New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed a bill which allows the Atlantic City’s Golden Nugget casino to accept bets on most National Basketball Association (NBA) games.

Tilman Fertitta, a billionaire from Texas, is the owner Golden Nugget casino. He also owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets team. When New Jersey lawmakers legalised sports betting last year, a provision in the law banned team owners from placing or accepting bets on any games involving their sport.

“We’re grateful, and appreciative that people eventually realized this was an overreaction. It allows us to compete,” Steve Scheinthal, general counsel for the Golden Nugget’s parent company, Houston-based Landry’s Inc., said.

The ban on all NBA bets cut badly into the Golden Nugget’s New Jersey sports betting business. A gambler wanting to place bets on football at the Golden Nugget had to go somewhere else to bet on basketball, making it much less likely he or she would visit the Golden Nugget at all for sports betting.

“It was like going into a boxing ring with one arm tied behind your back. You just can’t compete that way. It gave everyone a year’s head start on us,” Scheinthal said.

Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has expressed discontent with the recommendation of the UK’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to regulate loot boxes under the Gambling laws.

Following an investigation on loot boxes, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) parliamentary committee termed loot boxes as gambling and called for immediate measures to protect the children by regulating them under gambling laws.

In a statement, the ESA said that they take seriously the issues raised in the UK Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee report but strongly disagree with its findings.

“As demonstrated by the recent announcement of policies regarding the disclosure of the relative rarity or probability of obtaining virtual items in paid loot boxes, as well as the robust parental controls that empower parents to control in-game purchases, the video game industry is a leader in partnering with parents and players to create enjoyable video game experiences.”

Andy Beshear, the Democratic candidate of Kentucky gubernatorial election, has unveiled his plan to expand gaming and bring casinos, sports betting, fantasy sports and potentially online poker into the Bluegrass State.

Beshear, the state’s current Attorney General, faces Republican incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin in the November general election. Bevin has spoken out against gaming, especially as an option to increase funding for public pensions.

Beshear’s plan resembles what Illinois officials pushed through in their state earlier this year. While Illinois already had casino gaming, the new law expands the number of casino licenses available and allows sports betting across the state. Illinois plans to use the revenue stream to shore up the state’s infrastructure and fund pensions.

Kentucky is one of the 10 states in the US without a commercial or tribal casino. The border states of Kentucky such as Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio have casinos or racinos located just across the Ohio River near major population centres in Kentucky. Beshear said that the state loses out on $500 million in tax revenue annually to its neighbouring states.