1979 stories by Steve Bittenbender
Belmont Stakes Handle Drops Sharply, Tiz the Law to Race Again Before Kentucky Derby
For the second straight year, Belmont Park saw a decline in the handle on its biggest racing day. Saturday’s Belmont Stakes card, which featured a dozen races including six graded stakes, generated just $67.8 million in wagers. That’s down from the $102.2...
Pennsylvania Reports Strong iGaming Growth in May as Online Slots Top $1B in Wagers
Pennsylvania’s growing online gaming industry hasn’t completely filled the void left by the closure of brick-and-mortar casinos. But mobile slots and table games are providing the state with some revenue as the COVID-19 crisis continues. The May figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming...
DOJ Tells Federal Appeals Court 2018 Wire Act Opinion Not a Threat to Lotteries
A three-judge federal panel heard arguments Thursday from lawyers with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which is seeking to overturn a lower court’s rejection of a 2018 opinion that is seen by many to vastly change the Wire Act. The DOJ...
A Lot Going Right for Tiz the Law Leading into Saturday’s Belmont Stakes
Pari-mutuel betting started Friday on Saturday’s Grade I Belmont Stakes, and not surprisingly, bettors started throwing money at heavy favorite Tiz the Law. The Barclay Tagg-trained colt started as a 6-5 morning-line favorite. By early Saturday morning, his odds had already dropped...
Gila River Closes Arizona Casinos Again as COVID-19 Cases Soar, No Workers Test Positive After Guard’s Death
Three Arizona tribal casinos closed for the second time in three months on Thursday, with COVID-19 once again the reason for the shutdown. Gila River Gaming Enterprises, Inc. said in a statement Thursday its Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, and Vee Quiva...
Sportsbet Ordered to Refund Thousands to Australian Man Who Sought Self-Exclusion
Australian officials ruled earlier this month that a man who wagered nearly AUS$150,000 with a registered sportsbook was entitled to get his money back. That's after he claimed the book failed to process his application for self-exclusion. The Northern Territory Racing Commission...
BetRivers Becomes First to Launch Mobile Sports Betting in Illinois
Illinois became the 11th state in the country to offer mobile sports betting on Thursday, when BetRivers.com launched its application in the Prairie State. BetRivers, which is owned by Rush Street Interactive, is the first retail sportsbook to open in the state,...
Japanese Racing CEO Slams Bet-to-Lose Aspect of Aussie Exchange
The president and CEO of the Japan Racing Association (JRA) posted a statement Monday that clarified his group’s objections to a betting exchange an Australian company expanded to include Japanese races. The letter comes about three weeks after Betfair.au stopped the betting...
PASPA Case Back In Court, As Leagues Want End To NJ Horsemen’s $150M Claim
The PASPA case has long been decided But the country’s top sports leagues and the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association remain in court, as the sides now battle over damages. The horsemen — who would have benefited from a sportsbook at Monmouth...
Penn National Gaming Cuts More Than 2,500 Jobs at 13 Locations
Penn National Gaming became the most recent casino owner to announce layoffs, as the Wyomissing, Penn.-based company has issued WARN notices in at least eight states over the past week. The letters and announcements posted on state labor department websites since June...
