Legal Gambling App

Apple vets every mobile betting app to ensure it is legal and licensed before making it available on the App Store. The App Store does not list unlicensed betting apps, and there are no workarounds for illegal sportsbooks. App Store guidelines section 5.3.4 states.

• Before you choose any gambling app to engage in real money casino action, you will want to be aware of the gambling laws in your country. Not every country will support legal gambling online or on mobile devices, so it is important to know whether you can engage in these activities legally.
• Google updated its App Store policy in March 2021 to authorize mobile betting apps developed by licensed operators in states where online gambling is legal. Soon, the country's major sports betting apps will be listed in the Google Play Store where users can search for them by name.
• As well as hosting these apps and processing payments, Apple also gives user insights and data to app developers. Therefore, the complaint further alleges that Apple has 'ongoing participation in an illegal gambling enterprise.' Allegations against Apple. The complaint estimates that people spent about $6bn on virtual casino currency last year.
• The mobile gambling apps are no different than betting, playing casino games or poker on the internet. In other words, there are off-shore gambling platforms that accept US customers and it's technically not illegal to use them. To learn more about this topic, feel free.

Michigan regulators have given the green light for online gambling and online sports betting to start at noon Friday.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board announced Tuesday that it approved the first nine casinos and their online platform partners to launch at that time, with additional approvals expected in coming days.

The Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer legalized internet gambling and sports betting in December 2019, and regulators spent all of last year devising rules and ways to monitor and license the new platforms.

The minimum age for online gambling and sports betting is 21. Those taking part in sports betting do not need to be Michigan residents, but must be situated within the state's borders when placing bets via smartphone app or computer. Those from Ohio, where online sports betting isn't legal, could therefore use Michigan's new betting apps if they do so in Michigan.

The nine platforms and their associated operators are:

• FanDuel, for MotorCity Casino
• BetMGM/Roar Digital, for MGM Grand Detroit
• Penn Sports Interactive/ Barstool Sportsbook, for Greektown Casino
• DraftKings, for the Bay Mills Indian Community
• William Hill, for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
• TwinSpires, for the Hannahville Indian Community
• Golden Nugget Online Gaming, for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
• Rush Street, for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
• Wynn, for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Richard Kalm, executive director of the gaming control board, said the days between Tuesday's authorization and Friday's launch give the online platforms time to do testing and make adjustments. Some platforms, such as FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM, have been advertising for weeks and allowing users to sign up, but not place bets.

More: Internet gambling, sports betting launch in Michigan may be just days away

'Online gaming and sports betting will provide the casinos with new ways to engage with customers while the state and local communities will benefit from taxes and payments on wagering revenue,' Kalm said in a statement.

FanDuel's Chief Marketing Officer Mike Raffensperger said that about 90% of the company's users in markets where sports betting is already allowed use FanDuel through its mobile app.

Raffensperger said legalized online sports betting is a good because it brings the activity into the light of day and prevents people from getting outright cheated.

'Frankly speaking, (sports betting) is a marketplace that existed prior to us launching legally,' he said. 'It just happened in (the) black market and the gray market with offshore accounts where maybe you'll get your money out, maybe you won't.'

In-person sports betting began in Michigan last March but quickly went dark when the Detroit casinos closed amid the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sports betting lounges reopened in the summer, closed again Nov. 18 and have remained open at reduced capacity since Dec. 22.

Legal Gambling Apps

The tax rate and the tribal payment rate for internet sports betting is 8.4%.

The tax and payment rates paid by the casinos for general internet gambling — not including sports — will range from about 20% to 28%, based on adjusted gross receipts.

Raffensperger of FanDuel said he believes that online sports betting will not result in the closure of the still-new sports-betting lounges in Detroit's casinos.

'There's nothing like the experience of a sports book — watching a great game on giant TVs and being there with your friends,' he said. 'COVID has made that difficult ... but it's a wonderful, fun experience.'

Contact JC Reindl:313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@jcreindl. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.

Legal Online Gambling Apps

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan legal online gambling and sports betting to start Friday

Legal sports betting launches around the country continue, as Virginia legal, online sports betting is now available for Virginia state sports fans. BetMGM Sportsbook debuted their mobile sports betting products Wednesday, January 27.

BetMGM previously announced a partnership with the Washington Nationals. Scheduled to launch later this season, BetMGM plans to open a retail BetMGM sportsbook connected to Nationals Park. It will be BetMGM's first in-stadium sportsbook.

A market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, BetMGM launched their sports betting app and website. Their betting app, available on iOS and Android, offers a user-friendly sports betting experience, making it very easy to create and customize pre-game and live in-play sports bets. Sports bettors can also participate in futures and parlay wagers.

Virginia marks the tenth state in which BetMGM's app is available, joining Michigan, which just launched last week. Others include Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia online sportsbooks.

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'We're ecstatic that BetMGM is one of the first mobile sports betting platforms to launch in Virginia,' said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in a press release obtained by SportsbookWire. 'Virginians are passionate sports fans, and we're thrilled to provide them a user-friendly sports betting experience. BetMGM Virginia customers can earn benefits and will soon enjoy innovative experiences planned with MGM National Harbor in Maryland and the Washington Nationals.'

Also see: Washington Nationals and BetMGM partner on multi-year deal

Integrated with MGM Resorts' M Life Rewards Program, allowing Virginia customers to redeem game-play for world-class experiences at MGM Resorts properties nationwide, including MGM Grand Detroit, Bellagio, ARIA and MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Borgata in New Jersey, Beau Rivage in Mississippi and MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

'MGM National Harbor is the premier entertainment destination for the DC-Maryland-Virginia region, and the launch of the BetMGM app in Virginia gives our customers another great way to interact with our brand. We've got the DMV covered with a variety of entertainment options — whether at Nationals Park in D.C., our MGM National Harbor resort, or via the mobile app in Virginia. Additionally, should Maryland allow casinos to operate sports betting, MGM National Harbor stands ready to add this amenity,' said Jorge Perez, President & COO of MGM National Harbor via press release.

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