Industry News of the Day for August 16, 2022

iDEA Growth Member News

• SBC Americas, 8.16.22 – Optimove agrees to CRM Marketing deal with Light & Wonder
  • Optimove has sealed an agreement with Light & Wonder, helping the gaming platform improve the marketing options of its operators through CRM marketing campaigns. [Toby Partridge, Director of Play Accounts, Light & Wonder]
• Legal Sports Report, 8.15.22 – Positive First Month In DC For FanDuel Despite Retail-Only Offering
  • The first month of operations for FanDuel in DC left the company “very happy” despite its retail-only offering. FanDuel Sportsbook at Audi Field took $710,362 in bets during July. The sportsbook held its grand opening July 8 but technically opened for a soft launch June 30.

Sports League News

• SBC Americas, 8.15.22 – MLB backs legalization of online sports betting in California
  • Major League Baseball (MLB) has become the first professional sports league to show its support for California’s Proposition 27, which would legalize online sports betting in the state.
• Sports Handle, 8.15.22 – PGA Tour Penalty Policies Put Bettors, Operators In Tough Spot
  • Cam Smith received a two-stroke penalty Sunday during the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first event in the PGA Tour’s three-leg playoff schedule. Smith didn’t argue the ruling — and many fans understood the logic behind the ruling — but the timing of the penalty infuriated sports bettors and DFS players.

California

• Sports Handle, 8.16.22 – Confused In California: Overwhelming Messages In The Fight Over Legal Wagering
  • When California voters weigh in Nov. 8 on whether to legalize retail and/or online sports betting, their decision will cap what is expected to be the costliest initiative campaign in U.S. history. And if experts in politics and sports betting are right, the hundreds of millions spent may all have been for naught.
• California Casinos, 8.15.22 – These Groups Have Donated the Most Money to Prop 26 and Prop 27 So Far
  • There’s an ongoing arms race between supporters of California’s Prop 26 and Prop 27 sports betting ballot initiatives ahead of November’s election. Here are the largest monetary donations on the California Secretary of State’s database, as of Aug. 15.
• California Casinos, 8.15.22 – 3^rd-Largest CA City Urges Residents to Vote No on Prop 26 and Prop 27
  • The third-most populous city in California is urging its residents to vote no on both CA sports betting measures this election. San Jose’s city council unanimously voted last week to oppose both Prop 26 and Prop 27. Prop 26 would allow only in-person sports betting at California’s tribal casinos and the four CA horse racetracks. Prop 27 would allow online sports betting in California via sportsbook operators partnered with tribes.

Indiana

• iGB, 8.15.22 – Indiana sports betting handle decline continues in July
  • Indiana’s sports betting handle fell for the fourth consecutive month during July, with the $206.6m wagered by players the lowest monthly total of the calendar year. July’s total was 19.4% lower than the $256.3m spent by consumers in June, but 6.2% higher than the $194.5m bet during July of last year.

Kansas

• Sports Handle, 8.15.22 – Second Kansas Regulator Approves Rules As Launch Day For Wagering Gets Closer
  • The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) on Friday followed the lead of its counterparts at the state lottery, approving a set of temporary rules for legal sports betting. The approvals certainly move the co-regulators closer to a go-live date for wagering, but despite rumors, neither has pinpointed a day.
• Gaming Today, 8.15.22 – Kansas Eyes Sept. 8 Sports Betting Launch; Here are the Sportsbooks the State is Expected to See
  • Eight sportsbooks have hitched themselves to state-owned Kansas casinos where online sports betting is expected to launch in a matter of weeks. Four additional sportsbooks tied to those four casinos are possible, too.

Ohio

• Play Ohio, 8.16.22 – Parlays Will Be A Huge Part Of The Ohio Sports Betting Market
  • Bettors will be hearing plenty of talk about parlays once Ohio sports betting begins in January. Parlay betting is one of the most popular ways to bet on sports in the U.S., and it has become a big feature of sportsbook marketing over the years because gambling companies make solid profits off these bets.

Tennessee

• Sports Handle, 8.15.22 – Tennessee Sports Betting Operators Enjoy Strong July
  • Tennessee became the 10th state in the post-PASPA era to surpass $5 billion in sports wagering handle after the state’s Sports Wagering Advisory Council reported Monday that nearly $182.8 million worth of bets were placed in July.

Washington, D.C.

• iGB, 8.16.22 – DC sports betting handle continues downward trend in July
  • Washington DC’s sports betting handle declined for the second consecutive month in July, while both revenue and player spending in the market fell year-on-year. Consumers bet a total of $11.3m on sports during the month, down 11.7% from $11.3m in July 2021, while the monthly total was also 18.1% lower than $13.8m in June this year.