The U.S. sports betting world moves quickly and unpredictably in 2026. 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.
PointsBet to appeal Ontario suspension
Saying a five-day suspension of its license is “disproportionate to the isolated matter in question,” PointsBet Canada said Thursday it will appeal the sanction proposed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The agency Feb. 12 issued a “Notice of Proposed Order,” and PointsBet had 15 days to appeal. According to the AGCO, PointsBet failed to report suspicious activity around betting on NBA two-way player Jontay Porter and called PointsBet’s actions an “alleged systemic failure to properly monitor, detect, document and report suspicious betting patterns.”
Porter is now playing in the United States Basketball League (USBL) as he awaits sentencing in the Eastern District of New York after pleading guilty in July 2024 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The operator pushed back immediately on the AGCO’s suspension, saying that it took “corrective actions” and has a history of compliance in the province. It will now go to the License Appeal Tribunal for a hearing. The independent tribunal could uphold the AGCO decision or dismiss it.
The proposed suspension would be the first by a North American regulator against a major operator since online sports betting became a state’s rights issue in the U.S. in 2018, and a provincial issue in Canada in 2021.
Jill R. Dorson
NY bill would require sportsbook invoices
Legislation introduced in New York’s Assembly Feb. 20 would mandate licensed sportsbook operators to issue monthly account statements to customers, according to Next.io. The intention of AB 10329 would be to “serve as a monthly reminder of how much a bettor spends in a way that cannot be ignored.”
The profit/loss statements would detail “total deposits, wagering volume, net performance, total time logged into the platform, and any promotional credits, bonuses, or free bets used during the month,” Next.io reported. Information on problem-gambling and self-exclusion programs would also be included.
If passed, mobile sports betting would be treated like bank and credit card accounts, complete with their legally required monthly statements.
Ex-chief used police funds for gambling losses
Connecticut state police arrested the former New Haven chief of police Feb. 20 on two charges of first-degree larceny after investigators discovered he’d embezelled money to pay down sports betting losses, The New Haven Register reported Saturday.
Karl Jacobson is accused of turning the city’s Narcotics Enforcement Program fund, money used to pay confidential informants for information about drug dealers, into his “personal ATM.” State police allege Jacobson wagered $4.46 million in one year and “siphoned approximately $85,500 from the [confidential] informant account and the department’s Police Activity League Fund, according to the arrest warrant.”
Jacobson’s losses on the DraftKings and FanDuel apps reached an estimated $215,000.
DraftKings expands to Puerto Rico …
DraftKings launched its online sportsbook in Puerto Rico on Monday, it announced via press release. The platform is the fourth to launch in Puerto Rico, joining BetMGM, Ceasars Sportsbook, and FanDuel. The DraftKings app is available only to residents of the U.S. territory and they must register at the retail sportsbook that opened at Foxwoods El San Juan Casino in November. Non-residents can place in-person bets at Foxwoods El San Juan.
The Mashantucket Pequot tribe has owned and operated the casino, located in the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel, since 2021.
… And contracts its labor force
In a note to investors Tuesday reported by Yahoo Finance, Citizens analyst Jordan Bender revealed that DraftKings is “restructuring” some job descriptions, which will result in layoffs. Citizens estimated that the targeted reductions “would fall at the lower end of the 2% to 15% range commonly seen among tech companies recently.”
“As noted in Citizens’ recent report on the stock, DraftKings has increased the size of its workforce by roughly 31% over the last several years” and currently has more than 5,500 employees, according to Yahoo Finance. A 3-4% layoff, similar to the last round in February 2023, would save approximately $30 million, Citizens estimated, and eliminate upward of 200 jobs.
CNBC anchor: Insider trading rampant
In a roundtable discussion about Kalshi fining the Mr. Beast editor Thursday, a CNBC anchor got straight to the point:
NCAA slaps Kalshi over ‘March Madness’
GamblingHarm.org reported Wednesday that the NCAA requested Kalshi cease using the trademarked “March Madness” on its platform. The NCAA’s direct statement to GamblingHarm was potent: “The NCAA has previously addressed issues with Kalshi illegitimately using NCAA marks for their offerings. This continues to be a misrepresentation of any NCAA involvement, and we have requested immediate removal of NCAA trademarks.”
iGamingToday confirmed that Kalshi quickly removed mentions of “March Madness” and other trademarks: “Instead of ‘March Madness,’ ‘Sweet Sixteen,’ or ‘Final Four,’ users now see generic labels such as ‘Men’s College Basketball Champion,’ ‘Women’s Semifinals Qualifiers,’ and ‘Men’s Round of 16 Qualifiers,’” the outlet reported.
Odds and ends
- To no one’s surprise, the Nevada Gaming Commission Thursday entered illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix into the state’s Black Book of Excluded Persons, CDC Gaming reported Friday. Nix can never again step foot in a Nevada casino; if he does, he faces hefty fines and imprisonment. At the center of a money-laundering scandal at the MGM Grand and Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to two felonies and is scheduled for his long-awaited sentencing March 6.
- Kambi announced Monday that it inked a deal with the MHA Nation for on-property sports betting at the tribe’s 4 Bears Casino and Lodge. Kambi is now live in 27 states.
- In an interview with NEXT.io on Monday, Sportradar VP of Product for Audiovisual Erich Zach compared high-frequency micro-betting (what happens next in a game) in mature European markets to the early-in-the-journey U.S. experience. According to the story, live wagers account for up 75% of total handle in established markets, while in the U.S., “Sportradar research found that only 17% of NFL bettors actively place in-play wagers.” Zach predicted that gap would close, as 31% of NFL bettors say live betting is a priority.
ICYMI on InGame
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Penn Spending Less On Its Sportsbook Since Ditching ESPN For theScore — And Getting More
Clase Cites Potential Antagonistic Defenses, Requests Own Trial
If You Get Limited In Massachusetts, You’ll Know Why
New Jersey Bill Wants To Treat Prediction Markets As Sportsbooks
Senators To Selig: Your Agency Is ‘Creating Incentives To Incite Violence’
AGA President Miller: Feds Should Not Be ‘In Charge Of Sports Betting, Gambling’
