Daily Fantasy Crime?

For daily fantasy sports sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel, 2014-15 has been their moment.  They have been making money hand over fist and people haven’t yet figured out that probably aren't going to win.  If you are somehow unfamiliar with these sites (such as not having been in front of a television for two years) the basic premise is to allow customers to participate in daily or weekly fantasy sports contests Read More

Pennsylvania on the Front Lines

Pennsylvania State Representative John Payne (R - District 106) has introduced an online gaming expansion bill in the House of Representatives.  Payne’s bill, (HB 649) would only legalize online poker in Pennsylvania - not all forms of online gambling - although the legislation seems to leave the door for a more comprehensive approach.  The bill currently has 18 other cosponsors. Not to be outdone, days later a new Read More

An Ace That You Can Keep

Most people who are old like me are familiar with the Kenny Rogers song "The Gambler".  The premise of the song generally is that life involves a series of decisions that require us to analyze risk and reward, much like gambling. Historically in the United States, opponents of gambling have cited reasons such as increased crime, gambling addition, religious prohibitions, regressive taxation, and the other usual Read More

The Split is (Not) Bananas

One of my favorite sources for internet gambling news, iGaming Business, is reporting that shares in bwin party have jumped 24% recently following rumors the group was thinking about splitting up into regulated- and unregulated-focused operating entities.  I hope this is true and if it is I applaud whatever genius came up with this idea.  Why would I use a term like "genius" to describe this idea?  Because I thought Read More

The Hypocrisy of the United States Gambling Laws

Gambling is for the most part under the jurisdiction of state law in the US, and every state has laws that relate to gambling.  Some form of legal gambling is permitted in 48 of our 50 states, however only one state (Nevada) has legalized most forms of gambling on a state-wide basis.  Gambling has been a vital part of American society since the 18the century, and the general trend is that the availability of and Read More

Meet the New Barton Bill, Same as the Old Barton Bill

Two years ago to the day, I first shared my thoughts on the "Barton Bill" - a bill that was introduced to the US House of Representative by Texas Republican Joe Barton.  The Barton Bill aimed to legalize online poker at the federal level in the US.  In case you didn't read my post on the subject from two years ago, to be overly simple and brief, I had concerns.  My concerns were irrelevant - the Barton Bill Read More

If At First You Don't Succeed …

If at first you don't succeed, even if it costs you over ten million dollars and forces you to file a lawsuit, try try again!  That's PokerStars' motto when it comes to trying to obtain a New Jersey online gaming license. In round one, PokerStars teamed up with Atlantic Club Casino and Hotel.  Without rehashing the details that led to the deal's demise, I will at least touch on the high points.  Atlantic agreed to Read More