Alfonso Straffon 🇨🇷🇺🇸🇲🇽
@astraffon
Junk bond trader that once booked bets offshore. Former HY/equity research. Just here to log news. Opinions, if any, are my own. And @wageraxess. Pura vida!
Let's just say this out loud: Parlays in all their glory, under the CFTC, will likely come via an RFQ protocol...
$90k slap on the pinky... DraftKings agrees to penalty over Colorado sports-betting violations denverpost.com/2025/07/18/dra…
The UK Gambling Commission looked at 15 million active betting accounts to find out what percentage were restricted and the results may surprise you...
BREAKING: Three federally recognized California Indian tribes have sued Kalshi and Robinhood in CA federal court, alleging that the two companies are unlawfully engaging in sports betting by offering sports-outcome event contracts on the tribes’ Indian lands in violation of IGRA.
Polymarket offers parlays. Most of them flop. Aside from the wide-ranging legal challenges, parlay limitations are perhaps the biggest business obstacle for prediction markets. sportico.com/business/sport…
I know there has been plenty of more important gambling regulation news in the last month. But I was catching up on some reading and remembered you asked this, and it is answered here: igb.illinois.gov/content/dam/so…
Senate Ag pushes the confirmation vote for CFTC Chair Brian Quintenz, due to Hyde Smith’s flight delay. Dems, led by ranking member Klobuchar saying they won’t support his nomination. Ag Chair Boozman says the committee vote will happen before the August Recess @business
Breaking -- Brian Quintenz's nomination for chairman of the #CFTC will not be up for a vote this evening, a Congressional staffer told IGB. Quintenz was initially listed on the agenda for a 5:30PM ET floor vote. The staffer did not provide any insight on the factor for the delay
Polymarket has acquired QCEX, a CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse, for $112 million. This paves the way for us to welcome American traders again. I've waited a long time to say this: Polymarket is coming home 🇺🇸🦅
"The predictions marketplace is buying a little-known derivatives exchange called QCX, that will allow Polymarket to legally re-enter the US, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The move will formally open the betting site to US users after its surging popularity in…
Polymarket news... (or not)
🚨 New court filing in Maryland could spell trouble for Kalshi’s sports contracts. Maryland regulators argue the platform isn’t exempt from state gambling laws, which could be a key test for how sports prediction markets are regulated. Full read: predictionnews.com/news/new-maryl…
A professional bettor placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes, all involving Terry Rozier in a 2023 NBA game, according to documents obtained by ESPN that reveal new details about the suspicious betting under scrutiny by federal investigators espn.com/nba/story/_/id…
"There is no evidence Polymarket used these ads to push people in the U.S. to illegally circumvent georestrictions and buy prediction market contracts." Ha! Polymarket Spent $1 Million on U.S. Trading Ads Despite Geo Block sportico.com/business/sport… via @sportico
With this and the FS1/Barstool hookup, we are beginning to see the end of the traditional ad supported TV model. There is zero value in so much of the content
CBS claims that "this is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."
Nothing to see here ... nope ... totally normal
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has begun firings of more than two dozen staff members, according to a report from Reuters.
"Stevens said he's already heard from some of his high-volume clients, who told him that — absent a fix — they will move their gambling business offshore, out of the reach of U.S. taxation." (h/t @SteveSebelius) ktnv.com/news/big-beaut…
“If they lose their shirt, that’s on them. I mean, that would be obvious, right?” Kalshi attorney Josh Sterling's comments at NCLGS generated some controversy. Was he right to say it?
Larry Henry covering Missouri sports betting like Saran Wrap
BREAKING: From Missouri Gaming Commission spox seconds ago: “Larry, we just received an application from Circa Sports Missouri LLC for an untethered license. It was postmarked by the deadline of July 15, 2025.”
Counterpoint: Sportsbooks say they want to protect the integrity of the game, yet they offer bet types vulnerable for corruption with limits high enough to make it worth the risk for unscrupulous actors.