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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Zeal Ventures, one of the biggest investors in the lottery space, has provided the British studio startup Circl Gaming with an investment. While the size of the investment wasn’t disclosed by the two companies, it marks the start of a friendly partnership between the two parties.

As announced, Zeal Ventures will leverage its market experience to provide its new ally with counsel on all the important aspects of the gaming markets. The investor will tip Circl Gaming on regulatory matters, business strategy, marketing and optimization.

Zeal trusts Circl Gaming’s vision for a social betting experience, as attested by Dirk Reiche, Zeal Ventures’ investment director, who lauded Circl as a true visionary. Reiche noted that the gaming industry is now moving faster than ever and has produced a number of innovators like Circl.

According to the director, it is important to nurture such companies and augment the gaming market. Because of that, he is looking forward to working with Circl and advising the company on how to improve and diversify the gaming and entertainment space.

Circl Is Happy to Have Zeal’s Backing

Circl Gaming’s chief technology officer, Mark Quinn, also commented on the partnership with Zeal Ventures, calling it “a huge step forward” toward his team’s ambition to become an international company.

Quinn emphasized that the founders of Circl are thrilled to join forces with Zeal, a company that has extensive experience in the lottery and gaming sectors. The CTO added that this expertise would be invaluable to his team as Circl continues to roll out new products.

The support they will bring is not just financial, it will help with every pillar of our business.

Mark Quinn, CTO, Circl Gaming

Circl develops socially-charged gaming experiences. According to its description, it offers a live-action sports game, for its customers and their mates. It allows English Premier League aficionados to test their predictive ability while challenging their friends.

Circl players can give predict the outcomes of micro-events during Premier League games. The best Circl players can win exciting cash prizes and prove that they are the most knowledgeable soccer fans to their friends.

At first, Circl was a game meant to be enjoyed by small circles of friends (thus its name). However, now Circl offers exciting multiplayer experiences where people can play against other sports fans in the United Kingdom.

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