The Cashout: How US Online Gambling Has Changed In The Past Year

Gambling news roundup: The week in prediction markets; Maine online casino update; Hard Rock accidentally pays out $1.7 million on $5K trivia contest.

Jun 29, 2025

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TCL offers market analysis in the US gambling space in The Cashout every weekend to paid subscribers, along with a news roundup for free subscribers.

What do the metrics for U.S. sports betting and online casino over the past 12 months reveal? For starters, they highlight the rise of Fanatics and continued market growth.

But first, the gambling news roundup:

Gambling news roundup

All the prediction markets news via The Event Horizon:
Event Horizon
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Maine Online Casino Bill Heads To Governor (Legal Sports Report): “A Maine online casino bill has cleared another major hurdle. A committee of lawmakers this week voted LD 1164, which legalizes Maine online casino through the state’s tribal nations, off the Appropriations Table. Lawmakers sent 300 pieces of legislation to the table, and 117 are now making their way to Gov. Janet Mills. Mills has 10 days to sign or veto the bills. The Mills administration testified against the online casino bill earlier this session, as did the Maine Gambling Control Unit and Gambling Control Board.”
“I Didn’t Share How Bad It Had Gotten. They Were Seeing Me On TV Playing Poker. They Weren’t Seeing All The Negatives That Come With It.” (The Comeback With Craig Carton): “In episode 4 of The Comeback, Craig Carton talks with Greg, a firefighter from New Jersey who is 5 years since his last wager. Greg started gambling as a teenager when he saw Chris Moneymaker win millions of dollars at the World Series of Poker in 2003. He was immediately hooked with a dream of becoming a professional poker player.”
BetMGM, FanDuel, NCPG Request Problem Gambling Research For Military (Legal Sports Report): BetMGM and FanDuel have partnered with the National Council on Problem Gambling to request problem gambling research to better serve active military and veterans. The NCPG sent a letter in mid-June to Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chris Coons, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriation Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense, asking that gambling addiction be included as an eligible research topic in the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program as part of the FY26 defense appropriations bill.
- “Despite the high prevalence and risk of gambling addiction amongst our service members and veterans, there is a lack of comprehensive research on how to best treat, intervene, and prevent this mental health issue within the military population,” the letter said. “… Strong bipartisan support for gambling addiction research for improved screening, treatment, and recovery will allow for lifesaving efforts for many of your constituents who have chosen to serve our country and their families.”
Hard Rock Bet accidentally overpays $5,000 live trivia prize by $1.7M (SBC Americas): “Hard Rock Bet accidentally handed out $5,000 to hundreds of customers taking part in a free online trivia game, and the operator says it will pay for its own mistake. Hard Rock Bet Casino was running its weekly free-to-play online Live Trivia game on Wednesday for New Jersey players. Each week, players answer 10 timed questions on a single theme, with the topics changing every week. All players who answer at least seven of 10 questions correctly win a share of a $5,000 prize pool. The amount they each win varies depending on how many players answer correctly. … However, this week, instead of the typical prize of a few bucks, every single winner’s account was credited with the entire $5,000 amount. Hard Rock Bet told SBC Americas in an additional statement that 353 players each erroneously received $5,000, equating to a total payout of $1.765 million.”
Texas Lottery Commission to be disbanded as state game gets new restrictions (Texas Tribune): “On Sunday night, Gov. Greg Abbott ensured the Texas Lottery will continue for another four years, signing into law new provisions to clamp down on the state’s games after lawmakers weighed abolishing the lottery entirely. As lawmakers sparred over high-profile issues like public school funding, property tax cuts and THC regulation, the Texas Lottery emerged as a smaller, unexpected flashpoint during the recently-completed regular session.
Criticism of the lottery and the Texas Lottery Commission largely stemmed from two controversies: a $95 million Lotto Texas win claimed by a single group that purchased 99% of the 25.8 million possible ticket combinations and the proliferation of online ticket sales through apps known as lottery couriers. … The bill, which took effect immediately, allows the lottery to continue until 2029, but with greater restrictions and without the Texas Lottery Commission, the agency that has run the game for three decades. The bill prohibits online ticket sales and abolishes the commission; starting Sept. 1 the lottery will be run by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.”
MGM Yonkers submits commercial casino license application in New York (press release): “MGM Yonkers Inc., a subsidiary of MGM Resorts International today (Thursday) submitted its commercial casino license application to the New York Gaming Commission and the Gaming Facility Location Board, with a $2.3 billion proposal to transform its historic Empire City Casino site into a commercial casino and entertainment destination. The development plans have been thoughtfully curated to achieve the maximum benefits for the State of New York, City of Yonkers and surrounding counties, while also meeting the needs of the local community. MGM Yonkers' plans include the full renovation and expansion of Empire City Casino's existing gaming areas, an expansive high-limit lounge and the addition of a state-of-the-art BetMGM Sportsbook offering retail sports betting. The plan also envisions the addition of a 5,000 person maximum capacity entertainment venue and accompanying meeting space which will welcome a variety of A-list and local performances with the design flexibility to accommodate special events, local graduations and other community needs.”
- Additionally, three new full-service restaurants and the renovation of existing food and beverage venues will provide high-concept dining options for guests. A parking garage with solar energy arrays and electric vehicle parking spaces are among features that demonstrate MGM Resorts' strong commitment to sustainability. If MGM Yonkers is awarded a commercial casino license, it anticipates completing all project elements by mid-2029.
- "Empire City Casino and Yonkers Raceway have anchored the entertainment and tourism culture in downstate New York for more than a century. Achieving a full casino license will ensure this site will continue to be a cultural and economic force for generations to come," said Bill Hornbuckle, President and CEO of MGM Resorts International.

Ifrah Law has been at the center of advancing iGaming in the U.S., shaping groundbreaking legislation, leading precedent-setting cases, and guiding clients that span the iGaming ecosystem through every phase of their business journey. Learn more at IfrahLaw.com.

After a betting probe, an All-American went undrafted. Now he’s one step from MLB (The Athletic): “The clock was ticking, and Keaton Anthony had no fallback plan. Anthony, an All-American baseball player at Iowa, had been told ahead of the 2023 MLB Draft that he would likely go between the third and seventh rounds. It was a reasonable prediction: He’d gotten calls from the Red Sox and Tigers in the sixth and seventh rounds the year prior, before he’d become one of the country’s top college players. But it was also before Anthony was among 26 Iowa student-athletes investigated for violating the NCAA’s sports betting policies in early May 2023, effectively ending his college career four weeks early.”
Beloved 27-Year-Old Gaming Site Wipes Forums, Relaunches As A Gambling Affiliate Cash-Grab (Kotaku): “In the last couple of weeks, Adventure Gamers—a beloved game site dedicated to point-and-click adventure gaming since 1998—has become a cruel pastiche of its former self. The site, primarily run by volunteers and enthusiasts, has fought for the much-maligned adventure gaming genre through thick and thin for almost three decades, but visit today and you’ll find more “reviews” of gambling sites and slot machine games than the latest adventure releases. And for an extra kick in the shins, the new owners wiped twenty years of forum posts without warning. How did any of this happen?”
Social Gaming Leadership Alliance Pushes Back on New Jersey Legislation (press release): “The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA), joined by key partners and allies including VGW, B-Two Operations and the World Poker Tour, submitted testimony this week in opposition to New Jersey bills A5447 and S4282, which threaten to ban legitimate, free-to-play online social games that use well-established sweepstakes promotional frameworks.
- “These proposals seek to eliminate a popular form of digital entertainment enjoyed by millions of Americans and based on a model used legally for decades by trusted consumer brands,” said Jeff Duncan SGLA Executive Director and former Congressman. “This is not gambling—it’s marketing. Our partners operate free-to-play games with strong consumer protections and legally compliant promotional sweepstakes structures.”
- In written testimony submitted to the New Jersey Legislature, SGLA emphasized the economic and regulatory opportunity at hand.
- “We welcome the opportunity to work with the New Jersey legislature on common-sense legislation that creates a robust regulatory framework, prioritizes consumer protection, and offers new revenue for the state,” Duncan said. “But A5447 and S4282 are the wrong approach. These bills are built on flawed definitions and would have broad, unintended consequences—impacting everything from digital games to local retail promotions.”
Aristocrat Interactive and Inspired Entertainment Introduce First-Ever Virtual Sports iLottery Games with the Virginia Lottery Through an Agreement with NeoPollard Interactive (press release): “Aristocrat Interactive™ – a leading B2B provider of gaming content, technology, hardware, and services – in collaboration with NeoPollard Interactive and Inspired Entertainment announced today the launch of the first-ever Virtual Sports games available in the U.S. iLottery market, accessible exclusively with the Virginia Lottery.”
- “Known as “VSports,” these new content options, developed by Inspired Entertainment, ensure the sports season never ends for Virginia Lottery players. NeoPollard is a joint venture between Pollard Banknote and Aristocrat Interactive. As part of this joint venture, Aristocrat Interactive developed a customer integration offering for VSports through its aggregation system, Fusion™, allowing the Virginia Lottery to benefit from this new game category and be able to offer its players football, basketball and horse racing draw games all under one digital platform.
- “Our commitment to providing best-in-class lottery content is strengthened by robust third-party integration capabilities with content providers like Inspired Entertainment,” said Chris Shaban, Managing Director of Aristocrat Interactive iLottery. “The introduction of these first-of-its-kind draw games for the Virginia Lottery exemplifies how customers can benefit from strategic integrations that drive new innovations and improvements in available content for players.”
- “Each VSports game runs on a specific schedule, allowing players to place bets on a virtual event of their choosing. Through the use of a certified random number generator (RNG) and similar to other online games, all VSports games are simulated ensuring results are fair and random. The outcome of live sporting events has no impact or influence on VSports.”

FanDuel’s Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting is designed to equip adults, including parents and coaches, with tools and resources to talk to young people about gambling, including information on warning signs, risks and proxy betting. The program is led by retired professional basketball player Randy Livingston and his wife, basketball agent Anita Smith, who share their personal stories related to problem gambling, with the hope of preventing others from experiencing similar harms. Learn more and join the conversation here.