The executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, Charles McIntyre, said he expects a decision on their Wire Act lawsuit before the end of May, even as arguments in the case begin in about a week. The justice system can sometimes move slowly, but McIntyre predicts a fairly quick resolution. He stated that he expects Judge Paul J. Barbadoro to render his decision before the end of May. “In a statutory issue,” McIntyre said. “There’s a lot of things to look at. We’re talking about a law passed pre-internet. Most laws have been updated to reflect technology, and this…

New York sports betting plans do not include mobile bets for the state’s 2020 budget. However, legislators have included a number of reforms and initiatives for other forms of gambling. Agreed upon by Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders in the state, the budget sets out spending plans for $175.5bn (£134.6bn/€156.7bn) for the next 12 months. However, the approved budget does not include any language related to mobile sports betting, despite Senator Joseph Addabbo’s efforts to have it included in the final document. New York sports betting plans will still move forward with regulate in-person wagering, with preliminary talks on…

Less than a year after launching two retail sports books, Rhode Island mobile sports betting is ready to launch. Governor Gina Raimondo signed into law S 37, a bill adding mobile Rhode Island sports betting to the state’s lottery-run operation. Raimondo also spurred the start of Rhode Island’s sports book operations last year by including sports betting revenue in her budget. Rhode Island sports betting is legal at the state’s two casinos: Twin River Lincoln and Twin River Tiverton. Those casinos both opened their sports gambling operations in 2018 and plan to expand into permanent space this year. Twin River…

The US Justice Department has filed a motion to dismiss the Wire Act lawsuit brought against it on behalf of the New Hampshire Lottery and NeoPollard Interactive. The filing, written by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate and John Tyler, Assistant Director of the Federal Programs Branch, argues that the District Court of New Hampshire should dismiss the case, on the basis that there is no actual case to answer. It says that there have been no prosecutions as a result of the revised stance, and that to date states have not been blocked from carrying out any activity. This,…

Governor Ralph Northam has signed into law a bill that opens the door for Virginia casino gaming, as well as providing a route to law for sports betting in the state. Northam has ratified SB1126, filed by Senator Louise Lucas in December 2018, which allows cities to establish casinos, provided they meet a series of conditions. Cities are eligible to host the venues if they have an unemployment rate of at least 4%, a poverty rate of 20%, and had experienced a population decline of at least 7% between 1990 and 2016. Tribal casinos, meanwhile, would be permitted in cities…

New Hampshire sports betting is a step closer to reality after a bill that would legalize the activity advanced to the Senate. The New Hampshire House of Representatives has passed an amended version of House Bill 480 by a vote of 269-82, with the bill now moving forward to the Senate for further discussion. Should the bill come into law, consumers would be able to place bets at various retail locations across the state, as well as via online and mobile platforms. The New Hampshire Lottery Commission would be responsible for regulating the market. The current version of the New…