You've Lost That Loving Feeling
New polling points to public sentiment shifting negative when it comes to sports betting.
The Bulletin Board
THE LEDE: New polling indicates legal sports betting is losing public support.
ROUNDUP: PrizePicks bolsters RG with Mindway; LVS ends iGaming experiment; NV Judge explains contradictory rulings.
NEWS: Four proposals remain for three New York casino licenses.
VIEWS: The boy who cried
wolf1-800-GAMBLER.AROUND the WATERCOOLER: Tried and tested over shiny and new.
STRAY THOUGHTS: Predictions come true.
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The Lede: Public Perception of Legal Betting Is Not Good
The latest results from a Pew Research poll indicate that the sports betting industry has lost control of the narrative.
As Gambling Harm reported, “A survey taken in July/August 2025 found that 43% of U.S. adults believe state-sanctioned sports betting is a ‘bad thing for society,’ up from 34% who held the same view in 2022.”
This is getting dangerously close to the 50% mark, and when you consider only 7% think it’s a good thing, whoa boy.
As Dr. Harry Levant (online sports betting critic and a former Straight to the Point Talking Shop Podcast guest) told Gambling Harm: “These statistics show something I have been talking about for quite a while. The public health movement is gaining momentum. The public is upset, as this is not sports betting. This is AI tech delivering an addictive product. The public never asked for a highly addictive and inherently dangerous product.”
Critics of legal sports betting are jumping on the poll.
David Forman, who heads the research arm of the American Gaming Association, noted that results look different when you reframe the question, “When you ask people the much more direct question of whether they support legal sports betting in their state, support continues to be high. People will say all kinds of things are bad “for society” in the abstract.”
Still, this is something STTP warned was happening several months ago. The narrative is getting away from the industry, which I first noted in April 2024:
“The gambling industry is full of surprises, but one thing you can count on is a gambling court case update every Friday and an article about the rise in problem gambling landing on the weekend—and just for good measure, there are the increasingly common scandal stories.
“To say the industry has lost the plot is an understatement. But I’m not surprised. Unless it’s trying to expand gambling in a new market, the industry is rarely proactive. With most things, it’s reactionary and tends only to interact when absolutely necessary – when the train has already gone off the rails.
“When there is negative press, the industry buries its head in the sand or pushes back with cries of being mischaracterized, falsely accused, or conflated with offshore bookies. And any communication is always delivered in corporate PR speak.
“But as I’ve previously said, arguing back and forth is a road to nowhere.
“Both sides have their own data and reports to point to, and I’ve yet to come across someone who has gone from anti-gambling to pro-legalization.
“The industry needs to pick its battles and go on the offensive, admit (gasp!) that gambling does cause social harm, and regain control of the narrative because, at the moment, it’s primarily seen as a self-serving entity with one thing on its mind: money.”
And this isn’t a one-off. As the Boston Globe reported, “The new UMass survey found a significant increase in the share of regular gamblers who think legal betting is now too widely available in the state, and a corresponding drop in the share who think all gambling should be legal.”
Roundup: PrizePicks Bolsters RG; LVS Ends iGaming Experiment; NV Judge Explains Contradictory Rulings
PrizePicks partners with Mindway AI to bolster RG [Press Release]: PrizePicks has partnered with Mindway AI, “a leading safer gaming software company that provides automated detection and monitoring of at-risk and problem gaming behavior.” Through the partnership, PrizePicks will integrate Mindway’s GameScanner into its platform, “enhancing the company’s ability to detect and respond to potential problem gaming behaviors across the player lifecycle.” Phil Sherwood, Senior Director of Responsible Gaming at PrizePicks, said, “By enhancing our ability to analyze behavioral data, we’re able to deliver more tailored interventions and promote responsible play tools with greater precision—helping ensure a safer, more sustainable experience for all of our players.”
LVS pulls the plug on live dealer studios [Las Vegas Review-Journal]: “Las Vegas Sands Corp. is shutting down a digital gaming project, an action that will put 300 to 400 people, including around 150 Las Vegas workers, out of their jobs.” The company stated that the project no longer aligns with its long-term objectives. According to a source who spoke with Earnings+More, “In the end [the management] decided the regulatory risk of competing with Evolution was not worth killing the golden goose.”
Nevada Judge explains Crypto.com ruling [Daniel Wallach, X]: “NEW: Nevada federal judge explains on the record that because Crypto.com’s sports prediction contracts are based on the ‘outcomes’ of sporting events rather than their ‘occurrence’ or ‘non-occurrence,’ they do not qualify as ‘swaps’ under the CEA.” As Wallach noted in a subsequent tweet, “Kalshi’s subsequent self-certifications for player prop markets, point spread markets, touchdown markets, and over/under markets likewise make clear that they are based on ‘outcomes’ of the event (or within the event), and not the ‘occurrence or non-occurrence’ of the event.” However, former CFTC General Counsel Rob Schwartz noted, “A dubious distinction. Is the Fed raising rates an “occurrence” or the “outcome” of its vote? Is a bankruptcy an “occurrence” or the “outcome” of some bad business decisions? Is the level of announced unemployment an “occurrence” or the “outcome” of economic activity or the BLS’s estimation process?”
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News: Who Will Be Awarded a New York Casino License?
There were 11 hopefuls when the battle for one of the three New York casino licenses began.
Three proposals were withdrawn:
[WITHDRAWN] Wynn New York City (Hudson Yards, Manhattan)
[WITHDRAWN] Sands New York (Nassau County)
[WITHDRAWN] Saks Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Four others failed to gain the approval of their respective Community Advisory Committee:
SL Green and Caesars Entertainment (Times Square, Manhattan)
Silverstein Properties, Greenwood Gaming, Rush Street (Avenir, Manhattan)
Soloviev Group (East River, Manhattan)
The Coney (Coney Island, Brooklyn)
That leaves four proposals fighting for no more than three licenses:
Resorts World (Queens)
Casino Company (Operator): Genting Group
Online legalization impact: Neutral
One of two shoo-ins, Resorts World would have had to sabotage its own proposal, given its existing infrastructure (which accelerates its go-live date), operational experience, community support, and most of all, its already booming revenue numbers.
MGM Empire City (Yonkers)
Casino Company (Operator): MGM Resorts International
Online legalization impact: Positive
MGM Empire City in Yonkers is another shoo-in, with a proposal that I would rank just a sliver behind Resorts World.
Steve Cohen-Hard Rock International (Citi Field, Queens)
Casino Company (Operator): Hard Rock International
Online legalization impact: Positive
I’ve been hyping Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International’s $8 billion entertainment complex near Citi Field as the best candidate for the third New York casino license. The problem, as I’ll explain in a moment, is that there might not be a third license.
Bally’s Links at Ferry Point (Bronx)
Casino Company (Operator): Bally’s
Online legalization impact: Slightly Positive
This was the surprise survivor, as the Bally’s project looked dead in the water after a community board rejection and Bally’s ongoing issues in Chicago, as well as another massive project in Las Vegas (an excellent write-up on Bally’s from David McKee at Casino Reports). It’s still the most unlikely of the remaining four, but there is one scenario where it leapfrogs Citi Field.
Three Potential Outcomes
The most logical outcome is for Resorts World, Empire City, and Citi Field to receive the three licenses — a nice, neat, and clean process.
But there are reasons to suspect it won’t be so nice, neat, and clean.
There is a growing belief that only two licenses will be awarded, or the state will grant the third license to Bally’s, not Citi Field.
As Chris Altruda explained on the most recent Straight to the Point Talking Shop Podcast, the proximity of the Citi Field project to Resorts World (approximately 9 miles) may raise concerns about cannibalization, which could sink the Citi Field project, leaving the state two options:
Pocket the third license for a later date.
Award it to Bally’s, which is located far away in the Bronx.
Of course, either of the above would likely lead to lawsuits and allegations of impropriety, misconduct, and corruption, which plagued the Massachusetts casino RFP process.
Episode 65: New York Casinos and iGaming with Chris Altruda
“Are you willing to cannibalize part of that revenue for a casino that is the top revenue generator outside of Vegas in this country?” ~ Chris Altruda on the possibility of New York only awarding two licenses.
Views: 1-800-GAMBLER False Alarm?
Control of the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline number has been returned to the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ). As I previously wrote, the statements from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and its supporters in this very public fight were heavy on vitriol:
“The press release above may shine some light on why CCGNJ has concerns, as it makes some very bold claims about the helpline’s visibility, the NCPG’s unique capability of running it, and the potential life-or-death fallout, given that the NCPG only took over the helpline in 2022. I’ve seen similar rhetoric on social media, and while I understand the frustration, the over-the-top language only serves to strengthen CCGNJ’s case that the hotline number is being weaponized.”
Behind the scenes, I’ve heard that outside of marketing materials and regulatory requirements for helpline placement, not much will change. However, we may see states focus more on in-state numbers and treatment options.
A spokesperson for the CCGNJ told SBC Americas:
“CCGNJ will be routing calls as we had previously, using the same system as NCPG was,” the CCGNJ spokesperson said. “There has been no interruption in service. Broadly speaking, all states continue to use the number with calls routed to each state’s gambling council. It is certainly the case that the disaster NCPG forecast by no means took place. The transition has gone without incident or interruption.”
This is essentially what STTP has heard behind the scenes (the 1-800-GAMBLER number functions as more of a routing system).
STTP received an email from Colorado on the 1-800-GAMBLER situation on September 25, which reads in part:
“The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado (PGCC), which provides administrative oversight, management, and training for helpline staff, and referral resource development for the helpline, is working directly with CCGNJ to ensure there is no disruption in services.”
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Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
I wrote about this back in 2023:
“I used to watch hundreds of movies every year. Some were good, and some were bad. Some lived up to the hype, some were duds, and some were hidden gems. The blockbusters and the duds are easy to sort through as they receive lots of attention and are heavily discussed; the hidden gems are incredibly hard to find and take a lot of time.
“I don’t have time to watch the hundreds of movies anymore, but when I watch a movie with my son, we often watch an older movie I’ve already seen. The reason is simple: I know it’s good, and I know what he likes. Because of this, my son thought movies had gone downhill, but as I explained, he is viewing a curated list, as I know what movies to avoid.
“The same thing happens with music. If you watch YouTube reactors, they all say how great music was in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. But they are only getting the good; their subscribers and suggested content from streaming services give them a curated list of recommendations… Every one-hit-wonder band has at least ten other songs that aren’t very good.
“Books are an even more interesting example… The classics are the classics for a reason. They have been curated over hundreds and even thousands of years. The garbage didn’t make it to us. Marcus Aurelius and Sun Tzu did.”
And again, several months ago:
“Every new generation gets to hear and see the greatest hits from previous decades because the wheat has already been separated from the chaff. I remember my father decrying ‘80s music when I was a kid — he was hearing the good, the bad, and the ugly in real-time. But many years later, if I put on an ‘80s music channel, he’d think it was a great decade for music.”
Popular gambling games have remained essentially unchanged for decades. Sure, they’ve gotten glitzier, but after millennia, it’s clear people like dice, cards, bouncing balls, and spinning wheels. Genuine innovations are few and far between because, as much as we want to think we’re so advanced compared to past generations, we’re generally unchanged from our ancestors who lived hundreds and even thousands of years ago.
Prediction markets are new, shiny, and interesting, but my guess is that if offered side by side, people will choose sportsbooks.
Stray Thoughts
G2E is underway, and to no one’s surprise, it’s been all prediction market talk:
Still, at least publicly, there hasn’t been any news broken, at least nothing that required a blurb in today’s newsletter. So, unless there is some major breaking news today or tomorrow, I’ll probably do a G2E roundup as this week’s feature column.