The Takeaway: How Is Online Sports Betting Legalization Faring In 2025?
Georgia sports betting faces a key deadline today, and Mississippi online sports gambling stays alive. Also check out my latest newsletter on prediction markets over at The Event Horizon.
We’re going to learn if online gambling expansion has any chance in several states in the coming days and weeks. Here’s a quick state of play for online sports betting:
Georgia
Georgia House panel revives plan to give voters a chance to legalize sports betting (Georgia Recorder): “The Georgia House of Representatives advanced measures Wednesday that would allow voters to decide whether to legalize sports betting in Georgia. After an hour-long public hearing Tuesday on a topic that’s been debated in the Georgia Legislature for the past several years, the House Higher Education Committee voted Wednesday in favor of online sports betting legislation in tandem, House Bill 686 and House Resolution 450.”
Thursday is “crossover day” in Georgia, meaning these bills have to advance to the Senate or they will die in the House.
Mississippi
House keeps online Mississippi sports betting hopes alive (Legal Sports Report): “A proposal to take Mississippi sports betting online is still alive thanks to lawmakers meeting a key deadline. This week, the House Gaming Committee inserted online Mississippi sports betting language into two Senate bills as the April 6 sine die approaches. The language is identical to legislation the House passed last month in an 88-10 vote.”
Senate passage remains unlikely, but bills have a zero percent chance to pass if they are dead entirely.
Texas
Texas sports betting headed into 2025 facing an uphill battle. Now, any appetite for gambling expansion of any type seems to have been curbed by the controversy around the lottery and online ticket sales.
Here’s the latest on this front from the Dallas Morning News (paywall).
NEXT.io New York is less than a week away
Experience the foremost online gambling and sports betting summit in North America hosting 1,200 executives: Connecting operators with suppliers and start-ups with investors.
Minnesota
There’s been little public progress on a sports betting bill here. A bill failed on its first committee hearing, which raised the degree of difficulty for something getting done this year exponentially. Here’s the latest I’ve seen, from a couple of weeks ago:
Sports betting’s latest challenge in Minnesota: skepticism of sports books, big tech (Minn Post): “So why did that bill fail on a tie-vote in its first committee stop of the 2025 session? While betting clichés abound on this issue, could bill backers have overplayed their hand? After last week’s failure, it is now possible that backers worried too much about splitting the profits among gambling interests and too little about anti-gambling forces. The six lawmakers who voted no last week in the Senate State Government Committee were an unlikely alliance of some of the Senate’s most-liberal and most-conservative members.”
Hawaii
Hawaiʻi House Advances Sports Betting Bill (Honolulu Civil Beat): “The House on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of passing a controversial measure to legalize online sports betting. The 35-to-15 vote on House Bill 1308 marked the furthest that a gambling proposal has made it in the Legislature in at least the last decade.”
It’s still difficult to believe that a state that has been resistant to most efforts to introduce gambling is going to get sports betting to the finish line. The Senate remains a stumbling block.
Oklahoma
There’s been some recent chatter around sports betting in Oklahoma, but the path forward seems difficult. More from Legal Sports Report:
“Gov. Kevin Stitt continued his crusade against a tribal monopoly for Oklahoma sports betting last week. During a weekly press briefing last week, Stitt pledged to veto any Oklahoma sports betting bill with a tribal monopoly. The governor’s office had recently told local media that would be the case. ‘That’s not transparent, that’s not a fair deal,’ Stitt said.”
California
:Insert laugh track:
Sweepstakes update
I am not going to update all the sweepstakes bills — there are now six of them — but here’s what happened this week:
New York (SBC Americas): “New York state Sen. Joseph Addabbo is repsonsible for a number of pieces of gambling reform legislation this year and now he has another one on his plate. His latest bill, S5935, would explicitly prohibit online sweepstakes casinos from operating within the state. It would also be a potential blow for gaming affiliates and suppliers, as it would push out anyone that ‘knowingly accepts revenue that is directly or indirectly derived from online sweepstakes games’ from operating in the state. The specific text of the bill clarifies that ‘it shall be unlawful for any applicant, licensed entity, financial institution, payment processor, geolocation provider, gaming content supplier, platform provider or media affiliate to support the operation, conduct or promotion of sweepstakes games within the state of New York.”
More from the sweepstakes trade group in opposition: “The Social and Promotional Games Association unconditionally opposes New York’s Senate Bill S5935 prohibiting social sweepstakes games. We appreciate New York lawmakers’ formal recognition that social sweepstakes are a legal form of entertainment – you don’t need to outlaw something if it is already illegal. But that’s where our appreciation ends. Albany legislators have no business dictating to New Yorkers what games they can play on their phones. This deeply flawed legislation is an affront to personal freedoms, an insult to New York voters, and a colossal waste of government resources.”
Maryland: A bill to ban sweepstakes casinos was heard in committee this week.
Again, from the SPGA in opposition: “The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) opposes Senate Bill SB860, which was presented at today's Maryland Budget and Taxation Committee Bill Hearing.
This hastily drafted legislation represents a dangerous overreach, threatening legitimate business practices across Maryland while attempting to dictate what games adults can play on their phones.”
Steve Ruddock at Straight to the Point has some good reporting: “STTP has obtained a letter of support sent by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, that calls sweepstakes games ‘illegal,’ and that the ‘operators, manufacturers, and payment processors… bypass licensing and regulatory requirements… that mirror legal, regulated gaming.’”
Two other notes from the world of legislation:
There are a lot of online casino bills out there, but precious little progress of late. Bonus.com has a tracker for online casino.
Exploring the impact of legalized sports betting in the states (National Conference of State Legislatures): “In this installment of ‘State of Play,’ a bipartisan video series created by A Starting Point and NCSL, Georgia Rep. Marcus Wiedower (R) and Nevada Sen. Dina Neal (D) discuss the advantages, disadvantages and other topics related to legalized sports betting in the states.” Click through for the video.
The Event Horizon
Before today’s gambling roundup, here’s the latest on all things prediction markets at my other newsletter, The Event Horizon:
Here’s an excerpt I felt it was important to share with the audience here:
Kalshi posted a market called “How many people will watch the Oscars?” Users could bet if there would be more viewers than in 2024 (19.5 million) or 2023 (18.7 million). Sounds clear-cut, right?
“Yes” on both markets were graded losers, despite the fact that the final reported figure was pegged at 19.7 million at a number of outlets via Nielsen figures. Here’s Variety, for instance.
The problem? Many outlets, like the New York Times, reported an initial figure of 18 million. Kalshi apparently saw those reports, closed the markets, and graded “No” as the winner of both. A day later, the New York Times even corrected its initial report with the final numbers.
Not great! It doesn’t seem like there’s any recourse for bettors who actually ended up getting it right. It’s a pretty terrible look for Kalshi being a “source of truth” if this is how grading markets is done. The equivalent in sports betting would be a stat correction, which is generally made right by sportsbooks. But even that’s not a great comp; it seems like Kalshi likely rushed to close the market. And they’re also not making it right.
If you want to get more in the weeds, you can read more about it here from a user on Twitter; there’s a response in the thread from a Kalshi employee arguing that the market was resolved correctly using its own rules:
“If above 19500000 persons watch the Oscars in 2025, then the market resolves to Yes. Sources from Variety, The Guardian, the Associated Press, and The Washington Post.”
In any event, as all eyes are on the integrity of prediction markets and Kalshi, it’s fairly bad timing for something like this.
Gambling news roundup
Michigan Gaming Control Board continues relentless crackdown on unlicensed online casinos with cease-and-desist orders (release): “The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has taken decisive action against five offshore online casinos, sending cease-and-desist letters for violating state gaming laws. These websites offer a variety of casino games, such as slots, poker, blackjack, Keno, bingo, and game show games, in addition to sports betting. The following unlicensed operators are now under scrutiny following the MGCB’s action:
BetWhale Casino, Curaçao
Black Lotus Casino, owned by TD Investments Ltd., Belize
Coins Game Casino, Curaçao
Love2play Casino, Curaçao and Costa Rica
Orion Stars 777 Players, Sichuan Province, China
“These illegal platforms not only violate Michigan’s gaming regulations but also put consumers at risk by offering unreliable withdrawal options and lacking essential consumer protections,” stated MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams. “Our top priority is safeguarding Michigan residents by ensuring that all online gaming activities are conducted legally and safely. These operators must stop their activities or face additional legal consequences.”
A+ headline there, to the person who runs PR at MGCB. Relentless crackdown!
NCAA and EPIC Global Solutions announce extension of gambling harm education program (NCAA): “The NCAA and EPIC Global Solutions on Thursday announced an extension of their gambling harm education program collaboration. This extended collaboration reinforces the NCAA's long-standing commitment to protecting student-athlete well-being and the integrity of college athletics.
Educating student-athletes on the dangers of sports betting continues to be a key priority for the Association. “
“The new agreement will allow NCAA members to receive in-person educational sessions fully funded by the NCAA national office through the end of 2027. Sessions will expand into topics like handling social media harassment, promoting competition integrity and the mental health impacts of sports betting.”
“At a time of unprecedented growth of gambling in the USA, it is imperative that higher-risk populations receive high-quality education and awareness around the potential of harm," said Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC Global Solutions. "This will help to protect the student-athletes and also the integrity of the events. We applaud President Baker, and the NCAA as an organization, for prioritizing this program and committing long-term to EPIC as the provider."
The news comes amid a variety of reported investigations around sports betting men’s college basketball programs.
IC360 Brings ProhiBet Technology to Caesars Sportsbook (release): “This integration will provide Caesars with enhanced real-time alerts ensuring that the platform maintains the highest level of compliance and integrity in the industry.
As sports betting regulations continue to evolve across the country, certain stakeholders are prohibited from wagering on specific sports and events. IC360's encrypted and decentralized platform, ProhiBet, will assist Caesars Sportsbook in staying fully compliant with these standards, protecting the integrity of competitions while ensuring a safe and fair marketplace for all users. To date, ProhiBet has conducted nearly 50 million checks across the country.
VGW On Raising Age Limit From 18 To 21: ‘Our Goal Is To Exceed Industry Standards (Sweepsy): “A VGW spokesperson said the decision came ‘as part of our commitment to best-in-class responsible social gameplay.’ ‘We view ourselves as an RSG leader, and take this incredibly seriously, employing a team of industry experts, to ensure our games are enjoyed in a fun, healthy way,’ the spokesperson told Sweepsy.”
MetaBet Signs Content Partnership with DraftKings Network (release): “The agreement will see MetaBet integrate its contextual widgets into DraftKings Network’s betting and fantasy analysis. Renowned as ‘The Action Spot’, DraftKings Network helps fans navigate the 24/7 whirlwind of in-on-the-action lifestyle, via unique betting and fantasy perspectives, personalities, angles, insights, and data. Built for passionate fans and bettors, it covers all major sports and everything in between, equipping its community with everything one needs to know to make sound betting and fantasy decisions.”
Vixio Unveils the 2025 Global Regulatory Award Categories and is Now Accepting Submissions (release): “Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, has unveiled its 2025 Global Regulatory Awards (GRAs) categories and opened the submission platform, accepting nominations until May 19, 2025. For nearly a decade, the independently judged Global Regulatory Awards have been the gold standard across the industry. They recognise the achievements of individuals, teams and organisations, and winning a prestigious GRA can enhance their reputation as a leader in compliance and safer gambling. Vixio confirmed they would not charge for award submissions, and organisations may enter multiple categories. All award nominations must be submitted via the independent online submission platform AwardStage before the deadline on May 19, 2025. Further information on categories, the entry process and how to submit a nomination can be found on the GRA website.”
Defy the Odds Partners with Let’s Fantasy Game to Revolutionize Women’s Sports Through Community and Fantasy Platform: “LFG is currently in the final stages of developing its beta platform, which it plans to launch later this year. The company is also currently raising a pre-seed round of capital. ‘We are working with LFG because of their founders’ vision and holistic approach to building even more excitement about the importance of women’s sports,’ said Paris Smith, Defy the Odds co-founder. ‘Gary and Adrienne share years of hands-on business experience and understand what it will take to create a successful business in this space. Based on the growing success of WNBA and other women's sports leagues, the timing could not be any better.’
Caesars Entertainment Becomes First Online Casino Operator to Launch Branded Version of Pixiu Gaming’s Keno Title, Lucky Bonus Draw Keno (release): “Matthew Sunderland, Senior Vice President and Chief iGaming Officer at Caesars Digital, emphasized that the launch of Caesars Palace Lucky Draw Keno reflects their commitment to offering content that embodies the company’s core values for their online casino players. Keno, a favored game in traditional casinos, now extends to online platforms. The new game brings the iconic Caesars Palace, a landmark of the Las Vegas Strip, into focus with a unique gameplay aesthetic.”
Sparket Launches Real Money Contests Product, Earns Startup of the Year Nomination (release): “Sparket, an innovative leader in social gaming technology, launched real money skill gaming contests playable in 43 states. This builds on their existing B2B product which is embedded into Station Casinos, PENN Entertainment, Aristocrat Interactive, and multiple tribal casinos. The product features full PAM functionality and wallet. Users will have access to weekly innovative contests, including a flagship college basketball contest in partnership with Sparket shareholder Metta World Peace's Artest Management Group.”
NBA content creator/personality Rob Perez (WorldWideWob) is joining sweepstakes sportsbook exchange ProphetX, per his Twitter.
Closing Line Consulting
Need help with gambling content, navigating the North American gaming industry, communications/PR, or research and analysis? I have a consultancy to help in gaming and beyond. Reach out if you want to have a conversation. Learn more about CLC here.
Want to sponsor The Closing Line?
You can email dustin@closinglineconsulting.com for more information.