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Huntsville Police Department has arrested a man under suspicion of being involved in an alleged illegal gambling operation in Alabama.
A SWAT team from Huntsville Police Department executed a search warrant early on Tuesday, January 6 as part of an investigation into an alleged illegal gambling operation in the 3600 block of 7th Avenue. This led to the arrest of 59-year-old Robert Lorenzo Gray Jr.
Investigators also seized 21 hard drives from gambling machines, two firearms, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. Gray went on to be charged with promoting gambling, possession of gambling records in the first degree, possession of marijuana in the second degree, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Illegal gambling machines seized during a raid. Credit: Huntsville Police Department
“The investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests may be made,” said Huntsville Police Department in a statement.
Illegal gambling in Alabama
This isn’t the first similar investigation to take place in Alabama, with search warrants also executed in the last few months in Pike County and Fort Payne, with illegal gambling machines and records seized in both operations.
There’s also mounting pressure to tackle illegal online gambling, with concern rising about how such operators could be affecting Alabama youth.
An official letter from the Senate to to Attorney General Pam Bondi noted how illicit offshore gambling operations “allow minors to engage in unregulated sports betting and gaming with no oversight, unlike legal domestic gaming operations”. In addition, the bipartisan letter explained how “these illegal offshore gaming operations expose young people to numerous harms, including by permitting them to gamble without age verification, on credit, and offering no resources for gambling addictions.”
With Alabama one of the few states to almost entirely ban gambling, apart from a few exceptions limited to betting on horse and dog racing and electronic bingo machines, this push to crack down on illegal gambling is split across both physical and online spaces.

Featured image: Huntsville Police Department

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Multiple business and residential properties in Galveston, Texas were raided under suspicion of facilitating illegal gambling and organized criminal activity.
The multi-location operation took place on Tuesday (January 6), according to a briefing from Galveston Police Department, targeting several businesses and homes that are suspected to be involved in helping run illegal gambling and organized crime.
The tactical raid started early in the morning, with Galveston Police Department detectives and specialized units entering the properties under search and arrest warrants. The raids took place following an investigation over several months into unregulated “game rooms” and suspected associated criminal financial networks that support their operations.
“Illegal gambling operations are often a magnet for secondary crimes, including money laundering and narcotics distribution,” reads the official statement from Galveston Police Department. “Today’s action demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the safety and integrity of our neighborhoods by dismantling these unauthorized operations.”
The results of the illegal gambling raids in Galveston
Although the nature of the ongoing investigation means that the names of the arrested individuals are still being withheld from the general public, Galveston Police Department did confirm that five commercial businesses and four private residences were served search and arrest warrants at the same time.
That included three commercial sites within 61st Street Plaza and 2215 61st, Tongs Happy Buddha, and A&M Grocery. Several individuals were taken into custody, with expected charges said to include engaging in organized criminal activity and possession of gambling devices/equipment. At the time of writing, the arrested individuals are still being processed.
Galveston Police Department officers also seized a significant number of illegal eight-liner gambling machines, as well as an undisclosed amount of cash, and electronic records related to the wider criminal network.
The investigation is noted by Galveston Police Department to still be ongoing, with specific details related to the active investigation kept private for now.
Featured image: Google Maps
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Missouri Senator Nick Schroer has filed legislation that would block the Kansas City Chiefs from operating a sportsbook in the state.
This comes after the football team confirmed plans to move into a new stadium across the state border in Kansas. Senator Schroer’s SJR 109 was pre-filed on December 31 and proposes a constitutional amendment to remove the Chiefs from the official list of teams legally allowed to run sportsbooks.

State Sen. Nick Schroer said he will be filing legislation this week “to get rid of the asinine classification of the Chiefs as Missouri’s official NFL team” and will work to get rid of “the asinine ‘handshake’ border-war resolution” with Kansas. #moleghttps://t.co/aqnYJJ9WSZ
— Jason Hancock (@J_Hancock) December 22, 2025

While it’s still pending approval by the Senate and the House, the bill would go up for vote among the citizens of Missouri, likely either in the November 2026 general election or at an election held for this issue in particular.
The bill’s wording repeals the section that allows sports teams that are members of professional leagues, including the NFL, replacing instead with wording that refers to entities “at any location within each sports district, as approved by each applicable professional sports team that plays its home games in such sports district”.
The Chiefs’ move to Kansas
With the Kansas City Chiefs now confirmed to no longer be playing their home games in Missouri, this would ostensibly block the team from operating a sportsbook. There does appear to be a door open for the Chiefs to continue sportsbook operations, but it would need to work via a third party.
“If a professional sports team designates a sports wagering operator to operate on its behalf, then that sports wagering operator, rather than the professional sports team, shall submit to the Commission for licensure and shall be considered the licensee for all aspects of Commission oversight and regulatory control,” states the filing.
The move has been in the works for several years, but has only recently been officially confirmed. The team announced on December 22 that it planned to build a new stadium, training facility, and mixed-use entertainment areas in Kansas, and therefore leave the Arrowhead Stadium to move across the state line for the 2031 NFL season.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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An additional 21 class action gambling lawsuits were filed against multiple sweepstakes casino operators in Alabama on Monday (January 5), joining a number of filings in 2025 to bring the total number of civil actions brought against such platforms to more than 40 since the beginning of 2025. That makes Alabama the state with the highest number of such sweepstakes legal disputes.
In court documents shared by gaming lawyer David Wallach, one of the 21 lawsuits filed is against Heuston Gaming and is defined as “a private attorney general action”, as it is only brought by one person. It seeks to gain money lost in gambling for the use of the family members of the gambler.

21 more gambling class action lawsuits were filed yesterday in Alabama against multiple sweepstakes casino operators, bringing the number of civil actions lodged against sweeps platforms in Alabama to well over 40 since the beginning of last year — more than any other state. pic.twitter.com/vw7DjD0dpi
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) January 6, 2026

“The legislature has chosen to allow any person to bring the case, and to allow the benefit to accrue to the family of the losing gamblers, whether or not that person is a proper class representative under Rule 23,” reads the filing.
In Alabama, Rule 23 outlines the requirements for certifying a lawsuit as a class action.
Lawsuits in Alabama put sweepstakes operators under the microscope
The lawsuits in 2025 were of a similar nature, with gamblers seeking to recoup losses from operators. As Alabama is one of the states in the US that has almost entirely outlawed gambling, sweepstakes operators have thus far skirted the legal boundaries by relying on virtual currencies. Operators claim that their services and games aren’t gambling because they run on a “Prize-Chance-Consideration” method, rather than actual cash.
By law, gambling devices are banned in Alabama, which has kept casinos from gaining any real foothold. That may not last much longer, though, as the Poarch Band of Creek Indians is starting to push for sportsbooks and table games to come to the state.
Lawsuits like those mentioned above, as well as prior ones against High 5 Entertainment and Stake.us highlight the pushback on this way of operating. Plaintiffs argue that unlicensed and unlawful games were on offer, thereby negating the money that was lost along the way.

Featured image: Pexels
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Google has shared that it’s changing its ad policies. Starting January 21, 2026, some prediction markets will be allowed to advertise in the US.
The update is limited to federally regulated organizations, and advertisers will also need to go through a new certification process before they can run these ads.
Google to permit ads for prediction markets
Under the updated policy, Google will allow advertising for “Prediction Markets,” which it defines as “platforms that facilitate the listing of or provide customer access to Exchange-Listed Event Contracts related to economics, sports, or current events.” However, eligibility is narrowly restricted.

Google Ads to permit ads for Prediction markets https://t.co/btlO3P8v9S pic.twitter.com/6ZnKp4Ghj9
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) January 6, 2026

Under the updated policy, advertisers have to fit into one of two groups. The first group includes companies approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as Designated Contract Markets (DCMs). These are platforms whose main business is offering exchange-listed event contracts, things like markets tied to economic indicators or sports outcomes.
The second group covers brokerages that are authorized by the National Futures Association to give users access to products offered by an eligible DCM.
On top of meeting these regulatory requirements, advertisers will also need to apply for certification directly through Google before they can run ads aimed at US users. Google stressed that “all ads, products, and landing pages must comply with all local laws, financial regulations, industry standards and all other Google Ads Policies.”
The company noted that translated versions of its Advertising Policies Help Center are available for reference, but stated that “the English version is the official language used to enforce Google Ads policies.” It also included a general disclaimer that “AI can make mistakes.”
The updated guidance will be posted in the Advertising Policies Help Center and referenced across Google’s Financial Services and Gambling and Games policies. The full details are already available to preview on the Prediction Markets policy page.
Over the past few months, Google has continued to tweak its Gambling and Games policy, including reclassifying sweepstakes casino games so they’re no longer treated as social games. And as prediction markets keep gaining traction, it looks like Google is paying closer attention to that space too.
Featured image: Google / Canva
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