CFTC sues Minnesota over prediction markets ban, Penn Entertainment reduces headcount

This week, Casino Guru announced it has been named Casino Affiliate of the Year at the AffPapa iGaming Awards 2026. The prestigious event highlighted leading iGaming operators, affiliates and B2B providers, distinguishing the ones that demonstrate innovation, long-term value and high impact. Casino Guru’s award at the event is a testament to its leadership position as an affiliate brand in the iGaming industry.

There is now less than a week until the Casino Guru Awards 2026, which are expected to bring the industry together. The much-anticipated Casino Guru Awards 2026 are going to be held ahead of NEXT Valletta conference on May 25 at Xara Lodge in Malta. The awards are renowned as one of the gaming industry’s most respected recognitions for player protection, ethical business practices, and fairness.

Earlier in the week, Casino Guru News released an op-ed piece by Casino Guru’s Head of Casino Research, Matej Novota, who focused on casino bonuses. The insightful analysis looks into the ongoing scrutiny of casino bonuses, facing pushback from gambling regulators in major markets across Europe. Novota highlights challenges related to the ban on casino bonuses, including channelization failures, among other issues.

Casino Guru News also released an analysis by the entertainment, sports and lifestyle expert, Holly Sandrove. The report focused on NFL teams and injuries data from the 2025/26 NFL season, highlighting how much teams are truly losing when players cannot play due to sustaining injuries. The analysis comes at a time when the 2026 NFL season is approaching, making its findings even more interesting.

Business and finance

Continuing its successful relationship with Latvia’s National Lottery, Scientific Games emerged as the winner of a new five-year contract. The alliance builds on a foundation between the duo dating back to 2002. Following a competitive procurement process, Scientific Games was selected as the winner of the new contract with Latvijas Loto and will deliver its scratchcard games, and programming that will boost the lottery’s retail and digital operations. At the same time, the deal will ensure seamless omnichannel experiences from retail to online play.

A week after announcing its Q1 financial results, Penn Entertainment confirmed changes to one of its divisions, reducing its headcount by 75 people. The unexpected layoffs affect Penn’s Penn Interactive division, which is in charge of the company’s sports betting and online gambling operations.

Per the announcement, the layoffs follow a restructuring that impacts dozens of employees. Penn’s decision follows a broader industry trend, with other companies in the online gambling sector also reducing their headcount recently.

In a move that is good for business, Hard Rock Digital received an iGaming license in Ontario, Canada. The company has reached this major milestone and will be able to launch its sports and casino brand, catering to customers in one of the most important gambling markets in North America. Hard Rock Digital’s license, awarded by the province’s gambling watchdog, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, is valid through May 13, 2027.

Regulation and laws

At a time when sports betting in the United States is increasingly becoming a normal part of sports, two senators are pushing for stronger safeguards to stop minors from seeing gambling ads. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the effort is led by Sens. Katie Britt and Richard Blumenthal, who are pushing harder for effective regulation that impacts not only the gambling industry but prediction markets, too.

The duo plans to develop a new framework operating on a federal level that will effectively prohibit gambling ads on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The proposed law, called the Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement Act plans to use the existing safeguards as a foundation to further propel the protection of minors.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a lawsuit against Minnesota after the state’s decision to enact a prediction market ban. The legal action follows Governor Tim Walz’s signing of a law that seeks to prohibit the operation of prediction markets, making a minor exception for weather event contracts. However, the CFTC argued that Minnesota doesn’t have the power to regulate prediction markets, adding that the regulator has the exclusive oversight authority on the activity.

In Pennsylvania, the state’s gambling regulator, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), issued fines of $180,000 against operators. In total, the PGCB confirmed four fines, citing breaches to know-your-customer policies, underage gambling and insufficient vetting processes in employing people, among other issues. The newly announced financial penalties impacted Wind Creek Bethlehem, LLC, Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment and Fantasy Contest Operator YFS Sub LLC.

According to Turkish local media reports, the size of the illegal gambling sector is significant. In an interview earlier this week, Turkey’s Vice President, Cevdet Yılmaz, revealed that the illegal gambling market in the country is estimated to be worth between $20bn and $60bn. Those figures alone are a testament to the size of the illegal gambling sector, despite ongoing actions of law enforcement against illegal betting, casino gambling, and money laundering.

Responsible gambling

The leading prediction markets platform, Kalshi, reaffirmed its dedication to responsible gambling by joining the body focusing on prevention, research and evidence-based approach in preventing gambling harm, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). Notably, Kalshi became NCPG’s first Financial Services & Trading Subcategory member and was assigned as a Platinum-level member. The popular prediction markets platform has also invested $2m to support NCPG’s efforts.

Addressing the mass proliferation of gambling in Pennsylvania, one lawmaker highlighted the need for consumer protection. The push is led by Sen. Wayne Fontana, who is supported by other lawmakers in the state. Notably, Sen. Fontana supports the development of policies that protect vulnerable age groups, including the 18-34 demographic. He wants the implementation of a complete ban on gambling with credit cards, among other things, that are expected to encourage responsible play while protecting consumers from excessive gambling.

The voice of the industry

This week, Casino Guru News published an op-ed by the award-winning NFL reporter, insider, and analyst, Jason La Canfora, who focused on his Top 10 Projected Ranking Quarterbacks. The detailed list features names such as Sam Darnold, Justin Herbert and Caleb Williams, among others, but who ranked first?

Again, this week, Casino Guru News published an insightful sports report focusing on who is Nate Diaz. The analysis highlighted important facts of the life of one of the world’s most prominent MMA fighters, including how many wins and losses does Diaz have, what is Nate Diaz net worth and more interesting details.

In a separate report, Casino Guru News described the UFC career highlights and record of Joshua Van, the UFC Flyweight Champion. The 2001-born fighter's success story is one that captures the attention of MMA fans across the globe. Despite his young age, Joshua Van enjoys an outstanding UFC career and has a current record of 17-2-0.

Earlier in the week, Casino Guru News had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Adam Conway, the General Manager of the Esports Business Unit at BETER. In that discussion, the executive highlighted how the company is scaling its ESportsBattle eLeagues portfolio and its strategy for next-gen bettor engagement ahead of the upcoming World Cup 2026. In addition, Conway discussed other hot topics and potential challenges.

In a separate, exclusive interview for Casino Guru News, David Fall, St8’s Business Development Manager, discussed the company’s ongoing expansion in regulated markets across the globe. He highlighted important aspects of the modern gambling vertical, revealing that it’s no longer enough to simply deliver the game and pointed to emerging trends.

Casino Guru News also looked into recent rumors surrounding the world-famous and indomitably optimistic singer, Bruno Mars. A hot topic among his fan base since 2024, when rumors claimed he had accumulated a significant gambling-related debt, has resulted in the question: Does Bruno Mars have a gambling problem?

This week, Casino Guru released the second episode of its new AI-powered podcast, Player’s Horizon. In that episode, hosts Nate and Mike looked into challenges and failures related to gambling self-exclusion.

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