Florida Committee Approves Fantasy Sports Bill
SB 374, sponsored by Florida state Senator Dana Young (l.), recently was approved by the state Senate Regulated Industries Committee in an 8-1 vote. The measure would clarify that fantasy sports games are not illegal gambling and should not be regulated. However, the Seminole Tribe said the bill may violate the tribe’s exclusivity agreement.
Baazov Case Begins With Move for Dismissal
The trial of former Amaya Inc. CEO David Baazov began in a Canadian Court, but the first day’s testimony revolved around Baazov’s legal team moving for a dismissal of the case. Baazov charged that prosecutors in the insider trading case have not disclosed evidence quickly enough to meet his right to a speedy trial. Baazov says regulators released millions of documents in the case just weeks before the hearing.
eSports Revenue at $1.5 billion in 2017
A report by Superdata estimates that eSports has brought in about $1.5 billion in revenue in 2017. The company expects revenue from eSports to grow 26 percent by 2020.
FanDuel Lays Off Workers
Daily fantasy sports company FanDuel has had a round of layoffs following the exit of CEO Nigel Eccles (l.). Details on the layoffs were not available, but a spokesman told Legal Sports Report that the company had restructured its workforce.
Italy Dominates Continental iGaming Market
Italy has the largest share of online gaming on the continent. This was reported by the Milanese university. It noted that online gaming is growing at a fierce rate in Europe, 25 percent in the last two years.
Pennsylvania Schedules Mini-Casino Auctions
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has set the schedule for auctions of Category 4 “mini-casino” licenses, as hundreds of municipalities continue to opt to ban the satellite casinos.
Tribes OK to Compete for Bridgeport
MGM Resorts and the two Connecticut gaming tribes have both indicated that they are ready, willing and able to compete for the right to operate a casino in Bridgeport, the state’s largest city, where MGM has already proposed a waterfront casino (l.). The Pequot and Mohegan tribes, which operate the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos, are preparing to begin work on the third, which is opposed by MGM.
Control Board’s Burnett Calls It Quits
Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett is resigning after five years to join a private law practice in Reno. Hailed for his dedication, his tenure saw the agency effectively address the challenges of internet gaming, fantasy sports and e-sports, skill-based gaming and marijuana regulation.
Chinese Investors Sue SLS Las Vegas
The class action involves 60 lenders who provided $400 million to develop the Strip resort in exchange for green cards. They’re concerned that the SLS’s financial troubles have placed both their money and their shot at U.S. citizenship in jeopardy.
NCAA President Suggests Sports Betting ‘Carve-Out’
NCAA President Mark Emmert (l.), anticipating a possible elimination of the federal ban on sports betting, is suggesting that states exclude gambling on college games from any new sports betting law.
Trump Administration Backs Tip-Pooling
The courts can’t agree on the legality of mandatory tip-sharing, and so the Labor Department has decided it’s time to weigh in on the side of employers. The rule under consideration would rescind an Obama era regulation that prohibits the controversial practice.
Vegas Christens Newest Pro Sports Team
The WNBA’s San Antonio Stars will become the Las Vegas Aces when they move to the Mandalay Bay Events Center for the start of the 2018 season. The team, recently purchased by MGM Resorts International, will be the fifth pro sports franchise to call Sin City home.
