Industry News of the Day for December 21, 2018

Industry news of the day:

Michigan:

• Legal Sports Report, 12.21.18 – The Single Line in Lat-Minute Gaming Bill that Could Make Michigan Sports Betting a Reality
  • Nearly all of the gambling bill passed in the final hours of the Michigan lame-duck legislative session deals with casinos and internet gaming.
• Online Poker Report, 12.21.18 – Lawmakers Pass Michigan Online Gambling Bill in Eleventh Hour
  • As the final few hours ticked off the 2018 legislative clock, lawmakers in Michigan passed a bill that would legalize online gambling within the state.
• Online Poker Report, 12.21.18 – Here’s How Michigan Passed An Online Gambling Bill, From a Key Senator                
  • Christmas came early for poker players in Michigan with the passage Thursday night of the Lawful Internet Gaming Act. It’s the culmination of a four-year effort from state Sen. Mike Kowall to legalize and regulate online poker and casino games.
• Michigan Radio, 12.21.18 – Online gambling regulations head to Snyder’s desk
  • State lawmakers are harnessing some money from online gambling to help Michigan’s struggling horse racing industry.
• The Detroit News, 12.20.18 – Michigan lawmakers bet big with plan to legalize online gambling
  • The Michigan Senate late Thursday approved sweeping legislation that would expand legal gambling by allowing internet gaming through Detroit and tribal casinos.
• Gaming Intelligence, 12.21.18 – Michigan passes iGaming bill authorizing casino games and sports betting
  • The iGaming bill was introduced in 2017 and first approved by the House in June by a margin of 68 to 40. It was approved by the Committee on Government Operations on Thursday, followed by passage through the Senate by a vote of 33 to 5. The House passed the bill in the early hours of Friday morning (Dec. 21) by a vote of 71 to 35.
• Crain’s Detroit Business, 12.21.18 – Legislature Oks $1.3 billion budget bill, online gambling
  • Michigan’s Republican-controlled Legislature has approved a $1.3 billion budget plan that would spend more on roads, environmental cleanup and mental health counselors in schools to top off the busiest lame duck session in the state’s history.

Pennsylvania:

• Legal Sports Report, 12.20.18 – Government Approvals Mounting For PA Sports Betting Operators, Suppliers
  • The PA sports betting marketplace continues to load in as the rollout of online wagering draws closer.
• Penn Bets, 12.20.18 – Pennsylvania Wraps up Historic Gaming Year by Approving Valley Forge Casino for Sports Betting
  • An historic year for Pennsylvania gaming regulation has come to a close.
• Penn Bets, 12.21.18 – Sugarhouse Casino Walks the Line on its Sports Betting Pricing
  • One of the biggest concerns heading into the launch of the Pennsylvania sports betting industry was the juice. And rightfully so.

Mississippi:

• Sports Handle, 12.20.18 – Mississippi Sports Betting Numbers Continue to Rise
  • Mississippi sportsbooks had their best month since legal sports betting began in the state in August, according to the revenue report released by the Mississippi Gaming Commission on Thursday. Sportsbooks across the state took in $44.5 million in handle in November, a significant increase over the $32.8 million handle in October. Well more than half of November’s handle was from football bets — $27.9 million in total.
• The National Law Review, 12.20.18 – Mississippi Gaming Commission Meeting Minutes: December 20, 2018
  • The Mississippi Gaming Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, December 20, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. at the Jackson offices of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

North Dakota:

• KFGO, 12.20.18 – Burgum won’t oppose, or push for legal sports betting
  • Gov. Doug Burgum won’t fight an attempt to bring legal sports betting to North Dakota but he won’t push for it either.
• Myrtle Beach Online, 12.20.18 – Gov. Burgum won’t oppose, or push for legal sports betting
  • Gov. Doug Burgum won’t stand in the way of an attempt to bring legal sports betting to North Dakota but he won’t advocate for it either, a spokesman said.

Montana:

• US Bets, 12.21.18 – Montana Lawmakers Poised to Introduce Sports Betting Bills
  • Montana lawmakers know their state is a little, well, different. And as such, their vision for sports betting in one of the biggest states by area, but smallest by population, doesn’t involve building casinos or even sports betting parlors.

Minnesota:

• Gambling.com, 12.20.18 – Minnesota Sports Betting Bill Has Good Odds Rep. Says
  • Another Midwestern state will take up legal sports betting next month. Some of its most high profile backers believe it could pass before the end of next year.

Kentucky:

• Pensions & Investments, 12.20.18 – Kentucky Legislature takes no action on pension reform bills in special session
  • After being called into a special session by Gov. Matt Bevin, the Kentucky Legislature decided Tuesday to take no action on newly filed pension reform bills.

California:

• Desert Sun, 12.20.18 – Will federal legislation open the door to sports gambling in California?
  • Why can’t you head down to your local casino or some storefront downtown or may head to an app on your smart phone and put a bet down on who is going to win the Master or the U.S. Open or even the Desert Classic in La Quinta next month?

West Virginia:

• Legal Gambling, 12.20.18 – West Virginia Sports Betting Under Threat from D.C.
  • Sports bettors in Washington D.C will be happy to know that legislators have decided to approve a sports betting bill that will make it legal to place sports wagers.

Federal updates:

• Legal Sports Report, 12.20.18 – Instant Expert Legal Analysis Of The Federal Sports Betting Bill – Part 1
  • On a Wednesday, exactly six days before Christmas, Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) elected to drop a 101-page federal sports betting bill on the world.
• Legal Sports Report, 12.20.18 – If The DOJ Reverses Course On Wire Act, What’s The Impact For US Sports Betting And Online Gambling?
  • Shockwaves reverberated through the gaming industry on Wednesday with the revelation that the online gaming business in the US could be turned on its head by the Department of Justice.
• Online Poker Report, 12.20.18 – Here’s why DOJ Should Keep its Mitts off Wire Act, Online Gambling
  • The US Department of Justice might be putting a lump of coal in the stockings of legal online gambling advocates this holiday season.
• Sports Handle, 12.20.18 – Will Possible DOJ Reinterpretation of Wire Act Affect Sports Betting?
  • Less than 24 hours after the District of Columbia Council authorized sports betting in the shadow of Capitol Hill, the federal government stole its thunder — twice. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Department of Justice on Friday will offer a new interpretation of the Wire Act, which prohibits using “wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate” sports betting.
• ESPN, 12.20.18 – What you need to know about the new federal sports betting bill
  • On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Schumer (D-New York) introduced the Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act (SWMIA) of 2018, a comprehensive bill that aims to provide federal oversight to the expanding American legal sports betting market.
• The Morning Call, 12.21.18 – Feds eye move to regulate legal sports betting
  • A pair of U.S. senators from opposing parties is proposing that the federal government take back control of sports gambling in America, the first formal move by Congress after a Supreme Court ruling reopened a complex debate over fans betting on games and who controls the action.
• Gambling News, 12.21.18 – DoJ Reportedly Plans Reversal of 2011 Wire Act Decision
  • Rumors have swirled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) may be looking into ways to reverse its decision from December 23, 2011, when challenged by the states of Illinois and New York, the DoJ ruled that the Wire Act only applied to sports betting.
• Card Player, 12.20.18 – Federal Bill Seeks Governmental Control Over Sports Gambling Industry
  • The May U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional opened the floodgates for states to begin legalizing and regulating sports betting.

Sports league updates:

• No new sports league updates to report.

Member updates:

• No new member updates to report.

Overall industry updates:

• Business Matters, 12.21.18 – Online casino trends for 2019
  • Check out our predictions for online casino trends in 2019! Get ready for a fantastic year ahead in online gaming.
• The Times, 12.21.18 – US gamble not for the faint-hearted
  • The American gaming market is becoming increasingly crowded with UK-listed operators moving in to try to win big on the back of its liberalising rules about online bets.
• PlayNJ, 12.21.18 – Yes, Handle Matters for Sports Betting Reporting, but Revenue Matters More
  • Legal sports betting is in its infancy in the US. That means there is still a lot of confusion and misinformation floating around.
• PlayNJ, 12.20.18 – Step into Christmas with a Trio of Online Casino Treats Worth More than $10K
  • The big day is almost here, but don’t worry because we’ve still got time for a bonus or two before Santa arrives.