72 / 76
72
// PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // May/June 2016
States Continue to Wrestle with DFS
States across the U.S. continue to struggle
with the popular Daily Fantasy Sports indus-
try. Attorneys general have issued opinions
about the legality of DFS, legislatures have
debated its legal standing and its potential
to generate much-needed tax revenue, and
other states have said,
“Get out!”
In Alabama,
the attorney general joined his colleague
from Tennessee in declaring the contests to
be illegal gambling. In Missouri, the House
has passed a bill that would regulate but not
tax DFS, exempting the contests from state
gambling laws as games of skill.
U.S. Congressional Committee to
Examine Daily Fantasy Sports
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Com-
merce, Manufacturing, and Trade will consider
in May the legal status of daily fantasy, online
gaming, and sports betting and whether con-
sumer protection may be needed. The hearing
will focus on actions that states have under-
taken relating to daily fantasy and whether
there is a need for federal involvement. Nine
state attorneys general have issued opinions
that daily fantasy sports violate their states’
gambling laws. In April, the Alabama attorney
general issued cease-and-desist orders to
DraftKings and FanDuel, giving the compa-
nies until May 1 to stop offering paid contests
in that state. Those two daily fantasy providers
also are in legal battles with New York, Illinois
and Texas. Virginia and Indiana have passed
legislation this year clarifying fantasy sports’
legal status in their states, and Massachusetts
has created regulations for daily fantasy. More
than 20 states have considered bills that would
clarify the legal status of fantasy sports. In
related news, New Jersey is awaiting a ruling
from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in its
fight to bring Las Vegas-style sports betting to
the state’s racetracks and casinos.
AGA to Host First-Ever Law Enforce-
ment Summit as “Stop Illegal Gambling”
Initiative Enters Second Year
The effort is a component of AGA’s “Stop
Illegal Gambling—Play it Safe” initiative
which is uniting gaming and law enforce-
ment to expose the massive illegal gambling
market that preys on consumers, siphons tax
revenues and funds violent crime.
“Illegal
gambling preys on consumers, funds large crim-
inal enterprises involved in racketeering, money
laundering, extortion and fraud, and threatens
the integrity of the sports we love,”
said
Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the
AGA.
“The AGA’s initiative has been instru-
mental in building a strong partnership with
law enforcement and drawing a stark contrast
between the legal, regulated gaming industry
and shady, illegal operators.”
NY Lottery & Video Gaming Smash
Records with $9.69 Billion in Sales
and $3.3 Billion for Net Distribution
to all School Districts in the State.
“On all metrics, the New York Lottery con-
tinues to be the most profitable lottery on the
continent and underscores the success of New
York’s smart gaming policies,”
said Commis-
sion Executive Director Robert Williams.
Total Lottery and VLT revenue up 5.8%.
Traditional lottery games grew by 6.2
percent with a record $7.7 billion in sales in
FY 2015/16 over the previous year’s $7.25
billion.
“We thank the Lottery’s 17,000 retail-
ers, including thousands of small, independent
businesses across the state, for their continued
hard work and support in achieving this new
record,”
said Executive Director Williams.
Barry Pack, Chief Administrative
Officer at the Department of Adminis-
trative Services, is Appointed Interim
Director of the Oregon Lottery.
The CT Lottery Launches Keno in
2,900 Retailers.
“Keno is an entirely new way to play the lot-
tery, and is a more social way to enjoy lottery
games,”
said Anne Noble, CEO and presi-
dent of the CT Lottery
IGT and Paradise Entertainment Sign
Electronic Table Games Patent and
Technology Assignment Agreement
The Illinois Lottery Launched a New
Instant Ticket Version of the Popular
Bingo-Style Lotería Gamee
“This new game shares the fun and excite-
ment of a traditional pastime celebrated by the
Mexican-American community for genera-
tions,”
said Illinois Lottery Acting Director
B.R. Lane. Lotería, much like Bingo, allows
players to track and mark the draw of cards
with the use of characters and objects signifi-
cant to Mexican culture.
Kansas Lottery Recognizes Retailers
for Outstanding 2015 Lottery Sales
Kansas Lottery Executive Director Terry
Presta has recognized 62 Kansas Lottery re-
tailers for outstanding lottery sales in calendar
year 2015.
“For the first time, we have two
retailers that sold more than $1,000,000 in
lottery products in a single year,”
said Kansas
Lottery Executive Director Terry Presta.
“We
very much appreciate their hard work and the
hard work of all of our great retail partners.”
Online Payment Processing
Service Paypal Announced that it will
soon Stop Protecting Payments for
Transactions Related to Gambling
in Several Countries, Including the
United States, Canada and Brazil
Gaming Laboratories International’s
(GLI®) New iGaming White Paper
The white paper,
“iGaming Information
Security Management: Is Your Business Ad-
equately Protected?”
highlights GLI’s ability
to … Discuss your concerns about network
infrastructure security; 2. Advise about data
loss from players or your company; 3. Assist
you to ensure security when working with
third parties; 4. Provide effective personal-
ized planning to maximize system uptime;
5. Work closely with you for continued
compliance and ongoing risk mitigation.
Since 1996, GLI has provided independent
testing and assessment services for many
emerging online gaming jurisdictions. The
company serves more than 475 jurisdictions,
more than 130 of which exclusively accept
GLI certification letters.
■