Wish It Into Existence
There are high hopes for Ohio's online casino bills, but there are numerous obstacles standing in its way.
The Bulletin Board
THE LEDE: Ohio’s online casino bill has a long way to go.
ROUNDUP: ICE organizer Clarion for sale; Brazil’s online growing pains; Smoke-free casinos are inevitable; WSOP kicks off today.
NEWS: AGA State of the States points to growth coming from online.
NEWS: Nevada legislature passes sweepstakes ban. Bills advance elsewhere.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: You just made the list, buddy.
STRAY THOUGHTS: So much to do; so little time.
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The Lede: OH iCasino Bill Has Support and Opposition
Ohio’s new online casino effort, with concurrent bills in the House and Senate, has garnered significant support. However, and this is an important caveat, it also has its opponents, and even its supporters don’t see eye-to-eye. And unfortunately, the only way an online casino bill will pass in 2025 is when stakeholders are all on the same page.
That doesn’t seem to be the case in Ohio:
HB 298, sponsored by House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart, and Sen. Nathan Manning’s bill, SB 197, diverge in several ways:
Tax rates: 28% for Stewart’s bill compared to Manning’s 36% or 40%.
Licensing renewal fees: both have a $50 million licensing fee, but HB 298 has a $10 million renewal fee compared to $5 million in SB 197.
The House bill prohibits credit cards and doesn’t include online lottery or parimutuel wagering.
The House bill also prohibits sweepstakes casinos.
As Robert Linehan reported for Sports Betting Dime: “Proponents of legalized Ohio online casinos praised portions of Sen. Nathan Manning’s (R-13) iGaming bill, SB 197, while also sharing concerns with several key aspects of the proposed law during its second hearing in the Senate Select Committee on Gaming.”
There is also opposition from National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) members JACK Entertainment and Churchill Downs, which operate properties in the state. Additionally, PENN Entertainment, another in-state casino operator, has lobbied against several online casino bills in 2025.
Lawmakers have raised questions about the constitutionality of online casino expansion, believing it would require a constitutional amendment to change the state’s gambling laws.
Finally, there is Gov. Mike DeWine, who doesn’t seem to be a friend of gambling expansions — DeWine doubled the online sports betting tax rate months after launch, and wanted to double it this year.
As I noted last week, the differences between the House and Senate bills, along with the steep operational burdens, indicate that this is not a stakeholder-coordinated effort. Rather, it appears to be an end-of-session flyer — Often done to ensure lobbyists supporting expansion view the state as a viable candidate next year.
Roundup: Clarion For Sale; Brazil’s Growing Pains; Smoke-free Casinos; WSOP Kicks Off Today
Conference organizer Clarion Gaming could be changing hands [Complete iGaming]: “Private equity firm Blackstone is reported to be in the process of selling Clarion Events, the international trade show organiser behind ICE. Blackstone acquired Clarion, which runs shows in electronics, gaming, energy, security, and defence, for $805 million in 2017.” The company could be worth as much as $2 billion.
Brazil's online gambling market is dealing with growing pains [Gaming & Co]: Brazil has the potential to be a massive online gambling market, but early data shows persistent black market activity, with around 60% of betting volumes occurring outside the licensed industry. There was also the suspension of four operators in April, and black market affiliates, leveraging social media influencers, blurring the legal/illegal market line for consumers. And then there are the payment issues. Regulus Partners warns that without effective payment solutions, particularly with PIX, Brazil’s legal market risks failure, as fragmented financial services push consumers toward unregulated platforms.
Smoke-free casinos are the future [CDC Gaming Reports]: Casino-goers are more accepting of a smoke-free environment, and that is allowing casinos to make the shift with or without legal prompting, Geoff Atkinson, marketing research manager for Management Science Associates, said during a recent webinar titled “The Impact of Smoking Regulations on Casino Gaming.” Per the CDC Gaming Reports article, “Matt Roob, senior vice president for financial analysis at Spectrum Gaming Group, added that operators switching to nonsmoking gaming floors can accommodate smokers with easily accessible outdoor smoking areas. The two also noted that any financial impact of eliminating smoking in casinos has fallen over time, as fewer people use tobacco.”
56th World Series of Poker begins today [Press Release]: STTP’s poker coverage is likely to increase in the coming weeks: “Coming off back-to-back record-breaking summers in 2024 and 2023, the World Series of Poker® (WSOP®) returns to Caesars Entertainment resorts on the Las Vegas Strip for the 56th iteration of the series. The ceremonial “Shuffle Up and Deal” moment will take place inside Paris Las Vegas to officially begin poker’s biggest series with Event #1 No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Millions.”
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News: AGA State of the States 2025 Highlights
The US commercial gaming industry achieved record revenue for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, generating 7.5% more revenue than in 2023, according to the American Gaming Association’s latest State of the States annual report.
Of the 38 jurisdictions with commercial casinos (the report doesn’t include tribal gaming), iGaming, or sports betting operations, 28 reported annual revenue increases and set all-time annual revenue records in 2024. There was very little expansion, with North Carolina and Vermont reporting commercial gaming revenue for the first time in 2024, following the launch of regulated mobile sports betting markets.
Land-based casino revenue increased by 1% to $49.9 billion, with strong growth in iGaming and mobile sports betting significantly contributing to the revenue rise.
Sports betting revenue was up 24.8% year-over-year to $13.78 billion.
iGaming revenue totaled $8.41 billion, representing a 28.7 percent year-over-year increase.
News: Sweepstakes Bans Continue to Make Progress
After touting several states’ decisions to kill legislation (Arkansas, Mississippi, Maryland, and Florida), the Social Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA) has changed its tune. It is now issuing statements pointing out the flawed legislation that states are passing.
First, there is the legislation in Montana, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte. Per the SPGA, Montana just signed something into law that they couldn’t even define (more on the bill’s ambiguity here):
“Montana just criminalized everyday digital promotions with a law so broadly written it fails to name what it bans,” said a spokesperson for SPGA. “It’s a dangerous precedent that could undermine consumer trust, business innovation, and long-standing legal marketing practices.”
In Nevada, SB 256 was passed unanimously by the House and Senate and now awaits the signature of Gov. Joe Lombardo. The bill doesn’t mention sweepstakes, but as STTP has noted in its premium The Forecast subscription, “While not specifically about sweepstakes, SB 256 would forfeit all profits, gains, gross receipts, or other benefits relating to illegal gaming activities, increase criminal penalties, and extend liability outside Nevada’s borders.”
Any notion that the Nevada bill isn’t directed at sweepstakes was put to rest when Janice Wong, a senior legislative intern for Nevada state senator and bill sponsor Rochelle Nguyen, said during a March 12 hearing: “With the rise of online gaming apps, we've seen an increasing number of unlicensed platforms operating in the shadows, accepting illegal wagers, engaging in fraudulent practices, and profiting outside the bounds of our regulatory framework… Licensed gaming businesses follow the rules, pay taxes, and protect players. Illegal apps don’t. This bill ensures everyone plays by the same rules.”
There has also been progress in Louisiana, Connecticut, and New York, as well as a new effort in Ohio:
The Louisiana House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice passed SB 181, a sweepstakes prohibition bill, which breezed through the Senate last month with a 39-0 vote. The bill can now be heard on the House floor.
SB 1235 in Connecticut would ban sweepstakes. The bill initially included a ban on lottery couriers, but that was stripped out when it passed the Senate last week. It is now awaiting a vote in the House.
New York State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. introduced S 5935, which prohibits online sweepstakes casinos. A companion bill, AB 6475, has also been introduced in the House. Addabbo’s bill has passed the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee and can now be heard on the Senate floor.
One of Ohio’s online casino bills, HB 298, sponsored by House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart, includes a prohibition on sweepstakes casinos.
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Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
Preach Alun!
This goes for industry awards, too, which can be entirely pay-for-play:
Stray Thoughts
"The life so short, the craft so long to learn." ~ Hippocrates