The reels are always spinning in the gambling industry, and “The Double Down” is here every Friday to catch you up on all of the week’s biggest news. Sports Handle’s “Get a Grip” rounds up everything on the sports betting side, and US Bets provides the best of the rest: brick-and-mortar happenings, online casino developments, poker headlines, horse wagering, and more. So pull up a chair, crunch the numbers, and slide forward another stack of chips.

The wait for state number eight

If it feels like every two or three months this space atop the Double Down is devoted to lamenting the limited number of states with legal iCasino apps and speculating about who will be next and when next will be, that’s because, yeah, that’s what this space was used for on Aug. 25, and in a roundabout way on May 19, and on April 28, and on Jan. 27.

Sorry to be a broken record (is it time to retire that outdated metaphor and replace it with “glitching Spotify shuffle?”), but here we are at the end of October with only seven legal iCasino states (six of them live, with Rhode Island launching by March 2024) and plenty of room for speculation about who will be the eighth.

While Indiana, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Kentucky all appear to be in the mix to varying degrees, two frontrunners have emerged: New York and Maryland.

So which state will win that race?

New York state Sen. Joseph Addabbo told US Bets this week that he will be introducing a bill before year’s end to be considered in the January legislative session. The state, in his view, needs the tax money that iCasino would generate, and if Addabbo is correct, well, when situations flip from “want” to “need,” that’s when business tends to get done. His bill will have a 30% tax rate, but that could well get negotiated upward.

In Maryland, a report assessing the economic and possible problem gambling impact of mobile casinos is progressing on schedule, and backers believe an iCasino bill will surface during the 2024 legislative session that runs from Jan. 10-April 8. From there, Marylanders would have to approve it via referendum during the November ’24 election.

Because New York can legalize the activity without putting it to a public ballot vote, the Empire State is the one that could theoretically legalize iCasino more quickly. But Maryland appears further along in terms of details and discussions.

So where is the smart money? We’ll call Maryland -110 to legalize in 2024, and New York +125. But Maryland beating New York is essentially a parlay of the “no” on NY (so, -125 with no vig) with the yes on Maryland. And that’s a +243 proposition.

Then again, this is online casino, not online sports betting, we’re talking about. So maybe we’re better off picking 18 numbers on the roulette wheel for New York and 18 for Maryland and letting random chance decide.

This week on Gamble On …

Every Thursday, US Bets drops a new episode of the Gamble On podcast, and this week’s welcomed Caesars Sportsbook baseball team lead Eric Biggio ahead of the World Series to discuss the present popularity of baseball betting, the World Series MVP market, and where the book’s rooting interests lie in Rangers vs. Diamondbacks:

The World Series — beginning tonight! — features a Diamondbacks team that opened at +12500 to win it all at @CaesarsSports against a Rangers team that opened at +8000. @ericbiggio breaks down the book's position on the latest episode of Gamble On: https://t.co/60zvXIH8bA pic.twitter.com/nZanmxrytR

— US Bets (@US_Bets) October 27, 2023

The wheel deal

Table Games Shift Manager Talks Jackpots, House Edge, Online Casino

A wrinkle in time

False Start: Horse Racing’s Run-Up Conundrum

Virtual gambling, very real money

Internet Casino Gaming Revenue Hits Record $542.7 Million In September

Underground to a halt

Bridgeport Township Raid Confiscates Illegal Gambling Machines, $180,000 Worth Of Gift Cards

Oh, hi, problem gambling

Survey: Gambling Overall And Problems From It Both On The Rise In Ohio

One more revolution around the sun

Bally’s Gets 1-Year Extension To Operate Temporary Casino In Chicago

New offerings slotted in

Caesars Palace Adds Digital Gaming’s Suite Of Online Slots In Michigan

Manhattan project

Group Promises To Build Affordable Housing In New York, But First Needs A Casino License

Missouri considering increase to casino entry fee

Since riverboat gambling went live in Missouri in 1994, casino owners have been paying an additional fee to the state above and beyond the tax on adjusted gross revenue. The state requires a $2 fee for each person who enters a gambling boat. Customers are no longer charged the fee, the casinos pay it out of revenue, and $1 goes to the state and $1 goes to the home dock city.

But if one Missouri representative has his way, that fee will go up by 50% in 2024, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Rep. Dave Griffith said he will propose a $1 increase in the entry tax for the 2024 session. Lawmakers can pre-file as early as Dec. 1. Money from the proposal would be earmarked to fund the state’s nursing homes, and according to the Straight to the Point Substack, the increase would bring in an additional $10 million in fees to the state.

Lawmakers have previously tried without success to increase the entry fee, which has remained the same since voters approved riverboat gambling in 1992. Former Gov. Jay Nixon pushed to increase the fees in 2012, and Sen. Mike Bernskoetter in 2019 moved a bill that would increase the rate by $1 to fund a museum featuring the history of the state’s riverboats. Both attempts failed.

The Missouri Gaming Association, which represents 13 of the state’s riverboats, is expected to oppose Griffith’s proposal.

— Jill R. Dorson

Key legal decision ahead of Richmond casino referendum

Paul Goodman, an opponent of the proposed Richmond, Virginia, casino, won a lawsuit to receive access to voter registration lists. Goodman is the founder of the No Means No Casino group, and he’s working ahead of the Nov. 7 election to encourage voters to vote “no” on the Richmond casino referendum.

Casino stakeholders narrowly lost a referendum to build a casino in Richmond in 2021, but they’re attempting a similar effort in 2023. Supporters have poured millions of dollars into the pro-casino efforts, while Goodman is one of the most prominent anti-casino voices in the Richmond area.

— Bennett Conlin

Bally’s backs RG with big bucks

The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) announced Wednesday that Bally’s Corporation had distinguished itself as the largest donor to the organization over the last two years, contributing $1.05 million.

Thanks to Bally’s support, the ICRG was able to announce the following research grants: $402,500 for The Center for Excellence in Gambling Research at the University of Sydney in Australia, and $172,500 for Research on Young Adults Sports Wagering at the University of Washington.

According to an ICRG press release, “Bally’s additional contribution of $450,000 aims to revamp responsible gambling communications, ensuring they are more engaging and informative, similar to how addiction treatment guidelines have evolved to eliminate stigmatizing language and foster better engagement.”

— Eric Raskin

New horse racing organization launches as another folds

On Thursday, The Daily Racing Form reported that one of horse racing’s most successful owners, Mike Repole, had launched the National Thoroughbred Alliance, an organization he hopes will unite the industry’s many constituent groups behind a “shared vision” for the sport’s future.

Heading up the NTA will be Pat Cummings, the former executive director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, a scrappy think tank that attempted to do, with measured success, much of what the New York-based Repole has envisioned for his self-funded startup. With the formation of the NTA, the TIF’s founder, owner-breeder Craig Bernick, said he would fold the organization.

“I think it’s come to its natural end here,” he told the DRF. “Pat’s fantastic and I think it would be very hard to find an executive director with his skill set. And I think a lot of what we advocated for is going to be part of what NTA is going to do, so it’s kind of a nice place to stop.”

— Mike Seely

More from around the gambling biz

HELL NO, WE WON’T GO: Arrests made after Culinary Union disrupts Las Vegas Strip traffic in powerful stand against ‘Big Three’ casinos [News3LV.com] 

GO NORTH AND PROSPER: Michigan casino-goers encouraged to cross border, not picket lines [CTV News]

VEGAS MEANS BUSINESS: Mediocrity is ‘Not Invited’ in new Las Vegas marketing campaign [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

RIP TO A NEVADA ICON: Town founder remembered: Pioneer Don Laughlin dies Sunday morning [Mohave Valley Daily News]

TIPPING POINT: MGM Springfield hit with $6.8M wage, tip violation settlement [Boston Herald]

THE DROP ON THE TROP: Tropicana demolition on track for late 2024 if A’s receive relocation approval [The Nevada Independent]

$12 MILLION THE EASY WAY: Megabucks hits for $12.1M at Strip casino [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

Image: Blundell Design