As a result of the ruling sports wagering is to be permitted at four upstate properties, namely Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, Rivers Casino in Schenectady, del Lago Casino near Rochester and Tioga Downs near Binghamton, in addition to tribal casinos across the region.

Approving rules and regulations for licensing, opening and operating sports betting facilities, early estimates say operations should be safely in effect by the start of the National Football League season, that is due to commence on Friday 6 September when the Green Bay Packers travel to Soldier Field to take on Chicago Bears.

Mobile sports betting is not yet part of the state’s plans, with lawmakers said to be working on significant proposals to allow online betting through mobile devices.

This is, however, up against a quickly approaching deadline of Wednesday 19 June, which marks the end of the New York legislative session, with approval also having to be won from governor Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo has previously suggested that permitting mobile sports betting would require an amendment to the state constitution, a multi-year process that would also require direct voter approval, state lawmakers sponsoring the initiative disagree however, arguing it would only require the passage of a new bill.

Similar to most other states that have proceeded with legislation of their own, punters in New York will not be able to bet on college sides that play within its boundaries.

Of the four upstate properties, del Lago Casino has partnered with Boston-based DraftKings, Resorts World Catskills has aligned with bet365, Tioga Downs is partnered with Betfair US, the US-facing arm of bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair, which will see FanDuel run its sportsbook and Rivers Casino and Resort is to operate alongside its Rush Street Gaming parent organisation.

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The move comes after an Australian Communication and Media Authority investigation into the Gibraltar-based organisation’s jackpot betting product, which the firm only launched recently after seeing its main lottery betting offering outlawed by Parliament last year.

It is said that the decision comes from the service being classified as games of chance, which are prohibited under the country’s Interactive Gambling Act, including Monday – Thursday daily jackpot games as well as the US Millions and US Power jackpot betting services.

Lottoland’s new offering takes numbers at random from financial markets at set times of day, which are then used to create a single, large number, that is converted into winning numbers for a lottery-style draw.

Filing legal action in the New South Wales Supreme Court, Luke Brill, CEO of Lottoland, said in a statement to various news outlets: “We have decided to challenge ACMA in the Supreme Court because we believe their view on jackpot betting is wrong.

“Lottoland’s jackpot betting products have been approved by the relevant licensing authorities, and we believe they are fully compliant with Australian law.

“We have worked hard to adapt to recent changes to the law, and we are committed to providing exciting new products that our customers love.

“By taking this stand against ACMA, we are fighting for the rights of hundreds of thousands of Australians who enjoy the occasional flutter. We are fighting for freedom of choice.”

Lottoland has long been at the centre of controversy in Australia, after its previous product, which allowed bets to be placed on the outcomes of local and overseas lotteries without the need to purchase a ticket for participation, was outlawed.

This followed a prolonged back and forth as lottery operators and sellers stated that the company was cannibalising revenue, amid Lottoland becoming increasingly viewed as a threat to Tabcorp, newsagents and lotto agents who sell such products.

The Australian government announced a crackdown last year and passed draft laws, making ‘lotto betting’ or ‘synthetic lotteries’ prohibited in the country by early this year.

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Looking at its policies towards sponsorships with gambling entities, the move, which is effective immediately, is designed to reflect “the changing landscape of public acceptance between sports leagues and legalised gambling.”

Relevant organisations can now be considered for ‘Official Marketing Partners’ status, after players were informed of the change prior to this week’s Honda Classic.

The revision applies to larger casino entity’s, but excludes those whose primary purpose is sports betting, however this latter group can be considered for potential sponsorships outside the US market.

As a result, those such as daily fantasy sports firms DraftKings and FanDuel could be permitted stressed NBC Sports, due to having a primary focus away from sports wagering, while bookmakers such as William Hill and Bet365 would not be permitted within the US.

Andy Levinson, senior vice president of the PGA Tour, said of the development: “As the situation with legalised sports betting in the US has evolved since the Supreme Court’s ruling last May, we’ve seen broader acceptance in sports betting and gaming involvement with pro sports.

“We felt it was time to look at our policies, given the public perception around gaming, and to update those policies to be consistent with public sentiment.”

David Miller, vice president and assistant general counsel for the PGA Tour, explained: “Sponsorship relationships with casinos and daily fantasy sports companies will generally be permitted. Any relationship must promote responsible gaming and be consistent with the Tour’s integrity efforts.

“We want to develop partnerships in the gaming and fantasy industry that drive fan engagement, that provide our fans a deeper way to enjoy golf. We expect these partnerships will help create new golf gaming products, that will enhance the in-venue and at-home fan experience.”

The Tour has also stressed a continuation of its integrity program, with a primary mission to “maintain integrity and prevent and mitigate betting-related corruption in PGA Tour competitions – ensuring competitions always reflect, and appear to reflect, the best efforts of the players, while protecting the welfare of the players and others involved with the PGA Tour – through clear policies and regulations, ongoing education and training, and effective and consistent monitoring and enforcement functions.”

“This is something we are focused on first and foremost — that the integrity of our competition is upheld,” Levinson added.

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In the AGA commissioned study it was discovered that there is large support for a widespread legalised sports betting scene, with very little support in place for sports leagues to take a cut.

A total of 63 per cent of Americans were found to have support in the Supreme Court in its decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, with eight in ten also said to back legalisation taking place within their states.

In the months since the federal ban on sports betting was struck down ten states and the District of Columbia have authorised the activity, with fifteen states active or having pre-filed bills to that effect and an additional dozen thought to be considering legalisation this year.

Further findings found that 66 per cent of those surveyed believe regulation and oversight should be handled by states and sovereign tribal governments, with only 23 per cent of people believing leagues should get a cut on sports wagers and 55 per cent opposing.

Sara Slane, senior vice president of the American Gaming Association, explained: “The results of this research are overwhelmingly clear: consumers want legal sports betting, they believe it should be regulated by state and tribal governments and they don’t think the leagues should get a cut.

“This weekend, 23 million Americans will wager a staggering $6 billion on the Super Bowl. To put that in perspective, Americans will bet around the same amount on this one event as they bet legally in all of 2018.

“However, Americans will continue to bet illegally without access to safe, regulated alternatives. With sports betting legislation flooding state capitals across the country, legislators can pursue these opportunities knowing they have the support of their constituents.

“AGA will continue to advocate for the inclusion of sensible gaming policies wherever it is being considered, including consumer protections and reasonable tax rates that enable the legal, regulated market to compete with illegal bookies and offshore operators.”

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The sports betting partnership sees William Hill become official sportsbook operator of the casino, should the activity be given approval by the state’s gaming regulatory authorities and become legal under Iowa state law.

May’s decision by the US’ Supreme Court to allow the nation’s states to legalise sports betting came a week too late for Iowa legislature, with an adjournment already having taken place and no action on bill HF2448 undertaken.

Leading the charge on behalf of the state is Republican Jake Highfill, who maintains enough support is in place to proceed quickly, with the current legislative session beginning on Monday 14 January and ending on Friday 15 February.

Bill HF2448 would have permitted in-person wagering as well as via electronic platforms on professional and collegiate sports, with a casino required to pay a $25,000 licence fee and $15,00 renewal per year, with tax stipulated to be approximately 22 per cent of revenues.

“We are excited about the prospect of sports betting in Iowa, and are thrilled to partner with Prairie Meadows to be ready for the day when sports betting is legal in the state,” explained Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US.

“We are building a first-class sportsbook that will make Prairie Meadows the place to bet and watch the games.”

The sportsbook would occupy an 8,600 square foot area of the fourth level of the casino, and would feature a new bar surrounded by “state-of-the-art video wall technology for viewing sporting events and with live betting odds”.

“Prairie Meadows is thrilled to partner with William Hill, the best name in sports betting, to establish a world-class sports betting experience for our guests,” commented Gary Palmer, president and CEO of Prairie Meadows.

Brad Rhines, senior vice president and chief strategic officer of Prairie Meadows, added: “We are excited to expand our resort offerings with a fully renovated clubhouse, that includes both our racing center and new William Hill sportsbook.

“Once the legislative process is complete, this innovative partnership will provide many fun and unique sports betting options for our guests.”

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The new agreement is to provide both party’s with reciprocal access to each other’s products, whilst striving to establish a leading global offering encapsulating each of sports betting, fantasy sports and pool betting.

Both organisations detail an increased demand for the respective products in the US, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May of this year.

Andreas Ternström, Scout Gaming chief executive officer, commented: “We are experiencing interest from operators ready to launch a sportsbook offering in the United States, as well as parties that have already launched.

“Metric Gaming has a world-class sportsbook which, like our platform, is based on the latest technology.

“Through the collaboration, a leading offer for the American market, where Metric Gaming resides, will be created. At the same time, Scout Gaming gets an even broader offering for the European market by gaining access to sports odds.”

Under the terms of the new non-exclusive partnership, both Metric and Scout Gaming are to join forces to develop new products, with the ambition to coalesce sports betting and fantasy sports games.

Furthermore, as part of the agreement, Metric Gaming will provide traditional sports betting products for Scout Gaming’s Betflex application.

Martin De Knijff, chief executive officer at Metric Gaming, statedd: “We see great potential in the partnership with Scout Gaming since our products complement each other perfectly.

“To come up with a full-scale offering consisting of the two best products on the market is something I believe will be nothing short of successful.”

In addition, Scout Gaming has also announced a partnership agreement with Milestone Entertainment, related to the provision of fantasy sports and sports-related products in the North American market.

As part of the deal, Milestone Entertainment will include localised versions of Scout Gaming’s products in their offering, primarily targeting the United States and Canada.

Regarding this latter deal, Ternström added: “Fantasy Sports has a long history in the American market, with approximately 60 million players enjoying at least one type of game, and daily fantasy sports is now legal in an increasing number and majority of states.

“When state operators, having a legacy of offering lottery and pool games, oversee the regulations, it becomes a natural step to expand their product portfolios into fantasy sports to create new revenue streams.

“Milestone Entertainment truly understands how to create compelling sports and entertainment products in the North American market, and we expect this partnership to be very successful.”

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Commencing operations at its two properties within the Magnolia State, namely Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa in Greenville, and Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg, guests are to be afforded the opportunity to use CDI’s BetAmerica Sportsbook, to bet on a diverse array of global sporting events, including professional and collegiate sports in the US.

Through the inaugural launch under the brand, CDI states that it also intends to utilise BetAmerica in additional states where sports wagering is permitted.

Mississippi approved sports betting regulations following the US Supreme Court overthrowing PASPA a little over three months ago, after which CDI announced a strategic partnership with platform provider SBTech, to offer integrated igaming and sports betting products

Bill Carstanjen, chief executive officer of CDI, commented: “The legalisation of sports wagering in Mississippi is a great opportunity for Churchill Downs to deliver an innovative, state-of-the-art product that we believe will exceed our customers’ expectations.

“We are excited to get started, and will take everything we learn from this experience to improve our offering in Mississippi, and other markets, over time.”

The BetAmerica sportsbook, which is to receive a dedicated area in both properties, is set to feature all new big screen displays, as well as broadcasting in excess of 100 HD channels of sporting events and information.

Amongst the major professional sporting events casino guests are to be afforded the opportunity to wager on are NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and collegiate sports, in addition to further global leagues and tournaments.

Detailing its fresh operations further, CDI added: “The BetAmerica sportsbook kiosks are convenient and easy to use, with superior technology that includes in-game betting and cash-out features, for betting on sporting events in countries around the world.”

As further US territories begin to approve sports betting operations, CDI states that the organisation is firmly poised to expand its entertainment and technological offerings.

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The owners of sports news platform GIVEMESPORT are to pay on initial €1.5m on the signing of the share and purchase agreement, with a further €4.125m upon closing of the transaction.

Set to rename Oryx Bragg Gaming Group upon completion of the transaction, plans are in place to leverage the GIVEMESPORT 26m strong Facebook fan base as the firm makes its move into gaming

Nick Thain, who co-founded the UK digital media company in 2004 and currently serves as CEO of Breaking Data, stated: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Oryx Gaming that will see the beginning of our transition into the highly lucrative gaming and sports betting markets.

“This transaction marks an important milestone in our strategic transition into becoming a next generation gaming company.”

Fresh appointments upon closing of the deal are also to be made, with ex-Health Lottery chief executive and FullTilt Poker managing director Dominic Mansour becoming new chief executive, and former chief financial officer of NetPlay TV plc Akshay Kumar set to occupy a similar role.

Detailing the purchase further still, and highlighting plans to capitalise on the repeal of PASPA in the US a little over three month ago, Mansour commented: “The acquisition of Oryx is the first step on the road to the creation of a new global gaming group. We plan to follow this with other acquisitions in the gaming sector, as we position Bragg Gaming as a next generation gaming company.

“The newly combined group will now have the opportunity to grow into gaming, and to leverage synergies through the combination of the businesses.

“GIVEMESPORT has a bigger following on Facebook than ESPN and Sky Sports and we plan to use this as a platform to grow into sports betting, initially in the UK, and further into the US, as it regulates following the decision in May 2018 by the United States Supreme Court to strike down, as an unconstitutional exercise of federal power, the nearly 30-year ban on sports betting under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA.”

Breaking Data also revealed plans to launch GIVEMEBET, a new online sports betting brand that is to be built in the mould of the Sky Betting and Gaming, with further details set to follow.  

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The Supreme Court ruling in the case of Murphy v National Collegiate Athletic Association, states: “Congress can regulate sports gambling directly but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own. Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the Constitution. PASPA is not.

“PASPA ‘regulates state governments’ regulation’ of their citizens … The Constitution gives Congress no such power. The judgment of the Third Circuit is reversed,” the ruling states.

American Gaming Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman issued the following statement after the announcement: “The court’s ruling on the case today determined that the federal ban on sports betting as established by [PASPA] is unconstitutional, paving the way for the legalisation of sports betting in all 50 states.

“Today’s decision is a victory for the millions of Americans who seek to bet on sports in a safe and regulated manner,” said Freeman.

“Today’s ruling makes it possible for states and sovereign tribal nations to give Americans what they want: an open, transparent, and responsible market for sports betting. Through smart, efficient regulation this new market will protect consumers, preserve the integrity of the games we love, empower law enforcement to fight illegal gambling, and generate new revenue for states, sporting bodies, broadcasters and many others.”

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Ivey and his representatives were seeking to overturn a 2014 UK Civil Court ruling that deemed he had cheated by deploying a method known as edge sorting when playing punto banco baccarat.

The technique involves a player identifying small differences in the pattern on the reverse of playing cards and exploiting that information to increase their chances of winning.

Playing at the Genting-owned Crockford’s Club back in 2012, Ivey convinced the croupier to rotate the most valuable cards by claiming he was superstitious.

The Mayfair casino picked up on Ivey’s tactics and refused to pay out, instead reimbursing his £1 million stake, and today Supreme Court judges upheld this decision.

The case was viewed as the first of its kind, as it was the first time British judges had been asked “whether dishonesty is a necessary element of cheating”.

Although Ivey had not touched the deck, Lord Hughes decided that Ivey had gained an unfair advantage by tricking the croupier.

“He accomplished exactly the same result through the unwitting but directed actions of the croupier, tricking her into thinking that what she did was irrelevant,” he explained.

“In a game which depends on random delivery of unknown cards, is inevitably cheating.

“That it was clever and skilful and must have involved remarkably sharp eyes, cannot alter that truth.”

Releasing a statement, Ivey detailed that the ruling made ‘no sense to him’ and that it went against the logic of gambling.

The statement read: “It is very frustrating that the UK judges have no experience or understanding of casinos and Advantage Play, or the ongoing battle between casinos and professional gamblers attempting to level the playing field.”

Paul Willcock, President and Chief Operating Officer of Genting UK, commented on the outcome: “We are delighted that the High Court, the Court of Appeal and now the Supreme Court have all found in Genting’s favour, confirming that we acted fairly and properly at all times and that Mr Ivey’s conduct did indeed amount to cheating.

“This entirely vindicates Genting’s decision not to pay Mr Ivey, a decision that was not taken lightly.”

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