Legal Developments

Update: The Seminole Tribe has shut down its Hard Rock sports betting app while it appeals the court ruling. The compact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe was overturned by US District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich, who opined that the agreement violated IGRA. The ruling will undoubtedly be appealed, but it looks to spell the end…

Massachusetts looks to be punting legal sports betting to 2022. With sports betting legislation easily passed by the House of Representatives shipwrecked in the Senate, and the legislature dealing with a plethora of significant issues from redistricting to ARPA funds, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has put out the call for another study.

As he did in the last session, Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA) has introduced legislation, The Greyhound Protection Act of 2021, that would amend the 1961 Wire Act to prohibit greyhound racing.

Attempts to bring legal sports betting to Missouri have been difficult. For the past few years, legislation has popped up, only to lose support and fall short of passage. This year, sports betting proponents have the assistance of professional sports teams to push the legislative agenda up that hill.

This article has been updated to include a fourth ballot initiative. California has the potential to be the biggest US sports betting market. But, claiming the top spot is contingent upon California legalizing sports betting and doing so in a way that allows for online sports betting apps. Californians will determine that on election day…

Update: Florida online sports betting is on pause indefinitely. Shortly after the first Florida online sportsbooks began taking wagers, a federal judge invalidated the compact between the Seminoles and the state. It could be well into 2024 (or later) until the case is resolved or Florida passes new legislation to authorize online sports wagering. Florida’s…

Editors Update: Sports betting in Massachusetts was legalized in 2022, and launched in early 2023. The post below is now outdated, but remains published to document the process the state went through on it’s path towards regulation. Sports betting has been just out of reach for Massachusetts, and following a webinar on the topic, it’s…

As the details of a possible $22.6 billion DraftKings takeover of Entain PLC were being hammered out behind the scenes, the London-listed betting and gambling group announced in a press release that it has completed the acquisition of leading esports betting operator, Unikrn. Meanwhile, DraftKings has announced it will no longer pursue an acquisition of…

It appears efforts to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts have run into a brick wall. Recent comments by Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka indicate the Senate is losing its appetite to pass sports betting legislation.

Flutter Entertainment has confirmed that it has settled a decade-long legal dispute with the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The parent company of the PokerStars online poker site stated that it agreed to pay $300 million in settlement fees – $100 million of which were bonds awarded to the state earlier this year.