Industry News of the Day for April 9, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• SBC News, 4.9.20 – Martin Lycka – Responsibility Is Resilience During These Testing Times (GVC Holdings; iDEA Growth mentioned)
  • GVC Holdings Director of Regulatory Affairs Martin Lycka explains how 2020 events have handed the industry a crisis agenda that incumbents must accept and match with responsibility and good faith… The stakes have never been placed this high on operator conduct.

Industry News:

• PlayUSA, 4.8.20 – eNASCAR Could Be Test Track For Bigger NASCAR Betting Markets
  • As managing director of gaming for NASCAR, Scott Warfield is charged with devising ways to draft the stock car racing series out of the “other” category and into greater relevance as a sports betting market.
• Gambling.Com, 4.9.20 – How Does eSports Betting Compare With Sportsbook Wagering?
  • The average stake placed in eSports betting has doubled in size worldwide since February in what is the latest trend to signify the importance of eGaming to the gambling industry.

Sports League News:

• PlayPennsylvania, 4.8.20 – COVID-19 Drives A Wedge In Golf Schedule, FanDuel Launches Fantasy Masters
  • The competition for the green jacket will have another facet at this year’s Masters. Players will need it to keep warm. The coronavirus outbreak suspended play for major sports leagues and has now impacted golf’s major events.

New Jersey:

• PlayNJ, 4.8.20 – Will New Jersey Allow 2020 Presidential Election Betting? Don’t Bet On It
  • New Jersey residents who are hoping that the 2020 presidential election betting becomes legal before November shouldn’t hold out.

Massachusetts:

• Crossing Broad, 4.8.20 – Progress Continues For Massachusetts Legal Sports Betting
  • Though there remains obstacles ahead, it would appear that meaningful movement is being made on the Massachusetts legal sports betting front.
• Elite Sports NY, 4.9.20 – Momentum Continues To Build For Massachusetts Legal Sports Betting
  • There’s no guarantee that recent progress towards Massachusetts legal sports betting will reach the finish line in the coming months, but momentum continues to build toward that very outcome.

West Virginia:

• Associated Press, 4.8.20 – Presidential Betting Gets Axed Quickly In West Virginia
  • For just a moment, West Virginia was the only state in the country to allow betting on the presidential election.
• Gambling Compliance, 4.9.20 – West Virginia Governor Quashes Proposed US Election Betting (subscription paywall)
  • The day after West Virginia’s brief foray into U.S. presidential election betting, the state’s top elected officials weighed in to make clear that the concept would not be returning any time soon.
• Charleston Gazette-Mail, 4.8.20 – Justice Halts Election Wagering On Sports Betting App Affiliated With The Greenbrier
  • For a brief time Tuesday evening, a mobile sports betting app affiliated with The Greenbrier casino announced it was accepting wagers on the U.S. presidential election.
• West Virginia Metro News, 4.8.20 – State Officials Strongly Against Election Betting; Lottery Admits Mistake
  • Secretary of State Mac Warner wants to make it clear that it’s illegal in West Virginia to bet on any election.
• Gaming Intelligence, 4.9.20 – West Virginia Sports Betting Stakes Slide In March (subscription paywall)
  • West Virginia’s five operation sportsbooks generated total sports betting stakes of $14.7m in the four-week period ended 28 March.

Kentucky:

• Louisville Courier Journal, 4.8.20 – Despite Majority Support In Kentucky House, Odds Were Against Sports Betting Bill
  • Partisan politics killed the bipartisan bill to legalize sports betting in Kentucky.

Michigan:

• Legal Sports Report, 4.8.20 – Could Michigan Sports Betting Go Mobile Sooner Than Expected?
  • It’s safe to say that Michigan sports betting launched at one of the worst possible times. Its first revenue numbers back that up.
• iGB North America, 4.8.20 – Michigan Sports Betting Revenue Hits $105,548 In Debut Month
  • Commercial casinos in Detroit, Michigan, generated $105,548 in retail sports wagering revenue during the few days legal betting in March, before sporting events and casino closures halted activity.

Illinois:

• Peoria Journal Star, 4.8.20 – Local Company Sells Sports Gambling News – Even When There Are No Sports
  • Morton- and Orlando, Fla.-based Knup Solutions, a gambling content provider for online betting websites worldwide, experienced big financial losses when the shutdown began nearly a month ago. But recently the company’s fortunes have turned around dramatically.

Iowa:

• PlayIA, 4.8.20 – Help Is Still Available For Iowans With Compulsive Gambling Issues Despite Coronavirus Pandemic
  • A combination of an economic downturn and a government shelter-in-place order can comprise a perfect storm for those with compulsive gambling issues. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Iowa problem gambling resources are still available.

Colorado:

• PlayColorado, 4.8.20 – GeoComply To Power Online Sportsbooks’ Geolocation Services In Colorado
  • GeoComply, a geolocation technology company, received its vendor minor license during a special meeting last Thursday by the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (CLGCC).
• TUNF, 4.9.20 – Colorado Issues New Sports Gambling Licenses
  • Colorado’s Limited Gaming Control Commission (LGCC) has just approved gambling operations for three new entities. Four others had been granted in February.