Casino

Ohio state Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) has introduced Senate Bill 479 to prohibit gambling on elections, a measure that would extend to prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket. The bill follows a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that Ohio can regulate prediction markets under state gambling law, a decision Kalshi is appealing. DeMora cited election-security concerns, noting large sums already wagered on Ohio's governor and Senate races, and argued unregulated prediction markets avoid taxes and licensing fees paid by sports betting operators. The bill awaits committee assignment and is unlikely to advance before the legislature returns from break in November.

Sweepstakes casino operator Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) continues running Chumba Casino, Global Poker, and Luckyland Slots in Arizona nearly two years after the state's Department of Gaming ordered it to cease operations over alleged illegal gambling. Regulators say VGW's virtual-currency and cash-redemption model constitutes unlicensed gambling despite free-play options; VGW disputes this. No civil or criminal charges have been filed, with officials citing enforcement challenges due to the company's overseas headquarters. VGW has meanwhile donated over $200,000 to Arizona political groups across both parties, including backers of Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes. The case echoes broader scrutiny of prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket, which have similarly increased political donations amid state efforts to classify their contracts as gambling.

Cleveland City Council held a two-hour public hearing examining whether using discretionary public funds for food gift cards crosses ethical or legal lines. The session, organized by Councilman Kris Harsh, followed scrutiny after Councilman Joe Jones's office distributed $50,000 in taxpayer-funded gift cards last year, prompting a state audit and criticism from Mayor Justin Bibb. Law professors and ethicists from Case Western Reserve, Cleveland State and Baldwin Wallace discussed corruption, transparency and oversight. Most council members agreed food assistance serves a legitimate public purpose given Cleveland's roughly 28% poverty rate, but disagreed over who should set spending rules — council, city lawyers or courts. No legislation or vote resulted; Harsh called it a starting point for further policy discussion.

Massachusetts state Rep. David Muradian is preparing another attempt to legalize online casino gaming after his 2026 bill stalled in a legislative "study order." Muradian argues the state should regulate online casino play already happening through offshore sites rather than leave it as an unregulated "black market." His proposal would let the state's three casino licensees — MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor, and Plainridge Park — offer online casino games through up to three branded platforms each, with a 15% tax on adjusted gross gaming revenue, licensing fees, and consumer protections including age/location verification, self-exclusion, and betting limits. It would also ban online sweepstakes games.

Some legislators want to first evaluate Massachusetts' newly launched online lottery before adding iGaming. Massachusetts joins other states facing similar hurdles: Virginia's House and Senate passed differing iGaming bills without reconciling them in 2026, and Ohio is weighing restrictions on promotional credits to ease opposition from retail gambling interests. Legal U.S. online casinos generated $10.73 billion in revenue across seven states in 2025.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, who trails former Gov. Charlie Crist in polling and campaign fundraising after finishing behind him in the August primary, is making his case for re-election ahead of the November runoff. Welch says being outspent, partly amid a scandal involving a former PAC treasurer accused of misusing $200,000 in campaign funds, allowed opponents to distort his record. The FBI has located the former treasurer, who faces a hearing in Pennsylvania.

Welch points to challenges during his term, including COVID-19, supply chain disruptions, five hurricanes, and the stalled Tropicana Field/Historic Gas Plant redevelopment, which he blames on the previous Tampa Bay Rays ownership walking away from a 12-agreement deal. He also defended his hurricane response, citing a state award for debris removal, and dismissed criticism over his city hall attendance record. Looking ahead, Welch is campaigning on five priorities: housing, youth and education, sustainability, economic development, and neighborhood safety, while warning that a property tax measure on the ballot could cut city services.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley launched a statewide tour blaming Republican rival Tom Tiffany for record-high diesel prices in Wisconsin, visiting a Kewaunee County farm with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Farmer Clark Riemer described 2025 as his worst farming year in 35 years, citing soaring fuel and fertilizer costs tied to geopolitical instability, including U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran that disrupted fertilizer pricing.

Crowley criticized Tiffany's House votes against resolutions to end the Iran conflict, arguing the ongoing war has driven up fuel costs and hurt farmers. Tiffany countered by attacking Crowley's record on taxes and budget shortfalls as Milwaukee County executive, framing his own platform around tax cuts to ease affordability pressures.

Wisconsin diesel prices reached $6.56 per gallon, worsened by refinery outages in Illinois and Indiana and Russian export bans following Ukrainian attacks on refineries. Both candidates support repealing the state's minimum markup law on gasoline, though industry representatives dispute claims that repeal would meaningfully lower prices, noting crude oil costs are the primary driver of pump prices.

Chicago faces a fiscal and regulatory standoff over three overlapping forms of gambling. Bally's casino, approved via a contested 2022 City Council process, has underperformed tax projections at its temporary site, while construction on its permanent River West complex has stalled — Bally's recently paused work on non-casino elements and suspended a required $4 million annual city payment, citing competition fears from video gaming terminals (VGTs). Days later, the company issued a "going concern" warning about its finances. Separately, VGTs were legalized by the City Council in the 2026 budget over the mayor's objection, but eight months later none are operating amid slow city licensing. Meanwhile, over 7,000 unregulated, untaxed sweepstakes machines — which exploit a legal loophole — already operate citywide; an effort to ban them failed in a council vote.

Civic Federation president Joe Ferguson argues the unresolved mess threatens the city's 2027 budget planning and calls for public disclosure of a commissioned fiscal-impact report, council hearings on Bally's finances, and a coherent policy resolving how the three gambling forms should be taxed and regulated before October's budget proposal.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed two lawsuits in Hillsborough County Circuit Court against operators of prominent online "sweepstakes" casinos, including Stake and VGW's Chumba Casino, Luckyland, and Global Parker, along with the payment processors that support them. The suits allege the platforms run illegal online gambling operations in violation of Florida's gambling laws and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The complaints target a dual-currency model — combining "gold coins" with "sweep coins" or "stake cash" — that allegedly disguises real-money wagering as free social entertainment while offering slots, blackjack, roulette, and poker. Uthmeier argues these platforms exploit Floridians, including minors and seniors, through deceptive marketing while evading licensing, taxation, and consumer-protection rules. The state is seeking permanent injunctions barring operations in Florida, forfeiture of consumer losses, disgorgement of profits, civil penalties, restitution, and attorneys' fees. The case adds to mounting legal and regulatory scrutiny of sweepstakes casinos across multiple U.S. states, a sector prediction markets have increasingly tracked amid questions over its long-term legality.