Industry News of the Day for December 21, 2023

Industry News

• SBC Americas: Playtech Agrees To Boyd Interactive Deal For US Markets
  • Playtech has penned a deal with Boyd Interactive to supply its online casino and live casino content across regulated US markets.  Under the terms of the deal, Playtech will integrate its suite of online slot and table games into the Boyd Interactive platform in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It boosts the Boyd Interactive consumer-facing division, which was unveiled when Boyd Gaming acquired Pala Interactive last year.

Alabama

• 1819 News: Alabama State Senator Warns Gambling Amendment On 2024 Ballot Would Be A ‘Mistake’ For GOP
  • If there is a session of the Alabama Legislature ahead on the calendar, there is a high probability that speculation about gambling making it through the two chambers and on an election ballot is underway. Ever since Alabama voters rejected a lottery in 1999, efforts to rescind the Alabama Constitution of 1901’s prohibition on gambling through the Legislature’s constitutional amendment process have come up short. Could 2024 be different? A behind-the-scenes effort led by State Reps. Andy Whitt (R-Harvest) and Chris Blackshear (R-Phenix City) is reportedly underway with the anticipation that Alabama voters could get another crack at some form of gambling on the 2024 presidential ballot.

California

• PlayUSA: Some Tribal Leaders Back California Sports Betting Initiative As Beneficial To Economically Disadvantaged Tribes
  • Not all California Indian tribes oppose a sports betting initiative filed ahead of the 2024 election. PlayUSA heard from four California tribes that view the proposed sports betting initiative as an important step toward improving conditions for rural tribes. Representatives of the Cahuilla Band of Indians, Karuk Tribe, Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria contend the initiative would substantially increase the standard of living in some of California’s poorest communities. As amended, the initiative taxes online sports betting at 25% and adds that money into the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund.

Louisiana

• Sports Handle: Louisiana Posts Record $356 Million Sports Wagering Handle For November
  • The Louisiana Gaming Control Board reported a record monthly sports wagering handle of $356.5 million for November on Wednesday as promotional spending ramped up with the launch of ESPN BET and the entrance of bet365. The online handle of $322.9 million in November was enough on its own to better October’s mark of $308.6 million and marked the first time wagering through mobile betting apps topped $300 million. Louisiana‘s 18 retail sportsbooks handled $33.5 million, the second-highest total of 2023 behind January’s $37 million-plus. The house had a collective hold of 8.2%, its lowest of the year, resulting in $29.3 million in gross revenue.

Michigan

• PlayMichigan: FanDuel Cuts BetMGM’s Michigan Online Casino Lead To Smallest Margin Yet
  • FanDuel Casino is quickly making up ground in the Michigan online casino race. Since launching in January 2021, the Michigan online casino industry has been dominated by BetMGM Michigan. In November, FanDuel made the closest attempt yet at changing that narrative, finishing just behind BetMGM in revenue. Will FanDuel be able to get that top spot in the months to come? We took a look recently at how FanDuel Casino Michigan and DraftKings Casino Michigan were making up ground on BetMGM Casino Michigan over 2023.

New Hampshire

• Bonus.com: New Hampshire — Another iGaming Monopoly In The Making?
  • New Hampshire’s chances of passing an online casino bill in 2024 are disproportionate to the amount of attention it has been getting. That’s because of its small population and the likelihood that any potential iGaming market will end up a monopoly. In that regard, it stands to be to 2024 what Rhode Island was to 2023. Its success would be much more exciting for state residents than for the industry, which has its eyes on bigger prizes.New Hampshire legalized in 2019. However, it took the unusual approach of letting operators bid for market access, effectively setting their own tax rate.

New York

• PlayNY: NY Sports Betting Has Built The Foundation On Which To Legalize Online Casinos
  • No state-regulated sports betting industry has seen the success New York has enjoyed in less than two years of existence. In November, NY sportsbooks accepted over $2 billion in bets. No state ever exceeded that total in a month. And it was New York’s second straight month doing so. In less than two years, online sports betting in New York has taken in over $33 billion in wagers – second only to New Jersey and Nevada in the post-PASPA era, and both of which got a four-year head start on the Empire State. What’s more, New York sportsbooks have generated nearly $3 billion in gross gaming revenue. Only New Jersey, at $3.2 billion, has more.

North Carolina

• NC Sharp: North Carolina Sportsbooks On The Clock To Meet Dec. 27 Deadline
  • Online sportsbooks that want a chance to go live at the earliest possible date for online North Carolina sports betting have one week left to submit their sports betting operator applications. The commission opened its licensing portal for operators at the beginning of the month and advised sportsbooks to provide complete submissions as soon as possible with an eye to the “recommended deadline” of Dec. 27, 2023. In addition, all applicants must form a written designation agreement with a sports entity in NC before applying for a North Carolina online sports betting operator license.

Pennsylvania

• PlayPennsylvania: Pennsylvania Online Casino Table Games Revenue Exceeds $400 Million This Year
  • In the midst of another record-breaking month, online casinos in Pennsylvania reached a worthy milestone. Operators crossed the $400 million threshold in YTD online table games revenue for the first time ever. PA online casinos have been soaring in every category as of late. While slots are the bread and butter of the state, table games are holding up their end of the bargain. Online casinos in the Keystone have eclipsed the $185 million revenue threshold in each of the last three months and have broken a US record in two of them.