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.
Illinois lottery operator may buy PrizePicks
Illinois State Lottery operator Allwyn is leading the race to buy PrizePicks in a multi-billion-dollar deal, according to a report.
Earnings + More reports that Allwyn is “the front runner to buy PrizePicks with a bid that could value the DFS+ operator at (about $2 billion),” citing multiple sources. Neither Allwyn nor PrizePicks commented on the report.
Allwyn, which also runs the UK’s national lottery and Greek betting operator Stoiximan, last week announced the appointment of Betfred US CEO Kresimir Spajic to lead a newly formed digital arm. The new division would focus on “iGaming, Sportsbook, and digital product capabilities,” the business said.
Reports that PrizePicks is up for sale emerged more than a year ago. The business recently dropped its against-the-house model, focusing instead on peer-to-peer. Some states had sought to ban the against-the-house game, arguing it was a form of unlicensed sports betting, so the pivot to peer-to-peer may provide regulatory certainty that would make the business a more attractive acquisition target.
Kalshi hires head of crypto
Prediction market Kalshi signalled a big move to expand its cryptocurrency-themed offerings this week, signing a head of crypto and self-certifying dozens of markets.
Crypto influencer John Wang will take on the head of crypto role, where he will work on “bringing new crypto markets to life,” Wang announced via social media site X on Monday.
Wang founded blockchain security business Armor Labs before focusing on consulting and his commentary on X.
Over the following two days, Kalshi filed with the CFTC to offer 34 new cryptocurrency-related markets.
Many of those markets are templates that could be applied to a number of different cryptocurrencies, such as a market titled “What will the price of <coin/token> be <before/on> <date> at <time>?” That means many more than 34 new markets could be launched. Some of these markets have already gone live.
Bets on the price range of Bitcoin and Ethereum at specific times have been some of the most popular non-sports markets on Kalshi. The prediction market may be hoping that success can be replicated across more markets.
Daniel O’Boyle
California ready to legalize sports betting?
Most Californians are open to legalizing sports betting, according to a July 28-Aug. 12 POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey. The survey polled about 1,400 registered voters, and roughly 60% reported feeling open to legalization in the state.
Californians voted on sports betting legalization in 2022, and the measure did not pass, with about 67% voting against. Now, Californians might feel different.
While the majority of respondents felt open to the idea and 35% indicated it “might make sense,” 25% said it should be legal and is long overdue. On the opposite side, 41% of respondents reported feeling wary or that legalization would be a mistake. Men were overall more open to the idea than women.
Circa, Caesars apply for Missouri licenses
Circa Sports, which on Aug. 19 was awarded a stand-alone mobile betting license, and Caesars Sportsbook are now on the list of sportsbook operators that have applied for licenses in Missouri, per the Missouri Gaming Commission’s Aug. 26 update. The two join DraftKings, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, FanDuel, and Underdog Sports in applying for operators’ licenses.
Caesars has three brick-and-mortar locations in Missouri and would use one for digital betting access. According to the latest update, Caesars applied for one digital and one retail license each for its Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis locations. The company also operates the Isle of Capri Booneville.
Operators are required to apply for individual licenses for each physical location and digital platform. The deadline is Sept. 12, and the regulator plans to launch sports betting by Dec. 1. There could be as many as 21 licenses available — two stand-alone mobile licenses, 13 tethered casino licenses, and six tethered professional sports team licenses. DraftKings was awarded the second untethered, or stand-alone, digital license Aug. 19.
Fanatics is the only other operator to have applied for retail licenses so far and has plans to operate in-person sportsbooks at market-access partner Boyd Gaming’s Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City and Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa St. Charles near St. Louis. FanDuel and Underdog each applied for a single digital license.
SB Tech, BMM Testing Labs, and integrity-monitor IC 360 are the latest suppliers to have made applications.
Jill R. Dorson
Wagering debit card coming
Sightline Payment Solutions on Tuesday announced a partnership with Cross River Bank to create a gambling debit card that will allow consumers “access to their own funds anytime, anywhere, and in any way, in their own personal FDIC insured bank account.” Per a Sightline press release, the new technology could save the industry up to $700 million per year and reduce the “churn” of money by 40%. Sightline arrived at those estimates assuming its Sightline Debit product will be “broad(ly) adopted.”
“The cost of payments in digital gaming is staggeringly high, on average, 4.5x higher than that of other industries,” Sightline Payments co-founder and CEO Omer Sattar said via press release. “Over nearly 3 years and 200,000+ hours worked, in deep collaboration with 7 of the largest gaming operators in America, we painstakingly took the payment ecosystem apart and reassembled it, creating an entirely new, bespoke ecosystem where payments in gaming now is cheaper for operators and easier, safer, and more responsible for patrons.”
Sightline did not disclose which operators it consulted and has plans to work with, but wrote that the debit card will debut “in the coming weeks in several leading digital gaming markets.”
Jill R. Dorson
FanDuel Arizona sportsbook now a lounge
FanDuel opened one of the first in-venue sportsbooks nationwide in Phoenix in 2021. Four years later, the company shuttered its Phoenix Arena location, and the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday announced plans to reopen the space as a FanDuel-branded lounge. The lounge will be available to Suns and Mercury season ticket holders on game days.
The Phoenix FanDuel sportsbook was the first to open in the U.S. in an NBA arena. But falling profits led to its closure. FanDuel also closed its Audi Field location in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. Other operators have also shuttered sportsbooks at venues, including Churchill Downs closing its racetrack sportsbook and Fanatics Sportsbook closing its Progressive Field location in Cleveland.
Jill R. Dorson
PGA to Georgia: Bring sports betting on
As Georgia lawmakers continue a lengthy, multi-part education session around legal gambling, including sports betting, the PGA Tour is the latest professional sports league to throw its support behind the idea. At a study committee meeting Monday, the Tour’s gaming division head, Scott Warfield, told lawmakers, “This is a way to get the core fan engaged longer on our sport. They engage more with our content and follow the tournaments closely,” reported WSB-TV Atlanta.
Georgia lawmakers have been at an impasse with legalizing sports betting since 2021, when Democrats pulled their votes over redistricting. At that time, lawmakers had an agreement that would have legalized digital wagering. Since then, lawmakers have been at odds over multiple issues, including where money from legal sports betting should be funneled.
As early as 2019, Georgia’s professional sports teams, led by the NFL’s Falcons, were lobbying the legislature to legalize. The study committee will meet two more times before sharing its recommendations with the general assembly. Georgia’s 2026 legislative session is set to open Jan. 12, and lawmakers can prefile bills beginning Nov. 15.
Jill R. Dorson
DK Super Bowl ticket giveaway in RG effort
DraftKings will give away a ticket to Super Bowl LX to one of the users who engage in responsible gaming initiatives. DraftKings offers programs like My Budget Builder and My Stat Sheet that help players practice responsible gaming behaviors. Now, engaging in these tools will come with the chance to win prizes during September, which is Responsible Gaming Education Month.
Starting off with NFL regular season tickets, each week will offer a new way to engage in responsible gaming tools and win prizes, with the final grand prize being the Super Bowl LX ticket. DraftKings hopes to use the giveaway program to promote responsible gaming and build excitement as the season begins.
Iowa user sues DraftKings in $14.2M dispute
Nicholas Bavas saw the threat of rain for the final round of the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament on Feb. 4, but DraftKings was still offering wagers, so he placed five bets the night before. Now, Bavas is suing the operator and its Iowa subsidiary Crown IA Gaming for voiding the bets for which he would have allegedly won $14.2 million. The trial is scheduled for Sept. 28.
Bavas, and many others, had placed bets on the outcome of the tournament. When the final round was cancelled, the results of the previous round were considered final. DraftKings claimed Bavas’ bets were invalid since he technically placed them after the last shot had been played, making them “future bets.”
Bavas’ lawyer argues the rule does not apply to bets on multiple players, meaning Bavas’ parlay bets should remain valid. DraftKings also reminded players that they agree to accept the risks of unforeseen circumstances related to the wager when they place a bet.
Bavas isn’t the only bettor frustrated with DraftKings as many users took to social media to complain about similar outcomes. Also, the opposite. Some bettors who lost money on the tournament demanded refunds, saying if some bets voided then they all should be.
FanDuel introduces peer-to-peer pick’em
FanDuel launched a peer-to-peer pick’em game, FanDuel Picks, where users can engage with each other in fantasy sports-style bets on player statistics, the company announced Thursday. Bettors will be able to create a lineup and bet on whether their selected athletes will beat projected stats. The program brings the social aspect of fantasy sports to the online betting world. FanDuel is also offering a deal for new users who bet $5 to receive a $60 bonus.
Bet365 licensed, live in Maryland
Bet365 was awarded a license Thursday by the Maryland Lottery Gaming and Control Agency and appears to have launched in the state that afternoon. Bet365 is the 11th platform available to Maryland bettors. Live in 15 states, bet365 does not operate any brick-and-mortar sportsbooks in the U.S. and has no plans to open one in Maryland. The company has launched in multiple states this year and has applied for a license in Missouri, where regulators will begin sports betting Dec. 1.
Stock analyst: DraftKings, Flutter good buys
Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon deemed DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG) and Flutter (NYSE:FLUT) as the top gambling stocks to own near-term as the impact of higher sports betting tax rates in New Jersey, Illinois, and Louisiana are already baked into their prices.
The national sports betting market share leaders — FanDuel, which is owned by Flutter, is at 39% and DraftKings at 34.4% — are also days from the commencement of the lucrative college football and NFL seasons.
Brant James
CFS, idPair program in 13 new states
Responsible gaming self-exclusion software launched by the Coalition for Fantasy Sports (CFS) and idPair has reached 13 new states, the CFS announced Monday. The program allows users to exclude themselves from PrizePicks, Underdog, Betr, Dabble, and Splash Sports through each operator’s platform.
The program started with Nebraska and New Mexico earlier this year, and it is now joined by Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The program aims to create a safer gaming environment for those trying to self-regulate, and more than 66% of bettors who self-exclude opt into the program, according to the CFS release. The two companies hope to take the program to more states.
Caesars Sportsbook opening in NM casino
Caesars Sportsbook is opening Sept. 4 at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The casino is launching a sports bar the same night, and guests will be able to watch and bet on the first game of the NFL season. The sports bar will have live betting windows, eight betting kiosks, 250 seats, and TVs and a sound system.
Check this out
As the number of women who bet sports continues to grow, Hilary McAfee writes on CDC Gaming that she’s tired of operators trying to pander to her with “sparkly fonts” and “pink cocktails.” Instead, she says, treat women like other bettors — offer them good odds and specials on sports they want to bet on. In fact, she suggests, stop treating women like they’re special because that ultimately makes it look like “we just wandered in by mistake.” The reality, though, is what woman would hang out in a testosterone-fueled sportsbook if they weren’t into sports?
ICYMI on InGame
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DraftKings Just Killed Your Edge: New, Explicit Rule Lets Sportsbook Void ‘Fast Finger’ Bets
New Prediction Market Startup Raises $15 Million With Coinbase Among Backers
Nevada Rep. Titus To Add FAIR BET Act To 2026 Defense Budget
Loserball: Win By Riding The NFL Losers
Donald Trump Jr. — Already An Advisor To Kalshi — Joins Polymarket’s Advisory Board
Venmo, NCAA Partner To Curtail Online Harassment of Student-Athletes
Fanatics Sportsbook Partners With Boyd Gaming For Missouri Market Access
