Jessica Welman, Author at Seven Casino

About Jessica Welman

Jessica Welman has been working inside the gambling industry since 2008, not writing about it from the outside. That distinction matters. Her editorial perspective is shaped by nearly two decades of direct involvement in how this industry operates, regulates, grows, and communicates, across poker, online casino, sports betting, and sweepstakes verticals in both the US and international markets.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and a Master of Arts in Communication and Culture from Indiana University Bloomington, where her graduate research centred on the anthropology of poker players. That academic grounding in how communities form around gambling behaviour has informed her editorial approach ever since.

Her career in gaming media began when she was hired by PocketFives as a tournament reporter at the 2008 World Series of Poker. By the end of that summer, she had an offer from the World Poker Tour. Over the years that followed, she built a track record covering live events, reporting on regulatory shifts, and managing teams across some of the most prominent gambling media properties in the United States, including WSOP.com, BLUFF Magazine, The Big Lead, PlayUSA, Play Pennsylvania, Play Indiana, and Play Tennessee.

Prior to joining SBC, Welman served as Director of Content at Bally’s Interactive and spent four years at Catena Media, where she held Managing Editor roles across multiple state-specific Play-branded portals. She was one of the few editors in the US with direct experience covering multiple state market launches as they happened, from the ground up.

In June 2022, she joined SBC Media as Editor of SBC Americas, becoming the publication’s first US-based editorial lead. Under her direction, SBC Americas and Canadian Gaming Business reached record readership. In March 2025, she was promoted to the newly created role of Managing Editor, taking responsibility for editorial output across SBC’s entire global network, which includes SBC News, iGaming Expert, SBC Noticias, and Lottery Daily.

Areas of Expertise

Welman’s editorial focus spans the full breadth of regulated iGaming in North America, with particular depth in the following areas:

US sports betting regulation – She has tracked the post-PASPA market expansion from its earliest days, covering legislative developments, licensing frameworks, and operator activity across dozens of jurisdictions. Her reporting on legal disputes involving prediction markets, tribal compacts, and state gaming commissions reflects a working knowledge of US gambling law rather than surface-level commentary.

Online casino and affiliate publishing – Her years managing content for affiliate platforms gave her an operational understanding of how regulated online casino markets function, how odds and product comparisons are built, and what responsible publishing requires in licensed environments.

Poker and live events – Welman has covered poker at the highest level since 2008, including multiple World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour events. Her expertise here is grounded in years of on-the-ground reporting rather than secondary research.

Responsible gambling and player protection – She has moderated and contributed to industry discussions on responsible gambling at SBC Summit North America and other conferences. She regularly covers regulatory developments in this area, including how operators are held to account by gaming commissions.

Editorial Standards and Independence

All content published under Welman’s byline at SBC Media adheres to the organisation’s editorial guidelines, which maintain a strict separation between news coverage and commercial activity. She does not accept payment for coverage, does not accept undisclosed partnerships, and does not allow advertiser relationships to influence editorial decisions.

Where content relates to regulated gambling products, SBC Media applies responsible gambling disclosures in line with industry standards. Welman has been outspoken within the industry about the need for editorial integrity in gambling media, particularly as sports betting content increasingly intersects with social media, influencer marketing, and affiliate incentives. Her editorial position is that coverage of gambling should be accurate, sober, and transparent about risk, regardless of the commercial pressures that exist in this sector.

She does not hold equity stakes in any gambling operator or affiliate business. Any potential conflict of interest is disclosed in accordance with SBC Media’s internal policy.

Selected Publications and Media Appearances

Welman’s bylines have appeared across a broad range of industry publications and platforms, including:

• SBC News and SBC Americas (current)
• Canadian Gaming Business (current)
• PlayUSA, Play Pennsylvania, Play Indiana, Play Tennessee
• PlayColorado, Play Illinois
• WSOP.com
• BLUFF Magazine
• The Big Lead
• iGaming Daily podcast (regular contributor)

She has spoken at and moderated sessions at SBC Summit North America, covering topics including player protection, market regulation, and the future of sports betting content in the United States. She was named among CDC Gaming’s “10 Women Rising in Gaming” in 2023.

Contact Jessica Welman

For editorial enquiries, interview requests, or to pitch a news story to SBC Media, Jessica can be reached at:

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessica-welman-79789a9b

X (Twitter): @jesswelman

SBC Media’s editorial team operates across time zones and covers breaking regulatory and industry news on a 24-hour basis. Response times for editorial enquiries are typically within two business days.