If approved, the new law would prohibit platforms using dual-currency payment systems from operating in the state. An official ban is now just a formality, as most sweepstakes operators no longer serve New York customers.

About a week ago, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office had targeted and shut down 26 sweepstakes platforms. Those were in addition to over a dozen others who voluntarily left the state a few months prior.

New York Joins Montana and Connecticut With a Ban

If Senate Bill 5935 becomes law, it would mean New York will become the third state to prohibit sweepstakes casinos in the past month.

Montana led the way when it became the first jurisdiction to ban the platforms at the end of May. Meanwhile, a week ago, Connecticut also banned sweepstakes casinos along with lottery courier apps like Jackpocket.

Louisiana would have been on the list as well. The state’s legislature passed a ban bill, but Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed it. He stated that a formal ban was not necessary. Landry believes that state authorities and gambling regulators can handle the fight against unregulated gambling.

Earlier this year, the Mississippi and Maryland Senate both passed ban bills. However, for various reasons, the proposals stalled in the House.

Furthermore, New Jersey and Ohio still have active bills banning sweepstakes casinos. The New Jersey legislative session ends at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Ohio has a two-year session, meaning both states have plenty of time to pass a ban.

Regulatory Crackdowns Expand in LA, MS, and CA

On the same day that the New York Assembly passed SB5935, sweepstakes casinos became a target of state gambling regulators and lawsuits in Louisiana, Mississippi, and California.

Following Gov. Landry’s veto, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board announced that it had targeted 40 unlicensed offshore and sweepstakes casinos.

The official announcement does not specify any particular operators. However, it’s believed that VGW, the parent of Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, is on the list.

On the same day, the Mississippi Gaming Commission announced it had served several offshore casinos and Chumba Casino with cease-and-desist letters.

Meanwhile, WOW Vegas now faces a class action lawsuit in California. The lawsuit alleges that the company has failed to register as a foreign corporation in the state of California.

Class action lawsuits against sweepstakes casinos are not uncommon. Approximately ten days ago, High 5 Entertainment became a target in a lawsuit filed in New Jersey. Earlier this year, the company agreed to pay $24.9 million in a separate case in Washington.

Other notable class-action lawsuits include the $415 million settlement imposed against International Game Technology and its former subsidiary, DoubleDown Interactive, in 2023. In the same year, a Kentucky judge ordered VGW to pay $11.75 million.

The post New York Sweepstakes Casino Ban Awaits Gov’s Signature, Other States Ramp Up Enforcement appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Matt Bastock

Mississippi’s House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill seeking to legalize online sports betting.

House Bill 1302 was voted through the House 88-10. It seeks to establish the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act and will move to the Senate for further debate and potential amendments. 

The bill’s primary sponsor is Rep. Casey Eure, who also chairs the Committee. Eure filed a similar bill last year that also passed through the House but stalled in the Senate. The upper chamber struck the language, and the bill died at a Conference Committee. 

Mississippi’s proposed mobile sports betting bill would allow each brick-and-mortar casino to be tethered to two online sports betting skins and two race book platforms. The tethering to retail venues alleviates cannibalization fears previously voiced in the Senate. 

Eure Proposes Support for Small Casinos

Magnolia State’s proposals would see sports betting revenue at 12%. The bill would create the Mobile Sports Wagering Tax Fund, which will direct $6 million per annum (until 2030) to support small retail casinos struggling with the potential shift to online wagering. 

Post-2030, all tax revenue will go towards the Mississippi Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund across all 82 counties. Eure estimated last year that the Magnolia State could generate approximately $25 million in tax revenue from legalizing online sports betting.

House Minority Leader Robert Johnson, who also voted against the legislation in 2024, was the main opponent of the proposed Mobile Sports Wagering Act.

Johnson questioned why tax revenue would be distributed across all 82 counties when only a few in the state have casinos. He said “That’s the region that this gambling resource is coming out of. This (should not) protect all 82 counties. This (should) protect counties that have suffered through the risk of establishing a casino and have had them there for years. Not the county that said “no,” but the county that said “yes.””

Other regulations in HB 1302 include a 21+ age restriction and strict rules regarding verifying identification before placing a wager. It also stipulates that platforms must implement geofencing technology to ensure that only players located in Mississippi can place wagers. 

Eure’s optimistic slated launch date for online sports wagering is 8 December 2025, which he believes gives regulators, casinos, and betting platforms time to invest in and implement the necessary infrastructure.

Written By

Matt Bastock

Matt is a casino and sports betting expert with over two decades’ writing and editing experience. He loves getting into the nitty gritty of how casinos and sportsbooks really operate in order to make solid recommendations based on real experiences. His favourite games are blackjack and poker, and he loves watching NFL and soccer in his spare time.

The post Mississippi House Passes Online Sports Betting Bill, Moves to Senate appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Senate Bill 2510 (SB 2510) seeks to amend the Mississippi Code of 1972 to explicitly prohibit the operation of online, interactive, or computerized sweepstakes casinos in the state. 

The bill also would prohibit online sports pools and racebooks, thus significantly tightening the Magnolia State’s regulatory stance on online gambling. 

It reads, “The offering for play or operating an online or interactive platform that offers for play such games within the State of Mississippi shall be deemed unlawful under the provisions of this section.” 

Harsh Penalties for Online Sweepstakes Operators

SB 2510 would introduce strict penalties for those found to breach the proposed legislation. Any individual or entity caught operating online sweepstakes casinos would face felony charges. The proposed penalties include fines of up to $100,000 per violation and a maximum potential prison sentence of ten years. 

Additionally, the bill grants law enforcement the authority to seize and destroy gaming machines or devices associated with illegal online sweepstakes operations. Violators would also face asset forfeiture, losing rights, privileges, or properties tied to unlawful gaming activities. This also applies to Mississippi’s riverboat casinos. 

The bill specifies that prosecutions may occur in the county where the offense occurred or in Hinds County. 

Mississippi Joins Broader Crackdown on Sweepstakes Gaming

The proposed ban on online sweepstakes gaming in Mississippi aligns with broader efforts across the United States of America to either bring the industry under regulatory oversight or to prohibit them outright. 

In New York, Sen. Joseph Addabbo wishes to ensure that “New Yorkers are protected from gambling operations that have the potential of becoming more problematic without proper legislative action, such as unregulated sweepstakes casino operators.” 

He added that vulnerable parts of the population are targeted by sweepstakes and a desire to bring regulated iGaming to the state to offer a “safe, effective alternative for online casino enthusiasts.” 

The Senator concluded, “I encourage my colleagues and the Governor to take action against unregulated sweepstakes casinos while reconsidering the benefits of allowing legal iGaming operators to provide sanctioned services in a popular and ever-growing industry.”

Meanwhile, New Jersey Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese introduced Bill A5196, which aims to regulate sweepstakes casinos rather than outlaw them. The proposals would require sweepstakes operators to obtain a casino service industry enterprise license, bringing them under the same regulatory framework as other means of online gambling in NJ.

The Future of SB 2510

SB 2510 is the only gambling-adjacent bill introduced by the Mississippi Senator for this legislative session. It has been referred to the Judiciary, Division B Committee for further deliberation.

The post Mississippi Legislature Targets Online Sweepstakes Casinos  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

These approvals will see Acres cashless gaming functionality, enabled by its Foundation casino management technology and system, increase the number of states where regulatory bodies that have access to the solution to nine. 

“We want to thank the regulators in Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and in the six states that previously approved Foundation’s cashless gaming solution for their diligent review and approval of our innovative technology,” said Noah Acres. 

“Each of these regulators have taken an important first step in helping to bring modern technology to their state’s operators that brings added convenience to casino players through an engaging and seamless user experience while providing operators with a powerful tool to grow revenue, attract new guests, and operate more efficiently and effectively.”

Approved by Louisiana Gaming Control Board, Mississippi Gaming Commission and Missouri Gaming Commission, Acres’ solution is currently deployed in all these states in a total of 21 casinos across nearly 31,000 slot machines. 

Acres’ Cashless Casino technology solution is integrated with providers such as IGT, Light & Wonder, Aristocrat and Komani. 

Acres added: “As the casino gaming floor continued to stagnate with its reliance on 20+ year old systems technologies, Acres dedicated itself to developing revolutionary casino gaming technology that helps drive similar consumer engagement and revenue benefits already enjoyed by nearly every other industry. 

“While legacy casino management systems’ providers IGT, Light & Wonder, Aristocrat, and Konami attempt to address consumer preferences for cashless gaming solutions by recycling decades-old Cashless Wagering Account technology – which requires casino operators to assume financial liability for all customer deposits – Acres’ Foundation technology is a modern architecture that eliminates the CWA entirely to effectively mitigate risk, operate faster, and offer more security for player funds and a more intuitive player experience. 

“The core belief that drives our commitment to technology innovation is that the gaming industry’s lack of modernisation is costing it billions of dollars in lost revenues and we encourage all industry constituents to review our position paper that highlights the key benefits of our approach to cashless gaming.”

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For an aggregate purchase price of $293.4m paid cash in hand, Vici has acquired both the Fitz Casino & Hotel and the Waterview Casino & Hotel, based in Tunica and Vicksburg respectively.

These Hospitality State casinos are to be overseen by Foundation Gaming, after the two entities entered a triple-net master lease agreement, known as the Foundation Master Lease.

Danny Valoy, Vice President of Acquisitions and Finance of Vici Properties, commented: “We are excited to partner with the experienced team at Foundation Gaming given their track record of value creation in regional gaming markets. 

“Mississippi continues to be one of the largest regional gaming markets, and we are thrilled to be expanding our portfolio into the Vicksburg market at an attractive capitalisation rate. 

“This transaction highlights Vici’s ability to execute accretive deals and close in an expeditious manner to meet our partners’ objectives while creating value for our shareholders.”

The lease has an initial term of 15 years, with initial total annual rent standing at $24.25m. These figures represent an implied acquisition capitalisation rate of 8.3 per cent, although the deal has four five-year tenant renewal options. 

Allan Solomon, Chairman of Foundation Gaming, added: “The extraordinary efforts of our property teams have given us the opportunity to partner with Vici on our two Mississippi properties, and by doing so, we have positioned our company for continued growth in the regional gaming space. 

“We look forward to partnering with Vici in the future and we would also like to thank the team at Credit Suisse who provided invaluable assistance with this transaction.”

This move adds to a busy week for the real estate firm, following a recent lease agreement to allow Hard Rock International to control operations at the Mirage, Las Vegas.

The post Vici aquires two Mississippi casinos with Foundation Gaming lease appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Following the market access, which brings the company’s total states to 10, the deal will provide statewide mobile access for sports betting, subject to obtaining requisite regulatory approvals, and in certain jurisdictions, enactment of legislation.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to extend our relationship with Caesars Entertainment as we expand access to Fubo Sportsbook across key markets in the US,” Scott Butera, president, Fubo Gaming remarked. 

“Mississippi, Louisiana and Missouri all have passionate fan bases, particularly around college athletics, who will embrace our unique, immersive sports and wagering entertainment platform.”

This marks Fubo Gaming’s second round of market access deals with Caesars Entertainment, following its New Jersey and Indiana agreement in March 2021. Additional market access deals include Arizona, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Fubo Gaming launched Fubo Sportsbook in the fourth quarter 2021 and is live in two states – Iowa and Arizona. 

By integrating with fuboTV, the mobile app delivers personalised omniscreen experiences that turn passive viewers into active participants. Fubo Sportsbook’s proprietary feature, Watching Now, leverages fuboTV’s first-party user data to engage participants by recommending relevant bets based upon what they are streaming – even as they change the channel. 

Moving forward, Fubo Gaming intends to continue iterating the app, launching additional features that will further integrate wagering into the fuboTV platform.

The post Fubo Sportsbook gains Southern access via Caesars appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Now available for download in the state, the app utilises geolocation technology to enable all on-premise guests at Gold Strike to place pre-game, live in-play, futures and parlay wagers from any mobile device.

“We’ve had great success with the opening of the BetMGM Book Bar & Grill at Gold Strike and are thrilled to complement our retail offering with the launch of the BetMGM mobile app in Mississippi,” said Adam Greenblatt, CEO of BetMGM. 

“Sports fans at MGM’s world-class Tunica resort can now use their mobile devices to engage with the teams they love, while earning rewards for their gameplay.”

Furthermore, integration with MGM Resorts’ M life Rewards programme allows BetMGM users in Mississippi to redeem their gameplay for experiences at MGM Resorts properties nationwide.

“Sports fans now have a seamless betting experience,” added MGM Southeast region senior vice president of marketing and operations, Brandon Dardeau. “Tennessee users who have become accustomed to using BetMGM can use it on property at Gold Strike. 

“Not only does the BetMGM app allow for in-game betting, but bets can also be conveniently placed from anywhere on the casino floor including BetMGM Book Bar & Grill.”

Including two 16 ft wide by 9 ft tall video displays, the $7m BetMGM Book Bar & Grill sits at 6,400 sq ft. Underneath the viewing wall is a 50 ft long video poker bar alongside a VIP lounge area and the region’s only Topgolf Swing Suite – a next-gen simulator bay where guests can play a vast range of virtual games.

The post BetMGM launches mobile app at Mississipi’s Gold Strike Casino Resort appeared first on CasinoBeats.

2

Harrah’s New Orleans unveiled a duo of “landmark” partnerships, after becoming the official casino partner of the NFL’s and NBA’s Saints and Pelicans.

Becoming the first land-based entity to finalise an agreement with a franchise of both leagues, the multi-year partnership is said to unite “three notable New Orleans entertainment brands,” and is to provide “unique opportunities for Harrah’s to bring the Saints and Pelicans experience to life”.

Via its link-up with the Mercedes-Benz Superdome based Saints, Harrah’s is to develop a series of customers experience, in-games features and have a branded area on site dedicated to the franchise, whilst also being designated as an official post-game destination.

Dennis Lauscha, New Orleans Saints and Pelicans president, said of the new link-up: “We are proud to align ourselves with a brand such as Harrah’s New Orleans casino, that is an industry leader not only nationally but on a local level as well.

“Located in the heart of downtown New Orleans, Harrah’s vision for development and commitment to the city mirror that of the Saints and Pelicans, and we could not be happier about this partnership.”   

€893m

Swedish gaming group Cherry is the subject of a €893m takeover bid from a consortium that includes current chairman Morten Klein and Betsson CEO Pontus Lindwall.

Cherry’s Independent Bid Committee – set up specifically to consider the bid on the board’s behalf but excluding chairman Klein – has recommended shareholders accept the public offer of SEK87 (€8.46) in cash per share submitted by European Entertainment Intressenter BidCo.

The Independent Bid Committee consisting of Gunnar Lind, Johan Moazed and Jörgen Olsson was established on October 16. Rolf Åkerlind was elected to the board of directors on November 21 and has since joined the bid committee.

The Independent Bid Committee’s recommendation highlighted a number of considerations in connection with the offer, notably that the bid represents a premium of 20 per cent compared to the closing price of Cherry’s series B shares on Nasdaq Stockholm on December 17, the last trading day before the announcement of the offer.

The offer also corresponds to a premium of 28 per cent compared to the volume-weighted average share price of Cherry’s series B shares on Nasdaq Stockholm during the last 90 trading days and 59.6 per cent compared to the closing price on October 15, the day before the board received the written offer.

The committee also stressed that several of those individuals in the consortium “have a long ownership history and deep understanding of the company’s operations and future prospects”.

5

DraftKings has announced the launch of its second online sportsbook, unveiling a new agreement with an affiliate of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races operator Penn National Gaming in West Virginia.

The Mountain State became the fifth territory to legalise sports betting earlier this year, behind Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey and Mississippi,

DraftKings states that its sportsbook is to offer “a superior and engaging online sports betting experience,” including live and in-game betting, alongside the opportunity to wager on major and niche international and US sports.

Matt Kalish, chief revenue officer and co-founder of DraftKings, explained: “We are thrilled to work with Penn National Gaming to bring our online sportsbook product to West Virginia. We look forward to serving sports fans in the Mountain State, and building on the immense success we have had in leading the New Jersey market.

“With over 90 percent of sports bettors returning to play after trying DraftKings Sportsbook, we are confident we can deliver on being the best place to play for West Virginia consumers.”

1m

CasinoFair, “the world’s first, truly fair blockchain casino” launched by FunFair Technologies earlier in the year, is launching a festive campaign to crown a crypto millionaire.

To be in with a chance of winning one million Fun, the betting token utilised by CasinoFair, players need to opt-in and keep playing the online entity’s games from December 25 to January 1.

The more time spent playing increases an individual’s chance of winning, with players receiving more tickets for the draw, the more they wager throughout the period.

Players can earn tickets for the giveaway draw, which is to be conducted and the winner contacted by January 5, by wagering the following:

• 1 ticket – Wager over 1000 Fun
• 10 Tickets – Wager over 10,000 Fun
• 150 tickets – Wager over 100,000 Fun

Carlos McWayne, VP Product at FunFair, stated: “To celebrate our players this festive period, we’re excited to be giving away an enormous amount of Fun with Millionaire Maker, making one lucky person a crypto millionaire!

“Not only are we famous for fairness, but we’re also the most generous and exciting blockchain casino around.

“Our players receive regular ‘FairDrops’ in Fun which see them come back time and time again, and this latest campaign will showcase our desire to give them the best experience possible.”

The post DraftKings, New Orleans and FunFair Technologies: The week in numbers appeared first on CasinoBeats.

£300,000

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission has handed operator Casino 36 a £300,000 penalty package and imposed added licence conditions, after discovering money laundering and social responsibility failures.

An investigation undertaken into Casino 36, which operates properties in Wolverhampton and Stockport and recently started work on a £12m Dudley-based establishment, revealed that adequate enhanced due diligence, source of funds and source of wealth checks hadn’t been carried out on 33 customers.

Furthermore, the UKGC, which states that personal management licence holders must undertake extra training as part of the penalty, also stressed that the organisation has also failed to ensure sufficient customer interaction was taking place when individuals were potentially displaying signs of suffering gambling harm.

2

Dutch gaming authority, Kansspelautoriteit, has published two new sets of guidelines aimed at licence applicants, educating on terms of the licensing process as well as the prevention of money laundering and financing of criminal activities through gambling verticals.

The Ksa emphasises that in order to secure the green-light to proceed onto the upcoming Dutch online market applicants must have refrained from offering online games of chance, specifically aimed at consumers in the Netherlands, during the two years prior to the date of submission.

Making online gambling legal under a series of strict conditions, the ‘motion postema,’ adopted by the Dutch Senate earlier in the year, is to be taken into account.

This states: “In this motion, the government is requested to ensure that licensing for the provision of remote games of chance is only given to parties who have not focused on the Dutch market for an unbroken period of at least two years.”

230

Twin River Worldwide Holdings has entered into a definitive $230m agreement to acquire two casinos from Reno, Nevada headquartered casino entertainment firm Eldorado Resorts.

The deal is to see Twin River gain the operations and real estate of Isle of Capri Casino Kansas City in Missouri and Lady Luck Casino Vicksburg in Mississippi, with the purchase, financed through available cash, expected to be immediately accretive to earnings.

The transaction is subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, including compliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, and is expected to close in early 2020.

11

GambleAware has publishing an interim report examining the format and frequency of gambling advertising and marketing, which places a particular focus on exposure among children, young people and vulnerable individuals.

With research carried out under the guidance of Ipsos Mori and the Institute for Social Marketing at the University of Stirling, volume of spend is said to be on the rise across multiple forms of media during the 2015-2018 time frame examined.

Also identifying further contributing factors, such as the role of family and friends, within the data captured no examples of gambling adverts being placed within children’s media were found.

However, researchers deemed that a portion of the content could have a direct appeal to children and young people, including celebrity endorsements, memorable songs and catchphrases.

This was said to be found in 11 per cent of ads on mainstream media and 59 per cent of esports gambling content on Twitter, due in large part to the use of animated style graphics.

The post Penalty package, advert focus and licensing education: The week in numbers appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Issuing its latest trading update, the firm saw a sharp 19 per cent second quarter drop take its performance for the first half of the year in the UK retail market to a ten per cent negative.

However strong online growth has been reported, as GVC continues to adapt to the new UK environment, with its gaming and sports segment boosting online NGR to increases of 16 per cent and 17 per cent in Q2 and H1, despite the latter competing against a tough period that included the Fifa World Cup.

Stressing that the organisation was able to secure material market share gains across all major territories, double-digit growth in all major regions included the UK (+19 per cent), Germany (+24 per cent), Australia (+38 per cent), Italy (+19 per cent) and Brazil (+38 per cent).

Kenneth Alexander, GVC CEO, explained: “Trading in Q2 remained very strong with the online division delivering continued material market share gains across all major territories.

“This out performance is driven by the sustainable competitive advantages of our proprietary technology platform, leading product, cutting edge marketing and leading brands, all delivered with an unrivalled understanding of the markets in which we operate. 

“The transition to a post £2 stakes-cut environment in UK retail is progressing very well, and we believe the Ladbrokes Coral estate is best-placed to take market share.”

Furthermore, GVC also commented that its Roar Digital joint venture alongside MGM Resorts International should be up and running for full launch across key states in time for September’s National Football League return.

Alexander commented: “In the US, Roar Digital, our JV with MGM Resorts, is on-track for its full online launch ahead of the NFL season in September. In the first half of the year the group was granted licences in Mississippi and Nevada, and Roar Digital received a transactional waiver to conduct business in New Jersey.”

Adding “The group expects an announcement in August from Hesse, the state leading the regulatory process for online sports-betting in Germany, detailing the requirements that will govern the new sports-betting licences.

“The strong trading performance of the group means that any potential costs in 2019 associated with the new sports licences are expected to be fully mitigated. The board therefore remains confident of delivering EBITDA and operating profit in-line with expectations for the full year.”

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