Legal Archives

March 10, 2023

Massachusetts’ mobile sports betting market goes live

The six online operators approved to launch mobile sports betting offerings in Massachusetts – FanDuel, DraftKings, WynnBet, Barstool, BetMGM and Caesars – have gone live in Massachusetts.

More than six months on from when then-governor Charlie Baker signed House Bill 5164 into law, players have begun placing bets from the six online operators licensed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) – joining the now majority of US states that have legalised the activity.

The rollout follows the launch of retail sports betting towards the end of January, that permitted any land-based casino or racetrack operator to apply for a licence.

“The debut of sports betting in Massachusetts has delivered an incredible amount of excitement and activity to our retail sportsbook at MGM Springfield,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “We’re proud to expand our best-in-class wagering experience statewide during one of sports’ biggest months of action.”

Role of sports fans

President of Caesars Digit..

March 7, 2023

Duelling sports betting bills fail in Georgia

Two separate sports betting bills in Georgia have failed – in the state House and Senate.

This means that Georgia’s sports betting dream is dead until the 2024 Georgia legislative session at the earliest.

The Senate bill’s primary sponsor and Republican majority leader Bill Cowsert’s strategy was focused on amending the constitution of the state of Georgia to allow the legislature to pass laws.

The Senate effort aimed to amend Georgia’s constitution

In turn, this would have allowed for sports betting to be operated in the state.

Georgia currently prohibits the authorisation of gambling operations, with an enumerated exception for lotteries.

This bill – entitled Senate Resolution 140 – did not get the requisite two-thirds majority needed for an amendment of the state constitution, and so failed at 30-26 votes.

If the resolution had passed, sports betting would have appeared on the ballot by referendum in November 2024.

And while the amendments enabling legislation Senate Bill 17..

February 27, 2023

First ilottery and online sports betting solution launched in Brazil

NeoGames and Intralot do Brasil have announced the launch of LotoMinas, the first regulated ilottery and online sports betting solution for Brazilian state Minas Gerais' official lottery, Loteria Mineira.

The multiyear turnkey agreement, which was first announced in June, sees NeoGames enter the Brazilian market, in a project that will involve long-term cooperation with the state’s lottery operator.

The undertaking is NeoGames’ first large scheme led by its subsidiaries with Aspire Global and BtoBet – companies that the business acquired last year.

neogames will provide ilottery and online sports betting services to the lottery operator

NeoGames CEO Moti Malul said the organisation was “excited” to launch in the Brazilian market and to be partnering with Intralot do Brasil, which is more familiar with the local market than the Israel-based supplier.

“Together we will provide online lottery and sports betting players in Minas Gerais with a first-class online gaming experience..

January 27, 2023

HKJC blasts proposal to increase football betting duty to 80%

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has hit out at a proposal from the New People’s Party (NPP) to increase the region’s football betting duty by an additional 30%, saying the plan lacks “understanding”.

The current rate is set at 50% on net stake receipts, but the NPP proposal would increase this to 80%, which in turn would mean the HKJC would have to pay significantly more tax.

The HKJC estimated that if the duty change were to be approved, the amount it pays in tax would jump from the current HK$25.00bn (£2.58bn/€2.94bn/US$3.19bn) to HK$31.00bn, while revenue would fall from HK15.00bn to HK$9.00bn, a decline of 40%.

“It will result in a zero surplus at best or more likely a negative one, preventing the club from making necessary investments to secure its future and from contributing to the community,” the HKJC said.

“In reality, however, consumer behaviour can be highly dynamic. Any perturbation such as a tax increase, or simply the perception of such, could easily result in a dis..

January 26, 2023

Plotting out the priorities for US sports betting in 2023

Reflecting on the last year, 2022 was another year of growth at breakneck speed in the US sports betting market – particularly from a regulatory perspective.

As of December 2022, sports betting had either been fully legalised, or had approved legislation, in 36 states plus Washington DC, with Ohio kicking off 1 January 2023 with a roar. In fact, opening weekend numbers in Ohio shattered previous records held by New York and Pennsylvania, with 11.3 million geolocation transactions and 783,900 unique accounts created.

Measuring the opportunity

With that growth, we have seen an influx of companies entering the betting space – not just operators but also folks like new platform providers, unique B2B product and service providers and marketing affiliates.

eric frank, ceo and co-founder, odds on compliance

But it hasn’t been all roses and sunshine.

The year 2022 saw a number of sportsbook operator closures, the SPAC market dried up and investment money became tougher to come by. There ..

January 16, 2023

North Dakota sports betting amendment bill moves to Senate after House approval

A bill that would amend the North Dakota constitution to potentially introduce online sports betting has been passed by the state's House and will now be considered by its Senate.

Entitled House Concurrent Resolution No. 3002, the bill outlines an amendment to section 25 of article 11 of North Dakota’s Constitution.

The amendment would allow sports betting to be permitted by, and regulated by, the state of North Dakota.

Read the full story on iGB North America

January 13, 2023

Jake Paul’s Betr launches real money offering in Ohio

Influencer Jake Paul’s microbetting start-up Betr will now begin accepting real-money deposits and withdrawals in Ohio, after a “soft launch” on 1 January.

In August 2022, Paul – alongside SimpleBet founder and CEO Joey Levy – launched Betr, a microbetting offering, designed at allowing players to place bets on fast-resolving markets. Paul is president of Betr, while Levy acts as CEO.

This was followed by the September launch of Betr’s mobile app, which nationwide launched on a free-to-play basis ahead of a real money offering.

The application has a reworked interface that simplifies betting UI by presenting the bet as a multiple choice question, as well as displaying odds as payout multiples.

betr allows users to place same game parlays on sports games

Betr entered Ohio through a 10-year market access agreement with Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company.

State-by-state expansion

Levy said he was “thrilled” to be launching Betr’s real-money betting business in Ohio. “Thi..

January 13, 2023

Fanatics secures sports betting approval in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has voted to approve sports apparel giant Fanatics for a temporary sports betting operator licence, while the regulator also appointed Bruce Band to lead its new sports betting division.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve Fanatics for a Category 3 sports betting operator licence, which will be tethered to Plainridge Park Casino’s Category 1 sports wagering licence.

However, Fanatics will need to undergo a full suitability review by the MGC’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau. After this, Fanatics will also need to obtain an operations certificate and meet additional conditions to begin accepting sports wagers.

Read the full story on iGB North America

January 11, 2023

Virginia bill introduced capping tax deductions for bonuses

A bill has been introduced in the Virginia Senate limiting tax deductions for bonuses and promotions.

Senate Bill 1142 – introduced by Democratic state senator Jeremy McPike – would amend the existing code of Virginia definition of adjusted gross revenue. Under current law, “adjusted gross revenue” means gross revenue minus four specified deductions.

The proposed amendment would change the first deduction which allows for allows for operators to deduct all bonuses and promotions from gross revenue. It would seek to impose a cap on the amount that can be claimed beginning at 2.5% of the total wagered by the player in 2023-24, lowering to 1.75% by 2026.

This would have the effect of potentially raising the tax burden on sports betting operators in Virginia, since it is adjusted gross revenue, not gross revenue which is subject to the state’s 15% gaming tax.

Read the full story on iGB North America

January 11, 2023

South Carolina amendment would let legislature legalise betting and igaming

A South Carolina Representative has put forward a bill that would amend the state constitution, allowing the legislature to legalise varying forms of gambling – including sports betting.

The passage of the amendment would not legalise forms of gambling itself. Instead, it would permit the South Carolina legislature to do so.

Titled the South Carolina House Joint Resolution 3095, the bill was introduced in the state House yesterday (10 January) and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary. It is sponsored by Representative Todd Rutherford.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

January 9, 2023

Gaming bill filed as Texas gears up for 2023 legislative session

The Texas legislature will consider a bill that would amend the state’s constitution to legalise casinos at a limited number of locations and set the stage to permit sports betting.

The proposed law – Senate Joint Resolution 17 – would devise the framework for a new body named the Texas Gaming Commission, which would supervise legalised gambling in Texas.

Casino gambling would be authorised at a “limited number of destination resorts and facilities” with the proceeds going towards tax relief and funding for education and public safety.

The amendment’s author is Houston-based state senator Carol Alvarado, a Democrat who initially pre-filed the bill on 14 November 2022.

Read full story on iGB North America

January 6, 2023

Ohio fines BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings $150k for ad violations

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) announced it is seeking a $150,000 (£126,000/€143,000) fine each from BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings for advertising violations.

According to the regulator, the three operators, or their affiliates, all ran sports betting ads on multiple platforms that were in violation of both Ohio law and administrative rules relating to advertising and promotions.

“The sports gaming industry has received multiple reminders of the rules and standards for advertising and promotions, yet continues to disregard Ohio law,” said OCCC executive director Matthew Schuler. “These repeated violations leave the Commission no choice but to pursue administrative action to bring operators into compliance. The Commission takes responsible gambling seriously – and expects the industry to value the same.”

Read the full story on iGB North America

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Tag: Legal