Industry News of the Day for August 18, 2023

Industry News

• SBC Americas: GDC Group CEO Says Barstool ‘Off The Map’ As Possible Sportsbook Affiliate
  • One group that is quite excited for ESPN BET and Penn to hit the ground running is US affiliates. During the Q2 earnings call for Gambling.com Group, CEO Charles Gillespie fielded questions about the new entrant to the market and was largely positive about what it meant for the affiliate side of the industry and the industry at large. “I think, in general, it’s really positive because they’re the worldwide leader and the biggest name in sports in the United States and, now that they’ve done something, it further destigmatizes the industry.

• Sports Handle: Skepticism Abounds In Reactions To ESPN BET Announcement
  • Last week’s massive news in the legal sports betting industry — that PENN Entertainment will be partnering with ESPN to launch ESPN BET this fall — was in fact massive enough to serve as “A block” news far beyond the borders of the gambling industry. Every TV talking head, columnist, and podcaster had a take, it seemed, on the marriage between those four uppercase letters that have long been synonymous with sports content and those other four uppercase letters that most of the mainstream media knew nothing about prior to last Tuesday’s news release.

• Bonus.com: Study Finds That Half of Self-Excluding Gamblers Have Gambled, Mostly at Offshore Casinos
  • A Swedish survey study has found that 49% of gamblers who had self-excluded have breached their exclusion, most of whom used online casinos. In total, 9% of respondents said they had self-excluded from any form of gambling in the past year. The study by A. Håkansson and N. Komzia from the Department of Clinical Sciences at Lund University involved 1505 people who have gambled in the past year. Out of the people that had breached their self-exclusion, 82% were online casino users.

Delaware

• PlayUSA: Rush Street Signs On As Online Gaming Partner For The Delaware Lottery
  • Rush Street Interactive (RSI) announced it had been selected by the Delaware Lottery as its new online gaming partner. As a result, RSI will provide the lottery online gaming services for five years, renewable for additional one-year terms pending regulatory approval. In a news release, Rush Street CEO Richard Schwartz said the company was honored to be selected and eager to provide online gaming operations in the First State.

Florida

• Legal Sports Report: Florida Sports Betting Relaunch Plan Clouded By New Court Ask
  • The Seminole Tribe relaunching Florida sports betting via Hard Rock Bet by the start of NFL season on Sept. 7 could be in doubt. In a somewhat surprising development Wednesday, the DC District Court of Appeals requested a response regarding the petition filed by West Flagler Associates for a rehearing en banc. The Department of the Interior has 15 days, or until Aug. 31, to respond.

Kentucky

• Gaming Today: Regulators to Approve Kentucky Sports Wagering Licenses Next Week
  • Kentuckians will know which retail locations and online sportsbooks will be in the state next week. According to a press release from the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, that’s when the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will vote on the sports betting license applications. The results of the votes will determine which sports betting operators will be available at next month’s Kentucky sports betting launch. The KHRC will meet on Aug. 22 at 1:30 p.m. to vote on retail and online sports betting licenses.

Michigan

• Gambling News: 1X2 Network Cleared For Launch In Michigan
  • 1X2 Network, a leading iGaming supplier of popular online casino games, announced that it has been cleared for launch in the state of Michigan. According to the company, it has been formally granted a full supplier’s license by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, the state’s gambling regulator. The company described its entry into the Great Lakes State as a “key milestone” in its expansion in the United States and the Americas as a whole.

New Jersey

• PlayNJ: New Caesars Palace Online Casino Arrives In New Jersey
  • Caesars Entertainment is spreading out its internet gambling empire in New Jersey between two apps, separating its online casino from its online sportsbook. The Reno-based operator is rolling out Caesars Palace Online Casino in NJ. Caesars Sportsbook NJ will still be accessible to online players. Caesars Palace Online Casino is also live in Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia and across the border in Ontario, Canada.

Oklahoma

• The Oklahoman: No Timeline For Sports Betting In Oklahoma, Tribal Gaming Officials Say At OIGA Conference
  • Oklahoma’s tribal gaming industry is preparing for sports betting, but no one knows yet when that day might arrive. The uncertainty — and how to keep growing despite it — have been two of the biggest points of discussion at the industry’s annual convention, which started Tuesday and continued through Wednesday in Tulsa. Even as dozens of other states legalize sports betting, it hasn’t gained a foothold in Oklahoma amid a broader stalemate over state-tribal relations.