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A group of 26 athletes from Iowa and Iowa State University are suing the state for its allegedly unconstitutional investigation into their sports betting activity.

Lawsuit alleges 4th and 14th Amendment violations

In a federal complaint filed in the Southern District of Iowa, the group claimed the state of Iowa, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and individual DCI employees Stephan Bayens, Paul Feddersen, David Jobes, Troy Nelson and Brian Sanger violated their 4th and 14th Amendment rights with warrantless searches and unlawful seizures.

Per the complaint, the athletes allege that the DCI launched a sports betting investigative division in 2021. As part of an investigation conducted in tandem with the state of Illinois, the DCI became aware of GeoComply’s geolocation tech and how it can be used to identify fraudulent activity and pinpoint when betting is taking place from a restricted location such as a prison or a school.

Before DCI was able to utilize this software, Ge..

The Martin Lycka Safe Bet Show returned this month and Arthur Paikowsky, President of the International Centre for Responsible Gambling (ICRG), was the man in the hot seat.

In the podcast, the pair discuss Paikowsky’s life in fundraising and the work of the ICRG in progressing the industry’s knowledge of responsible gambling.

Paikowsky has spent over four decades working as a fundraiser for multiple organizations, in which time, he has raised over $1 billion. Lycka started by asking how fundraising has changed throughout Paikowsky’s career.

RG donors experiencing some fatigue

He noted that the main difference is that the industry has become more technology-driven, which he believes has not been for the better. Later in the podcast he also touched on how technology has led to donor fatigue due to people being bombarded daily with requests for money.

“When you talk to people in the fundraising world and you say how many of these hits do you get on your computer every single day [and..

The Colorado Division of Gambling is taking steps to combat illicit gambling.

As part of the Colorado Department of Revenue (CDOR), the state’s Division of Gaming has launched a new campaign aimed at preventing illegal gambling by Colorado residents and visitors. The campaign, “Play Legit. Gamble Only Where Legal,” is designed to educate bettors in the Centennial State about the risks of illicit wagering and the importance of betting with licensed online operators and brick-and-mortar casinos.

“With many certified and legal gambling sites available, it’s never worth it to put yourself in danger,” said Colorado Division of Gaming Director Chris Schroder. “Together, let’s play by the rules and ensure that Colorado remains a safe and responsible gaming destination. By recognizing and preventing illegal gambling, we all win.”

Colorado is taking steps to educate residents and visitors about the risks of illegal gambling to mitigate crimes associated with wagering, including fraud and bur..

A bill has been introduced that would prevent players in Pennsylvania from using credit cards to fund their online gambling activities.

Senate Bill 1159, introduced by Sen. Wayne Fontana, proposes amendments to Title 4 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, which concerns gaming in the state.

The bill states that operators “may not accept a credit card as a form of payment” for sports betting, daily fantasy contests, iLottery, and online casino activities.

Fontana drummed up support in March

In March Fontana circulated a memorandum to garner support for his proposal which aims to curtail problem gambling amid the continued growth of iGaming and sports wagering in the state.

SB1159 ended up with six cosponsors, five of which are Democrats and one who is Republican.

As part of his memorandum, Fontana included statistics from a study produced by Penn State, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and the state’s Gaming Control Board, which ..

The Canadian Football League is the latest sports league to take action against a player for violating gambling policy.

The CFL announced on April 24 that retired defensive lineman Shawn Lemon has been suspended indefinitely for allegedly placing bets on league games while an active player. An investigation conducted by the CFL found that the University of Akron product bet on multiple CFL games, including one in which he played during the 2021 season while a member of the Calgary Stampeders.

The investigation found that there was “irrefutable evidence of Mr. Lemon’s participation” in betting on league games and that Calgary coaches, teammates or team personnel were unaware of his actions. However, it stressed that “no evidence was found to indicate matches were in any way impacted by his wagering.”

The league reiterated that players betting on league games is strictly prohibited by its rules.

“The integrity of our game is of the utmost importance,” said CFL Commissioner Randy Amb..

DraftKings has announced the appointment of Lori Kalani as its first Chief Responsible Gaming Officer.

Kalani, who will report to DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, will be tasked with elevating and integrating the company’s player safety and protection activities and initiatives across all facets of DraftKings platforms and player communities.

“Responsible gaming is one of our top priorities and it is a core part of our mission to build games that our customers can enjoy responsibly,” said Robins. “In this leadership role, Lori will further advance our responsible gaming initiatives and uphold our commitment to setting new industry standards.”

Before joining DraftKings, Kalani was a partner at the Cozen O’Connor law firm and Co-Chaired the State Attorney’s General Practice.

DraftKings says that her experience in consumer protection law and her working relationship with regulators, attorneys general, and other key stakeholders will allow Kalani to further cultivate DraftKings’ dedicati..

UNLV is preparing to host its inaugural class of ESPN Research Fellowships.

The institution’s International Gaming Institute (IGI) has announced the recipients of the 2024 ESPN Research Fellowships. The group of scholars is tasked with researching the impact of RG messages used by media in the sports betting and gaming industry. Their work will be key in addressing and promoting healthy gambling practices.

“ESPN is proud to work with IGI to advance responsible gaming standards through this comprehensive research,” said VP of ESPN Corporate Citizenship Kevin Martinez. “These diverse research projects will help to inform how the industry can continue to respond to and improve upon responsible gaming practices in the sports entertainment ecosystem.”

Each of the five receipts of the fellowship will provide unique insights into the aspects of RG messaging in sports media. Dr. Hannah Borenstein, an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Chicago, will be investigating the integr..

DraftKings Sportsbook is now facing a second class action, this time a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York for its promotional “risk-free” bets.

The lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Samantha Guery, says that DraftKings engaged in deceptive, misleading, fraudulent and unlawful by advertising a risk-free wager.

The suit claims that the way DraftKings awards its free bet resulted in compensation that failed to match the amount of money a person had to wager in order to receive the offer.

Suit says DraftKings free bets are fraudulent and misleading

“The promotion required that the customer place a bet with their own money. If a customer lost their bet, they were not returned to their original position. Instead, their accounts were credited with a “Free Bet” that was worth less than its counterpart in U.S. dollars implied by the promotional materials.”

The complaint went so far as to break down its mathematical approach:

“Free Bets cannot be withdrawn and must be wagered t..

While the NFL has had a fair number more controversies, it is the NBA who is the first league to permanently ban a player for sports betting in the post-PASPA era. Today, the league announced that Jontay Porter will never again play for an NBA team after both betting on basketball and passing on insider information so others could bet on basketball.

Last month the NBA said it was investigating Porter after there was suspicious activity related to Porter’s play as a Toronto Raptor in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. The investigation concluded that prior to the March 20 game, Porter told a known NBA bettor about his health status. That bettor subsequently wagered $80,000 on a Porter-centric SGP that would pay out $1.1 million.

The investigation also determined Porter deliberately limited his participation in the game to ensure the under on all the legs of that parlay would cash.

In addition to divulging information, the league concluded Porter used an associate to place 13 bets on NBA..

Player protection in the U.S. has been in the spotlight of not just the sports betting industry recently, but also the media, lawmakers, and the general public. Seven leading operators formed the Responsible Online Gaming Association to support best practices, while one federal US lawmaker has called for investigation into VIP programs.

Both state and local lawmakers and regulators are reviewing advertising and marketing limits, along with bans on college prop bets. Dr. Michael Auer, Founder and Managing Director of OpenBet’s Neccton, shares some of the approaches that have developed over his 18-year career to help U.S. operators reinforce responsible play with their customers.

From lagging behind to leading the way

U.S. sports betting continues to boom. With the explosive growth of this market – and with online casino in the offing – player protection rightfully has become the industry’s top priority. However, as the sports betting market matures, so too must our ability to integr..