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The chief critic of the sports-betting industry in the U.S. Senate has written to the CEOs of DraftKings and Delta Airlines, demanding they “pause implementation” of their marketing partnership until they provide details on the agreement and on "any protections you may have included to protect the flying public, including minors”.
“This partnership seems to be aimed at enticing the flying public — many of them possibly problem gamblers or recovering problem gamblers — to engage in a high-risk activity from their seatbacks, while in the air and unable to walk away,” wrote Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, in a letter dated January 17.
DraftKings and Delta announced a marketing agreement earlier this month, but have yet to disclose what exactly it will involve.
Blumenthal called for the companies’ CEOs to respond to his request for further information no later than January 28.
Blumenthal, who last year sponsored legislation to prohibit most advertising for sports betting and all in-play betting, also noted that federal law expressly prohibits gambling on commercial aircraft.
Under the 1994 Gorton Amendment to the Gambling Devices Act of 1962, all airlines are prohibited from operating or installing gambling devices on any aircraft that may be used for travel to or from the United States.
The Isle of Man on Friday (January 17) confirmed the elevation of Mark Rutherford from deputy CEO to CEO of the Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC).
Rutherford is a 15-year veteran of the GSC, starting in 2009 as director of policy and legislation before his promotion to deputy CEO in 2013. Prior to his GSC tenure, Rutherford worked in the Isle of Man government’s tax division.
“There is an important opportunity to strengthen the Isle of Man’s defences against financial crime and I am embarking on an ambitious programme of reform to reinforce the powers we have to supervise and regulate the gambling sector,” Rutherford said in a statement.
“It is imperative that we continue to review and adapt our approach to stay aligned with evolving challenges, including the emerging risks and typologies arising from particular markets. I shall be examining those threats closely to ensure that we are alert to them and manage the risk.”
The GSC has had a tougher time in recent years amid local police investigations into two influential former online gambling licensees, criticism of the Isle of Man by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and being labelled by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities as a “pseudo-regulator”.
Rutherford said the GSC will strengthen international connections and local agency cooperation, and will “continue to play its part in the network of authorities that detect and disrupt criminal activity in the island".
“It is vital that we maintain alignment with the international standards’ requirements for combatting financial crime as they continue to evolve,” he said.
Rutherford replaces Steve Brennan, who led the GSC for almost 17 years.
A U.S. senator calls for a marketing partnership between DraftKings and Delta Airlines to be suspended and Isle of Man names the new head of its gambling regulator.
