State of the Union: NY bill proposes dramatic sports betting limits; ECGC review, more
NY assemblyman introduces bill on sports betting limits
A New York assemblyman introduced proposed legislation this week with sweeping restrictions that seek to curtail excessive wagering behaviour.
The bill from Assemblyman Robert Carroll will establish a wagering ceiling of $5,000 (£3,760/€4,389) per day on New York sports betting accounts. It would also limit the number of account deposits a customer can make over a 24-hour period. In addition, the legislation will create restrictions on sportsbook advertising, a point of contention among problem gambling advocates over the last several years.
One provision is dedicated specifically to instances when a bettor’s lifetime deposit total exceeds a threshold of $2,500 within a single account. In those instances, the bill requires a sportsbook to prevent any wagering from the bettor’s account until he or she “acknowledges” that the deposit threshold has been met. At that point, the customer may elect to establish responsible gaming limits, or close the account, the bill reads.
The proposal comes as regulators in Massachusetts continue to evaluate trends among sportsbooks in limiting certain bettors. Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) unveiled plans to work with a data analyst on the prevalence of wagering limits.
The MGC is the first jurisdiction nationwide that has openly discussed the practise of limiting with operators, said Jordan Maynard, who serves as chairman of the commission. The comments followed a closely-watched MGC session last fall on the topic.
Report: USMNT’s McKennie among 13 under investigation
US Men’s National Team midfielder Weston McKennie is among more than a dozen soccer players under investigation by Italian authorities in a widespread illegal betting probe, multiple European outlets reported.
The names of McKennie and the others reportedly surfaced based on new evidence provided to Milan prosecutors in a case involving two prominent players. Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali received a 10-month suspension in October 2023 for betting on matches in the previous season. Tonali, who signed with Newcastle United of the English Premier League, subsequently received an additional two-month suspension from England’s Football Association.
Another Italian player, Nicolo Fagioli, received a seven-month suspension from the Italian Football Federation after he admitted to betting on a series of matches. Fagioli and McKennie were teammates at Juventus, the famed Serie A club. All told, nine other current or former Serie A players have been named in the investigation, according to the reports.
As of 17 April, there is no evidence that any of the new players bet on soccer matches. The players, according to the reports, are under investigation for participating in online poker games and betting on other sports through illegal platforms. Other players to receive inclusion in the report from media outlet La Repubblica include Angel Di Maria, Nicolo Zaniolo and Leandro Paredes. Di Maria scored in the 2022 World Cup final when Argentina defeated France for the nation’s third-ever world title.
McKennie, who joined Juventus in 2021, has seven goals in 109 appearances with the Italian club. The US is one of three nations that will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn has urged the Justice Department to examine the ties between illegal sports betting and transnational organised crime ahead of the World Cup.
Proposed NC bill will double sports betting tax rate
North Carolina is the latest state considering legislation that will result in a substantial increase in the tax rate on sports wagering revenue.
Under the proposed bill, SB 257, the tax rate in the Tar Heel State would double from 18% to 36%. Since the launch of legal sports wagering last year, the activity has generated approximately $135 million (£ 101.8 million/€ 118.7 million) in tax revenue to the state. On a monthly basis, the windfall has resulted in an additional $10.4 million available to state coffers.
Last year, Illinois passed a new progressive tax policy that imposed duties of up to 40% to select operators. The tax applies to operators that generate more than $200 million in sports wagering revenues per month. Illinois operators must pay a minimum of 20% based on the sliding scale. A new bill in Massachusetts seeks to raise the tax from 20% to 51%, a rate that would tie New York and New Hampshire for the highest in the nation. Two others, Maryland and New Jersey, also have pending legislation with increased tax rates on sports betting.
The legislation will earmark a percentage of revenues to the state’s largest public universities, the University of North Carolina and NC State. According to a fiscal note attached to the bill, the state will allocate a projected $24.4 million (10%) to the athletic departments of each university. The disbursement is aimed at assisting the schools with a proposed revenue-sharing plan with Division I student athletes. If signed into law, the tax increase will take effect on 1 October.
Alberta sports betting bill advances
An effort to legalise sports betting in Alberta gained traction this week.
Authored by Minister Dale Nally, the bill advanced past second reading during Wednesday’s session. Nally is patterning the bill, the iGaming Alberta Act, after a framework adopted in Ontario. Nally intended for market launch in 2024, but the bill has been hampered by multiple delays.
The measure, Bill 48, will move to the Committee of the Whole, a committee within the broader Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). There, the committee is expected to discuss additional amendments on the complexion of an Alberta online gaming market. The timing of when the bill will be taken up is still unclear.
JMP Securities estimated last year that the Alberta online gaming market could generate as much as $700 million in revenue annually.
Alberta is home to the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, the defending Western Conference champions. As of 17 April, the Oilers had odds of +950 to win the Stanley Cup. That ranks the Oilers fifth among all teams at FanDuel.
Ex-Baylor official gets show-cause for banned DFS wagers
A former Baylor official is facing sanction for making a series of wagers on daily fantasy sports (DFS) in violation of NCAA bylaws.
Sam Hancock, a former director of resource development at Baylor, has received a two-year show-cause order by the NCAA for the infractions. Hancock admitted to placing DFS wagers and sports bets before his employment began at the university. Hancock also placed approximately 2,950 wagers through September 2024 during his six-year employment at the university.
Overall, Hancock placed wagers on three DFS platforms totalling $45,979. Some of the wagers placed by Hancock included bets on Baylor athletic events. Hancock, according to the NCAA, violated Bylaw 10.3, which pertains to sports wagering activities among non-athletics department staff members. Those individuals cannot “knowingly participate in sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition”, the bylaw reads.
The NCAA can impose a show-cause as an administrative punishment on a major rules infraction. The association also has the option of transferring the penalty to another institution that considers Hancock for employment. As part of the punishment, Hancock is temporarily barred from participating in any collegiate athletics activity and will be required to take part in gambling counseling.
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