Gambling in the USA

Rev. Al Sharpton Urges Lawmakers To Halt The Legalization Of Mobile Sports Gambling In Colorado

Published

3 years ago

March 17, 2020

George Miller

Al Sharpton Urges Lawmakers To Halt The Legalization Of Mobile Sports Gambling In Colorado

Photo Source: gq.com

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Civil Rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton says new legislation has the potential to cause job loss and enforce racial stereotypes in the state

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton urged Governor Jared Polis, Speaker of the House Kathleen Becker, and members of the Colorado Gaming Commission to pause legislation that seeks to legalize mobile sports gaming. Rev. Sharpton emphasized that lawmakers should not move forward until the impact on casino workers and people of color is understood. He calls on these leaders to take this into consideration as they work through the various types of stimulus to handle the impact of coronavirus.

Service industry workers, many of whom are low-income and from communities of color, are among the most vulnerable in this global pandemic. They are more likely to suffer financially from unexpected scheduling changes or sick days than those in other professions. He argues that now, more than ever, we must be thinking about inequality.

The Colorado Limited Gaming Commission approved nine sports betting rules for permanent adoption in early February, and regulators remain on target to reach the state’s projected May 1 rollout. Rev. Sharpton says the problem does not lie in the rules changes, but in the subsequent attraction of “unsavory out-of-state hedge funds who profit off of job loss” due to this legislation.

Sharpton says that casinos need to consider the unintended consequences of opening their doors to these new opportunities.

The text of the letter is below.

Dear Governor Polis, Speaker of the House Becker, and members of The Colorado Gaming Commission,

As you are considering various types of stimulus to deal with the impact of the coronavirus, I sincerely hope you will consider the following. I write to you to express serious concern for the hasty move to legalize mobile sports gambling in Colorado. Even a cursory look at the parties pushing the legislation gives me pause about the wisdom of the legislation and it should give you pause too.

Online gaming in Colorado will inevitably attract unsavory characters who profit off of job loss. That’s almost a given. But in looking at who specifically benefits from the legislation, it’s difficult to understand why the state would want to reward bad behavior. Out-of-state hedge funds with long records of mass firings and shady dealings have come into the state to capitalize on mobile sports betting and based on their track record—middle class workers and minorities will be the first to be negatively impacted. My job is to spot those problems before they occur and to speak up about them before it’s too late.

You don’t need to look any further than Rhode Island-based Twin Rivers to start understanding the harm and the forces at play. Twin Rivers, which is owned and run by Soohyung Kim, a New York based hedge fund manager, purchased three Colorado casinos earlier this year. Twin Rivers has a long history of failing to support its employees and Kim and his fund, Standard General, has a long track record of investing in deals that have caused mass layoffs for workers — especially workers of color. Whether it’s the 6,000 people who lost their jobs at Radioshack or the 2,400 people who were fired at American Apparel by Kim’s mismanagement and disregard for working class people, Standard General does not seem like the type of company Colorado should automatically entrust with mobile sports gambling.

Twin River has time and time again operated with only the bottom line in mind. In 2017, Twin River announced it would slash healthcare benefits for workers, which tripled out-of-pocket costs for certain employees, just weeks after Massachusetts cleared the way in 2017 for the company to open a new casino in Tiverton. That same year, they threatened to layoff staff and replace them with private contractors, and to cut the remainders’ healthcare benefits.

As this track record shows, if Mr. Kim, who already over-extended Twin River in his pursuit of potential mobile betting licenses, fails to make a profit, you can be sure that it will be the workers of the Colorado casinos that suffer. Colorado needs to pay full attention to who is profiting off of this new law to legalize online betting —otherwise, jobs WILL be lost. This is a real issue affecting real people.

Please take a deeper look at who is supporting the legislation to legalize online sports betting before you enact it into law. It’s the least that Colorado’s workers can ask of you.

Sincerely,

Reverend Al Sharpton

SOURCE Reverend Al Sharpton

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Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – March 13-19

Published

3 days ago

March 21, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Affinity Interactive (AI) announced that its affiliates have entered into a definitive agreement to sell Rail City Casino (Rail City) to affiliates of Truckee Gaming LLC (Truckee Gaming). The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

WynnBET, the online sports betting and casino app from the global leader in luxury hospitality, Wynn Resorts, announced that its online sports betting platform is live in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Players can download WynnBET on the Apple and Google Play Stores or register for an account at www.wynnbet.com/ma.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced that Tom Mungham, its current registrar and chief executive officer, has decided to retire from his current roles this fall. Tom will continue in these roles while the Board conducts its search for the agency’s next Registrar and CEO and will remain to support a smooth transition until that individual begins.

Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and the State of California have entered into a Tribal-State gaming compact as announced by Governor Newsom’s office on March 9, 2023. This will replace the agreement signed in 2012. The new compact increases the number of authorised slot machines at Graton Resort & Casino from 3000 to 6000.

Tiidal Gaming Group announced that it and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tiidal Gaming Holdings, have entered into a share sale and purchase agreement with Entain Holdings (UK) Limited, pursuant to which Tiidal Holdings will sell all of the shares of the Company’s operating subsidiary, Tiidal Gaming NZ Limited (Sportsflare), to Entain.

Partnerships

Betplay has extended its partnership with Colombian football’s governing body Dimayor for a further six years. For the past three years, as a sponsor of Dimayor, the operator has held the naming rights to the body’s competitions, including the First Division (Betplay League), Second Division (Betplay Tournament), Colombia Cup (Betplay Cup), Super League and Women’s League.

The United Soccer League (USL) and global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE have reached a new, long-term, expansive partnership to help the league grow its business globally. Under the agreement, SPORTFIVE will continue to secure key international media distribution partnerships across television and digital platforms for USL’s professional leagues, including the USL Championship and USL League One men’s competitions and the USL’s new professional women’s competition, the USL Super League, which will launch in August 2024.

Playtech has announced a landmark strategic partnership with Hard Rock Digital (HRD). Under the partnership, HRD will license a range of the company’s proven technology solutions and iGaming content to deliver the authentic experience customers have come to expect across Hard Rock’s global ecosystem of entertainment, hospitality and bricks and mortar casinos.

Elray Resources announced it has signed up its first operator, Maxibet Technology N.V., and is in the process of finalising the operator’s blockchain casino under the brand name Maxibet, licensed in Curaçao and to be operated globally.

Rush Street Gaming and Rivers Casino announced a partnership with MSC Cruises that grants Rush Reward Members at all Rivers Casino locations an annual cruise benefit that applies to most of the company’s sailings worldwide.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – March 6-12

Published

1 week ago

March 14, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Latest News

TAPPP has been named to Fast Company’s list of the Most Innovative Companies in the Sports category. The list showcases innovation-driven businesses across multiple industry sectors that are making an outsized impact on their individual companies, their business sectors and society at large.

Quixant is going to participate in the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention (IGA) 2023 in San Diego March 27-29. Designed to provide solutions that allow customers to focus their efforts solely on content design and development, Quixant’s range of game-changing solutions will be showcased at IGA booth #1924.

Odds On Compliance has announced the beta launch of its Marketing Affiliate Licensing Portal. The portal is designed to streamline the affiliate licensing process, helping sports betting and iGaming affiliate marketers achieve regulatory licensing compliance more efficiently and cost-effectively.

AXES.ai has released its kiosk integration and its reporting app for the land-based global market. The Kiosk Integration Kit allows any manufacturer of a kiosk to integrate seamlessly and in real-time to the AXES Fintech Platform.

FaZe Clan announced a ground-breaking moment for FaZe and the gaming industry: the signing of FaZe’s first all-female professional esports team. The new team, which will compete under FaZe’s VALORANT banner comprised pro players Jennifer “refinnej” Le, Emma “emy” Choe, Vannesa Emely “panini” Emory, Madison “maddiesuun” Mann and Diane “di^” Tran.

New Partnerships

Kambi Group has signed a multi-channel sportsbook partnership with Potawatomi Casinos & Hotels. The multi-year agreement will see Potawatomi Casino Hotel open the first sportsbook in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is set to become Kambi’s 22nd live US state, featuring 20 self-service kiosks along with additional kiosks at a second location, Carter Hotel & Casino, in northern Wisconsin.

Exacta Systems has announced the launch of Everi’s first Historical Horse Racing (HHR) games at Boston Billiards Club & Casino in Nashua, New Hampshire. The featured games from Everi Holdings include player-popular Patriot Extra Spin, Triple Jackpot Gems Deluxe, Wild Gems Extra Spin and Blazin’ Gems Deluxe, which are available now on Exacta Connect.

International Game Technology (IGT) and Ruby Seven Studios announced an agreement that will expand Ruby Seven’s extensive content library to include some of IGT’s most popular games across Ruby Seven’s suite of social casino applications.

Pragmatic Play has grown its presence in the Brazilian market after partnering with XSA Sports. This new deal grants access to the provider’s complete Slots portfolio. This includes recently released titles like Secret City Gold and Pinup Girls alongside longstanding and award-winning favourites such as Gates of Olympus.

New Appointments

Genius Sports Limited has appointed Kenneth J. Kay as an independent director of the Board and Michael Messara as an independent observer of the Board.

Everi Holdings announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has appointed Debra Nutton to the Board with a start date of April 1. Ms. Nutton, whom the Board has determined satisfies the criteria as an independent director for the purposes of New York Stock Exchange rules, was also appointed to serve as a member of the Board’s Audit Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and Compensation Committee.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – February 27-March 5

Published

2 weeks ago

March 7, 2023

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Latest News

BetMGM announced a new pledge to prominently feature responsible gaming messages in its marketing and advertising campaigns beginning March 1, in alignment with the start of Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

Nuvei Corporation, the Canadian fintech company, announced that it has completed its acquisition of Paya Holdings Inc. (Paya). Paya amplifies Nuvei’s existing growth strategy and expands its reach into new underpenetrated and non-cyclical verticals where Nuvei’s proprietary technology is well positioned to accelerate customer growth.

The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission, at the most recent Commission meeting, approved the first distribution of Responsible Gaming Grant awards totalling $1,571,965 in awards to projects directly addressing the issue of problem gambling, addiction treatment, educational programmes, counselling, research, advocacy efforts, or support services.

Scientific Games has debuted new industry-first, advanced lottery instant scratch game printing technology at the company’s metro Atlanta global headquarters as the next phase in the company’s instant game manufacturing expansion plan. The new instant game technology will provide lotteries in the US and Canada with Dimension products featuring a holographic-like effect.

MGM Resorts International has appointed award-winning producer and director Ben Winston to its Board of Directors. Winston becomes the 12th member of the board. Winston is founding partner of the production company Fulwell 73 and has earned 12 Emmy Awards and 31 Emmy nominations.

Win Systems, a leading provider of technology for the gaming and entertainment industry, has announced the installation of its powerful WIGOS management system in 4 new casinos of the prestigious New Hampshire Group, a subsidiary company of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E). The P2E Group, with over 20 years of experience, is the leading charitable gaming operator in New Hampshire.

Partnerships

Elys Game Technology Corp, an interactive gaming and sports betting technology company, has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Partnersat7238thstse LLC to operate a sportsbook at The Ugly Mug restaurant and bar situated at 723 8th St SE, in Washington DC.

Aristocrat Gaming and the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix announced a multi-year sponsorship making Aristocrat the Official Slot Machines of the race, coming to the Las Vegas Strip on November 16-18, 2023.

NeoGames S.A. and Intralot do Brasil (also known as Saga Business Games Inteligence) announced the launch of the first regulated iLottery and online sports betting solution in Brazil, for Loteria Mineira, the official lottery of Brazil’s second largest state, Minas Gerais. The launch of “LotoMinas” marks NeoGames’ entry into the Brazilian market and is the beginning of a multi-year turnkey project with the local lottery operator.

The PGA TOUR announced that it has joined the Leadership Circle of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), while also renewing its Platinum membership with the national non-profit organisation that serves as the national advocate to mitigate gambling-related harm.

Konami Gaming announced that it has licensed its patents in facial recognition technology to Independent Gaming Pty Ltd. A leading global developer of casino games and the SYNKROS casino management system, Konami maintains a broad intellectual property portfolio across a spectrum of gaming sectors.