SBC Americas

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) is receiving a boost in resources through a fresh investment earmarked in the state’s budget for fiscal year 2025.

The Michigan Legislature reached an agreement on Thursday to allocate $1.9 million toward the MGCB from the state’s FY2025 budget to add 14 full-time staff positions. The new talent will bolster the MGCB’s regulatory capacity and efforts to prevent illegal wagering as the Wolverine State serves as both a sports betting and iGaming market.

The MGCB is also allocating fresh capital from the FY2025 budget toward RG efforts.

The Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund and its associated programs are receiving a $3 million funding increase from Michigan’s gaming regulator. The proceeds will be used to improve the 24/7 Gambling Disorder Helpline, which is operated by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. Funding will also be allocated toward gambling research, existing treatment options, and gambling educational tools for kid..

idPair has signed an agreement with the California Council on Problem Gambling that allows gamblers to self-exclude from California’s 60-plus card rooms using the newly-launched National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program. Gamblers will be able to self-exclude online, unlike in the previous system where they had to do it in-person or by mail. The California deal follows…

Bally’s Corporation has joined the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), becoming the eighth founding member of the independent responsible gambling trade association.

Bally’s joins bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital and PENN Entertainment as the founding members of the group.

ROGA aims to promote responsible online gaming through methods such as funding independent peer-reviewed research, developing evidence-based responsible gaming best practices and driving consumer education and awareness. The association is led by Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Shatley, the President of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling and Co-Chair of the Compliance Review Board for the American Gaming Association‘s Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bally’s to ROGA — further demonstrating the collaborative effort of the iGaming and online sports betting..

An arrest warrant issued by the FBI has led to the apprehension of a British man allegedly tied to a cyberattack on BetMGM.

Spanish police have arrested an unnamed UK resident in Palma de Mallorca for his alleged involvement in a cyberattack scheme that saw fraudulent accounts created on BetMGM. The accounts, many using the personal information of pro poker players, executed unauthorized bank account withdrawals of up to $10,000 per transaction.

The British suspect is accused of SIM-swapping, a type of account fraud that exploits two-factor authentication systems through the seizure of one-time passwords. The suspect’s SIM-swapping allegedly provided access or the ability to create new BetMGM accounts.

The investigation by Spanish police found that the British suspect made his way to Spain in May by first making a stop in Barcelona before the probe led to his location in Mallorca.

Authorities were able to apprehend the suspect as he boarded a flight to Italy. Spanish police confisc..

For years responsible gambling advocates in the gambling space have said a multi-jurisdictional self-exclusion program is something to aspire towards.

Today, the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (NVSEP) took the first step towards making that aspiration a reality. Technology company idPair announced Tuesday that free self-exclusion assistance is coming to a quartet of states: Tennessee, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado.

“For the first time ever, individuals seeking a wider level of protection can self-exclude from multiple states in a streamlined fashion. While today we announce our ability to provide free assistance with self-exclusion in each of these 4 states, more jurisdictions are on the way, as we accelerate toward our goal of removing barriers for people seeking protection across all gambling jurisdictions and products,” said idPair CEO Jonathan Aiwazian.

Each state offers its own process for self-excluding from gambling and that process can often involve several barriers..

Sam A Antar continues to fight his legal fight against online gambling operator BetMGM. After a New Jersey District Court judge tossed the case earlier this year, Antar has filed with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judge Madeline Cox Arleo concluded that the state’s Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) did not apply in this case, as the prevailing law overseeing the casino industry is the New Jersey Casino Control Act (CCA). Additionally, she said the casinos in the state have no obligation to stop problem gamblers from wagering with money they don’t have.

Antar alleged that Borgata Casino and BetMGM solicited him to play on the company’s online casino sites despite the VIP hosts allegedly being aware he was a problem gambler. He claims he wagered almost $30 million across 2019 and 2020. He named VIP Account Managers Quinton Hogan and Jerry Liang in the complaint, saying they plied him with bonuses and encouraged him to keep depositing on the site despite several “fundamental and visible sy..

Daily fantasy sports giant PrizePicks has partnered with Kindbridge Behavioral Health to help prevent problem gambling on its platforms.

Kindbridge, a mental health service provider dedicated to supporting individuals facing challenges related to problem gambling, will provide its clinical services at no initial fee to PrizePicks players and customer-facing employees. The program will support problem gaming prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.

PrizePicks will absorb all initial costs of Kindbridge services such as clinical assessments and reviews and educational and peer support groups for eligible individuals in a move that the company says sets a new benchmark in the DFS industry.

The DFS operator’s co-founder and CEO Adam Wexler and Kindbridge founder and CEO Daniel Umfleet said the nature of the partnership removes “a significant barrier to access” for players seeking help.

“It’s essential that the fantasy sports industry invests and innovates in the area of responsible ..

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) is making an investment to combat gambling-related harm among the youth in one of the state’s largest cities.

The MGC has voted to award the City of Springfield a $275,000 grant to study the impact of gambling on the youth. The investment, which builds on Springfield’s Gambling Addiction Research Initiative, will provide the MGC with insights to address problem gambling following the launch of retail and online wagering in Massachusetts last year.

“Understanding the gambling-related harms experienced by young people will have a direct impact on strategies developed to prevent and mitigate those harms in the future,” said interim MGC chair Jordan Maynard. “Working directly with engaged young people in Springfield will help researchers and the commission fully understand the impacts of gambling on this population and lead to additional programs designed to mitigate potential harms.”

The grants are being awarded through the Community Mitigation..