Industry News of the Day for April 24, 2019
iDEA Growth in the News:
- Online Poker Report, 4.24.19 – Online Gambling’s ‘Bad Actor’ Debate Reignites As Sports Betting Spreads (Founder J. Ifrah quoted in article)
- “Bad actor arguments are always targeted at specific companies. In poker, it was PokerStars, in DFS its DraftKings and FanDuel,” Jeff Ifrah, founding partner of Ifrah Law and the online gambling trade group iDEA Growth told Online Poker Report. “Suitability is about good character, honesty, integrity and financial well being. These are roles for regulators to investigate free of political pressures.”
Industry News:
- Sports Handle, 4.23.19 – Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee Move Closer To Legal Sports Betting
- After a somewhat sleepy and uneventful winter and early spring on the sports betting legislation front, lawmakers have awoken with a stir in several central U.S. states as session deadlines loom.
New Jersey:
- Play NJ, 4.23.19 – Can Wynn Resorts Make A Dent In Crowded NJ Online Casino Industry?
- The already crowded New Jersey online casino market is going to have to make room for another new entrant: Wynn Resorts. The news of Wynn’s imminent arrival in the New Jersey online gambling market came via a press release from Scientific Games.
- NJ Online Gambling, 4.23.19 – Esports Heads To Atlantic City As Legislators Mull Legalized Sports Betting For Competitive Gaming
- Anthony Gaud likens the current environment for esports in the U.S. to a period in the late-19th century rife with uncertainty for American baseball. Back then, a number of leagues with competing interests engaged in an intense turf war to attract elite players. Without a strong central authority at the league level, the talent pool became saturated. The same could be said for esports today.
Louisiana:
- Sports Handle, 4.23.19 – Louisiana Senator Knows Mobile Betting Is Key, But Fears Peers’ Resistance
- Louisiana Senator Danny Martiny (R-District 10) is clearly frustrated. At the first hearing for his SB 153, which would legalize sports betting but with a limited mobile component, Martiny more than once told the Senate Judiciary B Committee that he knows mobile is where the money is, but Louisiana lawmakers are unlikely to go for it.
Tennessee:
- The Tennessee Star, 4.23.19 – Tennessee House Expected To Provide Oversight To State’s Thriving Sports Betting Industry
- A bill that would legalize online sports betting, subject to regulations limiting access and directing the expected $50 million in new annual tax revenue to education and mental health initiatives, is headed for a House floor vote on Wednesday.
New Hampshire:
- Legal Sports Report, 4.23.19 – Committee Chair Says Yes To NH Sports Betting, No To Casinos
- This won’t be the year the New Hampshire House of Representatives gives in to Senate efforts to add casinos in the state according to one key lawmaker, but sports betting is still on the table in the Granite State.
Iowa:
- US Bets, 4.23.19 – Iowa Sports Betting Bill Heading To Governor For Approval After Contentious Debate
- Late on Monday in Des Moines, the Iowa House of Representatives voted 67-31 to pass a sports betting and fantasy sports bill, the week after the Senate approved its companion measure.
New York:
- The New York State Senate – Public Hearing: Sports Betting With A Mobile Component In New York State (Founder J. Ifrah to testify)
Florida:
- News Service Of Florida, 4.23.19 – Ron Desantis Says Late-Session Gambling Deal Could Be Too Heavy A Lift
- With time already an enemy, Gov. Ron DeSantis injected more uncertainty Tuesday into a gambling deal reached by a Senate Republican leader and a representative of the Seminole Tribe, suggesting its passage would be too heavy a “legislative lift.”
iDEA Growth Member News:
- Play USA, 4.23.19 – PointsBet Executive Reveals Key Insights On Us Sports Betting Market
- It’s safe to say PointsBet isn’t your grandfather’s sportsbook. After making its New Jersey debut in January, the Australian-based sportsbook is already making a name for itself.