This Week in Gambling

Talks of regulated online gaming are off and running in Pennsylvania. Also, gambling news from California where the possibilities for online poker is already looking dim. Plus, Ohio may be looking at fantasy sports regulation! You can find more of our videos on YouTube.

The NBA is upping its game on daily fantasy sports, with a little help from FanDuel. The league unveiled a fantasy game based on NBA games called InPlay on Thursday. It appears to be the development of a product called FanDuel Turbo that never officially launched. The NBA has an equity stake in FanDuel. “We are always looking at ways to enhance the viewing experience, drive people to tune in to our broadcasts and increase the time spent watching live games,” said Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, NBA Senior Vice President, Digital Media, in a press release on the launch.  “NBA InPlay…

Ohio is shaping up to be one of the major battleground states for the daily fantasy sports industry next year, as a new piece of legislation has surfaced. The legislation comes after a bill that would make DFS illegal was introduced earlier this year. An attorney general memo this year also did little to clear up the legality of DFS in the state. Eight states passed DFS regulatory bills in 2016, with a renewed lobbying push from the industry expected across the country in the new year. State Senator Dave Burke introduced an industry-friendly piece of legislation that would formally…

The gambling industry in the state of New Jersey has seen better days. Lawmakers of the state have been trying to come up with ways to give the industry a boost, especially after a referendum to allow two casinos in the northern portion of the state was shot down by voters in November. Now, it seems that lawmakers have created a bill to try and expand the online gambling industry in efforts to bring in much-needed revenues. The new bill would allow casino operators of the state to partner with the Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment venue as well as the…

Apparently, skill gaming is the border dividing casino gambling and video games lies somewhere between a nightclub and a sports book — at least that’s where Hakkasan Group will open a space named Level Up in MGM Grand later this month. Level Up — which Hakkasan describes as a social lounge — will sit between Hakkasan and the sports book and will be roughly divided into two areas. One is a new arena with stadium seating where 40 gamblers at a time can play social versions of table games, such as blackjack, poker, keno and roulette. At craps, roulette or…

Formerly the world’s No. 1 professional tennis player and six-time major singles winner, Boris Becker is the latest stellar name to sign with partypoker as a brand ambassador. The online poker site has been busy recruiting ambassadors and sponsored professionals of late as it looks to expand its reach into countries around the world. This year alone, partypoker has signed Patrick Leonard, Roberto Romanello, Sam Trickett, Natalia Breviglieri, Jackie Glazier, Beata Jambrik and Joao Simao as ambassadors or sponsored pros, joining the legendary Mike Sexton, Tony Dunst and four-time world champion boxer Carl Froch on partypoker’s books. Becker, who was…