The clock is now ticking on Gov. Chris Christie officially signing A3532, a bill regulating daily fantasy sports (DFS) that was passed by the New Jersey Senate on Friday, June 30. The measure, which sailed through the chamber by a comfortable 29-6 margin, would tax DFS operators at a rate of 10.5 percent of gross revenues each quarter. Initial estimates are that the bill would net the Garden State approximately $6.6 million per year. If passed, the bill would classify DFS as a non-gambling game of skill, which means that its oversight would not fall to the Division of Gaming…

The idea of legalizing sports betting has been floated for years with no imminent change in sight, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver remains optimistic of a change that would make betting legal in the not-so-distant future. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, Silver says he senses that it could happen “in the next few years” in the United States. “People want to bet throughout the game,” Silver added. “It results in enormous additional engagement with the fans.” Although this may sound like groundbreaking news in terms of a push to legalize sports betting, Silver has long been…

California has become the latest state to join a call for wider legalisation of sports betting in the US. Assembly member Adam C. Gray, chair of California’s Assembly Governmental Organisation Committee, yesterday (Thursday) put forward a constitutional amendment to authorise sports wagering in the state, contingent upon a change in federal law. In a statement, Gray said the ACA 18 amendment is in response to confirmation that the US Supreme Court will hear an appeal by the state of New Jersey in its own efforts to legalise sports betting. At present, sports wagering is only legal in four states, including…

DraftKings and FanDuel have scrapped their merger plans after initial proposals were rejected by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). An initial scheduling conference with the FTC national consumer protection agency was set to occur before an administrative judge today (Friday), but the two daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators announced on Thursday that they will now seek to pursue their own development. A deal between the two companies had been mooted for some time and an agreement was announced in November 2016. However, the FTC, estimating the pair held 90% of the US market, raised concerns over the impact the…

Esports betting and fantasy league site, eSportsPools (ESP), has this week announced the launch of its real-money betting platform, ESP.bet. With this launch, esports fans in regulated markets can now bet at ESP.bet 24/7 across titles such as League, Dota and CS:GO. As esports betting grows in popularity, the space is becoming more competitive and sites such as ESP are looking to cultivate based on the fact that they’re esports only. Scott Burton, CEO of ESP commented: “We are making esports more exciting by creating a platform where members can bet with real money on what happens next. “The team…

The New Jersey case for US sports betting reform is heading to the US Supreme Court, and the imaginations of many are running wild. Namely, the prospect of the state winning its appeal to allow sports betting also offers the possibility that a number of other states could quickly move to legalize sports wagering. (Some already are well on their way, including Mississippi and Connecticut.) And while that may be the case, online and mobile sports betting is not likely to proliferate nearly as quickly as land-based wagering. Here’s where we’re at in the United States in terms of online…