Despite Manchester United’s struggles in the English Premier League (EPL) this season with just 13 games to go, it’s still one of the most talked about soccer clubs in the world. The ongoing struggles with the club’s ownership and player pool dominate daily headlines.
With such a thirst for information, many fan pages exist online to report on the latest news stories and to give their opinions on unfolding situations.
One of the biggest brands is “The United Stand,” which has 2.6 million X followers and features breaking news and reaction videos. Mark Goldbridge, the main man behind the channel, hasn’t taken too kindly to a post from another Manchester United fan page:
Mate….you're playing with people's lives and mental health doing this. Most of your stuff has "Stake" all over it putting gambling promos out to kids. As if Qatar is picking up the phone to you and not Keegan, Ornstein or Romano. https://t.co/Rx4nJtikwc
Some of the comments agree with Goldbridge’s view, while others question if it is a double standard, as they contend that he has promoted SkyBet products in the past.
Soccer is still deeply entwined with gambling, whether it’s pitchside advertising or official partnerships with EPL teams. Some of Manchester United’s most legendary players like Wayne Rooney, Roy Keane, and Gary Neville appear on the “Overlap” podcast every week, which is sponsored by SkyBet.
The UK’s regulatory authority for horse racing has issued a warning over the threat the industry is facing via a major spike in use of unlicensed betting sites.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) expressed its concerns last week, citing a new study by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).
visits to over 20 of the most popular unlicensed sites in the UK grew by 522%
The study covered a four-year period between 2021 and 2024. According to the IFHA, the total number of unique visits to over 20 of the most popular unlicensed sites in the UK grew by 522% during that time.
The study also revealed that between January and September of last year, over 600,000 unique visits to such sites occurred per month.
BHA Acting CEO Brant Dunshea said British racing had “repeatedly warned” the UK government of the threat “inadvertently growing illegal market activity” had on the industry.
Dunshea added that the IFHA study “certainly demonstrates that very concerning threat becoming reality.”
Banging the drum
In a BHC release, Dunshea stated that his organization would share IFHA’s findings with the government in the hope that it “will work with us to encourage bettors to stay in the legal market given this growing leakage.”
The BHA has long rallied against the introduction of affordability checks. In a 2023 statement, the BHA cited a Racing Post editor as stating the checks were “driving bettors towards the black market and away from regulated operators.”
important for gambling regulations to be both balanced and proportionate”
In his recent statement, Dunshea reiterated the BHS’ call to listen to bettors. “The study serves as a further reminder of why it’s important for gambling regulations to be both balanced and proportionate, with those who are betting safely on racing allowed to do so without interruption.”
In contrast to the growth in popularity of unlicensed sites, the IFHA study found just a 49% increase in visits to ten of the most popular regulated UK betting sites between January and September.
Limited but noteworthy
Even though the BHA described the IFHA study as “limited,” it noted the pace of popularity for the unregulated sites in recent years.
Last week, the BHA also flagged noted that “British racing has lost £1.6bn ($2m) worth of remote betting turnover in just two years.”
The regulatory body concluded that the current trend jibes with developments internationally “where moves to tighten regulation in the legal market has driven customers away.”
The Williams F1 Team has appointed a fellow UK-headquartered iGaming firm as its official betting partner for the 2025 racing season.
market its sports betting and online casino brands Betway and Spin to a global racing audience
The multiyear partnership struck between Williams and Super Group Limited on Monday allows the iGaming parent to market its sports betting and online casino brands Betway and Spin to a global racing audience.
Recently rebranded after a major partnership deal with Australian technology firm, Atlassian Williams Racing took to X Monday in anticipation of revealing its new F1 branding at the 02 in London on Wednesday:
According to an Atlassian Williams news release, Super Group’s Betway and Spin sub-brand JackPot City logos will appear on the British team’s FW47 car for the 2025 season.
Major move
The iGaming deal follows the F1 outfit’s partnership with Atlassian earlier this year – the biggest investment in the racing brand’s history.
signal of intent that one of the sport’s weaker teams is upping its ante
Despite question marks over Atlassian’s billionaire founder and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes’ move into F1 given his climate change activism, the Williams partnership is a major signal of intent that one of the sport’s weaker teams is upping its competitive ante.
Menashe added that the UK company looks forward to “Betway and Jackpot City logos being seen at circuits across the globe” during the 2025 Grand Prix season.
Along with the Super Group and Atlassian tie-ups, the British F1 outfit also unveiled a fresh multi-year partnership with Santander plus “extended and expanded partnerships” with Gulf Oil International, Duracell, and Kraken for 2025.
Smiles all round
Despite finishing second-last in the F1 constructors category for the 2024 Grand Prix season, since US private equity firm Dorilton Ventures acquired Williams in 2020 and, given the raft of 2025 deals, there’s increased belief the brand is attempting a big push up the grid.
Alongside adding Carlos Sainz from Ferrari as a driver for 2025, Williams F1 ambassador Jenson Button expressed the mood in the camp of “the progress that this team has been making over the years.” The ex-F1 driver, who was speaking at Silverstone last week, said the progress can be seen in the Atlassian partnership, which Button added “is a big deal.”
“They can see where this team is going, they can see the leadership of this team and how they’ve turned it around over the last few years.”
All around Las Vegas right now, poker players are losing weight and for once, it’s not for a prop bet with Bill Perkins. On February 22, poker’s brightest stars will squeeze themselves into aspirational formal wear and descend upon the PokerGO Studios for a night of glitz, glamour and… ok, yeah, I think most of them are there for the free bar. Hosted by the dapper Jeff Platt and the elegant Drea Renee, the 6th Annual Global Poker Awards will honor excellence and hopefully some mediocrity, too, if everyone on the voting panel received the edible arrangement that I sent them.
PokerStars will need to book out half the venue as it completely dominates the shortlists
If the nominees are divided into tables based on their company affiliation at the awards, PokerStars will need to book out half the venue as it completely dominates the shortlists. Joe Stapleton and Marle Spragg have three nods each. Barny Boatman has two. Add to that Ben Spragg, Lex Veldhuis, Francine Watson, Toby Stone, Kerry-Jane Craigie, Alejandro Lococo, the Barcelona EPT, and “The Big Game On Tour.” It would also not be unreasonable to count the Irish Open’s two nominations and freelancers Danny Maxwell and Nick O’Hara as part of their haul. In case that wasn’t enough, Jason Koon and quad-nominee Caitlin Comeskey have recently been added to their ranks for a total of 25 shots at glory.
The WPT also managed a decent haul with eleven nominations – again being generous with my interpretations here – they have Brad Owen, Jamie Kerstetter, Jonathan Van Fleet, Matt Savage, Lance Bradley, Rachel Kay Winter, Enrique Malfavon, the Ultimate Stack, the Mike Sexton Trophy, the Prime Tour and the $5M Freeroll all in contention for honors.
WSOP, Triton and Unibet Poker the best of the rest
The best of the rest are the World Series of Poker with six nominations for Gregory Chochon, Jesse Fullen, Drew Amato, the Main Event, the WSOP Circuit and the WSOP bracelet. Triton has four for Andy Wong, Luca Vivaldi, Best Trophy, and Best Stream. They could also at least partly bring Ali Nejad and Nick Schulman into their tent.
Unibet Poker is up in four categories with “The Chip Race” up for Podcast, ambassadors Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin up for Best Book and Best Journalist, respectively, and as the Main and High Roller event sponsors of the Malta Poker Festival. PokerGO has three shots: Best Stream, Best Trophy, and for the episodic Series “No Gamble, No Future.” They also have partial dibs on Schulman, Nejad, and fellow on-air talent Jeff Platt.
PokerNews has three contenders: Best Podcast, Connor Richards, and a strong connection to Abby Merk’s Rising Star nomination. Winamax is represented by Toughest Opponent nominee Adrian Mateos, the episodic series “Inside The Mind of a Poker Pro,” and its video content “Davidi Kitai: Life of a Genius.” Flying the flag for GGPoker are two nominations for Daniel Negreanu and one for Greg “Greg Goes All-In” Liow. Both The Wynn (Ray Pulford, Ryan Beauregard, Wynn Millions) and Rozvadov (Federico Brunato, Stream, and Poker Room) also have three chances each. Both PokerStrategy (Barry Carter and Váklev Dušek) and PokerOrg (Brad Willis and Sarah Herring) have two.
would only consist of minimally amusing, maximally indulgent meta-punditry
Now let’s take a look at the nominations in the categories honoring poker’s content creators working in an audio or visual medium, without whom poker-tainment would only consist of minimally amusing, maximally indulgent meta-punditry stretched out agonizingly across quadrilogies of paid-by-the-word articles.
BEST ON-AIR TALENT
Jeffrey Platt
Joe Stapleton
Nick Schulman
Ali Nejad
Three out of last year’s four broadcaster nominees are up for on-air talent with Joe Stapleton replacing Henry Kilbane on the list. Jeff Platt is a consummate all-rounder, able to commentate, present, interview, sideline report, and Twitch stream. PokerGO and the WSOP are lucky to have him in their ranks. Joe Stapleton is a commentator, presenter, and podcast host, bringing his comedy stylings to the PokerStars live coverage, the PokerStars “Big Game On Tour,” and “Poker In the Ears.”
In contrast, Nick Schulman and Ali Nejad are specialists, both occupying specifically defined roles within a commentary duo. One of the game’s great players himself, Schulman brings a level of analysis that trumps everyone else’s. He also does it in the smoothest, most mellifluous voice, which both sizzles and pops. Nejad is the best play-by-play commentator in the business, the enunciator-in-chief, the segue shinobi, possessing a silver tongue and a gilded vocabulary.
This is a tough category to predict, with all four contenders doing stellar work in 2024. Interestingly, this award has never had a repeat winner, with past recipients Maria Ho, Schulman, Platt, James Hartigan, and Nejad taking turns. In the spirit of sharing it around then, my prediction is that the versatile Joe Stapleton will receive the gong.
BEST STREAMER
Jonathan Van Fleet “apestyles”
Bert Stevens “girafganger7”
Benjamin Spragg “Spraggy”
Lex Veldhuis “LexVeldhuis”
Three of last year’s four nominees are once again on the short-list with Jonathan Van Fleet nicking Kevin Martin’s spot this time around. Last year was undoubtedly the Year of the Giraffe on Twitch, but this year it feels like a much more open field.
Van Fleet could win his first award in this category. Veldhuis could win his third after claiming this prize in 2018 and 2019. Girafganger could go back-to-back after exploding onto the scene in 2023. However, I reckon that the talented and charismatic Benjamin Spragg will make it a double after taking this award home in 2021.
BEST VLOGGER
Corey Eyring “corey_eyring”
Daniel Negreanu “dnegspoker”
Brad Owen “BradOwenPoker”
Alexander Seibt “Wolfgang_Poker”
Masato Yokosama
There are five nominees in this category, four of whom were also in the mix last year. With the 2023 winner Jamon Burton stepping aside, Corey Eyring, Daniel Negreanu, Brad Owen, and Alexander “Wolfgang” Seibt are joined by the massively popular Japanese vlogger Masato Yokosawa.
Owen is the only former winner, having received this prize in 2021. His vlogs are iconic in the space. In terms of numbers, Yokosawa finds the widest audiences. Negreanu and Eyring post big numbers, too. Seibt is perhaps better known for his short-form clips, but there’s no doubting the slickness of his edits in longer form, as well.
My hunch is this one boils down to a tête-à-tête between Negreanu’s WSOP adventures and Eyring’s confessions, with the latter picking up the gong.
Václav Dušek is a tireless content machine who pops up at live events in all corners of the globe. John Kasen’s funny skits remind me of John Hodgman. Cup-aficionado Abby Merk is prolific. David Richards’ “poker with a purpose” content is as solid as his washboard abs.
Personally, I would love to see Dušek take this one down. He’s a perpetually positive and enthusiastic presence wherever he goes and his sense of humor is nicely off-center. However, having burst onto the scene in 2024, Merk is a shoo-in for this award.
BEST EPISODIC POKER SERIES
GALFOND – Poker Docuseries
Inside the Mind of a Pro (Dans la tête d’un pro) by Winamax
No Gamble, No Future by PokerGO
The Big Game On Tour by PokerStars
Phil and Farah Galfond’s docuseries was an interesting behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of the poker power couple. It was certainly an interesting creative choice to give it a reality TV sensibility. “Dans la tête d’un pro” follows the Winamax ambassadors as they compete at the 2023 WPT World Championship. Most of Season 4 of “No Gamble, No Future” aired in 2024 with Brent Hanks and Jeff Platt flitting between poker, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, and random degeneracy.
I predict the winner, however, will be “The Big Game On Tour by PokerStars.” The show was rebooted 13 years after it went off the air and it really delivered with loose cannons Nikki Limo and Lily Newhouse bringing a lot to the format as they tussled with the top pros and celebrities. The show is a throwback to the good ol’ days of tightly edited and nicely packaged poker content.
“Behind The Swings: The Legend of Isildur1” was a fun look at Viktor Blom’s meteoric rise through the lens of Phil Galfond’s own ascent in the online poker world. “Davidi Kitai: Life of a Genius” was Winamax’s well-produced origin story of Belgium’s live pro extraordinaire.
Written, directed, and produced by accomplished poker documentarian Michael Bailey, “The Ultimate Stack” adopted the nifty structure of following one player’s stack as it got handed over from player to player until the end of the tournament.
My favorite of the quartet, however, was the BBC-produced Greg Clark joint which followed Scottish pros Niall Farrell and David Docherty to Prague, Monte Carlo, Dublin, and Las Vegas, capturing the vagaries and peculiarities of the poker circus.
Jesse Fullen is a breath of fresh air in the poker world. He is mischievously fun, always smiling and a great storyteller. His reminiscences about Jack Binion were a delight. Spragg got into character as the dealer who is a stickler for the rules and etiquette. I’m shocked Comeskey wasn’t nominated for her T-levels or ACR chat group video, but she and Merk combined nicely with a cameo from Jared Jaffee in this amusing skit.
The best short-form video from those nominated, however, was Nikki Limo’s hilariously written and performed bit satirizing the tired stereotypes of what it’s like to be a woman at the poker table.
BEST SHORT-FORM CONTENT CREATOR
Gregory Liow “Greg Goes All In”
Marle Spragg
Nikki Limo
Caitlin Comeskey
Our ever-shortening attention spans crave fast content. Two minutes? Too long. We want snappy, un-swipe-past-able videos and we want them funny as hell. That is what this elite foursome provides time and time again with their wonderfully creative and clever skits.
Liow’s content always bangs. Spragg always makes funny observations about both the live and online poker world. Limo is an experienced professional comedienne who really found her poker sweet spot this year.
The winner, I suspect, will be awards-darling Comeskey, whose impression work, in particular, captures the essence of a person and situation. A brave performer, she puts herself on the line for her art and I look forward to every video she drops.
BEST MEDIA CONTENT: PHOTO
Drew Amato: “The Ghost of Jason Mercier”
Enrique Malfavon: “The Thrill of Victory”
Danny Maxwell: “Barny Goatman”
Rachel Kay Winter: “Misery, Not Mystery”
Photographers working in poker understand what a challenging environment it is. They have next to no control over the elements and the only thing more unreliable than the lighting are the subjects, often uncooperative, insouciant poker players who immediately pull weird faces when they realize there is a camera pointing at them. It’s actually a minor miracle then that we have so many superb photographers working in our industry, capable of capturing moments of posterity with both emphasis and nuance.
Drew Amato got playful with exposure as he conjured a spectral image of poker pro Jason Mercier. Enrique Malfavon got himself into the scrum as Scott Stewart was surrounded by friends at the moment of victory in the WPT World Championship. I think, however, that this will be a face-off between the photographer who won last year and a photographer who has been nominated for three of the last four years.
The superb Rachel Kay Winter depicts a hilariously evil and literally priceless moment when Jason Christopher realized he was the recipient of the Misery Bounty on the WPT $5M Freeroll final table. Personally though, I don’t think it’s possible to beat Danny Maxwell’s sublime black and white photograph of Barny Boatman. In what could be a still from a Jim Jarmusch movie, Maxwell taps into something raw and emotional, elevating it above the rest for me. It just hits different.
BEST PODCAST
Thinking Poker (Andrew Brokos, Carlos Welch)
The Chip Race Poker Podcast (David K Lappin, Dara O’Kearney, Barry Carter for Unibet Poker)
Pokernews Podcast (Kyna England, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz)
Poker in the Ears (James Hartigan, Joseph Stapleton for PokerStars)
The Oscars save Best Picture for last, the ultimate honor, the most prestigious award. It’s much like Best Podcast – in this series of articles – not at the actual ceremony when it will probably take place offscreen during an ad for the PokerGO Tour Mixed Games Event #3 livestream.
Three of last year’s nominees are once again in contention as “Only Friends” makes way for the newly rebooted “PokerNews Podcast” in the final four. The 2021 winner “Poker in the Ears” is nominated for a fourth consecutive year. The 2018 and 2023 victor “The Chip Race” has its hat in the ring for a record fifth time.
My pick, however, is “Thinking Poker” for the same reasons I gave in my equivalent piece last year and that we gave in our acceptance speech last year. It is the OG poker podcast and it is long overdue some love and recognition. Andrew Brokos and Carlos Welch are two of poker’s true gentlemen and I sincerely hope that they take this one down.
The scene comes straight out of a heist movie, but with one exception: in the current casino heist trend, the robbers never set foot in the casino. Instead, cyber hackers make casinos and online gambling operators frequent targets by using ransomware. They first hack into a casino’s systems and then demand ransom to restore the casino’s access to its own database and functions.
as many as seven out of ten cyberattacks in 2023 were for ransom
The ransom business is highly profitable. Statista reports that as many as seven out of ten cyberattacks in 2023 were for ransom, recording over 317 million attempts that resulted in a significant increase in ransom collection between 2022 to 2023 – from $457m to $1.1bn.
In a more recent example this past weekend, Kewadin Casinos uncovered a security breach that led to the company shutting down all gaming operations until the hack can be fixed. The company is owned by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which operates casinos in Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace, Manistique, Christmas, and Hessel, all on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
As of February 17, 2025, all locations and gaming operations have been suspended while the company attempts to resolve the issue. Tribal Chairman Austin Lowes told WLUC that in this case, the ransomware attack involved the hacker encrypting the company’s files, making them impossible to access. The hackers are now demanding a ransom for decryption.
the hack has resulted in Kewadin being unable to access the company’s systems
The company’s website states that the hack has resulted in Kewadin being unable to access the company’s systems or central phone lines. The casino has been forced to offer a separate phone line for hotel guests to request refunds for current hotel reservations.
In a statement on Facebook, Kewadin management stated: “We immediately enlisted the help of third-party experts to determine how this incident was caused and to restore our gaming operations as quickly as possible. That investigation is ongoing. We understand that this is inconvenient and unexpected news. Please know our experts are working around-the-clock to restore gaming operations. We apologize for this inconvenience.”
Casinos fight back
While ransomware attacks have continued, casinos have learned how to fight back with an unusual method: they simply don’t pay the ransom. Sounds surprising, but in the fourth quarter of 2023, as few as 29% of global ransomware attacks resulted in a ransom payment. The payment percentage represents a sharp decrease from 41% in 2023, with the average amount paid sliding from $850k to just under $570k.
If the opening day of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is like the Christmas morning of the poker calendar, the release of the summer WSOP schedule is, what, like seeing the wrapped presents under the tree the night before? I don’t know, I’m reaching.
with 100 live gold bracelet events, it is the longest schedule of all time
So sure, let’s pretend today is Christmas Eve, as the 2025 World Series of Poker schedule has been announced. Despite this being the first year the WSOP will be run under the ownership of GGPoker, there is nothing eye-poppingly different about the schedule, though with 100 live gold bracelet events, it is the longest schedule of all time.
The 2025 WSOP Main Event, held at both Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas, will begin July 2 with the first of four Day 1 flights and conclude when the champ holds the giant bracelet aloft on July 16. Day 2 will also have four flights, though Days 2A, 2B, and 2C will all be on July 6, while July 7 will have Day 2D all to itself. The final table will span July 15-16 with an off day on July 14.
There are six new events on the 2025 WSOP schedule, the most notable of which is Event #59: $1,000 Battle of the Ages No-Limit Hold’em. In this tournament, all entrants 50 and over will compete on Day 1A and then everyone under 50 years old will sit down on Day 1B. The survivors of the two starting flights will merge for the second and final day of the tournament.
PokerGO will once again be the exclusive broadcaster of the 2025 World Series of Poker. The broadcast schedule has yet to be announced. PokerGO is a subscription-based poker live-streaming service; subscriptions are available in monthly, quarterly, and annual packages, though PokerGO does usually offer a special WSOP discount, so keep an eye out.
The complete 2025 WSOP schedule can be found on the World Series of Poker website.
Norsk Tipping, Norway’s sole gambling operator, is under scrutiny for an issue with its iOS app that prevented users from self-excluding. It is facing a fine of €3.1m ($3.2m) as a result of the “technical failure” that occurred in January 2024 and that it only became aware of in May, at which time it instantly resolved the fault.
self-reported the situation to the Norwegian Gambling Authority (NGA)
The following month, the company self-reported the situation to the Norwegian Gambling Authority (NGA), handing over all relevant information. The regulator sees this as a serious matter because Norsk Tipping is the country’s exclusive gambling operator and has an obligation to protect people who are struggling to control their gambling.
In determining the size of the fine, the NGA took into account the length of time the issue was active, the extent of the breach, and the lack of a system in place to raise the issue earlier.
Oaktree Capital Management, well-known in finance circles as a specialist in distressed debt, is offering embattled Australian casino company Star Entertainment an AU$650m (US$414m) lifeline.
company’s share price has plummeted 77% over the last year
Star is close to collapse, with cash rapidly running out and the company being forced to sell some of its assets. The company’s share price has plummeted 77% over the last year following extensive revelations of anti-money laundering failures, resulting in hundreds of millions in fines and gambling licensing issues.
Star’s board will consider Oaktree’s offer, which would need approval from the Queensland and New South Wales governments. Additional financing is necessary even if the AU$650m (US$414m) deal proceeds. The California-based firm will also require security over assets, meaning it could sell off the company’s properties if necessary if repayments aren’t forthcoming.
Oaktree has history with other struggling Australian companies. It gave Blue Sky Alternative Investments AU$50m (US$32m) in 2018 before things went south; Oaktree unexpectedly appointed receivers only nine months after the deal.
Popular influencer Mike Majlak has called on Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to allow Americans to write off their gambling losses.
as american people, we deserve the RIGHT to write our gambling losses off our taxes!!
we paid taxes when we put it in our pockets. the casino and sportsbook have to pay taxes when they get it. y’all are double dipping!!
The US federal government requires people to disclose their winnings and pay taxes on them. While people can deduct gambling losses from winnings, they can’t claim a tax write-off for losses that exceed their wins.
often deduct 24% for winnings over a certain threshold to cover the estimated taxes
Casinos or sportsbooks often deduct 24% of winnings over a certain threshold to cover the estimated taxes. If a gambler has a substantial win, they will get an IRS Form W-2G. The exact sum depends on the gambling product. For example, for bingo or slot games, it is $1,200, and rises to $5,000 for a lottery win.
Casinos aren’t usually obligated to withhold money for big wins on certain types of table games like roulette, craps, and blackjack as they can’t calculate the total funds someone started with. This means gamblers need to self-declare this activity when preparing their tax returns.
Paying taxes on gambling wins is not necessary in many other countries. In the UK, Ireland, and Australia, you keep everything that you win, with no deductions.
Lawmakers in Mississippi have made history as the state’s Senate approved a bill to ban online sweepstakes casinos.
first in the US to approve bill to ban online sweepstakes
In approving SB 2510 by a 44-1 vote on Wednesday, Mississippi’s upper chamber became the first legislative body in the US to opt to ban the controversial casinos.
Sports betting legal expert Daniel Wallach took to X with an excerpt from SB 2510, highlighting penalties including $100,000 fines and up to ten years in jail:
NEW: The Mississippi Senate has passed a bill that would ban online sweepstakes casinos by a 44-1 vote. Per SB 2510, each violation would be a felony, subject to a $100K fine, up to 10 years in jail, and a forfeiture of assets. Bill heads to the House.https://t.co/FHQR1XviXspic.twitter.com/IMy4Gdjzlj
Authored by Senator Joey Fillingane, SB 2510 places both online sweepstakes games and sweepstakes casinos on Mississippi’s banned games list.
Clock ticking for sweepstakes
SB 2510 features an amendment to Mississippi law that, should it be passed, is wide-ranging enough in its legal scope to spell the end for the sweepstakes vertical in the state.
The amendment states “any online, interactive, or computerized version of any game as defined in section 75-76-5 or any other game of chance or digital simulation thereof […] is hereby declared to be a gambling device.”
Fillingane’s bill names the offending games as “including, but not limited to, online race books, online sports pools, and online sweepstakes casino-style games.”
the history-making bill that is now heading to the House of Representatives
Promoting play or operating the listed games via digital or interactive platforms will be against Mississippi law via SB 2510, the history-making bill that is now heading to the House of Representatives.
During Wednesday’s Senate hearing, Fillingane said many bettors in the state are clueless they’re breaking the law because the sweepstakes games: “look just like legal online betting sites.”
Hefty penalties
Fillingane’s bill shifts the penalty for sweepstakes operators from misdemeanor to felony. Along with fines capped at $100,000 and prison terms of up to ten years, the state would also have the right to demand forfeiture of “assets, rights, and privileges” belonging to the operator.
The bill’s author added SB 2510 will also “affect illegally operating online sportsbooks and casinos, such as Bovada,” which Tennessee fined $50,000 in October to become the first US state to issue a financial penalty to the firm.
Fillingane said the bill was only going after “online operators, the people who put the platforms up” not bettors mistakenly playing the games.
