NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has opened a formal investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani’s attorneys that the two-way Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”
Ohtani and the Dodgers were in Seoul, South Korea, for their opening series against the San Diego Padres when reports were published about alleged ties between the 39-year-old Mizuhara and an illegal bookmaker.
On the Final Edition, Bryan has two guests for you! First, he speaks with his former teammate … Jay Caspian Kang of The New Yorker. They kick off the show by discussing the gambling story involving Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (1:32). Then they talk about LeBron’s ventures into the podcasting space with JJ Reddick (15:17). Last, they discuss the first round of March Madness and the reaction from Oakland’s head coach Greg Kampe after their upset win over Kentucky (38:40).
Then Bryan talks with Ellie Hall, who discusses the royal family and how they are covered by the British press (40:34).
Then, David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.
This podcast was recorded before the announcement that Princess Kate Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer.
Host: Bryan Curtis Guests: Jay Caspian Kang and Ellie Hall Producer: Brian H. Waters
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been fired from the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star.Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from The Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker.“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” law firm Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement Wednesday.Mizuhara has worked with Ohtani for years and been a constant presence with him in major league clubhouses. When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels to sign a $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, the club also hired Mizuhara.The team did not have an immediate comment Wednesday. His firing was confirmed by Major League Baseball.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
LOS ANGELES —
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been fired from the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star.
Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from The Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” law firm Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement Wednesday.
Mizuhara has worked with Ohtani for years and been a constant presence with him in major league clubhouses. When Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels to sign a $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, the club also hired Mizuhara.
The team did not have an immediate comment Wednesday. His firing was confirmed by Major League Baseball.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
People in North Carolina may have a little more riding on this year’s NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, as they will be able to legally bet on the games through their smartphone apps and computers for the first time.
For the sixth straight year, the number of states allowing legal sports betting has expanded since the last rendition of March Madness. A total of 38 states and the District of Columbia now allow some form sports betting, including 30 states and the nation’s capital that allow online wagering.
That’s up from one state, Nevada, where people could legally wager on games during the 2018 college basketball tournaments, before the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for expansion.
The rules for sports betting vary by state. Some states prohibit bets on home-state college teams or the performance of specific players. Others allow bets not only on the outcome of any college games but also on a variety of other things, such as the number of points, rebounds and assists that a particular player will tally.
Here are some things to know about sports betting as the tourneys open, with the men’s games starting Tuesday and the women’s competition beginning Wednesday.
Fans have long filled out NCAA tournament brackets while wagering in office pools or against friends and family. But those casual bets have increasingly been supplemented with more formal gambling.
The total amount bet on all sports through legal wagering sites exceeded $121 billion in 2023, up 30% from the previous year, according to the American Gaming Association. After paying out winnings, sports betting operators reaped $11 billion in revenue, up from about $7.5 billion the previous year.
The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion will be bet this year on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments through legal sports books.
“March Madness is the biggest kind of individual event of the year for sports betting,” said David Forman, the American Gaming Association vice president of research.
The Super Bowl also draws big bets, but it’s only one game between two NFL teams. The NCAA Division 1 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments feature a total of 136 teams playing 134 games over three weeks.
Despite living where sports betting is legal, some fans still could be blocked from betting on their favorite teams and players.
Roughly a dozen states bar bets on college games involving home-state teams. Four additional states — Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont — generally prohibit bets involving their own college teams but make exceptions for tournaments.
Some states only allow bets on the outcome of college games, not how particular players will perform. Maryland and Ohio, for example, banned so-called proposition bets on college players, effective this month.
The NCAA has raised concerns that player-specific bets can lead to problems, including the harassment of college athletes and strain on their mental health. The organization also says such bets could entice players to wager on themselves or alter their play to affect stats-based bets.
Since the University of Connecticut won the men’s tournament last year, half a dozen states have launched or expanded sports betting.
Nebraska began taking sports bets at casinos last June, though it doesn’t allow mobile wagers. Kentucky launched sports betting in September to coincide with the start of the NFL season, and Maine began doing so in November.
After a court victory, the Seminole Tribe of Florida in December began taking online sports bets in addition to wagers at its casinos. Wagering has continued while a challenge is pending before the Florida Supreme Court. Opponents also have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.
In January, Vermont launched online sports betting.
North Carolina, which previously allowed sports betting only at three tribal casinos, began permitting online sports wagering statewide on March 11, a day before the start of the popular ACC men’s basketball tournament but a day after the women’s tournament ended.
Several states have a chance to join the sports betting trend.
In Missouri, where legislative attempts have repeatedly failed, the St. Louis Cardinals are leading a coalition of professional sports teams supporting an initiative petition that could place sports betting on the November ballot. Sports betting operators DraftKings and FanDuel have contributed a combined $3 million to the effort. Supporters say they are on track to exceed the required signatures by a May 5 deadline.
Lawmakers in Alabama and Georgia also are considering constitutional amendments authorizing sports betting. Georgia senators passed a measure last month, but it still needs a two-thirds vote from the House to appear on this year’s ballot.
Alabama’s House included sports betting in a wide-ranging gambling measure, but the state Senate stripped it out earlier this month. The House now must decide whether to accept that change or negotiate a final version to go to voters.
Legislation to legalize sports betting also is pending in Oklahoma and Minnesota. A Minnesota state Senate committee endorsed a revised version on Thursday that would raise the proposed tax rate.
Mississippi, which legalized casino sports betting in 2018, is considering an expansion to online betting. A bill passed the House last month and is now in the state Senate.
Although sports betting remains illegal in a dozen states, some residents place bets by crossing state lines. In Missouri’s two largest cities, St. Louis and Kansas City, some people drive to the nearest commuter lots or highway exit ramps just across the border in Illinois or Kansas, respectively, to place legal bets through mobile apps.
Many other would-be bettors get thwarted by technology.
During the weekend of the Super Bowl, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, technology company GeoComply Solutions said it processed more than 431,000 location checks from about 40,500 mobile devices in Missouri that attempted to access other states’ legal sports betting sites. The location checks allowed those bets to be blocked.
During that weekend, GeoComply said it processed an additional 256,000 location checks for sports betting sites coming from 30,000 devices in Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota and Mississippi.
Logically, every country in the world has its favorite sport. It is one of those sports that are popular for that climate, are played the most, and thus in some way penetrate the culture of the people.
About Canada, a nation synonymous with maple syrup, politeness, and… ice hockey? Well yes, it can be said that hockey is the most popular sport to watch on TV, and therefore the most popular sport to bet on.
For Canadians, hockey isn’t just a sport. It is better to say that it’s woven into the fabric of national identity. This deep-rooted passion translates to the betting world as well, making ice hockey the undisputed king of Canadian sports betting in 2024.
Proof of that is the largest number of global and local betting services that say that Canadians enjoy this sport, so they are active in betting during the season. On the other hand, when it comes to site visits, Canadians also like to review sites such as hockey sites but also bet precisely because of hockey.
It is clear to us that it is a passion for every Canadian to be addicted to this sport, but what makes this sport so special? What exactly fuels this national obsession with wagering on the ice? Let’s delve into the factors that solidify ice hockey’s position as the top dog in Canadian sports betting. Let’s start with a review of the factors.
This Is the Nation that Has Skates Everywhere!
We can confirm one thing! Canada boasts a long and storied history with ice hockey. We can all see this fact from the past, especially from the last century when Canada had great success in hockey as a sport. From humble beginnings on frozen ponds to the bright lights of the NHL, the sport has captured the hearts of Canadians for generations.
With that alone, each subsequent generation loves hockey more and more, and with that alone, the need and love to place one’s bet in bookmakers is born. This widespread love affair translates into a deep understanding of the game, making Canadians well-equipped to analyze games and place informed bets, but also to receive excellent monetary gains.
The National Ice Hockey League Is the National Love of All of Canada
The NHL, widely considered the premier ice hockey league globally, holds a special place in the hearts of Canadians. Yes, the world loves this ice hockey league, but not nearly as much as the people of Canada. Witnessing their hometown heroes battle it out on the ice to win first place generates immense excitement and national pride.
It is for this reason that group viewings are organized every year, as well as visits to betting services online to place your bet on your favorite team or the best. This emotional connection fuels the desire to engage with the game beyond just watching, making betting an attractive option for many fans, and even for families who are so excited about the NHL.
Hockey Is Not a Difficult Sport to Bet On, Especially in Canada
The legalization of single-game sports betting in Canada in 2021 opened the floodgates for a previously untapped market. From here you can see the ease of placing a bet in a betting shop on any of the hockey matches. On the other hand, it is much easier and more accessible to analyze to give one’s opinion on the course of the match or the outcome.
Numerous online and retail sportsbooks have emerged, offering convenient and accessible platforms for Canadians to place their bets. Nothing better than having everything organized and easily accessible like hockey available to bet on for every Canadian right?
Betting Is Just a Tradition, and The Emotions Toward the Team Are the Ones that Prevail
If in the world there are a large number of people who are lovers of sports, but not to such an extent that it hurts them to lose their team even though their bet was won. For many Canadians, betting on hockey goes beyond the potential financial gains. They want their team to win, even though they bet according to analytics and what is predicted.
It’s about adding another layer of excitement to the viewing experience, to fully enjoy betting, but also watching the championship matches. The thrill of following a game with a wager on the line intensifies the emotions involved, fostering a deeper connection to the sport and the teams.
This is the case with the Canadians with hockey, the English with football, the Americans with basketball, but also with a large number of other nations with their favorite sports, on which they bet.
There Are Special Options for Canadians when It Comes to Hockey as A National Sport
The beauty of hockey betting lies in its variety, and if you wonder why, the answer lies in the bookies. They offer a huge number of opportunities for anyone who wants to place their bet. From simple moneyline bets on the winner to complex player prop bets and futures bets on playoff champions, there’s something for every type of bettor.
Each of the options is logical enough if you know the team, useful enough if you want to win and get money, but it is not unique, that is, you can choose any of the other options to guess the outcome.
This diverse landscape caters to both casual fans looking for a fun way to engage with the game and seasoned bettors seeking intricate wagering opportunities. Everyone wants to win, and bookmakers offer a unique chance precisely through the options.
Conclusion
Canadians have a lot to brag about, and that’s great hockey, but also a lot of betting opportunities that make watching hockey a real holiday, as well as a tradition that everyone enjoys. Today we saw how great the love for national sports can be, but also how much and how the sport affects the popularity of hunger when it comes to it from the fans’ point of view.
Imagine a bustling digital marketplace, brimming with an array of colorful, engaging, and diverse games. This is the realm created by game aggregators for online casinos. In an industry where player retention and attraction are paramount, the breadth of content available can make or break a casino’s reputation.
But how do casino operators navigate the complex web of game providers and integrate a plethora of games into their platforms efficiently?
The answer lies in the innovative solution known as a game aggregator.
Key Takeaways
Game Aggregators allow online casinos to access thousands of games from multiple developers through a single API integration, saving time and resources.
By partnering with a game aggregator, casino operators can offer a diverse array of games, catering to different player preferences and staying current with market trends.
Game aggregators negotiate with game studios on behalf of multiple casinos, obtaining better rates and conditions.
They keep the game libraries fresh by regularly updating them with new and trending games, which helps in retaining and attracting players.
What are Game Aggregators?
A game aggregator is essentially a one-stop software solution that unites thousands of games from numerous popular game developers into a single, cohesive product.
Often referred to as a ‘casino games hub’ or ‘aggregation software,’ it simplifies the creation of a diverse game portfolio through a single API integration. This intermediary between operators and game vendors spares casino operators from the cumbersome task of managing individual gaming partners.
Casino Content Integration
Traditionally, integrating gaming content into an online casino platform was a daunting task involving direct negotiations with each game provider, a process fraught with lengthy negotiations, paperwork, and technical challenges. Each new game vendor required a fresh set of integrations, making the expansion of game offerings a time-consuming and costly endeavor.
Enter the game aggregator. By facilitating a single integration point, these platforms allow casino operators to access a vast array of games from multiple vendors at once, streamlining the entire process. This not only saves time and resources but also opens up a world of gaming content that might otherwise be inaccessible.
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The Multifaceted Benefits of Game Aggregators
The advantages of utilizing a game aggregator are manifold:
Extensive Game Selection: Operators can offer thousands of games from various studios, catering to diverse player preferences and staying ahead of market trends.
Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: A single API integration eliminates the need for multiple contracts and technical setups, significantly reducing operational costs and complexity.
Favorable Terms: Leveraging their extensive network, aggregators can negotiate better rates and conditions with game studios, benefiting their casino clients.
Continuous Content Refresh: Aggregators ensure that the game libraries are regularly updated with the latest offerings, keeping the content fresh and engaging for players.
Unified Support System: A comprehensive support structure simplifies issue resolution and technical support, enhancing operational efficiency.
Selecting an appropriate game aggregator is crucial for maximizing the benefits. Operators should consider factors such as the range of games offered, the technical reliability of the platform, the quality of customer support, and the terms of collaboration. Engaging with industry peers and conducting thorough research can aid in identifying a partner that aligns with the casino’s strategic goals and player demographics.
Operators should look for reviews, testimonials, and case studies to gauge the aggregator’s performance and reputation in the market. Furthermore, direct communication with potential aggregators can provide insights into their responsiveness and the level of support they offer.
Operators should seek flexible and transparent agreements that allow for scalability and adjustments based on the casino’s growth and changing needs.
FAQs
Can Game Aggregators Integrate Games from Any Game Developer, Including Those from Different Countries?
Yes, they typically have a wide network and can integrate games from a variety of developers worldwide, including those from different countries. However, the specific range of developers depends on the aggregator’s partnerships and the legal and technical compatibility of the games with the target markets of the casino.
How Do Game Aggregators Handle Legal and Compliance Issues Across Different Jurisdictions?
Game aggregators usually have a compliance team that works to ensure that all the games they offer comply with the regulations of the jurisdictions in which their casino clients operate. They handle licensing, certification, and regulatory compliance, but it’s important for the casino operators to also perform their due diligence.
Are There Any Specific Technical Requirements for Casinos to Integrate with A Game Aggregator?
Casinos need to have a compatible platform that can support the API integration with the game aggregator. The specific technical requirements may vary depending on the aggregator but generally include a stable internet connection, sufficient server capacity, and compliance with the aggregator’s technical standards.
Can a Casino Operator Request Specific Games or Developers to Be Added to Their Platform Through a Game Aggregator?
Yes, they can request specific games or developers to be added to their platform. While game aggregators have a pre-established library, they often work with operators to tailor the game selection to fit the operator’s needs and player preferences.
How Do Game Aggregators Ensure the Fairness and Integrity of The Games They Offer?
They partner with reputable game developers who use Random Number Generators (RNGs) to ensure game fairness. Additionally, they often conduct regular audits and tests on the games to maintain integrity and trustworthiness.
Can Game Aggregators Provide Games that Support Multiple Languages and Currencies?
Yes, many game aggregators offer games that support multiple languages and currencies to cater to a global audience. This feature allows casino operators to target players from different geographical locations more effectively.
Summary
In the ever-evolving landscape of online gambling, game aggregators represent a strategic asset for casino operators. By providing access to a diverse array of games, streamlining integration processes, and offering favorable economic terms, these platforms enable casinos to enhance their offerings, attract a broader audience, and ultimately, secure a competitive edge in the market.
America’s commercial casinos won $66.5 billion from gamblers in 2023, the industry’s best year ever, according to figures released by its national trade association Tuesday.
The American Gaming Association said that total was 10% higher than in 2022, which itself was a record-setting year.
When revenue figures from tribal-owned casinos are released separately later this year, they are expected to show that overall casino gambling brought in close to $110 billion to U.S. casino operators in 2023.
That all happened in a year in which inflation, while receding, still kept things like grocery and energy costs higher than they had been.
“From the traditional casino experience to online options, American adults’ demand for gaming is at an all-time high,” said Bill Miller, the association’s president and CEO.
Early last year, when the group gave its annual statistical assessment, “inflation was high, uncertainty was in the air. Forecasters couldn’t agree what these challenges might do to discretionary income,” Miller said.
As they year went on, “inflation began to cool, consumers began to spend and the (Federal Reserve) held rates steady,” he added. “The result was a record-breaking year for our industry.”
Not even the pre-holiday shopping crunch discouraged gamblers from laying their money down: casinos won $6.2 billion in December and $17.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, both of which set records.
Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at New Jersey’s Stockton University, which studies the gambling industry, said sports betting is still new enough that it may prove attractive even to those watching their budgets.
“As a form of entertainment, legal sports betting might be a new and novel experience for many patrons, and with its relatively low cost of entry, may be attractive to them even if their discretionary spending budget is limited,” she said.
In-person gambling remains the bread and butter of the industry. Slot machines brought in $35.51 billion in 2023, an increase of 3.8% from the previous year. Table games brought in $10.31 billion, up 3.5%. Sports betting generated $10.92 billion in revenue, up 44.5%. Americans legally wagered $119.84 billion on sports, up 27.8% from the previous year.
Five new sports betting markets that became operational in 2023 — Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Ohio — contributed to that and generated a combined $1.49 billion in revenue.
By the end of the year, Massachusetts and Ohio established themselves among the country’s top 10 sports betting states by revenue, New Jersey and Illinois exceeded $1 billion in annual sports betting revenue for the first time, and New York topped all states with $1.69 billion.
Internet gambling generated $6.17 billion, up 22.9%. While Michigan and New Jersey each generated $1.92 billion in annual internet gambling revenue, Michigan outperformed New Jersey by just $115,500 to become the largest internet gambling market in the country. Pennsylvania was third with $1.74 billion in annual revenue.
Other states offering internet gambling are Connecticut, West Virginia and Delaware; Nevada offers online poker only.
Casinos paid an estimated $14.42 billion in gambling taxes last year, up 9.7% from the previous year. Nevada remains the nation’s top gambling market, with $15.5 billion in revenue. Pennsylvania is second at $5.86 billion, followed closely by Atlantic City at $5.77 billion.
New York is fourth at $4.71 billion, followed by Michigan at $3.58 billion; Ohio at $3.31 billion; Indiana at $2.82 billion; Louisiana at $2.69 billion and Illinois at $2.52 billion.
New York’s Resorts World casino reclaimed the title as the top-performing U.S. casino outside Nevada. It was followed by MGM National Harbor near Washington, D.C., Encore Boston Harbor and Atlantic City’s Borgata.
Of the 35 states that have commercial casinos, 31 saw revenue increase last year. Jurisdictions where revenue declined were Florida (-0.4%); Indiana (-2.3%) and Mississippi (-3.5%). The sports betting-only market of Washington, D.C., had a more significant decline, with revenue trailing 2022 by 17.6%, the largest drop in the country.
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Online betting on the Super Bowl surged this year, with many gamblers waiting until right before the kickoff to place their wagers, according to a company that tracks the location of internet gamblers.
Data released Monday from GeoComply shows that the number of verification checks it carried out over the weekend increased by more than 22% from last year.
It processed just over 122 million checks this year in 28 of the 29 states that offer online sports betting, excluding Florida.
The company makes sure gamblers are where they say they are before permitting their online bets to go through, a process known as geolocation that is a foundation of online betting in the U.S.
The data records the number of times the company was called on to verify a customer’s location. It is considered a good indicator for at least a minimum level of sports betting activity, more than 80% of which is done online in the U.S.
“The continued transition to the legal market set the stage for a historic first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and the record-breaking results we saw did not disappoint,” said Anna Sainsbury, CEO and co-founder of Vancouver, Canada-based GeoComply.
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 Sunday night for their second consecutive NFL title.
States require a gambler to be physically located within their borders in order to make online bets. Geolocation technology uses a combination of cellphone data, software, hardware and databases to determine where a phone or laptop trying to make a bet is actually located at a given moment.
While it is true that customers can log in and have their location verified without actually placing a bet, many gamblers also make more than one bet after a single login.
Throughout Super Bowl weekend, GeoComply saw a total of 8.5 million active accounts, up 15% from last year’s Super Bowl.
During the two weeks leading up to the big game, the company saw more than 1.77 million new users sign up for legal online betting accounts.
Since the start of the 2023-2024 NFL season, customers have added more than 13.7 million new accounts, a 28% increase from last season.
And as usual, many people waited until the last moment to place bets. The company said that minutes before kick-off, it saw a massive spike in traffic totaling nearly 15,000 transactions per second. This was the highest level ever recorded on GeoComply’s systems, nearly doubling last year’s peak.
The game going into to overtime for only the second time hit many sports books hard, having offered steep odds that it wouldn’t happen. And many bets were on the Chiefs to win, even though the 49ers entered the game as slight favorites.
Sportsbooks suffered a multimillion-dollar loss on the game going to overtime, a popular bet that paid about 9-to-1, said Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading for Caesars Sportsbook. He said Caesars lost seven figures alone on the overtime bet, with the average wager on it being $16.
Caesars did better on player props, many of which did not come to fruition. That includes bets on whether prominent players such as Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk would score a touchdown, which none of them did.
“It was a bad Super Bowl for the sportsbook,” said Tristan Davis, a senior trader at BetMGM. “Many bettors had the Chiefs winning and overs on popular player props,” referring to bets on individual player statistical performances.
FanDuel, the official odds provider for The Associated Press, said it took 14 million bets totaling $307 million, both of which set records. Those bets came from 2.5 million FanDuel customers.
DraftKings would not release figures Monday about its performance during the Super Bowl.
Several sportsbooks also issued odds for next year’s Super Bowl winner, with the 49ers slightly ahead of the Chiefs.
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Las Vegas has had many identities over the years, but even a decade ago, it was unthinkable that the city would be home to a pro sports team. Now, there are three, with more likely on the way. CBS News’ Dana Jacobson reports on how this unlikely city became a sports haven.
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Each state in the US has its unique stance on gambling, weaving a complex tapestry of regulations that can often seem as intricate and varied as the nation’s landscapes. Texas, with its rich history and cultural identity, holds a particularly stringent position on the matter.
Let’s take a look at the reasons behind Texas’s strict gambling laws, explore what forms of gambling are permitted within the state, and examine the social, economic, and legislative factors that shape this framework.
Key Takeaways
Texas enforces strict gambling prohibitions, permitting only specific activities like the state lottery, charitable gaming, pari-mutuel betting on races, and social gambling.
The state lottery supports public education, while regulated charitable gaming aids non-profit fundraising.
Legal changes and expansions in gambling face significant opposition, reflecting Texas’s conservative stance on gambling.
A Blast From The Past
The roots of Texas’s gambling laws are deeply embedded in the state’s history, tracing back to the early days of the Republic of Texas. Find out more at techopedia.com. During the 19th century, gambling was a prevalent pastime among the cowboys, oil prospectors, and settlers who played significant roles in shaping the state’s identity.
The early 20th century brought about a wave of reform movements across the United States, aimed at moral and social improvements, which included the prohibition of gambling activities. Texas, influenced by its strong conservative values, was at the forefront of these movements, enacting laws that strictly limited gambling activities.
Legal Framework
The legal framework surrounding gambling in Texas is primarily defined by the Texas Penal Code, which categorizes most forms of gambling as illegal.
Section of Texas Penal Code
Summary
General Prohibition
Outlines the overall prohibition against gambling, declaring most forms of gambling to be illegal within the state.
Definition of Gambling
Provides a legal definition of gambling, including any bet based on the partial or final outcome of a game or contest or the performance of a participant in an event.
Promotion of Gambling
Addresses the illegal act of promoting any form of gambling activity, including operating or profiting from gambling places or activities.
Possession of Gambling Devices
Details the illegality of owning, transferring, or possessing any gambling device, equipment, or paraphernalia not sanctioned by the state.
Engaging in Organized Crime
Categorizes activities related to operating or participating in earnings from gambling as part of engaging in organized criminal activity, with severe penalties.
The state constitution and specific statutes outline the parameters of what constitutes illegal gambling, focusing on activities that involve betting or wagering on the outcome of a game or contest of chance.
The law specifically targets the operation of gambling establishments and the promotion of gambling activities, making it challenging to legally engage in most forms of gambling within the state.
Social & Cultural Influences
At the heart of Texas society lies an unwavering commitment to traditional family structures. These familial bonds are considered sacrosanct, the cornerstone upon which communities are built and nurtured.
In this context, gambling is often viewed through a lens of caution, seen as a whirlwind that could unsettle these foundations, leading to the erosion of the very core of Texan life—its families.
Religion also plays a pivotal role in guiding the moral and ethical decisions of its people. The diverse religious landscape of Texas, dominated by strong Christian principles, often casts gambling as a vice that conflicts with the teachings of moderation, stewardship, and the welfare of one’s neighbor.
This moral compass directs much of the public sentiment against gambling, framing it as an activity that could lead one astray from the path of righteousness.
The opposition to gambling in Texas transcends legal arguments or economic debates; it is an intrinsic part of the state’s cultural and moral ethos. This ethos, cultivated over generations, views gambling as an element capable of causing social decay.
The imagery is stark—gambling as a creeping vine that, if left unchecked, could ensnarl the very pillars of society, leading to the breakdown of families, financial despair, and a surge in criminal activity.
Economic Considerations
While proponents of legalized gambling argue that it could bring significant revenue to the state through taxes and tourism, opponents counter that the social costs, including increased social services and law enforcement expenses, could outweigh these benefits.
The debate extends to concerns over the potential for gambling to harm local businesses by diverting consumer spending away from traditional economic sectors.
What’s Permitted
Despite the stringent restrictions, Texas does permit certain forms of gambling under specific conditions. These include:
Permitted Gambling Activities in Texas
Description
State Lottery
Established in 1991, offers a variety of games including scratch-off tickets and multi-state jackpots. Proceeds are primarily for funding public education.
Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Non-profit organizations can conduct these as fundraisers, provided they obtain the necessary licenses and adhere to regulations.
Horse and Greyhound Racing
Pari-mutuel wagering is allowed at licensed racetracks. The industry faces challenges including competition from illegal and out-of-state operations.
Social Gambling
Private games of poker or other forms are allowed, as long as they occur in a private place, no person receives economic benefit other than personal winnings, and the risks are the same for all participants.
Future Prospects
The future of gambling in Texas remains a contentious issue, with ongoing debates among lawmakers, business leaders, and community groups. Efforts to expand gambling laws, including proposals to legalize casinos and sports betting, have faced significant opposition.
Changing demographics and economic pressures, coupled with the potential for substantial revenue generation, continue to fuel discussions on this topic.
Any changes to the current legal landscape are likely to require not only legislative action but also a shift in the social and cultural attitudes that have long defined Texas’s stance on gambling.
FAQs
Can Texas Residents Legally Gamble Online?
No, online gambling is not explicitly legal in Texas. The state’s gambling laws do not directly address online gambling, leading to a grey area.
However, the general prohibition against gambling in the state applies, making it illegal to operate an online gambling site within Texas. Residents may access offshore gambling websites at their own risk, but these are not regulated by Texas law.
Are There Any Legal Casinos on Native American Reservations in Texas?
Yes, there are a few legal casinos operating on Native American lands in Texas, due to the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allowing tribes to operate gaming facilities on their sovereign lands.
These facilities are subject to restrictions and must negotiate agreements with the state. The Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass is one such example, offering slot machines and poker games.
What Are the Penalties for Illegal Gambling in Texas?
Penalties for illegal gambling in Texas can vary widely depending on the nature of the offense. Engaging in illegal gambling as a player can be classified as a Class C misdemeanor, which may result in a fine.
Operating a gambling enterprise or earning substantial revenue from such activities can result in more severe charges, including felony charges that carry potential jail time and larger fines.
Can Texans Legally Participate in Fantasy Sports Leagues?
The legality of daily fantasy sports in Texas has been a topic of debate. As of my last update, the Texas Attorney General issued an opinion suggesting that certain forms of daily fantasy sports contests could be considered illegal gambling.
Major fantasy sports sites continue to operate in Texas, arguing that their contests are games of skill, not chance, and therefore not subject to gambling laws.
Legislative attempts to clarify the legal status of fantasy sports have been made, but clear statewide regulations have yet to be enacted.
Are Charity Gambling Events Like Casino Nights Legal in Texas?
Charity gambling events, including casino nights, are legally complex in Texas. Non-profit organizations can host bingo and raffles if they obtain the necessary state licenses.
Casino nights that involve real money betting on games like blackjack, roulette, or slots often fall into a legal grey area. Such events might be permitted if they do not pay out real money prizes or if betting is done with “funny money” or tokens that have no cash value.
Has There Been Any Significant Push Towards Legalizing More Forms of Gambling in Texas?
There have been several legislative attempts to expand gambling in Texas, including proposals to legalize casinos, sports betting, and online gambling. These efforts have gained some support from business and tourism groups who argue that expanded gambling could bring significant economic benefits to the state.
They have consistently faced strong opposition from conservative lawmakers and groups concerned about the social impacts of gambling. As of the last update, no significant expansion of gambling laws has been successfully enacted, but the topic remains a recurring issue in legislative sessions.
Final Words
The reasons behind the illegality of most forms of gambling in Texas are multifaceted, rooted in the state’s historical, social, and economic fabric. While certain forms of gambling are permitted, the overall landscape remains restrictive.
As Texas continues to evolve, so too will the debate over gambling, reflecting broader shifts in societal values and economic priorities.
Whether these changes will lead to a more liberal approach to gambling laws remains to be seen, but for now, Texas maintains its conservative stance, upholding a long tradition of restricting gambling activities within its borders.
When it comes to participating in online casino games on a low budget, the secret is to discover video games that provide low minimum bets and suitable odds. Many casinos cater to low rollers by imparting a variety of games that permit for smaller wagers, stretching a modest bankroll without sacrificing the enjoyment value.
Slots, often the cross-to desire for budget-friendly online casino gaming, can permit spins for as low as a few cents, making them a high option for the ones seeking to revel in the joys of playing at the same time as managing their spending.
Beyond slots, table video games which include blackjack, baccarat, and roulette provide strategies and bet kinds that cater to conservative bankrolls. For example, betting on pink or black in roulette provides close to even-money probabilities that are appropriate for low stakes. It is similar for slot machines. If you want to take a look at some of these, visit Virgin Games.
Meanwhile, card video games like blackjack and baccarat can also be approached with techniques that limit the house edge, making them appealing to budget-conscious gamers who experience a blend of strategy and success.
Key Takeaways
Low-stakes games are available for players with smaller bankrolls.
Slots often provide the lowest betting options, with spins available for mere cents.
Table games can offer good odds and strategic play for conservative bettors.
1. Blackjack
When we’re targeting casinos with the intention of playing on a budget, blackjack emerges as a strong candidate due to its low house edge and affordable minimum bet options.
Some online casinos require as little as a $20 deposit. This modest amount allows us to access blackjack games without significant investment and offers a foundation to manage our bankroll effectively.
For an immersive experience, live dealer blackjack tables are available with minimum bets often starting at $1. These tables allow us to enjoy the thrills of live casino play while maintaining our budget.
Live Dealer: Yes
Typical Minimum Bets: $1 – $20
House Edge: Varies by blackjack variant
Blackjack Variants and House Edges:
We opt for variants like Atlantic City Blackjack or Spanish 21 when looking for the lowest house edges. These games offer subtle rule changes that can significantly affect the odds and potential return, maintaining both our entertainment and budget.
Leveraging blackjack-specific bonuses can stretch our funds further. For instance, BetUS offers a 50% bonus up to $500, which can be used on blackjack games, increasing both our playtime and chances to win.
2. Poker
When playing poker on a low budget, our focus remains on finding games with lower buy-ins and managing our bankroll effectively. Online platforms often offer Low Deposit Poker Sites, perfect for starting with smaller stakes.
We can participate in free poker games or no-deposit poker options online to hone our skills without risking a significant amount of money.
In brick-and-mortar casinos, Las Vegas stands out as a hub for low-limit poker games. We should search for tables that offer Low-Limit Texas Hold’em, where the blinds and buy-ins are within our budget.
Remember tha in poker, patience is crucial. We favor a tight-aggressive strategy, playing a smaller number of strong hands and betting aggressively with them. This approach reduces the risk of losing our stake too quickly while maximizing potential returns on our investments.
We aim to make each bet count and wait patiently for opportunities where we have a strong hand and are more likely to win.
3. Baccarat
Baccarat is one of the most budget-friendly online casino games that players can revel in. We locate its rules sincerely: you could locate your wager on both the Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. Here, the intention is to guess on the hand that totals closest to 9.
When gambling Baccarat on low finances, we propose betting at the Banker despite the usual five% fee on wins. This is due to the fact the Banker’s guess has the bottom residence side, usually around 1.06%, which means better odds for us.
For beginners or those wishing to avoid risk, many online casinos offer free Baccarat games. This allows us to practice and understand the game dynamics without spending money. Additionally, when we do decide to play with real money, we look for:
No-Commission Baccarat games: These versions eliminate the 5% commission, although they might adjust payout rates.
Promotions and Bonuses: We take advantage of bonuses that can extend our playtime without requiring additional funds.
4. Lotto
When we look at casino games suitable for players on a budget, lotto-style games emerge as popular choices. These games often require a minimal investment, which aligns well with limited bankrolls. Here’s how they work:
Typically, lotto games allow us to participate for as little as $1 or even less per ticket or round, giving us numerous opportunities to play without a significant financial commitment.
Types of Lotto Games
We can buy tickets with a predefined set of numbers or choose our own, awaiting the draw that could bring us returns.
Similar to a lottery, we pick numbers and see if they match the randomly drawn set to win prizes.
Online casinos offer versions of keno and bingo, which often allow for micro-stakes.
While lotto games provide a low entry cost, the potential returns can be substantial.
Budgeting Tips
Set a limit: Decide on our spending ahead of time.
Track expenses: Keep a record of our tickets and bets.
Play for fun: Remember that lotto games are a form of entertainment.
5. Progressive Jackpot Slots
When we do not forget casino games which can be appropriate for an extremely low price range, innovative jackpot slots stand out. These slots provide the danger at triumphing huge sums of money while permitting gamers to wager with small quantities.
What Are Progressive Jackpot Slots?
Progressive jackpot slots are casino games wherein the jackpot will increase whenever the game is performed however the jackpot isn’t won. A portion of each guess is going into the jackpot pool, which could turn out to be pretty good sized.
We emphasize video games like Mega Moolah and Major Millions, acknowledged for their excessive jackpot values.
Mega Moolah: Often hits multi-million dollar jackpots.
Major Millions: Also reaches impressive jackpot amounts.
Finding the Best Value
We seek slots with higher Return to Player (RTP) percentages, as they offer a better return over time. For example, Mega Fortune has a 96.6% RTP. It’s low-volatility, making it suitable for our low-budget strategy.
Budget-Friendly Tips
Aim for slots with lower betting minimums.
Look for casinos offering free spins or bonuses.
Play for smaller jackpots that hit more frequently.
6. Roulette
When exploring casino games suitable for a tight budget, we cannot overlook Roulette, especially its low-stakes variants. Our goal is to enjoy the game while preserving our bankroll.
We seek out online casinos offering Roulette tables with minimum bets under a dollar. This approach allows us to partake in the excitement without risking substantial sums per spin. Such tables often feature 1 cent to 50 cent minimums, making the game accessible for all budget levels.
Roulette Strategies on a Budget
We focus on outside bets such as Red/Black, Odd/Even, or High/Low. These bets offer nearly a 50/50 chance of winning, making them a suitable choice for prolonged play.
Setting a loss limit and a win goal is crucial. We never exceed our set limits and always play with funds we are prepared to lose.
We prefer European Roulette with its single zero, which has a lower house edge compared to American Roulette with an additional double zero.
To maximize our time and funds, we prioritize online casinos featuring:
FAQs
Do Casinos Give Free Play?
Yes, many casinos provide unfastened play as a promotional perk to new site visitors or dependable customers. The free play can come inside the shape of no-deposit bonuses, rewards for becoming a member of a gamers’ club, or other special promotions. It’s basically credit score that the online casino offers you to use in their games without risking your very own cash.
How to Win 21 at Casino?
Winning at 21, or blackjack, includes knowing the primary approach, that is grounded in statistical likelihoods. We endorse familiarizing your self with while to hit, stand, break up, and double down based for your hand and the dealer’s upcard.
However, whilst this can increase your probabilities, a win is by no means assured given that the game in the long run relies upon on success as properly.
Which Odd Is Likely to Win?
The odds of triumphing vary by way of recreation. Games like blackjack and video poker generally provide a number of pleasant odds, with house edges that can be as low as 0.5% if performed with the ideal strategy.
Meanwhile, slot machines and the lottery typically provide longer odds, making wins less possibly in assessment.
What Is the Fairest Casino Game?
The fairest online casino video games are typically those with the lowest residence area and those that permit using strategy, which offers players manage over their moves. Games like blackjack, baccarat, craps, and video poker are considered fair due to their pretty low residence aspect and strategic element.
The Bottom Line
In managing our gaming on a tight budget, selecting the right casino games is crucial. We seek games with lower bets and better odds, aiming to extend our playtime while maintaining the thrill.
The Big Six Wheel and Goldfish slot are examples of such games, with the former offering a lower house edge at $1 bets and the latter providing rich features on modest bets.
Lastly, we should include the leisure price of casino video games while staying inside our monetary consolation zone. Our amusement of online casino video games ought to usually be balanced with the truth of hazard and should in no way impact our economic health.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Atlantic City’s casinos have no legal obligation to stop compulsive gamblers from betting, a judge ruled, dismissing a lawsuit from a self-described problem gambler who accused the Borgata and its parent company, MGM Resorts International, of plying him with offers to gamble despite knowing about his addiction.
U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo dismissed a lawsuit on Jan. 31 by Sam Antar against the gambling companies, saying the voluminous rules and regulations governing gambling in New Jersey do not impose a legal duty upon casinos to cut off compulsive gamblers.
New Jersey casino law “pervasively regulates the responsibilities of casinos as they relate to compulsive gamblers, but is notably silent on whether casinos or online gambling platforms may induce people who present with compulsive gambling behavior to patronize their businesses,” the judge wrote in her decision.
She also cited two previous New Jersey cases in which a compulsive gambler and a patron who claimed to have lost money gambling while drunk sued unsuccessfully.
Similar lawsuits have been dismissed in other states, including Indiana.
“The New Jersey Legislature … has not yet seen fit to require casinos to prevent or stop inducing gambling from those that exhibit problem gambling behavior,” Arleo wrote. “As a matter of law, (the) defendants do not owe a negligence common law duty of care to plaintiffs.”
Antar said the law needs to be changed, adding he plans to appeal the dismissal of the case.
“This is not just about me; this is about all the people across this country who have this addiction,” he said. “When are we as a country going to address this?”
Antar, who has homes in New York and in Long Branch, New Jersey, gambled $30 million over 100,000 bets during nine months in 2019, according to his lawsuit, which does not specify how much he actually lost. Antar said he is not certain of the amount, and his lawyer, Matthew Litt, said it was “at least in the six figures.”
His lawsuit made some of the same claims that were raised — and rejected by a judge — in another person’s lawsuit targeting Atlantic City casinos. In 2008, a federal judge ruled against New York gambler Arelia Taveras who sued seven Atlantic City casinos that she said had a duty to stop her from gambling. She lost nearly $1 million over two years, including dayslong gambling binges.
“She spent money on the bona fide chance that she might win more money,” U.S. District Court Judge Renée Bumb wrote in a 2008 ruling. “In short, she gambled. The mere fact that defendants profited from her misfortune, while lamentable, does not establish a cognizable claim in the law.”
MGM cites that case among its numerous defenses to Antar’s litigation, and said it did not create or worsen a gambling problem in Antar or anyone else.
The company declined comment Monday.
Litt said his appeal will center on his contention that New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act, designed to protest customers from “unconscionable” acts by companies, should apply in this case.
Antar is the nephew of Eddie Antar, who founded the Crazy Eddie electronics stores in the 1970s and 1980s. Eddie Antar defrauded investors out of more than $74 million, and died in 2016.
In 2013, Sam Antar was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for taking $225,000 in a fraudulent investment scheme. He was convicted and jailed in 2022 on theft by deception charges involving nearly $350,000.
In 2023, he admitted committing federal securities fraud for bilking investors, including friends stemming from that same case, served four months in jail and was ordered to pay restitution.
He is currently free under an intensive supervision program, and says he has been informally counseling young people with gambling problems.
“Who better than me to show them what this can become?” he said.
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Follow Wayne Parry on X, formerly Twitter, at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
LAS VEGAS — When the Tropicana Las Vegas opened in 1957, Nevada’s lieutenant governor unlocked the door to what would become a Sin City landmark for more than a half-century. Then he threw away the key.
“This was to signify that the Tropicana would always stay open,” said historian Michael Green.
Six decades later, the storied hotel-casino that once had ties to the mob and was nicknamed the “Tiffany of the Strip,” is set to shut its doors for good to make room for a $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium that will be home to the relocating Oakland Athletics.
Tropicana owner Bally’s Corp. made the announcement Monday, saying the closure on April 2 — days before the 67th anniversary of the resort’s opening — marks the beginning of preparations for demolition.
The ballpark is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Bally’s president, George Papanier, said in a statement.
“Bally’s looks forward to the development of a new resort and ballpark that … will become a new landmark, paying homage to the iconic history and global appeal of Las Vegas and its nearly 50 million visitors a year,” the company said in a news release.
The population of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, had just surpassed 100,000 when the Tropicana opened on a Las Vegas Strip not yet lined with the megaresorts it’s known for today, Green said. The Flamingo had been open for a decade. The high-rise Stardust debuted the following year, costing $8.5 million.
Known then for its opulence, Green said, the Tropicana had mosaic tiles and mahogany panels throughout. There was a towering tulip-shaped fountain near the entrance. Each hotel room had a balcony.
Behind the scenes of the casino’s opening, the Tropicana had ties to the mob, largely through reputed mobster Frank Costello, according to Green, who also serves on the board of directors of The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas.
Weeks after the grand opening, Costello was shot in the head in New York. He survived, but police had found in his coat pocket a piece of paper with the Tropicana’s exact earnings figure. According to a post on The Mob Museum’s website looking back on the Tropicana’s history, the note also mentioned “money to be skimmed” for Costello’s associates.
In the 1970s, federal authorities investigating mobsters in Kansas City charged more than a dozen mob operatives with conspiring to skim nearly $2 million in gambling revenue from Las Vegas casinos, including the Tropicana. Charges connected to the Tropicana alone resulted in five convictions.
But the famed hotel-casino also enjoyed many years of mob-free success, Green said, and expanded in later years to include two hotel towers. In 1959, it debuted its long-running topless show “Folies Bergere,” which was featured in the 1964 Elvis Presley film “Viva Las Vegas.” Magicians Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn got their start in the show.
A-list stars including Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong and Gladys Knight have performed at the Tropicana, and in 1998, daredevil showman Robbie Knievel made a record-breaking motorcycle jump outside the hotel, soaring to 231 feet (70 meters) over a row of limousines.
Today, the site at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip intersects with a major thoroughfare named for the Tropicana. It is surrounded by towering megaresorts: the MGM Grand, Excalibur, New York-New York, Luxor and Mandalay Bay. Nearby are the homes of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, who left Oakland in 2020, and the city’s first major league professional team, the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
Bally’s says it will no longer accept hotel bookings after April 2 and will relocate any customers who have existing reservations past the closing date.
The ballpark planned for the land beneath the Tropicana is backed by $380 million in public funding. All 30 MLB owners in November gave their approval for the A’s to move to Las Vegas. The stadium is expected to open in 2028.
Bally’s announcement came shortly after the Tropicana and the Culinary Workers Union, which represents about 500 workers there, reached an agreement for a new five-year contract.
Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said he hopes the severance package secured in the latest contract will ease what he expects to be a difficult transition for the Tropicana’s largely senior workforce, many of whom, he said, have worked at the hotel-casino for decades. Under the new contract, the employees will receive severance pay of $2,000 for each year of work.
“In Las Vegas, hotels are bought and sold on a regular basis,” Pappageorge said. “These new projects are welcome, but workers can’t be discarded like an old shoe.”
Rhode Island-based Bally’s had purchased the Tropicana in 2021 for $308 million.
Former LSU WR Kayshon Bouttee was arrested for illegal online sports betting charges alleging he used fraudulent accounts to gamble on his games.
Kayshon Boutte is currently a wide receiver for the New England Patriots yet his college days are coming back to haunt him. With Name, Image, and Likeness deals finally happening in college sports you have to try pretty hard to get in trouble for making money as a college athlete.
According to On3, Kayshon did so in the most ridiculous yet impressive way humanly possible.
On January 25 Boutee turned himself in to East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on felony computer fraud charges related to online sports betting. In addition to felony charges, he received a misdemeanor charge of “gaming prohibited for persons under 21”.
Allegedly the former LSU standout created a fraudulent betting account and placed almost 9,000 bets. Perhaps the most impressive part is he only deposited a total of $132,147.53 but his total earned was $556,267.58. Allegedly his withdrawals only totaled around $50k during his illegal gambling from April 2022 until May 2023.
Kayshon Boutte allegedly placed bets on LSU football games and his stat lines as well. Even if you don’t know the rules on sports betting you probably understand how betting on yourself is illegal without any explanation.
LSU issued a statement when Kayshon’s arrest warrant was issued.
“In July 2023, LSU was made aware of allegations regarding a former student-athlete’s improper conduct related to sports gambling while enrolled at the University,” the statement read. “Since then, we have fully cooperated with all relevant authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so. We have no evidence that any other student-athletes participated in these prohibited activities, and we are grateful for measures that detect and discourage sports gambling related misconduct.”
Given the serious nature of his offenses, the most shocking part of the whole ordeal was his username on the fraudulent accounts. His usernames allegedly included portions of his government name according to The Athletic
This is the most interesting illegal sports betting case in college football history. The outcome will be interesting and worth keeping an eye on.
LAS VEGAS — The barista tipped the jug of smooth, foamy milk over the latte, pouring slowly at first, then lifting and tilting the jug like a choreographed dance to paint the petals of a tulip.
Latte art is a skill that can take months if not years of practice to master — but not for this barista powered by artificial intelligence.
Robots of all kinds caused a stir on the show floor this week at the annual CES technology trade show in Las Vegas.
It’s innovations like this that worry Roman Alejo, a 34-year-old barista at the Sahara hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, who can’t help but wonder if the clock is ticking on hospitality jobs in the age of AI.
“It is very scary because tomorrow is never promised,” he said. “A lot of AI is coming into this world. It is very scary and very eye-opening to see how humans can think of replacing other humans.”
The world’s largest tech show put those fears back under the spotlight just a little over a month after the casino workers union in Las Vegas ratified new contracts for 40,000 members, ending a bitter, high-profile fight that called attention to AI’s threat to union jobs.
“Technology was a strike issue and one of the very last issues to be resolved,” said Ted Pappageorge, the Culinary Workers Union’s secretary-treasurer who led the teams that negotiated new five-year contracts, narrowly averting a historic strike at more than a dozen hotel-casinos on the Strip.
Hospitality workers told The Associated Press in interviews over eight months of bargaining that they were willing to take a cut in pay while on strike to win stronger job protection against inevitable advancements in technology. That includes technology already at play at some resorts: self check-in stations, automated valet ticket services and robot bartenders known as “tipsy robots.”
Pappageorge said the emergence of robotics in the hospitality and service industry has been on the union’s radar for years. The difference now, he told The Associated Press this week, “is the combination of artificial intelligence and robotics.”
Experts say that breakthrough in AI technology has forced labor unions to rethink how they negotiate with companies.
Bill Werner, an associate professor in the hospitality department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said unions now have to be “much more deliberate” in their negotiations for job security.
The types of casino union jobs at risk could look drastically different five years from now, for example, when the Culinary Union’s contract ends.
“What is going to happen to these people and what rights do they have?” he said. “And what happens to them if they lose their job to a robot?”
In its latest contract, the union cushioned its so-called safety net for workers, winning $2,000 in severance pay for each year worked if a job is eliminated by tech or AI, as well as the option to try to move to a different department within the company.
Pappageorge said they had to “develop new language” that protected workers both from today’s technology and “technology that we don’t even know is coming.”
“This idea that technology, robotics and artificial intelligence is just running wild with no control at all can do incredible damage,” Pappageorge said. “So what we have to do is get ahead of the curve, and CES is where it’s at.”
More than 100 union members attended the trade show this week to scope out emerging tech that could put more casino jobs at risk.
And there was plenty new on the show floor: Friendly-faced robots that complete deliveries in hotels and restaurants. A robotic masseuse. Bots that can prepare and serve coffee, ice cream or boba. AI-powered smart grills that can handle tasks like broiling and searing without a human in the kitchen. And chef-like robots teasing a future with “autonomous restaurants,” as one company put it.
Meng Wang, co-founder of food tech startup Artly Coffee, one of the more than 4,000 exhibitors at CES this year, said he isn’t in the business of eliminating jobs. Wang said Artly’s autonomous barista bots can help fill a labor shortage in the service industry.
“Baristas have a hard job. It’s very labor intensive, long hours. The pay is not that good,” he said. “What we are doing is not replacing jobs. We are filling the need in the market and we are bringing specialty coffee to more places.”
But Werner said AI poses a real threat to casino union jobs that don’t require face-to-face interaction with customers — housekeeping, food preparation and cooks, for example.
“When the industry doesn’t have to worry about the effect on customer service, then that takes a lot of the risk out of automation,” he said. That’s especially true for a people-pleasing tourist destination like the Las Vegas Strip, where customers expect top-notch service and experiences, including the latest trends in technology.
That makes Las Vegas “a good place to test these things and see how customers react to it,” he said.
The Culinary Union and its members, like Alejo, the barista, acknowledge that the hospitality industry is ever-evolving.
“The innovations are incredible,” Alejo said. “But it is very scary that in today’s world, everything seems to revolve around technology.”
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Video producer James Brooks contributed to this report.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — After the confetti is swept away and the empty champagne bottles recycled in Atlantic City, 2024 will bring numerous challenges and potential opportunities for the East Coast gambling resort.
The most burning issue for Atlantic City in the new year is likely to be whether state lawmakers approve a measure to ban smoking in the nine casinos.
High-profile anti-crime and pedestrian safety measures should show whether they, in fact, work. A new $100 million indoor water park at the Showboat hotel will have its first summer season.
And the physical casinos will be watching closely to see whether gamblers continue to more widely embrace internet gambling and sports betting at the expense of doing it in person inside the casinos.
Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University, which studies the Atlantic City gambling and tourism market, believes 2024 could see a return to more normal patterns after pandemic-related disruptions.
“There are several reasons for optimism in looking ahead to 2024,” she said. “With recent gains in the stock market and a stabilization of inflation, consumer confidence may be improving, which could lead to increased spending on travel and entertainment.”
She said recent pay raises for casino and hotel workers have eased labor shortages somewhat.
And even though internet gambling continues to grow, nongambling attractions like the Showboat water park and the new Dave and Busters arcade, bar and restaurant should help attract new visitors to the resort, she said.
Mark Giannantonio, president of Resorts casino as well as the Casino Association of New Jersey, said the industry is upbeat about Atlantic City’s prospects in the new year “as we further transform Atlantic City into the leading regional gaming and tourism destination.”
This will mark the fourth year of a sustained push to close a loophole in the state’s public smoking law that specifically exempted casinos from smoke-free workplaces. Despite ever-growing support — most of the state Legislature has signed on as co-sponsors, and New Jersey’s governor promises he’ll sign it — the bill has been bottled up in state government committees without votes.
A December push fizzled when some lawmakers pivoted away from a full ban in favor of a compromise proposal favored by the casino industry that would build enclosed smoking rooms in which employees would volunteer to work. That approach is vehemently opposed by many casino workers who say nothing less than a full ban can protect their health and give them the same workplace protections that other workers in New Jersey are guaranteed.
Smoking is currently allowed on 25% of the casino floor, but those areas are spread out widely over the entire gambling area, with the effect that secondhand smoke is present and detectable even in nonsmoking sections.
“I’m hopeful that we will be in a smoke-free environment in the near future,” said Nicole Vitola, a Borgata dealer and one of the leaders of the push to ban smoking in the casinos. “It would have been a nice present this year.”
Other questions abound for Atlantic City in 2024: Can the casinos get back to and surpass the level of business they were doing before the COVID-19 pandemic, not just collectively but at each individual property?
In terms of money won from in-person gamblers — the casinos’ key business metric — only three casinos won more through the first 11 months of this year than they did over the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. They are the Borgata, Hard Rock and Ocean. Because money from internet gambling and sports betting must be shared with partners including tech platforms and is not solely for the casinos to keep, they view money won from gamblers on their own premises as their key business.
Will more gamblers risk their money online rather than traveling to Atlantic City to do it? Internet gambling brought in nearly $1.75 billion through the first 11 months of this year, and set a new monthly record in November.
Will the addition of more security cameras make the city safer?
And will a much-doubted project to narrow Atlantic Avenue — the main road through the city’s downtown — from two lanes in each direction to one, succeed in cutting down pedestrian accidents without tying the city into gridlocked knots on busy summer weekends or major concert nights? Five casinos and a hospital are challenging the plan in court; a hearing is set for Jan. 26.
Atlantic City is due for a government-funded beach replenishment project in 2024 to widen beaches that have become eroded over the years. Sand loss got so bad in the north end of the city that the Ocean casino paid $700,000 to have sand trucked in to what little remained of the beach in front of its casino in May.
Individual casinos plan to reinvest millions into their properties in the new year.
Ocean will renovate 506 hotel rooms at a cost of $25 million before summer arrives. Caesars will open its Nobu Hotel project with 85 rooms and suites in one of the final phases of parent company Caesars Entertainment’s $420 million investment into its three Atlantic City properties.
The Golden Nugget plans to complete the first phase of a $6 million renovation of 100 rooms and suites.
And 2024 could be the year significant decisions are made on an ambitious proposal to redevelop the former Bader Field airport property into a $2.7 billion automobile-themed housing, entertainment and recreation project.
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Follow Wayne Parry on X, formerly Twitter, at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — At his suburban St. Louis home, Brett Koenig can pull out his smartphone and open a sports betting app. But he can’t place a bet. He is blocked by a pop-up message noting he is not in a legal location.
Missouri is one of a dozen states where sports wagering remains illegal more than five years after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to adopt it.
“It just seems silly that everyone else can do it and we can’t,” said Koenig, who has launched a social media campaign called “Let MO Play” to rally support for legal sports betting in his home state.
Other states have reaped a total of over $4 billion of taxes from more than $280 billion wagered on sports since 2018. Vermont will become the latest to accept sports bets, starting Jan. 11, But the odds for expansion to additional states appear iffy in 2024 because of political resistance and the sometimes competing financial interests of existing gambling operators.
“The handful of states yet to legalize are last for a reason: They all have multiple obstacles,” said Becca Giden, policy director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a California-based consulting firm.
After a “whirlwind” of expansion, the playing field for further sports betting has narrowed to a group of states where various stakeholders all “want to kind of maximize what they get out of the legalization framework,” said Chris Cylke, senior vice president of government relations at the American Gaming Association, which represents the industry. “So that can create some friction.”
The states where sports betting remains illegal are Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
California and Texas, the nation’s two most populous states, would be the biggest prizes for sports bettors. But neither appear particularly likely to adopt it in 2024.
Voters in California last year overwhelmingly defeated two rival sports betting initiatives following a record $463 million raised by supporters and opponents. The advertising barrage was fueled by divisions among online gaming companies, tribal casinos and horse tracks. Those tensions have continued, with Native American tribes objecting to a new sports betting initiative that is seeking signatures to appear on the 2024 ballot.
The proposed sale of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team to a politically active family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company has raised speculation of a bigger push for legal sports betting in Texas. But the state Legislature is not in regular session in 2024, and Texas has no means of placing citizen initiatives on the ballot.
Neighboring Oklahoma already has scores of casinos run by tribes. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a plan in November to allow in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and online sports wagering through platforms licensed by the state. But his plan doesn’t appear to have support from tribes, with whom Stitt has been feuding.
Minnesota is perhaps the next likeliest state to authorize sports betting, but that probably would require a bipartisan vote in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim one-seat advantage over Republicans. Lawmakers this past year struggled to resolve differences between tribal casinos, which want exclusive rights over online and in-person sports betting, and horse racing tracks, which also want a greater share of the gambling market. But they will try again.
“From the perspective of the tribes, the moment is now, and they’d like to see it done this year,” said Democratic state Sen. Matt Klein, a sponsor of sports betting legislation.
Efforts to legalize sports betting in Missouri have repeatedly stalled in the state Senate, where Republican Sen. Denny Hoskins insists it must be paired with the regulation of legally questionable slot-machine-style video games that have popped up in convenience stores and truck stops. Casinos oppose that.
Online sports wagering companies, casinos, professional sports teams and video gaming terminal interests have combined to hire about 80 lobbyists in Missouri.
The St. Louis Cardinals also are leading a coalition of the state’s professional sports teams proposing an initiative petition to put sports betting on the November ballot. But Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden doubts the prospects of both the initiative petition and legislation, bemoaning that Missouri may “lose out on probably some fairly significant economic activity.”
Data suggests Missourians are interested in sports betting. From mid-June to mid-December, the technology firm GeoComply Solutions processed over 13.5 million location checks from 280,000 devices located in Missouri attempting to access mobile sports betting sites. About 48% were trying to use sportsbooks in Kansas, and 40% in Illinois. They were blocked from doing so.
When Koenig wants to bet on sports, he drives 45 minutes from his Missouri home to Illinois. He is not alone.
GeoComply processed 42,000 location checks from 1,900 online sports betting accounts that traveled from Missouri to an Illinois border town in the past six months. When the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 10, GeoComply tallied 786 location checks from 570 sportsbook accounts traveling from Missouri border towns into Kansas.
“It’s very easy for people to cross over, place their bets and then return to their home and watch the game,” GeoComply spokesman John Pappas said. “We see this thousands of times a day, a week, in any given state where it’s not legal.”
In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has expressed an openness to legalizing sports betting. But the effort stalled this past year when the Senate rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have let voters decide the issue. The debate is complex because proponents of casinos and horse racing want to leverage sports wagering to also legalize those forms of gambling.
Though still a toss-up, Georgia may be the most realistic candidate to authorize sports betting in 2024, Giden said. She expects a well-funded lobbying effort from the likes of online betting operators and sports teams.
To legally bet on sports in Alabama also would require a constitutional amendment approved by voters. In the Legislature, sports wagering proposals have become intertwined with broader efforts to expand gambling beyond the current tribal casinos, dog racing tracks and charitable bingo operators. None have been successful yet.
Republican state Sen. Greg Albritton said some lawmakers are working on new gambling legislation that would include casinos, a lottery and sports betting.
“Whatever happens, if I have my way, this issue will be debated this year,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed from Montgomery, Alabama.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Internet gambling and sports betting set new records in New Jersey in November as the Atlantic City gambling market continues to evolve and become less dependent on physical casinos, according to figures released Friday.
More than $171.5 million was won from online table games and slots by casinos and their technology partners, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
At the same time, the casinos and three horse tracks that accept sports bets took in $1.62 billion worth of bets in November — another record.
Taken together, these numbers provide fresh evidence that technology and a wider menu of wagering options are remaking the way some people gamble in New Jersey, where in-person gambling at a physical casino had long been the main way to bet.
Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University, which studies the Atlantic City gambling industry, noted that internet and sports betting accounted for about 45% of Atlantic City’s revenue in November.
But she views it as complementary to in-person casinos instead of competing with them.
“Rather than diminishing the brick-and-mortar gaming revenues, internet gaming and sports betting seem to be well-received consumer products that are filling a niche for certain gamblers,” she said. “There will never be a replacement for the in-person gaming experience, and the current relatively flat revenues from brick-and-mortar gaming may be simply evidence of a stable market.”
She said it remains to be seen how the surge in online and sports betting affect the casinos’ overall profitability. These revenue streams must be shared with partners like sports books and tech platforms and are not solely for the casinos to keep. That is largely why the casinos consider money won from in-person gamblers to be their key business.
And that key business continues to lag behind pre-pandemic levels. Of the nine casinos in New Jersey, only Hard Rock and the Ocean Casino resort won more from in-person gamblers in November of this year than they did in November 2019, before the pandemic broke out.
When all the money won in-person, online and from sports betting by the casinos and three racetracks is combined, the total amount won in November was $482.4 million — an increase of 9.4% from a year earlier.
The Golden Nugget, which has long had a robust online gambling operation, won over $50 million from internet casino games in November, up nearly 33% from a year earlier. Other big online winners included Resorts Digital, the internet arm of Resorts Casino, which won $47.2 million, up over 26%, and the Borgata, which won nearly $38 million online, down 14.4%.
In terms of overall gambling revenue, including internet and sports betting, the market-leading Borgata won over $97 million in November, down 8.6% from a year earlier; Golden Nugget won $61 million, up nearly 25%; Hard Rock won $52.4 million, up over 26%; Ocean won $36.7 million, up 5.7%; Tropicana won $28.5 million, up 8.2%; Harrah’s won $20 million, down 2.3%; Bally’s won $19.7 million, up over 29%; Caesars won nearly $17.9 million, down 6.6%; and Resorts won $12.4 million, an increase of just under 1%.
When looking at just the money won from in-person gamblers only, Borgata won $51.6 million, down 6.1%; Hard Rock won $41.4 million, up 16.7%; Ocean won $31.4 million, up 1.4%; Harrah’s won $19.4 million, down 7.6%; Tropicana won $17.8 million, down 6.8%; Caesars won $17.5 million, down 7.7%; Resorts won nearly $12.5 million, down 0.2%; Bally’s won $12 million, up 20.4%; and Golden Nugget won $11 million, down nearly 3%.
The total amount of money bet on sports, known as “handle,” reached a new high in November as well. But of the $1.62 billion worth of bets taken by the casinos and tracks, only $96 million was kept as revenue after paying out winning bets and other expenses.
The Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, just outside New York City and known for hosting a FanDuel sports book, won over half of that, at $57.6 million. Resorts Digital, with an affiliation with DraftKings, won over $19 million from sports betting.
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Follow Wayne Parry on X, formerly Twitter, at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
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Glenn Healy still remembers longtime NHL director of security Frank Torpey walking into a locker room in the 1980s to warn players about the pitfalls of illegal sports wagering.
Back then, a warning like that conjured images of shady bookies asking for injury information and taking cash. Now, gambling is legal across the U.S. and Canada and with that reality comes a different kind of danger.
Ottawa Senators player Shane Pinto was suspended earlier this season for 41 games for violating the league’s gambling policy. No details were released, though the investigation found no evidence Pinto bet on NHL games. The situation prompted calls for better education on the subject.
“The education has always been there: I guess it has to be put onto speed dial and be more enforced today because gambling is more prevalent than it was in the ’80s with the guy on the corner in a trench coat,” said Healy, a retired goaltender who is now executive director of the NHL Alumni Association. “The league is not skirting it, and the NHLPA is not skirting it.”
NHL Alumni has partnered with Entain Foundation U.S., a nonprofit that promotes responsible gambling and also works with the NFLPA’s Professional Athletes Foundation and MLS Players Association, among others.
Current players had plenty of questions when Pinto was suspended, and the NHL Players’ Association has tried to answer them.
“We just have to make sure we keep our players up to date on what the rules and regulations are so that they know not to get themselves in trouble,” executive director Marty Walsh said recently. “We have to do more. We have to do more of educating them. We’re going to get there.”
Walsh said there was a 45-minute seminar on gambling at the rookie showcase in September, and the union’s fall tour to visit all 32 teams includes more information on the subject. Currently, the only mention in the collective bargaining agreement is one line stating, “Gambling on any NHL game is prohibited.”
“We got a brief discussion about it, kind of the dos and don’ts and what we can and cannot do because obviously gambling is legal in our sport as long as it’s not on our sport,” Philadelphia Flyers player representative Travis Sanheim said. “Guys start to get a little worried. There’s a lot of guys that do place bets in other sports, and so we wanted to be made aware of what we can and cannot do.”
Following the suspension of Pinto, a 22-year-old who was unsigned when the punishment was handed down, the league shared further guidance, including instructions not to share gambling accounts or joke with friends about odds or prop bets.
“Our players get regular briefings and education in terms of what you can and can’t do,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “The good news is there’s no evidence that he bet on NHL hockey games, and so that’s why the penalty wasn’t even more severe. It’s one player out of 800, and the fact that there are protocols and procedures we have in place, that’s how we found out about this.”
Since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for legalized sports betting in 2018, the NHL has established roughly a dozen partnerships with sportsbooks and other betting entities, along with other deals designed to promote responsible gambling. Asked about the optics of the omnipresence of gambling around sports, and specifically the league he is in charge of, Bettman said the agreements allow for better monitoring.
Healy, who played in the NHL from 1985-2001, pointed out that the name of a gambling company is on the Senators’ helmets and that betting advertisements are common during nationally televised games. Every professional sports league is navigating this new reality.
Washington Capitals player rep Tom Wilson echoed that some of the guidance for players boils down to common sense.
“Unfortunately, sometimes these things have to happen where it wakes everybody up and guys start being a little more careful of what they’re doing,” Wilson said.
Boston Bruins player rep Brandon Carlo said a series of conference calls, emails and other notifications have made the subject clear since Pinto was suspended.
“I think everybody’s got a pretty good understanding, and that definitely made you think about it a lot more once you see that 41-game suspension,” Carlo said. “You want to make sure that you’re not doing anything negatively in that regard, so I think guys will pay a little bit more attention.”
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AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.
