Industry News of the Day for December 12, 2023

Industry News

• Legal Sports Report: DraftKings Faces Class Action Lawsuit In Massachusetts Over Bonus Ads
  • DraftKings is under fire because of allegedly “unfair and deceptive” bonus bet advertising. The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) announced a class-action lawsuit against DraftKings and its promotional strategy last week. The organization filed the suit in Massachusetts’s Middlesex Superior Court on behalf of two Massachusetts bettors, Shane Harris and Melissa Scanlon. The complaint claims the operator misleads customers into believing they receive a $1,000 bonus after depositing money into an account.

Georgia

• Bonus.com: Georgia Sen. Brandon Beach Plans For 2024 Retail Casino & Online Sports Betting Bill
  • The 2024 Georgia legislative session will likely see another bill aiming to legalize gambling expansion, including retail casinos and online sports betting. During a meeting of the legislature’s Joint Committees of Economic Development & Tourism, state Sen. Brandon Beach revealed a draft of his planned legislation. He said he wants to introduce the bill on the first day of the 2024 session, Jan. 8. Any gambling changes require amending the Georgia state constitution, so the legislation would go to voters on the November 2024 ballot if it passes through the legislature.

Illinois

• PlayIllinois: DraftKings CEO: Illinois Key To iGaming Expansion In US
  • DraftKings CEO Jason Robins says Illinois could hold the key to expanding online casinos across the US. He thinks if iGaming is legalized in a major market state, it would unlock the North American market. Speaking at the Craig-Hallum Online Gaming Conference, Robins said iGaming’s potential as an industry could rival or surpass online sports betting. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s bigger than sports at some point for our business.”

Kentucky

• SBC Americas: Kentucky Sportsbooks Took $340M In Wagers During First Two Months
  • The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission released its first revenue report, giving some insight into how operators are faring in the Bluegrass State. Across September and October, Kentucky sportsbooks took almost $341 million in bets at retail and online sportsbooks in the state. For most of September, only retail wagering was available. Those books collected $9 million in bets, a number that dipped in October to $8.1 million. On the online front, the handful of days online sports betting was live in September produced $36.8 million in bets.

Maryland

• PlayMaryland: Maryland Sets Record In November With $551 Million Wagered On Sports
  • Maryland sports betting continued breaking records in November after a record-breaking month of October. November saw the highest single month of total sports wagering handle in state history with $550.7 million. It was 14% higher than the $483.1 million bet in October. Tax revenue from betting, however, fell off significantly month over month. Around $5.8 million was paid to the state in October, which set the record for the highest tax contribution in a single month. It fell to $3.2 million in November, nearly 45% worse.

Massachusetts

• State House News Service: Massachusetts Regulators Meet With Operators To Discuss Strengthening Responsible Gambling Tools
  • Concerned about the tiny percentage of sports bettors who have so far used things like time or deposit limits, the Mass. Gaming Commission is working to convene a roundtable with operators, industry experts and more to talk about how they might be able to make responsible gambling tools “cool.” The commission received quarterly reports from all eight of its online sports betting licensees since late November, and those reports showed that the responsible gambling tools sportsbooks are required to provide … are not being used by very many people.

New Jersey

• PlayUSA: Sen. Joseph Cryan Attempts To Block NJ Online Lottery Sales
  • Good news and bad news aren’t always black and white. Earlier this year, New Jersey lawmakers proposed a bill to legalize online lottery sales. While the move is a good one for lottery players (they can buy a ticket from their phone) and the New Jersey Lottery (sales will likely rise), it would not be good for the network of convenience stores and gas stations that rely on lottery sales for vital income. In light of that downside, Sen. Joseph Cryan has crafted a bill that would block the legalization of online lottery sales.

North Carolina

• NC Sharp: ESPN Bet’s NC Sports Betting Access Contingent On Quail Hollow’s PGA Status
  • Wells Fargo is no longer the presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club, creating some uncertainty about the future of a PGA event at the Charlotte golf club. On Dec. 8, Wells Fargo announced that it was stepping away from the event after serving as the sponsor for 20 years.  A few day before the news, PENN Entertainment announced that it partnered with Quail Hollow Club. This partnership gives ESPN Bet (owned by PENN Entertainment) access to the North Carolina sports betting market.

Ohio

• Sports Handle: Fanatics Faults Ohio’s Proposal To Restrict Offers Made To Non-Gaming Customers
  • A proposed Ohio sports betting regulation would restrict how sportsbooks may tie their promotional offers to non-gambling transactions by consumers, but two key operators are concerned the requirements are either unrealistic or too vague. Fanatics Betting & Gaming and FanDuel each met a deadline set by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to offer comments by last Thursday in response to the commission’s proposal, which was first publicly announced on Nov. 9.