizes. The Department of Justice formally notified DraftKings Inc., FanDuel Inc., and Yahoo! Inc. on Thursday that their respective fantasy sports activities are not allowed in Delaware without passage of authorizing legislation. DOJ had initially notified state regulators in March that such games were not permitted under Delaware law, and that state agencies shared the information with certain companies. More at Washington Post

A coalition of sports betting industry stakeholders is planning a formal lobbying effort on Capitol Hill, potentially in early 2017, that will push for the expansion of legalized wagering. That was the biggest news from the American Gaming Association at a conference for media members on Thursday. The AGA is leading the effort to shape the coalition and has made sports betting its signature initiative in recent months. On Thursday, the AGA cited the NHL’s decision to locate a franchise in Las Vegas as a major step in the evolution of American sports betting. AGA senior VP of public affairs…

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said that a possible merger between his company and FanDuel is a “very interesting idea” that could add value for shareholders and provide customers with a better service at a better cost. But he declined to rate the chances of it happening after recent reports of merger discussions between the two daily fantasy sports rivals. “I don’t really have much more insight into how likely or not likely that would be,” Robins told USA TODAY Sports Saturday. “I certainly haven’t changed my view on how interesting it is.” United as one or not, Robins still said he sees…

I enjoy both online poker and daily fantasy sports. Neither is perfect – there are certainly issues with each that I would like fixed (hey sites: call me, my consulting rates are competitive) – but both pastimes are a lot of fun and should be legalized and regulated across the United States. And they both constitute gambling. Thus, it vexes me that DFS, despite being the much less mature industry, has been gaining acceptance from lawmakers at an astronomically faster rate than online poker. Case in point: over the weekend, the New York legislature passed a bill that legalizes and…

Mark Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders, says that market research studies are being conducted by the team to gather information about relocating the team from Oakland, California to Las Vegas. At the NFL owners meeting Tuesday, Davis said that the initial reports from the studies have come back “positive” regarding the feasibility of the move. Davis wants to move the NFL team to Vegas after not being able to get a satisfactory stadium deal in Oak Town. He said, “I have given my commitment to Las Vegas and if they can get done what they’re talking about doing,…