Industry News of the Day for April 13, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• WSN, 4.11.20 – DraftKings Offers Betting On Fantasy Counter-Strike
  • Recently, DraftKings announced they have built a fantasy game around Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, allowing bettors to assemble a team of their favorite eSports athletes as they take on other competition.
• Financial Times, 4.10.20 – Gamblers Bet On Marbles And Trotting As Pandemic Hits Sport (GVC, Bet365)
  • Table tennis, marbles and the esoteric world of Swedish trotting are suddenly the focus of gamblers the world over now that football, horseracing and other top betting sports have disappeared because of coronavirus.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 4.11.20 – Get A Grip: West Virginia False Start, Woe Is Tennessee, Virginia Next, More
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories, highlighting some fresh news and rounding up key stories in the world (and industry) of legal U.S. sports betting.
• Axios, 4.11.20 – Desperate Gamblers Turn To Obscure Sports During Coronavirus Lockdown
  • Niche activities like marble racing, table tennis and Swedish trotting are gaining popularity among gamblers forced to drop mainstream sports due to the coronavirus, the Financial Times reports.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 4.11.20 – Report: US Tribal Casinos Have Lost $1.5 Billion In Two Weeks
  • There are over 500 tribal casinos in the US, almost all of which are now closed in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
• Gambling Compliance, 4.13.20 – Labor Boss Calls For May 1 Reopening Of Atlantic City Casinos (subscription paywall)
  • A labor leader who represents Atlantic City casino workers didn’t hesitate when asked how soon he would like to see his union members go back to work.
• Gambling.Com, 4.10.20 – Online Poker Sees Increase In United States, Study Shows
  • New research shows that online poker is increasing in the United States.

Sports League News:

• US Bets, 4.13.20 – Online Sportsbooks Miss ‘Miraculous Coup’ After US Senator Puts UFC Event On Blast
  • The Ultimate Fighting Championship was planning to resume its schedule on April 18 with UFC 249. After days upon days of public guarantees the card would happen, the UFC scrapped the event last week.

Connecticut:

• Hartford Courant, 4.10.20 – Coronavirus Short-Circuits Connecticut’s Legislative Session: ‘All Bills Are Probably Dead’
  • With the coronavirus pandemic continuing, state lawmakers say they expect the current legislative session will expire May 6 without major legislation passed on some of the most controversial issues facing the state, such as legalizing sports betting and recreational marijuana.

Virginia:

• Sports Handle, 4.12.20 – Virginia’s Northam Sends Sports Betting Back To General Assembly
  • Virginia Governor Ralph Northam used every available minute up until his April 11 midnight deadline to act on sports betting legislation, and then he neither signed nor let the deadline pass to allow for legal sports betting.
• Gambling Compliance, 4.13.20 – Virginia Casino, Sports-Betting Bills Not A Done Deal Yet (subscription paywall)
  • Prior to a midnight deadline Saturday night to act on separate bills that would legalize five new casinos and online sports betting, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam returned both bills to the General Assembly with several proposed changes.

Indiana:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.13.20 – Indiana Sports Betting Market Momentum Stopped By Sports Shutdown
  • Indiana sports betting proved an early success story among states that recently added wagering, with consistent month-to-month growth.
• Associated Press, 4.10.20 – Gambling Revenue Plummets In March Due To Virus Restrictions
  • Indiana’s gambling revenue plunged in March after the state banned large gatherings to stem the spread of the coronavirus, forcing the closure of casinos and the cancellation of major sporting events.
• South Bend Tribune, 4.10.20 – Indiana Sportsbooks Miss $125 Million In March Wagers After The Coronavirus Shutdown
  • The thrill and excitement of watching your favorite basketball team pull out a last-second win may be matched only by the sense of pride felt after hitting a risky four-team parlay.

Tennessee:

• TN Bets, 4.10.20 – Tennessee Lottery To Meet Remotely April 15 To Adopt Sports Betting Rules
  • The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation will meet again April 15 to finalize rules for the upcoming launch of online/mobile sports wagering, according to an agenda posted on its website.

Colorado:

• The Gazette, 4.12.20 – Paul Klee: ‘Table Tennis Is Hot Right Now’: How Colorado Will Debut Sports Gambling – Without Sports (subscription paywall)
  • Back in November, voters in Colorado passed Proposition DD, legalizing sports betting. While attention focuses on the novel coronavirus that’s paralyzed the world and its games, the big day snuck up on Colorado.
• PlayColorado, 4.11.20 – Presidential Election Betting: What Does The Future Hold In Colorado?
  • With casinos across the nation in the dark and sports betting in hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one state this week permitted bets on the upcoming presidential election — for about an hour.

Nevada:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal, 4.11.20 – Nevada Views: Will Gaming Ever Be The Same?
  • As COVID-19 upends society and the economy, focus has turned to how we will emerge and evolve as we attempt to return to normalcy. There are several critical aspects of the global gaming market that are set to change forever.