Spin Cycle: Indiana, Maine, Missouri Bills Highlight Week In Gambling

Welcome to “Spin Cycle,” Casino Reports’ weekly Friday roundup of all things impactful, intriguing, impressive, or idiotic in the gambling industry. Pull up a chair, grab a stack of chips and a glass of your beverage of choice, and take a spin with us through this week’s news cycle …

The sweep spot

Two states took significant steps toward banning sweepstakes casinos this week, one of which is on the verge of regulating iCasino and thus is looking to eliminate unregulated competition.

That particular state is Maine, which legalized iGaming last month and, legal battles pending, is working toward launching online casino apps in the near future. On Wednesday, the Maine Joint Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs advanced a sweeps ban bill, LD 2007, by an 8-2 vote, and the legislation will next head to the full Senate floor for further consideration.

Also on Wednesday, in Indiana — a state that does not have regulated iCasinos as a legal alternative to sweeps sites for its citizens — the state Senate approved HB 1052 by a 37-8 vote. The legislation includes an assortment of gaming provisions, one of which is a prohibition on sweepstakes sites, with six-figure penalties for violations. HB 1052 now has to be reconciled in a conference committee as the two chambers are not aligned on all details. They have to work quickly to get it passed this year, as Indiana’s legislative session ends next Friday.

Gray skies in Missouri

The Show-Me State continues to take steps toward asking gray-market slot machines to show it some tax revenue, as Wednesday the Missouri House advanced a bill to legalize state-run video lottery terminals (VLTs). 

Last Friday, U.S. District Judge John Ross ruled that the existing slot-style machines at bars, restaurants, and convenience stores are illegal under state law, which set the stage for a Missouri Lottery-regulated version of the machines to replace them. HB 2989, the Missouri Video Lottery Regulatory Act, passed in the House Wednesday by an 83-66 vote, and it now moves on to the Senate.

However, according to reporting in the Columbia Missourian, “Republican leadership has indicated the bill is unlikely to pass” in the Senate.

The legislation stipulates that licensed machines would have to return at least 80% of money wagered to players, and about one-third of the profits would go toward state education programs.

More news you can use

Despite the President’s Day holiday on Monday to theoretically give some folks a day off and slow the flow on news, there was a lot going on in the gaming world this week. A few more items that warrant at least a couple of sentences apiece:

• Social media site X quietly released a new “Paid Partnerships Policy,” and it includes “Gambling products and services (including lotteries, social casinos, sports betting, and other gambling related content)” among industries that are “not eligible for Paid Partnership promotion.” Worth noting: X has a partnership with Polymarket dating back to June 2025.
• In other social media news, poker player and coach Benjamin Rolle wrote a lengthy post Wednesday advising YouTube gambling content creators struggling with the site’s age-related restrictions not to bother contacting YouTube support. “Most support is automated/AI with generic responses,” Rolle wrote. Instead, he suggests, contact a lawyer and ask them to send a letter to YouTube, claiming “so far, we have always been successful” in getting the restrictions lifted.
• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s onslaught of efforts to address the state’s budget shortfall through gambling taxes includes this new one: He wants to raise casino table game tax rates to equal those of casino slot machines. The state uses graduated rates on both, but whereas the table game rate currently varies from 15%-20%, slots range from 15%-50%.
• Rush Street Interactive reported Q4 revenue Tuesday of $324.9 million, ahead of analyst expectations, with its BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse online casinos driving the positive results. Whereas sports betting revenue went up 20% year-over-year, iCasino rose 30%. “Our casino-first strategy continues to be a fundamental differentiator,” CEO Richard Schwartz said on the earnings call.

House Rules: Insights from around our network

STRIP’S TAKE: Caesars CEO Reeg’s take on Vegas economy: ‘no crisis,’ ‘normal cyclicality’ [by Eric Raskin]

MOVING RIGHT ALONG: Virginia House approves iGaming bill via reconsideration route [by Chris Altruda]

2K OR NOT 2K: Slowly — and with much industry silence — new slot tax threshold goes into effect [by David McKee]

JANUARY REVENUE, JERSEY EDITION: New Jersey online casino operators start 2026 with third-highest revenue month in state history [by Chris Altruda]

JANUARY REVENUE, PENNSYLVANIA EDITION: Pennsylvania online casino revenue just shy of $250 million in January [by Chris Altruda]

JANUARY REVENUE, MICHIGAN EDITION: Michigan online casino revenue barely misses $300 million for January [by Chris Altruda]

PATENT ENDING: How a Supreme Court case about finance accidentally killed casino game patents [by Jeff Edelstein]

NUMBERS GAME: Everything you need to know about the new Millionaire for Life game [by Eric Raskin]

WE CAN WORK IT OUT: Maryland internet casino bill takes on pro-labor focus [by Chris Altruda]

Small stakes and hot takes

This week on the Casino Reports podcast Low Rollers, I welcomed New York state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr., the chair of the state’s Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee, for a conversation reflecting on the downstate casino licensing process, projecting what needs to happen to legalize online casino gaming in the Empire State, assessing what tax rates work best in what states, and more — including a little NL East talk with baseball season drawing nearer.

I also offered my thoughts on CFTC Chairman Michael Selig’s harsh shift in tone regarding prediction markets, plus I reacted to the WSOP’s decision to bring back the Main Event final table delay this year.

Full episode:

The Shuffle: Other news and views

EPSTEIN AND THE STRIP: Vegas VIP [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

RAW DEAL: CA blackjack ban starts in April, Fresno casino owner says tax revenue, jobs at risk [The Fresno Bee]

UPSTATE UPTICK: Turning Stone Casino expansion to create up to 300 new jobs [Syracuse.com]

SMALL SCALE SUCCESS: As Strip slumps, Red Rock and Boyd find success in Las Vegas locals’ market [The Nevada Independent]

WAZ UP: Wazdan continues West Virginia momentum with Fanatics Casino link-up [SBC Americas]

SMOKE ON THE WATER?: Royal Caribbean adds non-smoking casino to another cruise ship [TravelHost]

EARLY RETURNS: Petersburg’s temporary casino makes $4.7 million in first 10 days [Richmond.com]

INDIANA JONES-ING FOR NEW CASINO: Greatly amended casino legislation passes [KPC News]

GROSSER GROCER: Kroger criticized for installing gambling machines inside stores [AOL]

The Bonus Round

Completing the Spin Cycle with some odds and ends and our favorite social media posts of the week.

• Personnel updates: Las Vegas Sands confirmed on Saturday that Patrick Dumont will be the company’s new chairman and CEO effective March 1, succeeding Robert Goldstein as Dumont ascends from the role of president and COO. And the International Association of Gaming Regulators on Tuesday announced Kevin Mullally, a longtime regulator who formerly ran the Missouri Gaming Commission, will be the organization’s first CEO.

• The time has come to put Bodog down. A high-profile name in the offshore gambling business since the early 2000s, the Bodog brand is no more, as its parent company announced Tuesday the sports betting, poker, and casino sites will all be known now as Ozoon.

• Prop bets between poker pros: fun. Prop bets between poker pros where the terms aren’t enforced: not as fun. Reigning World Series of Poker Main Event champ Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and three-time World Poker Tour champ David “Chino” Rheem made a bet against each other a little while back with $100,000 at stake if either man can last a full year without drinking, smoking, or doing drugs. Mizrachi, however, said on a recent podcast that both participants have “asked for a pass” a handful of times. Sorry, guys, but taking a “pass” means you lose the bet. That’s how last-longer wagers work.