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Reporter: Steve Bittenbender

Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019.

Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News.

Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk.

Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.

Areas of Expertise

1982 stories by Steve Bittenbender

New York

New York iGaming Chances Fading Fast as Lawmakers Exclude it From Budget Plans

The push to legalize iGaming in New York this year appears to have come up snake eyes. Neither the New York Assembly nor the Senate included language to include online casinos in their versions of the state budget. Those proposals, called “one...

Steve Bittenbender March 15, 2023
Prominent

Kentucky Gray Games Ban Bill Heads to Governor After Senate’s Quick Approval

For the second straight year, the Kentucky General Assembly has passed a bill that would ban so-called gray games, gaming machines also known as skill games. However, unlike last year’s bill, this one will head to Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) desk. The...

Steve Bittenbender March 14, 2023
Meredith

Kentucky House Passes Sports Betting Bill By Nearly 2-to-1 Margin

The Kentucky House passed a bill to legalize sports betting in the state early Monday evening. The 63-34 vote on House Bill 551 cleared the three-fifths majority supporters needed to get since the bill generates revenue and makes appropriations in a nonbudget...

Steve Bittenbender March 13, 2023
Online gaming

iGaming Update: Addabbo Hopeful for New York as Bills Stall in Midwest States

The next few days should determine whether iGaming has a chance in the New York Legislature this year. That’s according to comments state Sen. Joseph Addabbo, D-Queens, made to Casino.org last week. This week, the legislative chambers are expected to produce their...

Steve Bittenbender March 13, 2023
Alabama SEC

NCAA March Madness: Houston, Bama Favorites to Win NCAA – Opinion

The field for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has been announced. It’s time for 68 teams to go dancing during March Madness. Alabama, Houston, Kansas, and Purdue earned the top seeds in the South, Midwest, East, and West regions, respectively. Not surprisingly,...

Steve Bittenbender March 12, 2023
Levy

Betr Receives Virginia Sports Betting License, Delays Massachusetts Start

Betr this past week announced the Virginia Lottery Board approved the microbetting-focused startup for a license in the Mid-Atlantic state. There’s no official date for the operator to launch in Virginia, although the company’s announcement said it would become available soon. “We’re...

Steve Bittenbender March 12, 2023

Indiana Gaming Commission Raises Concerns Over NeoGames 2020 License Application

The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) pulled from its meeting Thursday a decision to act on a vendor’s license application that has been in review for nearly three years. However, that move appears to be the last time the application for NeoGames will...

Steve Bittenbender March 10, 2023
WWE

WWE Betting Report Bodyslammed by State Gaming Regulators

One day after CNBC indicated WWE was seeking approval for wagering on its events, all three state agencies mentioned in the article refuted the report. In a statement issued Thursday morning, the Colorado Division of Gaming said it was responding to “the...

Steve Bittenbender March 10, 2023
Pace-O-Matic

Kentucky Gray Games Ban Bill Senate Bound After House Whips Votes for Passage

Leaders in the Kentucky House of Representatives were able on Wednesday to revive and pass a bill that would ban the operation of so-called skill games across the state. The 64-32 vote to approve House Bill 594 capped a tumultuous few days...

Steve Bittenbender March 8, 2023
Lottery ticket

Culinary Union Slams Casino Group for Opposing Nevada Lottery to Fund Youth Mental Health Services

The labor union representing thousands of Nevada hospitality workers criticized the industry group representing the state’s casino resorts on Tuesday for its continued opposition to legalizing a state lottery. The statement issued by Culinary Union Secretary/Treasurer Ted Pappageorge came after The Nevada...

Steve Bittenbender March 8, 2023