On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jeff Edelstein is joined by Shawn Fluharty, West Virginia Delegate, President of NCLGS, and Head of Government Affairs at Play’n GO to break down the rapidly shifting U.S. gambling landscape, from prediction markets to sweepstakes crackdowns to the political realities shaping iCasino expansion.
Hear them discuss:
01:00 – Shawn’s path from journalism student to West Virginia legislator and the surprising way he ended up in gaming policy
03:00 – How West Virginia became an early adopter of sports betting and iCasino, and why integrity fees failed before they even started
05:00 – Why gaming policy remains bipartisan and how lawmakers think about consumer protection, revenue, and political optics
07:00 – The sweepstakes industry crackdown: why states view it as revenue leakage and why the model was always doomed
09:00 – Prediction markets, CFTC authority, and why Shawn believes the issue is heading toward the Supreme Court
12:00 – The danger of loophole-based gambling models and how regulators evaluate “if it walks like a duck…” arguments
14:00 – iCasino progress: which states are closest to legalizing next, and why education gaps stall legislative momentum
17:00 – The post-PASPA state-federal balance: who actually controls the future of U.S. gambling policy?
19:00 – Responsible gambling oversight, the shrinking gray market, and parallels between sweepstakes and historical horse racing
21:00 – The future of prediction markets, what happens if they scale, and whether they can coexist with casino-style outcomes
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