Compliance Updates
The Edge Interviews Steve Bittenbender: Discusses Sports Betting in Georgia, Alabama and Missouri

Half of all SEC states do not have legal sports betting. On The Edge with Larry Henry, Gambling.com Group’s Steve Bittenbender predicts sports betting legislation could be approved during this year’s legislative sessions in Alabama and Georgia in part because of ‘more acceptance among some conservative’ lawmakers.
Sports betting then would require a public vote in Alabama and possibly Georgia. Bittenbender said those two states stand a good chance of legalizing sports betting. “Those are the two, I think, I’m most bullish on,” Bittenbender said of Alabama and Georgia.
In Missouri, ‘rancor’ in the state Senate means a sports betting bill probably won’t pass, Bittenbender said, but the state’s major sports leagues are circulating a petition among registered voters to let the public decide on the November ballot.
The pro sports teams aren’t waiting for the Legislature, Bittenbender said.
“They’ve been down that road before and they’ve seen how that story ends up,” he said. “The best chance that it’ll have is through this referendum process.”
On Alabama and Georgia:
“In Georgia, it passed the Senate and it’s now going over to the House. And in Alabama, it’s the other way around. It cleared the House first and now it’s going to the Senate. The Senate in Alabama; there’s going to be some opposition to it (sports betting legislation), some conservative opposition.
“But you’ve got Governor Ivey who’s a big supporter of this and I think that’s going to help tip the scales in gaming’s favor.
“And it’s not just sports betting in Alabama, it would give them a lottery. They’re one of five states that don’t have a state lottery so it would give them that. It would give them fully-fledged casinos. There’s a couple of tribal casinos in the state but now they would have, I think, seven Class 3 casinos across the state. And then you would also have sports betting as well.
“That kind of omnibus legislation, especially with the people that are supporting it, will help get that through in Alabama.
“Georgia is a similar situation but they’ve actually scaled it down. There had been talks in recent years about doing casino resort legislation but they’re just focused right now on doing sports betting, getting that through and maybe looking at other expanded gaming later on down the road.
“In Georgia the question is going to be whether or not it will need a constitutional amendment. There are proponents for it that cite a former Supreme Court judge from the state, who says: sports betting is a lottery game, the lottery is legal under the constitution, so you don’t need an amendment.
“Some people though are kind of concerned, they fear a legal challenge might happen. So, they want to see a referendum on it.
“If it requires a referendum, that would require essentially two votes in the legislature. One to pass the enacting legislation, which would need just a simple majority in both chambers. But a second one for a resolution calling for the referendum, that would require a two thirds majority in both chambers. That’s a little trickier.
“The way the vote came down in the Senate earlier this month, they had the votes for the two thirds majority in Georgia in the Senate, but I don’t know if they would have that in the House and that’s a key concern that needs to be addressed.”
On Missouri:
“I think it’s happening already (the sports betting petitions having success). The proponents have already started in St Louis, right around the time of the Cardinals FanFest event earlier this month.
“So, they’re not waiting for the legislature, they’ve been down that road before and they’ve seen how that story ends up. And with the way that there’s a lot of rancor right now in the Missouri Senate, not just about sports betting but a lot of things in between, there’s a real fracture between Republicans in that chamber and that’s stalling a lot of things.
“I’m not optimistic at all that a sports betting bill would pass the legislature even though there’s support for it in Jefferson City. The best chance that it’ll have is through this referendum process.”
Source: Gambling dot com
Compliance Updates
PA Gaming Control Board Removes Gambling Privileges for 14 Individuals

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (Board) has taken actions to place 14 individuals on its various Involuntary Exclusion Lists. Placement on an Involuntary Exclusion List prohibits individuals from either gaming in a casino in Pennsylvania, via an online betting site regulated by the Board, or a Video Gaming Terminal (VGT) location.
These matters, presented by the Board’s Office of Chief Counsel and Office of Enforcement Counsel, raise the number of individuals now on the Board’s various Involuntary Exclusion Lists to 1391.
The actions by the Board include placement of five individuals on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List including one who left minors unattended while gambling in a Pennsylvania casino:
A female patron who left her 7-month-old twins in a vehicle in the valet area of Valley Forge Casino Resort for 5 minutes in order to obtain a cash out at the sportsbook.
Actions such as these to deny statewide gambling privileges serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children. To complement the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board created an awareness campaign, “Don’t Gamble with Kids”.
Additionally, nine others were placed on the Board’s Involuntary Interactive Gaming Exclusion list for fraudulent actions involving online gambling.
The Gaming Control Board is scheduled to meet next at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 in the Board’s Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg. More information, including the agenda, will be posted on the Board’s website prior to the meeting.
Compliance Updates
Texas House Passes Bill to Abolish Texas Lottery Commission

The Texas House has approved legislation to abolish the Texas Lottery Commission and reform lottery operations after multiple scandals have rocked the agency.
Authored by State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), Senate Bill 3070 abolishes the commission that has overseen the lottery since shortly after its founding in 1991, moving operations to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
As originally written, the bill would also limit ticket sales per transaction, require age verification at the point of sale, push the agency into a two year probationary period and provide for greater oversight of the lottery—oversight that has been either intentionally or unintentionally lacking.
In January, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made an impromptu visit to a lottery ticket reseller responsible for selling millions of tickets online. During the course of his visit, he was denied access to the area where ticket printing was taking place.
The bill, as originally written, would allow the lieutenant governor, Speaker of the House, attorney general, and governor the ability to act as inspectors of lottery operations.
At the eleventh hour, State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) offered a 58-page amendment to the measure that removed this and other critical parts of the bill. It was this amended bill that was, according to Geren, drafted with the lottery vendors, colloquially called stakeholders, that ultimately passed the House.
Among other changes, the Geren amendment changed vendor and employee retention.
While it was argued that the current employees would provide for a smoother transition from the TLC to TDLR, this would include members of the staff who were complicit in the extra legislative expansion of gambling in the state of Texas, and covering for the lottery’s multiple sins.
The Geren amendment, passed under the watchful eye of IGT’s lobbyist and former chief of staff to Gov. Greg Abbott, Luis Sanez, also guarantees that the state lottery contract will remain with its current vendor, IGT. According to a lawsuit filed in Houston, the company played a critical role in an international gambling syndicate’s rigging of the April 2023 $95 million jackpot.
According to testimony given to the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee, representatives from IGT were onsite for hours during the ticket printing at a location that conducted no retail business, which is against state rules. This is the same location where children were filmed printing tickets.
Geren, a longtime proponent of expanding gambling in Texas, failed to pass a bill last session that would have allowed casino gambling in the state. This session, the lottery, and its corrupt operation took all the oxygen out of the room.
State Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville) offered an amendment to Geren’s amendment that would have abolished the lottery and not just the commission. Money’s amendment failed by a vote of 71-58.
Geren’s amendment was ultimately adopted in a vote of 91-44.
The legislation passed in a vote of 110-29.
Now, the bill requires one more vote in the House before going back to the Senate for either approval or to be reconciled in a conference committee.
If the bill is not reconciled, the lottery may be abolished, or a special session could be forced to save the corruption-plagued institution.
Compliance Updates
Merkur Group Granted a Manufactures and Distributors License in the State of Nevada

Merkur Gaming US, a subsidiary of the German-based Merkur Group, has been granted a license to manufacture and distribute its gaming products in the state of Nevada – thereby gaining access to one of the leading casino markets in the US.
In addition, the Nevada Gaming Commission has approved Merkur’s acquisition of Gaming Arts LLC, a licensed Nevada-based gaming operator headquartered in Las Vegas and a trusted strategic partner of the German gaming specialist. It is anticipated that the transaction will close in early Q3 2025.
“This license represents a key strategic lever for expanding our international business and lay the foundation for a stable and successful long-term future for the entire Group,” said Lars Felderhoff, Chairman of the Management Board of the Merkur Group.
Michael Gauselmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Merkur Group, said: “With approval from Nevada, this moment serves to highlight and underscore the Merkur Group’s legally compliant and forward-looking approach in all areas without exception.”
With the words “Welcome back to the industry,” the Nevada Gaming Commission sent off the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board – wishing them a successful future.
In addition to obtaining the license, the approval for the acquisition of Gaming Arts LLC represents another pivotal key element for the Merkur Group in officially re-entering the North American market as a certified manufacturer. The two companies have enjoyed a trusted strategic partnership that has already yielded mutually beneficial synergies. After thorough preparation, this collaboration will soon culminate in the acquisition by the Merkur Group.
“The close and constructive partnership with Gaming Arts LLC has significantly contributed over the past months to successfully establishing all necessary prerequisites for the licensing as well as the upcoming acquisition. We are deeply grateful for the excellent cooperation,” Felderhoff said.
Applying for the Nevada license was a logical step in the Merkur Group’s intensified international expansion strategy.
“Business conditions in our home market, Germany, have become increasingly challenging due to tightening regulatory frameworks. Nevertheless, together with the entire industry, we remain confident in the long-term prospects of the German gaming market,” Felderhoff said.
“Our many years of experience and our sustained success provide a solid foundation for intensifying our focus on international gaming markets and establishing the Merkur brand abroad.
“Our re-entry into the North American casino market will significantly accelerate the international growth of the Merkur Group and place it on an even more solid footing,” Felderhoff concluded.
David Colvin, owner of Gaming Arts LLC, said: “We congratulate Merkur for achieving this outstanding milestone and we welcome them to the state of Nevada.”
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