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.
NY’s Addabbo files anti-sweeps, expansion bills
New York state senator Joe Addabbo filed two gambling-related bills in the last week. The latest, S5935, seeks to ban unregulated sweepstakes platforms. Operators of these platforms have been targeted by several state legislatures and the gambling industry, which say the platforms are pulling business from the regulated industry. Sweepstakes platforms operate in a grey area — they are unregulated and do not pay taxes.
Addabbo’s bill clearly defines what sweepstakes are, calling them games that “simulate casino-style gaming”. The list of casino-style games includes everything from blackjack to keno to sports betting. The bill would also make it illegal for licensed suppliers and vendors to work with unregulated platforms. The bill was filed on 4 March and refer..