Industry News in the Day for March 4, 2019

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Gambling Compliance, 3.4.19 – Judge’s Objection Leads To Wire Act Compliance (iDEA Growth mentioned in article)
  • A stern message from a federal judge may have convinced the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to extend the deadline from April to June for lotteries and gaming companies to comply with its new interpretation of the federal Wire Act of 1961.
• Gambling News, 3.4.19 – DOJ to Extend Wire Act Opinion Grace Period by 60 Days (iDEA Growth mentioned in article)
  • The Department of Justice (DOJ) has been the first to budge in the saga surrounding the latest Wire Act Opinion.
• iGaming Business, 3.4.19 – DoJ set to extend Wire Act non-enforcement window
  • The Department of Justice (DoJ) is set to extend the window in which it will not enforce its revised interpretation of the Wire Act, according to sources close to the matter.

Industry News:

• AP, 3.2.19 – Legalized sports betting unlikely in 3 largest US states
  • Over the past decade, teams from California, Florida or Texas have competed in more than half the championship series in the four major professional sports — including every NBA final.
• Sports Handle, 3.1.19 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports And Sports Betting: Vermont, N.C., Virginia, And More
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories, and rounding up key stories in sports betting, gaming, and the world of sports at large.
• Legal Sports Report, 3.4.19 – National Council On Problem Gambling: States Have Done ‘Poorly’ On Building Sports Betting Laws
  • Betting on Sports America is coming April 23-25 to the New York City area. The conference will bring together people from across the sports betting industry to take a look at the nascent US market as more states consider legalizing wagering.

Pennsylvania:

• WHTM, 3.1.19 – Online gaming just months from launch, official says
  • Online gaming became legal in Pennsylvania more than a year ago, but no bets have been placed. That could change in a matter of months.
• Play NJ, 3.1.19 – PA Online Gambling Set To Start Competing With NJ Online Casinos This Summer
  • The battle for Northeast online casino supremacy will heat up this summer when the neighboring state of Pennsylvania finally gets around to launching its first online gambling sites.

Nevada:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.1.19 – Let’s Bounce: $250 Million Wagered On Basketball In Nevada Sports Betting in January
  • Football typically dominates Nevada sports betting handle throughout NFL season, but basketball took top honors in January. Bettors put up nearly $500 million at Nevada sportsbooks in January, marking the first month under a half-billion in the last four.
• Action Network, 3.2.19 – Nevada’s Sports Betting Profits Fall Behind New Jersey for First Time in January
  • Nearly $500 million was bet on sports in Nevada in January, according to numbers released Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

New York:

• Law360, 3.1.19 – NY Poised To Join Neighbors In Sports Betting, Panelists Say
  • With neighboring states New Jersey and Pennsylvania pulling in millions since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the ban on sports betting, New York is looking to join in.
• AP, 3.1.19 – Sports betting at Yankee Stadium? It could happen under New York legislation
  • A sponsor of sports betting legislation in New York said the bill likely would allow for in-person wagering at places like Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden.
• iGaming Business, 3.4.19 – Pretlow files mobile sports betting bill in New York
  • Lawmakers in New York are to run the rule over a new bill that would legalise sports betting on mobile devices, in licensed casinos and at designated wagering lounges across the state.
• New York Post, 3.2.19 – New York gamblers are crossing to New Jersey to place bets
  • Going mobile appears to be a sure bet for local wagering — and that includes New Yorkers looking for a little action.

Tennessee:

• Sports Handle, 3.2.19 – Mobile Sports Betting Bill In Tennessee A ‘Work In Progress’
  • A plan to allow sports betting in Tennessee cleared an early hurdle on Wednesday when a House subcommittee advanced the measure. It was the first significant development for the legislation since it was pre-filed in early November.

Iowa:

• The Courier, 3.1.19 – Capitol Digest: Sports betting clears House committee
  • The legalization of betting on professional and college sporting events and on daily fantasy sports websites cleared the House’s State Government Committee.

Minnesota:

• iGaming Business, 3.4.19 – Minnesota to consider remote sports betting bill
  • Minnesota’s Senate Tax Committee will this week discuss a new bill that would legalize online, mobile and in-person sports wagering in the US state.

North Carolina:

• The News & Observer, 2.28.19 – Cherokee casinos make first bet on sports wagering in North Carolina
  • When the ACC and its schools started to wrestle with the implications of legal wagering on sporting events last summer, it all seemed very theoretical and far away, even as one state within the ACC’s footprint hustled to allow it after last May’s Supreme Court decision.

South Dakota:

• AP, 3.4.19 – South Dakota Legislature to debate industrial hemp, guns, sports betting this week
  • South Dakota lawmakers plan to debate bills this week to allow industrial hemp cultivation, let people bring concealed handguns into the Capitol and set the state’s official indigenous language.

Iowa:

• The Gazette, 3.3.19 – Will all counties reap benefits of sports betting in Iowa?
  • Iowa legislators are poised to approve a statewide sports betting program this year. It remains to be seen whether revenue from the new industry will benefit citizens across the state, or only a select few.
• WHO TV, 3.3.19 – State Preparing for Consumer Protections Against Problem Gambling if Sports Betting Bill Passes
  • One of the big topics this legislative session involves two bills that would legalize sports wagering. But as legislators decide if Iowans can start making bets with March Madness right around the corner, others are making sure the state is helping those with gambling addiction during Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March.

Illinois:

• AP, 3.3.19 – Illinois governor looks to legal sports betting for revenue
  • J.B. Pritzker is hoping the burgeoning sports-gambling industry will help solve Illinois’ budget troubles, but state lawmakers must first legalize expanded wagering after years of failed attempts.

California:

• LA Times, 3.3.19 – In California, legal gambling’s bets don’t produce big jackpots for state government
  • Few noticed last week when a proposed ballot measure — the kind that used to spark intense debates over legalized gambling — fizzled out, perhaps a sign that powerful interest groups are no longer willing to place big bets on such campaigns in California.

Sports League News:

• ESPN, 3.3.19 – Don Garber: MLS ready to embrace legalized sports gambling
  • Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber is ready to embrace legalized sports gambling.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• AP, 3.3.19 – Net bets push Golden Nugget casino near top in Atlantic City
  • Don’t look now, but a new contender is quietly rising to the upper echelon of Atlantic City’s casino market. In recent years, the Golden Nugget has steadily — and stealthily — grown its gambling revenue and market share, surpassing better known, bigger rivals.

Overall Industry News:

• Play Pennsylvania, 3.1.19 – Bleacher Report Study Says 1 In 3 Millennial Sports Fans Bet
  • Bleacher Report’s first national study on legalized sports betting gauged the betting behaviors and trends of Gen Z and millennial sports fans, the prime audience catered to by the media company.