Industry News of the Day for April 29, 2019

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.26.19 – Illinois Tries To Ride Midwest Momentum With Second Sports Betting Hearing (J. Williams as iDEA Growth spokesperson quoted)
  • The need for remote online registration, a more tenable licensing fee and multiple skins were the topics discussed Thursday at an Illinois sports betting subcommittee hearing.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 4.26.19 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: Colorado And More
  • Colorado lawmakers aren’t wasting any time. After introducing HB 1327 on April 18, the sports betting bill has already passed through the House and is headed to the Senate for approval.
• Online Gambling, 4.25.19 – Sports Betting Legislative Roundup: Bills Advance In Indiana, Iowa, And Beyond
  • Progress was made on several sports betting bills this week as states race towards being part of the next wave of sportsbook expansion in the United States. Bills in states like Indiana, Louisiana, Iowa and Tennessee all saw movement in recent days, though not all of them have the same odds of passing into law this year.
• Legal Sports Report, 4.28.19 – Sports Betting Legislative Lasso: Three States Knocking At The Door
  • After months of slow progress, bills creating legal sports betting are suddenly approaching the finish line in multiple states.

Florida:

• News Service Of Florida, 4.26.19 – Ron DeSantis Huddles With Seminole Tribe, Pari-Mutuels
  • As he sifts through a proposed gambling deal that could have a wide-ranging impact on the state’s pari-mutuel facilities, Gov. Ron DeSantis huddled Friday morning with more than a dozen gambling operators and lobbyists — including dog- and horse-track owners, cardroom executives and horse breeders — shortly after he met with leaders of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

West Virginia:

• Play WV, 4.26.19 – WV Online Sports Betting One Step Closer As 5 Licenses Awarded
  • On Wednesday, the West Virginia Lottery approved five one-year licenses in its first step at bringing online sports betting back the Mountain State.
• Play WV, 4.24.19 – King Of The Hill: One WV Sportsbook Earns 98% Of Sports Betting Revenue
  • West Virginia sports betting handle increased for the first time in three weeks, even without any mobile sports betting apps. Although it was just an uptick of around $300,000, the Mountain State sports betting market still has a pulse thanks to the Masters. One sportsbook, Hollywood Casino Sportsbook, is responsible for 98% of this week’s revenue and continues to dominate the market.

Maine:

• AP, 4.26.19 – Maine Could Allow Bets On Sports
  • Maine lawmakers could decide whether to allow sports betting in light of a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
• Portland Press Herald, 4.26.19 – Without Opposition, Legalized Sports Gambling In Maine Looks Like A Good Bet
  • If national trends are any indication, it’s likely that Maine will soon legalize gambling on football, baseball and other sporting events. The big questions facing Maine lawmakers are how and when to join other states hoping to regulate – and capitalize on – a multibillion-dollar sports betting industry.

Virginia:

• WCVE PBS, 4.25.19 – Virginia Lottery Debuts App-Based Gaming, Studies Future Role In Gambling
  • The Virginia Lottery made a tentative step into online lottery gaming with the launch of games that can be played in their app–but only if customers visit lottery retailers.

New York:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.26.19 – NY Online Sports Betting Is A Coin Flip To Pass In 2019, Key Lawmaker Says
  • The toothsome carrot of mobile sports betting will continue to dangle in front of prospective operators and potential customers in New York for a couple more months. Making an appearance at the Betting on Sports America conference this week, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow laid out the framework for an updated NY online sports betting bill he intends to introduce in the coming weeks.

Nevada:

• AP, 4.25.19 – Nevada Casino Win Tops $1B Again In March; State Reaps $80M
  • Nevada gambling regulators say casinos again exceeded $1 billion in winnings during March, but the figure was relatively unchanged compared with the same month a year ago.
• Online Gambling, 4.27.19 – March Madness Boosts Nevada Sportsbooks To Record Month Despite Increased Competition
  • Nevada sportsbooks enjoyed a record March, once again helping to alleviate concerns that the spread of legalized sports betting might have a negative effect on existing operations in the Silver State.

Federal News:

• AP, 4.25.19 – Justice Dept. Reversal On Gambling Could Cost States $220M
  • A recent opinion by the U.S. Justice Department has put a handful of states in danger of losing at least $220 million in annual lottery profits that they use to fund college scholarships, senior citizen services and a variety of other programs.

Sports League News:

• AP, 4.25.19 – Pro Leagues Now All-In On Sports Betting
  • American professional sports leagues used to fight sports betting as an existential threat until the U.S. Supreme Court handed them a loss. They widely lost again when state legislatures rejected their pleas to be cut in on the action under new laws.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.28.19 – As Iowa Sports Betting Awaits Governor’s Signature, Sportsbooks Start Making Moves
  • Just how confident are some operators that the Iowa sports betting bill will be signed into law? Enough that they are lining up deals for when the day arrives. PointsBet has been quick off the mark to gain a foothold in Iowa after striking a partnership with Catfish Bend Casino.

Overall Industry News:

• CNBC, 4.27.19 – Legal Gambling From Your Phone Could Be A $150 Billion Industry, But Making It Happen Will Be Tough
  • Any state can legalize sports betting after a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year. So far, New Jersey is the only state where FanDuel and DraftKings are up and running, although laws allowing mobile sports betting have been passed in seven other states.