We’re sailing straight into the headlines this week as the U.S. market enters one of its busiest times: the NFL season. It’s also Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM), during which operators and regulators put their best foot forward in efforts to highlight RG practices. And it’s looking likely that California’s tribes will get their day in court as SB549 sits on the Governor’s desk. Read on!
NFL Season Kicks Off
With the Kansas City Chiefs favoured to win at odds of 5/1, it’s set to be a wild one as the NFL season—one of the most significant acquisition periods for operators, with revenue accounting for almost a third of all annual takings—kicks off.
And the bet predictions agree, with the American Gaming Association (AGA) estimating that Americans will wager US$35 billion (£26.7bn) at legal sportsbooks, making it the biggest NFL season on record and topping last year by US$8.3 billion (£6.32bn).
According to the AGA, the growth can be attributed to Maine, North Carolina, and Vermont, all of which have launched legal betting markets since last year’s season.
Over A Barrel
Wynn Resorts has paid US$130 million (£99.3m) to settle criminal allegations that it worked with unlicensed money transmitters to facilitate illegal financial transactions from foreign customers and evade U.S. financial checks.
The Non-Prosecution Agreement, signed with California prosecutors, marks the largest by a U.S. casino for such allegations and means Wynn will not face criminal charges.
Prosecutors claimed that Wynn Las Vegas contracted third-party agents to provide convoluted schemes for transferring funds to the casino and players who would have otherwise been subject to anti-money laundering regulations or unable to gamble under their own identity.
Wynn Las Vegas admitted using third-party agents to evade monetary regulations. Still, they clarified that the forfeiture wasn’t a fine and that the findings of the decade-long investigation did not amount to money laundering. They added that they have cut all ties with such companies.
Blowing Up The (Sweep) Stakes
The sweepstakes debate is blowing up again in the U.S. after last month, the AGA spoke out against the sites and urged regulators to take action.
The AGA—which distinguishes sweepstakes casinos from social casinos, as platforms that use a legal loophole to offer games of chance through in-game currencies that consumers can later exchange for real prizes—has said these sites threaten the integrity of the legal market.
In response, the sweepstakes industry has now formed its own trade body, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA).
SPGA—whose founding members include FSG Digital, High 5 Entertainment, Woopla Gaming, and Gold Coin, among others—says it provides education and advocates for the responsible operation of sweepstakes casinos.
Before the rise of legal U.S. online gambling in 2018, sweepstakes were a lesser-known phenomenon, mainly used to award promotional gifts.
However, since sports betting has spread across 38 states, while iCasino regulations have floundered—outside of the seven states that have legalised online casinos—sweepstakes sites have flourished, supplying online games to players almost nationwide.
California On The Cards
California’s tribes will get their day in court, according to lawmakers who passed SB 549, 32-2. The bill now requires Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature before becoming law.
Post-signing, tribes in the Sunshine State can challenge the legality of non-tribal cardrooms. The tribes say these cardrooms violate tribal sovereignty and gaming laws by using a legal workaround to offer house-banked cardrooms.
Illegal Market Growing Strong
Market intelligence firm Yield Sec has reported that more money still flows into offshore gambling sites from the U.S. than is spent in the legal market.
In the first half of 2024, the firm reported—based on predictive analysis—that the U.S. gambling market generated a gross gambling revenue of US$39.9 billion (£30.4bn), with US$10.8 billion (£8.2bn) coming from legal platforms and US$29.1 billion (£22.2bn) generated from illegal platforms.
The report detailed a worryingly large number of sites, 892, still offer illegal betting to U.S. citizens. Most aptly, Yield Sec also found that two-thirds of Super Bowl bets are placed on illegal platforms.
As it’s RGEM, it’s the perfect opportunity to highlight the benefits of regulated betting sites, how to spot unlicensed sites vs licensed sites, and the risks of offshore gambling.
Research has shown that as many as 50% of U.S. bettors don’t know when they are gambling offshore. Moreover, seven out of ten gamblers want to bet legally, but many are deceived by unlicensed, offshore websites that pose as legal operators.
Ohio: Leading The Charge
Ohio is one of only two states currently leading the charge and taking a firm stance against college-athlete harassment. To date, the Buckeye State has created regulations to prevent those found guilty of harassment from placing bets via legal channels, and college player prop betting has been banned.
Now, just in time for RGEM 2024, the Ohio Casino Control Commission is doubling down on awareness efforts and has launched its “More Than A Bet” campaign. The campaign aims to educate coaches and players and provide practical guidance on how to stop harassment.
Ohio’s efforts are much welcomed amid the growing number of complaints from college athletes regarding harassment, especially from fans and bettors via social media.
