## North American Sports Wagering Coalition: Missouri Gaming Proposal, NFL Restores Five Athletes
Welcome to iGB’s North American Sports Wagering Coalition, a review of the top North American sports wagering headlines we covered this week, along with some intriguing snippets we discovered.
**Missouri Gaming Proposal Nears Vote**
Advocates of the Missouri gaming proposal declared they have gathered 300,000 signatures, aiming to reach 325,000 signatures before the May 5th deadline. The group, “Win for Missouri Education,” needs 180,000 validated signatures to place the proposal on the November ballot. The proposal would permit statewide mobile sports wagering.
With the backing of the state’s professional sports teams, the Missouri gaming proposal would circumvent the legislature, which has been stalled for years on how to legalize online gambling.
In 2020, Missouri appeared set to be one of the early adopters in the region. However, its legislature has yet to achieve a consensus, while neighboring Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska have legalized some form of gambling. In total, seven of Missouri’s eight bordering states offer sports betting.
**NFL Restores Five Athletes**
On Thursday (April 18th), the NFL restored five athletes who were suspended for breaking the league’s gambling regulations.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ Isaiah Rodgers is not on the team’s lineup.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) brought back its first athlete, Jontay Porter, a day after suspending him. Porter had shared confidential information with bettors and wagered on NBA contests.
Twitter chatter: April 19, 2024 – Player Shaka Tony returned to the NFL; will Peters and Quinn want him on their squad? #HTTC
According to NFL.com, the only current player brought back was Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Tony. The league also readmitted former Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety CJ Moore, linebacker Demetriou Taylor, and former Colts linebacker La’Rodd Berry.
Despite a short-lived comeback, Maine did not authorize online wagering.
A proposal granting the Wabanaki tribes online gambling privileges was rejected in both the Maine House and Senate last week, but was then brought back and passed in the House before ultimately failing again in the Senate.
The proposal was revived after Senate Majority Leader Assistant Marty Dottery requested a review. This strategy is common in Maine, according to the Portland Press Herald. To guarantee a vote in their favor, lawmakers will vote for the winning side, even if they don’t support the proposal, so they can bring it up again.
Maine’s legislative session finished on April 17th, and proposals from this session cannot be extended.
DraftKings is facing legal action for its “risk-free” phrasing.
This coming Thursday (April 17th), DraftKings is facing a class-action legal action in New York’s federal court for its utilization of the phrase “risk-free.”
According to Bloomberg Law, wagerers were informed that if they lost their “risk-free wager,” the wager amount would be refunded to their account. However, wagerers claim that the credit they received for winning bets was less than half of what they would have earned if they had placed a real-money wager.
Caesars is facing a legal action in New York for using the term “risk-free” in its sports betting advertisements.
Over the past year, many significant operators have ceased using the term “risk-free,” and several US regions have prohibited its use.
The New York Gaming Commission is commending the NCAA.
New York State Gaming Commission Chairman Brian O’Dwyer sent a letter to the NCAA on April 15th supporting its call for a nationwide prohibition on college player prop bets. New York has already prohibited such bets.
O’Dwyer wrote in the letter that New York’s initial reason for implementing the ban was “to safeguard student athletes from potential influence on their performance.”
Approximately 15 US jurisdictions have banned college player props. Louisiana is the most recent state to enact a ban.
Mississippi’s online sports betting bill will be submitted to the conference.
Mississippi’s House Bill 774, which would authorize statewide mobile wagering, is headed to a legislative panel.
The panel, which will be comprised of Representatives Casey Eure, Jay McKnight, and Henry Zuber III, and Senators David Blount, Mike Thompson, and Chuck Younger, is set to convene next week. With the legislative session scheduled to end on May 5, lawmakers have less than three weeks remaining to reach a consensus.
The legislation passed the House in February and the Senate approved a revised version on April 9. The revised bill was a “strike-all” that substituted the House’s proposal with existing state law.
The action was intended to keep the dialogue going. The bill was returned to the House for concurrence, with the anticipation that the legislative panel will work out a compromise.
Other news…
… On Thursday (April 18), the New York City Council approved zoning modifications that would permit any entity that wins a downstate casino bid to obtain an exemption to construct in high-density or commercial manufacturing areas.
… On Friday (April 19), Caesars Entertainment announced the launch of its NHL-branded blackjack game on its online gambling platform in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
… On Monday (April 15), Lottery Geek reported that the Powerball lottery is about to vote on increasing its ticket price from $2 to $5.
… The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe announced plans to construct a new gambling establishment in Texas.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is contemplating a public vote on the construction of a gaming establishment in Petersburg.
Alabama’s legislation concerning wagering, which initially aimed to broaden gambling opportunities, has been curtailed. It is uncertain whether it will be enacted.
Minnesota’s regulations governing sports betting are facing challenges.
North Carolina bettors placed $659 million in wagers during the initial three weeks of authorized sports betting.
Ontario witnessed $63 billion in bets during its second year of legal sports wagering.
Connecticut’s new gambling law incorporates stringent advertising directives.
FanDuel is leading the charge to initiate sports betting in Washington D.C.
Ontario’s regulatory authorities have suspended wagering on World Boxing Association events.
The United States is establishing a national self-exclusion registry for individuals struggling with gambling addiction.