Gambling in the USA
Casinos Across the U.S. Continue to Close as COVID-19 Spreads
More and more casinos across the United States are closing their doors as the nation goes into shutdown following the coronavirus outbreak.
Over the past few days, the rapid spread of the virus has forced millions of citizens to quarantine themselves at home. Offices, hotels, and venues across the country have had to cease operations, unclear when they can open again. The country is facing an economic crisis as a result and the gambling industry could be one of the worst-hit.
Both Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International shuttered their Las Vegas casinos last week. However, full-time employees have been given assurances that salaries will continue to be paid during the period. The move follows recommendations from the CDC to limit public gatherings to no more than 10 people.
Speaking to CNBC, Vegas-based race and sports manager Duane Colucci of Rampart Casino highlighted the industry’s struggle to prepare for such a situation. “It’s so hard to fathom. You can’t prepare for something like this, especially in the race and sportsbook industry,” she said. She hopes that work-from-home regulations will be relaxed to allow casinos to take bets online.
On the east coast, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has closed all casinos, bars, and restaurants in Atlantic City, rendering the popular gambling hub a ghost town.
A move online
Online gambling has managed to continue through the struggles largely unaffected, with many digital casinos accepting US players around the world. Virtual horse racing also continues to operate online, along with certain sporting events in less-affected countries like Mexico and Russia.
Sportsbooks across the country have begun taking bets on all-and-everything in an attempt to pick up the slack. For example, the popular Costa Rican-based betting site Bovada has even been taking bets on the maximum temperature in various U.S. cities.
Sports betting sites like FanDuel and DraftKings are investigating new events on which to take bets. They both took some bizarre wagers on last week’s U.S political debate, including the amount and frequency of Trump’s tweets. Some other online betting sites have come up with some questionable solutions, like hosting simulated versions of real-life sports events that have been canceled.
Across the pond in the United Kingdom, physical casinos are also feeling the pinch. However, with the UK’s more favorable online gambling regulations, many are surviving through their online partner sites. eSports, where players compete entirely online, is another industry that has garnered increased popularity. Many sports betting sites are now enticing players to redirect their bets to eSports as a way to mitigate lost revenue on real-life sports.
A drain on savings
While online gambling might solve the problem of social distancing that COVID-19 presents, it doesn’t solve the problem of dwindling capital in most households. The longer that citizens are kept away from their work, the less likely they are to spend their savings on unnecessary activities. While gambling may be a favorite past-time for many, risky investments tend to reduce significantly during times of crisis.
The overall casino and gambling industry will struggle to survive this outbreak if the lockdown continues for too long. According to the UK paper The Guardian, around 35 companies are currently investigating a COVID-19 vaccine. However, it’s an arduous process that involves several critical testing phases in order to gain regulatory approval.
Annelies Wilder-Smith of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine believes a COVID-19 vaccine will take at least 18 months to develop, under the best possible conditions. During that time there is no telling how far the virus could spread and how devasting the effects on the economy could be.
Gambling in the USA
The Plaza Hotel & Casino brings back the only All-Inclusive Hotel Room Package in Las Vegas this summer
Given its popularity for the past two summers, the Plaza Hotel & Casino is again offering Las Vegas’ only all-inclusive hotel room package starting at $104 per person per night for stays this summer.
The Plaza was the first Las Vegas property to introduce an all-inclusive hotel room package in the summer of 2024. It was so well received by guests that the iconic downtown Las Vegas property has offered it every summer since.
“We always want our guests to have a great time and feel that they are getting the best value for their vacation dollars,” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “Our all-inclusive hotel package has been created based on our guests’ feedback and offers waived resort fees, meals, bottomless drinks, and other perks to ensure they have a memorable experience.”
The Plaza’ all-inclusive hotel room package waives all resort fees, but guests still can enjoy free access to the fitness center, self-parking, and rooftop pool. The package also includes free early check-in, free bottled water, bottomless drinks from the Omaha Bar and Sports Book Bar on the casino floor, and breakfast and dinner from various dining outlets. Guests also receive a 25% discount on cocktails at the rooftop pool, because there is no better way to enjoy a summer vacation than sipping a chilled beverage poolside.
The Plaza’s all-inclusive hotel room package is available for booking online for stays June 1 through August 31 at plazahotelcasino.com/las-vegas-all-inclusive-room-package/.
The post The Plaza Hotel & Casino brings back the only All-Inclusive Hotel Room Package in Las Vegas this summer appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
Lotto.com, the nation’s first online lottery platform to digitally deliver draw games and scratch tickets, has announced a major milestone – reaching 4 million customers, and counting, in less than five years since launching in Spring 2021. As the fastest-growing lottery courier platform, Lotto.com continues to redefine accessibility and convenience for players nationwide. Customers have collectively won over $150 million in prizes through Lotto.com, including $90 million in draw wins and $63 million in scratch wins, with more than 7 million winning tickets ordered on the platform. These results highlight the excitement, ease and trust players have in Lotto.com’s modern approach to lottery.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has requested the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to pause all college sport offerings in prediction markets until the agency implements appropriate regulations. The NCAA sent a letter to the CFTC calling for a robust system of safeguards and detailed its willingness to work with the regulatory body to assist with developing the necessary guardrails to protect student-athletes and college sports. The critical safeguards requested include age and advertising restrictions, enhanced integrity monitoring, prop market prevention, anti-harassment measures, and harm reduction resources.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board has filed a civil enforcement action in the District Court for Carson City against BLOCKRATIZE INC. d/b/a POLYMARKET; QCX LLC d/b/a POLYMARKET US; and ADVENTURE ONE QSS INC. d/b/a POLYMARKET. In its complaint, the Board asked the court for a declaration and injunction to stop Polymarket from offering unlicensed wagering in violation of Nevada law. Polymarket operates a derivatives exchange and prediction market where it offers event contracts for sale. These products are offered for sale on Polymarket’s mobile app and are made available to people in Nevada. The Board considers offering sports event contracts, or certain other events contracts, to constitute wagering activity under NRS 463.0193 and 463.01962 and, therefore, entities offering such event contracts must be licensed.
Partnerships
High Roller Technologies Inc. announced it has entered into a binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (CDNA), for an exclusive partnership to launch an event-based prediction markets product in the US. The events contracts will be offered by CDNA, a CFTC-registered exchange and clearinghouse and affiliate of Crypto.com, to customers through HighRoller.com. The partnership will offer people the opportunity to trade event contracts across markets including finance, entertainment, and sports, through a legal, engaging, and user-friendly platform.
High Roller Technologies Inc. announced it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Lines.com, a premier sports media platform owned by Spike Up Media, to enter into and execute a strategic marketing partnership designed to accelerate customer acquisition and brand awareness for High Roller’s planned entry into U.S. prediction markets. This LOI follows High Roller’s announcement of its strategic partnership with Crypto.com | Derivatives North America to launch a regulated event-based prediction markets product in the US. Through the contemplated strategic marketing partnership, Lines.com will serve as a key distribution and media partner, leveraging its high-intent audience, advanced automation infrastructure, and market-leading conversion performance to support High Roller’s prediction markets rollout.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – January 19-25 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Key Findings
- Nevada recorded the highest combined casino game search interest nationally, achieving a perfect 500/500 score in 2025, the only state to do so.
- Home to Las Vegas—the world-renowned center of casino gaming and entertainment—Nevada recorded casino game searches 181% above the national average last year, reinforcing the city’s dominance in gambling culture.
- Michigan led all legal online casino states for overall search interest across major casino game categories.
- The most-searched casino games nationwide were slots.
- Search interest across legal online casino states was closely matched last year, led by Michigan.
- The District of Columbia showed the lowest search interest, searching 38% below the national average.
Casino Game Online Search Results
| Game | Score
*Maximum 5,100 |
Search Interest |
| Slots | 2831 | 31.2% |
| Casino | 1717 | 18.9% |
| Roulette | 1607 | 17.7% |
| Poker | 1594 | 17.6% |
| Blackjack | 1329 | 14.6% |
Legal Online Casino States Where BetMGM Operates
| Legal Online Casino States | Casino Game Search Interest Score (Out of a total of 500) | National Ranking |
| Michigan | 172 | 20 |
| West Virginia | 171 | 21 |
| Pennsylvania & New Jersey | 169 | 22 |
Key Insights from Legal Online Casino States
Here are a few of the key findings from this research:
1. Slots Dominate Regulated Markets
Slots are the top-searched casino game in every legal online casino state except New Jersey, reinforcing slots as the primary driver of online casino interest in regulated U.S. markets.
2. New Jersey Stands Out with Roulette-Led Interest
New Jersey is the only legal online casino state where roulette outranked slots as the most searched game in 2025. This indicates a more diversified player base with a stronger interest in live dealer and table games.
3. Search Interest is Tightly Clustered Across Legal States
Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey all ranked closely together nationally (positions 20–22), with very similar search interest scores.
Methodology
BetMGM Casino analysed Google search trends to assess nationwide interest in casino games over a 12-month period, covering January 1 to December 31, 2025.
Search interest was measured across five core casino game categories:
- Casino
- Slots
- Poker
- Blackjack
- Roulette
Only the generic category terms (for example, “slots”, “poker”, and “casino”) were analyzed. No modifiers such as “online”, “real money”, or brand-specific keywords were included. This approach ensures the data reflects overall interest in casino games, rather than being influenced by regulatory differences, platform availability, or other variables in individual states. It is critical to note Google Trends is strongest when you compare high-volume, generic terms.
Google Trends scores were used to compare relative search interest by state, with values scaled from 0 to 100 per category, where 100 represents the highest level of search interest observed during the period analysed.
This methodology allows for a consistent, like-for-like comparison of casino game popularity across the United States, highlighting regional interest patterns and broader gambling trends rather than online-only behavior.
Play Your Favorite Online Casino Games at BetMGM
Whether you search for online slots, casino table games, or live dealer casino game experiences, you can find your favorite online casino games at BetMGM Casino.
When you sign up to enjoy any of these great games, you’ll also get access to great ongoing and limited-time promotions, as well as the BetMGM Rewards loyalty program that offers both online and in person benefits for BetMGM players.
The post BetMGM Reveals 2025’s Most Searched Casino Games appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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