Industry News of the Day for April 27, 2021

Sports League News: 

• Play USA, 4.26.21: IndyCar expects sports betting partner this season 
  • NTT IndyCar Series chairman Mark Miles expects his open wheel circuit to sign an official sports betting partner by the end of the 17-race season. As with everything surrounding the North American open wheel series, the Indianapolis 500 will be at the center of any deal. 

New York: 

• Legal Sports Report, 4.27.21: Opinion: Tribal Gaming Issues Loom Over Mobile NY Sports Betting Deal 
  • The deal announced as part of Andrew Cuomo’s massive budget does not appear to be the best option for a competitive environment for consumers, nor does it look like the best way to maximize revenue for the state. (Seriously, just auction one or two licenses off if you want to maximize revenue.) 

Connecticut: 

• Sports Handle, 4.26.21: Connecticut Lottery Gets 15 Bids For Sports Betting 
  • Connecticut Lottery officials announced Monday that they had received 15 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) responses as bids to offer sports betting as of last Friday’s deadline. 
• Legal Sports Handle, 4.26.21: Who Applied For The Last Mobile CT Sports Betting Skin? 
  • There is plenty of interest in the last remaining license to operate CT sports betting, the Connecticut Lottery announced Monday. 
• SBC, 4.27.21: Connecticut Sports Betting Gathers Pace As State Lottery Handles 15 Request For Qualifications Responses 
  • The Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC) has confirmed that it received 15 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) responses for sports betting ahead of its April 23 deadline as the state moves toward allowing sports wagering and online betting. 

Ohio:  

• Sports Handle, 4.26.21: Ohio Sports Betting Bill Still Under Construction, Plenty Of Work Ahead 
  • Getting sports betting to Ohio residents would appear, on paper, to be as easy as an uncontested LeBron James slam dunk. The governor, Mike DeWine, is on record as wanting to see it happen. 

Florida:  

• Online Sports Report, 4.26.21: New Florida Tribal Compact Authorizing Sports Betting Also Promises iGaming Negotiations Within 36 Months 
  • Florida looks like it will be among the states getting legal sports betting this year. Perhaps more interestingly for Online Poker Report readers, online casino and poker might be coming too, sometime before the year 2025. 
• SBC, 4.26.21: Florida State And Seminole Tribe Agree 30-year Compact To Include Sports Betting 
  • The State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida have entered into an historic new 30-year compact. The agreement, confirmed by Governor Ron DeSantis, is expected to generate a minimum of $2.5bn in new revenue over the next five years and an estimated $6bn by 2030. 

Iowa: 

• Play IA, 4.26.21: There’s No NFL Draft Betting In Iowa, But That Could Change Eventually 
  • Most states with legalized sports betting allow you bet on whether the country’s best TE is taken before or after the sixth pick. Football fans in Illinois, for example, can bet on whether the Chicago Bears address offense or defense with their first selection. 

Tennessee: 

• Legal Sports Report, 4.26.21: Bill To Shake Up TN Sports Betting Regulation Passes Senate 
  • A bill that would ad more voices to TN sports betting regulation passed the Senate Thursday and heads to the House. 
• Play Tenn, 4.26.21: March Madness Boosted Tennessee Betting Handle To Nearly $206 Million Last Month 
  • Tennessee sports bettors wagered $205.9 million in the month of March, marking the second-best month ever for the state. March Madness betting and the addition of two new sportsbooks in Tennessee contributed to this rise in handle. The state’s total handle since launch is approaching $1 billion. 
• SBC, 4.27.21: Tennessee Sportsbooks Reach More Than $200m In Wagers Thanks To March Madness 
  • March Madness helped Tennessee sportsbooks experience a reversal of fortunes during March, taking more than $200m in bets compared to the state’s first month-on-month decline in February. 
• IGB, 4.27.21: Tennessee Bounces Back In March As Sports Betting Handle Reaches $205.9m 
  • Players in Tennessee wagered $205.9m in sports during March, the second-highest monthly total since the US state opened its regulated sports betting market in November last year.