The Gambling Wire: Connecticut Targets Prediction Markets, Playtech Revenue Jumps
Playtech posts stronger H1 earnings, FATF highlights gambling-related money-laundering red flags, and FanDuel adds another prediction-market partnership.
Connecticut delivered Thursday’s biggest regulatory development with enforcement against nine prediction-market platforms. Elsewhere, Kalshi faced a new challenge from a banned user, and gambling companies rolled out earnings, partnerships and responsible gaming initiatives.
The Big Story: Connecticut Targets Nine Prediction Markets & Issues Nearly 30 Service Providers
Connecticut issued cease-and-desist orders to nine platforms and nearly 30 subpoenas to gaming service provider license holders and Connecticut media outlets.
The Department of Consumer Protection ordered Polymarket, Coinbase, Crypto.com, Robinhood, ProphetX, Novig, Webull, Gemini, and Underdog Predict to stop advertising, promoting or offering sports event contracts or other forms of unlicensed online gambling to Connecticut residents.
The platforms were also directed to allow Connecticut customers to withdraw funds already held in their accounts.
State officials argue that sports prediction markets violate Connecticut gaming and unfair trade practices laws when offered without a state license. They also cited concerns over participation by people under 21, self-excluded customers and markets involving Connecticut collegiate sports.
The new effort extends beyond the platforms themselves.
DCP said it issued subpoenas to nine licensed gaming service providers, including PayPal, Plaid, LexisNexis, Sportradar Solutions, Paysafecard, Genius Sports Media, Genius Tech International, Integrity Compliance 360 and Socure. Another 15 subpoenas were issued to media organizations, including ESPN, Hearst Connecticut Media, The Hartford Courant, NBC Connecticut and iHeartMedia.
Apple App Store, Google Play, Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Stripe also received subpoenas. Connecticut stressed that subpoena recipients are not under investigation themselves.
The new enforcement actions deepen the fight between Connecticut and prediction markets. The state is pursuing a lawsuit against Kalshi in court after a federal judge denied the exchange’s request for a preliminary injunction in a separate case in August.
Additionally, the state is involved in litigation against the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Coinbase.
The Daily Wire
Playtech H1 Revenue Rises 10% as North America Accelerates
Playtech reported revenue of €425.1 million ($493.2 million) for the first half of 2026. The figure represented a 10% year-over-year increase from €387 million in 2025. Regulated B2B revenue increased 21% on an underlying basis while adjusted EBITDA jumped 77% to €162.5 million.
Revenue from the U.S. and Canada reached €56.9 million, representing 176% year-over-year growth in constant currency. Playtech said its U.S. business is now profitable and highlighted launches with Fanatics, FanDuel and Bet365, as well as its iPoker rollout with FanDuel.
The company also recorded strong results in Latin America with 29% underlying growth, led by Mexico and Colombia.
FATF Flags Online Gambling Money-Laundering Risks
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has published new red-flag indicators to identify money laundering and other illicit finance activity across the gambling and gaming sectors.
The global watchdog for money laundering and terrorist financing said gambling-related money laundering is an established risk across many jurisdictions. FATF said both online and retail casinos, as well as sports betting, are particularly exposed.
Online red flags include sudden changes in account activity, difficult-to-establish sources of funds, multiple accounts linked to the same device, repeated VPN use and transactions inconsistent with a customer’s financial profile.
Betting-specific indicators include wagering on every possible outcome, coordinated peer-to-peer activity, structured deposits below reporting thresholds, low-risk bets used to justify withdrawals and large deposits followed by little or no genuine gambling activity.
Kalshi Sued by Senate Candidate Who Said He Wanted to Get Caught
Virginia U.S. Senate candidate Mark Robert Moran has sued Kalshi over a disciplinary case that resulted in a five-year suspension, a $6,229.30 penalty and disgorgement. Kalshi sanctioned Moran in April after he traded on a market tied to whether he would run for office, finding that he was a “direct decision maker” with influence over the outcome.
After Kalshi announced the enforcement notice, Moran said the trading was intentional. In a social media post, he said he bet on himself “because I wanted to get caught” to test Kalshi’s enforcement process.
His lawsuit alleges that Kalshi handled the disciplinary process in bad faith, particularly after an earlier proposed settlement involving an $800.15 payment and a one-year suspension was replaced with the harsher sanction.
Polymarket Appoints First CFO
Polymarket appointed Warren Jenson as its first chief financial officer as the prediction-market company continues to grow its U.S. operations.
Jenson previously served as CFO of Amazon, Electronic Arts, Delta Air Lines and NBC. At Polymarket, he will oversee finance, capital strategy and long-range planning while reporting to founder and CEO Shayne Coplan.
FanDuel Becomes Real App’s Exclusive Betting and Prediction Market Partner
Social sports platform Real App has named FanDuel as its exclusive sportsbook and prediction market partner.
The integration will bring FanDuel odds and contextual markets into Real’s live game feeds, player pages, box scores and other in-game features, with eligible users able to click through to FanDuel products.
The initial integration is launching around the start of the NFL season. Betting features will be optional, and users can disable them in the app.
DraftKings, Mindway AI Roll Out NFL-Themed Responsible Gaming Tool
DraftKings and Mindway AI are expanding their responsible gaming collaboration with a new American football version of Gamalyze. The companies previously introduced Gamalyze for soccer during the FIFA World Cup.
Gamalyze American Football is a gamified responsible gaming tool that helps users examine their decision-making. DraftKings first integrated Mindway AI’s Gamalyze Casino tool into its My Budget and Controls platform in January.
Bally’s Plans Chicago Update After City Council Scrutiny
Bally’s will hold a conference call on Sept. 14 to provide an update on its Chicago casino project, days after company executives faced questions from alderpersons over a slowdown in construction. The call follows a Chicago City Council hearing earlier this week focused on Bally’s decision to slow work on non-gaming portions of the $1.7 billion River West development.
Bally’s has blamed a city proposal to legalize video gambling terminals, arguing that widespread VGTs would cannibalize casino revenue. Aldermen questioned whether VGTs are the real reason for the slowdown and raised concerns about Bally’s finances and its obligations under the city’s Host Community Agreement.
New York Skill-Game Group Challenges Liquor Authority Rule
The Amusement and Music Owners Association of New York has filed a lawsuit against the New York State Liquor Authority over restrictions on skill-based, coin-operated video poker machines. The trade group is seeking to stop enforcement of a rule covering machines that award free or extended gameplay, arguing that the restriction conflicts with New York law.
The case adds another legal fight to the growing debate over skill games.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled that certain skill game machines are gambling devices in June. Courts in Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee have reached similar conclusions.
Texas has taken a different path, with an appellate court finding certain machines are not gambling devices. However, Attorney General Ken Paxton has said skill games are illegal if chance plays any role in awarding something of value.
Weekly Prediction Markets Roundup
Friday’s prediction markets roundup brings another busy week of court battles and commercial expansion as disputes over state authority continue to spread.
In Iowa, a federal judge denied Kalshi’s request for a preliminary injunction, finding the exchange was unlikely to succeed on its argument that the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) preempts state gambling laws. Kalshi suffered another setback the same day when the Tenth Circuit denied its emergency request for an injunction pending appeal in its Utah case.
The exchange also asked the full Ninth Circuit to rehear en banc its Aug. 28 ruling allowing Nevada to enforce gambling laws against sports event contracts. Robinhood separately petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review that decision, while Arizona is preparing to ask the Ninth Circuit to vacate a May injunction blocking enforcement against Kalshi.
Underdog, meanwhile, sued regulators in Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin, New Mexico and Washington, arguing that the CEA preempts state enforcement against its event-contract business.
Additionally, in Michigan, Robinhood agreed to stop offering new sports-related event contracts and to wind down remaining affected positions.
Commercial expansion continued alongside the litigation. Robinhood added Crypto.com’s OG as an infrastructure and clearing provider under a multiyear agreement, while Betr began rolling out Polymarket contracts through its consumer app.
The sector also expanded its celebrity partnerships, with LeBron James teaming up with Polymarket and Sydney Sweeney appearing in an NSFW Novig ad as part of a new collaboration.
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