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.
Survey: Half of Californians back sports betting
A Politico-Citrin Center poll held Oct. 9-16 found 50% of respondents would support in-person sports betting at tribal casinos in California and 37% would support online sports betting in the state. The poll was conducted by TrueDot, whose pollsters reached out to 1,149 registered voters and 213 policy influencers, but the raw data does not indicate if interviews were done by phone or digitally.
Of the registered voters, 17% were “definitely in favor” of retail betting and 33% were “probably in favor.” Those percentages were nearly identical when broken down by political party. The biggest support came in the 30-44 age group, with 55% of them either definitely or probably in favor of retail betting and 50% supporting online sports betting. Men were bigger supporters than women, with 55% of men compared to 45% of women in favor of betting at tribal casinos and 41% of men compared to 34% of women supporting online legalization.
Policy influencers were evenly split at 46% each for and against in-person betting legalization and were heavily against online legalization (75%-22%).
California’s Indian tribes are planning a legal sports betting initiative that may include retail and digital options for the 2028 ballot. The last time the issue was tested with voters was in 2022 when more than 80% of voters shot down an online sports betting initiative backed by the commercial industry and opposed by tribes.
— Jill R. Dorson
Public influenced by markets on elections
With prediction markets increasingly making news in sizing up election winner probabilities, voters’ perceptions of the campaigns are being influenced and most of them oppose the betting taking place on political races. That’s the finding of a new Brennan Center for Justice survey conducted last month of registered voters nationally.
Brennan’s report noted that major media outlets, which once relied solely on traditional polling methods, are increasingly publicizing the odds probabilities seen on major prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket US. It said its study “finds that those speculative odds influence voters’ views of the electoral landscape. The study also shows that more than 80 percent of voters want prediction markets to be more tightly regulated or even banned outright.”
A candidate showing up as favored on the prediction markets gains from 10 to 20 percentage points in voters’ perception of how likely they are to win, according to the Brennan survey. “This is in spite of voters’ deep skepticism of prediction markets, with fewer than one in five voters believing the election prediction markets are accurate and less than a third believing that election prediction markets represent the public,” the report stated.
Among those surveyed, 16% said prediction markets should be banned completely and 23% said “some types” of prediction markets should be banned. Another 48% said the markets “should be regulated more strongly than they are now,” while 14% favored no regulation at all.
New Jersey updates RG requirements
New Jersey officials touted new requirements this week pertaining to how online gaming operators must monitor customers for problem gambling signs and direct them to helpful resources. At a news conference Tuesday, Attorney General Jennifer Davenport described the regulations making it mandatory for operators to track players and intervene when appropriate, according to a CDC Gaming report.
“Creating clear, consistent criteria for identifying problem gambling means every operator follows the same rules,” Davenport said. “So problem behaviors can be flagged, no matter where someone plays.”
As part of the new regulations, every operator must appoint a responsible-gaming lead who oversees efforts in the area. The companies involved in online casinos and sports betting must also employ thresholds and behavioral triggers that help them identify customers who may need intervention. Using criteria to determine those customers who are at risk, operators are to provide them with useful information and connect them to appropriate support. If necessary, because of perceived risk to the customer, the operators are to close their accounts.
Ohio excludes bettor who harassed MLB manager
The Ohio Casino Commission (OCCC) announced Wednesday that it added a man who threatened Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Schneider to its involuntary exclusion list. The commission reported that on Oct. 28, 2025, Blake Morgan “threatened violence or harm” to Schneider in relation to bets on the 2025 World Series, which the Blue Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Per a press release, Major League Baseball alerted the OCCC to the incident. Those on Ohio’s involuntary exclusion list are prohibited from entering any “sports gaming facility” in the state, playing online, or “participating in … the operation of sports gaming in the state.”
Morgan became the third person on the OCCC’s sports wagering involuntary exclusion list, joining former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon and his co-conspirator Burt Neff II. Bohannon shared proprietary information with Neff, who placed wagers on the Alabama baseball team in 2023 at the BetMGM location at Great American Ballpark.
— Jill R. Dorson
Odds and ends
- PointsBet agreed to shutter its platform for 48 hours in Ontario for its failure in 2024 to report suspicious betting around former NBA player Jontay Porter, who is awaiting sentencing in the U.S. after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) in February had proposed the operator be suspended for five days. PointsBet has also agreed to an independent audit, according to an AGCO press release.
- Proponents of adding online casino gaming to New York’s many gambling options haven’t been gaining much traction, but the biggest potential beneficiaries of legalization are keeping up election-related activity. According to a New York Focus article this week, a super PAC funded primarily by FanDuel and DraftKings has spent more than $3.5 million since June supporting reelection of about a dozen incumbent Democrats in the legislature. The PAC known as New York Future hasn’t been mentioning gaming-related issues in ads supporting the candidates, the article stated.
- Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, New York is spending nearly $9 million to enlarge its sportsbook and add amenities to it. Construction has started on the new Seneca Sports Lounge, which is to open in May 2027 with a bar, video wall, betting counter, and kiosks while serving as a gateway into both the main casino and its special event venue.
ICYMI
DraftKings CEO Robins: However SCOTUS Rules On Sports Event Contracts, We Win
Tribal-Kalshi Partnerships: What’s In It For Both Sides?
Utah AG Sues Kalshi And Market Maker Susquehanna In State Court
Tax Code Isn’t Clear: Some In Predictions Could Face 2% Excise Tax
Different Exchanges, Same Result: Parlay Takers Lose As Makers Profit On DKeX, Polymarket US
RozierLawyer Says Client ‘Did Not Know’ About Bets; Wants Case Tried On Its Own
Regulators Are Wasting Their Time With Artificial Intelligence
FanDuel: ‘Customer-Appreciation Gestures’ Not Designed To Induce Gambling
