Brandt Iden is back on the World Series of Politics after his break over ICE London, rejoining Brendan Bussmann to discuss a flurry of sports betting activity across the US.

The dynamic duo kick off with Missouri, where multiple attempts to regulate betting have been made over the past five years.

Senator Denny Hoskins has long been a champion of the industry, but could 2023 be the year Missouri sports betting finally crosses line? Once again there's a bottle of wine on the time, as to whether it beats North Carolina in regulating.

There's also renewed hopes in Georgia, though it's looking likely to go to a ballot, Brendan says. After its missteps in Florida and California, the industry will have to learn from each of those failures if it is to enjoy a successful campaign.

However Brandt argues sports betting is a new lottery product, something that would avoid a public vote on the matter. The guys are split on whether a bill makes it through by the end of March; Brandt is confident, but Brendan is more circumspect.

New York may soon expand the ranks of regulated igaming states, with Senator Joseph Addabbo filing a proposal to legalise icasino. A 30.5% tax rate is tough, Brandt says, though would allow up to 20 licences.

New York differs from others states in that the prospect of new revenue, rather than consumer protections, are front of mind. That could mean it's not set up correctly, Brendan warns however.

Episode 12 ends by looking at moves at a federal level, with the government seeking to bring in the FCC to monitor industry advertising. But is this sort of intervention justified?

The special guests keep coming on the World Series of Politics, with Geocomply’s Linsday Slader joins Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden to discuss Ohio’s sports betting launch. 

The geolocation specialist’s senior vice president of compliance says the Buckeye State’s launch was one of the biggest marketing openings in the US for quite some time. It has seen over 1.2 million accounts set up in the first week, equating to some 45 million transactions to date. 

As Brendan points out, considering the high level of competition from neighbouring states such as Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania, such numbers are particularly impressive. 

There’s also a wider market than ever before, with 1,000 betting kiosks rolled out across Ohio, and it’s going to be interesting to see how this works in tandem with a widespread mobile offering. Lawmakers will be watching with interest. 

The World Series of Politics welcomes its second guest, Light & Wonder’s global head of government affairs Howard Glaser, to discuss the prospects for igaming in the US in 2023. 

Sports betting has taken up much of legislators’ attention, but its tax contribution is dwarfed by igaming tax revenue. Glaser goes as far as calling igaming the most successful product in the history of gambling in the US, even in its infancy.

Brendan and Brandt then dust off their crystal ball for some 2023 predictions. Aside from further igaming and sports betting expansion, there’s also brick-and-mortar to consider. Brendan is sure at least two states will look to break ground on casino development in the coming year. 

We're live from Las Vegas for episode nine, with Brendan Bussmann of B Global Advisors and Brandt Iden of Fanatics discussing the contrasting fortunes of two gambling hubs.

While Las Vegas is booming, Macau has effectively been cut off from the world for the past three years. With the concession renewal process now complete, how can it recover?

Back in the US, the importance of regulation has been highlighted by the American Gaming Association's report, which revealed $510.9bn is being wagered offshore every year. But its publication has coincided with a flurry of negative publicity in the US media.

Considering the tax burden on the industry, and the economic benefits it creates, is this in any way justified?

In episode eight of the World Series of Politics, Brendan Bussmann of B Global Advisors is joined by Brandt Iden, now Fanatics Betting and Gaming's newly-appointed vice president of government affairs.

Our dynamic duo start off by picking over the wreckage of California's sports betting ballot measures, reflecting on what went so disastrously wrong.

Next they run the rule on the other states where the Midterms have heralded change. Brandt admits he was surprised by the Democrats' clean sweep in Minnesota, pointing out that the party's strong relationships with the tribes could pave the way for regulatory progress in 2023.

Texas is also looking increasingly ripe for change, Brendan points out, with growing momentum towards some sort of legal gambling. What that is, however, remains unclear - as Brandt says, all eyes - and industry efforts - are likely to be focused on the Lone Star State next year.

And with Maryland launching mobile sports betting last week, there's a bet on the line - who wins?

Ahead of the 2022 US midterm elections, Brendan and Brandt take a look across the US, including a final examination of whether there's any hope of the people of California voting to legalise sports betting. In Texas, there may be less clarity as the industry may have to consider whether to prioritise sports betting or casinos, while Brandt is "optimistic" that sports betting legislation could be passed in Georgia once a new legislature is elected.

The pair look further afield as well, pondering the impact of Lula da Silva defeating Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential election, while in the UK, Brandt throws his name into the ring as a prime ministerial candidate, but Brendan has other ideas.

The World Series of Politics welcomes Bill Miller of the American Gaming Association as first guest.

Miller joins Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden to look back on this year's Global Gaming Expo.

Miller discusses this year's G2E After almost 25,000 descended on the Sands Convention Centre earlier in October. He also talks about US gaming industry's post-Covid recovery, and the threat of the illegal market.

This episode also features Maryland, where lawmakers have taken a step towards launching mobile sports betting after a heavily fraught process. There's a wager on the line between our hosts on this one, just to up the stakes further.

Brendan also discusses the state of play for Macau casinos, where recovery his hindered by China's zero Covid policy.

There there's even more intrigue around Brazil sports betting with the presidential run-off closing in.

Just in time for G2E, iGB brings you episode five of the World Series of Politics. We kick off looking at Brazil, where the competing presidential candidates go into a run-off at the end of October.

This is likely to impact gambling across multiple channels. Not only sports betting may be on the line, but a reshuffling of the country's lottery sector and even integrated resorts are being held back.

Indiana igaming is also up for discussion in this week's episode, as US states look for new ways of finding revenue. Could this lead to a wave of igaming legislation in the remainder of 2022 and into early 2023, especially after commentators were disappointed by a lack of action in 2021?

It's a question of tax, Brendan says. If they set the rate too high, states risk stifling the market before it can get going.

Finally we head further north, to Ontario, where plans are afoot to push offshore operators out of the market. But with a lack of detail on what is actually at risk if they fail to comply, is this going to be an effective deterrent?

It's a busy episode this week, with Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden kicking off by discussing the latest twists in the Wire Act saga. Could this mean the issue of whether it applies to sports betting or all forms of gambling is dead and buried once and for all?

Also up for discussion is sports betting activity around National Football League kickoff, and some debate around when in-stadium books can be open. The episode goes further afield to scrutinize Brazil's presidential election, and that this means for the industry.

The third instalment of the World Series of Politics has Brendan and Brandt updating listeners on the early stages of Kansas' legal sports betting market - and Missouri residents trying to take advantage. They also ponder the National Football League kick-off, Arizona's market one year on, and Brendan returns to one of his favourite subjects, New York's mobile tax rate.