A legal challenge filed in federal court has placed the operational model of Dave & Buster’s under significant scrutiny in South Carolina. The lawsuit, initiated by an advocacy group known as South Carolina Citizens for Equal Enforcement of Gambling Laws, alleges that the popular arcade and restaurant chain is conducting prohibited activities. The core of the legal argument suggests that the way customers interact with games at the establishment means the company is gambling under the definitions provided by state law. According to the complaint, the business model relies on customers loading money onto a digital Power Card to play…

A month long investigation into illegal gambling dens in Arkansas led to a SWAT Team raid, five arrests, 12 gambling machines and over $60,000 being seized. A confidential informant told investigators that gambling was taking place at two pool halls in Fort Smith. In Arkansas, gambling is legal only at three licensed casinos. Captain Philip Pevehouse of the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Department said that gambling occurred in backrooms of these pool halls. In addition to the five arrests, 11 people were issued misdemeanor citations in connection with the unlicensed gambling devices. Gambling has been a popular activity in the United…

This week we’re tackling a story about a Washington State lawsuit over free play casino games, alleging Big Fish games illegal gambling activity. One ‘interesting’ player has alleged that Big Fish games use “illegal gambling tactics” in their free play games, and that selling chips constitutes gambling. Washington state has a long history of being aggressive towards our industry, even when there is no money being wagered! And this suit against Big Fish games could have interesting implications for our industry. Also, word has come that Sheldon Adelson is in failing health. Be sure to check out this week’s sponsor,…

DraftKings and FanDuel stopped offering paid daily fantasy sports contests in Idaho on Monday after an agreement with the state attorney general, the second such agreement between a state and the top sites in a week. The sites pulled out of Alabama following a similar agreement. Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden issued a press release regarding the agreement with FanDuel and DraftKings, after “three months of negotiations.” The agreement took effect after May 1, per the AG’s office. Like many states before it, Wasden came to the conclusion that DFS runs afoul of the state’s gambling laws. From the release:…

The AGA’s initiative to crack down on illegal gambling received a big boost when we announced a new effort with the FBI. We’re pleased to be cooperating with the nation’s top law enforcement and national security agency by touting the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The IC3 is the FBI’s national platform for receiving information on any cyber-affiliated crime. It’s an invaluable tool for people in every state to report tips about the multi-billion dollar illegal gambling sector that preys on consumers, steals jobs and deprives state and local governments of revenues generated by the legal, regulated casino gaming…

Bangkok Post – As a former supervisor of an underground casino, M promised he would make me some profit. My stake was 3,000 baht. Some 50 people were playing at a townhouse-turned-casino in a district on the outskirts of Bangkok. The place is one of an estimated 1,500 illegal casinos nationwide, dozens of which operate on a franchise basis under the tycoons known as “Gold Dragon Teu” and “S Sommai”. With only one table divided into two, it was so crowded that players had to ask those in the front line to place bets for them. On very crowded days,…