This Week in Gambling

An attempted Bellagio robbery in Las Vegas ended in a gunfight between police and the suspect late Friday. An armed man walked into the casino and approached a popular poker cage, where he demanded money, before quickly fleeing out the north entrance, Las Vegas police said in an overnight press conference. The suspect attempted to carjack someone at the valet but was confronted immediately by four uniformed officers. The man turned and fired at least one shot in the direction of an officer who was struck in the chest, police said. Kevin McMahill with the Las Vegas Police Department said…

A shift is occurring in the NCAA sports betting relationship. After decades of resistance to legalized gambling on sporting events (with six years as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against New Jersey that eventually made its way to the Supreme Court) the NCAA is moving to address sports betting integrity in new ways. “Sports wagering is going to have a dramatic impact on everything we do in college sports,” said NCAA executive Mark Emmert at the organization’s annual convention in January and first reported by the Associated Press. “It’s going to threaten the integrity of college sports in many…

The outrage following the DOJ online gambling reversal on the Wire Act was swift and wide-reaching. Many wondered how it would be possible for the top law enforcement department in the country to suddenly decide to change course on a topic so sensitive, coincidentally after sports gambling became legal across the U.S. The immediate reaction, which was based on certain assumptions and intuitive deductions, was that someone in the gambling industry—perhaps someone like outspoken online gambling opponent Sheldon Adelson—forced the DOJ to reverse its stance. New Hampshire, through the New Hampshire Lottery, has already announced that it is suing “the…

We’re just one step away from West Virginia Internet gambling becoming regulated. They could become the fifth state to legalize web betting, with a bill currently awaiting Governor Jim Justice’s signature. House Bill 2934, which was introduced by Delegate Jason Barrett on February 12, has been passed by both chambers of the West Virginia legislature. Having passed the House in February, it was then passed by the Senate on March 8, the second-last day of the 2019 regular session by a vote of 26 in favor, and seven against. As a result of minor tweaks made in the upper chamber,…

A Boston Red Sox casino sponsorship deal is now in place with MGM Resorts International. The multiyear agreement was announced last week, and makes MGM the exclusive resort casino of the Boston Red Sox. This is the first team sponsorship deal between a Major League Baseball team, and casino and sports book operator. It follows MGM becoming the official gaming partner of MLB in November. It’s important to note that the partnership does not extend to sports betting, at least not explicitly. “This is such a natural partnership for our two brands,” said Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy….

[one_half padding=”0 10px 0px 0″][/one_half]Despite the best efforts of special interests (Sheldon Adelson) and the Department of Justice, online gambling and sports betting continue to expand across America. This week we look at how that expansion is not just in the the regulatory arena from state to state, but also on the business side of things. Professional sports leagues are partnering with gambling companies, and most recently television networks like ESPN and Fox Sports are expanding their programming to cash in on our industry. This week’s special offer is for the Royal Panda casino.