Land-based casino regulation – FairOdds Network

April 10, 2025

Compliance teams weigh competing factors in the wake of historic RWLV settlement

Burdensome costs and AML compliance come into conflict when troubled casinos attempt to construct remediation plans.

For months, a potential settlement between Nevada and Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) dominated the conversation among compliance officials at networking events on the conference circuit.

A litany of civil complaints against RWLV and several other Strip properties have given regulators agita, with one Nevada commissioner warning that the financial improprieties would serve as a wakeup call for the industry as a whole.

Given the severity of the allegations, one option for state regulators involved placing RWLV into conservatorship, a strict penalty that would have ranked among the harshest available. Alternatively, a $100 million fine ($£77 million/€89 million) in combination with a licence suspension could have been just as punitive, or even worse.

In the end, the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) approved a $10.5 million fine against RWLV. It is the second largest fine..

February 5, 2025

After IPI disaster, has CNMI abandoned land-based casino hopes?

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is drafting legislation that would dissolve its gaming commission. The Pacific island group is looking at igaming as a next step.

On 4 February, CNMI representative Ralph N Yumul told Marianas Variety that a house committee is reviewing the 2014 statutes which legalised gaming and established the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC).

If enacted, the move would transfer the regulator’s enforcement powers to the lottery commission. At that point, Yamul said, the CCC “will not be in existence anymore”.

Committee members are also looking at online gaming and “marketing it out to the world”, Yamul said. The CCC “can’t do its job anymore”, he added, “because it’s tied with the only casino licensee in the CNMI.”

And its experience with that licensee, Imperial Pacific International (IPI), has been nothing short of disastrous.

Ten years ago, IPI opened a temporary casino, called Best Sunshine Live, inside a shopping mall on Saipan, th..

January 3, 2025

State of the Union: Missouri sports betting update, California tribes sue, more

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

MO wagering coming online sooner than expected?

Legal Missouri sports betting could be available sooner than mandated. The new law, passed by voters on 5 November, requires the state gaming commission to launch operators by 1 December 2025. But on 2 January, Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) chairman Jan Zimmerman told Sports Betting Dime, “Depending on how quickly the process goes with getting the rules to the governor’s office, getting them signed, getting everything to the attorney general’s office, we could be looking at earlier in the summer than we anticipated.”

The emergency rules process is moving more quickly than expected, said Zimmerman. She is hopeful that the emergency regulations will reach the governor and attorney general for approval by the end of January. Should that happen, the MGC could op..

November 6, 2024

Brazil senate president still expects betting CPI creation despite delays, weeks before legal market launch

Senate president Rodrigo Pacheco still expects a parliamentary inquiry commission (CPI) on betting in Brazil to be established despite ongoing delays, with the legal market just weeks away.

On 8 October, Senator Soraya Thronicke requested the creation of a CPI into betting in Brazil, with the aim of investigating the “growing influence of online virtual gambling games on the budget of Brazilian families”.

The request surpassed the 27 signatures needed, with the commission having 130 days after its establishment to carry out its work. It will have 11 full members and seven substitutes.

The CPI was expected to be installed on 25 October. However, its creation was delayed due uncertainty over which senators would work on the inquiry.

Pacheco maintains the momentum for the establishment of the CPI on betting hasn’t been lost. Its creation is vital, he said, with the legal betting market set to launch in Brazil on 1 January 2025.

“It [the CPI] needs to be installed now and made to work..

November 5, 2024

From Virginia to Missouri, voters to decide fate of these gambling proposals Tuesday

The US presidential election on Tuesday (5 November) could result in major changes to how the country is run but, in four states, gambling expansion is also on the ballot. And in Colorado, the amount of gambling tax dollars earmarked for water projects will be decided.

For the gambling industry as a whole, a decision by Missouri voters to allow statewide retail and digital sports betting would be a prize. Should voters approve Amendment 2, Missouri would be the only US state in 2024 to approve a statewide gambling expansion.

The Missouri Gaming Commission last weekend said it interprets the constitutional amendment to mean that each brick-and-mortar casino location will be eligible for a digital betting licence. The interpretation means companies like Caesars and Penn Entertainment will each get up to three licences. Each company operates three brick-and-mortar locations in Missouri.

In Arkansas, Missouri and Virginia, the fate of a casino licence hangs in the balance. In Maryland..

October 28, 2024

Jordan Maynard officially named Massachusetts gaming chair

On Monday (28 October) interim Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) chair Jordan Maynard was appointed to a permanent role by the state's governor.

Maynard has been serving as the interim chair since former MGC chief Cathy Judd-Stein retired from public service in March. Governor Maura Healy also appointed former Melrose mayor Paul Brodeur as the agency’s fifth commissioner, according to a press release. The MGC had been down a commissioner since Judd-Stein’s retirement.

“He has proven to be a consensus builder who has a deep understanding of the agency and strives to do what’s best for the people of Massachusetts,” Healy said via press release.

Maynard was first appointed to the MGC in August 2022 and was part of the MGC when it developed rules and launched digital and in-person sports betting in 2023. The state’s general assembly legalised wagering in August 2022.

“I wish to congratulate Jordan Maynard upon his designation by Governor Healey as chair of the Massachusetts ..

June 28, 2024

State of the Union: Big fine in Philly, Caesars NYC plans and more

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

Live! Philadelphia fined $100,000

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board this week issued a $100,00 fine to Live! Philadelphia for taking sports bets over the phone. At the PGCB meeting, it was revealed that more than $287,000 in wagers were taken by phone. Of the bets, three were taken via text message and lost and the bettor never laid down the funds.

Live! Philadelphia representatives told the PGCB that it had terminated the employees who took a total of 15 bets via phone or text message. In addition, all have also been placed on the involuntary exclusion list. Live! Philadelphia also now bans personal phones for sportsbook employees while at work and lowered its surveillance notification threshold to $10,000.

Caesars proposes Times Square makeover

Caesars Entertainment has plans to plant trees, improve..

April 5, 2024

State of the Union: A look at the week that was in North America

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

Queens casino controversial among politicians

Businessman Steve Cohen’s plan to build a casino in Queens adjacent to the Mets’ Citi Field earlier this week got the endorsement of a city councilman, but a state senator said Cohen has not been “open and transparent”, according to the New York Post.

State Senator Jessica Ramos, who appears to back a Genting Resorts World project, took issue with Cohen’s lobbying strategy. Any downstate casino will need legislative approval in Albany. Cohen is partnered with Hard Rock in his proposed venture.

Queens Councilman Francisco Moya told the NYP that “If we fail to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we ensure that the area around Citi Field remains underutilised parking lots for the foreseeable future; and we permanently stymie the future growth potential of Q..

February 26, 2024

Affordability checks: Everything you need to know

With parliament to debate the introduction of affordability checks today (26 February), here’s everything you need to know about the proposals so far.

The long-awaited release of the Gambling Act white paper in April was the most transformative review of UK gambling in 18 years. It marked a key landmark in how the market will be regulated in the future – with affordability checks a key part of that discussion.

The government has already introduced some measures, such as the establishment of stake limits for online slots. However, other resolutions are also being worked upon as the UK government and the Gambling Commission (GC) looks to ease concerns over gambling harms in the country.

The strongest industry response to these proposals has been towards the potential implementation of affordability checks. They have met fierce opposition from operators and trade bodies.

With parliament set to debate financial checks this week, let’s take a look at how we got here.

White paper’s rele..

February 16, 2024

Alabama gambling bills passed by the house

Alabama voters are a step closer to deciding whether sports betting will be legalised in the state after a bill was passed by lawmakers.

The Alabama house passed two bills on Thursday which envisage the expansion of commercial gambling in the state.

Bills HB151 and HB152, both sponsored by Representative Chris Blackshear, must still be passed by the state’s upper house. The former, as a constitutional amendment, also requires confirmation by the public and would be added to the ballot in November.

Governor Kay Ivey, who would then have to approve both bills, said in a statement on Thursday that the bills “in their current form” have her support.

“The proposal passed by the house will clean up and crack down on the rampant illegal gambling and will give Alabamians the opportunity to have their say on regulated, limited forms of gaming,” Ivey said.

What the gambling bills include

On Thursday, HB151 was passed 70-32 by the House, with HB152 passed 67-31. The House Economic Developme..

January 24, 2024

Road to ICE 2024: White paper opens up opportunities for land-based casinos

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

In April 2023, the UK government finally released the long-awaited 2005 Gambling Act review white paper. The 260-page document outlined critical updates for the industry, focusing on bringing it into the digital age.

As such, many of the policies in the white paper were based on the public now having 24/7 internet and smartphone access. But it also contained a number of alterations for land-based venues, such as permitting casinos to offer sports betting at their premises.

Specifically, the government said it would allow “casinos of all sizes” to offer sports betting on their premises. Previously, only casinos licensed under the 2005 Gambling Act could offer sports betting.

The white paper put forward policies that would enhance player protection in land-based venues

Land-based stipulations protect players

Generally, the land-based speci..

January 3, 2024

Episode 25: Predictions for gaming regulation in 2024

The World Series of Politics is back from its festive break with the lowdown on what sort of regulatory progress the gaming industry can expect in 2024.

Happy new year listeners! Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden are back to discuss a Festivus miracle in Brazil, as well as setting out their predictions for US sports betting growth and whether 2024 will finally be the breakthrough year for US igaming.

brazil has the potential to be huge, but integrated resorts are not part of the mix

We come back after Brazil sports betting and igaming finally makes it over the finish line, giving the industry an early Christmas present. The market has potential to be huge, Brendan Bussmann says, especially after the 18% tax rate was cut to 12% of GGR.

There’s one thing missing, he adds. Integrated resorts are not part of the mix. This could bring billions in revenue into the local economy and, after the sports betting saga, we know Brazil isn’t one for rapid progress.

Regulatory predictions for 20..

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Tag: Land-based casino regulation