Endgame: Tribal Leader, Christie Decry CFTC, Clase Denied Trip

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.

Tribal leader: CFTC breaking own rules

Calling the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) a weak regulator and pointing to “insider trading” with regard to a $32,547 bet placed on Polymarket that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be “out” by Jan. 31, new Indian Gaming Association Chairman David Bean said Wednesday that Indian Country will actively continue to fight against prediction markets.

The platforms, regulated by the federal CFTC, Bean said, violate state and tribal sovereignty, and ultimately take away revenue from tribes that could be used for “vital services.” Bean replaced longtime chair Ernie Stevens after his unexpected death in September.

“It’s only a year old and people are just figuring out what it is,” Bean said of prediction markets. “It’s a complex issue. We need to educate members of Congress and let them know the CFTC isn’t doing their job and the activity is a violation of their own rules and regulations that prevent gambling on sporting events. We need to let them know it’s harmful to the gaming industry as a whole, but with respect to Indian gaming, it impacts our ability to provide essential services.”

The Maduro contract has made national news, and was purchased just hours before President Donald Trump ordered U.S. Special Forces to invade Caracas. When they captured Maduro and whisked him away to face charges in New York, the bettor won more than $400,000. Many have pointed to insider trading, though there’s no proof of that, and the person who bought the contract has not been identified.

Jill R. Dorson

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Christie: Prediction markets ‘against the law’

In an interview on CNBC with Contessa Brewer that aired New Year’s Day, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came down hard on sports betting on prediction markets, saying “These markets are … against the law and they need to be stopped.”

As a principal political and legal catalyst behind the challenge that led to PASPA’s 2018 repeal by the Supreme Court, Christie also has strong feelings about the regulation of prediction markets by the CFTC. “It’s bad for the integrity of sport, it’s bad for consumer protection, [and] it hurts tax revenue in states.” He added, “The idea that the CFTC is regulating sports is untrue and Kalshi knows it.”

Christie noted the potential for corruption, especially among college athletes, and said he expects the issue to be decided, eventually, by the Supreme Court.

Christie recently joined the American Gaming Association as a strategic advisor; his role will be focused on the AGA’s campaign to oppose the sports prediction markets.

Class action against DraftKings filed in MI

A Michigan resident is leading a class-action lawsuit against DraftKings in which he claims the company doesn’t implement a mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period before raising deposit and wager limits. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Dec. 30, the lawsuit also accuses DraftKings of the same violations in six other states, including New York.

Koester Class Action Download

In the complaint, lawyers for Michael Koester called the issue a “systemic failure” by DraftKings, and say Koester created deposit and wager limits, but was allowed to increase them without a waiting period. This, in part, kept him from “being able to delay the gambling impulse and avoid falling into a destructive gambling spiral.” Koester’s lawyers seek restitution and other monetary awards, including three times damages.

Jill R. Dorson

Affleck says betting runs in the family

Actor Ben Affleck revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday that sports betting runs deep in his family’s genes. He told Kimmel that his son Samuel, 13, asked him for $100 to bet sports, like all his friends do with their parents.

Affleck then admitted that his father worked at a bar, but made most of his money as a bookie in Massachusetts. When Dad brought home the family’s first VCR, he told Ben, “You can thank Steve Grogan (quarterback for the New England Patriots, which didn’t cover that weekend’s spread) for this.”

Affleck himself is a veteran gambler; in 2014, he was barred from the Hard Rock Las Vegas, accused of card counting.

BetRivers to increase Illinois bet minimum

Six months after Illinois lawmakers implemented a per-wager tax, and the same week a new city of Chicago betting tax went into effect, Rush Street Interactive confirmed Thursday an increase in its bet minimum from $1 to $5. Per an InGame analysis, bet volume at BetRivers from July-October was down 32.1% against 2024 (2,795,574 wagers vs. 4,115,253). The company has paid $698,894 in wager surcharges, bringing its effective tax rate up from the 20% base to 23.1%. It’s not all bad news — handle is up 3.2% against the same period last year.

Between July-October, BetRivers’ parlay volume is down 38% against 2024 and parlay handle has dropped 7.7% despite the average parlay wager increasing from $29 to $43.16.

Chris Altruda

Rangers partner with Polymarket

The National Hockey League continues to blaze the prediction market trail, as the New York Rangers Thursday became the second pro hockey team to partner with a prediction market operator. The Rangers named Polymarket as the team’s official prediction market partner, marking the second NHL team to sign a marketing deal with a prediction market after the Chicago Blackhawks signed with Kalshi in December. The NHL has a league-wide deal with Kalshi and Polymarket, the only league with such a partnership.

Madison Square Garden has named Polymarket as the Official & Exclusive Prediction Market Partner of the New York Rangers.

As a NYC based company, we're honored & proud to defend home ice. LGR 🏒 pic.twitter.com/1LpfMBb4Ck
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) January 8, 2026

Polymarket will be featured at Rangers home games at Madison Square Garden and during televised Rangers games. Polymarket will also appear on Madison Square Garden’s exterior marquees.

Judge denies Clase wedding trip to DR

Former Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase on Dec. 23 was denied his request to fly to the Dominican Republic from Dec. 24-26 to visit family for religious holidays, collect his passport, and marry his common-law wife.

United States Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi deemed Clase, 27, a flight risk, with jury selection for his federal conspiracy, money laundering, and sports bribery trial set for May 4.

Recently the saves leader in the American League and a Cy Young Award finalist in 2024, Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz are accused of manipulating pitch outcomes, so they and conspiring gamblers could win in-game prop bets. Both remain on administrative leave from Major League Baseball as agreed upon by the league and the players’ association.

Brant James

Odds and ends

The Rhode Island Lottery sent out a “request for qualifications” Dec. 2, seeking a company to “provide competitive sports wagering products and services” to state residents, who are now limited to one operator. The lottery will sign a five-year contract with the new provider to open this November. Applicants have until Feb. 19 to respond to the request.
DraftKings is adding Mindway AI’s Gamalyze responsible gaming tool to its repertoire. Gamalyze is a science-based self-test that provides insight into player decision-making, using “validated neuroscientific principles that provide objective insights based on real behavior rather than self-reporting.”