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    Derek Helling

    Derek Helling

    As seen in: Chicago Sun-Times, FOX Sports, FanSided, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, OZY, Mashed, The Times of Northwest Indiana, Pantagraph, Herald & Review, SportsLine, Dispatch Argus, Last Word On Sports, Journal Gazette & Times-Courier, The Equalizer, Bonus News, KC Kingdom, CDC Gaming Reports, The Southern Maryland Chronicle,

    Facts

    • Editor since: 2026
    • Total Posts: 5

    Social Profiles

    Specialities

    Casino
    Sports
    Sweepstakes

    Q: Do you think the legalization of iGaming and sports betting across the nation is inevitable?

    A: No. The pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme from 2020-22 when states were legalizing online sports wagering in quick succession. However, even the normalization from those extremes won’t involve regulated online gambling in all 50 states.

    Q: Throughout your career, what has been the most interesting thing you’ve witnessed in the industry so far?

    A: The separation of gaming companies whose ambitions involve significant investment in iGaming and others for whom online gambling is an afterthought at most. I marvel at the latter still trying to blame their failures to grow their businesses on people who were probably never going to visit their casinos regularly even if they didn’t have the choice to play slots online.

    We asked

    How long have you been working in the iGaming and sports betting industry, and what originally piqued your interest to work within it?
    I have been covering the gaming industry since 2018. I enjoy writing about the convergence of business, legal, and technological aspects in the space.
    The iGaming and sports betting industry has been rapidly growing and changing throughout the years. What do you think it will look like in the short-term or long-term future?
    The die has been cast for the short-term future of online gambling in the United States, although there might be a few minimal alterations like a few states with smaller populations expanding iGaming in the next five years. The long-term prognostications for iGaming will depend significantly on what Congress and the courts ultimately do with prediction markets.
    As a professional writer, in the field or otherwise, have you received any interesting awards or other forms of recognition? If not, do you aspire to achieve any?
    I was selected to contribute a column to the Chicago Sun-Times’ “Chicago’s Next Voices” publication in 2024. I wrote about how Chicago needed to adjust its responsible gaming interventions with the opening of its first brick-and-mortar casino within city limits.
    If you had to give advice to someone with aspirations to become a professional in this industry like yourself, what would you say?
    There is no such thing as being too knowledgeable, too skilled, or too well connected. Producing quality work and your network will take you where you want to go.
    What’s your current take on the latest rising niche of prediction markets?
    Until Congress acts or the United States Supreme Court rules, nothing else matters. All the current court cases and debates in the capitol are just leading up to those events that will determine how prediction markets will look for years to come.
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