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Historic San Francisco Bay area racetrack Golden Gate Fields will run its last race today, June 9. The track’s closing weekend will involve live music, DJs, and a “Belmont Stakes Watch” party. End of an era: Chase the Chaos wins the 2023 El Camino Derby at Golden Gate Fields. The 80-year-old track will run its last race Sunday, as the popularity of horse racing continues to dwindle in California. (Image: Vasser Photography) Meanwhile, outside, Berkeley-based animal rights group Direct Action will be holding a mock funeral for the estimated 2,000 horses they claim have died at the track since it opened. The vigil will feature a symbolic coffin and flowers, …

Some form of sports betting, be it online, retail, or both, is live and legal in 38 states and Washington, DC, but broader legalization since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) isn’t serving the desired effect of eliminating black-market betting in some states. Despite permitting both iGaming and online sports betting, New Jersey is home to rampant black-market betting. The same is true of Minnesota and New York. (Image: NJ.com) Fresh data from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) indicate that New Jersey and New York, two of the largest states in terms of regulated sports wagering handle, remain hotbeds of illegal …

Legislation in Delaware to codify the state Internet Sports Lottery Legislative Working Group’s recommendation that more than one online sportsbook platform be permitted is making progress in the General Assembly. BetRivers signage is seen above the Dover International Speedway in April 2024. BetRivers is the exclusive sports betting and iGaming operator of the Delaware Lottery, but some state lawmakers want to end the digital monopoly. (Image: NBC) State Rep. Franklin Cooke (D-District 16) introduced House Bill 365 in April along with Rep. William Bush (D-District 29). The measure seeks to terminate the Delaware Lottery’s monopoly on online sports betting in favor of authorizing up to five additional sportsbook platforms. This …

Efforts to legalize sports betting in Minnesota failed earlier this month for the sixth year in a row. Minnesota Rep. Zach Stephenson is optimistic about sports betting’s odds of passing in the General Assembly next year. Though 2024 wasn’t the year when a sports betting bill crossed the finish line, a compromise has finally been found that appeases varying interests that stand to be impacted by the gaming expansion. (Image: Star Tribune) States obtained the legal authority to determine their own laws regarding sports gambling after the US Supreme Court in May 2018 overturned a federal law that had limited single-game sports wagering to Nevada. Minnesota Democrats who sponsored the …

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) is pushing to boost the state’s sports betting tax to 35% from 15% to raise needed cash and that’s not to the liking of the gaming industry, which one group says is employing “dubious claims” in a bid to defeat the governor’s plan. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs a bill in August 2023. The Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) says “dubious” tactics are being used in the fight against Prizker’s attempt to raise sports betting taxes. (Image: AP) The Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG), an independent wagering reform group, asserts that in its effort to ward off Pritzker’s proposal of higher taxes on sports wagering, …

The owners of Ellis Island Casino are suing F1 for monetary damages it claims to have suffered at the hands of last year’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. The grandstands Ellis Island erected in front of its property for Las Vegas Grand Prix viewing. (Image: Nevada Independent) The suit — filed last month but first reported on Friday by the Las Vegas Review-Journal — seeks more than $50,000 in compensation and also names Clark County and the State of Nevada as defendants. Ellis Island claims that the race, and the six months of setup and teardown on either side of it, impeded both employees and customers from accessing its property, …

On the back of a strong first-quarter earnings report, Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD) surged on Wednesday. Prior to that, shares of the sports betting data provider did a lot of nothing for an extended period of time. One professional money manager believes the stock’s best days are ahead. Sportradar participating in a gaming expo. A professional money manager is bullish on the stock. (Image: Front Office Sports) In an extensive Wednesday post on X (formerly Twitter), Radnor Capital — the pseudonym for a fund manager that wants to remain anonymous — said current sentiment on Sportradar stock could be similar to what was seen with DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) a couple of …

The ringleader of a hardcore faction of Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors gambled away HK$300K (US$38K) that he was supposed to spend on bombs and weapons. A gas mask-wearing anti-government protestor flings a tear gas canister back at the police during demonstrations in 2019. The Dragon Slaying Brigade was the “most violent” of protest groups, according to local media. (Image: SCMP) Wong Chun-Keung is the former ringleader of the “Dragon Slaying Brigade,” which plotted to attack police with firearms and explosive devices at the height of the 2019-20 anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong. ‘Kill Police’ Now cooperating with authorities in a bid for a reduced sentence, Wong admitted during a court …

The PGA Championship is the first of golf’s four majors to announce a sports betting partnership with a sportsbook operator. The Wanamaker Trophy at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. ESPN Bet will serve as the “Official Sports Betting Sponsor” of the PGA Championship through at least 2026. (Image: Casino.org) The PGA of America and Penn Entertainment, the latter being the parent company to Penn Interactive and ESPN Bet, on Tuesday announced a sports betting partnership for the second golf major of the year. The PGA Championship is set for May 16-19 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. ESPN Bet will serve the PGA of America as its “Official Sports Betting …

A new Change.org petition calls on the Clark County Commission to deny a special use permit to F1, which is scheduled to stage its second Las Vegas Grand Prix on the Las Vegas Strip from November 21-23. Las Vegas small business owners who claim $30M in revenue losses are attempting to stop the goliath F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which claimed an economic impact of $1.5B last year, using a petition. (Image: Creative Commons) “Stop the Las Vegas Grand Prix (F1)” was filed on May 3 by Lisa Mayo-DeRiso, a public relations consultant representing at least six business owners claiming severe losses resulting from last year’s race preparations. So far, …