The Weekender: CA Tribes Vs. Cardrooms, Election Betting, And ROTW
CA Gov. Gavin Newsom signs legislation allowing tribes to sue cardrooms. Court sides with Kalshi; election betting returns to the US. Reads of the Week.
The Bulletin Board
ABOVE the FOLD: A look at the three biggest stories of the week.
— California Governor signs bill allowing tribes to sue cardrooms.
— US Court of Appeals in DC sides with Kalshi in election betting case.
— The return of Reads of the Week.
HOUSEKEEPING: A look at recent podcasts, featured articles, and more from yours truly.
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CA Gov. Signs Bill Allowing Tribes to Sue Cardrooms
“At the tail-end of the legislative session, the California legislature passed a bill granting California tribes one-time standing to sue cardrooms they believe are illegally offering traditional house-banked card games like blackjack and baccarat. That bill had been sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk since September 11.
“On Saturday, Newsom signed the legislation giving California tribes access to state courts to sue cardrooms into law. And in the words of Heath Ledger’s Joker, “And here we… go!””
Read the full STTP entry from Tuesday here
Court Sides With Kalshi in Election Betting Case
“The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has sided with Kalshi in its ongoing battle with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). On Wednesday, the Appeals Court denied the CFTC’s motion to stay (pending appeal) the earlier District Court ruling that opened the door to election betting in the US.
“The court was sympathetic to the CFTC’s election integrity concerns but ultimately concluded, "The CFTC has given this court no concrete basis to conclude that event contracts would likely be a vehicle for such harms.""
Read the full STTP entry from Thursday here
Reads of the Week
It’s been a while since I suggested some long-form content, but here are several great pieces that can perhaps help you pass the time as you fly into Las Vegas for G2E:
The Rise and Fall of Goal Poker, a nine-part series (several still to be published) from Harry Lang that gives you a bird’s eye view into the early days of the Poker Boom.
The Death of the Gambling Expert, by Jeff Hwang, looks at the dwindling number of gambling industry people with real-world gambling experience.
Not much to like about SAFE Bet Act, say industry insiders and addiction advocates, by Jill Dorson, is a deep dive into the SAFE Bet Act, and all the people lining up against it.
Poker-Bots: The Call Is Now Coming From Inside The House, by David Lappin, is a terrific look at poker bots throughout the years and how they have become a scourge that, as I recently posited, could destroy online poker… at least as we know it.
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Housekeeping
The Forecast is a premium service that provides quarterly reports and weekly updates on the US online gambling sector. I created it specifically for individuals and organizations interested in an unbiased, clear-cut assessment of the landscape.
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PODCASTS:
Sue Schneider, one of my favorite people in the industry, was my guest this week on the Talking Shop Podcast.
During the podcast, we discuss her new organization, Defy the Odds, and its mission to bring new faces and ideas into the gambling sector. Of course, we also discussed much more, including Sue offering a largely unknown person trying to make heads or tails of what was going on in the US online gambling space in 2014 a chance to speak on a conference panel.
You can listen to the full episode here
COLUMNS:
In this week’s featured column, I looked at the rift developing in the responsible gambling-problem gambling community and how the SAFE Bet Act, with its good, bad, and ugly parts, will increase those tensions.