Spin Cycle: Operator Media Arms, MMA Fighter Legs 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 …

Content discontent

We didn’t necessarily need another sign that the sports betting boom is in retreat, but we got one anyway over the last several days, with various bits of news suggesting DraftKings is winding down its time as a media company.

In-house content was a big push for DK — as it also has been at various times post-PASPA for FanDuel, the ill-fated PointsBet, the more ill-fated FOX Bet, and others — but now DraftKings has ended GoJo and Golic (the final episode ran Friday), it cut ties with former ESPN broadcaster Trey Wingo after only one football season, and according to Puck, architect of the DK content push Marie Donoghue is exiting next month.

FanDuel TV rolls on, but for the most part, content creators collecting paychecks from sportsbook operators is turning into a thing of the past.

Well, at least until the prediction market operators starting launching their own media arms. If the Kalshi Network soon launches GoJo and Golic’s Event Contract Predictions Report, just remember where you heard it first.

No leg to stand on

Remember the 2022 UFC fight that got flagged for “unusual wagering activity” before featherweight Darrick Minner lost by TKO in just 67 seconds with an apparent left leg injury?

Some 2½ years later, the story is progressing (somewhat). As ESPN’s David Purdum reported, the Nevada Athletic Commisson held a hearing on the matter Tuesday, and spelled out plainly what it believes happened.

“This is one case of betting with inside information on the injury,” Commissioner Jeff Mullen said. It was another MMA fighter, Jeff Molina, who placed the bets that got flagged, allegedly with knowledge that Minner was physically compromised ahead of his bout with Shayilan Nuerdanbieke.

Molina did not attend the hearing. He was handed a three-year suspension in Nevada — though it’s retroactive to the date of the fight, meaning it will expire this November. Minner received a 29-month suspension for failure to disclose an injury, but his 29 months will conclude just over a week from now.

Sin City horror stories

If bad news comes in threes … we recommend everyone visiting Las Vegas be very, very careful in the days ahead.

Two unrelated but similar lawsuits were filed in March over two separate catastrophes at Vegas hotels.

One of the situations ended in tragedy, as a lawsuit against Trump International Hotel claims 78-year-old Diana Truschke died due to injuries suffered when she was ejected from a revolving door on the property. The door allegedly sped up, struck her, and tossed her out, and though she didn’t die until seven months later, the suit claims the health problems that led to her death were caused by the purportedly malfunctioning door.

Separately, a woman named Rebecca Keith Wood is suing the Palms over injuries she says were incurred when an elevator on the property dropped 22 stories. The details of the incident are vague in the suit — her injuries are not spelled out, nor is it stated whether Wood was in the plummeting elevator or injured while standing nearby. She is seeking about $15,000.

Conflict of interest much?

There’s a certain reputation attached to people in Florida. There’s also a certain reputation attached to politicians. And there’s additionally a certain reputation attached to lobbyists.

Mix all three together, and you get a mess that lives down to all reputations.

As the Tampa Bay Times reported, a recently filed House Bill in Florida is looking to explicitly ban anyone serving as a Florida gambling regulator from going to work for a fantasy sports company for a period of two years after leaving their regulatory post. This rather specific proposed law sure feels like a reaction to the fact that Louis Trombetta, the Florida gambling regulator who targeted so-called “DFS-Plus” sites PrizePicks, Underdog, and Betr as acting illegally in the state, is now working as a lobbyist for FanDuel as the company’s director of government relations.

DFS sites FanDuel and DraftKings were not sent cease-and-desist letters during Trombetta’s time with the Florida Gaming Control Commission.

House Rules: Insights from around our network

TRUE MADNESS: Kalshi users create $198 million in contracts for first two rounds of NCAA Tournament [by Chris Altruda]

HAPPY DOG: Underdog Fantasy announces latest round of funding, valuation up to $1.2B [by Jeff Edelstein]

THIS WEEK’S SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE: Sports Illustrated brand enters ‘prediction market’ space following failed regulated sportsbook [by Eric Raskin]

LAND OF BINKIN’: Winning $344 million Mega Millions jackpot ticket sold in Illinois [by Jeff Edelstein]

UNITED AFFRONT: Online casino opponents gang up against legalization [by Steve Ruddock]

FUHGEDDABOUTIT: Report: NJ DGE sends Kalshi and Robinhood cease-and-desists [by Chris Altruda]

BIGGER FISH: Apple and Google targets in federal class action suit tied to sweepstakes casinos [by Eric Raskin]

DANCING DAYS: Acclaimed film ‘The Last Showgirl’ evokes Stardust memories [by Richard Schuetz]

AROUND THE HORN: Legislative round-up: Sweeps sagas continue, sports betting outside the lower 48 [by Chris Altruda]

MESSY IN MASS: Tensions rising between states, sports prediction markets as Massachusetts opens probe [by Brett Smiley]

HUT, HUT, HIKE: Sports betting tax increases: State-by-state impact analysis [by Chris Altruda]

Small stakes and hot takes

This week on the Casino Reports podcast Low Rollers, my co-host Jeff Edelstein and I welcomed serious bettor and sports betting media personality Brad Feinberg to share his favorite 2025 MLB futures bets, recall past wins (and near misses), and attempt in vain to say “toyboat” five times fast. Here’s a taste:

We also covered Sports Illustrated stepping into prediction markets, Publishers Clearing House considering sweepstakes gaming, and some solid recent personal online casino triumphs. Full episode:

The Shuffle: Other news and views

SWEEPSTAKES O.G.: Is Publishers Clearing House heading into the sweepstakes gaming biz? [SBC Americas]

CEASIN’ SEASON: More unregulated online casinos ordered to cease operations in Michigan [FOX2 Detroit]

CARDS, DEAL: St. Louis Cardinals partner with Bet365 [Complete iGaming]

YOU WYNN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME: US Supreme Court turns away casino mogul Wynn’s bid to challenge NY Times v. Sullivan defamation rule [Reuters]

GIVING HIMSELF THE BOOT: Billionaire casino owner resigning to join Trump administration [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

LAST RESORTS: Resorts World Las Vegas lays off 50 full-time employees amid restructuring [News3LV]

SWAP MEET: PropSwap signs partnership with Bally Bet [press release]

BAD FOR BUSINESS: Travel to Las Vegas on major Canadian and Mexico airlines down in February [CDC Gaming Reports]

BAN BILL BOUNCED BACK: Mississippi Senate rejects sweepstakes ban bill after sports betting amendment [EGR]

COMMISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Youngkin wants to create a Gaming Commission; the General Assembly has already said no [wvtf.org]

GETTING REEL: New Hampshire lawmakers advance plan to legalize video slot machines [WMUR9ABC]

FINE WITH US: Nevada Gaming Commission approves $10.5 million fine for Resorts World Las Vegas [iGaming Business]

The Bonus Round

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

This week’s Spin Cycle led off with some bad news for some gambling media/content folks, but here’s a little positive news to balance it out: SBC Media announced several promotions, including veteran reporter/editor Jessica Welman, once profiled in Casino Reports’ “Reel Lives” series, being named managing editor. Congrats to Jessica and all of her SBC colleagues who were promoted!

It’s not often we get our gambling industry news from Billboard, but here’s an exception, as the music industry site published a report this week that the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas will, according to a source, be rebranded as Rolling Stone Hotel and Casino. Maybe magazines are making a comeback? First SI Predict, now this. What’s next, a National Geographic sweepstakes casino?

Fun read here on ESPN.com about a sports bettor risking a lot to win a little — and, to this point, winning a lot — on LeBron James to score at least 10 points each game. No truth to the rumor that Stephen A. Smith has lost a small fortune fading LeBron’s 10+ every night.