As we approach the seven-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), 40 U.S. jurisdictions have legalized some form of sports betting. And Hawaii could become the 41st, though not without some last-minute gyrations.
I first started reporting in this space in early 2018, before the Supreme Court had ruled in the fateful case Murphy v NCAA. At that time, my editor, Brett Smiley, was six months into Sports Handle, which he started in his living room as a passion project that blossomed into more. We were a two-person team trying to determine the “what” and the “how” of covering the sports betting landscape.
At that time, I took a job with a stranger, who quickly became a friend. Within a year, our little website was bought by another website, US Bets, and we joined a family. So when Smiley and Adam Small offered me the opportunity to help craft and edit their latest venture, it was like coming home.
Today, I’m so excited to welcome you to InGame, Third Planet’s latest offering in the gambling news space alongside Casino Reports, Lottery Geeks, and Props.com.
Much has changed since my first story seven years ago — in February 2018, I wrote about Missouri considering legalizing sports betting. Six years later, voters there finally did. (Narrowly.)
The professional league-proffered “integrity fee” has come and gone, the NFL and every other U.S. pro sports league has embraced legal wagering, and NIL is now a thing. I’ve learned about tax rates, the politics of gambling, latency, arbitrage, and myriad other topics. I’ve met incredibly knowledgeable people and I feel like every day is an opportunity to broaden my own base of knowledge.
Meet the team
The InGame team is filled with some familiar faces and some new ones. All are talented and experienced journalists. And each one brings unique expertise and perspective to our new venture. Here’s a look at the lineup:
- Jeff Edelstein will contribute his trademark opinion pieces and quirky takes, often with the bettor at the front of mind.
- Brant James will provide a little bit of everything, from technology to trends to the business of sports, and he’ll often do so with plenty of context and commentary as he crafts enterprise stories.
- Chris Altruda will tabulate and enthusiastically unpack trends revealed in revenue reporting.
- Brett Smiley as Executive Editor will deliver the kind of investigative stories that provide a window into parts of the industry not often written on.
We’re also excited to share that Richard Schuetz, David Hill, Scott Longley, and Dr. AJ Moore will appear as regular contributors, and we will soon announce a financial and business specialist to help make sense of quarterly earnings reports, M&A activity, and the world of sports business. I’ll bring detailed and analytical legislation and regulatory reporting, and a whole lot of enthusiasm for a team that I believe, to use an old cliche, has all the bases covered.
Quality journalism will be front and center
Over the last month, the response from sources and others in the industry about the upcoming launch of InGame has been overwhelmingly positive.
I’ve repeatedly heard that there is a void in journalism-based news platforms covering the U.S. gambling world and the sports betting sector in particular. Any industry is best served long-term by having an active, engaged, informed press that can effectively communicate key issues and their consequences.
In the last year, there has been an avalanche of consequential developments. There are some quality journalists in the space, but not enough. Casino Reports began to fill some of the void early last year. Meanwhile, several active, insightful Substack-based publishers have stepped in and stepped up as well. But there is more work to be done and there are more stories to be uncovered.
Sweepstakes sportsbook and casino platforms, ballooning sports betting tax rates, and the growth of DFS 2.0 companies are highlights. And then there are the prediction markets, regulated by the federal government and perhaps not subject to the same level of state regulation as legal sportsbooks and iCasino platforms. How the CFTC roundtable later this month and other meetings play out, in addition to some key federal court cases already underway, could potentially upend the entire U.S. sports betting landscape.
We will strive to keep you abreast of all of these beats. Sports betting news that previously appeared on Casino Reports will migrate to InGame. And we’ll go deeper into the where, what, why, when, and how of the sports betting industry.
At InGame, we’ll strive to be unbiased observers, to tell the story as it unfolds and without any agenda. We each come from a classical journalism background that has instilled an ethical code that guides our work. No group that we cover will get special treatment, nor will any group who has a business partnership with our parent company, Third Planet. We wouldn’t be doing our journalistic duty if we afforded anyone a pass.
It’s a turbulent, exciting time in this industry — and we’re thrilled to be here and glad to have you along for the ride. Follow us at InGameHQ on X, on LinkedIn, and through newsletters and more offerings to come.
