Industry News For The Week Of March 30, 2025

By iDEA | April 3, 2025

Industry News

Kalshi has initiated legal action in response to cease-and-desist letters from the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement, respectively, seeking a court order to continue operating its sports prediction marketplace in each state. Kalshi’s suits challenge each state’s “intrusion into the federal government’s ‘exclusive’ authority to regulate future derivatives trading” on financial exchanges subject to oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Alabama

Another Alabama gambling proposal is expected to emerge in the second half of the Senate’s legislative session, as State Sen. Greg Albritton has revealed he’s working on a bill. An unlikely ally this time around might be former NBA star Charles Barkley, who has been floated as a possible investor by those who would like to see inclusive ownership of gambling in the state. Alabama nearly legalized gambling last year, but the Senate and House couldn’t come to terms on exactly which products to include.

California

Tribal leaders and commercial sportsbooks introduced ideas Tuesday that would legalize California sports betting exclusively under tribal control, marking the most detailed attempt yet to restart negotiations between tribes and national betting operators. The tribes would form a single statewide entity that would hold all licenses and maintain ownership of the online sports betting market. That entity would then contract with to-be-determined sports betting brands to offer mobile wagering platforms in California.

Hawaii

Hawaii sports betting legislation took an important leap Wednesday afternoon. With an 11-2 vote, the Senate Ways and Means Committee advanced HB 1308, which would legalize Hawaii sports betting. The bill already passed the House by a 35-15 margin and now advances to the full Senate.

Maine

The potential legalization of online casinos in Maine is once again up for debate in the state’s House of Representatives, but a late start means it has only two and a half months to make it through the legislature. Last year’s bicameral effort seemed like one of the more promising pieces of iGaming legislation nationwide but came up just short.

Maryland

A new lawsuit could throw an interesting twist into the Maryland sports betting market as Baltimore looks to take the lead in what it feels is a “national problem.” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and the City Council filed a lawsuit against FanDuel parent Flutter Entertainment and DraftKings this week, claiming “deceptive and unfair practices” in Maryland sports betting. The lawsuit alleges that the companies violated the city’s Consumer Protection Ordinance.

Mississippi

A backdoor attempt to legalize online Mississippi sports betting is dead. Senate Bill 2510 died in the conference committee on Monday. Mississippi legalized in-person sports betting in 2018, and lawmakers have since attempted to expand that to include online sportsbooks without success.

West Virginia

VIP Play, the “experienced mobile gambling operator” behind Tennessee’s online sportsbook ZenSports, is expanding to West Virginia after the state approved its interim license. Notably, the regulatory approval covers sports betting and online casino-managed services and follows VIP’s market access partnership with Delaware North’s Wheeling Island Casino.

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