Twice weekly, we’ll comb through as many articles, tweets and podcasts as we can find related to the world of sports betting and daily fantasy sports, and publish the good stuff here.
Stumble upon something you think we should include? Email [email protected].
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The American Gaming Association appealed to President-elect Trump’s transition team with a memo pushing for the legalization of sports betting.
“We look forward to working with the Trump administration and the incoming Congress on a range of critical issues, from sports betting and illegal gambling to tax reform and immigration,” said Geoff Freeman, AGA president and CEO. “The gaming industry has never been more united and better positioned to advocate for policies that promote growth and reinvestment.”
AGA President Geoff Freeman said the odds of legalized sports betting increased with Trump winning the election.
“We are optimistic,” Freeman said on a conference call with reporters. “I am more confident today than I’ve been at any point.”
During the campaign, Trump expressed support for legalized sports betting.
“I’m OK with it because it’s happening anyway,” Trump told Fox Sports in November 2015. “Whether you have it or you don’t have it, you have it.”
A man in Mississippi pled guilty to charges related to his involvement in an illegal sports betting operation.
Schmitt faces maximum penalties of two years in prison, one year of probation and a $250,000 fine.
He and others tried to keep the operation a secret and to prevent participants from being identified and prosecuted, according to a bill of information filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The operation provided password-protected access to several sports books in Costa Rica and used several ways of moving money, the charge said. The operation had a network of agents and others to oversee groups of gamblers.
eSports Betting Report published an opinion article about the early days of eSports betting and regulations.
A similar collapse in esports cash betting is extremely unlikely.
The big name operators continue to dominate the majority of online bets, and so the impact of negative behavior by smaller operators is likely to be less significant.
Nonetheless, even minor scandals or abusive marketing practices will have an effect beyond their immediate origin.