This Week in Gambling

We could be less than a week away from the long awaited launch of Michigan internet betting. But for those of you waiting on interstate poker from the state, you’ll have to endure a bit longer. A representative from the Michigan Gaming Control Board said online gambling could be just days away, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press. That board will approve the first gaming licenses to an operator soon. That operators will still need a few days before being able to launch. The Governor also signed a bill that will allow online poker across state lines….

2020 may not have been the best for many people. But for New Jersey sports bets it was a record year! The state took in nearly $1 billion worth of wagers just in the month of December, capping off a record year which saw over $6 billion worth of total bets being placed. Figures released Wednesday by the Division of Gaming Enforcement show the state’s nine casinos and three horse tracks that accept sports wagers took in over $996 million worth of such wagers in December, the latest in a string of monthly records for the activity. New Jersey has…

If legislators can put their differences aside, then we could see Ohio sports betting finally launch in 2021. Last year the State Senate and House could not overcome disagreements about regulatory oversight of the activity. The inability to get a deal done prior to the end of  December means that the process will have to start over with the new legislative session. Three of the biggest sponsors of the previous sports betting legislation are no longer in office. Right now the only legal option for sports fans in Ohio is to drive drive to Pennsylvania. Mobile sports wagering is legal…

SiGMA’s rebrand of their website comes with focus and attention to the user. Through a commitment to quality and years of successful operations, SiGMA has nurtured the development of a strong brand, allowing for its evolution into a global influencer on the gaming and tech stage. The new layout offers a holistic user experience, reflecting a shift in the gaming industry towards a more global perspective, as well as SiGMA’s growing international portfolio as it launches new core events across 4 continents. Available in 10 key languages, including French, Russian, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish, and with plans to add Thai,…

Long time online gambling opponent and source of much trouble for our industry, Sheldon Adelson died last night while hospitalized for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an illness first disclosed in early 2019. He was 87. The chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands and one of the Republican Party’s major donors, Adelson had recently taken a leave of absence to resume treatment for his illness. He rose from a hardscrabble childhood in Boston to become one of the world’s richest men as founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands. He was Sands’ first employee, which has now grown to over 50,000 employees….

Our gambling news this week focuses on the return of Net Neutrality rules, and that means the exit of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The return of Net Neutrality will ensure a better internet for online casinos, poker, and sports betting. Also, as another state prepares to launch sports betting, we look at how large the industry could grow over the next few years. Well, here we are barely two weeks into the brand new year and already things are just as bad crazy as they were last year! We’ve got people storming the Capitol building! We’ve got a President that’s…