ian-valentino Page 11 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Indiana Makes Major Step Toward Banning Sweepstakes Casinos
Indiana lawmakers have pushed House Bill 1052 forward with an 87–11 vote, positioning the state one step closer to banning online sweepstakes casinos. The bill, which targets online games that mimic traditional gambling while using dual‑currency or multi‑currency systems, now heads to the Senate for committee assignment. Originally drafted to criminalize sweepstakes operators, HB 1052 was amended during House Public ...
Pennsylvania Casino Revenue Grows as Physical Venues See Uneven Performance
Pennsylvania recorded its fifth consecutive year of gambling revenue growth in 2025, reaching nearly $6.8 billion, a 10.7% increase from 2024. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board attributed much of this rise to a 27% jump in iGaming revenue. This total more than doubles the state’s gambling revenue from 2016, illustrating a long-term shift in how residents and visitors participate in ...
Louisiana Bill Would Treat Sweepstakes Casinos as Racketeering Activity
Louisiana lawmakers have pre-filed House Bill 53 (HB 53), a measure that would treat certain sweepstakes-style gambling offenses as “racketeering activity” under state law. The bill’s core change is not a new standalone ban on sweepstakes casinos, but an amendment that would add existing gambling crimes—such as “gambling by computer” and “gambling by electronic sweepstakes device”—as predicate offenses that can ...
New York Lawmakers Introduce Bills Aimed at Preventing Player Betting Scandals
New York lawmakers are advancing several bills that would significantly reshape the state’s sports wagering landscape to reduce the likelihood of player‑driven betting scandals. The proposals, known as NY A09636, come amid increased scrutiny of athlete involvement in gambling controversies across U.S. sports, prompting legislators to revisit how certain wager types could be exploited. A central measure, introduced by Assemblywoman ...
South Carolina Casino Prospects Dim After Latest Legislative Setback
South Carolina’s already slim prospects for legal casino gambling grew even dimmer after House lawmakers sent a proposed casino authorization bill back to the Ways and Means Committee, effectively pausing the effort for the remainder of the session. The move occurred on January 28, 2026, halting any chance of a floor vote this year. Even if the measure had advanced, ...
Churchill Downs Lawsuit Challenges Maine’s Tribal-Only iGaming Model
Churchill Downs, the parent company of Oxford Casino, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Maine’s new online casino law LD 1164, which grants exclusive iGaming rights to the state’s four federally recognized tribes. The law took effect in January after Governor Janet Mills declined to veto it, allowing it to pass without her signature. The complaint, filed in the U.S. ...
Florida Attorney General Signals Tougher Enforcement Against Illegal Gambling Operators
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has indicated that cracking down on illegal gambling operators will be a top priority in 2026, marking a more assertive enforcement approach by the state. Speaking publicly about his agenda, Uthmeier said unlicensed and offshore gambling operations undermine Florida’s regulatory structure and divert revenue away from authorized channels. The comments come as legal sports betting ...
Virginia iGaming Legalization Discussions Continue After Key Subcommittee Votes
Virginia’s General Laws and Technology Senate subcommittee advanced several gaming-related bills in late January while declining to move forward with proposals tied to online casino gaming and skill games. The votes reflected a consistent legislative approach: prioritizing regulatory structure before considering further gambling expansion. Most notably, senators unanimously passed SB 195, which would establish a Virginia Gaming Commission to consolidate ...
Nebraska Sports Betting Gets Unexpected Push from WarHorse Casino
WarHorse Casino and its partners have initiated a ballot campaign that could alter the future of sports betting in Nebraska. The effort follows multiple unsuccessful attempts to expand wagering beyond physical locations through the state legislature, redirecting the issue to a public vote instead. Nebraska legalized retail sports betting in 2021, but wagering is currently limited to in-person bets at ...
Oklahoma Sports Betting Back in Consideration With Limited Wager Stipulation
Oklahoma is once again revisiting the issue of sports betting, entering the 2026 legislative session with new proposals but no consensus on a full-scale regulatory path. A recently prefiled bill, SB 2081, would authorize a narrow form of wagering at charitable and private events under strict state-defined conditions. The measure comes as Oklahoma remains one of 11 states without legalized ...
Mississippi Sports Betting Idea Floated For Public Pension Solution
Mississippi lawmakers are again considering statewide mobile sports betting, this time positioning it as a revenue source to help shore up the state’s underfunded Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). House Gaming Committee Chairman Casey Eure has framed the proposal as both a consumer protection measure and a way to generate recurring funds for a system that faces roughly $26 billion ...
Pennsylvania Sets New Casino Revenue Record in 2025
Pennsylvania ended 2025 with its strongest casino revenue performance to date, reaching $6.796 billion across all gaming categories, according to new data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. This marks a 10.74% increase over 2024’s total of $6.137 billion and represents the fifth consecutive year of statewide revenue growth. The state's gaming revenue total includes slot machines, table games, sports ...
New Jersey Weighs Casino Expansion as Meadowlands Proposals Resurface
New Jersey lawmakers have entered 2026 with a renewed focus on major changes to the state’s gaming landscape, including proposals that could authorize casino gambling outside Atlantic City for the first time in decades. Several bills introduced at the start of the new legislative session address both the long‑running casino smoking exemption and, more significantly, a potential casino project at ...
DraftKings Sides With Maine Regulators in Bid to Ban Sweeps Casinos
Maine lawmakers are considering a proposal that would prohibit dual-currency sweepstakes casinos, a move supported by major regulated gambling operators, including DraftKings. The company testified in favor of the bill during a recent bicameral hearing, aligning itself with regulators who argue these games operate outside Maine’s legal gambling framework. Kevin Cochran, DraftKings’ senior legal and government affairs director, said unregulated ...
Florida Records 3% Year‑Over‑Year Gaming Revenue Growth Amid Economic Uncertainty
Florida’s non‑tribal casino market recorded a roughly 3% year‑over‑year revenue increase in November, continuing a modest upward trajectory even as economic pressures weigh on consumer spending. According to recent figures from the Florida Gaming Control Commission, total slot‑machine revenue reached approximately $58.2 million, up from about $56.5 million during the same period the previous year. This growth aligns with other ...
Legislation Introduced to Restore Full Gambling-Loss Deduction
Starting January 1, 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill cut the allowable deduction for gambling losses from 100% to 90%, creating “phantom income” for bettors who break even or lose overall. Under the new rule, a gambler who wins and loses the same amount—for instance, $15,000—could only deduct $13,500 of losses and would owe tax on the remaining $1,500. The change drew ...
BetRivers’ $5 Minimum in Illinois Highlights Tax-Driven Shift in Betting
BetRivers increased its minimum sports bet in Illinois from $1 to $5, marking its second hike in less than a year. Rush Street Interactive confirmed the change, which places BetRivers behind only Circa’s $10 minimum among major operators in the state. The move follows Illinois’ per-wager tax that took effect July 1—$0.25 on each of the first 20 million online ...
Virginia Adds Possibility of Legal Online Casinos to 2026 Session
House Bill 161, pre-filed in early January for the 2026 General Assembly session, would authorize online casino gaming across Virginia. Authored by Del. Marcus Simon (D), the proposal aims to legalize real-money online offerings—slot machines, table games, and poker—extending regulatory oversight to Virginia’s digital gaming landscape. If passed, this marks the most significant gambling expansion in the Commonwealth since sports betting ...
NY iGaming Legalization Effort Enters Spotlight Once Again
Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. (D‑15) has once again introduced Senate Bill 2164—a proposal aimed at legalizing iGaming in New York—and it’s identical to the version he filed in early 2025. The companion Assembly bill (A6027) is currently under review in the Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee. If enacted, the legislation would pave the way for legal online casinos, including ...
Fliff Expands Offering to Feature DFS Matchups Against Other Peers
Fliff’s new Superstars product frames daily fantasy around players competing against each other in pooled contests rather than against the platform itself. Entries consist of selecting two or more athletes and choosing over/under statistical projections, with payouts determined by multipliers and placement within guaranteed prize pools. The format includes “Max Play” and “Flex Play” options that mirror pick’em-style gameplay while ...