Industry News of the Day for December 5, 2018

Industry news of the day:

New York:

• Online Poker Report, 12.4.18 – Key NY Lawmaker: ‘I Would Give Up Online Poker for Sports Betting’
  • New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow told Online Poker Report that he would give up his three-year pursuit of online poker legislation if it meant New York could get sports betting done.

Washington DC:

• Sports Handle, 12.4.18 – D.C. Sports Betting Bill Moves Forward with No Amendments, Keeping Single-App System
  • After much debate, but with no new amendments, the District of Columbia Council voted 9-2 on Tuesday to advance its sports betting bill to a second hearing on Dec. 18. The bill, as written, will effectively allow the D.C. Lottery to have a monopoly on mobile/internet sports betting within the District. It also allows in-person sports betting within five professional sporting venues around the city.
• WAMU, 12.5.18 – Sports Betting Bill Gets First Approval From D.C. Council
  • The D.C. Council on Tuesday cast a first vote in favor of bringing legal sports betting to the nation’s capital, pushing the city one step closer to becoming the first place in the Washington region to capitalize on the increasingly lucrative market.

Missouri:

• PlayUSA, 12.4.18 – Missouri has a better Idea than Paying Sports Betting Integrity Fees
  • Missouri lawmakers were all set to become among the first in the country to seriously consider paying the integrity fee that US pro sports leagues have asked any state considering legalizing sports betting to pay.

New Jersey:

• Online Gambling, 12.5.18 – Hard Rock and Gig have Big Plans for their Online Casino and Sportsbook in 2019
  • Big things are happening with one of New Jersey’s newest brick-and-mortar casinos.
• iGaming Business, 12.4.18 – Kindred targets NJ sportsbook launch in Q1 2019
  • Kindred Group is aiming to launch in New Jersey’s regulated sports betting market in the first quarter of 2019, after expanding its existing supply deal with Kambi.

Rhode Island:

• South Coast Today, 12.4.18 – Sports betting kicks off at Tiverton casino
  • Sports betting kicked off at Tiverton Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon, making it the second venue in New England — besides its sister casino, Twin River Casino in Lincoln — to offer legal betting on a myriad of sports leagues and teams.

Pennsylvania:

• Penn Bets, 12.4.18 – Harrah’s Online Sports Betting Preview
  • Caesars Entertainment, owner of many successful gambling venues around the world, is eager to leverage its successful Harrah’s presence in the Pennsylvania market into a new sports wagering opportunity.

Kansas:

• iGaming Business, 12.4.18 – Kansas sports betting hearing begins
  • Kansas lawmakers are preparing for two days of hearings that could lead to a sports betting bill being filed in the state’s House of Representatives during the 2019 legislative session.

Michigan:

• UpNorthLive.com, 12.4.18 – Online gambling bill still awaits Senate decision
  • Despite the state’s current lame-duck status, lawmakers in Michigan are still pushing for several bills to get passed, and one of those would allow casinos to have online gaming.

 

Federal updates:

• Legal Sports Report, 12.4.18 – Feds Would Have to Approve State Sports Betting Laws Under New Draft Bill in Congress
  • A draft of a federal sports betting bill has appeared in Congress in which the federal government would have to approve state laws legalizing sports gambling.
• Sports Handle, 12.4.18 – New Federal Sports Betting Bill Surfaces, Empowering Attorney General and Mandating Purchase of Data
  • A draft of a federal sports betting bill that surfaced Tuesday would force states to obtain approval from the U.S. Attorney General’s office for their sports betting legalization plans – while also mandating that operators purchase official statistical data from sports leagues at least through 2022.
• ESPN, 12.5.18 – Congress pushing for federal sports betting oversight
  • Congress’ interest in the expanding U.S. sports betting market is growing.
• iGaming Business, 12.5.18 – State betting laws could be vetoed under leaked federal bill
  • US states would be required to have betting legislation approved by the US Attorney General and purchase official major league data under plans for federal oversight outlined in a leaked Congressional draft bill.

 

Sports league updates:

• No new sports league updates.

 

Member updates:

• Online Gambling, 12.4.18 – On Anniversary of Pivotal U.S. Supreme Court Sports Betting hearing, Key Players Reflect (J. Ifrah mentioned)
  • The minutes before the start of a U.S. Supreme Court hearing on an issue that had bounced from federal court to federal court for six years presumably would be a nerve-wracking time for those who had been involved from the beginning.

 

Overall industry updates:

• Online Poker Report, 12.5.18 – History of Online Gambling Expansion Raises Questions for Sports Betting in 2019
  • Following the May decision by the US Supreme Court that found PASPA unconstitutional, the sports betting floodgates are officially open.