Industry News of the Day for April 8, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Sports Handle, 4.7.20 – DraftKings, FanDuel Planning May 1 Launch In Colorado
  • While Major League Baseball explores the possibility of having all 30 teams play only in Phoenix with no fans and the NBA considers how to finish its season in a bubble, it’s pretty clear that there will be no live professional sports happening in the United States by May 1.
• Forbes, 4.7.20 – DraftKings Digs Deep To Keep Bettors Interested, With Major Sports Halted By Coronavirus
  • In the sports world, every business’ models have been challenged by coronavirus. But DraftKings and the sports betting industry as a whole have been uniquely challenged, because what everyone usually bets on is suspended for the foreseeable future.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 4.8.20 – Did Legal US Sportsbooks Miss Out On Nearly $1B Due To March Madness Cancellation?
  • Under non-pandemic circumstances, on Monday night the 2020 NCAA men’s basketball national champion would have been crowned at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Instead, Atlanta is now becoming one of the COVID-19 epicenters in the U.S.
• PlayUSA, 4.8.20 – Betting On eSports Seems To Interest The Public – But Not Lawmakers
  • While esports are wildly popular and gaining even greater acceptance, it is not so with esports wagering. At least not yet — and likely not in the next few months.
• SBC Americas, 4.8.20 – ESI Report Highlights ‘Global’ eSports Betting Rise
  • A ‘Gambling Report’ constructed by Esports Insider’s Cody Luongo has highlighted how the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in the esports betting sector acting as a substitute to various live-sport events for bookmakers.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvanaia, 4.7.20 – PA Authorities Weed Out Unregulated Gambling Devices During Shutdown
  • In Pennsylvania, the road to degradation — and perhaps infectious germs — are lined with unregulated gambling devices.
• PlayPennsylvania, 4.7.20 – ‘Every Risk Factor Is Increased Right Now,’ National Council On Problem Gambling Cautions
  • Pennsylvania is only one of four states with legal online casinos that offer an alternative way to play and provide the state with some tax revenue during this incomparable time. However, there are potential negative implications to be aware of, such as problem gambling.

Massachusetts:

• Sports Handle, 4.7.20 – Massachusetts Lawmakers Taking Another Shot At Legal Sports Betting
  • There appears to be a decent chance that sports betting will be legalized in New England’s most populous state by the end of the year.
• Legal Sports Report, 4.7.20 – New Massachusetts Sports Betting Vehicle Might Have Green Light
  • Massachusetts finally appears to be serious about legalizing sports betting.

New York:

• NY Daily News, 4.7.20 – Online Sports Betting In New York Not Likely For 2020, Key Lawmaker Hopes For Early 2021
  • It’s likely that the state of New York will go another year without having mobile sports betting as Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he wouldn’t be making up the $7 billion deficit with any new revenue as the budget closed last week.

West Virginia:

• ESPN, 4.8.20 – West Virginia Sportsbooks Poised To Take US Presidential Election Bets
  • Legal sportsbooks in West Virginia are poised to offer betting on the U.S. presidential election in what would be a historic moment in the American betting market.
• Gambling Compliance, 4.8.20 – West Virginia Briefly Allows First Regulated US Presidential Election Bets (subscription paywall)
  • For a brief window of time on Tuesday evening before the offering was abruptly pulled, West Virginia became the first U.S. jurisdiction to allow a regulated sportsbook to accept bets on the outcome of an American election.
• Legal Sports Report, 4.7.20 – FanDuel Pulls 2020 Presidential Election Betting In West Virginia Amid Legal Questions
  • The first attempt at legal 2020 presidential election betting in the United States fumbled quickly Tuesday evening.
• PlayWV, 4.7.20 – FanDuel WV Not Taking Presidential Election Bets. Or Is It?
  • On Tuesday, FanDuel Sportsbook announced via an email to its customers that the West Virginia Lottery approved betting on the 2020 Presidential Election.

Michigan:

• Gambling.Com, 4.7.20 – Brief March Sports Betting Start In Michigan Posts $105,000
  • Although it had just a brief start in March before casinos were closed by the state, sports betting at Detroit’s three commercial casinos saw adjusted gross receipts of $105,548, according to figures released Tuesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

Iowa:

• KCRG, 4.7.20 – Grants Funded By Tax Revenue From Sports Betting, Casinos Put On Hold Indefinitely
  • With the stoppage of sporting events, there’s not much to bet on, not much for bettors to lose, and not much for the state of Iowa to gain in the form of tax revenue.

Indiana:

• PlayIndiana, 4.7.20 – Indiana Sportsbooks Keep Adding Sports, But NWSL Remains On The Outs
  • When the state of Indiana first launched regulated legal sports betting in September 2019, the list of events approved for wagering was smaller than it is now. In the current climate, the continued absence of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) betting from that list is more difficult to explain away.
• SBC Americas, 4.8.20 – Leadstar Continues US Expansion With Indiana Entry
  • Following on from receiving its Vendor ID allowing it to operate in New Jersey, Leadstar Media is now ready to offer its services in Indiana having acquired state certification from the Indiana Gaming Commission.

Ohio:

• SBC Americas, 4.8.20 – US Ramps Up Betting Education With Partnership Program
  • US Integrity has announced an official partnership with Ohio University’s AECOM Center for Sports Administration and Cyanna Education Services to launch a three-part certification program that will begin in May 2020.
• The Daily Sentinel, 4.7.20 – OU, Partners Develop Leading Curriculum To Prevent Sports-Betting Fraud
  • Ohio University’s AECOM Center for Sports Administration on Tuesday announced its partnership with U.S. Integrity and Cyanna Education Services to launch the all new Sports Gambling Education curriculum, which will focus on preventing the impacts of sports-betting fraud.

Kentucky:

• WSN, 4.8.20 – Kentucky’s Budget Leaves Out Sports Betting
  • With Kentucky in a reported budget crisis, sports betting could have provided a new source of revenue, but lawmakers could not get on the same page by the end of the legislative session.

Colorado:

• SBC Americas, 4.7.20 – Colorado Primed For Multi-Billion Dollar Sports Betting Industry
  • PlayColorado has predicted that the state’s sports betting industry will generate billions of dollars in bets annually and hundreds of millions in operator revenue in the near future.
• Westword, 4.8.20 – Think There Won’t Be Anything To Wager On May 1? Want To Bet?
  • For weeks, it’s looked like the May 1 start date for legal sports wagering in Colorado had become a very bad bet.