Louisiana lawmakers have taken a significant step toward addressing illegal gambling, including sweepstakes casinos, with the passage of House Bill 53 (HB 53). This new legislation classifies certain gambling offenses as racketeering activity under the Louisiana Racketeering Act, carrying severe penalties for those convicted. HB 53, which passed through the state House with an 86-11 vote on March 30 and the Senate with a 27-9 vote on April 27, now awaits Governor Jeff Landry’s decision to sign it into law […]

The post Louisiana Moves to Classify Illegal Gambling as Racketeering appeared first on World Casino News.

Louisiana lawmakers are escalating their efforts to curb sweepstakes gambling with the introduction of House Bill 53 (HB 53), a measure designed to tighten enforcement by classifying certain gambling offenses as racketeering crimes. The bill, pre-filed by Representative Bryan Fontenot in January 2026, proposes adding various gambling-related crimes, including those associated with sweepstakes casinos, to the state’s racketeering statute. This move aims to increase penalties and broaden prosecutors’ ability to target not just operators but also their business partners, vendors, and affiliates. […]

The post Louisiana’s New Bill Aims to Strengthen Enforcement Against Sweepstakes Gambling appeared first on World Casino News.

In a stunning turn of events, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested Thursday morning, on June 5, facing charges related to his involvement in a vast illegal gambling network. The sheriff, who gained recognition as the first Hispanic sheriff in Florida, was swiftly stripped of his badge and placed in handcuffs following a detailed investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Lopez, 44, was charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, following accusations that he used his […]

The post Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez Arrested in Massive Gambling Operation Scandal in Florida appeared first on World Casino News.

As reported by MPR News, Running Aces, one of two horse racing tracks in Minnesota, has reportedly submitted a federal racketeering legal action against officials supervising three tribal casinos. In addition, it also claims that the Prairie Island Indian Community and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe are offering card games, which breaches federal and state gambling laws. The lawsuit: The horse racing track reportedly claims that Treasure Island Resort & Casino, located in Welch and owned by the Prairie […]

The post Running Aces Files Lawsuit Against Three Minnesota Tribal Casinos Executives for Illegal Card Games Operations appeared first on World Casino News.

In the western American state of California and a federal appeals court is to reportedly begin hearing oral arguments in December concerning the civil racketeering case being brought against past Wynn Resorts Limited supremo Steve Wynn (pictured). According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will start considering whether to rule against Wynn from December 6 over an assertion that he violated the tenets of the Racketeer Influenced […]

The post Federal appeals court to begin Steve Wynn lawsuit consideration in December appeared first on World Casino News.

In the United States and a punter is reportedly suing the BetMGM-branded iGaming enterprise over allegations that it covered up software glitches affecting play on its New Jersey-facing online casino and sportsbetting domains. According to a Wednesday report from The Wall Street Journal newspaper, Sam Antar has filed the action in New Jersey Superior Court at the same time as claiming that he had been regularly disconnected from the operator’s locally-licensed sites while holding favorable hands in online games of […]

The post BetMGM being sued in New Jersey over faulty iGaming software allegations appeared first on World Casino News.

The Attorney General for the American state of California, Rob Bonta (pictured), has announced the signing of a settlement agreement regarding allegations that the owner of the now-shuttered Lucky Lady Card Room had been conducting an illegal bookmaking operation. The western state’s chief law enforcement official used a Thursday press release to explain that the plea deal is to see Stanley Penn pay a fine of $125,000 and have his local gaming license revoked so as to avoid further prosecution […]

The post Lady Luck Card Room owner agrees California plea deal appeared first on World Casino News.

In Singapore and the last few years have reportedly seen unsuspecting victims lose in excess of $11.6 billion at the hands of scammers running ‘fake’ online gambling platforms. According to a report from GGRAsia, most online gambling is illegal in the former British outpost but some punters have been attempting to circumvent this prohibition by signing up for applications or domains promising a range of games including local favorites baccarat and mahjong. The source detailed that these illicit iGaming services […]

The post Singapore experiencing a steep rise in online gambling fraud appeared first on World Casino News.

The first three months of the year have reportedly seen law enforcement officials in Macau increase their efforts against organized crime groups that conduct kidnappings and illegal loan-sharking tied to gambling. Recorded rises: According to a report from GGRAsia citing a Thursday briefing from Macau Security Secretary Wong Sio Chak, this crackdown fuelled a 14.1% year-on-year increase in the overall number of gambling-related crimes that had been recorded by police over the course of the first 90 days of 2019. […]

The post Macau police stepping up efforts against loan-sharking and unlawful detention appeared first on World Casino News.

The highest ranking security official in Macau has reportedly announced that some 3,050 foreigners had been arrested either inside or near a casino last year on suspicion of being involved in illegal currency exchange activities. Suspects ‘repatriated’: According to a Tuesday report from GGRAsia, the revelation came from the city’s Security Secretary, Wong Sio Chak, and included a proclamation that all of the suspected law-breakers, whose nationalities were not detailed, had later been ‘repatriated’ to their countries of origin. Closer […]

The post Macau cracking down on illicit currency exchange activities appeared first on World Casino News.