North Jersey – State Sen. Ray Lesniak, D-Union, on Monday announced at the East Coast Gaming Conference in Atlantic City that he is preparing a bill to allow for private operation of sports betting at the state’s racetracks and casinos – threatening to call the bluff of the federal government regarding sports betting, . Lesniak spearheaded legalization of online gaming in the state as well as its challenge of a federal law now negating the state’s sports betting law. He said he will move forward on the bill in the Legislature should the U.S. Supreme Court decline to hear the…

iGaming Business – A joint report by University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne and the International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS) has revealed that illegal sports betting is responsible for laundering $140 billion (€102.4 billion) of money, accounting for 80% of all betting on sport. The report, entitled ‘Protecting the Integrity of Sports Competition – The Last Bet for Modern Sport’, presents the findings of a two-year research project. The study discovered all sports around the world are vulnerable to match-fixing, which is driven by illegal betting. Although football and cricket were highlighted as the most vulnerable sports, the report also…

A European Commission-funded study into sports betting rights for event organizers in the European Union has concluded that there is no legal basis or rationale for an EU-wide right to consent to bets. The study, carried out by the Dutch Asser Institute and Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam, was designed to map out the rights of sports organizers in the EU, with a particular focus on sports betting operators. The study found that the “costs associated with the administering of the right to consent to bets will always be considerable” and that there is “no evidence…

Reuters – Criminals are using betting on sports events to launder $140 billion each year, a report said on Thursday, exposing a lack of effective regulation that allows match-fixing to spread. Soccer and cricket were identified as the sports most threatened by criminals seeking to rig the gambling market but tennis, basketball, motor racing and badminton were also affected, according to the report, which is based on a two-year research. “The rapid evolution of the global sports betting market has seen an increased risk of infiltration by organised crime and money laundering,” said Chris Eaton of the Qatar-based International Centre…

US Poker – The dust has settled from the 140th Kentucky Derby. California Chrome celebrated in the winner’s circle on Saturday. Bettors that picked California Chrome to win took home $2.50 for every $1 bet.  Many other wagers were placed on the annual betting tradition. Churchill Downs held a large portion of the action. Win, place and show bets saw a 17.5 percent hold. Exotics had 22% taken from the prize pool. This was up from 16 percent and 19 percent in 2013, respectively. Churchill Downs booked $186.6 million in bets on Saturday across the entire race card. Winning bettors…

NJ 105.5 – New Jersey’s bid to legalize sports gambling has endured defeat after defeat in the courts, but one big winner has emerged, at taxpayer expense – the law firm hired to help Gov. Chris Christie defend a lawsuit filed by the four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA. The firm – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher – is the same one Christie hired, also with public money, to investigate the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal that is plaguing his administration. According to figures obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request, Gibson Dunn billed the state…