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Lawmakers in Tallahassee on Wednesday approved the biggest tribal casino revenue-share deal in America and legalized sports betting in Florida in the process. Florida’s House of Representatives (pictured) passed the $2.5 billion gambling plan on Wednesday by 97 votes to 17. (Image: WJCT News) The legislature had called a special session to consider the $2.5 billion deal, thrashed out last month between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the powerful Seminole tribe. In the end, it was comfortable. The House voted 97-17 to approve the compact, which the Senate had approved Monday by 38-1. Its passage was eased by the fact DeSantis held a threat of veto over hundreds of legislative …

FanDuel announced today it will build a new product development campus in downtown Atlanta.  Atlanta’s downtown skyline pictured against a sunset above. FanDuel says it will open a product development office in the Georgia capital. (Image: Atlanta Traveler) The sports betting and iGaming behemoth say it’s looking to hire more than 900 employees over the next five years for its Georgia office. The New York-based group will spend $15 million on the site development and hiring of personnel.  FanDuel is partnering with the state’s higher education system to develop new college courses in the tech industry. The Atlanta office will primarily consist of jobs focused on software engineering, product development, …

Entain Plc (OTC:GMVHY) is considering joining the fray of bidders for William Hill’s non-US assets, including the sportsbook operator’s famed UK betting shops. A bettor outside a Ladbrokes shop in the UK. Owner Entain could make a run at William Hill’s international assets. (Image: Getty Images) Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) recently completed its $3.69 billion acquisition of William Hill. But when that deal was announced last year, the Las Vegas-based casino giant made clear it had no interest in the target’s international businesses. The Harrah’s operator is expected to commence an auction for those assets in the coming weeks and could announce a buyer in the third or fourth quarter. Analysts …

Maryland is the latest state to formally sign sports betting into law. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed HB940 on Monday. The bill legalizes sports betting in Maryland. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signs sports betting into law. The state will allow various interests to participate, including casinos, horse racetracks, and professional sports stadiums. (Image: Governor Larry Hogan/Twitter) The sports betting bill is massive, as it creates more potential sportsbook licenses than any other state to date. HB940 allows the state’s six commercial casinos, professional sports stadiums, horse racetracks, and other businesses to apply for sports betting rights. Permits for mobile sportsbooks are also included. In total, as many as 90 sports …

A Staten Island bookie, who prosecutors claimed was an associate of the Colombo crime family, was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison plus one year’s supervised release for the extortionate collection of credit. Cassarino was in business with Joseph D’Amato Jr. (left), pictured here with his father, Joe Sr, a Colombo family capo and reputed Staten Island crime boss. All three were arrested in October 2019. (Image: The Colombo Mafia) Primo Cassarino’s father, Primo Cassarino Sr., was a Gambino enforcer who became a turncoat mobster in 2005 when he testified against Genovese capo Lawrence Ricci. The younger Cassarino was arrested in October 2019 along with 19 other alleged mobsters. …

Churchill Downs (NASDAQ:CHDN) and DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG) are among the stocks that could be affected by the annual rebalancing of FTSE Russell equity indexes. Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Churchill Downs and DraftKings could be affected by Russell’s rebalancing. (Image: ABC News) In a recent call with clients, Jefferies highlighted seven consumer discretionary names, including the pair of gaming equities, that could be on the move as a slew of benchmarks run by FTSE Russell are altered to reflect changes in components’ market values. The company is the provider behind well-known indexes, such as the broad market Russell 3000, the small-cap Russell 2000, and the Russell …

Bill Miller, the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), says Congress must act to better protect legal sports betting markets. American Gaming Association President Bill Miller. The country’s leading gaming industry lobbyist says more protections are needed to ensure the continued expansion of legal, regulated sports betting. (Image: American Gaming Association) In an op-ed published in The Hill, Miller says additional resources at the federal level are needed to further eradicate illegal underground sports betting. He’s also calling on tax changes to allow legal sportsbooks to more fairly compete with illicit bookmakers. The US Supreme Court’s May 2018 decision to strike down the federal ban on sports …

DraftKings announced Wednesday that former supermodel Gisele Bündchen will serve as a special advisor to cofounder and CEO Jason Robins and the Boston-based sports gaming and technology company’s board of directors. Gisele Bündchen (top right) celebrates with her husband Tom Brady and their family after Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl LV championship in February. On Wednesday. Bündchen became a special advisor regarding environmental and social issues to sports gaming company DraftKings. (Image: Instagram) According to a company release, Bündchen will advise on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. Her position starts immediately, the company added. The announcement coincides with Earth Day, which this year will …

A man was hospitalized after being shot outside of Manchester, N.H.’s DraftKings Sportsbook brick-and-mortar location. He suffered “life-threatening injuries” in the Monday night incident, police said. A Manchester, N.H. police SUV shown here. The department is investigating a shooting outside of a DraftKings location. (Image: Boston Globe) At about 9:15 pm, multiple shots were fired during the altercation. The wounded man was transported to Elliot Hospital for treatment. It is an acute care hospital in Manchester. Details on his condition were not immediately available from the hospital on Wednesday. His name was not released by police. During a search of the crime scene, police said they located a firearm and …

Ohio’s major professional sports teams have banded together to lobby lawmakers and reiterate their call for a piece of any sports betting bill that comes out of the legislature. Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds connects on a pitch in Sunday’s home game against the Cleveland Indians. The Reds and Indians are two of the Ohio pro sports teams seeking to get the state legislature to give them access to sports betting licenses. (Image: Dylan Buell/Getty Images) The Ohio Professional Sports Coalition includes the eight professional sports teams that call the Buckeye State home. It also has the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament, which is held annually outside of Columbus. That …