Table Games Get Some Swagger
Slots evolved from simple reels to flashy touchscreens, while table games stayed static. Penn & Teller’s Casino Monte is trying to change that.
The Bulletin Board
THE LEDE: Casino table games are ready to join the 21st century.
ROUNDUP: Arkansas Undertaker gif; Unibet hit with record fine in France; Robins remains hopeful; Late sports betting push in GA.
NEWS: What happened during the Maryland sweepstakes hearing.
NEWS: Pressure mounts; New York bill would prohibit sweepstakes.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: Unregulated gambling still prominent in searches and advertisements.
STRAY THOUGHTS: Experience masks past ignorance.
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The Lede: A New Era of Table Games
Slot machines have changed a lot over the years. Slots have evolved from a tabletop machine sitting on a countertop with three reels spinning behind a pane of glass to the modern era, where machines are 10’ tall with touchscreens, bonus rounds, and video game-caliber graphics.
Over the same period, table games barely changed in appearance or play. Yes, there are some electronic versions, but very few are social like traditional table games, and are merely online versions of these games plopped into a casino setting or some hybrid of on-site and live-dealer.
But is that changing?
Take a look at the new Penn & Teller Casino Monte table game below, from John Mehaffey.
Here’s how the game works, per CDC Gaming Reports:
“Unlike the infamous three-card monte street hustle, Casino Monte gives players a realistic chance of winning. In Casino Monte, players bet on which of three face-down cards will have the highest rank. Cards are dealt from a shoe and the roll of a die determines which card is exposed first. Players then have the option to raise their initial bet before the dealer exposes the other two cards. If two or three cards tie for high, bets on each are paid. A “Full Monte” side bet pays when the three cards form a poker hand of a pair or better. The pay table ranges from even money for a pair to 100-to-1 for suited trips.”
So what makes this different?
First, it’s branded, which is something slot manufacturers have been doing for decades that somehow hasn’t crossed over table games. More importantly, the game matches the brand; this isn’t Spiderman Blackjack, but Penn & Teller 3-Card Monte.
“As a company, what we’re really trying to do is bring some of this excitement from the entertainment business into the (table game) pit,” Adventura co-founder David Anthony told CDC Gaming reports. “These kinds of brand partnerships aren’t just about ‘branding’, but about having fun at the table.”
Second, the mechanics and the setup would allow for electronic integrations (cards and dice) and perhaps a touchscreen i-with-a-circle that lets players see how each bet works.
Roundup: AR Undertaker Gif; Unibet Record Fine; Robins Remains Hopeful; Late Push in GA
Arkansas online casino wakes up from a slumber: Today at 10 AM, the Arkansas Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee will discuss SJR 8, a bill that seeks “to amend Arkansas 31 Constitution, Amendment 100, concerning casino gaming.” While seemingly innocuous, the bill could be the gateway to legalizing online casinos in the state — Recall that I’ve been monitoring Arkansas since last year and consider it a darkhorse contender. Watch this space.
Unibet hit with record fine in France: From Jake Pollard’s excellent Gaming&Co Newsletter, “France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has fined Unibet a record €800,000 for a significant malfunction in its self-exclusion system that led to thousands of self-excluded players being able to access gambling services despite having signed out of the products.”
Jason Robins continues to be optimistic about legalization efforts: “I feel like we have some real momentum in iGaming now, the first time I’ve felt that way in a few years,” DraftKings' CEO Jason Robins said Tuesday at a Morgan Stanley conference. “We also, I think, will get some sports states done this year.” Robins has made similar comments in the past, like in February 2024, when he said, “There are a few states that I think are getting momentum on iGaming, and it will be hard, but I think we’re going to get at least one or two this year.”
Georgia House fast-tracks sports betting bill: After efforts failed in the Senate, the House Higher Education Committee approved two bills, HR 450 and HB 686, that would legalize sports betting through a constitutional amendment. The effort is running short on time (today is the last day bills can crossover to the Senate). As STTP has previously noted, there isn’t much urgency, as a constitutional amendment would go before the voters in November 2026.
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News: Sweepstakes Fight Lands in Maryland
In addition to the HHR bill STTP has been following (Bloodhorse has an excellent writeup on that aspect of yesterday’s hearing), sweepstakes was also on the agenda for the Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. SB 860 would prohibit and penalize the operation, conducting, or promotion of online sweepstakes games.
SB 860 unanimously passed the committee following the hearing. Companion legislation in the House, HB 1140, was supposed to have a hearing today, but that was rescheduled for March 11.
Following yesterday’s hearing, the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) issued a statement opposing the bill, calling it “hastily crafted” and “a dangerous overreach,” that tries to dictate what adults can play on their phones.
According to the SPGA, the bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Paul Corderman “is increasing Maryland's budget deficit and risking even more significant economic harm, all to the perceived benefit of entrenched, anti-competitive special interests.”
According to the SPGA, its members “already contribute to Maryland’s economy through sales tax on digital purchases,” and the state could capture even more money through sensible registration and taxation.
“At a time when Maryland is seeking solutions to close its budget gap, eliminating a legal, revenue-generating industry would be a costly and unnecessary misstep. Instead, policymakers should explore regulatory frameworks that harness the economic potential of social sweepstakes while maintaining consumer protections.”
However, the sweepstakes industry faces stiff opposition. STTP has obtained a letter of support sent by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, that calls sweepstakes games “illegal,” and that the “operators, manufacturers, and payment processors… bypass licensing and regulatory requirements… that mirror legal, regulated gaming.”
The MLGCA goes on to say:
“Many Marylanders participate in these illegal games because the developers excel at presenting a product that appears to be fun, is initially presented as having no risk to the player, and there are no warnings to the user that they are engaging in illegal, unregulated gaming that will ultimately allow for cash deposits to be accepted and cash prizes to be awarded.”
With the Maryland Lottery on board and growing industry opposition, the bill’s chances have increased exponentially, and as you’ll see in the following header, pressure is building against sweepstakes across the country, not to mention, the existing tribal complaints.
News: Sweepstakes Also Under Fire in New York
New York State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. has introduced a new bill prohibiting sweepstakes casinos in the state. Addabbo’s online casino bill contains a bad actor clause preventing anyone currently operating a sweepstakes site from receiving a regulated online casino license.
The new bill, S 5935, goes a step further, prohibiting online sweepstakes casinos, which it defines as:
“Online Sweepstakes Game, shall mean any game, contest, or promotion that is available on the internet and/or accessible on a mobile phone, computer terminal, or similar access device, that utilizes a dual-currency system of payment allowing the player to exchange the currency for any prize, award, cash, or cash equivalents, or any chance to win any prize, award, cash, or cash equivalents and simulates casino-style games including but not limited to draw games, instant win games, keno, bingo, and sports wagering. A sweepstake shall not include a game which does not award cash prizes or cash equivalents.”
The bolded part is a clear carveout for free-to-play social games.
It is also taking aim at affiliates and suppliers:
“It shall be unlawful for any applicant, licensed entity, financial institution, payment processor, geolocation provider, gaming content supplier, platform provider, or media affiliate to support the operation, conduct, or promotion of sweepstakes games within the state of New York.”
In a statement, the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) said it “unconditionally opposes” Addabbo’s bill:
“We appreciate New York lawmakers' formal recognition that social sweepstakes are a legal form of entertainment… But that's where our appreciation ends. Albany legislators have no business dictating to New Yorkers what games they can play on their phones. This deeply flawed legislation is an affront to personal freedoms, an insult to New York voters, and a colossal waste of government resources.”
The SPGA cautioned that the legislation could lead to traditional sweepstakes, “run by major Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T and Starbucks,” or Marriott’s sweepstakes promotion for Taylor Swift tickets.
However, I would note that unlike in Maryland, where the scope is less defined, the text of the New York bill defines the affected games as not just sweepstakes, but sweepstakes that “simulates casino-style games including but not limited to draw games, instant win games, keno, bingo, and sports wagering.”
Always pay close attention to “ands and ors” in legislation.
Meanwhile, Sporttrade (a newsletter sponsor) CEO Alex Kane wants to use the divide to create a new licensing track, asking Sen. Addabbo on X:
“Would you be open in working together to create an “innovators track” of licensure and taxation for American startups and entrepreneurs to come into the New York sports betting market? This approach would grow the pie and thwart unregulated gaming to your state.”
New York is the sixth state to introduce legislation to tackle the unregulated nature of sweepstakes sites:
New Jersey: A 5196 filed by New Jersey Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese would legalize and regulate sweepstakes as online gambling operators, requiring licensure, oversight and taxation.
Mississippi: SB 2510, introduced by State Sen. Joey Fillingane, would prohibit sweepstakes online gambling sites in the state — Coverage from STTP.
Maryland: Bills in Maryland, SB 860 and HB 1140, proposes the license denial and/or revocation of any person or entity that supports or promotes the operation of online sweepstakes games, including suppliers and affiliates.
Connecticut: The Connecticut General Law Committee introduced a bill, SB 1235, to ban sweepstakes. The bill also prohibits lottery courier services and certain sports wagers.
Florida: Legislation filed in Florida would extend the state’s prohibition on gambling to include online betting, including sweepstakes — the bills exempt gaming conducted under an approved tribal compact. The bills are SB 1404 and HB 953.
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Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
The below tweet speaks for itself:
And in a similar vein, there is the new YouTube policy, as reported by CNN:
“YouTube is cracking down on content related to gambling… The platform announced Tuesday it will no longer allow content that directs users to “unapproved” gambling websites through links, images, text, logos or verbal references. YouTube defines unapproved gambling sites as those that don’t meet local legal requirements and haven’t been reviewed by YouTube or parent company Google.
“With the update, users under the age of 18 and those who are not logged in will not be able to view content that depicts or promotes online betting sites.”
Stray Thoughts
"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." ~ Mark Twain