ian-valentino Page 8 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Caesars Revenue Climbs to $3 Billion as Fertitta Deal Nears
Caesars Entertainment reported nearly $3 billion in revenue during the second quarter of 2026, providing a snapshot of the casino operator's financial position as it moves toward a planned acquisition by Fertitta Entertainment. The company generated $2.99 billion in revenue for the three months ending June 30, representing a 3% increase from the same period a year earlier. The earnings ...
Illinois Law Redefines Problem Gambling as a Public Health Issue
Illinois has taken a significant step in reshaping how problem gambling is addressed by state agencies and healthcare providers. Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed Senate Bill 2749 into law, officially recognizing gambling disorder under Illinois' Substance Use Disorder Act. The move places compulsive gambling in the same legal framework as alcohol and drug addiction, a change supporters say modernizes state ...
California Sports Betting Effort Remains Focused on 2028 Vote
California's long-running sports betting debate appears unlikely to return to voters before 2028, according to tribal gaming leaders who continue to view that year as the most realistic timeline for a statewide online sports betting initiative. The latest comments from tribal representatives suggest the state's largest gambling stakeholders are taking a measured approach after voters overwhelmingly rejected competing sports betting ...
50 Cent Backs Bally’s Louisiana Growth With Shreveport Casino Deal
Bally’s Corporation has completed its acquisition of Sam’s Town Shreveport from Boyd Gaming, marking a significant expansion of the company’s presence in Louisiana. The transaction adds another gaming and hospitality property to Bally’s growing portfolio and strengthens its position in the Shreveport-Bossier market. The deal is part of Bally’s broader effort to expand in regional gaming markets across the United ...
What Players Need to Know Before LuckyLand Sweeps Casino Closes
Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) is preparing to close LuckyLand Sweeps Casino, bringing an end to one of the more recognizable names in the sweepstakes gaming sector. The company confirmed that the platform will be phased out over several weeks before shutting down completely on Sept. 14, 2026. The move marks the end of a near-eight-year run for the LuckyLand brand's ...
Arizona Sports Betting Market Expands With 13th Online Sportsbook Approval
Arizona's online sports betting market is set to grow again after state regulators approved a new operator license, paving the way for another sportsbook to enter one of the country's most competitive wagering landscapes. The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) announced that Circa Sports has been awarded an event wagering operator license through a partnership with the San Juan Southern ...
LuckyStake Closure Marks Another Setback for Sweepstakes Casino Market
LuckyStake is becoming the latest sweepstakes casino to exit the market, announcing plans to close its platform only a few months after accepting players from fellow sweeps operator SweepNext. The closure adds to a growing list of sweepstakes casinos that have either shut down or scaled back operations during a turbulent period for the industry. While LuckyStake offered hundreds of ...
Churchill Downs Bets on Racing Future With Nine-Casino Exit Strategy
Churchill Downs Inc. is making a significant strategic shift that could reshape its business for years to come. The company, best known for owning the iconic Churchill Downs Racetrack and hosting the Kentucky Derby, has announced plans to sell nine casino properties spread across multiple states. The move signals a renewed emphasis on horse racing and online wagering operations, areas ...
Chicago Area Moves Toward Sweepstakes Regulation as Other States Push Bans
As lawmakers and regulators across the country continue to target sweepstakes casinos and gaming kiosks, one Chicago-area community is taking a different approach. Officials in Evanston, Illinois, have indicated they would rather regulate sweepstakes-style gaming machines than ban them outright, creating a contrast with the growing number of states and municipalities that have moved to restrict similar products. The discussion ...
Fanduel's Sportsbook Revenue Slides In The Second Quarter
FanDuel's sports betting arm saw revenue drop 15% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, as bettor-friendly outcomes tied to the FIFA World Cup and the New York Knicks' NBA Finals win cut into the operator's profits. Parent company Flutter Entertainment disclosed the figures in its Q2 earnings release, which also detailed the sportsbook and iGaming leader's combined ...
Six Spree Casino Players Score Notable Sweeps Coins Payouts
Spree Casino's Latest Big Winners page is highlighting a fresh batch of payouts, with six players across five states pulling in Sweeps Coins prizes that ranged from just over 5,000 SC to more than 171,000 SC. The site tracks and publicly lists these results as part of its ongoing promotions, giving players a running snapshot of who has recently cashed ...
Bettors' Hot Streak Leaves DraftKings' Q2 Revenue In The Red
DraftKings closed the second quarter of 2026 with a familiar mismatch between growth and profitability. The Boston-based operator reported that customers wagered $13.1 billion through its sportsbook and Predictions products between April and June, a 15% jump from the $11.5 billion handled during the same stretch of 2025. Yet that surge in activity did not translate into stronger earnings. Revenue ...
Louisiana Joins Growing List of States Restricting Sweepstakes Casinos as Ban Nears
Louisiana’s sweepstakes casino ban effort reached an important statutory milestone as the state moved within days of enforcing new restrictions on dual-currency sweepstakes casinos. The countdown placed Louisiana among a growing group of states that have either prohibited or significantly restricted sweepstakes casino operations, marking another shift in the rapidly changing legal landscape for the industry. State lawmakers approved two ...
July Delivers Record Revenue Month for New York Sports Betting Operators
New York's online sports betting market produced a historic July, setting a new revenue record for the month despite the industry's traditionally slower summer period. According to figures released by the New York Gaming Commission, the state's eight licensed online sportsbooks generated $214.4 million in gross gaming revenue from $1.88 billion in wagers during July. The total marked the first ...
D.C. iGaming Proposal Raises Questions for Sweepstakes Casinos
Washington, D.C. lawmakers are weighing legislation that could bring legal online casino gaming to the nation's capital while simultaneously creating new obstacles for sweepstakes casinos. The proposal, known as the Internet Gaming and Consumer Protection Act of 2026, would establish a regulated iGaming market and prohibit businesses operating under the dual-currency sweepstakes model. If approved, the measure would place D.C. ...
Bally’s Chicago Expansion Faces Fresh Uncertainty Amid Gaming Dispute
Bally’s has paused construction on several parts of its permanent Chicago casino development as tensions continue to rise over the future of video gambling terminals within the city. The decision marks a significant development in one of the largest gaming projects currently under construction in Illinois. While Bally’s says the casino itself remains on schedule to open in early 2027, ...
Virginia Sweeps Casino Debate Extended as SB 579 Shifts Toward Industry Study
Virginia lawmakers may not be ready to decide the future of sweepstakes casinos just yet. A proposal that originally sought to ban dual-currency sweepstakes gaming has taken a different route, giving the industry additional time to operate while state officials gather more information. Senate Bill 579, known as SB 579, was amended during the 2026 legislative session and now focuses ...
Legal Sportsbooks See Massive World Cup Boost Across Key States
The 2026 World Cup delivered a major lift for legal sports betting across the United States, helping drive billions of dollars in wagers during what is typically a slower month for sportsbooks. According to June market reports, the 10 largest sports betting jurisdictions generated more than $7 billion in wagering activity during the month. The increase came as soccer fans ...
RealPrize and LoneStar Set End Dates for Delaware Sweeps Coin Play
Two well-known sweepstakes casino operators are ending their Sweeps Coin offerings in Delaware, adding to a growing list of platforms that have reduced or eliminated services in the state. RealPrize and LoneStar Casino recently notified players that they will discontinue Sweeps Coin gameplay for Delaware residents, marking another shift in the state's evolving sweepstakes gaming landscape. The move affects both ...
Why More Young Investors Are Treating Sports Betting Like Investing
Sports betting is no longer viewed solely as entertainment by some younger Americans. New survey data suggests a growing number of Gen Z investors see wagering on sports as part of their broader financial strategy, a trend that is creating debate among financial professionals and highlighting changing attitudes toward wealth-building. According to a Betterment survey of 1,000 U.S. retail investors, ...