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.
Bowyer may be sentenced next month
Illegal Southern California bookmaker Matt Bowyer could be sentenced as soon as next month, according to iGB, which reported Tuesday that the bookie had reached a deal with federal authorities. After multiple delays, Bowyer had been scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Bowyer last August pled guilty to three counts surrounding an illegal gambling business in which he had more than 700 customers, including former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who is serving a 57-month term in federal prison in Pennsylvania. Bowyer faces a maximum prison term of 18 years and three years of probation. He could be fined the higher of either $750,000 or two times the “gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offenses.”
“I was running a big operation, I knew the risks,” Bowyer told iGB Monday. “I have to be a man and deal with it.”
It’s unlikely that Bowyer will get the maximum sentence, as he has been cooperating with federal prosecuters since his arrest.
Bowyer and Mizuhara represent two prongs of what has been described as a massive illegal bookmaking operation. Former Resorts World and MGM Grand executive Scott Sibella was sentenced to a year’s probation in May 2024 after turning a blind eye when Wayne Nix, a Bowyer peer, was laundering money at casinos he ran. Nix was the first to be arrested in the scheme but does not yet have a sentencing date.
Jill R. Dorson
Rozier still under investigation
NBA Insider via Sports Illustrated Wednesday reported that NBA player Terry Rozier is still under investigation for gambling violations despite a previous report that said he had been “cleared as of right now.” Rozier is accused of match fixing dating to his 2023 playing days with the Charlotte Hornets.
The game in question was March 23, 2023 and pitted Charlotte against New Orleans. Rozier exited the game after 9 minutes, 34 seconds with a foot injury. He scored five points and had four rebounds. Rozier averaged 35.3 minutes per game for the season.
Jontay Porter, who was banned from the NBA for life in April 2024, was investigated for a similar situation — he twice left games early with injuries, allowing bettors he was connected with to potentially win the “under” bets on his performance. But the bets were flagged, Porter awaits sentencing on federal criminal charges.
Jill R. Dorson
Court decision may help states vs. Kalshi
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision Tuesday that may be a boost to the case of states attempting to block prediction market Kalshi from offering sports event contracts.
In GenBioPro, Inc. v. Raynes, the court determined that West Virginia is permitted to ban abortion drugs even if they have received national approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In a majority opinion, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote that “It is well-established that, ‘[i]n areas of traditional state regulation, we assume that a federal statute has not supplanted state law unless Congress has made such an intention ‘clear and manifest.’”
That would appear to be relevant for cases concerning the legality of Kalshi’s sports markets, where the prediction market has argued that the federal Commodity Exchange Act supersedes state law, as noted by Daniel Wallach of Wallach Legal.
The potential significance of GenBioPro to cases involving Kalshi was recognized not just by gaming lawyers but also by the state of Maryland’s legal team, which issued a notice to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland pointing out the ruling.
Daniel O’Boyle
TN hands out $250K in fines to offshore books
Five illegal offshore sportsbooks received a $50,000 fine each from the Sports Wagering Council (SWC) for operating in Tennessee. Tuesday, the agency fined Costa Rica-based BetAnySports, Bookmaker and JazzSports; Panama-based BetOnline; and Curacao-based Everygame for violating the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act by accepting wagers within the state without a license.
Tennessee’s law specifies extending credit, wagering with cryptocurrency, offering casino games, and offering chance-based wagers as illegal for sportsbooks. The SWC has issued a total of $600,000 in fines to illegal operators, including the most recent five.
Derek Jeter joins BetMGM
Five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter will serve as BetMGM’s newest brand ambassador, the company announced Monday. Jeter’s partnership will include appearing and participating in marketing campaigns for the company across multiple platforms, as well as attending responsible gaming initiatives. BetMGM will also release a Jeter-themed slot game.
Polymarket launches xAI-powered chatbot
Polymarket has launched its new “Ask Polymarket” chatbot – powered by xAI – after the prediction market agreed to a partnership with Elon Musk’s AI business last month.
The chatbot responds to queries on social media site X with information about Polymarket odds and markets.
In its first post, the chatbot appeared to reference odds or markets that are not available on the prediction market. When prompted by the main Polymarket account to “give me the top 3 most likely suspects on the Epstein list,” Ask Polymarket responded with a list assigning 100% odds for Donald Trump and 69% for Bill Clinton. These odds did not appear to match any existing market on Polymarket.
In a follow-up, the account noted that there is “no direct Polymarket on Epstein list suspects,” and the closest equivalent was a market asking if Trump is named in “previously unreleased files,” with lower odds.
The launch comes just days after xAI’s Grok chatbot was forced to delete posts and temporarily pause text responses after it made a number of antisemetic comments and likened itself to Adolf Hitler.
Latest from ‘American Gambler Book Club’
The New Yorker’s Jay Kang joins David Hill on his podcast, “American Gambler Book Club,” to discuss Larry Merchant’s 1973 book National Football Lottery, a work of stunt journalism where Merchant gambles his book advance each week on the NFL. Full disclosure: InGame sponsors Hill’s podcast.
ISI partners with Maryland retail sportsbook
Internet Sports International (ISI) announced a partnership with Baltimore sports wagering facility Canton Gaming LLC on Tuesday. ISI will now manage the facility’s sportsbook system, called the Greene Turtle Sportsbook after the sports bar that houses the gaming operation.
Canton Gaming LLC will add ISI’s sportsbook software to its 10 betting kiosks.
“ISI Sports is the perfect partner to elevate our sportsbook offerings,” said Jay Sapperstein, owner of Canton Gaming via press release. “In a competitive industry, ISI’s state-of-the-art kiosks enable us to set new service standards and continuously innovate for our guests’ entertainment.
Check this out …
American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller is no fan of prediction markets, writing that “many of these platforms offer gambling products, not financial ones,” in the Des Moines Register Monday. Prediction markets, like Kalshi and PredictIt, are federally regulated versus state regulated and have been under fire for offering sports betting contracts that closely resemble traditional sportsbook products. They are not beholden to state regulatory oversight, do not pay state taxes, and have different responsible and problem gambling guidelines. Read Miller’s arguments for why prediction markets should be mandated to follow state — not federal — laws.
ICYMI on InGame
Daily Fantasy Sports Players Caught In Middle Of Political Firestorm In California
Underdog Pivots To Peer-To-Peer In California
‘Large Trader Glitch’ At Heart Of Unusual MLB Bets, Kalshi Says
Kalshi Lawyer Digs In As Opponents Circle
FanDuel Condemns Bettors Who Harass, Pledges To Ban Violators
You Say Gambling, I Say Investing, Prof Says There’s No Difference
New College Basketball Tournament Causes Consternation In Massachusetts
DraftKings Fined $90,000 In Colorado Over ‘Human Error’
Classic Bust Out, Illinois Style: Tax The Apps, Whack The Bettors
