The push toward Ohio sports betting is over a year old, yet some politicians are now optimistic that disagreements can be worked out so that the state can regulate the activity. Separate bills were introduced in both the House and Senate with the main difference being how sports betting would be regulated. The House bill approved in late May said it should be the Ohio Lottery Commission. The Senate version said says it should be the Casino Control Commission. Both chambers have strong Republican majorities. Expectations are that the primary sponsors of the two bills will meet at some point…

Sports betting is a hot topic all over America, but several California tribal casinos are not please with the latest attempt to regulate the activity in the state. Now, the Coalition to Authorize Regulated Sports Wagering has taken legal action requesting more time to qualify a sports betting initiative for the statewide ballot. The Coalition represents more than 25 Native American tribes in California. They argue that the state‘s Coronavirus shutdown prevented them from collecting voter signatures in recent months. The coalition originally hoped to make the ballot for November 3rd but said it has run out of time. The…

In a drama that never seems to die, a Federal Appellate Court will hear arguments on the 2018 DOJ Wire Act Opinion by teleconference next week on June 18th. The remote conferencing is because of restrictions still in place because of the COVID-19 crisis. In 2002, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the act was exclusive to sports betting, and while there were efforts in Congress to amend the law, a Department of Justice opinion in 2011 stated interstate gambling transactions that were not sports-related were not in purview to the Wire Act. That…

As is usually the case with California sports betting, at least one Tribal casino opposes legislation that would regulate the activity. The Tribe who operate the Cache Creek Casino has told legislators that they do not support the proposed amendment to the state constitution to legalize sports gambling. The central reason for the opposition is that the bill would also allow state card rooms to offer some of the same games as Tribal casinos… a move that Tribal gaming view as illegal. In addition to sports betting, the amendment would also allow tribal casinos new permission to offer roulette and…

Rocky Mountain bettors did not disappoint in their first full month, as Colorado sports betting was able to process over $25 million in bets. All bets were placed via mobile devices since all land based casinos were closed in mid-March due to Coronavirus. Four operators launched on May 1, the first day from which bets could be taken, with six licensees currently active. DraftKings, FanDuel, Roar Digital’s betMGM and Rush Street’s BetRivers opened their virtual doors May 1st, followed by Monarch Casino on May 14th, and Stars Group on the 19th. The first month handle was even more impressive when…

It will take a constitutional amendment to get California sports betting, and a Senate Committee in the state has now taken a step in that direction. A bill passed the committee by a partisan vote of 9-3 vote, with all Democrats voting for the bill and all Republicans voting against. Now the bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, with a hearing scheduled for next week on 9 June. The bill sets out plans to allow for a statewide referendum on the sports betting, which would have to be backed by two-thirds of voters before it could…