Compared with igaming, which has experienced glacial progress since the first three states went live in 2013, US-regulated sports wagering has come flying out of the blocks.
The huge mainstream media coverage of SCOTUS’ lifting of the 25-year sports betting ban reflects how transformative this will be not just for US gaming but for a culture of sports so deeply embedded in American society.
Seven states currently have legalization bills on the books, while the US professional player unions are now demanding a seat at the table, claiming they “cannot allow those who have lobbied the hardest for sports gambling to be the only ones controlling how it would be ushered into our businesses.”
This issue drops just after the oral arguments got underway in Christie vs NCAA et al in the US Supreme Court, which one of the US’ preeminent gaming law experts, Professor I Nelson Rose, is describing as the “case of the century”.
Pennsylvania stands on the brink of becoming the fourth US state to authorize and regulate igaming within its borders, after the gaming expansion bill finally passed through both chambers
The US Supreme Court disregarding the recommendation of the Solicitor General’s office and opting to hear New Jersey’s long-running appeal against the federal sports betting wrong-footed all stakeholders in June, including the leagues.
While the chances of passage in New York and Illinois look slim at the time of writing, Pennsylvania still stands on the brink of being the first US state to pass enabling legislation for real-money igaming since New Jersey in February 2013.
Our cover interview with Rush Street Interactive chief Richard Schwartz focuses on playsugarhouse.com’s explosive entry into NJ real-money igaming, elsewhere we focus on what businesses can be doing now to drive revenues and build audiences while
News that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is proposing to raise an additional US$150m from gaming expansion in the 2017/18 budget means the state is now chasing a quarter of a billion dollars of revenues from new gaming sources within 18 months.
Issue highlights include: After the “casino civil war”, From living room to Olympic podium?, It’s complicated: DFS in Indian country, Sports betting any way you want it in NJ? and The dust has settled: the current affiliate landscape in NJ
Issue Highlights: The challenge to NY’s DFS law, The Valve effect, Tech: defining developments, Securing the future of eSports, What’s the next big thing in social slots?
Issue Highlights: Skin betting lawsuits, eSports bootcamp, NY’s Interactive Fantasy Sports Act: opportunity and threat, what social slots are doing right that video slots are not, and California and the iPoker dream
eSports isn’t the next big thing, it’s the now big thing. As as you will see in this issue of iGaming Business North America, eSports isn’t only the domain of European sportsbooks, eSports is coming to a casino near you.
There are things to be excited about in this month’s cover interview. NIGA Chairman, Ernie Stevens, is more focused than ever on iGaming, and it is his view that it will be a major component of Indian gaming in the future.
As we enter 2016 we have a lot to look forward to in iGaming. The prospect of additional state legislation, the possibility of sports betting legislation and clarity on the DFS market are all key issues for the new year.
