Reporter:
Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019.
Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News.
Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk.
Contact Steve at [email protected].
Areas of Expertise
1982 stories by Steve Bittenbender
NFL Expected to Award Las Vegas 2024 Super Bowl, According to Report
The NFL plans to bring its biggest party to America’s Playground. On Monday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported?that the league will make Allegiant Stadium the host for Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. Initially, the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans was set to...
UN Report Indicates Billions Wagered and Laundered Through Illegal Sports Betting
A report recently published by the United Nations estimates that criminals launder up to $140 billion annually through sports betting. The report acknowledges illicit activities in athletic events date back to ancient times. However, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)...
Bally’s, DraftKings Leaders Give Revealing Remarks About Future of Sports Betting
When the US Supreme Court ruled that all states could legalize sports betting, the gaming activity was billed as a game of skill. However, more than three years after that historic ruling, leaders of two major US operators have come out with...
EBCI Holdings Gets Council Approval to Launch $10M Gaming Tech Incubator Fund
EBCI Holdings, the commercial gaming arm of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, plans to establish a gaming technology incubator and invest between $10 million and $12 million in early stage startup companies. Scott Barber, EBCI Holdings’ CEO, told the Band’s Tribal...
FanDuel Inks New Sports Betting Deal with Pat McAfee, Reportedly for $30M Annually
FanDuel on Thursday showed Pat McAfee the money. The sports betting operator and iGaming company announced the former NFL player turned sports media personality would remain an exclusive partner in a multi-year deal. Terms weren’t announced in a FanDuel press release. But...
Illinois Gaming Board Picks Full House, Wind Creek to Advance for Casino Projects
The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) moved forward Wednesday on two new casinos, picking Full House Resorts and Wind Creek Hospitality as its choices to operate gaming facilities in Waukegan and Chicago’s South Suburbs, respectively. Wednesday’s votes are not the final action for...
Ohio Sports Betting Bill Passed by State Lawmakers, Now Heads to Governor’s Desk
Ohio is on the verge of becoming the 33rd state to legalize sports betting. On Wednesday, both chambers of the state legislature overwhelmingly passed House Bill 29. That’s after a conference committee of lawmakers from the House and Senate agreed on the...
Before Ushering In Fixed-Odds, US Horse Racing Must Fix Its Safety Issues – Opinion
An article about the future of horse racing, and how fixed-odds betting will play a role in that, has been on my to-do list for a while, and especially since last week’s SBC Summit North America. But after Monday’s awful news about...
Ohio Sports Betting Bill to Go Before House Conference Panel on Wednesday
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but we may be nearing a deal on sports betting in Ohio. The state House of Representatives Conference Committee has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday morning to hold a hearing and possibly vote on House...
Medina Spirit, Kentucky Derby Winner That Failed Drug Test, Dies After Training at Santa Anita
Medina Spirit, the Bob Baffert-trained 2021 Kentucky Derby winner under investigation for a failed drug test in that race, died suddenly Monday morning after a training session at Santa Anita Park in California. Ray Paulick, publisher of horse racing news site PaulickReport.com,...