About the Author
Heather Fletcher
Who Is Heather Fletcher?
Heather Fletcher is the lead writer at Bonus, concentrating on online casino coverage. She specializes in breaking news, legislative coverage, and gambling marketing strategy overviews. Fletcher was part of the team that earned the 2022 SBC North America Casino Affiliate of the Year honor.
Fletcher came to Catena Media, the parent company of Bonus, from a newspaper and magazine background. In March 2021, Fletcher began writing about online casino gambling as the lead writer for Online Poker Report. After Catena retired that online publication, she moved to Bonus and had bylines on other Catena sites, including MichiganSharp, NY Sports Day, and the now-retired NJGamblingSites. Fletcher is also a New York Times contract freelance reporter for the National Desk. She covers breaking news from Philadelphia, as needed.
Fletcher’s Top Stories on Bonus.com
- Red44 Shut Down, Seemingly Start of Crackdown on Offshore Betting Sites, Jan. 12, 2023
- Online Gambling Industry Can Rejoice: 2018 Interpretation of Wire Act Dead, Sept. 16, 2022
- Poker Players Amazed Dealer Didn’t Understand ‘Color Up’ Request, June 3, 2022
- Women and FanDuel Casino May Be a Better Couple Than ‘Break Up Win,’ Nov. 29, 2022
- Jackpot City Online Casino Debuts in Pennsylvania, Dec. 7, 2023
- 2024 Indiana, New Hampshire Online Casino Bills May Take Paths Less Traveled, July 24, 2023
Fletcher’s Citations and Interviews Include:
- Straight to the Point, Citation, Affiliates Ignore Rhode Island Online Casino Launch, March 7, 2024
- The Closing Line, Citation, Sports Betting and Online Casino Legislation Update: March 1, March 1, 2024
- The Law Office of Elissa D. Hecker, Link to Articles, This Week in New York Gambling News, Feb. 23, 2024
- Poker News Daily, Citation, New York Online Poker Bill Not Included in Governor’s Budget Plan, Jan. 17, 2024
- Straight to the Point, Citation, Iowa iCasino Unlikely in 2024, Feb. 1, 2024
- Eilers & Krejcik Gaming Consulting and Market Research, Citation, US Sports Betting Policy Monitor, Jan. 4, 2024
- National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services (NAADGS), Podcast, Citation, 2023 Year in Review, Dec. 28, 2023
- Brown Political Review, Citation, Wheel of Misfortune, Dec. 3, 2023
- Earnings+More, Citation, The Future Is Murky for Esports Betting, Nov. 28, 2023
- Sharpr, Citation, Kentucky Says ‘Yes’ to Esports Betting, Aug. 3, 2023
- 77WABC, Interview, The Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano, July 6, 2023
- The Center Square, Interview, Online Gambling Could Be Next for Illinois’ Expanding Industry, April 21, 2023
- Indiana Capital Chronicle, Citation, Momentum Grows for Legal iGaming, Jan. 3, 2023
Fletcher’s Top Stories Across the Web
- The New York Times, This Wedding Is Brought to You by …, June 11, 2006
- Adweek, Online Casinos Join the Streaming Wars With Branded Live Dealers, April 29, 2022
- Adweek, These Innovative Campaigns and Execs Delivered Results and Accountability When It Mattered Most, March 21, 2021
- NY Sports Day, State of New York Sportsbooks Hearing: How Are We Doing?, Jan. 24, 2023
- The News-Herald, Tenant Issues Swirl Around Shoregate, June 2, 2000
Social Media & Professional Profiles
To reach Fletcher with a news tip, email her at [email protected].
Latest articles
Committee Head Who Helped Kill New Hampshire Online Casino Bill May Be Asked to Temporarily Step Aside
New Hampshire Rep. Laurie Sanborn, the chairwoman of the House committee that killed this year’s online casino bill, was absent on Sept. 19 from the House Ways and Means Committee meeting. Meanwhile, Democrats are asking her to step down from that role and her speaker pro-tem leadership positions while state and federal officials investigate her […]
North Carolina Legal Gambling Expansion Out of State Budget
North Carolinians now know where their elected leaders stand on legal gambling expansion. That’s because, on Sept. 19, the North Carolina General Assembly removed retail casino and video gaming terminal (VGT) proposals from the $30 billion budget bill. A final vote is expected on Sept. 21 or 22. The previous version of the budget bill […]
Will Voters See a 2024 Ballot With Colorado Online Casino Gambling?
Centennial State casino owners and existing sports betting operators are in talks to advance Colorado online casino gambling legalization efforts. That’s what Colorado Budget Director Mark Ferrandino told Bonus on Sept. 15. If the talks result in any proposed legislation, voters must decide on iGaming’s legality. That’s because legal Colorado online casino gambling would involve […]
Addabbo Hosts New York Responsible Gaming Webinar, May Take Learnings Into March Outreach
New York State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. hosted a webinar on Sept. 13 to offer problem gambling education to his constituents. On Sept. 18, his office issued a press release about the Responsible Gaming Education Month effort. Plus, his office told Bonus that Addabbo’s New York responsible gaming webinar may yield learnings he can […]
Sample Ballots Released, Showing Vote Will Happen on Richmond Grand Resort and Casino
A Richmond casino vote will happen, shows a sample ballot released on Sept. 14 by the Richmond Office of Elections. While the ballot question doesn’t say the proposed $562 million gambling establishment’s name, it’s being called the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino. The project is a collaboration between media company Urban One and Churchill Downs […]
Michigan Shuts Down Golden Hearts Games, a Free-to-Play Social Casino
Michigan officials shut down Golden Hearts Games Inc. As of Sept. 1, the free-to-play social casino that claims games support charity was no longer operating in the Wolverine State. Bonus attempted to sign up for a Golden Hearts Games account using a Michigan ZIP Code to test the shutdown. The Golden Hearts sign-up page told […]
MGM Resorts, MGM Rewards Websites Down, But BetMGM Seems Fine As Russian Hacker Gang Claims Credit
MGM Resorts International and the Las Vegas-based retail casino giant’s loyalty program, MGM Rewards, may have been hacked by a Russian cyber gang called ALPHV, according to a nonprofit group that collects malware information. VX-Underground tweeted on Sept. 12 that ALPHV is claiming credit for a cyberattack that’s plagued MGM for four days. Meanwhile, BetMGM, […]
Here’s Why a DraftKings Casino Ad Showed Up While I Was Watching ‘Castle’
On a recent Friday night, I was watching the crime drama Castle on Hulu. Ads came on, and I saw my work life flash before me. It was a DraftKings Casino commercial featuring a woman extolling the virtues of blackjack. As I told my sources while researching this story about Americans upset about seeing legal […]
A DraftKings Marketing Misdeed May Impact New York Sportsbook Regulations
American marketers like online sports betting operator DraftKings can largely self-regulate their messages. That freedom may soon be called into question by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC). That’s because, on Sept. 10, DraftKings ran a “Never Forget” parlay about three New York teams playing on Sept. 11. “Never Forget” is the phrase uttered […]
DraftKings Apologizes for 9/11 ‘Never Forget’ Sports Betting Parlay
DraftKings apologized on Sept. 11 for a parlay it offered sports bettors titled “Never Forget” that featured wagers on three New York teams. “Never Forget” references the way Americans honor the memory of the terror attacks 22 years ago on this day. The attacks by terrorists who hijacked planes killed nearly 3,000 Americans, primarily in […]
