This Week in Gambling

A survey released by the American Gaming Association shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans — 63 percent — support legal, regulated sports betting in the wake of the May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the sports wagering ban in the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. In the months since the Supreme Court deemed PASPA unconstitutional, 10 states and the District of Columbia have passed bills to authorize regulated sports betting, and 15 states have authorized sports betting. An additional 12 states are likely to consider sports betting legislation in 2019. At a conference call announcing the…

A class action lawsuit has been filed over free play casino games, alleging that Seattle-based Big Fish uses illegal gambling practices in their mobile apps. The complaint, filed Feb. 11 U.S. District Court in Western Washington, said that Big Fish Games, Inc., an app developer that makes free play casino games , used practices similar to casinos to “reap huge profits” while never paying out anything of monetary value. The games start players off with a free, finite set of virtual chips they can use for slot machine and other casino-style games, the complaint said. After the chips run out,…

New Governor J.B Pritzker has raised hopes of legal Illinois sports betting after including $200 million in future tax revenue from wagering activities in his 2020 budget proposal. Pritzker is proposing to legalize sports betting at facilities across the state, including in-person and online gambling. Those betting via the internet would be able to do so from inside Illinois or in a jurisdiction that has entered into a reciprocal agreement with the state. Pritzker has said Illinois could generate between $384m and $680m in gross sports betting revenue per year under full implementation. Based on the proposed 20% tax rate,…

In a “shocking” announcement, Governor Gary Herbert said he does not support horse racing in Utah, or the bill submitted there to regulate parimutuel betting. Senator David Hinkins filed the bill, and it would allow counties to decide whether they want to allow betting on horse racing or not. However, the governor of the state has already expressed “serious concerns about allowing parimutuel betting into Utah.” The governor’s spokesman Paul Edwards said in a statement that “parimutuel betting doesn’t add to economic prosperity.” Moreover, the spokesman said that because of how federal law treats gaming on Indian reservations, horse racing…

The US Justice Department Sued over Wire Act Opinion by  iDEA Growth Trade Group An online gaming association known as iDEA Growth has become the latest organization to legally challenge to the Department of Justice about their revised opinion on the Federal Wire Act. In January, the revised opinion was issued following a request from the DOJ’s Criminal Division to reconsider the 2011 opinion on the Wire Act. That ruling had paved the way for the roll-out of online gambling in a number of US states. Under the revised opinion, the Wire Act would prohibit all forms of gambling, and…

A Caesars DraftKings online gambling agreement has been reached which will give the fantasy sports provider access to the markets in several states. The deal lets DraftKings offer its online gambling products in “certain states” in which Caesars operates, but the companies did not specify which ones. DraftKings will promote Caesars Entertainment as its official casino-resort partner in the states where the companies collaborate, and Caesars Entertainment will receive equity in DraftKings. Caesars can also continue to offer their own branded sports betting and online casino apps in each of these jurisdictions. Mark Frissora, president and CEO of Caesars Entertainment,…