iGaming Rundown: Chaffetz Running for Speaker; NJ Welcomes PokerStars; DFS Had a Bad Day

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In this installment of the iGaming Rundown we’ll get you caught up on all the latest legislative and online gaming news going on in the United States, and there is a lot to get caught up since our last update in the world of online gambling and daily fantasy sports.

We have RAWA updates. We have PokerStars being approved by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and their subsequent release of an 89-page redacted review of the company. Pennsylvania’s online gambling chances went from looking good, to probably not, to looking pretty damn good again. And from what I’ve been hearing on the Internet, something happened in the daily fantasy sports industry that seems like a pretty big deal.

Jason Chaffetz wants to run the House

Following the stunning news that frontrunner Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had decided to cancel his bid to replace John Boehner (R-OH) as the next Speaker of the House, the job, which puts you in the on-deck circle should anything befall the president, is now legitimately up for grabs. One of the people hoping to be the next person to wield the gavel is Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) sponsor Jason Chaffetz.

Fortunately for the iGaming community, Chaffetz is considered a supreme long shot to wind up as the Speaker of the House, as he doesn’t have the support of the traditional Republicans in Congress, nor does he have the support of the Tea Party Republicans.

New Jersey DGE approves Amaya/PokerStars

As September came to a close the U.S. online gambling industry, in the words of FanDuel’s Bradley C., “got a heck of a lot more interesting,” as the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement finally granted PokerStars a transactional waiver to operate an online gaming site in the Garden State.

Just over a week later, the DGE also released an 89 page report on their investigation into the company, which included a list of 10 special conditions the DGE was placing on PokerStars. The report had a number of interesting nuggets, including a list of former Full Tilt and PokerStars executives barred from working in New Jersey, with the notable exception of Howard Lederer.

Pennsylvania making a late iGaming push

After several months with nary a peep coming out the state on the topic, online gaming expansion is suddenly looking better by the day in Pennsylvania.  It all started with the legislature easily voting down the governor’s budget proposal, and with that budget now over 100 days past due, the belief is something has to give.

And that something would appear to be gaming reforms, including the legalization of online gambling. Virtually every paper in the state is talking about the possibility of iGaming expansion being the olive branch that brings the governor and legislature together on a budget deal, and there is no shortage of support from lawmakers or the state’s casinos, not to mention it’s one of the few proposals Governor Tom Wolf has said he would consider.

Basically, keep an eye on Pennsylvania in the coming days and weeks.

DFS suffers through its worst week ever

Without question, DFS is dealing with its worst week ever, and the controversy over the leaking of data by a DraftKings employee has snowballed, turning the story into the industry’s Frankenstein monster.

The seemingly insignificant flub by a DraftKings employee (who posted ownership percentages before contests were locked) has spiraled into a crisis for the industry, as it’s opened DFS operators up to a number of pertinent questions about the consumer protections and internal safeguards in place.

The general feeling is nothing untoward occurred, but the very fact that it could have has some wondering if DFS had grown too fast, the proverbial warning of running before you learn to walk. And in doing so, did DFS operators expose themselves to these vulnerabilities.

There are grand jury investigations, a growing number of class-action lawsuits, and legal reviews by AG’s and lawmakers, and many believe we are still only in the beginning stages of this investigation.

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