New Rule: Standardized RG
New Jersey is working on standardizing responsible gambling policies to better monitor and contact at-risk betting behaviors.
The Bulletin Board
THE LEDE: NJ proposes standardized rules for RG monitoring and outreach.
ROUNDUP: Underdog adds two to C-Suite; WY passes on tax hike; Better Collective leans into AI.
NEWS: DraftKings execs discuss a wide range of topics with Citizens.
VIEWS: Wynn bucks the trend with new (restored) customer-friendly policies.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: Prediction market space is growing crowded.
STRAY THOUGHTS: Sponsorship opportunities.
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The Lede: New Jersey Creates 10-Point RG Regulations
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has recently published new responsible gambling regulations for licensed gambling operators to monitor and intervene with bettors who are at risk.
The rules, designed to standardize RG policies and outreach, are currently in the public comment period and are likely to receive feedback from operators and some changes before they become official.
“We have these 10 factors identified,” Assistant Bureau Chief and Responsible Gaming lead, Jamie McKelvey, said during Tuesday’s iDEA Growth Power Lunch Summit. “If it turns out later that those aren’t the 10 best ones, that there are others out there that are superior, we need to have that flexibility to be able to modify that. If we are prescriptive on how operators are able to monitor this patron behavior, that could backfire and stifle innovation and prevent forward movement.”
Under the DGE proposed rules, customers will be monitored for being “at-risk” if:
A patron’s deposits exceed $10,000 over a 24-hour period.
A patron’s deposits exceed $100,000 over a 90-day period.
A patron accesses the self-exclusion request page, but does not complete the self-exclusion process three or more times in a 30-day period.
A patron requests a second cool-off period within 45 days of the conclusion of the first cool-off period.
A patron makes three consecutive increases to any responsible gaming limits offered by the operator without any decreases within a seven-day period.
A patron cancels withdrawal requests prior to the processing of the withdrawal three times in a 10-day period.
The total turnover of a patron’s account exceeds $1,000,000 in a 90-day period.
A patron’s time spent logged into the account increases by 50% or more during the current week, compared to the prior two-week period.
A patron ends two or more gambling/gaming sessions in the same week with a balance of less than $1 remaining in their account.
A patron concludes two or more sessions in the same week with an increase in the total number of wagers from the previous session.
The proposed rules also allow for future changes:
Any additional triggers identified by the operator to be potential indicators of problem gaming behavior.
Any additional triggers identified by the Division through a Director’s Order and notice to the operators.
Any triggers will require operators to conduct a due diligence check, which may result in interventions:
Intervention #1: Patrons are provided information on responsible gambling tools available.
Intervention #2: The patron is required to watch a responsible and problem gambling video.
Intervention #3: The operator is required to contact the patron by phone or video to discuss their betting behavior and treatment opportunities — The operator must cover the cost of treatment if the customer agrees to counseling.
New Jersey has experimented with different intervention proposals in the past. As McKelvey said on Tuesday, “We’ve been working on them for several years,” but the effort picked up momentum after Gov. Phil Murphy created the Responsible Gaming Task Force last year.
STTP Thoughts: It’s hard to argue with any of the proposed red flags (the final two are iffy), but I’m really not sold on the interventions, particularly #2 and #3.
“The program’s use of available data should be commended. That said, I have serious concerns about the intrusive nature of some of the outreach. It’s not a question of whether we should collect data. The question is, what do we do with that data?”
I’d also like to see something on customers who make multiple deposits in a set period (not just total amount), for non-standard amounts ($68), and especially if some are declined.
Roundup: Underdog Adds to C-Suite; WY Passes on Tax Hike; Better Collective Leans Into AI
Underdog adds to executive team following Crypto.com deal [Press Release]: Underdog (a newsletter sponsor) has added two C-Suite executives, Rishi Garg as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Kimberly Pointer Corbett as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Per the press release, “The appointments come as Underdog is expected to reach nearly $500 million in revenue in only its fifth year of operation and on the heels of the successful launch of a partnership with Crypto.com… to make sports event contracts accessible to customers through Underdog.
Wyoming legislature adjourns without taking up gambling tax increase [Laramie Boomerang]: State lawmakers adjourned early Tuesday after realizing their committee meeting would be fruitless when members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus blocked a slate of proposed gambling taxation legislation.” Committee Chairwoman Sen. Tara Nethercott expressed frustration with the process: “I feel like we’re not committing in any way to broaden our views. (We’re wasting) a lot of Legislative Service Office time, a lot of legislators’ time, a lot of concerns about gaming.” As an aside, Laramie Boomerang is a fantastic name for a newspaper.
Better Collective leans into AI [SBC Americas]: Affiliate giant Better Collective recently announced the official launch of a new AI-powered wagering solution called Playbook, first trialed around the Super Bowl. “Launched in the U.S. market on Sept. 3 in time for the start of the NFL season, Playbook creates a direct path from betting content or tips to sportsbooks via a direct link that opens a pre-loaded bet slip in a sportsbook’s app or website. The technology works by utilizing bet slip image recognition built on AI and deeplinks.”
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News: DK Execs Talk iGaming, Prediction Markets, Surcharges, and AI
Citizens recently hosted an investor meeting with DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, CFO Alan Ellingson, and Senior Director, Investor Relations Michael DeLalio, where a range of topics were discussed, and there was quite a bit of meat on the bone.
On Attracting iCasino-First Customers
In its note, Citizens said, “The company acknowledged its strong iCasino table game position (>50% market share), which has benefited from strong cross-selling from its sportsbook but carries a lower gaming margin compared to slots.” DraftKings told Citizens it has been allocating more dollars and resources to attract iCasino-first, slot-focused players.
This aligns with other recent remarks by Robins at the Bank of America Securities 2025 Gaming & Lodging Conference, where Robins noted the company’s cross-sell success, but may have missed the memo on slots-first customers:
“We were early and I think did a very good job focusing on the cross-sell side from sports with table games and games like Rocket. I think that we didn't maybe appreciate… the opportunity for a slots first customer.
“So I think it's a big opportunity for us. If you look at our share of the table games market. It's orders of magnitude higher than our share of the slots market right now online. So there's clearly a lot of low-hanging fruit there.
“I think now we are making dramatic improvements and also focusing more on the right thing, which is that slots first casino-first customer. And I don't think that was true a few months ago.”
On Prediction Markets
As Citizens said, what would a meeting be without discussing prediction markets. However, any hope of DraftKings divulging its strategy disappeared fast.
“While there was nothing material to report around DKNG's strategy in the prediction markets, the company noted it is engaged with regulators in its existing sportsbook states.”
Citizens doesn’t believe DraftKings will explore a JV partnership like FanDuel-CME, and despite the rapid spread of prediction markets in all 50 states, “it would most likely operate in states only without legal sports betting and would turn off the product if a state legalizes sports betting,” likely based on those conversations with regulators in existing sports betting states.
“The company has maintained there has been no impact from the existing prediction market operators in states with a legal framework and shared a similar conclusion as us (Link) that pricing is worse pre-game compared to the DraftKings sportsbook offering.”
On the Illinois Surcharge
“The $0.50 per bet surcharge in Illinois has only been in effect for 16 days, but handle and player reaction have shown the 'desired outcome' for the company,” Citizens reports. “We do not expect the state's September gaming revenue data to be materially different compared to prior years, yet the practice of successfully implementing the surcharge proves to be an incremental tool for the company if other states look to increase tax rates during the upcoming 2026 legislative sessions.”
On iCasino Legalization
Robins offered Citizens one prediction: “We get one iGaming state legalized.”
Amazingly, that is a bold prediction.
On AI
DraftKings told Citizens, it has “implemented AI throughout the organization for internal and external functions… Internally, the company has adopted AI functions to help write RFPs, engineers to write code, added chatbots, and drafted legal opinions, which can all save on outsourced labor over time. Externally, AI is improving its ability to serve content in a personalized manner. For example, 70% of promotional spending is determined by AI, which should increase over time.”
Views: Wynn Got the Memo on Value
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on the debate over Las Vegas’ value proposition (not as much time as on prediction markets, but still a considerable amount), and it appears we are starting to see a split among major operators.
“Wynn Resorts has begun rolling out a series of guest-focused changes aimed at reinforcing value in Las Vegas, including the elimination of triple-zero roulette,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. “Other changes at the sister Strip resorts include complimentary bottled water in guest rooms, complimentary self-parking for all hotel guests, domestic beer and sodas sold at standard, non-premium hotel prices (including hotel room minibars), and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi capable of video calls and file downloads.”
As Joe Pompliano recently wrote in his Huddle Up newsletter regarding Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank’s decision to lower concession prices, it might be time to question conventional wisdom:
“Many owners initially thought Blank was crazy for introducing this “fan first” pricing menu. Teams make the majority of their revenue from media rights and ticket sales. However, concessions still generate approximately $2 million per game for an NFL team. But that’s the magic behind this phenomenon. Arthur Blank created a system that improved the fan experience and also the team’s balance sheet.”
SPONSOR’S MESSAGE - Episode 90: Who Has the Best Prediction Market Product?
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Which rival has a better UX
Whether prediction markets will ever be competitive with sportsbooks
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Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
Everybody wants in.
Considering recent developments, and the headwinds facing online casino legalization (not to mention states looking to further restrict sports betting), one has to wonder if the proponents of legal online gambling are throwing in the towel and looking for alternate means of entry.
Stray Thoughts
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