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.
Don’t look for DFS in Alberta’s opening
The launch of regulated sports betting and online casinos is right around the corner in Alberta, starting July 13, but the odd man out in the Canadian province’s gaming world could be daily fantasy sports.
An article published by Covers explained how while DFS is legally permissible under new regulations, the requirements that players must be within the province to participate limits the economic viability for operators. That was the same for Ontario, which Alberta has used as a model for its new gaming regulations and which DFS operators now shun as not worthwhile for them. It takes a big pool of DFS participants for the contests to be worthwhile.
The article noted that Jennifer Aguiar, DraftKings chief compliance officer, said of DFS at the recent SBC Summit Canada conference in Toronto, “I’m pretty certain we have to give it up.”
More than 40 iGaming platforms, including nine online sportsbook operators, are preparing to launch in the second legal province in Canada next month after having registered with the regulator, Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis.
NCAA reveals wagering violations at Iona
Though former Iona basketball player Adam Njie Jr. said he did not ultimately go through with promises to bettors, the NCAA revealed Thursday that he did violate sports betting rules. Njie, according to a press release, “agreed to his violations,” which include providing game information to bettors.
Among the violations, per the release, is a promise from Njie to “throw the first half of” a December 2024 game, though he ultimately did not do that. Njie said he was threatened after failing to throw the game and promised to throw another, but also did not follow through. The NCAA Infractions Committee wrote that despite Njie backing off the promise, he violated rules by sharing information and is permanently banned.
Jill R. Dorson
Gambling ed can start in the schools
For all the talk about the dangers of young people becoming addicted to sports betting in the modern age, where are they supposed to learn the risks? From their parents? Via social media? In back alleys?
Maybe classroom teaching is the answer, is the thinking in Massachusetts. WCVB in Boston reported that the Youth Sports Betting Safety Coalition, a public-private partnership in the state, is rolling out a program in schools to educate teens about gambling and the potential perils.
The TV station visited a classroom that was taking part in the program at Medfield High School, one of 15 high schools and seven middle schools participating. There, students spoke about how easy they believe it is to get around age verification requirements of the legal sportsbook operators.
“It’s just easy to get the fake IDs and being able to sign into things with your parents’ accounts,” one student said.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who formed the coalition working on the issue in schools, said, “If we get to young people — particularly middle school, high school — we can help them if they choose to get involved with gambling, understand the risk, make sure they’re safe and that’s done responsibly.”
The Knicks cause pain for the books
Sportsbook operators and the state of New York typically make a lot of revenue from bettors who lose money, due to the combination of the vig, the vast population of the state, and an extremely high tax rate compared to counterparts.
The key word there is “typically.” A New York Knicks NBA championship is anything but typical, as any fan of the team for the past half-century knows.
And many of those fans obviously were betting recently on their team’s title hopes, as New York’s legal sportsbook operators suffered an unprecedented collective loss in the most recent reported week.
The NBA finals weren’t all bad news for the sportsbooks, who are also getting a big boost from World Cup action that enhances their soccer market activity every four years. FanDuel took to X to report that last weekend provided it records for both NBA and soccer handle.
NCPG defends Kalshi partnership
Last month’s announcement that the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) had welcomed Kalshi as a partner by creating a new Financial Services & Trading membership subcategory evidently raised some eyebrows within the council’s ranks.
NCPG President Derek Longmeier and Executive Director Heather L. Maurer issued a statement Tuesday to “members and stakeholders” seeking to give context to the decision to join forces for the first time with a prediction market operator. They acknowledged the new arrangement had drawn questions.
The statement stressed that the organization remains neutral regarding legality of all forms of gambling but that it has an obligation to evolve and respond to assist consumers “as innovative forms of participation emerge.”
“The creation of this membership subcategory reflects NCPG’s commitment to fostering informed dialogue, advancing research and education, strengthening consumer protections, and ensuring that individuals and families affected by gambling-related harm remain at the center of our work,” the statement said. “Our goal is to better understand emerging risks and mitigate harm in order to ensure that those who may experience harm have access to the resources, support, and services they need.”
The agreement with Kalshi provides the NCPG with $2 million over two years for such efforts.
Odds and ends
- Two of the major companies involved in the sports betting world, DraftKings and GeoComply, have extended their partnership. The announcement noted that the companies have worked together since DraftKings’ early DFS days, and the compliance efforts for which DK depends on GeoComply are even more important in the modern era.
- Consumers of sports betting content are gaining a new access point known as Best Bets TV, part of the VSiN sports betting network, according to a CDC Gaming article. The 24/7 channel combines highlights from VSiN’s live programming, original analysis, and video podcasts in a free streaming format.
ICYMI
CME’s Lawsuit Over Perpetuals Is Latest Sign Of A Changed CFTC
Nevada Says Kalshi Geofence Doesn’t Work, Calls For Daily Penalties Until It Does
Ho-Chunks: Kalshi’s ‘False Advertising’ Is A Violation Of IGRA
CFTC Approves Novig DCM Application
It Seems The COO Of Betr Just Built A Slot Machine On Kalshi
Timothee Chalamet Faces Backlash From Kalshi Ads
New York Tribe Says Caesars Violated Its Sovereignty, Wants Restitution
The Sports Betting Model Built By A Guy Who Wrote No Code
NGCB Announces May Arrest In Fresno State Basketball Betting Scandal
