Black eyes in college basketball, Brennan's departure from Prime Sports, and more

 Here in iGB's State of the Union, we take stock of the week's most noteworthy sports betting headlines in North America and provide quick summaries of others that caught our eye.
 the nation's status
 Gambling warrants investigation into two collegiate basketball teams
 There have been more negative headlines about college basketball in the two weeks leading up to Selection Sunday.  Subjects to gambling enquiries have been initiated by two educational institutions.

 Four University of New Orleans (UNO) players who have been sitting on the bench since late January are reportedly now being investigated for gambling, according to college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman's tweet from 26 February.  On the other hand, two players were benched by Fresno State on 22 February as part of an ongoing gambling investigation.

 Instagram post by Goodman Hoops with the hashtag #1894744804015194305
 At least one of the recent gambling investigations has connections to the larger betting controversy involving NBA player Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors.  After facing charges of unlawful betting and withdrawing himself from games early to help co-conspirators win bets, Porter pleaded guilty in federal court last year.

 James White, Jah Short, Dae Dae Hunter, and Jamond Vincent—the top scorers for UNO—have not played for the team since 27 January, according to NOLA.com.  Vince Granito, the UNO sports director, would not explain which rules the four were in violation of, but he did say that they were suspended.

 According to ESPN, there may be ties between the UNO probe and the larger criminal betting network.  It is possible that two UNO games were bet on by that group.  According to ESPN's sources, wagers were placed on the McNeese State and Southern Louisiana games through sportsbook accounts linked to the betting ring.  The Privateers were heavily favoured by the point spread in three other games this season.

 Mykell Robinson was not on the Fresno State roster in January.  Zaon Collins is under investigation for allegedly wagering on professional sports teams, while Jalen Weaver was demoted this week.  Neither of them started in the 22 February match against Air Force.  The NCAA and the university are both looking into the situation.

 I presented a "solid, fair plan" to the governor of Oklahoma.
 Kevin Stitt, governor of Oklahoma, has no plans to abandon his plan to legalise sports betting that he first proposed in 2024.  As part of the agreement, commercial firms would be able to offer digital betting, but indigenous tribes would retain exclusive rights to in-person betting.  A 2024 reading of Indian gaming rules and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) are both directly contradicted by the idea.

 At https://twitter.com/GovStitt/status/1894062321057542579
 Despite their tumultuous history with Stitt, the tribes of Oklahoma have remained silent.  Class III gaming exclusivity and the preservation of tribal sovereignty are guaranteed to federally recognised tribes under IGRA.  Both problems are violated by Stitt's plan.  The thirty-plus tribes in the state have already stated their intention to wait until Stitt's term ends in 2027 before taking any significant action on the matter.

 Among the many legal sports betting measures pending in the state senate is one that would grant the Oklahoma City Thunder digital wagering rights while allowing the tribes to offer retail sports betting.  Senate Bill 585 would impose a statewide cap on mobile platforms and mandate that Thunder's platform "share all gross gaming revenue with all tribal entities that have entered into Model Gaming Compact" for all gross gaming revenues.

 Despite being reported out of committee and onto the Senate floor on 19 February, SB 585 has not yet been considered by the entire Senate.  No other Oklahoma City legislation pertaining to sports betting has emerged from committee.

 "Resigning" as founder of Prime Sports
 Joe Brennan, who helped develop the sharp betting site, revealed on LinkedIn that he is "stepping away" from the company on 23 February, writing that "change is necessary" in the legal sports betting scene.  Prime Sports is notorious for its "old-school" practices, such as accepting large bets.  During the 2018 effort to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, Brennan played a pivotal role.

 Brennan expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that "for every dollar wagered with regulated operators, at least one dollar is still being bet with unregulated ones".  He intends to venture out into the gambling world to gather ideas and thoughts as he starts to formulate a plan to bring about change.

 I would greatly appreciate it if you could spare a few moments of your time to listen to my ideas on what is needed in this space if I were to contact you, as many of you have so graciously given your observations," he said.  "I'm not trying to sell you anything; I'm simply listening and attempting to put myself in your shoes."  There has to be more of everything in this sector: competition, innovation, involvement, protection, and differentiation.  Being good shepherds is of utmost importance.

 Prediction markets offer a "back door" to Titus.
 According to Casino Reports, Nevada Representative Dina Titus spoke out on February 21 about her views on allowing prediction markets to offer sports betting.  In a letter addressed to Caroline D. Pham, acting chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Titus wrote: "This year, platforms have started to provide contracts on athletic events...  This emerging sector of the economy is at odds with state-regulated casino companies due to event contracts for athletic events.

 There is a lack of oversight for prediction sites in the United States, in contrast to legitimate sports betting platforms.  Even though the company is currently in court, Kalshi was able to offer the contracts last autumn because to a judicial victory.  Bets on elections, such as the presidential election held in November of last year, are also available.

 Sports betting markets are now available on several sites, including Kalshi and Polymarket.  They have contracts for a wide variety of sporting events, including picking the winners of tennis tournaments and the Super Bowl.  Opponents in the gambling business argue that customers won't be adequately safeguarded.  These sites are not bound by the same rules that more conventional betting sites are.

 Titus expressed his concern about the potential negative consequences of allowing prediction contracts on athletic events, stating that the Commission should consider these issues before making any regulation decisions.  "Sports prediction contracts open the door for states that have not yet authorised sports betting to do so in a roundabout fashion.   Historically, in the US, individual states have handled matters pertaining to the legalisation and regulation of sports betting.

 New member added to New York Gaming Facility Location Board
 New York State gambling Commission member Teryl Brown, VP and general counsel at Pace University, was named to the gambling facility location board on 24 February.  There will be three casinos in New York's downstate, and this committee will decide which sites and bids get the licenses.

 Three weeks have passed since the last appointment.  Carlos P. Naudon is replaced by Brown.  Brown was unanimously elected to the board by the commission.

 The work of the Gaming Facility Location Board has the potential to revolutionise New York, according to Commission head Brian O'Dwyer, who made the statement via press release.  To the group assessing casino proposals, Ms. Brown contributes extensive knowledge, skills, and public service.  For all that the board does for the state of New York, I am grateful to her and the rest of it.

 As a public worker in New York, Brown has spent a large portion of her career.  After serving as first assistant counsel to former governor Eliot Spitzer, she moved on to function as counsel to former governor David Paterson.

 Tribes in Colorado face impending legal deadline
 A move to dismiss the Ute tribes' wagering lawsuit against the state of Colorado is due by March 7th.  Whatever the outcome of the motion, the tribes' contention that the state has excluded them from online sports betting will not be pursued.  This might have far-reaching consequences for indigenous communities across the United States if it does.

 The tribes can legally host sports betting on their reservations according to IGRA.  Both of these Colorado tribes have retail casinos where you may place your bets.  A state-wide mobile betting option was available from one of the tribes for a while.  However, the state denied the Southern Ute tribe's request to relaunch their platform in 2023.  The law stipulated at the time that in order for a tribe to accept wagers from outside Indian Country, it must pay the state tax.

 The Southern Ute tribe sued the state just days after the US Supreme Court turned down a request to hear the West Flagler vs. Haaland case from Florida.  It was last autumn when the Ute Mountain Utes became a party to the lawsuit.  After the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit resolved the West Flagler case, the Florida Seminoles were able to legally provide mobile betting throughout the state.

 Nationwide, indigenous communities are keeping tabs on the Colorado case.  Additionally, a tribal attorney has stated that the ruling could have far-reaching consequences, surpassing even the West Flagler case, should the court rule in favour of the Ute nations.

 Also in the headlines...
 On February 26th, the Ohio Casino Control Commission made an announcement after searching three sites in Columbus, where they found 184 illicit slot machines.  The OCCC has "seized/disabled" 7,386 gambling machines and carried out 160 search warrants.  According to the report, that's more slot machines than all four of the state's casinos put together.

 FanDuel's retail sportsbook at Audi Field in Washington DC closed on 20 February, according to WTOP.  Four years have passed since the establishment opened.

 The new FanDuel office in Newport, New Jersey was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony on February 27.  With around 400 employees, FanDuel has been operating out of New Jersey since 2016.