A coalition of sports betting industry stakeholders is planning a formal lobbying effort on Capitol Hill, potentially in early 2017, that will push for the expansion of legalized wagering. That was the biggest news from the American Gaming Association at a conference for media members on Thursday. The AGA is leading the effort to shape the coalition and has made sports betting its signature initiative in recent months. On Thursday, the AGA cited the NHL’s decision to locate a franchise in Las Vegas as a major step in the evolution of American sports betting. AGA senior VP of public affairs…

Last week, I shared with you news that poker public enemy #1 Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson has been lobbying the House Appropriations Committee for language hostile to online poker. Per the Adelson ban plan, since our opponents know their proposed prohibition would be crushed in an open up-or-down vote, this was to be inserted in that committee’s latest budget bill. However, due to the outstanding efforts of poker advocates and lobbyists, anti-poker Reps. Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) quickly conceded defeat and withdrew their measure without even seeking a vote! While it may seem odd that…

Amaya Inc. today announced that it expects to initially launch its PokerStars brand in New Jersey on Monday, March 21, 2016. The launch quickly follows the September 2015 authorization by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) to operate the PokerStars and Full Tilt brands in the State. Amaya currently expects to conduct an interim testing period with the DGE and a beta period for a limited player base beginning in mid-March. “PokerStars is the global leader in online poker and trusted by its customers for its robust and innovative technology, world-class security and game-integrity. We are honored and…

The right to bear arms, a part of the U.S. constitution that has seen much controversy over the years, may be in jeopardy in the event that Sheldon Adelson’s, Restoration of the American Wire Act (RAWA), successfully passes as a federal law, according the publication, New American. Adelson’s, RAWA, aims to overturn single state laws regarding internet gambling, and New American suggests that if it were to be placed into effect, it would violate states’ rights according to the constitution, which may, in turn, then affect the federal government to limit or potentially prohibit arms and ammunition sales. It appears…

Washington politicians are reportedly hatching a plan to impose a moratorium on further expansion of intrastate online gambling. GamblingCompliance scribe Chris Krafcik recently reported that US federal politicians were discussing plans to introduce legislation that would call for a study of the pros and cons of online gambling. While this study was being conducted, legislators would seek a moratorium on any states joining Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey in passing intrastate online gambling legislation. The plan is reportedly seen as a more viable alternative to the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), the Sheldon Adelson-backed legislation that would make most…

Chris Krafcik of GamblingCompliance recently testified in front of the California Assembly Governmental Organization Committee on the current and future state of legal online gaming in the United States. The presentation by Krafcik, GC’s research director, included several predictions about legalized online gaming in the U.S. Krafcik called the current efforts in Pennsylvania, California and New York “Wave 2″ of online gaming expansion in the U.S., which he characterizes as the time period from now until 2017. Krafcik went on to name four potential contenders (Rhode Island, Connecticut, Illinois, and Ohio) for what he is calling Wave 3, the period between 2018 and…