Industry News of the Day for April 23, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Gaming Intelligence, 4.23.20 – Sportradar Boosts Betting Options Despite Sports Stoppage
  • Sportradar has released figures showing an 11 per cent growth in its sports content and coverage compared to this time last year, despite the postponement or cancellation of live sports due to COVID-19.

Industry News:

• PlayUSA, 4.22.20 – PlayUSA Rewind: Tennessee, Virginia Sports Betting Inching Closer To Reality
  • It remains incredible that each week, despite the lack of sports, we still find ample news surrounding legalized sports betting.
• The Hill, 4.23.20 – NFL Draft To Be Carried By Three Networks, Promises To Be Most-Wagered In History
  • Thursday night’s NFL Draft promises to be the most-watched draft in sports history, with three networks carrying the event and online gambling expected to surge as the public seeks to satisfy their sports itch while almost all leagues globally on hold for the foreseeable future.
• PlayUSA, 4.22.20 – Bettors Blitzing NFL Draft Markets With Cash As Games Remain Far Off
  • The NFL Draft was supposed to have been held on a virtual island constructed within the fountain pool of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Instead, it will be held in an archipelago of virtual spaces around the United States, another bi-product of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting daily lives and daily distractions.
• Legal Sports Report, 4.23.20 – Will Coronavirus Shutdowns Bring ‘Death Blow’ For US Sports Betting Startups?
  • It was brutal being a US sports betting startup, even before the coronavirus pandemic shut down most of the world.
• Sports Business Daily, 4.22.20 – SBJ Unpacks: Consultant Sara Slane On Sports Betting Impact
  • On the most recent episode of “SBJ Unpacks — Weathering COVID-19,” our Bill King is joined by sports betting consultant Sara Slane to discuss the impact the virus is having on the sports betting landscape.
• SBC Americas, 4.23.20 – Boom Sports Secures Market Access For Sportsbooks In Five US States
  • New York based game developer and tech supplier Boom Sports has secured market access to operate its own mobile sportsbook and online casino in up to five US states it confirmed in an announcement this week.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 4.22.20 – How The Online Gambling Industry Is Reacting To Remote Working During Coronavirus Response
  • The founder of BettingJobs.com provides an analysis of the recruitment landscape in iGaming as well as the impact of shifting to a remote working structure during the current pandemic.

Virginia:

• Sports Handle, 4.22.20 – Tag, You’re It: VA Lawmakers Set to Send Sports Betting Back To Governor
  • Virginia lawmakers continued their back-and-forth on sports betting Wednesday when the General Assembly and Senate met in separate tents on the state house grounds for a one-day reconvened session, and each accepted gubernatorial amendments to sports betting bills.
• Gambling Compliance, 4.23.20 – Massive Virginia Gaming Expansion Including Casinos And Sports Betting Becomes Law (subscription paywall)
  • Virginia’s General Assembly has finalized the state’s most significant gaming expansion since the formation of the Virginia Lottery in 1987 by approving amendments to three bills that legalize casino gaming, online sports betting, and at least temporarily, skill gaming machines.

Tennessee:

• iGB North America, 4.22.20 – Tennessee Opens Applications For Sports Betting Licenses
  • The Tennessee Education Lottery is now accepting applications for new mobile sports betting licenses in the state, with all documentation now available on its website.
• TN Bets, 4.22.20 – ‘Glad We Got It Done’ – Sponsor Of Tennessee sports Betting Bill Reflects On Regulations
  • The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation on April 15 approved regulations for the state’s upcoming online/mobile sports betting industry. It took about nine months after the 2019 Sports Gaming Act went into effect last year to craft the regulatory structure for the market.

New Jersey:

• Asbury Park Press, 4.22.20 – NJ Sports Betting: NFL Draft A Glimmer Of Hope For Beleaguered Industry
  • With no games being played – at least between teams anyone’s ever heard of – the question of where Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will get selected this week takes on greater importance with gamblers in New Jersey, where sports betting gross revenue was down 58.3 percent year-over-year in March.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 4.22.20 – PA Gaming Review: Online Revenue Mildly Offsets Losses, Talk Of Reopening Begins
  • In the fifth week of virus restrictions, new realities have settled in for the Pennsylvania economy and gambling industry.
• Penn Bets, 4.22.20 – In Pennsylvania, Could Sports Betting Revenue Help Struggling Homeowners?
  • A handful of Pennsylvania lawmakers are trying to translate legal sports wagering fees into a fix for struggling homeowners. Last week, Sen. Doug Mastriano introduced SB 1117, which would amend Title 4 of the state constitution and direct any fees associated with sports betting to the Property Tax Relief Fund.

New Hampshire:

• Patch, 4.22.20 – New Hampshire Lottery Revenues Dip Due To Coronavirus
  • After an upbeat and successful 2019, the New Hampshire State Lottery Commission, like a lot of other state agencies, was hopeful for a strong 2020.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 4.22.20 – As Michigan Waits, Caesars Windsor To Begin Discussions On Reopening
  • With no finish line in clear sight for the closure of Michigan casinos, there appears to be some movement across the Detroit River.
• PlayMichigan, 4.22.20 – Michigan Lottery Sales Dropping As Calls For Suspension Continue
  • With the state hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, April will come and go without a single bet being placed at a Michigan casino.

Illinois:

• PlayIllinois, 4.23.20 – What Does A Post-Pandemic Future Look Like For Illinois Casinos?
  • The coronavirus outbreak could not have come at a worse time for Illinois casinos, which were already struggling.

Oklahoma:

• Sports Handle, 4.22.20 – ‘Sooner’ Than Later? Sports Betting ‘Approved’ But Up For Debate In Oklahoma
  • Looks like legal sports betting might be coming to Okla Or not.