Industry News of the Day for April 12, 2024
Industry News
- Legal Sports Report: Ohtani Translator Charged In Federal Court On Massive Sports Betting Theft
- Former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been charged Thursday with stealing more than $16 million from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to pay off substantial sports betting debts owed to an illegal California bookmaker. Ohtani, who has asserted his innocence during the sports betting investigation, denied authorizing wire transfers Mizuhara made from his account in an interview with authorities last week. Mizuhara could serve up to 30 years in prison for bank fraud.
Maryland
- PlayUSA: Maryland Online Casino Sponsor Says Issue Needs Break, Won’t File Bill In 2025
- Maryland has come the closest of any state to passing online casino legislation in 2024, but the Senate bill sponsor won’t be looking to build on that momentum next year. The state concluded its legislative session Monday with the Senate opting not to act on online casinos this year. The House passed HB1319 and included internet gaming in its budget proposal. Legalizing online casinos in Maryland requires approval from voters in a general election. By not passing a referendum to put that question in front of voters this November, the next opportunity to get voter approval is 2026. So it makes no difference if the legislature passes iGaming in 2025 or 2026.
Vermont
- Gaming Today: Vermont Generates $21M In Sports Betting Handle In First Full Month
- The Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery (DLL) reported the state collected $21.2 million in sports betting handle in its full first month of wagering, in February this year. With only three online sportsbooks in the state – DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics – February’s wagering tally set the base for the rest of the year. Vermont’s sports betting history is short after its launch on Jan. 11 earlier this year.
Kansas
- iGB: Kansas Sports Wagers Reach $252.9M In March
- Handle was 28.4% higher than $197.0m in March last year and 24.6% ahead of February this year. It was also just 3.1% lower than the Kansas record of $260.9m in November 2022. Of this total, $243.2m was bet online, while $9.7m was wagered at retail sportsbooks across the state. All revenue in March came from online betting, with retail failing to generate any revenue for operators. It was also noted that the state collected $714,697 in sports betting tax during the month.
New Jersey
- USBets: Jackpocket Sees Surprising Rise In New Jersey Online Casino Market
- One might think that this (relatively) mature market would be pretty much closed to new entries, but Jackpocket — which recently sold itself to DraftKings — is proving to be an outlier, at least in the early going after launching in January. For instance: In February, according to estimates from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG), the company beat out a handful of established brands in the state, including Stardust, Harrahs, PokerStars, bet365, and Tipico.