Compliance Updates
Arkansas Casino Seeks iGaming Approval

An Arkansas casino is seeking approval to operate an iGaming app, allowing people within the state to go online to play casino games such as slots, blackjack, craps and more.
On March 13, Carlton Saffa, Chief Market Officer for the Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, wrote to Arkansas Racing Commission Chairman Alex Lieblong asking for a change in the rules to allow Internet casino gambling, which is often referred to as iGaming or iCasino platforms.
On Monday, Saffa told Gambling.com he hopes to appear before the Arkansas Racing Commission on May 6 seeking approval to offer iGaming. The Arkansas Racing Commission regulates all gambling matters in the state including horse racing and casino games.
iGaming Doesn’t Hurt Bricks-And-Mortar Casinos: Saffa
Nationwide, only a half dozen states from Michigan to Connecticut offer Internet casino gambling. Arkansas would be the first in its region with iGaming, permitting users who want to log onto a computer or download an app to play traditional casino games for money. Other states in the region already offer sports betting.
In his March 13 letter to state regulators, Saffa said estimates indicate Internet casino gambling from the Saracen Casino Resort alone would generate an additional $12 million in taxes annually for the state. Internet casino gambling, or iGaming, generally raises more tax revenue than sports betting in states that have both.
However, in some states without iGaming, casino operators have fought legalization, contending customers won’t visit a bricks-and-mortar casinos and spend money at restaurants and on other amenities including entertainment and lodging if they can log onto cellphones or computers and gamble from anywhere. In his letter to state regulators, Saffa pointed to research showing iGaming doesn’t cannibalize bricks-and-mortar casinos but instead gives them ‘a lift’.
State Rule Change Required
Arkansas already allows online poker, though that has not been made available to consumers, Saffa said. He said the ability to allow iGaming would require the Arkansas Racing Commission to amend a rule to include Internet casino games in addition to the currently legal online card games such as poker.
“A solution exists by amending ARC Rule 5, which already authorizes online poker, to include other types of table games and slots,” Saffa told Gambling.com on Monday. “Doing so would provide significant tax revenues to government and, just as important, ensure that operators be held accountable by the government. Given that we have seen online operators in the fantasy sports space ignore cease and desist demands from the state, merely attempting to police the matter is not a workable solution.”
Saffa recently made a similar argument on the topic of unregulated gambling, telling Gambling.com on The Edge he opposes a ban on college player props bets, saying, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
“People in Arkansas are already gambling in online casinos and those companies are not regulated or taxed by the Arkansas Racing Commission,” Saffa said Monday. “Those companies are not held to the standards the people of Arkansas set forth for operators to include that a customer must be 21.”
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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