Industry News of the Day for April 21, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• PlayNJ, 4.20.20 – DraftKings Bets On Virtual Sports In A Deal With Inspired Entertainment
  • DraftKings Sportsbook‘s virtual sports offerings are growing in a big way. A new deal with Inspired Entertainment Inc. provides the Boston-based company access to the V-Play Plug & Play solution.
• NJ Online Gambling, 4.20.20 – DraftKings, Inspired Entertainment Reach Virtual Sporting Betting Deal In New Jersey
  • With no sports on the TV airwaves, DraftKings Casino NJ now has a deal to bring virtual sports from Inspired Entertainment to its legal and regulated platform.

Industry News:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.20.20 – The Week In Sports Betting News: Does Tenn’s 10 Portend Trouble?
  • It’s been more than five weeks since we’ve had major sports, but there is still plenty of sports betting news each week.
• Legal Sports Report, 4.21.20 – Diving Deeper Into Election Betting Law After West Virginia Flop
  • The West Virginia election betting saga involving FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM that unfolded last week sparked a great deal of interest.
• Gambling Compliance, 4.21.20 – US Casinos Prepare For Reopening, Once Governors Allow (subscription paywall)
  • Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox expects the Las Vegas Strip to begin reopening as soon as mid-May, so long as “extensive safety measures” are taken, including the use of thermal cameras to turn away customers with high temperatures.
• Sports Handle, 4.21.20 – SBC Digital Summit Panel Preview: Sportsbook CEO Talks eSports, Coronavirus Challenges, Lessons
  • A little over one year after taking over as the chief executive for the Malta-based online sports betting and casino gaming operator Interwetten, 28-year-old Dominik Beier has had to navigate a turbulent and trying couple of months, since the novel coronavirus began to sideline sports and bring numerous industries to a halt, and to their knees.
• PlayUSA, 4.20.20 – William Hill CEO Talks Sports Betting Outlook, Casinos & Return To Normalcy
  • Despite this dark cloud hovering over the industry, there are those, like William Hill CEO Joe Asher, who remain optimistic and anticipate a return to normalcy in due time. He even established the William Hill Foundation to provide financial assistance to employees and donated his entire salary to it.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 4.20.20 – It’s Official: 2020 World Series Of Poker Is Postponed
  • The 2020 World Series of Poker will not take place until the fall, at the earliest, in a move that seemed increasingly necessary given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus and the potential reopening of Las Vegas.
• PlayNevada, 4.20.20 – World Series Of Poker At Rio Las Vegas Officially Postponed
  • The 51st World Series of Poker (WSOP) is officially being postponed by Caesars Entertainment. The world’s largest poker tournament was slated to begin on May 26 at Rio Las Vegas.
• US Bets, 4.20.20 – US Lottery Industry Facing Both Apolitical And Overtly Political Backlash Amid Pandemic
  • A D.C.-based group is calling for all state lotteries to suspend their operations due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 4.20.20 – PA Senator Wants State Reopened, Property Tax Relief From Sports Gambling
  • A state senator from south-central Pennsylvania wants sports gambling revenue shifted to helping pay property taxes in light of economic issues created by the state-ordered virus shutdowns. Taxes from sports gambling are currently allocated to the general fund.
• WSN, 4.21.20 – Pennsylvania Bill Allocates Sports Betting Revenue Toward Property Tax Relief
  • A bill in Pennsylvania has been drafted which would reallocate revenue generated by sports betting toward offsetting property taxes. The bill was generated by Senator Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania.
• PlayPennsylvania, 4.20.20 – Getting Back On Track In PA? Pressure Building For Horse Racing To Resume
  • Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission member John Egloff, an equine veterinarian and the owner of a sizable horse farm, thinks there should be a discussion soon of how to restart horse racing in the Keystone State.

New York:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.20.20 – Is A Constitutional Amendment Finally In Play For Mobile NY Sports Betting?
  • It might be time to pursue a constitutional amendment to legalize mobile NY sports betting, according to one key legislator.

New Hampshire:

• Affilate Insider, 4.21.20 – New Hampshire Lottery Expands Betting Offerings With Virtual NASCAR
  • The New Hampshire Lottery has introduced virtual NASCAR racing to its betting portfolio, in the absence of real-life sports.

Delaware:

• Delaware Public Media, 4.20.20 – First State Gaming Revenues Hit Hard By COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Delaware’s lottery revenues are drying up during the coronavirus pandemic.

West Virginia:

• PlayWV, 4.20.20 – West Virginia Casinos In Holding Pattern As They Prepare To Reopen Post COVID-19
  • The health precautions taken nationwide have impacted so many individuals as well as businesses across the US. None might be feeling the negative ramifications more than retail casinos and sportsbooks.

Tennessee:

• Chattanooga Times Free Press, 4.20.20 – Greeson: Betting Against Tennessee’s 10-Percent Effort In Sports Betting
  • Tennessee legalized sports betting a year ago. Apparently, more than 12 months later, the details remain devilish.

Mississippi:

• Gaming Intelligence, 4.20.20 – Mississippi Sportsbooks See Wagers Decline 67% In March (subscription paywall)
  • Mississippi’s regulated sports betting market saw total wagers slump by 67 percent to $10.7m in March as a result of the temporary closure of venues in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colorado:

• Sports Handle, 4.20.20 – Take A Bite From Colorado’s Huge Buffet Of Sports Betting Options
  • When the first legal sports bet is placed in Colorado, there will be no shortage of bet types to choose from. Colorado regulators earlier this month unveiled their “sports betting catalogue,” which lists 48 specific sports or events that can be wagered on and includes more than 1,000 specific types of bets.
• TUNF, 4.21.20 – Colorado Approves More Sports Betting Licenses
  • Colorado’s Limited Gaming Control Commission has decided to award more sports betting licenses.

Nevada:

• PlayNevada, 4.21.20 – Superbook Will Reopen App May 7 Or 8 If UFC Event Happens May 9
  • There are still a lot of unknowns in the sports and sports betting worlds. Two of the pieces of that puzzle, SuperBook and UFC, could return in the first week of May, however.