Industry News of the Day for December 11, 2018

Industry news of the day:

Missouri:

• Sports Handle, 12.10.18 – Missouri’s Latest Sports Betting Bill Gives Royalty to Pro Leagues and NCAA
  • Missouri lawmakers seem intent on charging licensed sportsbooks some sort of royalty or other fee above and beyond taxes, application fees and other administrative costs.

New Jersey:

• NJ Online Gaming, 12.10.18 – Ocean Online Unveils VIP Program for NJ Online Casino Players…Does it Make Waves?
  • Since planting their roots in late 2013, NJ online casino VIP programs have grown increasingly more elaborate. What started out as a smattering of sites offering meager cashback and occasional bonuses to high rollers has evolved to the point where frequent players commonly earn luxury gifts, all-expenses paid trips at partner hotels, invites to exclusive high roller events, faster withdrawals, and gigantic loyalty point multipliers.
• WHYY, 12.10.18 – N.J. lawmakers consider placing a $100 million bet on the horse racing industry
  • New Jersey lawmakers are considering doling out $100 million over five years to prop up the state’s financially-strapped horse racing industry, which has continued to struggle despite beginning to offer sports betting this summer.

Pennsylvania:

• SBC Americas, 12.10.18 – Gambling fills the gaps in Pennsylvania state budget
  • Gambling has contributed more than $385m into Pennsylvania coffers in the first year since expanded gambling in the state was made law, surpassing state budget estimates in the process according to a new report by PlayPennsylvania.com.
• Gambling News, 12.10.18 – Pennsylvania’s Gambling Expansion Pays off $400m
  • Pennsylvania has managed to achieve solid results following the expansion of gambling in the state back in 2017. With the legal cogwheels tweaked last year, the state has introduced a number of highly-yielding activities, including online lotteries and daily fantasy sports, to speak nothing of sports betting, which has been gaining momentum.

Virginia:

• US Bets, 12.11.18 – Virginia Has the Same Sports Betting Support as New Jersey, Survey Shows
  • Virginia lawmakers are already considering sports betting ahead of 2019, and a new survey has provided even more momentum for the state.

 

Federal updates:

• No new federal updates to report.

 

Sports league updates:

• No new sports league updates to report.

 

Member updates:

• iGaming Business, 12.11.18 – 888 buys out all American Poker Network JV partners
  • 888 Holdings CEO Itai Frieberger believes the operator has given itself more flexibility to exploit new opportunities in the regulated US iGaming market by acquiring the remaining 53% interest in the All American Poker Network.

 

Overall industry updates:

• Coin Gape, 12.11.18 – PR: Is there a future in Cryptocurrencies in the online casino industry?
  • Cryptocurrencies are the world’s latest craze, with more and more individuals and businesses relying on them to conduct payments. People are even buying homes with cryptocurrencies, which attests to the fact that they have become a widely accepted form of currency.
• Sports Handle, 12.11.18 – Q&A: Why I’m Sticking With My ‘Local Bookie’
  • One person located in Northern New Jersey, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly, now has new legal sportsbooks in the palm of his hand, but is sticking with his guy for a variety of reasons.