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Police in Hong Kong say they have dismantled a triad-controlled gambling ring and seized the largest number of illegal betting records tied to a single operation in a decade. Hong Kong police display evidence, including over $1 million in cash, seized from a network of apartments across Hong Kong during raids Sunday. (Image: SCMP) According to a police source who spoke to The South China Morning Post, the handwritten documents show the triad bookies handled more than US$438 million in illegal bets on horse racing and soccer games. That’s in the first four months of 2021 alone. The ring had only been in operation for around a year, police believe. …

Jon Rahm won his first major title with a victory at the US Open last Sunday. His Torrey Pines heroics on the final two holes also resulted in him becoming the first Spaniard to win the US national championship. Jon Rahm celebrates yet another clutch putt, this one of the 72nd hole of the US Open at Torrey Pines. The 18-footer turned out to be the winning putt. (Image: The San Diego Union-Tribune) For oddsmakers, however, Rahm’s triumph provided little reason to celebrate.  Prior to round one, BetMGM revealed that the 26-year-old was responsible for the most money wagered (11.4 percent), and most tickets (8.0 percent) among the 156-player field.  …

The Canadian Senate is expected to resume debate Monday on C-218, the bill to legalize single-game sports betting in the country. Members will likely have to decide on an amendment supporters say could derail the bill’s chances of passage. Canadian Sen. David Wells speaks Thursday during a Senate session in Ottawa on behalf of C-218, a bill that would legalize single-game sports betting in the country. The debate is set to resume Monday on the bill. (Image: Senate of Canada) Monday also starts the final week of the Senate’s session before it adjourns for the summer. There’s been speculation that the Canadian government will look to dissolve Parliament before it …

Ohio Senate Bill 176 gets a lot of attention for the fact it would legalize sports betting in the Buckeye State. However, there’s another provision in the bill that would allow electronic instant bingo, also known as e-bingo, at roughly 875 facilities across the state. As a result, some gaming companies that operate casinos in the state have come out against the bill. The interior of JACK Thistledown Racino in North Randall, Ohio. JACK Entertainment is among the gaming companies that have raised concerns about efforts to legalize e-bingo machines across the state. (Image: JACK Entertainment) On Wednesday, just a couple hours after the Senate voted 30-2 to pass SB …

Massachusetts lawmakers are hearing arguments this week on whether to legalize sports betting. But one critic of the further expansion of gambling says it unjustly targets minorities. Stop Predatory Gambling National Director Les Bernal on a Zoom call with the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Bernal is advocating that state lawmakers vote against sports betting. (Image: Commonwealth of Massachusetts) Les Bernal has been the national director since 2008 of Stop Predatory Gambling, a nonprofit organization committed to limiting commercial gambling. He spoke before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies to urge lawmakers to reject sports betting. Bernal, long known in the gaming …

Saracen Casino Resort is the only casino in Arkansas that had better results at its sportsbook in May than the previous month. Overall, the casinos made a profit in May, but less than in April. An employee at the Southland Casino Racing sportsbook, right, hands over a betting ticket at the ticket window. Southland’s sportsbook was less active in May than in April. (Image: Memphis Flyer) In May, the sportsbook handle at Saracen jumped to more than $1 million, up from a $964.218 handle in April, according to figures released Thursday by the Arkansas Racing Commission. The “handle” refers to the amount of money bettors put down on sporting events. …

The Ohio Senate wasted little time in passing a bill to legalize sports betting in the state. On Wednesday, one day after the Senate Select Committee on Gaming passed an amended bill, the full body approved the measure by a 30-2 margin. Ohio state Sen. Niraj Antani speaks in support Wednesday of Senate Bill 176, a bill he co-sponsored that would legalize sports betting in the state. The bill passed by a 30-2 vote and now heads to the state House of Representatives. (Image: The Ohio Channel) After starting with 20 mobile and 20 retail licenses each, Senate Bill 176 now has increased the number of mobile (Type A) licenses …

BetMakers Technology Group (ASX:BET) stock was halted today by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). It came at the request of the sportsbook operator pending the announcement of a “material acquisition.” BetMakers adviser Matthew Tripp. The gaming company halted its stock in Sydney pending a deal announcement. (Image: The Australian) In a statement revealing the halt, ASX included a letter from Charly Duffy, BetMakers company secretary, requesting that trading activity in the shares be stopped until Monday, June 21. BetMakers isn’t aware of any reason why “the halt should not be granted,” according to the letter. “The Securities of BetMakers Technology Group will be placed in trading halt at the request …

Aided by more states joining the live and legal party, the US sports betting handle more than doubled from the levels seen prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Canaccord Genuity. Bettors at the Mirage sportsbook in Las Vegas, pictured above. A research firm says the US sports betting handle doubled. (Image: Rapid City Journal) Today, there are 21 states and Washington DC where sports betting is legal. Recent launches in Michigan and Virginia, among others, are driving legalization momentum in the first half of 2021. That strength could continue in the back half of the year as more states enter the regulated sports wagering arena. Six states representing an …

A day after slumping following publication of a bearish report by Hindenburg Research, DraftKings stock (NASDAQ:DKNG) is rebounding modestly Wednesday. Several analysts are defending the sportsbook operator, along with the support of a well-known investor. ARK Investor founder Cathie Wood, seen above. Her firm bought more DraftKings stock following release of a bearish research report. (Image: Business Insider) On Tuesday, shares of DraftKings finished lower by 4.1 percent — though that was well above the lows of the day — after short seller Hindenburg issued a scathing report. It accused SBTech, a unit of the sports wagering company, of operating in markets where sports betting is prohibited, money laundering, and …