The General Assembly of the American state of Maryland has failed to take action on the prospected legalization of online casinos in the state as it adjourned on April 8 without discussing the matter.

That happened despite several stakeholders having expressed interest in that aspect, including iGaming suppliers, operators, vendors and lawmakers, all regarding the prospect of legalizing online casinos in Maryland as a real possibility.

A similar thing happened in the state of Georgia a couple of weeks ago when the General Assembly ended its term without voting on the legalization of online sports betting in the state. Experts were regarding Georgia and Maryland as the two states with the best prospects for legalization of online gambling this Spring.

However, Maryland does have legislation in place regarding online sports betting, it was approved back in November 2020 after the population had its say through a referendum.

Major Hurdles in Other States

There are several other American states which are considering expanding their online gambling legislation, but each one of them seems to have issues that need more time before being completely ironed out.

In Alabama for instance, there is a comprehensive package of bills that aim to legalize lottery, retail casinos and online sports betting in the state. That package of legislation is currently blocked at a conference committee which is tasked with setting fair tax rates for each of those activities and also to solve the problem of gambling exclusivity by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

In Maine the General Assembly failed to put two bills to vote that would have given the four tribes in the state control over online casinos and shut two existing land-based venues. Both bills came with divided reports from the committees, so debates are bound to resume when the legislature adjourns on April 17.

The Mississippi Senate witnessed two bills regarding the legalization of sports betting die in its committees while a third was adopted by the Gaming Committee in a strike-all version just to keep the topic alive for now. The legislature in this state will adjourn on 5 May.

Missouri had plenty of sports betting bills being discussed and at least one made it to the House floor to be discussed. That doesn’t mean that the bill is close to being adopted, though, as there is little consensus about its contents within the state legislature.

Pro sports teams in Missouri are trying to collect signatures for a sports betting initiative that would be included in the November ballot, when the American people will elect its next president. The pro sports teams will have to gather 171,592 verified signatures by early May in order to get on the ballot in November.

Source:

“Maryland online casino is dead. What else is left for 2024 US gambling expansion?“, igamingbusiness.com, April 9, 2024.

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To this day, Georgia remains one of the most gambling-unfriendly states in the US. However, pro-gambling advocates seek to change that as they believe that launching casino gaming and sports betting would bring tons of benefits to the state.

Senator Brandon Beach is one of the most avid supporters of gambling in Georgia. He commented on the matter during the recent Joint Committees on Economic Development and Tourism meeting, saying that he plans to introduce gambling legislation for the next legislative session.

The legislation would allow locals to vote on a constitutional amendment that would usher in casino gaming, sports betting and pari-mutuel wagering. Beach said that the legalization of gambling could generate as much as $900 million in taxes annually. According to him, this money would support the state infrastructure, healthcare initiatives, education and gambling addiction treatment.

In addition, the legalization of sports betting would bring other benefits and will help the state attract major sporting events.

Beach clarified that he doesn’t want to create a Vegas Strip-style destination but rather to allow the creation of casino resorts that would attract tourists and create multiple new jobs. This format would also nurture the economy through non-gambling means since resorts usually sport many shops and restaurants.

The Senator also pointed out that Atlanta lacks nighttime activities, which is another thing that casino resorts could change.

Under Beach’s proposal, Georgian gambling would be regulated by a new commission under the Georgia Lottery Corporation. The Senator plans to propose his legislation on the first day of the 2024 legislative session. Beach also noted that dozens of states already allow betting, meaning that Georgia is missing out on millions of dollars in revenue.

Georgia Is Missing Out on Thousands of Dollars

The future of gambling in Georgia remains uncertain as opposition is still strong. Because of that, a previous effort to legalize betting was shut down by the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee, preventing the measure from reaching voters.

Supporters of gambling have argued that thousands of dollars are drained from Georgia each weekend as gamblers visit Alabama and Mississippi to wager instead. According to proponents of the industry, legalizing gambling would allow Georgia to keep much of this money.

This was already proven in Nebraska as its fresh gambling industry allowed it to retain many customers who would previously go to gamble in Iowa. While this trend means bad news for Iowan casinos, it would allow Nebraska to remain competitive and channel consumers’ money toward its own economy.

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An Illinois gambling businessman is seeking leniency after he was convicted of fraud, bribery and lying to FBI agents. He faces up to 20 years in prison for his crimes.

The businessman, James T. Weiss, was convicted in June this year and is currently awaiting sentencing from US District Judge Steven Seeger. Seeking leniency for his crimes, Weiss hopes to get out of this with a 27-month sentence.

For reference, the businessman was found guilty of bribing state officials to pass legislations that favored his business. Weiss’ company, Collage, manufactures sweepstakes machines which he wanted legalized in Illinois.

To that end, Weiss paid then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo $2,500 a month in hopes of pushing his agenda through. The sweepstakes legislation didn’t appear in Illinois’ gambling bill and, as a result, Weiss then conspired with Terry Link, a former senator and chief sponsor of the gambling bill.

When the scheme was discovered, Link cooperated with the authorities in hopes of reducing his sentence. Arroyo, on the other hand, was found guilty of additional bribery-related offenses and faced a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The ex-representative was eventually sentenced to almost 5 years.

Judge Seeger, who also handed the sentence to Arroyo, is unlikely to reduce Weiss’ sentence as much as the businessman hopes.

Sweepstake Machines Remain in Illinois’ Gray Sector

Weiss was bullish on getting the sweepstakes machines legalized and has donated over $80,000 to sweepstakes machine legalization initiatives. He had many connections, allowing him to exercise certain influence to the point of being in a position to try to get certain laws passed.

One of the people he worked with, Alderman Gilbert Villegas, argued that sweepstakes machines are in Illinois, whether politicians like it or not, which is why they should be either outlawed or regulated.

Sweepstakes machines currently sit in Illinois’ legal gray area, mirroring other more unusual gambling offerings in other states, including skill games.

In unrelated news, Illinois recently stepped “away from incarceration and towards rehabilitation” by allowing former convicts to work at casinos in the state. While such people remain prohibited from serving in positions such as slot attendants and dealers, they can now serve as waiters, housekeepers, chefs, porters, etc.

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In a recent press interview, Eric Sjöden, senior advisor for international affairs at l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France’s gambling regulator, underlined that the authorities must develop a closer relationship with operators in the market for the benefit of the players.

The Excessive Advertising Issue

The gambling market in France was in turmoil following one of the biggest competitions in European football, the 2020 UEFA European Championship which was eventually held in 2021 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. That competition saw most operators in France engage in a frenzy of advertising, which prompted ANJ to crack down on gambling marketing.

In 2022 ANJ made significant moves towards reducing the number of gambling ads, justifying those measures by saying that they should protect young people and vulnerable groups.

However, the measures were not imposed by the authorities on the market. ANJ launched a public debate, asking both the public and the operators to have their say before eventually deciding the next steps.

Eric Sjöden explains that this is the way ANJ wants to deal with the French gambling market, engaging in constant dialogue both with the operators and the general public. “We speak with them about problem gambling, regarding AML, so it’s normal for us to speak with them in regards to advertising and advising,” Eric Sjöden added.

Constant Communication

The dialogue is kept alive as each year ANJ requires all licensed operators to submit action plans regarding fraud, money laundering, safe gambling, and terrorism financing. This allows for ongoing dialogue between the regulator and operators because after the latter submits the action plans the ANJ replies with recommendations.

However, some of these action plans receive plain rejections from ANJ if they are not good enough. Earlier this year the French regulator dismissed six such plans, belonging to casinos and gaming clubs.

“This is our idea of regulation,” Eric Sjöden explained. The ANJ advisor added that the French regulator dishes out fewer sanctions than regulators in other European countries and that is because operators on the French market have a better understanding of the regulation framework.

Sjöden also revealed that ANJ is currently working on two new tools for the French gambling market, a guide on tracking gambling harm and an instrument under the regulator’s control which would allow to set up loss limits.

The French authorities are also preparing to legalize online casinos through Bill 1248, which was introduced in May 2023 by Philippe Latombe, a representative of the Democratic Movement party. The bill’s purpose is to take players to legal online casinos instead of offshore operators that don’t have responsible gambling measures in place.

Source: “France focus: Is the market a success yet?“. iGaming Business. September 5, 2023.

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Tar Heel State lawmakers believe that they have sufficient support to see a sports betting bill through. This comes a year after talks about sports gambling legalization got muddled in the House of Representatives, although they did win the Senate during last year’s session. Regardless, no final decision was reached and the previous attempt petered out.

The bad news ends here, though. This year North Carolina’s House of Representatives and Senators have changed with mostly Republicans in power, who seem to be keen to see a sports betting bill pass through. Phil Berger, the Senate president, remains confident that there will be mounting support and diminishing opposition in both chambers given the political makeup of the Assembly.

North Carolina Confident in Passage of Sports Betting

“It is something the public overall supports. If you have a telephone, you already have access to it. You’re not supposed to, but it’s there,” said Berger in a realization that political preferences should give way to what the public wants. This should mean that any attempt to hamper the passage of a sports gambling bill would fail this year.

Last year, it was mostly due to “moral objections” that a law failed, but this is quickly becoming an unsustainable argument as the entire nation has been fast to legalize sports gambling with 33 states and Washington DC now offering this activity. North Carolina, though, has some bad habits to break away with.

North Carolina for one is seriously opposed to any and all sorts of gambling. The state has no commercial casinos, let alone pari-mutuel wagering, racinos, or any other form of gambling owned by private businesses. It does allow for the three tribal casinos to run gambling, though.

The Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River, and Catawba Two Kings Casino are all viable and licensed properties that operate under tribal sovereignty and they are not generally considered the business of lawmakers. So, the question remains – will House Bill 347 clear its way to the top?

It has fairly decent support from both spectra of North Carolinian politics and is sponsored by Democrats (Ashton Wheeler Clemmons and Zack Hawkins) as well as by Republicans (Jason Saine and John Bell). In total there are 40 members of the House who have said they would support the bill, with only 21 more votes needed to secure a majority in the 120-member House.

Going Straight for Online Sports Betting

But what is HB 347 about? It’s an ambitious project that aims at scaling sports gambling very quickly and introducing online sportsbooks. This will do away with the usual toing-and-froing that lawmakers do in first introducing land-based sports betting and then bickering for months to expand the activity online.

North Carolina wants to jump straight for the online activity with at least 10 interactive licenses (but no more than 12). However, to get in, sportsbooks would have to foot a $1-million licensing fee. Renewals are also steep at $1 million and will be required every five years. Despite these rates, there should be no shortage of candidates.

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In February, Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City filed House Bill 1027, bringing sports aficionados and gamblers from Oklahoma one step closer to finally seeing sports betting legalized in the Sooner State.

After the legislation went through a smooth review from a friendly committee that was chaired by Luttrell, KOKO-TV announces that the House Committee on Appropriations and Budget has decided to pass the bill on Thursday.

27 “Yes” Votes, Four “No” Votes

Luttrell’s second trial to introduce sports betting to Oklahoma gathered 27 “yes” votes and it was only opposed by four “no” votes in the Appropriations and Budget Committee.

According to its initiator, the main purpose of the bill is to allow additional changes that might be necessary during the lawmaking procedure. In its current form, the legislation would enable Native American tribes to make their way into new sports betting compacts that legalize both in-person and mobile sports betting.

Tribes eager to participate would be allowed to ink partnerships with larger online sports betting sites or create their own gambling sites and platforms and sportsbooks. They would also be allowed to set limits to mobile betting and only allow the vertical on tribal land.

Luttrell explained that the new bill is the result of his lengthy work and collaboration with the tribes and gaming partners in his own districts as well as several other districts in Oklahoma.

While the bill was successfully passed out of committee at the start of March, this still does not offer any guarantee on the fact that it would also reach the House. Nonetheless, Luttrell has expressed his optimism that this would occur.

In the event that the bill would reach the House floor, it would still require clearance from the House and Senate prior to being signed into effect by Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The Power of Example

Further strengthening his argument that Oklahoma is currently missing out on a lot of money, Luttrell explained that after sports betting became legal in nearby Arkansas, the three casinos there generated a massive total bid of $500 million, with $11 million reaching the state’s treasury.

The bill’s initiator also argued that sports betting was already legal in New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas, while adding that the purpose of the bill was not to expand gambling or gaming, but to offer “another option for those tribes that would like to provide this to their customers.”

If it would come into effect, the legislation would follow the same distribution of the fees that currently come to the state from other compacts.

Accordingly, 80% of the money would go to education while a separate provision would be used to combat problem gaming and provide counseling to problem problems and persons at risk.

While the legislation still has a long time to go before it turns into a palpable reality, the fact that it currently enjoys the support of both the tribes and the Governor can be taken as a good omen.

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SBC Americas reported that this legislation would allow casinos and racetracks in Illinois to apply for an internet gaming license, which can include up to three skins. The license will cost $250,000 and will be regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board.

The New Legislation Introduces a 15% Tax Rate

The new bill introduced by Sen. Castro stipulates that the tax rate on adjusted gross revenue would be set at 15%, and operators will also be able to deduct promotional credits. Unlike Illinois sports betting, there will be no in-person registration requirement for online casinos.

However, the legislation does address responsible gambling and diversity efforts. Operators must establish a self-exclusion list and display responsible gambling language on their websites. They will also need to provide annual reports on their diversity goals and progress.

The bill has also set out short deadlines for applicants, particularly those with existing interactive gaming licenses, to avoid the slow processes experienced by Massachusetts and Maryland in the sports betting industry.

Castro’s previous effort to legalize online casinos did not gain much traction, but with the continued success of sports betting in Illinois, lawmakers are now more open to expanding into the online gambling market.

Recent Report Showed Illinois Likely to Introduce Online Gambling

A recent report by Bonus.com revealed that Illinois may be among the states that legalize online gambling soon.

While the process of legalization may take some time, the benefits of a regulated gambling market are clear. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the economy, and the legalization of online gambling could provide a much-needed revenue stream. Moreover, the regulation would ensure player protection, as licensed operators must follow rules and honor self-exclusion, whereas illegal operators do not.

Despite a failed attempt to pass the Illinois Internet Gaming Act in 2021, the topic may be up for discussion once again this year. 

However, the introduction of internet casino gaming in Illinois may still face an uphill battle, as the state already receives a substantial amount of tax revenue from video gaming terminals (VGTs). In 2022, Illinois received nearly $786 million in taxes from VGT play, which is more than double the revenue from traditional casinos outside of sports wagering. 

Furthermore, with the approval of six new casino licenses in the 2019 gaming expansion bill, including a location in downtown Chicago, it is expected that these venues will be operational by 2023, either temporarily or permanently. The added competition from these new establishments could make it even harder for internet casino gaming to gain traction in Illinois.

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