{"id":1542,"date":"2024-12-28T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-28T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/?p=1542"},"modified":"2025-01-03T20:54:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T20:54:33","slug":"8-biggest-gambling-news-stories-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/2024\/12\/28\/8-biggest-gambling-news-stories-of-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Biggest Gambling News Stories of 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Not many industries attract as much drama as the world of gambling. Whether it\u2019s athletes engaging in match-fixing, new markets opening up, or regulators issuing eye-watering fines, there\u2019s no shortage of drama.<\/p>\n

As the year comes to a close, we decided to look at some of the eye-catching gambling stories that dominated the headlines during 2024.<\/p>\n

Jontay Porter\u2019s NBA ban<\/h2>\n

The biggest match-fixing scandal of the year saw Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter receive a lifetime ban from the NBA. He exited two games early, feigning illness to ensure he didn\u2019t meet player prop bet performance targets.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old owed money to a group of gamblers and agreed to manipulate the games to clear his debts. Authorities charged four other men with engaging in the scheme, and they stood to profit by more than a million dollars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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tried to leave the country with a one-way ticket to Australia<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A sportsbook operator noticed the suspicious activity and the resulting investigation uncovered the web of deceit. One of the gamblers tried to leave the country with a one-way ticket to Australia<\/a>, only for the New York Police Department to apprehend him at JFK International Airport.<\/p>\n

Porter came clean, explaining his role in the scheme<\/a>. He awaits his sentencing on December 18.<\/p>\n

US election betting<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest news stories of 2024 was the election of Donald Trump as the next US President. While the odds of the 78-year-old winning back the position swung widely in the months leading up to the November vote, he comfortably defeated Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n

A big talking point ahead of the election was the prominence of election prediction platforms like Polymarket, with one person even betting $26m on a Trump victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While no US state allows sportsbooks to accept wagers on politics, prediction platforms like PredictIt and Polymarket became popular in the lead-up to the big day.<\/div>\n

The popularity of election betting<\/a> certainly captured the attention of regulators, with the US Commodities Futures Trading Commission unsuccessfully trying to shut down some of these markets.<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani\u2019s $16m interpreter gambling debt<\/h2>\n

Baseball\u2019s biggest star was thrown into a storm of controversy after details came to light in March of more than $16m in payments made from one of his bank accounts to cover gambling debts. The LA Dodgers star is the best-paid player in the MLB, taking home $700m over ten years.<\/p>\n

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admitted his guilt in June and faces up to 33 years in prison<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Subsequent investigations uncovered how his interpreter transferred the money to cover his own gambling debts<\/a>. Ippei Mizuhara admitted his guilt in June and faces up to 33 years in prison when his sentencing occurs on December 20.<\/p>\n

The authorities cleared Ohtani of any wrongdoing, and the scandal didn\u2019t seem to impact him too badly, as he led the Dodgers to their eighth World Series in October.<\/p>\n

UK lawmaker wagering drama<\/h2>\n

In what was a year of elections for many of the world\u2019s biggest nations, controversy emerged in the UK when certain political figures allegedly bet on the election date before the knowledge became public.<\/p>\n

Craig Williams was the first in the spotlight, with the aide of then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak betting on the election taking place in July<\/a>, days before the public announcement.<\/p>\n

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came under scrutiny for betting on himself not winning a seat<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Other figures in the Conservative Party placed similar bets. One Labour Party candidate even came under scrutiny for betting on himself not winning a seat. The UK Gambling Commission cleared Kevin Craig of wrongdoing in December<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He recently sent draft legislation to current Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposing a total ban on candidates betting on elections.<\/p>\n

UAE\u2019s first-ever casino<\/h2>\n

While new US states are regularly passing legislation to allow sports betting, these announcements usually don\u2019t make too much of a stir. That wasn\u2019t the case when the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued the first-ever casino license in the region.<\/p>\n

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Wynn Resorts received a permit to launch gaming operations<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Wynn Resorts received a permit to launch gaming operations<\/a> at its under-development resort in Ras Al-Khaimah. The potential for a UAE gambling market is massive, with experts predicting it could surpass the performance of Singapore\u2019s two longest-established casinos.<\/p>\n

Other companies are pursuing UAE licenses, most prominently MGM Resorts International. The regulator said last month it\u2019s in no rush to issue any further casino licenses<\/a>, so Wynn Resorts has a good head start, with its resort less than a 90-minute drive from the Dubai International Airport.<\/p>\n

End of an era for iconic Las Vegas casinos<\/h2>\n

2024 was the end for several iconic Las Vegas casinos, most notably the Mirage and Tropicana.<\/p>\n

People tried taking a piece of the Tropicana with them, grabbing anything that wasn\u2019t nailed down in the lead-up to its closure in April. The theatre doors were priced at $25,000 for the auction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The property\u2019s origins date back to 1957, with notable Mafia figures allegedly among the investors. A firework and drone light show marked the final demolition on October 8:<\/p>\n

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INSANE! Tropicana Implosion was Incredible to witness in person! Spectacular fireworks & drone show ended with 2 towers coming down. <\/p>\n

It was freaking EPIC!!! Love the drone countdown detonator \"\ud83e\udd2f\"\"\ud83e\udd2f\"\"\ud83e\udd2f\" \"\ud83d\udc4f\"\"\ud83d\udc4f\"\"\ud83d\udc4f\"\"\ud83d\udca5\"\"\ud83d\udca5\"\"\ud83d\udca5\"#DropTheTrop<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/IXnCieXk0j<\/a><\/p>\n

— Attractions 360\u00b0 (@SoCal360) October 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A $1.75bn MLB ballpark is coming to the site<\/a> in the coming years as the Oakland Athletics relocate to Sin City in 2028. The remainder of the resort will house a new casino from Bally\u2019s Corporation.<\/p>\n

The Mirage was a long-running staple in Las Vegas, being the Strip\u2019s first mega-resort when it opened in 1989. It closed on July 17<\/a>, spelling the end of the iconic volcano eruption attraction.<\/p>\n

Hard Rock International took over the property in December 2022<\/a>, making it the first time the tribal operator had a property on the Strip. It will completely renovate the site, including creating a new guitar-shaped tower. The plan is for the Hard Rock Las Vegas to open for business by May 2027.<\/p>\n

Plenty of M&A activity<\/h2>\n

No year would be complete without a flurry of mergers and acquisitions. Several multibillion-dollar deals were agreed upon in 2024.<\/p>\n

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a $6.3bn merger between Everi and IGT\u2019s gaming and digital arm<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Private equity firm Apollo Global Management is arranging a $6.3bn merger between Everi and IGT\u2019s gaming and digital arm<\/a>. Standard General is taking over Bally\u2019s Corporation for $4.6bn<\/a>, and French gambling giant FDJ acquired the Kindred Group in a deal worth \u20ac2.5bn ($2.6bn)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another notable deal included DraftKings acquiring Jackpocket for $750m<\/a> to add a lottery vertical to its business.<\/p>\n

Unpopular DraftKings surcharge<\/h2>\n

One of the events that caused the biggest outrage in the US gambling space in 2024 was the revelation in early August that DraftKings was planning to introduce a surcharge on all winning bets in Illinois<\/a>. The reason was the state\u2019s decision to hike the tax rate from 15% to a max of 40%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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planned to roll out a 0.25% levy on winning wagers starting in January 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Boston-based operator planned to roll out a 0.25% levy on winning wagers starting in January 2025 in states with tax rates over 20%, which would also include Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New York.<\/p>\n

The outcry from the announcement led to DraftKings backtracking just a couple of weeks later<\/a>, with the company no longer introducing such a measure.<\/p>\n

The post 8 Biggest Gambling News Stories of 2024<\/a> appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not many industries attract as much drama as the world of gambling. Whether it\u2019s athletes engaging in match-fixing, new markets opening up, or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1542"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1542"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1543,"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1542\/revisions\/1543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extraniceshirts.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}