The U.S. sports betting world moves quickly and unpredictably in 2025. In order to properly take stock of it all, we offer InGame’s “EndGame,” an end-of-week compilation of the top storylines, some overlooked items, and all the other news bits from this past week that we found interesting.
Survey: Number of U.S. bettors up, engagement down
According to the May 2025 Optimove U.S. Gaming Pulse Report, the number of U.S. online sports bettors showed a 14% year-over-year increase.
The average wagering spend for May was $1,001 in the U.S. versus $380 globally, showing U.S. players are putting more money in. The average sports betting amount is “the total sum of all sports bets divided by the number of bettors who have placed at least one sport bet,” the study explained.
Optimove notes there was higher engagement and retention globally compared to the U.S. — global players averaged 8.9 days per month, while those in the U.S. averaged 7.9, and global retention reached 71% while U.S. retention peaked at 65%.
The leftover law fueling legal money grabs
In February, a group called “DC Gambling Recovery” filed a lawsuit against five operators in the District of Columbia seeking to recoup gambling losses by sports bettors. The crux of the lawsuit is the “Statute of Anne,” a loss-recovery act that is one of 19th-century laws that remain on the books in some U.S. jurisdictions. The laws were initially designed to allow players — and third parties — to sue for losses from illegal gambling. The law remains on the books in D.C., where sports betting was legalized in 2020, but the D.C. version does not include the word “illegal.”
According to Front Office Sports Tuesday, similar lawsuits were filed last week in Kentucky, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, and South Carolina. And in D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser may be trying to amend the law.
Lawyers say the lawsuits are money grabs, despite appearing to represent wronged or even problem gamblers. Third-party plaintiffs, such as the “Gambling Recovery” group, can sue for up to three times the amount of the losing bets. In Kentucky, the state sued PokerStars, and the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2020 upheld a lower-court ruling awarding the state $300 million. The word “illegal” does not appear in that statute, either.
“This new model raises serious questions,” wrote Robert Ward on the Ifrah Law website Monday. “First, the plaintiffs’ lack of connection to any losing player suggests that they lack standing to bring these claims in federal court and likely in some state courts as well. Second, the lack of transparency about who owns and controls the plaintiffs — and who would ultimately reap the benefits of recovery, raise serious questions about lawyers’ ethical responsibilities.”
Ward suggests, as iDevelopment and Economic Association founder Jeff Ifrah told InGame in April, that the lawsuits have no place in modern-day America.
“Given the lack of injured parties involved in the lawsuits and the apparent lack of constitutional standing, the ethics of this business model appear questionable,” Ward wrote. “State attorneys general exist to protect consumers and to enforce gaming laws. Lawsuits that redress no injuries and that appear to be nothing more than an investment vehicle serve no one but lawyers and their financial backers.”
Jill R. Dorson
Taxes, taxes, taxes
Check out our own Chris Altruda on SportsGrid’s Newswire, where he talks about how the new Illinois wager tax probably won’t catch on elsewhere, says that “it’s a legit counter based on what the state is asking” for DraftKings and FanDuel to levy a surcharge in Illinois, and explores what’s next for prediction markets:
Six sanctioned for match fixing in Britain
Six players in the British Basketball League (BBL) were suspended for match fixing, Britain’s Gambling Commission announced Monday. Five of the six were former Surrey Scorch players found to be manipulating games during the 2022-2023 season. The investigation found the players influenced at least six of the season’s matches. Four Surrey players were suspended for life, and one received an eight-year suspension.
In addition, former player Dean Wanliss received a fine and three-year suspension for betting on basketball matches between 2019-21.
Interpreter Mizuhara reports to prison
Ippei Mizuhara, the Japanese former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, reported to federal prison in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Monday after stealing about $17 million from the player, according to theScore.
Mizuhara allegedly changed the security protocols on Ohtani’s account so he could authorize wire transfers. He has been impersonating Ohtani since 2021, using the money to cover gambling debts, debts with an illegal bookmaker, and more.
Mizuhara pled guilty in a Southern California federal court last June to bank and tax fraud. He was sentenced in February to 57 months in prison and three years supervised release. His prison reporting date was delayed twice. The court also ordered Mizuhara to pay $18 million in restitution, about $17 million of which would go to Ohtani, with the rest to the IRS.
Pablo Torre ditches DraftKings sponsorship
Journalist/podcaster Pablo Torre’s sponsorship deal with DraftKings Sportsbook is over. Discussing the decision with Intelligencer in an article published Tuesday, Torre suggested that DraftKings wasn’t a proper match for the type of journalism he believes he’s producing. He called the split a “conscious uncoupling.”
Torre said: “I need people who aren’t sports gamblers to realize that we’re doing stuff that’s nothing like what our licensing partner might reputationally indicate.”
Maverick Games launches in Ontario
Online gaming site Maverick Games has launched in Ontario in partnership with Delasport technology to include features such as personalization, recommendations, gamification, quick bets, player engagement features, and more, according to a Monday Delasport press release. Maverick has been licensed in the province since May 4.
The site is the second to launch with Delasport technology in Ontario. The Ontario sports betting market opened up in April 2022 and is the only legal market in Canada.
Casino of the Rockies opens sportsbook
The Casino of the Rockies opened a PROLINE Sportsbook Lounge in British Columbia June 7, according to e-know. The lounge will feature an 18-foot screen for multi-game viewing and three dedicated PROLINE betting terminals. It is the first sportsbook lounge to open in East Kootenay, and the fourth in British Columbia.
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