Sports betting regulation – Page 2

June 25, 2024

DC Council creates open, competitive wagering marketplace

On Tuesday (25 June) the DC Council gave final approval to its FY2025 budget that includes a provision to open the digital sports betting market. Currently, FanDuel is the sole platform available citywide but, under the new budget, that will change.

The new budget required an emergency act to avoid having to send the budget to congress for approval. The DC Council passed the Budget Support Act via voice vote. The budget is set to go into effect on 15 July.

The new budget will allow for commercial operators to enter the market. BetMGM (Nationals Park) and Caesars Sportsbook (Capital One Arena) should quickly be able to expand their current digital offerings. Through existing partnerships, the operators have brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and offer digital betting within an exclusion zone. Under the new plan, they will be able to offer their platforms across the District.

FanDuel in April launched its platform in partnership with the DC Lottery. The company currently has a monopoly. ..

June 24, 2024

Christopher Hebert appointed new Louisiana gaming chief

On Monday (24 June) Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry appointed Christopher Hebert as the state's new gaming chief. Former head regulator Ronnie Johns announced his retirement earlier this year and 30 June will be his last day.

Hebert was a director handling gaming in the attorney-general’s office. In that role, he worked closely with Johns, who retires as one of the most influential figures in Louisiana gaming. Herbert is the first black man to be named chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB), according to a press release from Landry’s office.

“Proper regulation of the gaming industry is crucial at a time in which gaming revenue continues to be a substantial part of our state’s economy,” Herbert said via press release. “I am both humbled and honored that Governor Landry has tapped me as the first African-American chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control board and I vow to continue the hard work of previous chairmen in ensuring that gaming is free from criminal and c..

June 18, 2024

FanDuel: We’ll exit lottery contract if DC Council approves open marketplace

FanDuel would opt for a lower tax rate and walk away from its lottery contract in Washington, DC if the DC Council approves an open marketplace. President Christian Genetski wrote a letter earlier this month to DC Council chairman Phil Mendelson explaining his company's stance.

The DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG) in March revealed that Intralot, the company that ran the GamBetDC platform, planned to take down the platform and subcontract with FanDuel. The news came as a surprise to the DC Council at that time. But bettors welcomed the change.

GamBetDC was fraught with usability errors and other issues from its May 2020 launch. In four years as the only mobile platform available throughout the city, GamBetDC underperformed. In that time, the District netted $4.3m in tax revenue from it.

OLG operators are taxed at 40%. In an open market, under the proposed amended law, operators would be taxed at 20%. FanDuel paid the city $1.9m in tax revenue in its first 30 days of ope..

June 15, 2024

MLB umpire disciplined for violating gambling policy

On Friday (14 June) Major League Baseball (MLB) announced it had disciplined umpire Pat Hoberg for violating the league's sports gambling policy. Hoberg has appealed the decision, which was first reported by The Athletic.

The exact details of Hoberg’s penalty are unknown, but he has not appeared in a game this season. In its statement on Friday, MLB said Hoberg did not directly manipulate games, but did not rule out him betting on baseball.

Per league rules, betting on baseball is punished with a year-long ban. Betting on games in which one is playing, coaching or officiating results in a lifetime ban.

Hoberg is appealing the decision.

“During this year’s spring training, Major League Baseball commenced an investigation regarding a potential violation of MLB’s sports betting policies by umpire Pat Hoberg,” the statement read. “Mr Hoberg was removed from the field during the pendency of that investigation.”

Despite there not being “any evidence that games worked by Mr Hober..

June 12, 2024

State regulators tell illegal gambling operator to back off or face legal action

Bovada is one of – if not the – leading black-market sports betting operators taking wagers in the US. Already banned in five states, regulators in Michigan and Connecticut are now taking aim at keeping the platform out of their markets.

Since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, a key goal for legal US stakeholders is stamping out the black market.

The federal government in 2011 had success in taking down the original Poker Stars, which was operating illegally in the US. The same year, the DoJ settled with Laura Varela and Costa Rican sportsbook 5Dimes, which also operated in the US.

But since then, there has been seemingly little activity in relation to keeping illegal gambling operators out of the American market. In May the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) became the first US regulator to send a cease-and-desist letter to an offshore operator.

“Bovada, you are out!”

On 29 May, the MGCB gave Curaçao-based Bo..

June 7, 2024

Arizona Department of Gaming opens new event wagering application window

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) will accept event wagering applications between 8 July and 19 July, the agency announced on Friday (7 June). The application window will close at 5pm local time on the 19 July. There are currently 17 operators live in the state and state law allows for up to 20 digital platforms.

The ADG will consider a minimum of one event wagering application each for a tribal casino and professional sports franchise.

In Arizona, event wagering operators must be tethered to a professional sports franchise or Indian tribe. The law allows for 10 licences each for pro sports venues and tribes. Nine tribal licences are spoken for, and eight of the pro-franchise licences have been issued. That means there is one tribal licence and two pro-franchise licences available.

A key question is whether or not there are anymore professional sports venues that could even qualify for a licence under the law.

Will anyone apply for pro-franchise licence?

The NFL Arizona C..

June 5, 2024

ANJ urges RG caution in France ahead of potential €1bn in Euro 2024 bets

L'Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the regulator of gambling in France, has launched a new problem gambling prevention campaign ahead of Euro 2024.

Euro 2024 gets under way in Germany on 14 June and the ANJ says close to €1bn (£851.4m/$1.1bn) could be staked in France on the tournament. The ANJ did note the stake amounts will depend on how France, among the favourites to lift the trophy, fare in the competition.

The €1bn figure would surpass the 2022 World Cup’s stakes total of €900m, when France reached the final. The last European Championships, held in 2021, generated €700m in bets.

However, amid the expected increase in betting activity, the ANJ is urging players – particularly younger people – to take notice of legal notices featured on gambling advertising.

The ANJ’s new prevention campaign aims to raise awareness of betting addiction and the resulting problems. The messages highlight a “deliberately disproportionate” section on addiction risks in yellow to tell the “r..

June 5, 2024

Analyst warns Illinois betting tax hike could trigger similar moves in other states

The decision by lawmakers in Illinois to push ahead with an increase in sports betting tax could push other states across the US to take similar action, an analyst from consultancy B Global has warned.

Last week, the Illinois house of representatives passed a progressive wagering tax rate. This will see the state’s most prolific sports betting operators pay tax at 40%, a sharp rise from the current rate of 15%.

The new-look structure sets rates at between 20% and 40%, depending on each operator’s adjusted gaming revenue (AGR). Operators posting more than $200m (£157m/€184m) face the highest rate of 40% – the second-highest tax rate in the US behind New York at 51%.

Other boundaries include a 20% tax rate for operators with an AGR of under $30m, 25% for between 30m and $50m, 30% for AGR ranging from $50m to $100m and 35% for AGR of $100m to $200m.

The proposal, which forms part of the FY2025 budget in Illinois, is now with Illinois’ governor, JB Pritzker, for sign-off. Should Pritzk..

June 3, 2024

England cricketer Carse banned for betting breach

English fast bowler Brydon Carse will serve a ban from playing cricket after breaching betting rules.

The punishment from the Cricket Regulator states 13 months of Carse’s 16-month ban will be suspended.

Brydon’s team Durham says he can train during his ban, which will run until 28 August.

The 28-year-old is charged with placing 303 bets on various matches between 2017 and 2019.

Carse did not place any bets on games in which he played. He accepted the charges and “demonstrated significant remorse”, the Cricket Regulator said.

The Cricket Regulator is responsible for monitoring compliance and enforcement of the game’s regulations in England. It was established in December 2023 and is ring-fenced from the rest of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Educational example

“We take these matters extremely seriously and do not condone any form of anti-corruption breach in cricket,” the ECB stated.

“We support the Cricket Regulator’s decision and their consideration of the mitiga..

May 31, 2024

State of the Union: A look back at the week that was in North America

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

SCOTUS sets conference Florida wagering case date

The US Supreme Court will conference on 13 June to discuss West Flagler Associates (WFA) Ltd vs Deb Haaland. The case could change the course of legal sports betting in Florida. WFA earlier this year filed a writ of certiorari. The focus of the case is whether or not US Department of the Interior Secretary Haaland should have allowed the 2021 compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole tribe to become “deemed approved”.

The compact allows for the Seminoles to offer retail and digital wagering throughout Florida. Bets placed anywhere in Florida that run through a tribal server are considered to have been placed on tribal lands, according to the compact. This scenario is not used anywhere else in the US. WFA argues that the compact violates the Indian..

May 29, 2024

DraftKings and Flutter stock falls on proposed Illinois tax hike

DraftKings and Flutter Entertainment – owner of FanDuel Group – both saw their stock price decline yesterday (28 May) as the US market reacted negatively to a proposed gambling tax hike in Illinois.

Illinois lawmakers discussed the increase during a 2025 budget meeting over the weekend. While plans are yet to be approved, the potential rise has already hit leading operators including DraftKings and Flutter.

The current proposal on the table is for a graduated wagering tax structure to replace the existing 15% flat rate. This would set rates at between 20% and 40%, depending on each operator’s adjusted gaming revenue (AGR).

Licensed operators with generated AGR of $30m (£23.5m/€27.6m) a year would pay tax at 20%. However, if an operator reports more than $200m, they would face a 40% rate – some 167% more than at present. This would be the second-highest tax rate in the US behind New York at 51%.

Other boundaries include a 25% rate for AGR between $30m and $50m, 30% for AGR ranging ..

May 24, 2024

State of the Union: A look back at the week that was in North America

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

PA, MA issue fines

On 22 May the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced that it had fined Wind Creek Bethlehem $125,000 (£98,089/€115,156) for allowing minors onto the gaming floor 10 times. The regulator wrote in a press release that the incidents occurred over a 20-month period and involved 11 people.

A day later, on 23 May, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission issued a $10,000 fine to Fanatics Sportsbook for allowing a bet to be placed on a Boston College team. A consumer placed a $50 futures bet on the Golden Eagles bowl game against SMU on 5 December 2023. Fanatics discovered the bet a day later and cancelled it. Betting on in-state college teams is not permitted in most cases in Massachusetts.

SI to exit Michigan by end of 2024

Michigan’s SI Sportsbook will exit the state by the end of the year,..

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Tag: Sports betting regulation