Industry News of the Day for April 8, 2019

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 4.5.19 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: Connecticut, Louisiana And More
  • Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont told reporters on Tuesday that he wants sports betting, recreational marijuana and electronic tolls legalized this year, according to the Hartford Courant.
• 24/7 Wall Street, 4.7.19 – Nevada is tops in gambling spending, but what’s the lottery, casino tab in other states?
  • Gambling is becoming legal in more states and in different ways as of late. With online betting and the rising popularity of fantasy sports and sports betting, there are more ways than ever to wager.

New Jersey:

• NJ Gambling Sites, 4.4.19 – For NJ Sportsbooks, Betting Kiosks Add Another Layer Of Convenience For Customers
  • Sports betting kiosks are slowly popping up inside New Jersey retail sportsbooks. And the combination of March Madness betting, more specifically the Final Four, and opening month of MLB season creates consumer demand.

Tennessee:

• The Tennessee Star, 4.8.19 – Online Gambling Bill Has Bipartisan Support in Tennessee General Assembly, Little Opposition
  • Bipartisan legislation that would legalize online gambling in Tennessee is headed to crucial votes in State House and Senate Committees on Tuesday. The House sponsor, Rep. Rick Staples (D- Knoxville), has said his proposal to legalize sports gambling for those 21 and older will allow only mobile and interactive wagers, without brick-and-mortar locations for betting.

Illinois:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.5.19 – If All Roads Meet In The Woods, Which Path Might Illinois Sports Betting Take?
  • Stakeholders discussed five directions that Illinois sports betting could go in the state at a hearing last week in the House Subcommittee on Sales, Amusement and Other Taxes. A surprise fifth amendment targeting DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook added shortly before the hearing by subcommittee chair Rep. Bob Rita garnered the most support from the casino and horse racing industries.
• Belleville News-Democrat, 4.6.19 – Illinois casinos, horse racetracks wager financial futures on sports betting
  • While the grandstands are still empty at Fairmount Park, horses, with riders mounted, gallop around the dirt track, which is muddy from the previous night’s rain.

Louisiana:

• The Times-Picayune, 4.5.19 – Sports betting in Louisiana, fantasy sports rules on Legislature’s docket
  • Louisiana residents could soon have two new options for legal wagering: sports betting and online fantasy sports. The state Legislature, which convenes Monday (April 8) for its 2019 session, will deliberate these two major expansions of gambling.

Massachusetts:

• South Coast Today, 4.6.19 – Massachusetts could be first in non-casino sports betting
  • Massachusetts sports teams have long made headlines for challenging the rules. While “legal sports wagering” doesn’t have the same ring as “Deflategate,” the home of the nation’s defending World Series and Super Bowl champions is aiming to be the first legal sports betting state with online wagering unaffiliated with existing casinos.

Maryland:

• Sports Handle, 4.5.19 – Another One Officially Bites The Dust: No Legal Sports Betting In Maryland This Year
  • Last fall, acting as if its collective hair was on the fire, the D.C. City Council sped legal sports betting through the approval process, eschewing an open market in favor of handing the contract to Intralot, the current D.C. Lottery vendor, without a bid process.

Iowa:

• KCRG, 4.7.19 – What’s alive and what isn’t in the Iowa Statehouse
  • Legislation aimed to help stop animal cruelty, allow sports betting and provide easier access to birth control survived the cutoff during Friday’s “funnel” deadline at the Iowa Statehouse.

Ohio:

• Cleveland Journal, 4.5.19 – Ohio Lottery eyeing launch of mobile and online ‘iLottery’ games
  • Ohio is moving to become the latest state lottery to offer online and mobile gaming. Ohio Lottery officials hope to launch what they’re calling an “iLottery” offering — a desktop and mobile app platform for some existing lottery games — within the next year.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• SBC Americas, 4.8.19 – Continent8 committed to every regulated market in US sports betting
  • SBC Americas caught up with Continent8 to find out more about its current activities and plans for the inaugural Betting on Sports America conference where it will be showcasing its ‘first-to-market’ solutions.

Overall Industry News:

• AP, 4.5.19 – NCAA must deal with reality of legal sports betting, even (especially) at Final Four
  • All bets are off when it comes to the NCAA resisting the wave of legal sports wagering.
• CNBC, 4.5.19 – The wild world of sports betting
  • The global sports betting business is booming. Last year, the total amount bet was more than $500 billion dollars. So what keeps people coming back for more and is it ever possible to beat the bookies? Tom Chitty and Adam Reed report.
• Forbes, 4.6.19 – March Madness And Final Four Draws Betting Buzz On Social Media
  • But while the NCAA Tournament is drawing record wagering and fans with those four teams in their brackets are still engaged in the outcomes, the buzz on social media is showing added interest in the betting market.