This Week in Gambling

A lawsuit in Illinois accuses Harrah’s Casino in Joliet of violating the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act. The property possesses facial recognition scans and identifying information of its customers “without creating and following a written policy, made available to the public.” The lawsuit asks a county judge to award liquidated or actual monetary damages, whichever is higher “for each violation of the Biometric Information Privacy Act.” “Defendants use facial recognition technology with their video security cameras at their Illinois casinos,” the suit explains. “Defendants’ facial recognition technology identifies a person by scanning the geometry of a person’s facial features and…

We get a first look at the new Hexbreaker 3 Slot Machine from IGT! See the latest edition of the player favorite Hexbreaker slot game! Navigate black cats, spilled salt and unlucky numbers as you try to ‘break’ your bad luck! Delivered on the amazing IGT CrystalCurve Cabinet with a 4k display! It has interactive game mechanics, including the “Unlimited Free Games” feature! The Hexbreaker 3 slot machine is one of IGT’s new core video slot games. It is a Proven Performer in the company’s external performance testing and will take center stage Hexbreaker 3 will serve as a strong…

Social media giant Facebook is considering legal action against a U.K.-based startup that provides targeted online gambling social media advertising. The Spinner had claimed that it was able to use Facebook (and other social media sites) to help gambling companies manipulate players into dropping more cash at online casinos. In the past, The Spinner has offered its help to people who’ve wanted to “brainwash” their wives into having sex more regularly with them, or who’ve wanted to convince relatives to quit smoking, for instance. They’ve done this by sending cookies to the targeted individuals, which when downloaded by said individual…

Ohio’s public colleges and universities are asking lawmakers for a collegiate sports betting ban as the state moves to authorize sports wagering, saying that bets on amateur athletic contests could compromise those sports. Several lawmakers asked Johnson how the state could realistically enforce a ban, especially with a program as prominent as Ohio State football. Rep. Gary Scherer, a Republican from Circleville in central Ohio, said he had personally placed a bet in Las Vegas for Ohio State to win the national football championship this season. Ohio State supports such a ban. Wagering on collegiate sports runs the risk of…

A Superior Court judge has denied a request for an injunction that would have blocked a no-bid contract for Intralot to manage D.C. sports betting. The decision allows the District to move ahead with the contract, although the underlying lawsuit is still pending. The District’s contract with Intralot had been on hold for several weeks while both sides made legal arguments. The lawsuit filed by Dylan Carragher, a D.C. resident and the founder of a sports-betting technology business, argued that the $215 million contract over five years with Intralot violated federal law because District officials awarded it without competitive bidding….

An amazing 63 percent of Americans now support legalized sports betting in the country, with a record 8-in-10 Americans supporting legalizing sports betting within their state. Fifteen states have active or pre-filed bills to legalize sports betting in their jurisdictions and an additional dozen states are likely to consider sports betting legislation in 2019. Check out our October 2019 legalized sports betting interview with the AGA: Two thirds of those surveyed (66 percent) agree that regulation and oversight of gaming should be left to individual jurisdictions. Additional findings include little public support for professional sports leagues taking a share of…