Trying to make sense of a crazy week highlighted by FBI's gambling busts involving NBAers
Players past and present accused of making illegal sports bets and a head coach is alleged to have participated in rigged poker games, and the NHL's deal with Kalshi and Polymarket sparks backlash.
Beyond the mentions of the FBI, mafia, rigged poker game allegations and illegal wagering, there were other signs that Thursday, October 23 was a seminal moment.
It began with the questions on every ferry, bus and airplane ride returning home last Friday from a two-week Greek getaway with our much, much better half. It continued on Monday afternoon when we picked up our meds at the local drug store and our friendly neighbourhood pharmacist pulled us aside after we paid to ask about “that NBA gambling thing.”
OK, OK, we have dislodged tongue from cheek to provide some serious thoughts and layers on what is undoubtedly the craziest week we’ve experienced since first laying fingers to keyboard for the first Parleh-now-Gaming News Canada dispatch back in the winter of 2021. Front and centre is the ongoing reaction to the FBI’s news conference last week announcing the results of an investigation into illegal sports betting and allegations of rigged-on-steroids poker games involving the mafia, NBA players and more names expected to come down the proverbial pike.
Coming in the runner-up position is the continuing brawl between (some) sports betting operators, regulators and other advocates of legal wagering with companies that offer prediction markets. On the same day as the FBI newser last week, the NHL announced (boy, the good folks in communications with the league would have loved a do-over on the timing) sponsorship agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket, the first U.S. professional sports league to welcome prediction market firms as corporate partners.
As we sat down at the keyboard yesterday morning, news landed on X that Kalshi is “going global” and shortly afterwards a news release announcing (Pretty Much Never The) Truth Social is diving into the prediction markets game with Crypto.com as its dance partner.
The coverage on the first two stories has been overwhelming, but we’ve endeavoured to provide our loyal subscribers with the best reporting and analysis we’ve stumbled upon over the past six days. First, however, a few thoughts:
Yes, sports betting scandals didn’t suddenly happen (and isn’t it hard to believe the NBA’s Tim Donaghy scandal is almost two decades old now) with the legalization, regulation, overturning of PASPA, passing of the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, and easier access to wagering through digital/online means. So, puhleeze, no more calls/posts/rants for what can be called nothing else than de-legalization and restoring betting to a Sergeant Schultz “I know nothing” dark age.
And yes, rigged poker games orchestrated by organized crime figures is a different kettle of fish than NBA players getting together with their buddies to make money from prop betting on sportsbooks.
But . . . when the integrity of perhaps the most-followed sports league on the planet is questioned, a bipartisan (we repeat, bipartisan) U.S. Congress panel is calling on its commissioner to take the train to D.C., and leagues are sending memos to remind everyone of its gambling policies or having to address the issue at the start of a World Series attracting huge interest on both sides of the border, perhaps it’s time to take a pause and then do more walking than running when it comes to generating revenue, protecting integrity and protecting players subjected to abuse and harassment from disgruntled, dangerous, almost-always-anonymous “fans” who lose bets.
As Steve Ruddock, who joined Dave Briggs, Geoff Zochodne and yours truly on this week’s Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming, wrote in his Straight to the Point newsletter:
“The accumulation of betting scandals paints a troubling picture of systemic vulnerabilities in the era of legalized sports gambling. When viewed individually, they might seem like isolated incidents, and kudos for the legal market for uncovering them — a common refrain from the legal industry… but added attention is the last thing the industry wants: The more attention sports betting receives, the more likely Congress will jump into the conversation.
“The industry can try to paint it any way they want, but even if it’s true, this “slow trickle” of revelations is fueling calls for crackdowns and undermining public trust in sports.”
Here in the true north strong and free, the Senate recently passed Bill S-211 to create a national framework on sports betting advertising. Although, how that gets done remains to be seen given the current political climate, that industry regulation happens at the provincial level, revenue from gaming companies has been a boon of sorts for Canadian media outlets, and there’s a documented pullback in advertising by online gambling operators.
Many of our conversations with Paul Burns over the past four-plus years include the president/CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association making it crystal clear regulation is a good thing. Regulatory regimes aren’t etched in stone and while finding consistency in jurisdictions across North America isn’t easy – there’s an understandable level of frustration with differing rules of engagement among gaming commissions across the U.S .of A – that can and should change as the industry continues to evolve.
We saw just that in Ontario back in 2023 when the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario banned athletes from appearing in advertising and even earlier when legal operators in the province were told to remove UFC events because of concerns over integrity. The events of the past week make one wonder if Alberta’s slow road to regulation is a better path. Denmark became the latest country with legal gambling to ban advertising during games last week, and we won’t be shocked if there are changes made around prop betting moving forward.
As for the bun throwing between the sports betting industry and prediction markets, who in the H-E-double hockey stick knows what happens there? The current landscape includes dueling lawsuits by Kalshi and gaming commissions; the American Gaming Association warning leagues against following the NHL’s lead; FanDuel and DraftKings each doing the Nestea Plunge into the PM game; and the head-spinning uncertainty that the current White House administration brings to everything it touches including a president who is now putting prediction markets on his social media platform and whose son is a strategic advisor for Kalshi.
Folks, we’re only in the first inning (with apologies to everyone immersed in Monday evening/Tuesday morning’s marathon Game 3 of the Fall Classic).
Reading and Reflection, Part One
1. A shoutout to the aforementioned Ruddock, Dustin Gouker of The Closing Line and Scott Longley’s Compliance+More for their work over the past week. David Purdum of ESPN.com has also been all over the NBA/FBI story, and his Monday thread on X is a worthwhile read.
2. Given the above mentions about U.S. Congress, we take you to this 2018 article from Purdum and Ryan Rodenberg, part of a then-special series on the future of sports wagering.
3. ESPN columnist Dan Wetzel and Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star took similar approaches on there being a cost to sports leagues going all in on legal sports betting.
4. The Atlantic’s Marc Novicoff delved deep into Kalshi elbowing its way into the business of betting in the U.S., including states where wagering isn’t legal.
5. You’ll need a subscription but The Athletic has live updates and this piece from Ian O’Connor including this line from a David Stern presser in 2007 on the Donaghy scandal: “Man, it really felt like the sports world was crumbling around us.”
6. Contessa Brewer, who covers the gambling biz for CNBC, did a segment with reaction from sportsbooks on the NBA busts.
7. On the day before the FBI news conference, NBA commissioner Adam Silver appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and called for more regulation around sports betting. In another interview, Silver addressed the league’s investigation into Rozier back in 2023.
8. Declan Hill, who’s been following gambling scandals for much longer than a New York minute, offered his thoughts and layers on the latest NBA scandal.
9. Long-time industry watcher Patrick Everson was among the many offering their takes on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Everson also wrote for Vegas Insider on the likely involvement of legal sportsbooks in helping the FBI with its investigation.
10. Broadcaster Craig Carton suggested on his show that ESPN needs to part company from ESPN Bet. Carton, who has battled gambling addiction, is a responsible gambling ambassador and host of “The Comeback with Craig Carton” on FanDuel TV. It needs to be mentioned that FanDuel has spent significant marketing/advertising dollars as a partner of TSN since the Ontario market opened in April 2022.
The Inside The NBA panel, as always, wasn’t shy about trading insights and barbs in its segment on the scandal.
Matt Rybaltowski of iGaming Business spoke with several gambling harm experts who hope the NBA story will be a catalyst for some change.
Let us not forget about the history of casino contrahversies.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is putting off his push for a ban on microbetting because he expects the leagues to step up here.
Finally, we could use a little levity here so pointing you to watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with apologies to footy fans.
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Record Ontario online casino revenue drives sixth straight $300 million month
Despite sports betting revenue dropping 23% over the previous month, September was still the third-best month for total Ontario online gambling revenue in history with $329.4 million earned. It was the sixth straight month total revenue exceeded $300 million.
The numbers, released by iGaming Ontario (iGO), were driven almost entirely by online casino revenue, which set an all-time monthly record of $277.8 million – a whopping 84% of the entire online gambling revenue pie.
The $277.8 million for online casinos surpassed the previous monthly record of $267.8 million set in August.
In September, total Ontario online gambling revenue surpassed $9 billion, total, since the market launched in April of 2022. It is expected that the province will surpass the $10 billion revenue milestone early in 2026, but could hit the mark before the end of this year if the totals continue to be exceptional.
Online casino revenue is rapidly approaching $7 billion lifetime (to exactly $6.69 billion through September). The $7 billion milestone should be reached before the end of 2025.
All that is against the backdrop of lower-than-expected sports betting and poker numbers. Online poker revenue was down 25% from $6.8 million in August to $5.1 million in September. Sports betting revenue fell the aforementioned 23% from $60.2 million in August to $46.5 million in September, which was the lowest monthly total in all of 2025 and the lowest since December of 2024 ($39.5 million).
September did see an uptick of 39% month-over-month in sports betting handle (from $765 million to $1.06 billion), which was anticipated due to the return of the NFL.
So, what explains the sharp drop in revenue?
As Tom Nightingale wrote for Canadian Gaming Business, the revenue drop, “may be down to a run of customer-friendly NFL results, and several sportsbooks have reported taking a hit on the [Blue] Jays’ success from home-fan Ontario bettors.”
Geoff Zochodne of Covers also confirmed customers tended to beat the books on NFL games of late with this tweet:
All of that makes the continued success of Ontario online casinos – and the provincial market overall – that much more impressive. The year is shaping up to be a record breaker for all three online gambling categories.
For the first nine months of 2025:
Ontario online casinos – $2.23 billion in revenue (it was $2.25 billion for the entire 2024)
Ontario online sports betting – $555.2 million in revenue ($687 million of all of 2024)
Ontario online poker – $52.5 million in revenue ($67.7 million in all of 2024)
Based on the average monthly revenue in each category in 2025, the projected yearly totals are:
Online casinos — $2.97 billion
Online sports betting — $740.3 million
Online poker — $69.9 million
TOTAL — $3.78 billion
Ruddock, Zochodne and Briggs on latest show
Given the amount of huge gambling news lately, Gaming News Canada Show host Steve McAllister carved out an ambitious agenda for a conversation with gambling journalists Steve Ruddock (author of the Straight to the Point newsletter), Geoff Zochodne of Covers and Gaming News Canada newsletter editor Dave Briggs.
Truth is, the panel spent much of the show speaking about the NBA and poker scandals, before finishing up on the Kalshi and Polymarket deals with the NHL.
Still, it’s an interesting conversation on the state of the industry from some of the people that cover it.
You can listen to the show here or watch it here:
People on the Move
Sonja Lindenberg of NEXT.io reported on the lousy news about job cuts at Games Global.
Superbet founder Sacha Dragic becomes the one and only CEO at Superbet.
Former Wildfire CRO Amanda Rubin announced this week she’s the new Senior Vice President, Revenue at Frameplay.
Julian Borg-Barthet bids adieu to Playnetic after a two-year tenure as Chief Commercial Officer.
Former Sightline Payments chief legal beagle Jennifer Carleton joins the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority as Chief of Licensing and Investigations.
Jodi Thorne, formerly of PointsBet and Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, is named Retention Marketing Manager at NeoPollard Interactive.
Bryan Bennett is named Head of US at RPM Gaming – Freelance.
Sporting Risk brings on board Joe Adair as Senior Sales Manager.
The Winnipeg Sea Bears of the CEBL promote Megan Noonan to Assistant General Manager & Senior Director, Business Operations, Emily Tham moves up to Manager of Marketing, Communications and Community Partnerships, and Max Asper also climbs the operations ladder to Game Day Director. Riley Marra is appointed Director, Game Presentation & Digital Experience.
Valerie Camillo, who’s held executive roles with the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Flyers, is named Chair of the WTA as the replacement for the retiring Steve Simon. David Highhill is appointed Head of Strategy.
Susanna Swartley is appointed Global Head of Accounts for the brand marketing division of Excel Sports Management.
James Boyd leaves his position as General Manager of the Ottawa 67’s to become the Ontario Hockey League’s Vice President of Hockey Operations.
Classified (Jobs) Information
On the Home Front
Among the plethora of employment possibilities at EA Sports’ Vancouver offices these days is one for a Senior Game Product Manager – EA Sports FC.
Bet99 has an opening for a Human Resources Generalist.
Delta Bingo & Gaming is looking for a Loyalty & Rewards Manager.
Canucks Sports & Entertainment is hiring a Director, Marketing and Brand.
PayPal has a Toronto-based opening for a Product Launch and Growth Manager.
CBC is seeking a Senior Communications Officer to work out of its Winnipeg offices.
BMO is on the lookout for a Social Media Specialist, Content & Community.
South of the Border
Wanted by MGM Resorts International: an Executive Director, Enterprise Analytics.
Kinectify has an opening for an AML Analyst II.
Hard Rock Digital has a remote opportunity for a Lead Data Analyst – Omni and for an Associate – Sportsbook Planning.
DraftKings is seeking a couple of new members for its Social team.
Aristocrat Interactive is searching for a Senior Partner Success Manager.
Evil Geniuses are in the market for a Director of Brand Marketing and Operations.
PlayStation is in hiring mode for a Senior Manager, Global Account Director.
Ohio law firm Marcus Thomas has a remote opening for a Management Supervisor, Lottery Solutions – Client Experience.
Private AI is seeking a Head of Marketing.
Front Office Sports requires a Director, Social.
Scripps is in the market for a Director, Brand Strategy - Sports.
The Vegas Golden Knights are on a seek-and-employ mission for a Senior VP, Revenue.
Denver-based Kroenke Sports and Entertainment is looking for a Chief Commercial Officer.
The MLS Seattle Sounders and NWSL Seattle Reign FC are searching for a Vice President of Corporate Partner Sales Strategy.
The NBA Milwaukee Bucks need a Staff Counsel.
And the WTA is also searching for some support in the legal department with an Associate Counsel/Counsel opportunity.
A Manager, PR & Communications is needed at the NWSL head office.
Across the Ponds
LeoVegas Group has a Sliema-based gig available for a Head of Casino.
LiveScore Group has an opening in London for a Senior ASO Executive.
Playson requires an Account Manager for the Brazilian gaming market.
Reading and Reflection, Part Deux
The anti-prediction market folks may have had a bone tossed their way with yesterday’s announcement that (Rarely The) Truth Social will be offering said markets through an exclusive partnership with Crypto.com.
If you’re late to the prediction market party, Geoff Zochodne did some keyboarding of the explainer type during his appearance at the Global Gaming Expo.
ICYMI, the Responsible Gambling Council recently released its 2024-25 annual report. We look forward to hearing more about the RGC’s global, gambling marketing and advertising research study when the results are available.
ESPN’s Purdum reported Monday that the Las Vegas Golden Knights ended a sponsorship deal with a Mexican company that sells sports betting selections.
Michael Fletcher has a must-read piece on the ties between sports and the mafia.
Gaming law/sports betting legal beagle Daniel Wallach took to the socials yesterday to flag a lawsuit filed against Drake, online influencer Adin Ross and the corporate parent of Stake.us for promoting illegal online gambling in the Show Me state. Stake told SiGMA World it hasn’t been served any paperwork.
Betty Canada released its Q3 2025 financials last week, touting that its customer base has reached six figures in Ontario. Tom Nightingale provided more insight on Canadian Gaming Business.
Mum’s the word from Loto-Quebec when it comes to providing information on online gambling revenue and gifts for VIP customers, according to Hugo Duchaine of TVA Nouvelles/News. The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition reacted to the coverage in a LinkedIn post.
SBC’s Tom Nightingale got confirmation last week that Wildz Group (Rootz) is no longer operating in Ontari-ari-ari-o.
Yes, indeed, NCAA athletes and staff of U.S. college sports teams are now able to wager on pro sports without facing disciplinary action.
Jill Dorson, writing for InGame, reports feedback from sportsbooks that prediction markets aren’t having an impact on their bottom line.
The Stronach Group, Churchill Downs and the New York Racing Association are facing a class-action lawsuit with regards to computer-assisted wagering.
The increasing access to different types of gambling is having an impact on ticket sales for Nebraska Lottery.
It appears partnerships between FanDuel Sports Network and other sports broadcasters with local TV stations are doing quite well.
Canadian company NorthStar Gaming has a new website to . . . er. . . boost . . . its written content.
GBG Plc did some M&A business last week to boost its business in Australia and New Zealand.
And Scott Longley from Earnings+More had the details on the merging of Betclic and Tipico across the pond.
Finally, while The Guardian’s coverage of the gambling industry has been heavily slanted, the recent comments by the head of the UK Betting and Gaming
Council to MPs are gobsmacking, and then some.
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