About the Author
Alex Weldon
Who is Alex Weldon?
Alex Weldon is an expert on regulated US online gambling who serves as the Casino News Managing Editor for Bonus.com. He began writing about the online gambling industry professionally in 2014. Prior to that, he was a semi-professional poker player, board game designer and video game writer.
Working for Catena Media, he has also served as Managing Editor at Online Poker Report and contributed to PlayUSA, Michigan Sharp and NJGamblingSites.
Before joining Catena, he wrote for Part Time Poker and managed the GameIntel Poker Update, a subscription newsletter for industry executives, tracking and explaining changes in poker site traffic. A degree in astrophysics from Queen’s University has provided him with a solid mathematical foundation for analyzing gambling trends in a quantitative way.
Alex provides insightful content on the regulated online casino and poker industries, with an emphasis on legislation, regulation, responsible gambling and business strategy. His writing about poker has been cited by The Atlantic and has earned him multiple nominations for the American Poker Awards over the years.
Alex Weldon in the Media
- How New Federal Compact Rules Affect Future Of Tribal Online Gaming, Pechanga.net, Feb 29, 2024
- Dawn Wotapka’s Media Movers: Alex Weldon of Bonus, Talking Biz News, Nov 1, 2022
- Get to Know the Poker Media: Alex Weldon, Cardplayer Lifestyle, Aug 15, 2016
- Thinking Poker Podcast, Episode 135, Aug 4, 2015
Citations
- New Haven Register, Oct 11, 2023
- WSJ reports alleges disgraced UltimateBet attorney played larger role in FTX’s misuse of funds, Poker.org, July 1, 2023
- Chess is Just Poker Now, The Atlantic, Sep 17, 2022
- Flutter ‘Wholly Surprised’ by Bombshell $1.3 Billion Kentucky Supreme Court Ruling, Poker Industry Pro, Dec 18, 2020
- Poker’s Newest Face, University of Rochester, Sep 2014
Top Bonus.com Articles by Alex Weldon
- Skillz Accuses AviaGames of Using Bots to Cheat Users Amid Patent Lawsuit, Nov 15, 2023
- Penn State Study Shows Impact of Regulated Gambling on Black Market, March 30, 2023
- Projection: US Online Casino Revenue to Approach $6.5 Billion in 2023, Jan 31, 2023
- Gambling Advertising Overload Hurts the Chances of Further Expansion, Dec 21, 2022
- ‘I Should Have Won by Now!’ – The Mathematics of Losing Streaks, Nov 7, 2022
- The Chess World’s Latest Cheating Scandal Has Parallels to Poker, Sep 13, 2022
- Is Cryptocurrency Speculation Just Another Form of Unregulated Gambling?, July 28, 2022
Other Writing by Alex Weldon
- US Online Casinos Will Earn $7.8B This Year — 2024 Market Forecast, PlayUSA, Jan 8, 2024
- The Complex Reality Behind Problem Gambling Calls, PlayUSA, March 12, 2023
- CRYSTAL BALL: Catena Media Team Forecasts the Future of the US Online Poker Market, USPoker, June 24, 2020
Social Media & Professional Profiles
- Alex Weldon on Twitter (@benefactumgames)
- Alex Weldon on LinkedIn
- Alex Weldon on MuckRack
- Alex Weldon on BoardGameGeek
- Alex Weldon on MobyGames
- Alexander Weldon on IMDB (not to be confused with the visual effects artist of the same name)
Latest articles
Online Gambling Policy—Enthusiasm for Collaboration Swells on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Trans-Atlantic collaboration is quickly becoming a trending topic in the world of online gambling policy. On Monday, Feb. 5, the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) announced that it would enlist the help of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) in preparing its model iGaming legislation. The following day, the UKGC’s Executive Director Tim Miller told […]
PredictIt Lawsuit: How a Battle Over Venue Might Determine the Fate of US Election Betting
PredictIt and its co-plaintiffs have asked a federal court in Texas to postpone the case’s transfer to the District of Columbia while petitioning the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene. The US District Court for the Western District of Texas ordered the transfer on Jan. 16, 2024, at the request of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In […]
Hawaii Gambling Bill—Senator Proposes Single-Operator Online Poker & Sports Betting for Wildfire Relief
Hawaii could legalize online gambling in a limited way in 2024 despite not being high on anyone’s list of states likely to do so. Sen. Ronald D. Kouchi has introduced a bill to create a single-operator market for online poker and sports betting. As it stands, Hawaii has no legal gambling whatsoever. It is almost unique in that regard, with Utah […]
Scott Sibella Guilty Plea—Former Casino Exec Admits Failing to Report Suspicious Activity
The federal investigation into former Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) and MGM Grand executive Scott Sibella ended in a quick guilty plea on Wednesday. Sibella admitted to having failed to file suspicious activity reports under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) toward the end of his eight-year tenure as president of the MGM Grand. He has yet […]
Betr Casino Coming to Pennsylvania—Jake Paul’s Sportsbook Announces iGaming Expansion Plans
Sports betting newcomer Betr has announced its expansion plans for 2024, which include making its online casino debut in Pennsylvania. Betr hit the scene last year as a collaboration between online gambling entrepreneur Joey Levy and social media personality and boxer Jake Paul. Paul leveraged his YouTube fame to get eyes on his professional boxing debut in […]
Michigan Gaming Control Board Confirms Sending Cease & Desists to Sweepstakes Operators
Sweepstakes casinos and other unregulated sites offering cash prizes began exiting the Michigan market last year, and the state regulator has now confirmed its involvement in those decisions. On Jan. 18, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) issued a press release saying it had sent cease-and-desist letters to three operators: PredictionStrike Inc., Sweepstakes Limited, and VGW Luckyland Inc. PredictionStrike is […]
US Online Casinos End 2023 on Target With $6.5B Revenue, Pennsylvania Posts First $200M Month
US online casinos generated a combined total of $6.5 billion in 2023 across six states, just as I predicted for Bonus one year ago. In fact, the industry did slightly better than the prediction: my $6.5 billion estimate was rounded up from $6.46 billion, while the actual total exceeded that by 1.1%, coming in at $6.53 billion now that regulators have posted […]
The Federal Excise Tax—a Ball-and-Chain for Regulated Gambling
A difference of opinion over modes of taxation could sink what should otherwise be a very popular proposal to allocate more money to problem gambling harm reduction. One of the most common arguments presented by gambling expansion proponents is that a portion of the tax revenue generated by legal gambling can be used to mitigate its […]
Fliff Lawsuit—Court Deems Sweepstakes Site’s Compelled Arbitration Clause Valid
The proposed class action lawsuit against sweepstakes sports predictions site Fliff won’t happen, as a California federal judge ruled it must proceed to arbitration per the operator’s terms and conditions. It’s an important decision and one that might signal that the flurry of litigation against social gaming sites is coming to an end. The plaintiff in the […]
New Jersey Legislators Resume Gambling Treatment Diversion Court Effort
With the 2024 legislative session in full swing, New Jersey lawmakers will once again consider establishing a gambling treatment diversion court (GTDC) program for the state. Last year’s effort by Assemblyman Daniel Benson emerged successfully from an Assembly committee but didn’t progress in the Senate. This year, Sen. Nicholas Scutari was quick to file a new version of the […]
