Latest Gambling News: New York Sweepstakes Ban Still On Governor’s Desk, and more

Catch up on some of the stories our gambling compliance analysts have covered lately, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.

New York Sweepstakes Ban Still On Governor’s Desk

About two months after the New York legislature approved a bill to prohibit online sweepstakes operators and various suppliers that support them, the measure remains unsigned by Governor Kathy Hochul.

“She has to sign it by the end of the year,” Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., a Democrat, told Vixio GamblingCompliance on Wednesday (August 13). “It’s good policy that will protect the residents of New York.”

Senate Bill 5935A was passed by the legislature on June 17, about a week after New York’s attorney general launched a crackdown on sweepstakes companies based on existing state gambling laws.

The bill prohibits any individuals from operating or promoting any online sweepstakes that replicate casino games, lottery games, bingo or sports betting, and which offer a “dual-currency method of payment” that enables players to swap sweepstakes coins for cash prizes.

In addition, the bill would also ban content suppliers, platform providers, marketing affiliates, financial institutions, investors, payment processors or geolocation service providers from supporting illegal online sweepstakes games.

Addabbo told Vixio he plans to advocate on behalf of his bill with the Democratic governor, expecting she’ll “see it as a good policy.”

Ohio Regulator Investigating Suspicious Wagering

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) confirmed Wednesday (August 13) that its investigation into suspicious wagering activity involving two professional baseball players is ongoing.

On June 30, the OCCC was notified by a licensed sportsbook in the state of suspicious wagering activity on Cleveland Guardians games. The commission added that it was also contacted by Major League Baseball and shortly after began its investigation.

In a statement, the OCCC did not identify which of the 15 licensed sportsbooks contacted its agency.

On July 3, MLB announced that it placed pitcher Luis Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave, but two weeks later extended his leave of absence through August 31 due to a league investigation. Then on July 28, MLB announced it had placed pitcher Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave through August 31 as part of a related sports-betting investigation.

Multiple media reports have alleged the investigations follows allegations of unusual prop betting activity in New York, New Jersey and Ohio during Guardians games in June.

The commission launched a similar investigation in April 2023 after it was notified of suspicious wagering activity on the University of Alabama baseball team. That incident led to the commission banning college player prop betting in February 2024.

BetBlocker, ROGA Partner On U.S. Blocking Software

BetBlocker has formed a partnership with the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) to provide complimentary blocking software access to users in the United States.

BetBlocker software allows players to voluntarily restrict themselves from over 118,400 gambling operator websites and 1,500 gambling apps, including both regulated and unregulated sites.

“We’re equipping individuals with practical tools that support their decisions and wellbeing,” Dr. Jennifer Shatley, ROGA’s executive director, said in a statement.

Under the partnership, ROGA will feature BetBlocker’s free blocking software on its website and will work with its members on ways to make it available to their customers. ROGA members include BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, PENN Entertainment, Hard Rock Digital, and Bally’s.

The BetBlocker app is an anonymous program that enables players to access online gambling services for a specified length of time across multiple platforms, and across all their devices.

Texas Sands PAC Sits On $9.3m

Despite previous setbacks in its efforts to legalize gaming, Texas Sands PAC, the political arm of casino company Las Vegas Sands, has more than $9m in cash on hand, according to new financial disclosures.

The well-funded political action committee has played a role in previous efforts to legalize casino gaming and sports betting in Texas, only to have those efforts opposed by conservative Republicans in the Texas House.

Currently, Sands does not operate any casinos in the U.S., having sold The Venetian, Palazzo, and the Venetian Expo for $6.25bn in 2021, and now operates five integrated resorts in Macau and Singapore.

Sands executives have continued to lobby lawmakers in Austin as they seek to eventually open Texas to casino gambling. Miriam Adelson and the Dumont families, who own Sands, also acquired a 73 percent stake in the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association for $3.5bn in 2023.

Texas remains one of the most restrictive states when it comes to gambling, but the political action committee has more than $9.3m in cash on hand. Adelson gave $9.1m to Texas Sands PAC, while the Sands Corp. donated $4,500.

Adelson has supported Republican and Democrat candidates on both the federal and state levels but was President Donald Trump’s largest financial supporter last year. In November 2026, voters will choose a governor, all 150 seats in the state House of Representatives, and 16 seats in the Senate.

Greek Regulator Launches Plan To Update Gambling Law

Greece’s gambling regulator is launching a two-year project to update the country's gambling laws to reduce the complexity and number of them.

The Hellenic Gaming Commission’s (HGC) project is part of its strategic plan, which will begin in the fall of 2025.

“We are currently in a phase of internal discussion, during which various ideas and potential directions are being explored,” the HGC told Vixio GamblingCompliance, adding that “no final decisions or specific plans have been put into place”.

The HGC plans to consult with legal experts and gambling providers to address problems it faces with the existing legislation, including ambiguous wording in legal texts.

The regulator will then look to develop a modern and unified gambling framework that addresses these issues, updating and presenting existing rules into a single legal text.

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