A Knock-Down Drag-Out Fight
Minnesota sports betting is in for a tough slog in 2025. Political pundits are becoming increasingly interested in sports betting, and not in a good way.
The Bulletin Board
NEWS: Housekeeping heading into Thanksgiving.
NEWS: Minnesota lawmakers have differing perspectives on legal sports betting.
LOOSE ENDS: NCLGS model iGaming legislation; France cuts off Polymarket; NY Gov. vetoes casino bill; L&W whistleblower files suit.
VIEWS: At least six college programs are under investigation for betting-related violations.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: A former presidential candidate is not a fan of mobile betting.
STRAY THOUGHTS: The spread of online gambling has broken out of the gambling bubble.
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Upcoming Publishing Schedule for the Holidays
A little housekeeping before we get to the news today.
First, I posted a tweet in the Around the Watercooler section in yesterday's newsletter about Betr’s contests around the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight. To clarify, Betr didn’t offer paid contests; it was free-to-play.
There will be a slight change to the publishing schedule this week, as tomorrow’s newsletter (Thanksgiving in the US) will use The Weekender format, usually published on Sunday.
And while we’re here, the newsletter will take its first break next month, as I’ll be on vacation from December 23rd until the 30th.
And finally, sponsorship opportunities for 2025 are selling fast, but I still have some inventory left. Reach out if you’d like to purchase some advertising in Straight to the Point!
Minnesota Sports Betting: Expect a Contentious Debate
Minnesota is one of the top sports betting candidates heading into 2025, and while the rhetoric is upbeat, as STTP has been saying for more than a year, there are a lot of hurdles in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
In addition to a politically divided legislature and two commercial racetracks that don’t see eye-to-eye with one another, let alone the state’s gaming tribes, there is now a third hurdle (carrying over from this year’s efforts) to overcome.
Minnesota State Sen. John Marty has announced his intention to refile a sports betting bill with a 40% tax rate and far more restrictive policies than alternative legislation filed by Rep. Zach Stephenson.
Per Gambling Harm, Marty’s bill bans:
College proposition bets
In-game wagering
Push notifications
Sports betting advertising on public property, including stadiums
Advertising during an event where at least 10% of the audience is under 21
Terms like “risk-free” bets
The bill also requires mobile sportsbooks to institute deposit/loss limits ($500 in a 24-hour period; $3,000 monthly) and activity limits (no more than four consecutive hours).
Marty’s bill also gives bettors the legal right to sue betting apps for “deceptive practices” and creates a “Red flag law” to protect families against addiction. Per Marty, the red flag law would function like red flag laws for guns: “If I sense a family member is falling prey to sports betting, I report it to the gambling regulator, and they have to notify all the platforms.”
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Loose Ends: Model iGaming Legislation; France Cuts Off Polymarket; NY Gov. Veto; L&W Whistleblower Files Suit
NCLGS unveils model legislation: The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States has released its draft of model iGaming legislation for public comment. The public comment period runs through the end of December, and NCLGS has scheduled a public hearing on the matter during its upcoming Winter Conference in mid-December. I have a lot of thoughts on the draft, which I’ll save for a deeper dive next week. Still, in general, this is a very industry-friendly framework (which I said could be an issue in my previous coverage) with a few responsible gambling policies thrown in.
You can find the complete draft of the NCLGS Model Legislation here
Listen to my podcast episode with NCLGS President Shawn Fluharty
France prohibits access to Polymarket: Polymarket is now off-limits in France as the country’s online gaming regulator, ANJ, investigates US election wagering on the platform, specifically, an $85 million win by a single user. Polymarket users in France are now greeted with the following message: “You appear to be located in the United States, France, or another related jurisdiction. Trading is not available to U.S. persons, persons located in the United States, France, or persons located in restricted jurisdictions.”
NY Gov. vetoes bill to speed up downstate casino licensing: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would have required casino proposals to be submitted by August of this year. Hochul didn’t sign the bill, passed in June, effectively vetoing it, and officially vetoed the bill on Monday. “Changing the timeline …. would likely have the impact of helping certain bidders and hurting others,” Hochul said. “I cannot support a bill that aims to change the rules in the middle of the process.”
Light & Wonder whistleblower files lawsuit: A bit of a bombshell, as SBC Americas reports, “Former Light & Wonder Head of Casino Studio for North America Antonio Amormino claims in a lawsuit that VP on Operations Dror Damchinsky, who joined the company in the role in May 2024, came to Amormino and asked him to alter the company budget tracking file.” Amormino claims Damchinsky, ” requested that he generate different numbers for the company’s capital asset reports, thereby attempting to present a false picture of the company’s financial condition.”
From Bad to Worse: 6 College Basketball Programs Under Investigation
Temple’s basketball program is under investigation after a March 7 Temple-UAB game was flagged for unusual betting activity. The scope of the investigation appears far greater than a single game or even the Temple basketball program.
Interest in the months-old story was rekindled in October when SI’s Pat Forde reported that Virginia Tech basketball player Hysier Miller, a transfer from Temple, was dismissed from the team.
More recently, ESPN reported that “federal authorities are investigating whether former Temple men's basketball player Hysier Miller bet on his own games and manipulated the outcome of Owls games he played in, according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation.”
And now, per Forbes, the probe has expanded to at least six Division I programs, which the source describes as mid-major programs:
“Beyond Temple, a bevy of college basketball programs are under investigation for gambling-related violations, according to multiple sources with familiarity of the months-long inquiry. Days after Las Vegas-based U.S. Integrity alerted casinos on the suspicious wagering, another East coast team went public with gambling violations on its campus. Following the completion of the Patriot League tournament, Loyola (Md.) announced March 8 that the school dismissed a member of the men’s basketball team for a betting violation.”
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Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
Continuing my sports betting takes in the wild series, we have these tweets from former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, which received quite a bit of engagement (mostly dragging Yang for the poor analogy):
Interest in the “scourge” of mobile sports betting is growing, and it’s increasingly popping up in political corners (see today’s Stray Thoughts section below).
Stray Thoughts
Saagar Enjeti has been ranting (here and here) about the rise of online betting (and he’s not the only one), and he really went in on what he feels is a scourge during an appearance on Matt & Shane’s Secret Podcast (cued up to the gambling talk below).