Top Gambling News Stories for Thursday August 20, 2026

Submitted by C Costigan on

Written by :

C Costigan

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Top Gambling News Stories for Thursday August 20, 2026

Gambling911.com has all your latest news from the gambling and sports space around the clock. 


Prediction Markets

Cantor Launches Prediction Market

Thursday August 20, 2026 (9:39 am EDT)

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”), a premier global investment bank and part of the Cantor Fitzgerald group of companies, today announced the launch of institutional trading for prediction markets, becoming one of the first full-service investment banks to provide institutional clients with access to block trading in event contracts on a CFTC-regulated exchange. Cantor will act as an Introducing Broker, arranging and facilitating the execution of institutional-size block trades in event contracts for institutional clients, enabling them to negotiate block trades in event contracts at a single price through Kalshi’s block trading framework, away from the central order book. Cantor is also collaborating with Susquehanna Predictions, part of the Susquehanna International Group of Companies, a leading liquidity provider in prediction markets, to provide institutional-scale pricing and liquidity for its prediction markets coverage. 


Little League World Series

Little League World Series Betting Odds 2026

Thursday August 20, 2026 (9:11 am EDT)

There are four Little League World Series games today, Thursday, August 20, and there has been an important schedule change because of expected bad weather in Williamsport. Little League has moved them into two simultaneous windows: Australia–Mexico and Great Lakes–Mountain at 3 p.m. ET, followed by Japan–Curaçao and West–Midwest at 6 p.m. ET.

Australia vs. Mexico — 3 p.m. ET, Volunteer Stadium

This is Ryde Little League of Sydney (6-1) against Municipal de Tijuana (6-1).  Tijuana has several legitimate two-way players, with Jorge Fonseca, Emiliano Kerber and Tadeo Páez among the names being highlighted entering Williamsport.  Jorge Fonseca may be the most important Mexican player. He's a 5-foot-7 P/2B/OF. Mexico is the huge -850 favorite.  

Players to Watch: 

Jorge Fonseca - Mexico
Emiliano Kerber - Mexico
Tadeo Páez - Mexico 
Edin Becirevic - Mexico
Aaron Dare - Mexico 
Hikaru Kaneko - Mexico

Great Lakes (Ohio) vs. Mountain (Nevada) — 3 p.m. ET, Lamade Stadium

Great Lakes is West Side Little League from Hamilton, Ohio, which went 4-0 in its regional tournament. Mountain is Paseo Verde Little League of Henderson, Nevada, which went 3-0.  Ohio is the -130 favorite here while Nevada pays even odds. 

Players to Watch: 

Josiah Infante — Ohio
Boone Treadway — Ohio
Jack McAdams — Ohio
Maddox Bryan — Nevada
Brooks McFarland — Nevada
Logan Edwards — Nevada

Japan vs. Curaçao — 6 p.m. ET, Volunteer Stadium

Japan is represented by Joto Little League of Tokyo, which went a perfect 4-0 in regional competition. Curaçao is Pariba Little League, which went 5-3.  Japan has an especially intriguing pitching weapon: Tensei Yazawa — 5-foot-10, pitcher. Japan is a big -500 favorite.  Curacao pays $340 for every $100 bet with a win.  Nine of Curacao's 14 players can pitch.

Players to Watch: 

Tensei Yazawa - Japan
Shinnosuke Ijima - Japan 
Ryosuke Takaoka - Japan
Steven Felix - Curacao
Jordan Richards -  Curacao
Giendry Ryan - Curacao 

West (California) vs. Midwest (Iowa) — 6 p.m. ET, Lamade Stadium

California is Sweetwater Valley Little League from Bonita, which went 3-0 in West regional play. Iowa is Davenport Northwest, which went 4-0 in the Midwest.  California has several players with very good documented performances.  Noah Kirk is the 5-foot-8 SS/P threw 5⅓ innings who has allowed only two hits and struck out seven during Southern California's title run.  In the championship against Hawaii, Kirk struck out seven over five innings, while California won 11-3 to reach Williamsport.  Isaac Ramirez Aguirre hit a grand slam in the West Region championship. Iowa counters with some very intriguing two-way players that includeCooper Thissen, who is 5-foot-8, bats and throws left-handed, and plays P/C/SS/CF. That's an unusually versatile profile.  Anthony Johnson Jr. is another 5-foot-8 left-handed pitcher/first baseman/outfielder.  California is the big -270 favorite in this one.  Iowa pays out $200 for every $100 bet to win. 

U.S. Bracket Champion

California 1/1

Texas 6/1

New Jersey 6/1

Alabama 8/1

Iowa 12/1

Massachusetts 12/1

Ohio 12/1

Washington 12/1

Nevada 14/1

Pennsylvania 18/1

International Bracket Champion

South Korea 1/2

Dominican Republic 4/1

Japan 5/1

Mexico 8/1

Nicaragua 10/1

Curacao 16/1

Panama 25/1

Canada 33/1

Czechia 40/1

Australia 40/1


Gambling News (Pennsylvania) 

PA Bans 11 From Gambling

Thursday August 20, 2026 (9:11 am EDT)

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has placed 11 individuals on its various Involuntary Exclusion Lists, effectively banning them from gambling in the state.  Placement on the list bans individuals from gambling in a casino in Pennsylvania, as well as online betting sites regulated by the Board and Video Gaming Terminal locations.  One of those banned is a woman who left a 1-year-old in a vehicle in the parking lot of Parx Casino for 2 hours 41 minutes with an outside temperature of 80 degrees while she gambled at slot machines.


Sweepstakes Casinos (Florida)

Florida AG Sues Chumba Casino, LuckyLand, Global Poker, Stake Sweepstakes Casinos

Thursday August 20, 2026 (9:11 am EDT)

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed two lawsuits Wednesday against companies behind major online sweepstakes casinos, including Chumba Casino parent company VGW, which also operates the hugely popular LuckyLand and Global Poker sites.


Little League World Series

Little League World Series Issues Statement to Gambling911.com on Betting the Tournament

Thursday August 20, 2026 (9:11 am EDT)

The Little League World Series issued the following statement to Gambling911.com: 

"Little League International stands by its statement first issued last year that there is no place for betting on Little League games and players or any youth sports competition. Little League is a trusted place where children are learning the fundamentals of the games and all the important life lessons that come with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity, and no one should be exploiting the success and failures of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain."


Golf

Odds to Win the 2026 BMW Championship

Thursday August 20, 2026 (9:11 am EDT)

Scottie Scheffler
+300
Xander Schauffele
+1500
Ludvig Åberg
+1500
Rory McIlroy
+1600
Sam Burns
+1600
Cameron Young
+2000
Tommy Fleetwood
+2200
Matt Fitzpatrick
+2200
Si Woo Kim
+2500
Hideki Matsuyama
+2700
Chris Gotterup
+2700
Viktor Hovland
+3000
Patrick Cantlay
+3000
Wyndham Clark
+3000
Collin Morikawa
+4000
Justin Thomas
+4000
Jake Knapp
+4000
Russell Henley
+4500
Michael Thorbjornsen
+4500
Tom Kim
+4500
Min Woo Lee
+5000
Kurt Kitayama
+5000
Maverick McNealy
+5000
Michael Brennan
+5000
Ryan Gerard
+5500
J.J. Spaun
+6000
Adam Scott
+6500
Ben Griffin
+6500
Justin Rose
+7000
Sungjae Im
+7000
Robert MacIntyre
+7000
Nicolai Højgaard
+7000
Jacob Bridgeman
+8000
Rickie Fowler
+8000
Alex Noren
+8000
Kristoffer Reitan
+10000
Alex Smalley
+10000
Ryan Fox
+10000
Bud Cauley
+10000
Alex Fitzpatrick
+10000
Gary Woodland
+10000
J.T. Poston
+12500
Nico Echavarria
+15000
Aaron Rai
+15000
Akshay Bhatia
+15000
Eric Cole
+15000
Ryo Hisatsune
+15000
Sahith Theegala
+22500
Sepp Straka
+22500
Matt McCarty
+25000


More News Here


  • Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher 

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