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There was a wide range of important online casino news that took place the last few weeks.
New York is launching a lengthy gambling analysis, Rush Street posted some big numbers at its recent earnings call, self-exclusion registrations across the country are growing, and one state is about to make sweepstakes casinos feel very uncomfortable.
NY gambling study will look at addiction
As one of the premier gambling markets in the country, New York regulators know a thing or two about how gamblers act and what leads them to addiction. They’re now taking that knowledge to new heights.
The state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports announced it will launch a 10-year study into gambling behavior. The study will be comprehensive, using tools such as questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups to deepen their understanding of what makes gamblers tick, and what may trigger them to become problem gamblers.
New York doesn’t have online casinos, but it’s likely the state will launch them before the study ends. The state has a thriving sports betting market and accounts for more than 15% of the country’s handle. It’s land-based casino market is growing, too: two new casinos and and expanded existing casino are in New York City’s future.
In short, whatever the state’s experts learn will help it strengthen its responsible gambling policies and procedures, not just for sports bettors and land-based casino customers, but for the millions who will use online casinos should New York launch them.
Rush Street’s massive jump in revenue, pre-tax profit
Rush Street Interactive is one of the top providers of online casino gaming in Pennsylvania through its BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse brands. Turns out whatever it’s doing in the Keystone State is part of a bigger movement of success for the Philadelphia-based gaming company.
The company revealed during its Q1 earnings call that its revenue rose 41% year-over-year. The company’s total monthly active users across all countries increased by around 51% compared to 2025.
Rush Street’s pre-tax profit totaled $45.8 million, which represented 181% growth compared to the previous year.
Self-exclusion sign-ups surge
Six states recently published the number of self-exclusion registrations they received in 2025: Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. “Self-exclusion” refers to a free service states offer to gamblers who want to exclude themselves from gambling.
Self-exclusion is seen as a way for problem gamblers to quit cold turkey, or healthy gamblers to take a break when they feel as though they’re betting outside their limits and taking wins and losses too seriously.
Of the six states that recently offered data about their self-exclusion programs, Virginia saw the biggest jump in registrations from 2022 to 2025 at 153%. This likely has to do with the state launching four land-based casinos after 2022.
An end for Iowa sweepstakes casinos?
Iowa lawmakers passed a bill that allows the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to send cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes casinos operator illegally in the Hawkeye State. The commission will also have the power to seek court injunctions (a legal order that would require sweepstakes casinos to stop operations in the state).
While not a law outright banning sweepstakes casinos, it should be effective enough to drive them out of Iowa. Other states, such as Michigan and Louisiana, have found success using the letters to push out sweeps operators.
