Industry News of the Day for August 31, 2022

iDEA Growth Member News

  • SBC Americas, 8.31.22 – PointsBet appoints Edward Hartman as new Group Chief Strategy Officer
    • PointsBet has appointed Edward Hartman as its new Group Chief Strategy Officer, effective September 6. Reporting to Group CEO, Sam Swanell, Hartman will lead the group’s strategy and work with PointsBet’s global leadership team and directors board to manage the group’s strategy and vision, pinpoint new opportunities, and bolster its operations.
  • iGB, 8.31.22 – Licensed sportsbooks prepare for Kansas launch
    • North American gambling giant DraftKings has confirmed it will launch in Kansas tomorrow (1 Sep) – the opening day of legal sportsbook operations in the US state. DraftKings is among the six sportsbook operators that have already obtained licenses in the state through partnerships with existing brick-and-mortar gaming facilities. Matt Kalish, DraftKings co-founder and president of DraftKings North America, is quoted in this story.
  • Play USA, 8.30.22 – DraftKings Casino Launches Rocket Game In Pennsylvania
    • NASA might have postponed a rocket launch this week but DraftKings Casino customers in Pennsylvania can celebrate a launch of their own. DraftKings has introduced its Rocket game in the state.

Industry News

  • Bonus.com, 8.31.22 – TransUnion Study Offers Insight On Mobile Sports Bettor Demographics and Inflation
    • A new study from financial research firm TransUnion revealed that more than half of mobile sports bettors earn high incomes. The study defines high earners as those with incomes over $100,000 per year. TransUnion’s online survey polled 2,739 adults across the country, of which 54% fall into that bracket. Previous research from the National Council on Problem Gambling and YouGov has likewise shown that both high and low earners gamble with greater frequency than those close to the median.
  • US Bets, 8.31.22 – Netflix’s New Donaghy Doc Traces Evolution Of Integrity In Sports Betting
    • If you’re looking for sympathetic characters in the new Netflix documentary Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul, about the Tim Donaghy NBA refereeing scandal, well, you won’t find many. A redemption story this is not, but it’s incredibly relevant to how Americans’ attitudes — in particular, those Americans who are in charge of major sporting organizations — have evolved since Donaghy gambled on games he officiated, and how his tips helped fatten the wallets of the Gambino crime family.
  • US Bets, 8.30.22 – Betting Exchanges Have Arrived In U.S.
    • The U.S. continues to lag behind Australia and much of Europe in the variety of legal, regulated gambling options — but it took a step forward on the sports betting front this week.

California

  • Play CA, 8.30.22 – 2022 California Sports Betting Ballot Measure Comparison
    • Californians will find two sports betting initiatives on the ballot in November. The CA Secretary of State made that official June 30 by certifying the initiatives as qualified for the Nov. 8 general election.
  • Play CA, 8.30.22 – California’s Prop 26 Is About Much More Than Sports Betting
    • While most voters are aware of the two California sports betting ballot questions, perhaps lesser known is that one of the proposals — Proposition 26 — significantly benefits Golden State tribal casinos in ways that extend far beyond sports gambling.
  • Sports Handle, 8.30.22 – Top Elected Officials Voice Opposition To California’s Proposition 27
    • Though California Gov. Gavin Newsom deems himself neutral on Proposition 27, the digital sports betting ballot initiative with funding earmarked for homelessness and mental health programs, several other key elected officials voiced strong opposition to the measure Monday in describing it as a sham.
  • California Casinos, 8.30.22 – Here Are the Groups That Support Prop 26 and Prop 27 in California, and Why
    • If you live in California and watch TV, chances are you may be overwhelmed with constant ads for Prop 26 and Prop 27, the two sports betting initiatives on the November ballot. Sifting through political noise can be difficult in any election, let alone one that is shattering California campaign spending records.

Maryland

  • Legal Sports Report, 8.30.22 – Maryland Online Sports Betting Takes A Step Toward Launch
    • The reason for the significant delay in launching online Maryland sports betting appears to be all for naught. Thomas Brandt, the chairman of the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, sent a letter to the General Assembly‘s regulatory review committee urging them to take action on MD sports betting regulations that were submitted July 22. The SWARC has worked for more than a year on the regulations and applications for competitive sports betting licenses in Maryland.

Michigan

Nevada

  • iGB, 8.31.22 – July Nevada revenue gaming total dips year-on-year to $1.32bn
    • July gaming revenue in Nevada reached $1.32bn, a 3.2% decline year-on-year, while sports betting revenue in the state plummeted amid a weaker sporting calendar.
  • US Bets, 8.30.22 – Nevada Sportsbooks Total Just $16.2M In July Revenue
    • A challenging 2022 continued for sportsbook operators in Nevada, as ticket-cashing of winning plays contributed to a year-low $16.2 million in sports wagering revenue for July, according to figures released by the state’s gaming control board on Tuesday.

Pennsylvania

  • Penn Bets, 8.30.22 – Lottery Analysis Says Hundreds Of Millions Lost Due To Skill Games
    • The Pennsylvania Lottery sold nearly $15 billion in scratch-off tickets from October 2017 to March 2022, but it says the number would have been another $650 million higher if not for the growth in competitive “skill game” gambling machines at lottery retailers and elsewhere. A report by Scientific Games is referred to in this story.