Industry News of the Day for December 9, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• The Hartford Courant, 12.7.20 – Top Lawmaker Sees Sports Betting In Connecticut A Reality Next Year As Foxwoods And Sports Entertainment Business Announce A Deal
  • Sports betting will be legal in Connecticut next year, a top lawmaker said Monday as Foxwoods Resort Casino and Draft Kings, a digital sports entertainment business, announced a partnership pitched to raise revenue and revive eastern Connecticut’s economy, both badly damaged by the coronavirus.
• Legal Sports Report, 12.7.20 – Why DraftKings Deal With Foxwoods Could Be Good News For Connecticut Sports Betting
  • Connecticut may not have regulated online sports betting yet but local stakeholders are setting out their stall in preparation.
• Online Poker Report, 12.7.20 – DraftKings Strikes Connecticut Market Access Deal With Foxwoods, But Political Roadblocks Lie Ahead
  • On Monday, DraftKings announced that it had struck a multi-channel deal with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 12.7.20 – Gaming Expansion Approved In Five States: What It Means
  • S. gaming industry enthusiasts likely already know that voters in all five states that featured significant gaming-related ballot questions on Election Day expressed their approval.
• US Bets, 12.9.20 – Lotteries Playing Key Role In State-By-State Sports Betting Rollout
  • “Tempering the expectations of legislators on revenues is a key,” says New Hampshire’s Charlie McIntyre.
• SBC Americas, 12.9.20 – Sports Betting Driving US Gaming Recovery Says AGA Tracker Report
  • The American Gaming Association (AGA) has published its latest Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker report, revealing commercial gaming revenue ahead by 6.3% from September to October, indicating the industry’s continued recovery.
• SBC Americas, 12.8.20 – Sportradar: A Question Of Time Before US Sees In-Play Betting Boom
  • While the growth of in-play betting has been well documented in recent years, it is the explosion of mobile betting that will help it to reach its potential in the US market.
• US Bets, 12.8.20 – BetMGM CEO: US Online Poker Will Again ‘Have Period In Sunshine’
  • The U.S. expansion of online gambling is still in the early innings, a panel of CEOs of some of the sports betting industry’s leading firms said last week during the Betting on Sports America Digital conference.

Ohio:

• The Action Network, 12.8.20 – Amended Sports Betting Bill Could Be Ohio’s Final 2020 Chance For Legalization
  • Ohio lawmakers adopted an amended sports betting bill during a hearing Tuesday that would curtail the number of online sports betting licenses, the latest effort to pass the long-stalled legalization legislation before the 2020 session ends later this month.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 12.8.20 – How A Michigan Online Casino Launch Delay Will Benefit Bettors, Operators
  • Gretchen Whitmer signed expanded gambling laws in Michigan on Dec. 20, 2019. But one year later, chances for a 2020 launch of online sports betting, online casino and online poker are all but gone, leaving the same old question for a new year.

New Jersey:

• The Press Of Atlantic City, 12.7.20 – Diminished Casino Taxes Neutralized By Online Gaming
  • Tax revenue generated from the leisure, hospitality and tourism industries has been severely impacted in 2020 because of business and public restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

West Virginia:

• Gambling.Com, 12.7.20 – West Virginia November Sports Betting Shows Increase Of 8.7%
  • West Virginia’s sports wagering activity showed improvement in November after dropping in October from September’s record. Internet gaming also increased during November.

North Carolina:

• The Action Network, 12.7.20 – North Carolina Retail Sports Betting Could Begin By March Madness
  • North Carolina sports betting could begin in time for the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament after representatives from the state’s two Native American casinos and the state government agreed to a sportsbook operating deal last week.
• Legal Sports Report, 12.8.20 – North Carolina Sports Betting A Step Closer After Compact Amendment
  • Sports betting in North Carolina has been legal for more than a year – there’s just no way to legally place a bet in the state.
• TN Bets, 12.7.20 – North Carolina Tribe ‘Strung Along’ With Sports Betting, But Arrival Finally Imminent
  • Retail sports wagering will soon be coming to North Carolina not far from its border with Tennessee.

Missouri:

• The Missouri Times, 12.8.20 – Missouri Lawmakers Roll The Dice On Gambling Bills Again
  • With the 2021 legislative session looming, a handful of lawmakers are once again seeking to make major changes to the state’s gambling regulations.
• Missourinet, 12.8.20 – Senator Hoskins: Missourians Are Currently Traveling To Iowa And Las Vegas To Wager On Sports
  • A veteran Missouri lawmaker has pre-filed legislation that would authorize sports wagering.