Jason Robins, chief executive and co-founder of DraftKings, has said the potential wider legalisation of sports betting in the US represents an “enormous” growth opportunity for the company. Speaking to Xconomy.com, Robins said the firm, which has distanced itself from sports betting in the past due to potential legal issues regarding its daily fantasy sports (DFS) service, is waiting on the verdict of the ongoing ‘PASPA’ case. The state of New Jersey is currently heading up an effort to overturn the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). PASPA makes it unlawful for government entities to sponsor, operate,…

At an informational session on Kansas sports betting on Tuesday, a representative for Kansas Entertainment, LLC, a subsidiary of gaming conglomerate Penn National Gaming, expressed opposition to Major League Baseball and the NBA’s positions regarding sports wagering. He wasn’t afforded much time to speak, but in the full written testimony of Whitney B. Damron on behalf of Kansas Entertainment, he absolutely shreds the provisions on data and fees and control that the leagues have been pushing in an expansive lobbying effort spanning 10-plus states weighing sports betting legislation. The leagues have been pushing a “Model Sports Wagering Act” (the “Act”)…

Sports betting was legal in only five states in the US at the start of the year but that is about to change as soon as March the 15th 2018. Two states namely New York and West Virginia recently passed bills to make sports betting legal effective as soon as the federal ban on sports betting outside of Nevada is lifted meaning an opportunity has risen for start-ups to acquire software for bookies and start their online sportsbooks while the general populace of the two states now join sports bettors in other parts of America in getting the best sportsbook…

New York State Senator John Bonacic has introduced a sports betting bill in the state, in anticipation of potential wider legalisation of such activities in the US. At present, Nevada is the only state in which punters can legally place a bet on sporting events, under the laws set out by the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). PASPA makes it unlawful for government entities to sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, licence or authorise betting schemes based on games played by either amateur or professional athletes. However, the state of New Jersey is heading up an effort to…

The American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates that March Madness betting will exceed $10 billion on the upcoming 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Of that $10 billion, only about $300 million – or three percent – will be wagered legally through Nevada sports books. Americans illegally bet at least $150 billion annually on sports, empowered by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), a failed federal prohibition on single-game sports betting. Illegal wagering is often done through bookies, on illegal offshore websites, or through sports pools like popular March Madness basketball bracket pools. According to a recent legal…

West Virginia has become the latest US state to legalise gambling within its borders, following the passage of the ‘West Virginia Sports Lottery Wagering Act’. The hotly contested bill, previously known as Senate Bill 415, was signed into law by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice late on Friday evening. It places regulatory responsibility on the shoulders of the West Virginia Lottery Commission, allowing the states five gaming facilities to offer sports betting on pro and collegiate sports, subject to a 10% taxation rate on their gross gaming revenue. The state becomes the sixth state to legalise sports betting, following in…