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This week’s round-up of online casino news covers game launches, planned expansions, tax-rate changes, and a pair of reporters’ experiences with AI chatbots.
BetMGM debuts Survivor-themed online slots
A collection of strangers battling to be the last one standing is rarely boring. That explains why the TV series Survivor recently launched its 50th season — and why the show is the theme of 10 new online slot titles from online casino operator BetMGM.
An exclusive partnership between BetMGM, game studio Jogo Global, and international distributor Banijay Rights will bring the series of Survivor-themed games to BetMGM’s real-money online casinos. The operator has already released at least two titles: “Survivor Triple Challenge” and “Survivor: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.”
AI chatbots sidestep gambling safeguards
A pair of journalists from the British newspaper The Guardian posed as problem gamblers and received step-by-step advice from five chatbots, including ChatGPT and Gemini.
The reporters found that the chatbots gave them advice on how to sidestep various U.K. gambling-restriction tools, such as the self-exclusion platform GamStop. Every chatbot tested in the research provided recommendations for illegal offshore online casinos. Only two of the five provided information about problem gambling resources.
“The only two bots that started any of their answers with a health warning were Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT,” the reporters wrote.
Michigan governor proposes gambling tax hikes
In an effort to shore up the state’s Medicaid system, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed a budget that increases online casino tax rates and implements a per-wager fee for sports betting.
The budget calls for new tax rates that are eight percentage points higher than the existing range of 20% to 28%. The new tax rates — 28% to 36% — would generate a projected $136 million in additional revenue for the state’s Medicaid program.
Whitmer’s proposed budget also calls for a 25-cent per-bet tax on the first 20 million sports wagers each year. After that threshold, the tax would rise to 50 cents per bet. Additionally, the budget would change promotional deductions that online casinos currently subtract from their taxable revenue. Whitmer estimates these moves could raise as much as $60 million per year.
Evolution to open second MI live-dealer studio
Online casino tech provider Evolution North America has announced it will launch a second live-dealer studio in Michigan. The new studio will be available to the state’s online casino players and is expected to create more than 300 jobs.
Evolution built and launched its first Michigan live-dealer studio in Southfield and currently has nearly 1,000 employees in the state. CEO Jacob Claesson told a Michigan news affiliate that the company is “running out of space and capacity” and needs the second studio to accommodate growth.
