You're My Only Hope
Nebraska's sports betting bill ran into a roadblock, leaving Hawaii as the sole remaining [good] candidate to legalize sports betting this year.
The Bulletin Board
THE LEDE: 2025’s sports betting expansion hopes come down to Hawaii.
ROUNDUP: NE & MN sports betting updates; Accel soft opens IL casino; Quote of the Week; Several gaming lawyers land new roles.
NEWS: NCLGS announces its lineup for prediction market and sweeps panel.
VIEWS: Sorry, South Carolinians, but gambling expansions are unlikely.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: Slide dealing and PA’s interstate launch date.
STRAY THOUGHTS: California is a golden opportunity.
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The Lede: HI Gov. “Likely” Won’t Veto Sports Betting Bill
Sports betting legalization efforts in Nebraska have come to an end (see the Roundup section below), which places the spotlight squarely on Hawaii, the surprise sports betting candidate of 2025.
The Hawaii House and Senate have both passed different versions of the same sports betting bill, and are now trying to resolve those differences in a conference committee. The deadline for an agreement is May 2.
Any concern that Hawaii Gov. Josh Green would veto a sports betting bill sent to his desk has been alleviated, following a recent statement from the governor that while he’s been pretty neutral on the topic, he “likely” won’t veto a bill passed by the legislature, with one caveat: it must include proper safeguards. “I know we have a tradition of not allowing gaming, but the world is changing,” Green said in an interview Monday.
Green’s comments remove any possibility that a compromise would be for naught, which should help negotiations, as lawmakers don’t have to worry about voting on a contentious piece of legislation only to have the rug pulled out from under them.
On a separate but related path, legislation that would establish a working group to study the legalization of casinos in Hawaii is facing the same issue, as the Senate and House differ on how the working group should be structured, which will need to be hashed out.
Per local reporting, “SCR 121 would bring industry, law enforcement, tourism, and government experts into a working group to study how to legalize casinos.”
The House version has broader representation, including additional departmental directors (Attorney General, Health, and Human Services) and a university representative, as well as non-specific representation from gaming corporations.
The Senate version is more focused, omitting certain governmental departments and the university's role, while specifying three gaming companies: Boyd Gaming, DraftKings, and BetMGM.
Roundup: NE & MN Sports Betting; Accel’s IL Casino; Quote of the Week; Lawyers Land New Roles
Nebraska sports betting effort fails [Ryan Butler on X]: A somewhat promising effort to put sports betting on the 2026 ballot in Nebraska has come to an abrupt end. “Nebraska online sports betting legalization hopes through the legislature are over after ballot measure bill will not be taken up for a vote, ending lawmakers' push to offer a referendum that would allow voters to approve mobile sportsbooks in 2026,” per Ryan Butler. Legislative efforts may be kaput, but lawmakers did say sports betting operators could try to get a citizen-led initiative on the 2026 ballot.
Another sports betting bill in Minnesota [SBC Americas]: Minnesota State Sen. Nick Frentz has introduced SB 3414, a bill that seeks to legalize sports betting and daily fantasy sports. The legislation is similar to other efforts in the state, as it attempts to build upon a framework compromise that garnered widespread excitement earlier this year — STTP was and is pessimistic.
Accel soft-opens Fairmount Park Casino [Press Release]: Accel Entertainment announced the soft opening of its first Illinois casino, Fairmount Park Casino & Racing, effective April 18, 2025. Per the press release, “This marks Accel’s strategic entry into the locals racino market—prioritizing convenience, operational efficiency, and market accessibility.” As STTP has noted, Accel’s entry into the casino space could lessen the company’s opposition to online casinos.
Quote of the Week [Comped.com]: “If the governor of this state doesn’t show leadership in saying, ‘Hey, we may not want to do iGaming, but we need to do it for the sake of revenue or helping someone with an addiction’ — she should take the initiative. It can’t be just me. I can’t be the only one who’s chair of the committee going, ‘We need to do this and back this struggle constantly.’ I can’t be the only one. It has to be the governor.” ~ NY State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.
Lawyers on the move Part 1 [Press Release]: Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has expanded its Gaming Practice with the addition of Ali Bartlett and Rajat R. Shah as shareholders. Bartlett will be based in Chicago, arriving from Bose McKinney & Evans LLP. Regular readers will recognize Bartlett, whom I recently dubbed “one of the most plugged-in people in Indiana regarding gambling happenings.”
Lawyers on the move Part 2 [Las Vegas Review-Journal]: “Resorts World Las Vegas has named a new chief compliance officer, the latest move in a series of leadership changes prompted by the Strip property’s regulatory lapses. Jennifer Roberts will oversee the casino’s regulatory compliance, which includes registration and licensing, anti-money laundering, and responsible gaming.” Roberts, who has a distinguished career, most recently served as Vice President and General Counsel at WynnBET.
News: NCLGS Panel Will Tackle Prediction Markets
The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States will dive headfirst into the debate over the sweepstakes-prediction market during its Summer Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 10.
Per the press release:
“NCLGS President Shawn Fluharty, a Delegate from West Virginia, will chair the Committee on Emerging Forms of Gaming, which will address the myriad of regulatory and law-enforcement challenges brought on by sports prediction markets, skill games, and other gambling forms.”
A sweepstakes-prediction market panel is pretty much mandatory at gaming conferences these days, but kudos to NCLGS for putting together a truly diverse panel that will come at the issue from several angles:
Alex Kane, CEO, Sporttrade
Christopher Gerlacher, Prediction Market Industry Analyst, Prediction News
Brandt Iden, Vice President, Government Affairs, Fanatics Betting & Gaming
Joshua B. Sterling, Partner, Milbank; former Director, Market Participants Division, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission
You can register for the NCLGS Summer Meeting here.
Views: SC Committee Discusses Gambling Expansions
As previewed on Monday, the South Carolina House of Representatives Ways and Means Revenue Policy Subcommittee held a hearing on several gambling matters, including sports betting and a brick-and-mortar casino. No votes were taken, and time is growing increasingly short, as the legislative session is set to end on May 8.
The views expressed during the hearing ran the gamut, with both sides, for and against, using the “won’t anyone think of the children” plea.
Per local reporting:
“You are the shepherds of this state. And we will pray as shepherds, you will do everything that is good and just and is right for our state,” one person arguing against gambling expansions said.
“Superintendent Sean Foster with the Orangeburg County School District spoke in support of a casino in the county. He says a partnership like this would allow them to encourage students that they will be able to find a job after graduation.”
The debate is currently moot, as South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has consistently stated that he will veto any bill expanding gambling. As previously reported in STTP:
“Also standing in the way is Gov. Henry McMaster. “The governor has always opposed legalized sports betting and campaigned against it during the 2022 gubernatorial election,” McMaster spokesman Brandon Charochak told the Charleston City Paper earlier this month. “His position remains unchanged.”
SPONSOR’S MESSAGE - Episode 70: Who Is Winning The A.I. Arms Race
Host Brad Allen is joined by industry founder Stephen Taylor-Matthews to discuss:
Selling his company to Underdog
Why Flutter, DraftKings and bet365 are leading on A.I.
Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
Two poker news items to get to today.
First, a new way to deal cards just dropped: ‘Slide Dealing.’
And like everything in the poker universe, it’s being debated to death, thanks to this seemingly mild tweet from Tournament Director extraordinaire, Matt Savage:
The method isn’t exactly new, and at least one live tournament operator, PokerStars, will be switching to ‘Slide Dealing.’
In a recent press release, PokerStars announced Slide Dealing along with several other changes to protect the integrity of its tournaments: “PokerStars is introducing further updates to its live events rules… which have been designed as a result of direct player feedback to eliminate potential for abuse and cheating.”
“These changes are all about integrity and player experience and safety”, said Toby Stone, EPT Tournament Director.
The changes announced include:
Slide dealing rolls out to all tournaments: Slide dealing will be introduced in select events at EPT Monte Carlo and will be fully implemented by EPT Barcelona in August.
Expanded smart device restrictions: Starting from EPT Monte Carlo, the list of banned devices at the felt and being used during play will expand from phones to include all smart accessories, such as smart watches, rings, glasses, and other wearable technology that can transmit or receive data.
Stricter seating rules: no lingering before sitting: New entries will be required to sit down immediately upon arriving at the table. This is to ensure that players cannot take advantage by lingering to skip blinds or observe play.
For a deeper dive into the new changes at PokerStars’ events, I recommend this column from Pokerfuse.com.
In other poker news, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has officially signed off on the state’s entry into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA):
It appears that at least one operator will be permitted to pool its poker players with those from other MSIGA states, effective April 28, as indicated in the state’s press release, which mentions BetMGM explicitly.
Per a press release from BetMGM: “Starting on Monday, April 28 at 9 a.m., poker players from the three states [Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey] can now compete on the same platform and will have the opportunity to compete for the largest prize pools in the history of BetMGM Poker.”
When the other operators will be permitted is unclear at this time. Interstate pooling would be a boon for WSOP.com, as the World Series of Poker is set to kick off in May, and online events attached to the Las Vegas series have grown increasingly popular. Adding a state with a population of more than 13 million to its existing tournaments would swell the prize pools and make them even more appealing.
Stray Thoughts
Why is the industry willing to spend so much money on California sports betting legalization efforts?
For those curious about how other states stack up, you can find a state chart here and a country chart here.