Category: Headline

The biggest news in the gambling world last week was that an unnamed lottery player from Florida won the Mega Millions lottery on Tuesday. The winning numbers were 13, 19, 20, 32, and 33, along with a Mega Ball 14, with the prize being roughly $1.6 billion. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Neptune Beach, which will receive a $100,000 bonus for selling it.

This is the fourth time someone from Florida won the lottery, but no one before last Tuesday won such a huge amount. This is the biggest lottery win in the history of the Sunshine State. It’s also the second-biggest lottery win in the history of the United States, with the record-holding jackpot being drawn last year when a player from California hit Powerball’s $2.04 billion jackpot.

The lucky Florida winner, however, won’t be a lottery billionaire. The thing is that a huge chunk of that $1.6 billion jackpot will be taken by the US in the form of federal tax, which is about 37%. What this means is that the lottery winner will get “only” about $494 million after taxes.

Who Is the Lucky Mega Millions Jackpot Winner?

No one knows, at least not at the moment. As per a state law passed last year in Florida, the identity of the winner doesn’t have to be until 90 days after the draw. The bill came as a way of protecting the winners as there were some instances where big-money winners were targeted by criminals right after winning the jackpot.

However, after the end of the 90-day period, Florida requires the lottery to share the info about the jackpot winners (who won $250,000 or more) in an effort to keep the business transparent.

Online sports betting is legal and regulated in more than two dozen states. Legal online casino gambling, however, is still available in just six states – New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan.

However, those states are cashing in a lot of money from gambling tax, which could inspire lawmakers from the other 44 states to start thinking about following their path. So, which state is likely to say yes to online casinos in 2023? We think it might be New York.

New York State Needs Dollars

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on New York’s economy, which is why its lawmakers changed their stance toward online betting. They made it legal in 2022, which proved to be a fantastic decision.

Back in November, various media outlets reported that the state has already cashed in over $740 million in tax money from mobile sportsbooks. That number is probably even higher a month later, especially after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, one of the most popular events for NY-based bettors.

Those are great numbers, but New York needs more. An easy way to get more dollars in the state account is to make online casino gambling legal. Although there’s no official discussion about this, there are some politicians who have already given support for this idea.

After winning last night, Sen. Joe Addabbo plans to continue his online casino push for NY as we head into the 2023 legislative season. "First and foremost, we'll look at iGaming," Addabbo said. "That's the priority at this point."

— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzNYC) November 9, 2022

Another major reason why New York might be the first state to greenlight online casino gambling in 2023 is that several of its neighbor states have already done it – New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

In practice, this means that a significant proportion of NY gamblers visit other states whenever they’re in the mood for playing online slots, roulette, or some other internet casino game.

Other States That Could Become iCasino-Friendly in 2023

Indiana is another very good candidate to make online casinos legal in 2023. All the signs are there, most notably the fact that the state’s gaming commission has already conducted a study on feasibility. Unsurprisingly, the study showed that legalizing iCasinos would be the right move.

The same goes for Ohio, whose first online sportsbooks are going live on January 1, 2023. Illinois is also among the states reportedly considering online casino legalization, along with Iowa, Vermont, Massachusetts, and others.

State of Online Gambling in Canada in 2023

Online casino gambling remains illegal in Canada, but the country is changing its gaming attitude at a fast pace. In fact, the chances are Canada will change its stance on iCasinos soon, possibly even in 2023.

The thing is that as per Canada’s new gambling laws, only those gambling sites with a local license can operate in the country. However, offshore casinos aren’t yet banned, and Canadians aren’t punished for using them.

In layman’s terms, this means that a huge number of Canadian gamblers are spending their money at iCasinos registered in island countries like Curacao, Antigua and Barbuda, and so on. As those casinos aren’t giving any money via tax to Canada, the country might decide to deal with the issue with the simplest method – by regulating the online gambling market.

A lucky gambler won nearly $3 million on slots at The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip. The exact figure is $2,835,768, which the lucky winner – who decided to stay anonymous – won after betting just $5.88, proving that seven-figure wins are possible even when gambling pocket money.

The gambler hit the jackpot playing a slot game called Dancing Drums Explosion at one of more than 1,800 fruit machines at the Venetian.

This win is one of the biggest jackpots in 2022 but is far from being the biggest win in the history of Las Vegas. In fact, there are dozens of gamblers who have won 10-times (or more) the amount of The Venetian player.

Biggest Fruit Machine Wins in the History of Vegas

Slots are the most popular casino games in Las Vegas. Players love them cause they’re fun to play and don’t require too much money, while also giving them a chance to win huge jackpots. And we really mean huge! There are some lucky slots players that have cashed-in tens of millions of dollars.

To prove our point, here are the top three biggest wins in the history of Las Vegas:

• $39.7 Million at Excalibur Casino – A lucky gambler from Los Angeles hit the biggest slots jackpot in history, winning nearly $40 million. The player did it at Excalibur Casino where he had spent only $100 on the Megabucks slot before hitting the jackpot.
• $35 Million at Desert Inn – The second-largest jackpot win in Las Vegas was the work of Cynthia Jay Brennan, who won $35 million in 2000. Once again, the multimillionaire-making machine was Megabucks, which she played at Desert Inn, a casino that was a part of Wynn Las Vegas at the time.
• $27.6 Million at Palace Station Casino – A lucky pensioner hit the jackpot at Palace Station Casino in 1998, after spending $300 on slots. Guess which game they played? You’ve guessed it – Megabucks.

Biggest Online Casino Wins of All Time

Megabucks is a progressive jackpot slot that’s turned a number of people into millionaires. This fruit machine doesn’t have its own internet version, but this doesn’t mean online slots players haven’t won millions.

On the contrary, in the relatively short history of online gaming, a huge number of gamblers have hit ginormous jackpots. The most notable examples are the following:

• €19.4 Million – A lucky player from Belgium won a €19.4 million jackpot, which at the time, was equal to $23.6 million. They did it while playing a Microgaming-powered slot game called Mega Moolah at an online gambling site called Napoleon Sports & Casino.
• €17.8 Million – It was 2013 when a Finnish player won the jackpot playing NetEnt’s Mega Fortune at PAF.com. The most interesting fact about this win is that the player had only wagered 225 cents before hitting the jackpot.

If all this jackpot talk has put you in the mood for online gambling, follow the link to see the list of the best progressive jackpot slots you can play in 2022.

As a part of its lifestyle series of “Top 10” articles, Yahoo! has also touched upon the gambling industry. Last week, the portal revealed its top picks for the best casinos in the US. Unsurprisingly, the top two casinos are located in America’s gambling capital – Las Vegas, Nevada.

That’s not the end of the Nevada-based casino that made it to Yahoo’s list. A casino from Reno is also on the list. Then, there are two casinos from Atlantic City, New Jersey, as well as two from Arizona. The remaining three are from Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

Yahoo’s 10 Best Casinos in the US

The list comprises the following ten gambling establishments:

1. Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
2. ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada
4. Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey
5. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey
6. Gila River Resorts & Casinos at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona
7. Talking Stick Resort & Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona
8. Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut
9. WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma
10. Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport, Mississippi

To create this list, Yahoo! factored in everything from the size of the gambling floor to how good the service is.

Las Vegas Casinos Leading the Way

Yahoo! put Bellagio Resort & Casino in the #1 place as the best casino in the United States. With its iconic fountains, impeccable service, and a plethora of non-gambling activities, Bellagio is the top pick not just for gamblers but also for regular tourists.

Just behind it is ARIA Resort and Casino, another high-end establishment located on the Las Vegas Strip. In fact, this casino is located right next to Bellagio.

Although it’s not in Vegas, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa is another casino in Nevada that’s made it to the list. Sitting in the #3 position, this integrated resort is located in Reno, just south of the highway connecting the city with Sacramento and San Francisco in northern California.

Atlantic City Casino Rule the East Coast

There are nine casinos currently operating in Atlantic City, and two of them have made it to Yahoo’s list of the 10 best casinos in the US. Those are Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, thanks to which AC remains the east coast gambling capital.

Speaking of the eastern coast of the United States, there’s just one more casino located in this region that got a place on Yahoo’s list. The casino in question is Foxwoods Resort Casino, a tribal casino owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot.

Social media star turned poker player Dan Bilzerian is planning to set up the biggest Heads-up poker match in the history of the game. The match is supposed to have $100 million at stake. Of course, only if his opponent agrees to the conditions.

Dan Bilzerian’s opponent is supposed to be Alec Gores, an Israeli-American entrepreneur whose worth is estimated to be about $2.8 billion.

As per Bilzerian, the match would be a Pay-Per-View event, with each player putting $50 million on the table.

Old Rivals to Get Back to the Poker Table

Dan Bilzerian revealed his $100 million poker match plan while speaking to YouTuber Logan Paul in his ImPaulsive podcast. As per Bilzerian, the match wasn’t his plan, but Gores’.

The two used to play one another in poker matches organized by Molly Bloom, whose stories were later told in the movie Molly’s Game.

Bilzerian and Gores usually played Heads-up poker during those days, and the story goes that Bilzerian was more successful. In fact, the Instagram superstar claims he won about $40 million from the matches against Gores.

Now, it seems that Gores wants a payback. And he wants to play for “real money.”

How Good Poker Players Bilzerian and Gores Actually Are?

Neither player is thought of as an expert in the poker community, although both have been really passionate about the game. This goes especially for Bilzerian, who’s one of the ambassadors for GGPoker, a leading online poker platform.

The thing about Bilzerian’s poker prowess is that we don’t actually know much about it. He’s played most of his high-stake games privately. In fact, there’s no public evidence of him winning tens of millions against Gores apart from the stories found in his autobiography, The Setup.

It’s a similar case when Gores is concerned. Although it’s clear that he was involved in “Molly’s Game,” it’s not clear how much he won/lost. There are, however, some reports about Gores beating Andy Beal in a high-stakes poker match a few years ago.

If you’re not familiar with the name, Beal is a Texas-based banker who’s famous in the poker community for his books dissecting the game.

Beal’s 2005 book The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time, remains one of the best-sellers of the genre.

BetMakers has announced its contract with William Hill that was set to expire by the end of the year has been extended for two more years. The new agreement that would run until December 31, 2022 has some new additions, too.

Australian-based technology company BetMakers is a data distributor for a whole plethora of sports betting operators, including UK giant William Hill. Its products allow for direct real-time comparisons between odds of different sports books, but the company’s expertise is in the field of racing, tracking every race and collecting and analyzing data for betting purposes.

Racing Events Importance

Under the terms of the extension to the initially signed in 2018 contract, BetMakers Technology Group will keep providing its wagering tools, plus all of its expanded racing products.

“The extension and upgrading of BetMakers’ racing services and solutions to William Hill at an international level comes during a challenging time for wagering operators with the suspension of many sports globally…”

Todd Buckingham, CEO, BetMakers Technology Group

The timing of the contract extension does not come as a surprise at the background of what is going on around the world. For more than a month already the major sports events have been put at a standstill due to the spreading menace of the coronavirus, which has shifted the focus of the punters towards the sports that are still on.

Racing events are still running, albeit without attendance, but the presence of people at the race track matters little to the bettor, especially when there is not much on offer wagering-wise. And these developments force bookmakers to shift their focus, too, scrambling for racing data and analytical tools.

“Over the past two years we have made enormous strides in diversifying our racing content to include products from all over the globe, which was one of our key strategic ambitions. This success could not have happened without the excellent collaboration of William Hill Group Trading and BetMakers, who offer an incredible wealth of experience in International racing. This transition has seen William Hill increase its racing content significantly.”

Mark Howarth, Director of Racing, William Hill

Extension Comes With Perks

The contract extension has come with some sweeteners for the data solutions provider company, as William Hill will incrementally increase the payments to BetMakers along the course of the contract. Furthermore, the sports betting giant has given first option to any product the Australian technology firm has on offer, as long as its price matches or beats the price of a competitor offering, local or international one.

William Hill has recently updated investors regarding its 2020 revenue expectations, suspending dividend and warning that a significant reduction on its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization /EBITDA/ of up to £110 million may occur, even pointing out the total negative impact from the ongoing health crisis is still unknown. The sports betting and gaming operator even amended the remuneration packages of its managers to prepare to deal with the upcoming adversity.

UK residents are strongly urged to sign up for the self-exclusion from gambling scheme, Gamstop, to protect themselves from excessive losses through online gambling while being locked down in their homes due to the coronavirus /Covid-19/ spread mitigation measures.

MPs Raised Concerns

The problem was initially raised by some Members of Parliament who expressed their concerns some people might seek distraction in gambling during the virus lockdown and might need extra measures of protection from such harm. The Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group even went further by suggesting all gaming operators implement a £50 limit for daily gambling for all players during the period.

Regulator Responded By Issuing Guidance

The UK Gambling Commission released guidance for operators, reminding them to continue to behave responsibly, especially in terms of their continuous assessment of individual client affordability as some clients may have serious income disruptions. In addition, gambling companies were asked push up their efforts for social responsibility interaction with their clients to be able to identify and intervene to prevent gambling-related harm. Lastly, gaming operators were advised not to take advantage from the ongoing health crisis for marketing purposes and keep their onboarding process on a responsible basis.

Industry Body Urged Members’ Responsibility

In support to the regulatory guidance by the UK GC, the gaming industry body, the Betting and Gaming Council /BGC/, issued an action plan for its members. Among the 10 points outlined, the BGC asked all operators to increase safer gambling messages, step up interventions and promotion of deposit limits, as well as take appropriate action to ensure responsible advertising, including reporting advertising from illegal operators.

Gamstop Provides Radical Solution

Gamstop, a free service that allows people to exclude themselves from gambling websites that launched back in April 2018 and since then had acquired more than 130,000 registered users, recommended to people to take decisive action and self-restrict their access to any type of online gambling, at least for the duration of the lockdown.

“We are concerned that, at a time when so many people are being forced to stay at home during the coronavirus, vulnerable consumers who may have an issue with their gambling might be tempted to spend money they do not have on online gambling.” – Fiona Palmer, CEO, Gamstop

The self-exclusion scheme allows registered users three options in terms of duration of the self-exclusion, six months, one year or five years, but according to its statistics, 73% opt to exclude themselves for the maximum duration period.
Gamstop’s advice to people to self-restrict their access to online gambling was prompted from the spike in the number of their users asking to remove the self-imposed restrictions so they can gamble again, something the scheme is designed to prevent from happening, for their own protection.