As Sweepstakes, Skill Games Expand, Policymakers Should Set the Policies

It's become harder than ever for the regulated industry to keep pace with its unregulated counterpart. But as industry veteran Michael Pollock (l.) notes, policymakers should lead from the...

Published February 28, 2025

Quixotic Quest: Gaming Tax Policy Should Advance Public Policy

The legend of Don Quixote is defined by his many farcical quests--but as Michael Pollock (l.) notes, the process of finding the optimal gaming tax rate might have been...

Published January 09, 2025

With ‘Sweepstakes,’ and ‘Skill,’ Names have Meaning, but so does ‘Licensure’

The regulated gaming industry is engrossed in debate regarding several offerings that exist in gray-area limbo, with sweepstakes and skill games chief among them. Some believe they should be...

Published November 8, 2024

“Bite” of Unregulated Gaming is Bad, but “Bark” is Worse

The unregulated gaming industry poses a number of threats to its regulated counterpart. But as industry expert Michael Pollock (l.) argues, the indirect consequences may be the most detrimental....

Published August 23, 2024

Lawmakers Should Never Forget: Gaming Licensure is a Privilege, Not a Right

With today’s rapid expansion of all forms of gaming, the importance of proper licensing seems to fade into the background. However, as industry expert Michael Pollock (l.) notes, gaming...

Published July 27, 2024

Laying the RG Foundation: One-on-One with Dr. Jennifer Shatley

The recent formation of the Responsible Online Gaming Association serves as an important milestone in the development of the industry, and Dr. Jennifer Shatley (l.) will play a pivotal...

Published April 8, 2024

Policymakers Do Not Have ‘Luxury’ of Ignoring iGaming

Currently, the debate as to whether the emergence of iGaming is to be viewed as a blessing or a curse by its land-based counterparts is one of the hottest...

Published March 18, 2024

Newspapers Provide Cheap but Valuable Lesson for Gaming’s Stakeholders

Newspapers are an unfortunate example of how analog businesses struggle in a digital world, but the best among them have managed to adapt and thrive. The same will be...

Published January 22, 2024

Gaming and Politics: Perfectly Imperfect Together

In the U.S., just about every industry ties back to politics in some form, and gaming is a great example—the impact of its tax revenues make it fairly bipartisan...

Published December 25, 2023

An Atlantic City Story Not to Be Repeated

Atlantic City has certainly been the subject of a good number of jokes over the years, most recently in connection with the reckless spending of George Santos. However, as...

Published December 11, 2023

Gaming Tax Rates are Simple—Gaming Tax Policy is Anything But

As more jurisdictions around the U.S. adopt various forms of gaming, the challenge of setting effective tax rates remains as important as ever. However, as veteran consultant Michael Pollock...

Published November 20, 2023

Integrity is Core Principle in Evaluating Gray-Market Gaming

Can unregulated game suddenly become regulated games even though the operators claim they’re not gambling? If they want to be regulated, they need to jump through all the hoops...

Published January 16, 2023

A Career and a Half

Thirty years after co-founding the Spectrum Gaming Group, Fred Gushin’s role in the gaming industry can’t be underestimated, according to his partner, Michael Pollock.

Published December 26, 2022

Lessons From Responsible Gaming Education Month

Addressing Responsible Gaming has become a Year-Round Effort and is Yielding Positive Results

Published October 24, 2022

Retail, Digital Gaming: Two Sides of One Industry

When illegal casinos come for the players of legal bricks-and-mortar casinos, jurisdictions need to consider the policy goals in place when those casinos were legalized in the first...

Published February 28, 2022

Maintaining Gaming Integrity is Not Optional

When the Mob controlled Las Vegas, it counted on union president Jimmy Hoffa (l.) to steer millions in Teamster dues to casino owners who had no other way to...

Published March 29, 2021

Sleeping in the Same Bed?

An early prediction by a nearly forgotten gaming regulator has come true in today’s world. But is it such a bad thing? Spectrum Gaming’s Michael Pollock (l.) reflects.

Published November 30, 2020

Business Models for Online Gaming in the U.S.

The optimal solution for states and land-based casino operators may be different than European countries where iGaming has flourished for years. With the current link between land-based and online...

Published April 3, 2017

Gaming Grows Up

Mature gaming markets demand mature gaming policies. There are many long-established gaming jurisdictions that fall prey to politics and back-room deals to increase competition, taxes or fees. Here’s how...

Published March 6, 2017

Georgia, Oh Georgia

Last week, Michael Pollock of Spectrum Gaming Group testified before a committee of the Georgia state legislature about the efficacy of legalizing casinos in the state. The following article...

Published November 9, 2015