Big Week for Problem Gambling Support; Atlantic Sports Betting Piece Gets Panned: Bingos & Busts

It’s time to introduce a new feature here at Gambling Insider: Bingos & Busts.

We’ll look back at some of the bigger gaming stories over the past seven days. Those deserving praise get a bingo. Those who don’t get a bust.

The premise is so straightforward, even with the gaming parlance, that even McKay Coppins should understand it.

More on that later.

Bingo: Funding for Problem Gambling Gets Bipartisan Support In Congress

On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and Troy Carter (D-La.) unveiled the Providing Opportunities for Individuals in Need of Treatment and Support (POINTS) Act. It seeks to provide $100 million to help those with problem gambling disorders.

The bill (H.R. 7875) would set aside a third of the monies the federal government receives from the .25% excise tax on all sports bets placed in the country to increase awareness of problem gambling issues and help those suffering from it get the treatment they need.

It likely won’t pass this session, but the movement needs to start somewhere. Should Congress decide to take up sports betting and/or prediction market legislation in the coming years, any measure that’s approved should include dedicated federal funding for problem gambling needs.

Bust: Jalen Smith Pleads Guilty In College Basketball Point-Shaving Case

Just in time for March Madness, the federal investigation into a widespread scheme to fix roughly 30 college basketball games pops back up as one of the ringleaders admitted guilt in a Philadelphia federal courthouse.

The case, which involves nearly 40 Division I players on 17 teams, has led to renewed calls for more restrictions on college sports betting. In once instance, bettors placed more than $250,000 in wagers on a game between Northern Kentucky and Robert Morris, with orchestrators making sure NKU covered the first half spread.

The scheme mainly targeted players at smaller D-I schools because as prosecutors allege, those players “were somewhat missing out” on name-image-and-likeness money.

Bingo: Florida Legislature Appears To Reject Decoupling Again

This one might not be official just yet, but reports out of Tallahassee this week indicate that state lawmakers will end the legislative session without approving a bill that would let 1S/T Racing, which owns Gulfstream Park near Miami, offer slot machines without them being tied to horse racing.

It would be the second straight year Florida horsemen were able to defeat the bill, which would have had a disastrous effect on thoroughbred racing in the Sunshine State and across the country.

Florida’s session officially ends at midnight Friday.

Bust: McKay Coppins and The Atlantic Beat a Dead Horse

Sports betting social media was abuzz Thursday after Coppins’ piece detailing his foray into the gambling realm came out. The political commentator and gambling novice got $10,000 from his bosses to bet on games.

Coppins wrote that he wanted to report on the industry, its growth and its impact on the country. That’s been done repeatedly in recent years, and Coppins brought nothing in describing his experience that hadn’t been reported elsewhere. It wasn’t a great piece, but even worse, it was boring.

Gambling is ripe for criticism, but the mainstream media seems only interested in hitting the same few notes.

Bust: Sports Betting Not on Georgia’s Mind

Now that Missouri finally has sports betting, Georgia has become the poster child for the state that can’t get out of its own way to legalize it (although Minnesota is right on its heels).

Late last Friday, lawmakers in the Georgia House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected a measure that would have allowed voters to decide whether they want legalized wagering. Even if it had passed last week, it still would have needed the Senate to approve as well.

It was so bad that even one of the sponsors of the measure decided to vote against it. Excuse us if we’re not optimistic about its chances to pass in 2028.

Bingo: Responsible Gaming Gets a New Voice

Lastly, congrats to Jessica Welman. If you’ve been following the industry in recent years, you’ve surely read her pieces, most recently at SBC Americas, where she was the editor.

This week, Welman announced she’s joining with Brianne Doura Schawohl to promote responsible gaming practices, and as she wrote on Wednesday, “hold the regulated market accountable.”

We have no doubt she’ll do just that.