Welcome iGB’s State of the Union. Here you’ll find a summary of the most important sports betting news in North America that we covered this week, as well as briefs about other stories we thought were interesting.
Live! Philadelphia Fined $100,000
This week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board fined Live! Philadelphia took sports bets by phone. At a PGCB board meeting it was revealed more than $287,000 worth of wagers had been placed by telephone. Three of the wagers were placed via text and they lost. The bettor did not deposit the money.
Live! Philadelphia told PGCB representatives that the company terminated employees for placing a total 15 wagers by phone or SMS. All have been added to the list of involuntary excluded. Live! Philadelphia has also banned personal cellphones for employees of sportsbooks while on the job and reduced its notification threshold from $10,000 to $10,000.
Caesars offers a makeover for Times Square
Caesars Entertainment plans to improve sanitation, create composting initiatives, and plant trees if they win a casino land license in Times Square. AMNY reported on Wednesday, 26 June, that Caesars will be investing $250m into the Times Square neighborhood if it wins a land-based casino license.
Caesars has partnered up with SL Green, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and other partners to bid for this license. It is just one of eleven. Caesars surveyed residents of the Times Square neighborhood and Hell’s Kitchen to find out what they wanted to improve. The nonprofit Doe Fund has already formed a partnership with Caesars. It aims to eliminate homelessness while providing job opportunities.
Iowa Gaming License Moratorium to End
Iowa’s two-year ban on new gaming licenses expires next month. At least one company has begun to prepare for the application. The Gazette reported that the gaming operator Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, in partnership with nonprofit Linn County Gaming Association, will be applying. Both parties have set their sights on Cedar Rapids.
Iowa Racing Commission will reveal the details of application at their meeting on 8th July. Presently, there are 19 casinos licensed in Iowa.
Cherokee Nation receives Pope County (Ark. Cherokee Nation gets Pope County (Ark.)
Cherokee Nation Entertainment was granted a license by the Arkansas Racing Commission on Thursday, 27 June to construct a casino within Pope County. This is the fourth of four sites that were named as part of a ballot initiative in 2018 which also allowed digital sports betting. The license was originally issued to Gulfside Casino Partnership. However, the Supreme Court of the State ruled Gulfside did have all the necessary documentation.
Cherokee Nation Entertainment plans to build a casino of 50,000 square feet with 1,200 slots and 32 tables games. There will also be sportsbooks, a poker room, a tower hotel, a spa, an event area, as well as multiple dining options. The casino has not yet been given a date for opening.
Minnesota makes waves
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that track owners were not happy with the appointment of two tribal leaders by Governor Tim Walz to Minnesota’s Racing Commission. Melanie Benjamin, chief executive of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Johnny Johnson, former president of Prairie Island Indian Community were both appointed. The two tribes have casinos within the state and are at odds over legalized sports betting. Multiple lawsuits are pending between both groups.
In a statement sent to The Star-Tribune, Canterbury Park CEO Randy Sampson stated that “we do not think it appropriate for our competitors to be in charge of our regulatory bodies.”
Maine: Trouble on the horizon?
According to CDC Gaming Reports, nine casino inspectors have filed grievances with the chief of the Gambling Control Unit, Milt Champion. This is not the first issue that has arisen around Champion. Champion, in 2023, was placed on suspension without pay for posting “inappropriate Tweets”. According to the reports, Champion had changed their work schedules, so casinos were not inspected Sundays or Mondays. The inspectors claim that the policy is not only suspect, but also prevents them earning holiday pay or overtime.
Last year, state senator Joe Baldacci questioned the reason why it had taken Champion’s division so long to launch digital betting. (Nearly two full years). Inspectors sent Baldacci an email saying that Champion’s ethics are “extremely doubtful.”
Read this article.
Matt Rybaltowski, SportsHandle’s Matt Rybaltowski, took the time to dig deep into this week’s craziest sports betting story. DraftKings is accused of being in cahoots, according to “John Doe”, with the famous bettor Gadoon Kyrollos. He claimed that someone was sent to beat him and demand $500,000. Spanky tried to discredit John Doe a day after his lawsuit was made public. This is not a joke. You can read about the case here, and Spanky Spanky texts here.
Other news
Michigan legislators approved a budget for FY 2025 that included funding to create 14 new positions with the Michigan Gaming Control Board. According to a MGCB release, the positions are intended to expand “the MGCB’s regulatory capability and increase protections against criminal activity.” A further $3m was also allocated by the legislature to the Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund.
Bally’s announced on Tuesday, 25 June that they have joined the Responsible online Gaming Association. The group includes Bet365, BetMGM DraftKings FanDuel Hard Rock Digital and PENN entertainment. ROGA has three main missions: to fund research and create initiatives for responsible gambling.
Chicago Blackhawks announced on 25 June that Circa Sportsbook will be putting patches onto their jerseys starting next season. It will be the Blackhawks’ first team partnership. Circa Sportsbook’s Illinois sports betting platform was launched in September 2023, and it is partnered up with New American Place Casino.
The new Florida law protects members of the State Gaming Control Commission. This law prohibits any release of private information about members of the state gaming control commission. The bill states that the disclosure of this information may put the commissioners at “risk of emotional or physical harm” from people or companies they investigated.
Great Canadian Entertainment agreed to sell Casino Nanaimo by Petroglyph Development Group Ltd. This group is a commercial arm of Snuneymuxw First Nation.
This week NeoGames signed a 7-year contract to be the exclusive iLottery supplier for the NH Lottery. NeoGames is providing a complete iLottery system. The contract will take effect on 1 July 2025.
ICYMI for iGB
Would a congress of 1988 have approved digital gaming in the IGRA?
New York State Facility Location Board extended the deadline for downstate casino bids to June 2025
Does MGM President Hornbuckle have any digital plans beyond Tipico?
SaharaBets is likely to leave Arizona, after Coyotes’ owner said he would dismantle what was left of the team
DC Council opens up the marketplace to competition
Kindbridge forms military gambling awareness group
