West
Panel says online gambling could soon be coming to New York, Maryland, and possibly California
With Rhode Island this week becoming the seventh U.S. state to launch internet gambling, industry panelists at an online gambling conference predicted Wednesday that several additional states would join the fray in the next few years.
Speaking at the Next.io forum on internet gambling and sports betting, several mentioned New York and Maryland as likely candidates to start offering internet casino games soon.
WILL ONLINE GAMBLING SPREAD BEYOND THESE SIX STATES, OR IS IT JUST A FAD?
And some noted that, despite years of difficulty crafting a deal that satisfies commercial and tribal casinos and card rooms, California is simply too big a market not to offer internet gambling.
“Some of the dream is not quite fulfilled, which creates some opportunity,” said Rob Heller, CEO of Spectrum Gaming Capital.
Before Rhode Island went live with online casino games on Tuesday, only six U.S. states offered them: New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia. Nevada offers internet poker but not online casino games.
Elaine Vallaster plays an online slots game on her tablet in Hazlet, N.J. on November 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Shawn Fluharty, a West Virginia state delegate and chairman of a national group of legislators from gambling states, listed New York and Maryland as the most likely states to add internet gambling soon.
He was joined in that assessment by Brandt Iden, vice president of government affairs for Fanatics Betting and Gaming and a former Michigan state representative.
Both men acknowledged the difficulty of passing online casino legislation; Thirty-eight states plus Washington, D.C., currently offer sports betting, compared to seven with internet casino gambling.
Part of the problem is that some lawmakers are unfamiliar with the industry, Iden said.
“We talk about i-gaming, and they think we’re talking about video games,” he said.
Fluharty added he has “colleagues who struggle to silence their phones, and we’re going to tell them gambling can be done on their phones?”
Some lawmakers fear that offering online casino games will cannibalize revenue from existing brick-and-mortar casinos, although industry executives say online gambling can complement in-person gambling. Fluharty said four casinos opened in Pennsylvania after the state began offering internet casino gambling.
AI-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY TO REVOLUTIONIZE SPORTS BETTING VIA PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCES BASED ON PATTERNS, INTERESTS
A study commissioned by Maryland projected that adding internet gambling would generate $900 million in annual online betting revenue by 2029, but that it would cost brick-and-mortar casinos $200 million.
The key to wider adoption of internet gambling is playing up the tax revenue it generates, and emphasizing programs to discourage compulsive gambling and help those with a problem, panelists said. New York state senator Joseph Addabbo, one of the leading advocates of online betting in his state, recently introduced legislation to allocate at least $6 million a year to problem gambling programs.
“If you tell them we’re funding things by passing i-gaming, or we can raise your taxes, what do you think the answer is going to be?” Fluharty asked, citing college scholarships as something for which gambling revenue could be used.
One bill pending in the Maryland state legislature that would legalize internet gambling would impose a lower tax rate on operations that offer live dealer casino games and thus create additional jobs.
New York lawmakers have made a strong push for internet gambling in recent years, but Gov. Kathy Hochul did not include it in her executive budget proposal this year.
Edward King, co-founding partner of Acies Investments, said California — where disputes among tribal and commercial gambling operations have stalled approval of online casino games and sports betting — will likely join the fray.
“It’s an inevitability for a state the size of California,” he said. “The tax dollars are too big.”
Adam Greenblatt, CEO of BetMGM, disagreed, saying California likely won’t approve online gambling anytime soon, and that Texas, another potentially lucrative market, “has successfully resisted it for 20 years.”
Read the full article from Here
San Francisco rolled in today, under a gray blanket of low clouds, morning temperatures hovering near 55°F and pockets of patchy drizzle dampening parts of the city. Forecasters expect that light mist to drift on and off through the day and into early Monday, keeping highs mainly in the low to mid 60s with a steady onshore breeze keeping things feeling cooler near the water.
Afternoon Winds Pick Up
By afternoon, winds are set to swing around to the west and west-southwest and turn noticeably breezier, generally in the 6 to 12 mph range, with occasional stronger gusts funneling through the usual gaps and passes. That onshore push will leave the waterfront cooler and cloudier, while neighborhoods just a few miles inland should manage a modest warmup. The National Weather Service expects these breezy conditions to hang around into the middle of next week as the pattern dries out.
Drizzle Through Monday, Then A Warmup
A couple of weak impulses will keep light rain and drizzle in the mix tomorrow, though totals are expected to be minimal, and many parts of the city will stay either dry or just briefly damp. The marine layer is projected to thin out Tuesday, April 28, into Wednesday, April 29, which should let inland parts of the Bay Area climb into the upper 60s and low 70s.
Commute And Outdoor Plans
For tomorrow morning’s commute, expect slick patches on sidewalks and bike lanes where drizzle lingers, though driving impacts should remain minor. It is still smart to leave a little extra room for braking if the pavement is damp. Planning to be outside tomorrow. Toss a light rain jacket in your bag, especially if you are headed to the immediate coast or moving through the Golden Gate corridor, where the wettest pockets are most likely. There are no watches or warnings in effect for the city at this time.
Perhaps all Rob Refsnyder needed was some extra dad strength to break out of his early-season slump.
Refsnyder continued his strong recent play in a major way for the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, blasting a go-ahead, pinch-hit solo homer in the ninth inning to lift the M’s to a 3-2 win and series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Box Score
Refsnyder battled back after falling behind 0-2 against Cardinals left-hander Jo Jo Romero and used some help from MLB’s new Automated Ball-Strike System to do so. The veteran kept his plate appearance alive by winning a challenge on a called third strike on the third pitch of the at-bat. He then fouled off a pitch and watched two balls before clubbing a sweeper 412 feet with a 106.6 mph exit velocity into the Mariners’ bullpen for a 3-2 lead.
It was the 12th pinch-hit, go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later in team history, per the Mariners.
The home run was Refsnyder’s second of the season and second since being reinstated off the paternity list on April 17 following the birth of his third child.
Prior to going on the paternity list on April 14, Refsnyder was 0 for 16 at the plate in his first eight games in a Mariners uniform. In eight games since he returned, he’s 4 for 17 with the two homers.
Eduard Bazardo pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn his first win of the season. Jose A. Ferrer pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his first save as a Mariner.
The Mariners improved 14-15 overall and 3-0 on their six-game road trip.
Seattle Mariners coverage
• Naylor held out of Mariners’ lineup for series finale vs Cardinals
• Seattle Mariners’ Bryce Miller has strong 2nd rehab start in minors
• Mariners trade Casey Legumina to Rays, re-acquire pitcher in return
• There’s a very good sign from Seattle Mariners’ recent stretch
• Cal seeing ‘a lot of good things’ as Mariners hit the road
-
Politics28 seconds ago‘Shots Fired!’: Inside the Pandemonium at the Washington Hilton
-
Business6 minutes agoConfusion and Fright at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner After Shots Were Fired
-
Lifestyle36 minutes agoSunday Puzzle: Blank to blank
-
Technology48 minutes agoGoogle’s new gradient icon design is coming to more apps
-
World54 minutes agoHormuz crisis spurs $24B Iraq trade corridor as Gulf routes shift
-
Politics1 hour agoObama says motive unclear despite manifesto outlining alleged targets in WHCD shooting
-
Health1 hour agoHighly contagious stomach bug surges in US as some groups face severe effects
-
Sports1 hour agoTrevor Bauer throws no-hitter for Long Island Ducks in just second US start since 2021