Panellists at a G2E discussion in Las Vegas said duplicated state licensing requirements raise costs for smaller gaming businesses. Sporttrade CEO Alexander Kane said four geolocation tests cost about $10,000 each, while speakers backed using one state’s checks in others and suggested tiered licences.
Changes to cross-state checks and licensing tiers could affect compliance costs for smaller gaming businesses.
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Nevada, Ohio and a bipartisan coalition of 37 states, alongside the District of Columbia, have asked the Fourth Circuit to reject Kalshi's argument that federal derivatives rules allow sports betting outside state gambling laws. In a brief filed on 22 December in KalshiEx LLC v. Martin, the states argue that federal oversight does not displace state authority; Maryland officials are defending their ability to enforce state law against sports-related event contracts.
Underdog Sports founder and chief executive Jeremy Levine said the company will surrender its fantasy sports licences in Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The company will stop accepting new Drafts entries in those states and close the product when the 2026 NFL season begins on 9 September, while allowing existing drafts to finish; Levine said the move followed state regulators’ positions on its prediction markets.
Underdog is giving up daily fantasy sports licences across seven US states to preserve its prediction markets business. State regulators told the company that its federally regulated prediction platform could not coexist with its state-licensed fantasy sports operations.
Reportedly, G2E panellists debated whether gambling regulation keeps licensed operators competitive as alternative products expand. Sports Betting Alliance president and CEO Joe Maloney suggested shared digital infrastructure could help jurisdictions exchange self-exclusion signals while addressing privacy concerns.
Panellists at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) questioned whether gambling regulation is keeping licensed operators competitive as alternative products expand, in a session titled "Regulated or Irrelevant: What Global Markets Are Teaching North America About Staying Competitive". The panel brought together Katie Lever, general counsel and chief administrative officer at Great Canadian Entertainment; Joe Maloney, president and CEO of the Sports Betting Alliance; Jennifer Carleton, chief of licensing and investigations for the UAE's General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority; and Alex Roberts, bringing the perspective of the British market.
Rapani Rechtsanwälte's Felix Hohenthanner and OVWG president Simon Priglinger-Simader said Austria's shift to a multi-licence market would be significant, while warning that timing and entry barriers remained concerns. They made the remarks at a conference in Lisbon, according to a press report.