Report for the Weekend DC
The FBI has detained District of Columbia Councilman Trayon White.
DC The City Paper reports that on Sunday afternoon, August 18, the FBI apprehended Councilman Trayon White. On Monday, August 19, White will face charges; however, the specific charges are still unknown.

After legalising sports betting in 2019, the District of Columbia Council awarded the sole-source contract to Intralot, a lottery operator. On election day 2019, White did not appear. The fiscal year 2025 budget, which was unveiled earlier this year, was approved by him.

Tribes might be able to sue California cardrooms under a new bill
Late last week, legislation was advanced that would grant the right to California tribes to sue cardrooms directly. With a vote of 14-0, the appropriations committee of the assembly sent the measure to the floor for a final vote. Even though the current session is almost over, it is still unclear whether or not SB 549 will be voted on.

Tribes have long argued that the use of player-dealer corporations by cardrooms violates their right to gambling exclusivity. Playing in a cardroom is not against the house, but against other players, and the dealer role is rotated among them, according to state law. Since the majority of players are not interested in acting as the bank, player-dealer companies are used by cardrooms. Tribes would have the right to sue cardrooms and third-party providers under this measure.

Cardrooms in California are arguing that their actions are legal and that the bill's passage will lead to the loss of jobs and the closure of some cardrooms. Cardrooms are a major source of revenue for many of the municipalities in which they are located. In May of 2023, the measure reached a third reading in the Senate by a vote of 37 to 0.

Another setback for Drake in the betting world
Drake, the rapper, lost a rumoured $450,000 bet on a UFC fight over the weekend, adding insult to injury for his gambling antics.

At UFC 305, Drake wagered over $850,000 on Israel Adesanya's victory over Dricus du Plessis. Nevertheless, du Plessis emerged victorious, causing Drake to lose money once more.

This new setback will further cement Drake's image as someone who has a string of poor luck whenever he wagers big on sporting events. The incident occurred in 2014 when he was unsuccessful in his bet on US tennis great Serena Williams to reach the US Open semifinals, where she was defeated by the unseeded Roberta Vinci.

Raid in Taipei results in arrests after targeting illicit online gambling enterprise
In the meantime, in Taiwan's Neihu District, 31 individuals were apprehended by authorities for their involvement in a criminal internet gambling enterprise.

Officials from the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) have verified to the Taipei Times that a raid resulted in the arrest of executives and staff members of an information technology company.

Care Well Technology Co. was the registered name of the enterprise that a Chinese man and his Taiwanese wife ran. According to reports, the pair, who had prior experience as software engineers, employed over a hundred individuals to assist with their venture.

Also in the headlines...
On 15 August, the agency announced that Martha Otton, chief of iGaming Ontario, will retire on 31 December 2024. Otton was in charge of the 2022 rollout of legal online gambling in Ontario. In addition to her time in the province's attorney general's office, she has experience working for Ontario's Alcohol and Gaming Commission.

In the midst of renovating the former Mirage site, Hard Rock Las Vegas reportedly asked the Las Vegas Review-Journal for a three-year extension of its gaming license. In the event that a licensee fails to fulfil the requirements, Clark County is authorised by law to suspend the license until the licensee provides an explanation.

Launching in Louisiana, Fanatics is now available across the United States. Fans in the state can now use the Fanatics sportsbook through the brand's collaboration with Boomtown Casino & Hotel. As of the currently, 22 US states have Fanatics activities.