Mickey Mouse Officially Joins the Sports Betting Club With Debut of ESPN Bet

Written by:
Frank Doyle
Published on:
Nov/15/2023

These are your latest headlines from the world of gambling.

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Mickey Mouse Officially Joins the Sports Betting Club With Debut of ESPN Bet

We know Walt Disney must be rolling over in his grave.  

As of Tuesday, Barstool Sportsbook is no more as the Penn National site is now rebranded as ESPN Bet.

The most recognized sports brand, ESPN, in the world is owned by the most recognized entertainment brand, Disney.

What could possibly go wrong?

Captain Jack Andrews returns to Twitter following a well publicized spat to ensure ESPN personalities understand they are now operating in the sports betting space and are in partnership with a brand that does have a tendency to cancel bets.

"Don't forget to @ your favorite ESPN personalities with your complaints about limits, grading disputes, and other issues you experience on @ESPNBet"

A whole lot of folks are likely to join this app with the amount of exposure it will receive across all ESPN channels.

The app is not available in all U.S. states.

Australia Moves Forward With Ban on Credit Cards, Crypto for Gambling

(November 14, 2023 - 10:38 am) - Australia’s House of Representatives  approved legislation that would prohibit the use of credit cards and cryptocurrency for online betting and gambling as that government continues its push to crack down on illegal operators.

The new prohibition will target regulated gambling businesses as well.  Under the proposed legislation, any gaming operator found in violation faces stiff fines over AU$234,000 (US$149,058).

Attempts to block offshore operators have had little success it appears.  Responsible Wagering Australia reported a few months ago that offshore gambling could cost the government around AU$3 billion (US$1.91 billion) in lost tax revenue.  This is despite the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) blocking 835 illegal gambling sites to date.  The latest sites to be blocked include Viperspin, Just Casino, Betandplay, Play Fina and Comic Play Casino. 

Streamer Reveals Sick Amount Won Gambling

7:50 pm - Just two year ago, it was revealed that xQc was streaming $40 casino spins, but now he’s bumped it all the way up to $50,000 for each.  spin.

xQc’s statistics page on Stake shows that he has wagered $2,655,921,982, an increase of more than $1.1 billion since he showed his stats on September 20.

xQc made headlines back in June when it was revealed xQc signed a contract with the Kick streaming platform worth in the neighborhood of $100 million.

This past week the popular streamer claimed he is getting paid to gamble on the Kick platform.  Rival Twitch last year began cracking down on gambling streams, thus resulting in a bit of an exodus.

Monday November 6, 2023

7:05 pm - Another Streamer Claims He is Being Paid to Gamble on Kick: Last week, popular streamer Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff  confirmed he signed an eight-figure contract with Twitch rival Kick. Gambling promos are ‘part of the contract', according to the Call of Duty streamer.

That news comes nearly a year after Twitch began cracking down on gambling streams.

Now Félix "xQc" Lengyel, arguably the most high-profile streamer-who-gambles and a self-confessed "addict", has admitted he is also being paid to gamble on-stream.

In response to an audience member asking why he doesn't admit he's paid to gamble, xQc said: "Bro, I’ve never lied once about it before, what is up with this guy: everyone knows I am."

He signed a two-year $70 million deal with Kick over the summer.  With incentives, that amount could climb closer to $100 million.

“This is more than most professional athletes and megastars,” his agent Ryan Morrison said. “This is one of the highest deals in entertainment, period.”

Thursday November 2, 2023

8:18 pm - Venetian and Palazzo Welcome Back Smoking:

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10:36 am - Mobile Sports Betting in Florida More Cautious Approach Due to Litigation: Following news on Wednesday that the Seminoles intend to launch sports betting at their casinos the first week in December, Florida gaming attorney Daniel Wallach sat down with Good Morning Orlando to discuss what lies ahead, especially in regard to mobile sports gambling. 

"I joined Good Day Orlando to break down the status of legal sports betting in Florida and explain why the Seminole Tribe is moving forward with 'in-person' sports betting while taking a more cautious approach with online sports betting (still being litigated)."

Wallach commented on the Seminoles plans immediately after they were announced.

"With an OSB launch imminent, West Flagler will likely ask the Florida Supreme Court to suspend the state’s mobile sports betting law for the duration of the case to preserve the status quo. WF said it would file such a motion 'should circumstances change'."

In regard to launch of the app, that could get a little sticky. 

@BigBabyJeezy offered this via his Twitter account:

"Not sure about app. SCOTUS ruling says the opposite:

“'If the compact authorized the Tribe to conduct off-reservation gaming operations, either directly or by deeming off-reservation gaming operations to somehow be on-reservation, then the compact would likely violate the IGRA.'”

The app likely will be available for use on the Seminole properties within the next few weeks.  This is similar to how the Mississippi and Washington State models work for sports gambling.

Craps and roulette will also be offered.

Tuesday October 31, 2023

4:46 pm - NFL Season Brings a Drastic Increase in Ohio Sports Gambling:Ohio’s sports-betting companies saw a 82% increase in revenue from sports gambling in September, coinciding with the start of the regular NFL season and the first full month of college football.

Combined, the companies took in nearly $692 million of bets, according to data compiled from the Ohio Casino Control and Ohio Lottery commissions, an increase from $380 million in August. After paying out winnings and voided wagers, the companies generated $81.6 million in revenue.

This makes September the third-highest month in 2023 in terms of the bets placed, trailing only March ($739 million) and January ($1.1 billion). In total, Ohioans have placed over $5 billion in bets in 2023. Sports betting became legal in Ohio on Jan. 1.  Read The Full Article Here

Sunday October 29, 2023

10:19 pm - Baby in Stroller Watches On as 'Adults' Brawl in Vegas:  You really can't make this stuff up.  A group of "adults" began brawling near Las Vegas Blvd of the weekend.  The baby in the stroller they left sitting there seemed out of place, for obvious reasons.

You really can't make this stuff up.  We have the video below. Warning: Explicit Language, in front of the baby no less.

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Friday October 27

1:47 pm - Ottawa Sun: NHL Position on Shane Pinto's Sports Wagering Suspension Clear as Mud:The National Hockey League, with the might of its principles of morality and integrity, lowered the boom on Shane Pinto Thursday, writes Tim Baines of the Ottawa Sun.

The NHL has suspended Ottawa Senators Shane Pinto for 41 games after he was found to have violated the league's gambling policy.  There is not enough evidence to suggest he bet on NHL games.

Baines believes the NHL decision is absurd without more clarity.

There is more, there has to be. The NHL had an opportunity to detail Pinto’s wrongdoing; it didn’t, closing its “explanation” with this: “The NHL considers this matter closed, absent the emergence of new information, and will have no further comment.”

The NHL, which earlier this week rescinded its ridiculous idea to ban players from using stick tape to support social causes, presumably targeting the rainbow-coloured Pride tape, is stumbling all over itself. Again.

Betting is good, until it’s bad. Apparently.

Pinto was also in contract negotiations at the time of the suspension. He was unable to reach a contract agreement and won't be able to play again until January the earliest.

There’s a lot of tip-toeing, a lot of apologizing – and it’s understandable that some sort of confidentiality clause was included in talks between the NHL and its players association – but cone of silence aside, the answers to the questions don’t add up.

Let’s talk about the NHL and its fixation with gambling. Turn on the TV to watch an NHL game and it’s gambling, gambling and more gambling, The league and its teams have big sponsorship deals with gambling websites, doubling down on that as a major source of revenue.

10:52 am - West Flagler Leans on Justice Kavanaugh Statement re Compacts:  In a last hurrah of sorts. West Flagler has filed a response to the US Supreme Court denial of a stay to prevent the Seminoles operation of a sportsbook monopoly in Florida.

"West Flagler notifies the Fla. Sup. Ct. of Justice Kavanaugh's statement that the Compact's deeming of off-reservation gaming "to somehow be on-reservation” violates IGRA. The objective? To negate the A3 exception for casino gambling on tribal lands via an IGRA-compliant compact."

Thursday October 26

10:43 am - Florida Sports Betting Coming Soon?  Not So Fast Says Wallach: The US Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the application for a stay requested by West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp. and now the temporary stay issued last week by Chief Justice John Roberts has been vacated.

What does this mean?  Some have speculated that the Seminoles could launch their mobile sports betting site any day now.

Others suggest more court filings are likely.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed concern over potential state compact violations.

He wrote: "If the compact authorized the Tribe to conduct off-reservation gaming operations, either directly or by deeming off-reservation gaming operations to somehow be on-reservation, then the compact would likely violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act."

"Justice Kavanaugh’s statement could prompt West Flagler to file another lawsuit in federal court challenging the Florida statute granting the Seminole Tribe a sports betting monopoly as a violation of the equal protection clause," Florida gaming attorney Daniel Wallach has remarked.

Wednesday October 25

5:29 pm - Florida Stay in Sports Betting Case Denied: Per Steve Bittenbender: "The US Supreme Court has denied the application for a stay requested by West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp. and now the temporary stay issued last week by Chief Justice John Roberts has been vacated."

"US District Judge Dabney Friedrich received the Circuit Court of Appeals Mandate earlier this month and entered an order of judgment for the Interior Department on Oct. 10. So, that would indicate the compact is back to being recognized."

From Geoff Zochodne of Covers.com: "The appeals-court decision essentially reinstated a gaming compact between the Hard Rock-owning Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida that included online sports betting."

This means we could see the launch of the Seminole Hard Rock sportsbook coming soon.  Stay tuned.

4:49 pm - Maverick Gaming Files Its Final Brief in Washington, Tribal Gaming Impact Could Be Enormous: "The Maverick case begins at the opposite corner of the country (from the Florida case), with retail sports betting in Washington State. But where West Flagler's argument hinges on ideas about where online bets can be said to 'take place,' Maverick is challenging the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act itself," Bonus.com tweeted.

"Most experts seem to consider Maverick's case more of a longshot than West Flagler's. However, if the Washington commercial gaming operator were to prevail, it could force a change in the law underpinning all tribal gaming in the US."

Tuesday October 24

6:30 pm - Tennessee Collects $1M Less in Sports Gambling Taxes Despite Increase in Bets: Tennessee collected $1 million less in taxes on sports gambling in September despite an $83 million increase in overall gross wagers in the state compared to September 2022.  The difference is a tax change that began in July where the state now has a 1.85% tax on total handle instead of the previous 20% tax on the sportsbooks’ adjusted gross income.  In September, the state saw $420 million in gross wagers compared to $337 million in gross wagers in 2022.  In August, the difference was less pronounced as it collected $400,000 less in taxes than a year before despite a $37.6 million increase in wagers for the month.  Tennessee scrapes 10 percent off of all winnings.  Source: MainStreamMedia

Monday October 23, 2023

2:44 pm - Attorney: West Flagler Faces Long Odds in FL Sports Betting Fight: Florida's supreme court has allowed Florida state authorities an extension in responding to a petition to overturn the state's compact with the Seminoles permitting mobile and retail sports betting.  The 30-day extension gives them until December 1 to respond.

Florida gaming attorney Daniel Wallach, who has mostly been optimistic in favor of the complainant West Flagler, believes they have long odds.

"The last 11 stay applications (in non-death-penalty cases) decided by #SCOTUS were all DENIED," he said via Twitter.  "But this can cut both ways: If #SCOTUS grants West Flagler's application for a stay of the mandate, that probably increases the likelihood of a cert grant."

He added: "West Flagler’s reply brief would presumably be due Dec. 21st unless it too asks for an extension. ‘Tis the season.  So, ETA on a decision is looking like 1Q24."

Friday October 20, 2023

12:45 pm - DraftKings Edges Out FanDuel for First Time Ever: DraftKings edged out rival FanDuel for the largest portion of online gambling market share in the US, according to a Wednesday report from the market research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.  DraftKings had amassed about 32.5% of online gambling gross gaming revenue in the third quarter through August 23 compared to FanDuel at 29.6%.  Only BetMGM is remotely competitive.  

Thursday October 19, 2023

4:10 pm - Nobody Knows What the Seminoles Will Do Next in Regard to Sports Betting Site: From Florida gaming attorney Daniel Wallach: West Flagler has filed to prevent the Seminoles from offering their sports betting app in Florida. 

West Flagler: "Any enlargement of time, if granted, should not serve as a shield for Respondents to argue for any delay in the Court’s consideration of such a request, if needed."

"NEW: West Flagler files an 8-page opposition to Governor DeSantis's motion for a 30-day enlargement of time to file a response brief in the Florida Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of the state's mobile sports betting law under Amendment 3.

"According to West Flagler, no one knows "whether the Seminole Tribe will decide to take matters into its own hands and launch its sports betting application state-wide." West Flagler says that it will ask for emergency relief "should the circumstances change."

Wednesday October 18, 2023

Italy Football Betting Scandal: Newcastle Urged to Remove Betting Ads With ‘Gambling Addict’ Sandro Tonali Active: Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, who is facing a one-year ban for betting on games involving his former team, AC Milan, is set to play in a home game against Crystal Palace. He's also center stage of a massive gambling scandal involving around 40 Italian footballers.  Tonali is among the first names released as part of the investigation.

Newcastle plays at St James Park and there are gambling ads appearing throughout that range from BetMG to the more obscure Sportsbet.io.  The team also has the logo of gambling firm BK8 on its jersey. 

Tonali, 23, has admitted to betting, with his agent saying he is fighting a gambling addiction. Newcastle is reportedly being urged by a group known as The Big Step to end gambling advertising in soccer.

Monday October 16, 2023

Elys Game Technology Delisted: Elys Game Technology an interactive gaming and sports betting technology company, today announced that on October 13, 2023, the Company received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that trading of its common shares will be suspended as of the opening of business on October 17th, 2023 (the “Delisting Letter”).  Their stock was down 37% at closing following the news.

8:08 pm - SpankOdds Hikes Subscriptions By 20 Percent: Effective Tuesday 10/31/23 12 noon EST, @spankodds will undergo a 20% price increase.

"We will honor our current price to existing subscribers in perpetuity as long as they continue to renew and remain customers.

"This is purely a business decision based on supply and demand as well as a thank you to all who supported us this past year."

If you think everyone's celebrating the decision, guess again.

There were a bunch of "LOL"'s.

Another responded:

"I thought you was here to help people.  Aren’t you already rich?  Give back to the community not by increasing pricing!  Cmon Spank."

Jeff Dime wrote:

"You have an endless supply….your not selling cashews.  You’re creating urgency by setting a date.  Come on man."

And Howie DeWitt:

"Please explain to customers what justifies this type of increase a month since launch?"

There were some happy folks....well, one.

Magic Mystery Tour wrote:

"Awesome."

1:49 pm - Football Betting Scandal: Coach Claims Players Have Disease:  Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid, claimed on Monday that the ‘Betting Case’ involving several footballers tied to illegal bets was an “individual management” and that ” involving all Italian football.” seems “excessive”.  He also claimed that those involved suffered from a disease.  At the scientific level, gambling addiction is a disease,” he said on the radio program ‘Radio Anch’ io Sport’.

The Italians Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa) and Sandro Tonali (Newcastle) formally investigated by the Turin Prosecutor’s Office for betting on unauthorized online sites could face a minimum of three years from the playing field if it is found they placed bets on football games.

7:50 am - BSV Roundtable Wednesday: Becky Liggero will be diving into the world of iGaming and how blockchain and micropayments can impact the space. She will be joined by Pete from Lil Bit, Alex Agut from Handcash, Miles Malec from Champions TCG.  See: CoinGeek here

Sunday October 15, 2023

10:06 pm - Sports Betting World Mourns the Passing of Industry Pioneer:  Gambling911.com is sad to report that the founder of VietBet, Neal, passed away Saturday night at the age of 67.  Though we haven't been in touch with Neal in recent years, he was always a joy to correspond with back when he was more involved with the company he founded.  VietBet was truly a unique brand in the world of offshore sports betting.

Las Vegas Cris was among the first to break the news via his Twitter page.

Sports bettor Spanky wrote of Neal: "VietBet was a pioneer in offshore Asian wagering.  First joint on the islands to have every dialect of Asian clerks there is. Back then, betting on the phone speaking Cantonese or Vietnamese gave you skyhigh limits due to implied degeneracy."

Neal's company was among the first to begin operating as a sportsbook in Costa Rica.

Our condolences go out to his family and friends. 

Saturday October 14, 2023

10:53 pm - Bet365 Changes Odds After Bet is Placed: Odds Switcheroo Nothing New for Bet365:  Yesterday we told you about an individual who was mad as hell after he placed a bet at UNDER 6.5 at +115 on a Sabres-Rangers game only to have Bet365 change the bet to UNDER 8.5 at -410 odds.

He blasted Bet365: "If this was the other way around these clowns would not offer shit.  Am I taking crazy pills for being mad about this?  You fucked up.  My genius brain caught it.  It's time to pay your consequences.  Fuck you Bet365!"

Seems this isn't the first time Bet365 has engaged in this type of activity. We stumbled upon a Facebook video discussing a similar occurrence back in 2019.

"Here is a full story on how after a game bet365 decided to change odds and explained their action with some mysterious 'Obvious Error'."

The player discussed how, after placing a bet, the company got back to him a few hours later to advise of an odds change and he went on to lose 600 pounds.

"They never explained to me what was an 'obvious error'," he says. "They did not provide any evidence.  They just took my 600 pounds."

10:36 am - Florida Sports Betting:  IGRA at Center Stage: Florida attorney Daniel Wallach says: "This is the most 'cert-worthy' issue in West Flagler. If #SCOTUS grants the requested stay or writ of certiorari, it will be because of the IGRA issue and the conflict among the lower federal courts as to whether IGRA applies to off-reservation tribal gaming activities."

For some context, IGRA stands for "Indian Gaming Regulatory Act".  It was enacted by the United States Congress on October 17, 1988, to regulate the conduct of gaming on Indian Lands. IGRA establishes the National Indian Gaming Commission and the regulatory structure for Indian gaming in the United States. Public Law 100-497-Oct. 17, 1988 100th Congress Sec. 2701.

West Flagler: "The Circuit Opinion conflicts with IGRA and Bay Mills. Further, while it ostensibly recognizes that IGRA cannot 'authorize' a compact providing for gambling off Indian lands, it strains to conclude that IGRA somehow allows the “approval” of such a compact."

The Bay Mills Indian Community, is an Indian reservation forming the land base of one of the many federally recognized Sault Ste. Marie bands of Chippewa. The largest section of the reservation is located in Chippewa County, Michigan, approximately 15 miles west-southwest of Sault Ste. Marie.

Friday October 13, 2023

1:45 pm - College Football Betting: Top 5 Bet Counts: 1. Oregon +3 2. USC +2.5 3. Notre Dame -2.5 4. Washington -3 5. UNC -3.  These numbers all courtesy of BetOnline.  Across the board, Oregon and Washington were actually pretty balanced with the line set at Huskies -3.  That number has moved up from -2 and climbed as high as -3.5 at BetOnline. 

11:45 am - Israel-Palestine Conflict: Celebrity Poker Pro James Woods Vows to Spend 'Day of Jihad' With Extra Ammo: The former Hamas chief called for protests and neighbours to join the war against Israel as that nation suffered its worst every terrorist attack at the hands of Hamas last weekend. "[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday," Khaled Meshaal, who currently heads Hamas's diaspora office, said in a recorded statement sent to Reuters.  That's led right leaning and outspoken Hollywood actor turned poker pro James Woods to announce he has no intention of sheltering in place Friday.

10:21 am - Florida Sports Betting: Strong Likelihood SCOTUS Overturns Circuit Opinion: Florida gaming attorney Daniel Wallach tweeted out the possibility of what happens next on the Florida sports betting front after Chief Justice John Roberts issued an order imposing a stay after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia this summer upheld a gambling deal between the state and the tribe that included sports betting.  

West Flagler: "More generally, the Circuit Opinion is the first case to suggest that IGRA could apply to gambling off Indian lands. All prior case law uniformly has said the opposite." (citing Bay Mills, Amador County, Iipay Nation, Artichoke Joe's, and North County Community).

West Flagler: "Certiorari is also likely to be granted because the Circuit Opinion raises an issue of national importance regarding the constitutionality of granting an Indian tribe a statewide monopoly over sports betting while making the same conduct a felony for everyone else"

West Flagler: "This is a 'naked preference' of the kind that correctly triggered strict scrutiny in Babbitt. Yet the D.C. Circuit did not even cite Babbitt, let alone discuss or distinguish it—despite Applicants extensively citing and discussing that case in their briefing."

West Flagler: "There is a strong likelihood that #SCOTUS will overturn the Circuit Opinion."

Thursday October 12, 2023

11:23 pm - Israel-Palestine Conflict: Mouth Posts His Support for Israel....Posts Five Nicaraguan Flags

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11:23 pm - Israel-Palestine Conflict: Competing Rallies Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine Rallies on Opposite Sides of Las Vegas Blvd

8:26 pm - Florida Sports Betting: US Supreme Court Puts FL Sports Betting on Hold: Chief Justice John Roberts issued an order imposing a stay after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia this summer upheld a gambling deal between the state and the tribe that included sports betting.  Roberts’ order came after pari-mutuel companies West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp. sought a stay as they prepare to ask the Supreme Court to take up a challenge to the appeals-court ruling.  The order said what is known as a “mandate,” which is a final step in the appeals-court ruling, is “hereby recalled and stayed pending further order of the undersigned (Roberts) or of the (Supreme) Court.” In part, the request for a stay said the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act does not authorize the interior secretary to approve a compact that allows gambling off tribal lands.  Source: NBC 6 South Florida

2:37 pm - MGM, Caesars Cyber Attack: 41,000 in 42nd Least Populated State Alone Impacted by Caesars Cyber Attack Breach: If you're a Maine resident who has stayed at either the Caesars or MGM properties in Vegas any time in the last, say, 20 years, better invest in an identity theft product and monitor your credit card activity.  In a Friday filing with the the US state's Attorney General's office, Caesars disclosed extortionists siphoned 41,397 Mainers' data, and listed the total number of victims "TBD."  That' just in Maine, the 8th least populated state in the union. 

Caesars described the attack as follows:

"Caesars was the victim of a social engineering attack on an outsourced IT support vendor that resulted in unauthorized access (on August 18, 2023) to Caesars' network and the exfiltration of data (beginning on or about August 23, 2023), which Caesars subsequently confirmed (on September 7, 2023) included the personal information of state residents."

Well, at least you don't have to worry about spending your own money on an identity theft monitoring service.  Caesars is offering one complimentary.

Seriously folks, you can't make this stuff up.

2:29 pm - FTX Debacle : Caroline Ellison Says Sam Bankman-Fried Directed Her to Commit Crimes

Tuesday brought the start of Week 2 of SBF’s criminal trial on charges related to the November 2022 collapse of FTX, its market-maker Alameda Research, and numerous other SBF-affiliated entities. The star witness taking the stand in the Manhattan court was none other than Caroline Ellison, Alameda’s final CEO and SBF’s former love interest.

Ellison’s appearance was preceded by the second day of testimony from Gary Wang, FTX’s co-founder/CTO, who—along with Ellison—reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors last December. Wang’s initial day on the stand saw him poke holes in an SBF tweet from July 2019 that claimed Alameda enjoyed no special privileges on FTX. Last Friday, Wang told the court that “we gave special privileges to Alameda Research to allow it to withdraw unlimited funds from FTX and lied about it.”  See: CoinGeek Covers Sam Bankman-Fried Trial - Learn the Benefits of BSV

Wednesday October 11, 2023

9:44 pm - Alabama Sports Betting: Alabama Democrats exploring options to legalize gambling: Next year’s legislative session will open in just four months.  This session, Alabama’s Democratic lawmakers want to explore more options to make gambling legal.  They plan on presenting leading national sports betting experts, “We’re going to talk about proceed revenue sharing, folks from Tennessee, folks from Georgia, vendors that deal with the lottery, so that our members will be able to get a full picture,” he said.  “Pro-growth means pro-Alabama, looking at ways to improve where we are." See: PrizePicks Alabama, MyBookie Alabama

7:15 pm - Israel-Palestine Conflict:  DMIEXPO 2023 in Tel Aviv Postponed:

From Itay Paz:

"Due to recent situation in Israel, and after careful consideration and advice from our partners, clients and advisory board, we have decided to postpone DMIEXPO November 2023.

"We have taken this step to ensure we protect the health and safety of our community and while this is a very difficult decision, we feel it is the most responsible one to take.

"We are humbled by the support we have received for this decision from our sponsors, partners and our amazing community and want to take this opportunity to thank them.

"Our next event will be published as soon as we have them available.

"Please note your tickets/passes remain valid for the next event!!!

"Thank you for your support!"

11:11 am - Fliff Lawsuit:  Judge Cast Doubt on Viability of Claims Against Social Sports Betting Site:  A group of California lawyers sued Fliff claiming the Bulgarian-based Daily Fantasy Sports site is nothing more than sports betting in disguise. Judge Sunshine Sykes has cast doubt on the viability of the claims asserted against Fliff, according to renowned gaming attorney Daniel Wallach. 

"In denying plaintiff's motion for TRO just 1 day after it was filed, Judge Sykes ruled that plaintiff failed to show that there was a "likelihood of success" on any cause of action.

"However, she did not rule on the motion for preliminary injunction, instead scheduling it for a zoom hearing on Dec. 8th. Since TROs and PIs have the same elements, plaintiff will need to bring more to the table on 12/8 in order sway the judge on the likelihood of success prong."

Fliff operates by sweepstakes gaming regulations rather than traditional sportsbook laws via a two-token model that includes Fliff Coins and Fliff Cash.   The coins allow users to play for fun while Fliff Cash provides the chance to win real cash prizes.

11:03 am - SpankOdds Retains 20 Percent of Customers After Announcing New Payment Structure:  The popular one-year-old line service SpankOdds announced a new payment model whereby those wishing to continue using the service would be on a 5-minute delay and unable to save user preferences.  The site's owner proclaimed that 20 percent of those currently using the site have opted for the subscription model.  "Our goal was to retain 5%!"

Tuesday October 10, 2023

3:52 pm - Iowa Hawkeyes Noah Shannon Cleared to Practice Following Gambling Suspension:  After initially being suspended for the season, Iowa defensive lineman Noah Shannon will be able to practice and play in this weekend's game.  Head coach Kirk Ferentz gave an update on Shannon’s status on Tuesday. Ferentz added that Shannon has not been cleared to play on Saturdays, and the coach is not sure when that decision will be made. “At least we got him on the field now,” Ferentz said. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed as we move forward … I don’t know when the decision will be made.”  Back in August, Shannon was facing a one-year suspension for gambling on a Hawkeyes Game.

2:07 pm - Thousands of Vegas Workers to Begin Picketing at MGM, Caesars Thursday:  Thousands of Las Vegas workers will picket MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment casinos on Thursday for the first time in nearly two decades.

The Culinary Workers and Bartenders Unions seek a new five-year contract with improved wages and benefits as casino operators post record profits.  

"We're not really seeing anything that's sufficient to try to avert a strike and that's unfortunate," Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, told reporters.

Union workers will picket in front of eight MGM and Caesars resort locations on Thursday. The unions have asked casino customers not to cross picket lines.

This comes as yet another blow to both companies.  MGM and Caesars are only now recovering from a massive cyber attack last month.

12:57 pm - NFL Slots Hit Vegas Strip: It seems like a lifetime ago that the NFL moved a fantasy football conference hosted by Tony Romo in 2015, simply because it was going to be held in Las Vegas, writes Ben Fawkes of USA Today.  And here were are with an NFL franchise in Vegas as well as the latest new thing, NFL slot machines.  These come courtesy of Aristocrat. 

The slots manufacturer debuted six NFL-themed slot machines at the Global Gaming Expo on Tuesday morning, with the first game — Super Bowl Jackpots — already live on casino floors.

“Our teams have worked diligently over the last few years to develop these games,” Hector Fernandez, CEO of Aristocrat Gaming, said in a release. “The result is a lineup of games that match multiple player segments, bringing the excitement and energy of the NFL to new and existing slot players just in time for this year’s football season.”

Fawkes writes:

The games feature “team-selectable art,” meaning that players can select their favorite NFL teams before playing, and Super Bowl Jackpots has over six minutes of high-quality video for every NFL team.

It’s a brave new world for the NFL and slot machine players alike.

10:50 am - Israel-Palestine Conflict: Negs "I Stand With Israel" Stance Results in Some 800 Responses: Poker pro Daniel Negreanu condemned Hamas for its attack on Israel over the weekend.  "I stand with Israel," he proclaimed.  By Tuesday morning there were nearly 800 responses and not everyone was on board with Negreanu's position.  Ryan David offered this: "Crazy to see everyone (western places specifically) just posting flags as if this is a football game. Such a crazy and complex history. Peace is the only way. Pro either side is just pro war."  Bourbon offered: "This is historically very complicated... The one thing that I stand by is human life... How do we work out religious and personal differences without violence? Seems like the bigger issue".  Meanwhile, calls for PokerStars to oust their pro ambassador Sam Grafton for retweeting pro-Palestinian articles and positions on his Twitter feed seem to have faded somewhat.  On a personal note, Gambling911.com works with a few companies based out of Israel and we pray for their safety during these scary times. 

12:34 am - Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Resorts World Las Vegas, Former CEO: Robert J. Cipriani, a high stakes gambler-turned-FBI source, has filed a lawsuit against Resorts World Las Vegas and a recently terminated executive Scott Sibella.  The complaint alleges a concerted effort to prevent foreseeable harm and for the infliction of emotional distress to plaintiff while a patron at the casino.  Cipriani has routinely tweeted in regard to a reported probe of former and current Vegas casino executives alleged to have used assets to pay off gambling debts to a Southern California bookie.

Monday October 9, 2023

10:42 pm - Travis Etienne I Ruined My Fantasy Football Week!!! .... After Big Game: Jaguars Travis Etienne it turns out was going up against himself in fantasy football and screwed over his fantasy team in the process with a stellar performance. He finished against the Bills with 136 rushing yards, 48 receiving yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in the win.  He earned 37.4 points for fantasy football players. As noted by TMZ, the only problem for Travis -- he was racking up points for his opponent ... so there's a good chance the only win he's getting this week is the one with the Jags.

10:15 pm - How to Attack Modern Sportsbooks

10:05 pm - Underdog Fantasy: Latest Commercial Appears During Monday Night Football

4:23 pm - California Sports Betting Initiative Revisted - The Pala Band of Mission Indians of California has plans to file an initiative proposal Monday but none of the other major tribes in the state are on board it appears. Graton Rancheria, Pechanga, and San Manuel — are not filing an initiative, according to Sports Handle.  That's important as all three were involved in a pair of 2022 voter initiatives, one of which failed to garner even 20% of the vote.

4:19 pm - Underdog Fantasy: DFS Site Pledges $1 Million for Problem Gambling: Daily fantasy sports group Underdog is beefing up its responsible gambling efforts on several fronts, including the launch of a new $1 million investment fund, GuardDog.  Underdog Fantasy Available in My State - Is Underdog Fantasy a Sports Betting Site?  

The fund will serve as an “investment initiative” with a focus on fostering tech innovations in the responsible gambling space.

1:36 pm - Thanksgiving Shooting at Canadian Casino Leaves Security Guard Dead:  Manhunt for Killers Underway

A group of men and women arrived at the casino armed and fled immediately after fatally shooting a security guard at the Pickering Casino Resort early Thanksgiving morning.  Sgt. Joanne Bortoluss said police were called for shots fired around 5 a.m.  Michael Ferdinand has been identified by Durham Regional Police as the victim of the shooting.  The Ontario casino is temporarily closed Monday as the investigation is ongoing.

“I cannot begin to understand this loss. The fear, anxiety and questions that team members have is understandable," Sgt. Joanne Bortoluss said.  “Right now we are appealing to anyone with information to come forward,” Bortoluss told reporters outside the casino. We are working with the casino reviewing surveillance video and we will release any further information in relation to the suspects once we get it. I can advise we’re are looking for multiple males and females believed to be involved in this incident that did flee the casino immediately following the shooting.”

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1:36 pm - California Sports Betting Update: Another Tribe to File Ballot Initiative:  "Multiple tribal sources have told  @MatthewKredell that the Pala Band of Mission Indians will file a proposed sports betting ballot initiative with the Attorney General today. And it's expected to include online wagering."  Pala Chairman Robert Smith sent a communication to fellow tribal leaders Sunday giving them a heads up that the tribe will issue a news release Monday regarding filing a sports betting initiative for 2024. In the 2022 election, Pala spent about $3 million opposing Prop 27, the online sports betting initiative backed by commercial gaming companies. See California Indian Tribe Announces Plan To File Online Sports Betting Initiative

11:22 am - Man Sentenced in Shooting of Casino Winner: A man who shot a casino winner after following them to their home in Woodbridge, Virginia will serve 53 years of a 98-year sentence, prosecutors said.  The 33-year-old victim suffered life-threatening injuries in the shooting, but he survived.  The robber, Daquan Tinker, was sentenced to 98 years in prison with 45 years suspended.  A jury convicted Tinker in March after he pled not guilty.  On Dec. 18, 2019, the victim won "a significant amount of money," at the MGM casino, according to the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney.

11:11 am - New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos: New York Jets Troll Sean Payton, Broncos ... After Win In Denver: One of the hottest sports stories this weekend did not involve Taylor Swift but instead featured the New York Jets once again. 

Last week, the Chiefs played in the Meadowlands against the Jets and we hardly paid much attention to just how well Zach Wilson played in that game as the cameras and game announcers were so consumed with Travis Kelce new girlfriend Taylor Swift, who cheered him on from the stands.

This weekend, we actually paid attention to Zach.  He and the Jets whooped the Broncos on Sunday and then danced all over their grave afterward ... taking every postgame opportunity to troll Sean Payton.

From TMZ:

Gang Green was clearly livid with Denver's head coach after he made several comments about them this offseason ... and once the final whistle sounded on the 31-21 victory, the team let him have it.

The Jets' X account posted a photoshopped image of a stunned Kevin James -- who famously played Payton in the movie "Home Team" -- with the caption "when you lose to the 'offseason champs.'"

Broncos new head coach Sean Peyton's disparaging remarks were mostly directed at Denver's former head coach, now the Jets offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett.

Jets updated futures and game odds, including props, can be found at BetOnline here.

Sunday October 8, 2023

9:33 pm - Israel-Palestine Conflict: Poker Players Call for PokerStars to Stop Sponsorship of Sam Grafton: Sam Grafton is part of Team PokerStars and now there are calls for that poker site to cut ties after he retweeted a post supportive of the Palestinians.

"Palestinians in Gaza tried the non-violent route, even after decades of being killed and occupied. They organized the Great March of Return, peacefully went to the fence with the plea: Let us go. What was the Israeli response? To shoot and kill, like 20 year old nurse Rouzan."

Here is just some of the vitriol coming Grafton's way:

“I hope @PokerStars will get rid of you, you scumbag. The poker community should ban you from every poker game in the world. Shame on you“

“Hey @PokerStars hope ur next paycheck to this dude, Sam, who supports the "peacefull and democratic" regime of the Hammas, will be the last one. Hope u sleep well tonight mate. Ill do my best to show u some of the horrors u publicly support, when we meet in Merit in a few days.”

9:16 pm - Israel-Palestine Conflict: Poker Community Chimes In:  Never one to be accused of staying silent, poker pro Daniel Negreanu proclaimed his support of Israel following a surprise attack by Hamas over the weekend.  "The people of Israel are surrounded by nations who’s stated goal is the genocide of Jews. A tiny sliver of the region surrounded by nations who want them all dead. They use children as human shields, ironically preying on it being a deterrent to Israelis. I stand with Israel."  Judging by most of the comments, Negreanu's followers might not see things the same way.

7:19 pm - New York State Bans PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy Pick'em Contests: The New York State Gaming Commission today approved its daily fantasy sports (DFS) rules and regulations.  They placed a prohibition on DFS offerings that resemble player proposition parlay bets such as Pick ‘Em games that are popular on sites like Fantasy Underdog and PrizePicks.  Florida, Michigan, Maryland and Wyoming have made similar claims.

“These would include statutory standards as well as a requirement that contests shall not be based on proposition betting and shall not have the effect of mimicking proposition betting. Contests in which a contestant chooses whether an individual athlete or a single team will surpass an identified statistical achievement would be prohibited,” a paragraph of the approved rules reads.

6:54 - Las Vegas Review Journal 'As Close to Propoganda as You Are Gonna Get': @VitalVegas called out the Las Vegas Review Journal for its regular puff pieces.  In this case, what they deemed to be useless stories pertaining to the Athletics MLB franchise likely relocation to Sin City.

"Look! Actual journalism! 'It has become a running joke to anyone paying attention that the Las Vegas Review-Journal will publish a puff piece on the A's relocation efforts--sometimes just re-hashing old reports--whenever something negative happens surrounding the team's proposed move to Las Vegas'."

Dee Kenny tweeted:

"The Review Journal is a running joke.  Professors use it to teach students how NOT to write".

Jedi Rich writes:

"The RJ accepts sponsorship money from the corporations and local government agencies they are supposed to be investigating."

The Las Vegas Review Journal is yet to report on the apparent DOJ investigation into current and former casino execs alleged ties to a Southern California bookie.  At least we haven't seen anything yet.

6:14 pm - Mads Mikkelsen Would Tickle Daniel Craig's B***s With Rope During Filming of 'Casino Royale': In Martin Campbell’s 2006 smash that marked Daniel Craig’s debut as 007, Mikkelsen went on to play Le Chiffre.

“The ‘smartest’ Bond villain? He lost $100 million to a man who couldn’t play poker. Not that smart.”

“I had never watched a Bond movie up to that point and of course I lied about it. I only knew that guy with metal teeth [Jaws]. I didn’t realize how big it was until we had the premiere in London and had to meet the Queen. Or she had to meet us.”

He has seen all of them now, he said. Well, almost.

“I have seen the ones with Daniel Craig. [Back then] he was the new Bond and everything about him was ‘wrong.’ His height, his nose, his hair. I think he was glad I also came from indie films. He had a partner in crime. There was this scene where I tickled his balls with a rope. We had so many ideas and the director just looked at us: ‘Guys, come back. It’s a Bond movie’.”  See: Yahoo Entertainment

6:14 pm - PokerStars: Next Gen Poker Signs on as Ambassadors Ahead of NAPT Las Vegas:  Next Gen Poker is a poker vlogging trio consisting of Jack, Rosey and Frank "Frankie" Cucchiara, three young Texans who have amassed 205,000 YouTube subscribers and over 150 million views as they vlog their tournament and cash game exploits. See: Poker News - PokerStars From Florida - PokerStars From California - PokerStars Texas

5:04 pm - Florida Sports Betting: It's Both a "When" and "If" Question:  Attorney Daniel Wallach: "I spoke with @MatthewKredell about the various timeline possibilities for the relaunch of online sports betting in Florida. It's both a "when" and "if" question that hinges on future court rulings and risk tolerance."  His comment comes after we learned that The Florida Supreme Court will allow No Casino Inc. to file a brief in support of West Flagler’s lawsuit against Florida online sports betting. Deadline by Oct. 16.

5:04 pm - Florida Sports Betting:  Pari-Mutuels in Florida Want No Part in Seminoles Sports Betting Scheme: Attorney Daniel Wallach talks the status of legalized sports betting in the Sunshine State and what could happen.  In dispute is the terms of the compact between the state and the Seminole tribe. Wallach explains the whole premise behind the Seminoles claim they can offer sports betting without voter approval.  The bets, they claim, are made on a server on tribal land.  That is the crux of lawsuits pending on state and federal courts at the moment. "In order to throw a bone at the Florida commercial operators, the thirty or so pari-mutuel permit holders, the compact enables the tribe to contract with qualified pari-mutuel permit holders to offer both online sports betting and off reservation retail sports betting at the tracks but with the following hitch.  They are going to be the marketing agent of the Seminole Tribe and will have to pay over a revenue share of 40 cents on every dollar.  The pari-mutuels get to operate on, albeit, somewhat onerous economic terms.  But the tribe isn't required to do any of these things, only to negotiate in good faith." 

5:04 pm - Pay Per Head Sportsbook Operator Hijacks Dead Defense Attorney's Facebook Page:  A gentleman who goes by the name "Vegas Sal" has reportedly hijacked the Facebook page of a deceased Birmingham, Alabama defense attorney. Charles Salvagio passed away in November 2020.  Unless he's making losing plays from the afterlife, Salvagio is not the sports handicapper here.  

"Anyone seen this guy posting these fake posts slips need to know that Carl passed away years ago. This is “Vegas Sal” going by another alias again posting fake tickets on a dead man’s FB account," John Hahn of Bettor Win Sports Betting Facebook Group and owner of BettorWinSports warned. 

John alerted Gambling911.com to this situation.  He and dozens of others have since shared our story on this cringeworthy situation. 

As one follower commented, the dead man's impersonator is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

"I already called him out the first week Carl started posting tickets. You know how I know it was a scammer account? Because he was dumb enough to leave the log in and password on 1 of his pictures."

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- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com

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