This Week in Gambling

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed a $9.6 billion budget for fiscal 2019 on Friday that legalizes sports betting and gives the state 51 percent of the revenues from the wagers. The budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 counts on $23.5 million of new revenue from sports betting, though the activity is not expected to go live until Oct. 1. Even so, the move could give Rhode Island an early edge in New England’s sports betting market, as states across the country look to legalize the activity after last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning a 1992 law…

Kentucky lawmakers want a piece of the U.S. sports betting pie after the country’s highest tribunal repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992, according to the Kentucky Public Radio. A bi-partisan panel, consisting of six members of the state House of Representatives and three members of the Senate, has been formed to draft and file legislation to implement legal sports betting in Kentucky. Some of the members of the bi-partisan panel were among the lawmakers who pushed for regulation of sports betting in Kentucky in 2017. Sen. Julian Carroll was the first to propose legalizing the…

The EU privacy regulation will force online gambling operators and suppliers to a major change in their internal privacy compliance. Based on my personal experience, privacy compliance has not traditionally been a priority for online gambling operators and suppliers. This was also due to the fact that operators and suppliers are usually based in countries that adopt a lighter approach to privacy compliance. But this is no longer going to happen with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which will entitle players to bring claims before the authority of their country of residence, rather than the country of establishment…

Over $12 Million Collected in Entry Fees Pennsylvania regulators say online fantasy sports players paid $12.4 million in entry fees to participate in the first month of game-playing being newly regulated and taxed by the state. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said Wednesday that 10 licensed operators reported $1.3 million in revenue from May’s activity after prizes were paid, and paid nearly $200,000 to satisfy the state’s 15 percent tax. Pennsylvanians can play Fantasy Sports if they are at least 18 years old. More at AP

World Poker Tour Transforms Season XVII The World Poker Tour is moving all televised final matches for Season XVII to the eSports Arena at the Luxor Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas. Vegas was the original home of the WPT, and the recently completed eSports Arena will host the finals in style. At a cost of over 20 million dollars, the arena boasts a Hype Tunnel, incredible lighting, and a spectacular viewing experience. The format of the eight televised Main Tour poker events and the Tournament of Champion will be changed to allow a three to six-week hiatus between the…

US Congress has postponed next week’s sports betting hearing, while New York legislators have failed to pass a bill in time to legalize sports wagering this year. Earlier this week, it was revealed that the House Judiciary Committee had set a tentative date of June 26 for the hearing. The NFL American football league was one of a number of parties that had been invited to testify at the hearing, which was to focus last month’s Supreme Court ruling on the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Both Delaware and New Jersey have since passed legislation to…