Internet casino gambling in the United States has a bright future ahead, according to industry experts and executives, who participated in this year’s SBC Summit North America. Despite a range of obstacles that are currently thwarting its expansion and concerns regarding its impact on brick-and-mortar casinos, the overall sentiment from the industry is positive.

Industry Executives Optimistic Despite Sluggish Uptake of iGaming

The progress of legalizing online casino gambling in the US has been slow but still a number of US states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia, have already introduced it. Despite this slow uptake, industry experts and leaders believe that the future of gambling lies online.

Elizabeth Suever, a vice president at Bally’s Corporation, noted that consumers, particularly millennials, have changed their habits considerably and are more and more reliant on their smartphones for anything from shopping to banking services making their lifestyles predominantly mobile-centric. She added that this is where gambling is going to as well, reported the Associated Press.

However, these positive sentiments do not reflect the state of the market. Despite online sports betting being available in 38 US states and Washington D.C., internet gambling has remained very limited. Even Nevada, the Mecca of gambling, has only introduced online poker and no online casino games.

Controversy Amidst Hope: Addressing Concerns in US Online Gaming Expansion

Shawn Fluharty, president of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, highlighted that there is a significant disparity between the extensive growth of sports betting following the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 2018 and the next-to-non-existent expansion of online casino gaming. However, he also expressed optimism about the eventual uptake of igaming. 

Brandt Iden, a vice president at Fanatics Betting & Gaming, echoed this sentiment. He commented on how important it is to embrace online gaming for the industry as a whole in order to be successful. He also stressed that the industry has to make efforts to educate legislators regarding the benefits of legalized online platforms compared to illegal offshore gambling websites.

The industry’s stance may be positive, but there are still many concerns regarding the negative implications of the spread of iGaming across the US. These include fear of increased addiction rates and the cannibalization of revenues from physical casinos.

However, online gambling supporters argue that iGaming can complement traditional casinos and stimulate economic growth. Adam Glass, an executive at Rush Street Interactive, highlighted that there is a potential for new job openings and synergy between online and offline gaming operators.

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Over 320,000 Missourian voters have signed a petition seeking to greenlight a casino at Lake of the Ozarks. After four consecutive failures to get the casino question on the ballot, the matter may finally be put to voters.

For context, the Missouri constitution only allows casinos to be constructed near the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. This means that the people of the state must vote in favor of a constitutional amendment in order to expand the list of waterways that allow gaming.  

The signatures will now be verified by the state. For reference, the number of certified signatures needed to get the matter to the ballot is approximately 173,000.

If the Lake of the Ozarks casino secures the Missourian voters’ approval, the state will get a new resort featuring a hotel, casino, spa, restaurants, shops and a convention center, among other facilities. This is a significant departure from the traditional riverboat model other casinos in the model still use.

While Missouri legally defines casinos as “excursion gambling boats,” it interprets this term rather broadly and, in 2021, amended the definition to include “nonfloating facilities.” Casinos can also be on the shore, as long as they are within 1,000 feet of the Missouri or Mississippi River and have at least 2,000 gallons of water inside or underneath the facility in rigid or semi-rigid containers, tanks or structures.

The Project Will Provide Benefits to the Local Economy  

The Lake of the Ozarks casino question is being promoted by the Osage River Gaming & Conventions (ORGC) investor group. The group, which turned to polling after failing to get the casino matter to appear on the ballot previously, is optimistic about its momentum.

The organization pointed out that the project will generate significant benefits for the local economy. For example, tax revenue from the project will provide local schools with a significant boost. Local revenue, on the other hand, will fuel a variety of public services, including infrastructural upgrades.

Additionally, proponents expect the Lake of the Ozarks casino to bolster tourism. The 20-acre property’s facilities will provide a variety of entertainment options to gaming and non-gaming visitors alike.

The new property will be run by Bally’s Corporation and will create between 700 and 800 permanent jobs.

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A man from Indiana could land in prison for trying to hide his casino winnings and avoid paying back child support. The player, Lance Halderman, tried to collect his winnings via another person to avoid having the sum seized.

According to reports, the 44-year-old had previously had his winnings seized for back child support. This happened in June 2023 when his child support balance stood at over $2,200.

For context, local law allows authorities to garnish gambling winnings and other revenue from parents who are falling behind schedule in terms of child support. Once a garnishment order has been issued by a country’s prosecutor’s office or a court, it would appear during an ID check.

Halderman learned from his past experience and decided to try and hide his latest winnings. After winning over $2,000 on a slot machine at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, the man asked another person to collect his winnings on his behalf to avoid having his ID scanned. In return, Halerman agreed to pay his accomplice $100 for the trouble in addition to covering the taxes on the income.

However, Halderman’s fraud was eventually discovered. The man is now charged with Level 6 felony cheating at gaming at La Porte Superior Court 4 and faces up to 30 months in prison.

Halderman’s accomplice, on the other hand, avoided charges after admitting that he was unaware of the illegality of the arrangement. The other man claimed that he was just trying to help someone in need.

Man Could Lose His Chance for Office Because of Felony

Speaking of gambling-related felonies, an Indiana man risks losing his shot at becoming Vigo County’s new treasurer because of a past gambling offense. Billy Joy of Terre Haute hopes to become Vigo County’s next treasurer but may turn out to be ineligible for the position because of his past involvement in illegal poker.

While Joy believes that he was just “playing cards with a bunch of his buddies,” and didn’t do anything illegal, he acknowledged the fact that the incident could spell the end of his bid for office. According to him, if the legal system tells him to take his name off, then “that’s the way it will have to be.”

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The Macau Judiciary Police have arrested five Chinese nationals suspected to be related to a cross-border criminal syndicate. The criminal organization, according to the authorities, uses counterfeit chips in casinos in Macau.

The arrests followed a recent report from a casino in the Cotai area where a customer exchanged fake chips for money. After the staff realized that they had been scammed they referred the matter to the police.

Local authorities immediately launched an investigation into the matter and quickly arrested five men from mainland China at the casino. Aged between 21 and 28, the five arrestees were suspected of being a part of a criminal organization that imports fake chips into Macau. The police are currently on the lookout for three other suspects who might be related to the case.

In addition to arresting the five men, the police were able to seize a whopping 585 fake chips worth approximately $750,000. More than 130 of those were discovered in toilets and taxi compartments near the border and might have been abandoned by other participants in the criminal scheme.

Upon careful inspection, the police concluded that the fake chips were extremely realistic and difficult to differentiate from real ones at first glance.

The Macau authorities believe that they are dealing with a fairly new criminal organization. According to the police, the group is believed to have started its illegal scheme in March.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Macau Seeks to Crack Down on Gambling Crime

Speaking of gambling crime in Macau, the country recently proposed a law that would exempt minor gambling offenders from prosecution, or at least reduce their penalties, if they provide evidence against others.

In addition to exempting whistleblowers from penalties, the new law would allow the police to search the property of potential witnesses or suspects during the night.

Additionally, Macau lawmakers proposed an amendment to the region’s Criminal Procedure Code that would allow it to implement an extension of detention measure. This matter was raised after Alvin Chau, the chairman of the controversial Suncity junket, argued that the detention period of certain individuals in the Suncity case had already expired.

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Bally’s Corporation, which just posted its Q1 results, commented on its plans for the future. According to the company, its permanent Chicago casino should welcome its first guests by Q3 2026, despite the struggles. In the meantime, Bally’s will not rush the redevelopment of the Tropicana site.

The gambling company addressed these issues during its Q1 earnings conference call. According to Robeson Reaves, Bally’s chief executive officer, the company has “absolutely no urgency whatsoever” when it comes to the Tropicana redevelopment. Still, the signature Vegas property is set to be imploded in October, as per the earlier plans.

The site in question is currently owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties. Following the end of the Tropicana, nine of the acres will be redeveloped into an MLB stadium. In the meantime, Bally’s is still considering its options.

According to Charles Diao, Bally’s treasurer, his team is in no rush to redevelop the site and is waiting for its option to increase in value. In any case, the strategic location and flexibility of the site is something that Bally’s intends to capitalize on.

In the meantime, Bally’s continues to struggle to raise the funds needed to complete its permanent casino in Chicago. Despite that, the company remains convinced that it will be able to open the property with no delays.

Bally’s has been struggling to raise the $800 million needed to develop the Chicago property for some time now. Despite that, the company’s temporary property at Medinah Temple continues to make strides and attract new customers.

While skeptics believe that the temporary venue’s positive performance is due to Bally’s intense promotional spending, the property has still been able to post GGR gains for six months in a row. The Medinah Temple temporary casino, according to Bally’s, is now the second-most visited gambling venue in the state of Illinois.

Marcus Glover, Bally’s chief financial officer, admitted that the profitability of the property is still “pretty light” but noted that this is “intentional.”

In addition to discussing Bally’s ongoing efforts in Illinois and Nevada, executives also commented on the company’s bid for a New York casino. According to them, the delays in the licensing process might actually benefit Bally’s, providing it with ample time to address its struggles in other states.

In other news, a Bally’s stakeholder recently urged other investors to reject indoor smoking.

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