(THE CONVERSATION) To call gambling a “game of chance” evokes fun, random luck and a sense of collective engagement. These playful connotations may be part of why almost 80 percent of American adults gamble at some point in their lifetime. When I ask my psychology students why they think people gamble, the most frequent suggestions are for pleasure, money or the thrill. While these might be … [Read more...]

Buffalo Wild Wings is looking at getting into sports gambling. The local B-Dubs has always been an attractive choice for sports TV excitement, but someday you may be able to add the possibility of losing money on the Chicago Bears? Well, that is a whole new level of excitement. Why are you not going to college this year? Well, Dad went to Buffalo Wild Wings, bet big on the Bears, and… Say no … [Read more...]

Riverboat casino owners will need to shell out for a few extras — a hotel or conference center, say — to get permission from the state Gaming Control Board to move operations onshore. Board chairman Ronnie Jones this week explained why: “The idea was not just to move the slot machines onto land. This is about building new resorts with new amenities and gambling.” There is a word for this and it … [Read more...]

Phil Satre has a new job; he is the chairman designate of Wynn Resorts.  Satre has a long and storied career in gaming.  After law school, Satre joined the law firm of Vargas and Dixon; Mead Dixon was an attorney for Bill Harrah’s and Harrah’s Casino.  In that capacity as an advisor to Bill Harrah, Mead was always on the lookout for people and ideas that would improve Harrah’s.  Harrah valued … [Read more...]

It probably won’t be long before you can order a caffe macchiato at Starbucks and then tell the barista to put down a few sawbucks on Rams-49ers and Raiders-Judases. I’m not overly excited about either. I have a coffee maker, and while I’m fascinated by gambling, I’m also fascinated by outer space, and I’m not going. Some of the wonderfully crotchety sportswriters I first met growing up in … [Read more...]

LAS VEGAS (AP) - As revenue goes it barely registers on the books. The NBA probably gets more from the contract with its frozen daiquiri vendor than it does the new deal it inked with casino giant MGM Resorts International. With good reason. The deal announced with such fanfare Tuesday is arguably little more than a branding exercise - at least for now - and a chance to take baby steps into a … [Read more...]

In Australia slot machines are called Pokies.  The name is derived from poker machines, although the name predates gaming machines that actually offered poker.  In 1953, Len Ainsworth started to use his dad’s company and machinery to manufacturer slot machines. The company was called Aristocrat.  Ainsworth’s process was more efficient than other small manufacturers.  He offered to make the games … [Read more...]

There, beyond Costco and the Texas Roadhouse restaurant, it looms: The golden tower, rechristened “Encore Boston Harbor,” to erase the name of Steve Wynn from the $2.5 billion casino project the now disgraced mogul personally championed for Everett. A recent trip to a discount wine store located in the strip mall that currently abuts the casino development put me close to metro Boston’s coming … [Read more...]

Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in Murphy v. NCAA, in June Delaware became the first state to take advantage of the new ruling. Delaware governor John Carney placed the state’s first legal single-game bet: $10 on the Philadelphia Phillies in their game against the Chicago Cubs, and within 24 hours, Delaware drew more than … [Read more...]

Every NFL season has its signature image, the way that year will be remembered forever. 1985 has the Super Bowl Shuffle Chicago Bears. 2001 has U2 singing at the Super Bowl right before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady shocked the St. Louis Rams and the football world. 2009 has hundreds of thousands of giddy Saints fans parading through once-flooded streets to celebrate a championship for their … [Read more...]

European investors are getting excited about sports betting in the U.S. They should place their wagers carefully. When Mr. Burns draws up plans for a casino in “The Simpsons,” he thinks he’s found the perfect business: “People swarm in, empty their pockets, and scuttle off.” Investors in the real world seem equally bullish. Shares in British betting companies GVC Holdings Plc and William … [Read more...]

In a move that could pump more life into the south Strip, Israeli hoteliers this month bought the 1960s-era Motel 8 and plan to tear it down to build a casino. They can only hope the project turns out better than past attempts to build big in the area. Like practically everywhere else in the Las Vegas Valley, the south Strip has a long track record of developers pitching massive projects and … [Read more...]

On Monday, July 23, 2018 officers of the Robeson County Sheriff’s office, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Department of Homeland Security, North Carolina and Virginia National Guard raided three casino locations in North Carolina.  They arrested 26 people and confiscated weapons, cash and over 200 slot machines.  All of those arrested were members of the Tuscarora … [Read more...]

When companies hold ceremonial groundbreakings to announce facility openings or expansions, oftentimes surrounded by community leaders and public officials, many believe it is a mark of better things to come for local residents. For the gaming industry, we take the responsibility to be stewards of the communities we are a part of very seriously. The American Gaming Association is the leading … [Read more...]

Virginia’s canter toward new forms of gambling has become a full gallop as the state considers historical horse racing The Virginia Racing Commission bucked the reins of restraint this past week, announcing it may allow as many as 3,000 historical horse racing terminals in the commonwealth. The terminals would be placed at Colonial Downs and off-track betting parlors across Virginia. … [Read more...]

What happened to Mike Hamrick in Las Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas. It stayed with him. One particular memory from his six years as UNLV’s athletic director — at the nexus of sports and gambling in the United States, with a sportsbook across the street from the football team’s practice facility — resurfaced recently. It was the first men’s basketball game of Hamrick’s tenure there in 2003, and a … [Read more...]

New York came to the casino dance a bit late. In a saturated casino market, projected revenues were unrealistic. But are the casinos a failure? I can only speak to the one casino in my district — Rivers. Rivers pays 48.8 percent of its revenue to the state, by far the highest of any gambling facility. Four percent goes to the racino in Saratoga, with the money held in escrow to increase purses … [Read more...]

Japan’s upper legislative house has passed gaming addiction legislation and begun debate on the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill, the final step for casino legalization in the world’s third largest economy. If the bill passes, the real fun starts, as localities and companies begin jockeying for one of three licenses to construct what will undoubtedly rank among the world’s most expensive and … [Read more...]

Vdara Hotel & Spa is a 1,495 all-suite hotel within the $8.5 billion CityCenter complex in Las Vegas. It opened in 2009, intent on being very modern and luxurious. Everything is top of the line and as contemporary as an iPhone X.  On July 9th, the property announced it had added two robots to its staff, becoming the second property in Las Vegas to use robots; 70 hotels around the world use … [Read more...]

Illegal sports betting will soon be replaced in many states by legal sports betting. Or will it? Maybe the better question is, how much illegal sports betting will now become legit? Those are among the many questions swirling around betting in America since the U.S. Supreme Court in May overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which since 1992 had prevented states from … [Read more...]

Despite Connecticut’s deep roots in Puritanism, which generally frowned upon frivolity, the Constitution State is poised to shun its priggish past in order to boost its stagnant economy by legalizing sports betting and recreational marijuana — potentially generating hundreds of millions in much needed revenue, creating thousands of jobs and promoting tourism. But before anyone thinks about … [Read more...]

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Murphy v. NCAA dramatically altered the landscape for sports betting in the United States by declaring that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is unconstitutional. As a result of this decision, States are now free to legalize sports betting without any federal interference. Previously, PASPA had prohibited most states from … [Read more...]

When sportscaster Scott Van Pelt was given the keys to the midnight edition of SportsCenter on ESPN, he saw no reason to pretend that gambling didn’t exist. He introduced a segment on the show called “Bad Beats” — essentially highlighting games where late scores caused gamblers to rip up their betting slips and curse their bookies. “I just basically told the powers-that-be that my intent was to … [Read more...]

We were ready to dish out a healthy dose of criticism to Pennsylvania’s licensed casino operators for their beef with the state. The casinos are complaining the state’s new iLottery games available online compete with what the gambling houses offer in their brick-and-mortar structures. Before we saw the details of the casinos’ argument, we were of the opinion they should stop complaining … [Read more...]

All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States, edited by Jonathan D. Cohen and David G. Schwartz, University of Nevada Press, 296 pages From the looks of the outdoor billboards and prime-time television commercials, New Mexico has gone “all in” for legalized gambling. With Native American casinos dotting the interstates, along with licensed bingo halls, fraternal and … [Read more...]

They've been taking action for two weeks now in New Jersey, where basketball great Julius Erving helped kick things off with a $5 bet on the Philadelphia Eagles to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Sports betting is here, and it's not going anywhere soon. States are embracing their newly won right to offer wagers, and fans are responding by lining up at the betting windows to throw a few bucks on … [Read more...]

Legislators in Japan’s lower house passed an integrated resort (IR) implementation bill on Tuesday, then extended the legislative session to July 22 to enable upper house consideration of this final step toward casino legalization. Casino companies from across the world can scarcely contain their excitement about the world’s last casino frontier beyond the forbidden zone of mainland China. But … [Read more...]

In the midst of the national hoopla around the legalization of sports betting, a minor, but intriguing, story from the Las Vegas Strip appeared. On June 7th, Wynn and Encore Resorts announced an end to parking fees for hotel guests and customers who spend more than $50 in the casino or in the restaurants.  So far, the change is unique to Wynn.  Long-time Las Vegas observers wonder if other resorts … [Read more...]

I learned early about sports betting. Before high school on Wednesday mornings during football season, I’d head for my dad’s gray metal lunch pail on the kitchen counter. The betting slip for that weekend’s games would be inside. Every NFL game was listed with the point spread, followed by a selection of college football games as well. If you picked the winners … [Read more...]

When CDC Gaming Reports first received the news regarding Geoff Freeman’s upcoming departure as President and CEO of the American Gaming Association, I was angry. I was concerned that Geoff was bailing on what has become a very productive working relationship between CDC and the AGA, and even more irritated that the gaming industry was no longer the optimal arena for Freeman’s considerable, proven … [Read more...]

Back when I worked security in an Atlantic City casino, patrons would often ask me, “Which slot machine is the one that’s going to hit?” My usual response was, “If I knew that, I wouldn't be working here anymore,” followed by a knowing chuckle. Never failed to get at least a smile in return. Now that I’m the Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, … [Read more...]

The recent Supreme Court decision on sports gambling has been hailed by many politicians, including our own Gov. Gary Herbert, as a victory for states’ rights, by opinion writers such as George Will as a way to decriminalize gambling, by such luminaries as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as a godsend for professional sports and by many in the gambling industry as a great revenue stream for states and … [Read more...]

Less than two years ago, many wondered if Macau’s casino revenue would ever prosper again. Now, May’s 12% increase stands as a disappointment. Just a quick wander around Cotai reveals just how well Macau is doing right now and, as analysts suggest, there’s still plenty of room to grow. May casino revenue clocked in 25.5 billion Macau patacas (MOP; US$3.2 billion). The month’s 12% growth fell … [Read more...]

Towards the end of each month, the Nevada Gaming Control Board releases the Gaming Revenue Report. This 48-page publication is the cornerstone for much analysis of the state’s gaming industry, since it has indicators for how well casinos performed. You can learn a lot (but not everything) by looking at it in the right way. The Gaming Revenue Report features numbers for all casinos in the state, … [Read more...]

Gaming nearly took another giant leap forward in Illinois.  According to the Chicago Tribune, “It is something of an unofficial tradition in Springfield: As lawmakers inch closer to the end of the spring legislative session, a proposal to expand gambling pops up with the promise of generating tons of cash.”  On the day after the Memorial Day Weekend, a legislative committee heard a bill proposing … [Read more...]

Chicago White Sox players were so vulnerable to corruption in 1919 for one main reason: their salaries. “I needed the money. I had the wife and kids,” said White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who got $10,000 — more than his entire annual pay — from professional gamblers in exchange for his help making sure the Sox would lose a World Series they were expected to win. The Black Sox scandal cast a … [Read more...]

Game companies now lean heavily on loot boxes to monetize their products. Legislators around the world are threatening to impose regulations on the boxes, claiming that they're gambling. Industry groups, however, insist that the boxes are not. I play games that are funded with loot boxes. My favorite game of all time, Dota 2, is funded almost exclusively through loot boxes. Regulations that … [Read more...]

In response to a salvo about the “integrity fee” from a New Jersey senator on Wednesday, the NBA and MLB (the “Leagues”) made it clear that they will not quietly give up the fight for a percentage of all legal sports wagers to come in the United States. In so doing, the Leagues will continue to keep front and center the notion that their games are now ripe for manipulation, fixing and abuse in … [Read more...]

High atop the list of gaming companies to keep an eye on is Eldorado Resorts, a Reno company that has become a force in the regional casino industry. Eldorado Resorts made a splash last month by announcing the acquisition of Tropicana Entertainment from Icahn Enterprises for $1.85 billion. The deal, expected to close by the end of the year, would give Eldorado 27 properties in 12 states. One … [Read more...]

On Monday, May 14th, the United States Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992.  The law prohibited sports betting except as conducted by the lottery in Oregon, Delaware, Montana and in casinos in Nevada.  New Jersey had sued, claiming the law violated the tenth amendment state’s rights clause: “The powers not delegated to the United States by … [Read more...]

So-called “integrity fees” were a topic of conversation even before the Supreme Court ruled on May 14 that the federal law limiting sports gambling was unconstitutional. The NBA, in particular, seems to think it should get a cut of the money gambled on pro basketball games because of “the risk and expense created by betting and the commercial value our product creates for betting operators,” as … [Read more...]

New Jersey, one of the most impecunious states in the union, was behind this week’s Supreme Court ruling overturning a federal ban on sports gambling. Not sport fans or sport leagues: It was the work of a leading avatar of the blue-state governance model, in which public-sector unions and politicians join together to ratchet up unsustainable spending and debts. In the days since New Jersey … [Read more...]

This was a momentous week for the gaming industry as the United States Supreme Court struck down the failed Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992. This victory would not have been possible without the commitment and leadership of members like you. I believe it also proves what can be accomplished when we unite and work together to help grow gaming, focusing on what’s … [Read more...]

In the early 1940s, two trailblazing discoveries were made in Chicago that continue to shape the modern world. On Dec. 2, 1942, scientists at the University of Chicago working on the U.S. government’s Manhattan Project created the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. This led directly to the development of atomic bombs, which brought World War II to a close after the Pentagon … [Read more...]

On May 26th, Resorts, the first casino in Atlantic City, will celebrate its 40th anniversary.  As if to celebrate that event, two new casinos are scheduled to open on June 26th.  Actually they are not new casinos, rather reincarnations of failed casino-resorts. Hard Rock is replacing the Trump Taj Mahal, which entertained its first gamblers in April, 1990 and closed its doors in October, 2016.  … [Read more...]

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Jimmy Vaccaro has seen just about everything in 40 years of taking money behind the counter at sports books in this gambling city. Until Monday. He had never seen a day like this. Sports betting is about ready to explode across the nation, thanks to the collective wisdom of the justices on the Supreme Court. Their ruling that states are now free to offer sports betting means … [Read more...]

Thanks to those who were able to join our call on the Supreme Court's ruling in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) earlier this afternoon. An in-depth legal analysis on the Court's ruling is available here. See an excerpt below: This is a sweeping victory for New Jersey, and by extension for the gaming industry in all states. While the Court had ways to decide the case … [Read more...]

Monday’s decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn the federal ban on sports betting should set off a celebration in the highest offices of Gaming Inc. that makes the Mardi Gras look like a church picnic. It wasn’t necessarily a landmark decision, but it certainly starts a new era in the history of legalized gambling in America. The industry’s last pariah activity is finally … [Read more...]

In an important states’-rights decision announced Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed New Jersey to permit sports gambling, both by private casinos and through state-run lotteries. The case, Murphy v. NCAA, has important constitutional consequences – and could have a major economic impact as well. The law at issue is the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which Congress … [Read more...]

The Supreme Court has struck down the federal law prohibiting states from authorizing or licensing sports betting. The Court announced its 6-3 ruling today in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, the challenge to the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). The decision effectively permits states to regulate legalized sports betting across the country … [Read more...]

Keep an eye on the line. There’s potential action in the uncertainty. The U.S. Supreme Court could strike down federal restrictions on sports wagering outside of Nevada, and a decision in New Jersey’s suit against the NCAA might come down as soon as Monday. Then again, the court could uphold the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act — or enough of PASPA’s constraints — to … [Read more...]

Notwithstanding opposition within the government itself, Norway’s parliament approved a set of new measures and regulations concerning gambling on Monday May 7th, which had been proposed back in April by a coalition of opposition parties. None of these laws make gambling on unlicensed sites a crime for the individual player, but they do enhance Norway’s ability to impose penalties and punishments … [Read more...]

Other than my daily commute on I-285, I’m not fond of gambling. Or am I? I buy a lottery ticket every week. For $2, it’s a cheap source of hope. The Georgia Lottery provides a more practical type of HOPE to high school students — the hope they can afford to go to college. When the lottery-funded scholarship debuted in 1993 it paid 100 percent of tuition at public Georgia universities. The … [Read more...]

It is earnings season again and the casino reports from Macau are good.  Wynn, Sands, MGM, SJM and Melco all reported double digit increases in revenues and profits for the first quarter. The total gaming win for the city was up 20.5 percent to $9.6 billion for the quarter; April was up 27.7 percent to $3.18 billion.  The city is coming back from the disastrous and by now infamous crackdown on VIP … [Read more...]

The prevailing belief is that the United States Supreme Court — sometime before the end of its term in June — will rule in favor of New Jersey and eliminate Congress’ 1992 law banning full-fledged sports wagering outside Nevada. The optimism stems from several places, including the overall tenor of oral argument in Murphy v NCAA (nee Christie v NCAA) that seemed to favor the state’s position … [Read more...]

For nearly two decades from the mid-1990s, Tokyo-listed Tanseisha was more or less dead to investors. Who, in a land of deflation and downsizing, would bet on a specialist designer of museums, trade shows, luxury hotels and high-end boutiques? Since the start of 2013, though, Tanseisha’s shares have risen nearly 700 per cent. With far less fanfare than better-known “Abenomics” names, this is … [Read more...]

The Las Vegas you know and love (or hate) is in the midst of a reinvention. More than $5 billion worth of construction investment has poured into "Sin City" recently-resulting in such flashy ribbon-cuttings as the $375 million T-Mobile arena (home venue to the Vegas Golden Knights, a team that just advanced to the conference finals in its first season) and plans for an NFL team (born the … [Read more...]

Japan has a problem with pollution, and it does not relate to issues of waste disposal. Rather, the rising numbers of visitors from afar have led to tourists themselves being viewed as pollutants, according to a May 5 article in The Japan Times newspaper, which states that the country’s media has christened the phenomenon kanko kogai, or “tourism pollution”. This has not always been the case, … [Read more...]

I was in Macau recently to look at the premises of Galaxy. Since there are different interpretations of what it is I feel obliged to give an eyewitness report. The Galaxy Macau is hardly a billionaires’ playground. It is a township open to the public and since it was a Sunday the visitors were mostly families with their children in tow. Yes there were areas reserved for casinos where … [Read more...]

For many people, being suspended 550 feet off the ground in a glass-enclosed pod would produce a state of panic, but for me it brought on a state of zen. Of course, the soothing music being piped into my headset and gentle voice guiding me into a variety of yoga positions inside the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, the High Roller, helped. Welcome to Las Vegas, where anything — and everything — is … [Read more...]

Eldorado Resorts, Boyd and Penn National are extending their footprints across the nation at every new opportunity.  But for the next tier up, the mega-casino companies - Caesars, Wynn, Sands and MGM - there are not enough of those opportunities to be found within the national borders.  They are scouring the globe for possibilities.  Japan is probably at the top of each list; everyone is … [Read more...]

It’s a question many in the gaming industry must be asking, if only privately: Given the tumultuous start of 2018, how does the troubled powerhouse Wynn Resorts keep focused on the business at hand? The departure of its co-founder and Chairman Steve Wynn under a cloud of sexual harassment allegations was just the start. Wynn denied the allegations, sold his entire $2.1 billion stake on March … [Read more...]

While state leaders continue their decades-old hemming and hawing over a lottery, folks could be legally betting on sports and horse racing in Mississippi casinos by this coming football season. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule as early as next week on whether states can allow sports betting. If it rules they can allow it, Mississippi is, to borrow the words of former state House … [Read more...]

The gambling world is waiting with bated breath for the United States Supreme Court decision that could result in an expansion of sports betting. The decision could be announced anytime between today and the end of June. Since I teach sports betting regulation and gambling law, I’ve been closely watching the developments as well. Although Nevada has had a robust sports betting industry for … [Read more...]

In one day in April, Eldorado Resorts Inc added eight casinos to its portfolio; seven came from buying Carl Icahn’s Tropicana Company and the other, a casino in Illinois purchased from Caesars. Those purchases are the latest move in the company’s dramatic expansion that began in 2005, when it bought a Hollywood riverboat casino in Shreveport, Louisiana.  The $230 million Hollywood casino was in … [Read more...]

On Tuesday morning I went to a Golden Knights practice and a Vegas variety show broke out. Luxor prop master Carrot Top, members of Cirque du Soleil productions (I believe I spied a Spermato from “Mystere”), drumming legend Vinnie Paul of the hard-rock bands Pantera and Hellyeah, veteran comic Rob Sherwood, John Payne of Asia, and even pop artist Michael Godard turned up for a 10 a.m. … [Read more...]

A few pages into William C. Rempel’s informative and entertaining new biography of the late casino king Kirk Kerkorian, you might find yourself wondering if such a success story would even be possible in today’s gaming industry. In a business with its share of billionaires, characters and super-heated egos, Kerkorian exuded an understated cool that set him apart from the pack. As Rempel’s “The … [Read more...]

Just because Steve Wynn has stepped down from his leadership positions at Wynn Resorts Ltd., has sold all the shares he owned in the company and settled legal differences with his ex-wife, Elaine, don’t think for a minute that gaming regulators are through with him. Judging from the tone of statements made by Wynn’s representatives earlier this month, Wynn believes his actions have cleared him … [Read more...]

This is one so rich with irony I’m having a difficult time staying seated. Proving that they are beyond shame when it comes to sports betting, the NBA and MLB engaged New Jersey officials in recent months to discuss how the leagues would like to see sports betting conducted in the event that federal law allows New Jersey to go ahead and license sportsbooks. And how might legal sports betting … [Read more...]

Casino gambling in the U.S. outpaced the general economy in 2017, according to information from RubinBrown, an accounting and business-consulting firm. Total commercial gaming revenues in 2017 were $39.9 billion, a 4.1 percent over 2016, while Native American casinos collected $32.6 billion, up 4.6 percent from the year before. Those increases outpaced the U.S. inflation rate (2.1 percent) and … [Read more...]

VizExplorer is in the information business, and the easiest illustration of what it can do is visible at a blackjack table. The company, in partnership with ARB LABS, has created a solution to an eternal problem: How to track how much table games players wager. VizExplorer showed the product at last fall’s G2E at the Las Vegas Sands, under the title tableViz with ChipVue. Proprietary optical … [Read more...]

Five years ago, the American Gaming Association (AGA) membership was largely comprised of large commercial casino operators. Those entities founded the organization in 1994, and defending their interests in Washington - or better yet, keeping Washington out of their business - was our remit. A lot has changed. Not only have we taken a more progressive stance on tackling issues that are affecting … [Read more...]

Ten days ago Hyatt Hotels Corp. and AC Ocean Walk announced that the redeveloped Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City would be part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection of international hotels. That might turn out to be the year’s biggest Atlantic City story that drew the least attention. Missing such good news is kind of understandable with all of the attention, justly deserved, to Hard Rock … [Read more...]

In these days of political polarization, very few voters trust any government official.  Actually it is a long-term trend; Forbes has been doing a poll for 16 years on the most and least trusted professions in the country.  Nurses, military officers, grade school teachers and medical doctors are at the top of the Forbes list.  At the bottom of the list are local officeholders, TV reporters, … [Read more...]

The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on lifting a federal ban on legalized sports betting. Such a ruling is expected later this year. If the court favors broadening the availability of legalized sports wagering, as expected, the decision would enable states with casinos to offer sports books as alternative to staples such as slots and table games. Kansas legislators are wise for holding off … [Read more...]

The NBA, MLB and now the PGA Tour have engaged in a sprint since January, lobbying for sports betting legislation favorable to their collective financial interests. This multi-pronged effort in over a dozen states eyeing legal sports betting has involved over 30 registered lobbyists in at least 16 states. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred have also gotten involved in … [Read more...]