The Sweep, October 24 — Malik Beasley Moves Toward a Guilty Plea, New York Wants Kalshi's Records, Sportsbooks Hold 10.3 Percent, and Congress Writes to Kalshi and Polymarket About VIPs

Saturday, October 24. Former NBA guard Malik Beasley appears set to change his plea in the federal gambling case in Brooklyn. ESPN reported an overnight docket notice indicating he intends to plead guilty, and said the judge late Friday asked a magistrate to schedule a change-of-plea hearing. His lawyer, Steve Haney, told ESPN by text that Beasley "has not signed a plea deal with prosecutors" and that a decision is expected early this week. Beasley pleaded not guilty this summer to bribery in sporting contests and to wire fraud, honest services fraud and money laundering conspiracies. Prosecutors allege he manipulated his scoring and rebounding in at least four games with Milwaukee in 2023-24 (Covers says at least three; we are using ESPN's figure). The judge made the same scheduling order Friday for co-defendant Ernesto Plascencia, whose lawyer confirmed a guilty plea. Ed Davis and Paolo Zamorano have pleaded not guilty. Nothing is final until a plea is entered in court, and HoopsHype's headline saying he "will plead guilty" is ahead of the record. A guilty plea would be an admission from a nine-year NBA player that he sold his own box score, and the leagues' integrity case will be built on admissions like that, not on indictments.

Friday, October 23. The New York State Gaming Commission asked a Manhattan judge to enforce the subpoenas it served on Kalshi in August, covering sports contracts, under-21 customers, ads that called the product a bet, and ownership. Our lead today argues that the fight is about the size of the bill, not about whether Kalshi broke the law.

Saturday, October 24. New York's mobile sportsbooks kept 10.3 percent of $615.1 million in the week ending October 18, Covers reported from state figures. Revenue was $63.3 million, the first week above $60 million since the World Cup ended in mid-July. FanDuel held 12.1 percent and BetMGM 7.7, while theScore Bet's 15 percent on $7.9 million was the state high. One week of hold tells you about the results, not about anyone's pricing. Four weeks under $50 million followed by one at $63 million is ordinary variance.

Thursday, October 22. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee sent VIP-program information requests to BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics, Kalshi and Polymarket, SportsBettingDime reported. Answers are due November 5. They ask how many customers are enrolled, how much those customers lost before and after enrolling, how many tried to cut back and were offered perks instead, and whether AI is used to target them. The letters say VIP programs are "driving the gambling industry's most susceptible customers into debt and addiction." The two exchanges on the list are the notable part. The lawmakers are treating an exchange's top-customer program the same as a sportsbook's. Kalshi and Polymarket will find it hard to answer that their VIPs are traders, not bettors, without saying how much those traders lose.

Thursday, October 22. DraftKings chief executive Jason Robins told NEXTPredict that his exchange is "already the clear No. 3" in prediction markets. Covers cited Aldrin Research: DKeX did $1.04 billion in the week ending October 18, a 3.57 percent share, up from 2.33 percent in late September. Third is accurate. "Clear" is a stretch when the share is 3.57 percent and Kalshi and Polymarket are, in Covers' words, a clear first and a relatively distant second. The shares are down more than 40 percent this year. Robins called his position a "win-win" whether sports contracts survive or not, which is what you say when the stock has priced in neither outcome.

Friday, October 23. DraftKings launched Football Moonshot, a live game in which one stake grows as a drive goes on: +0.2x for any positive-yardage play, +0.5x for every full 10 yards, +0.5x for a first down and +2x for an offensive touchdown. You set a target and can cash out between plays. It is a live parlay on every snap of a drive with a cash-out button. We would like to see its hold before anyone calls it a game.

Friday, October 23. VGW is still running Chumba Casino, Global Poker and Luckyland Slots in Arizona almost two years after the state ordered it to stop in November 2024, Covers reported from the Arizona Republic. The Department of Gaming's Jessica Roza said the department still considers the activity illegal and is weighing enforcement, and no charges have been filed. Arizona is the state that has prosecuted Kalshi. It has not done the same to a sweepstakes operator it ordered shut two years ago.

Friday, October 23. The Jets traded Connor Hellebuyck to the Devils for Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Alexander Command, Nick Bjugstad and two picks. DraftKings moved New Jersey from +2500 to +1400 for the Cup. We think the market got it right, because the Devils' save percentage was .876.

Friday, October 23. Brewers 3, Rays 2 in Game 1, and for a couple of minutes it was 3-1 and over, until replay found Cooper Pratt's foot off second base. That review decided the run line, and most of the money was on the losing side. Game 2 is Saturday night, Drew Rasmussen against Logan Henderson.

What we are not running, and why

"The Knicks are the first defending champions to start 0-2 in 15 years." This appeared in a search-engine roundup. We could not find it in any recap we could read, and the searches returned only stories from the 2025 playoffs. We may run it if a box-score source confirms it.

"Cooper Flagg hurt his shoulder on a flagrant foul by Aaron Nesmith." A roundup carried an October 24 headline saying this. Every report we could open was about Flagg's shoulder in October 2025. Until we can read this year's report, we treat it as recycled.

"Eric Earnest pleads guilty in the Rozier case." Covers' Friday digest says he pleaded guilty and, in the same item, that he pleaded not guilty. An item that contradicts itself is not a source, and the item also involves Chauncey Billups, so we are waiting for the court record.

"The Second Circuit will hear Kalshi's New York appeal on November 3." One aggregator site has this date. No court filing or outlet we could read confirms it, so it is not in our lead either.