Industry News of the Day for February 10, 2021

iDEA Growth Member News

• NBC Philadelphia, 2.9.21 – Sportsbooks Say Pre-Super Bowl Push For New Customers Scored (FanDuel)
  • America’s sportsbooks blanketed the country in waves of advertising in the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. And they say the heavy spending was worth it to gain new sports betting customers.
• iGB North America, 2.9.21 – Former Louisiana Gaming Chief Jones To Take Up Entain Role
  • Former Louisiana gaming chief Ronnie Jones is free to take an advisory role with Entain Group after being given the green light by state authorities.
• Gambling.com, 2.9.21 – Kindred Gains Arizona, California Sports Betting Market Access
  • With Arizona and California working to legalize sports betting, one company has entered both states for when and if they approve.

Industry News:

• ESPN, 2.9.21 – US Sportsbooks Win Big On Super Bowl After Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Upset Of Kansas City Chiefs
  • S. sportsbooks capped one of their most lucrative football seasons ever with a big win on the Super Bowl.
• SBC Americas, 2.10.21 – Super Bowl Attracts $420M-Plus And Counting In Legal Sports Wagers
  • While this year’s Super Bowl experienced a marked decline in TV viewership – the lowest since Super Bowl XLI in 2007 – there was no lack of appetite for wagering on the game that saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers triumph against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sports League News:

• Sports Handle, 2.10.21 – NHL Makes PointsBet An Official Sports Betting Partner
  • The National Hockey League continued expanding its sports betting reach Tuesday, signing a multiyear deal to make PointsBet an official sports betting partner of the league.

Maryland:

• Baltimore Sun, 2.10.21 – How Could Sports Betting Work In Maryland? Here’s What The House Speaker’s Bill Proposes (subscription paywall)
  • Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones laid down the first marker in a debate over who should receive lucrative licenses for sports gambling, now that voters have agreed the state should bet on the practice to raise money for public schools.
• Baltimore Business Journal, 2.10.21 – Md. House Bill Would Allow Both Casinos And Race Tracks To Host Sportsbooks (subscription paywall)
  • The proposal would allow both casinos and race tracks to host sports betting, among other details.

New Jersey:

• Online Poker Report, 2.9.21 – Newcomer PlayStar To Launch NJ Online Casino In Q4, But How Many More Can The Market Bear?
  • A new casino brand is about to throw its hat into the ring. Gaming Innovation Group (GIG) announced last week that it has a long-term agreement to provide the iGaming platform for PlayStar Casino in New Jersey.
• Asbury Park Press, 2.9.21 – Was The Super Bowl A Bust? Not For Betting In New Jersey. A New Record Was Set
  • Bets on Sunday’s Super Bowl brought in $117.4 million, a record in the early era of sports betting in New Jersey that reverses a trend of losses.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 2.9.21 – PA Sports Bettors Wagered $53.6 Million On Most-Bet Super Bowl Ever
  • Betting on the Super Bowl exploded as data from GeoComply shows more than triple the action on Super Bowl weekend compared to last year. A spokesperson from BetMGM said it was the most-bet Super Bowl ever.
• Penn Bets, 2.9.21 – Pennsylvania Books Clean Up, Collect $9.4M In Super Bowl Revenue
  • A dramatic increase in handle and an unexpected Super Bowl outcome resulted in a big night for sports betting operators across Pennsylvania.
• TribLive, 2.9.21 – Report: Super Bowl Bets Up 75% This Year Across Pennsylvania
  • Pennsylvanians legally bet more money this Super Bowl compared to last year, according to the state Gaming Control Board.

Connecticut:

• The CT Mirror, 2.9.21 – Steady Habits: Senate Leader’s Plan Includes New Taxes On The Rich, Legal Pot, Sports Betting
  • Signs point to a lean budget proposal from Gov. Ned Lamont, even though he’s talked about having “the wind at our back” in an economic sense, the state having benefited from higher than expected tax revenues coming from high income earners doing well on Wall Street.

Vermont:

• Brattleboro Reformer, 2.10.21 – Sears: Sports Betting Is A Real Opportunity For Vermont
  • According to the American Gaming Association, over 23 million Americans planned to bet $4.3 billion on this year’s Super Bowl. Sixty-five percent of those bettors believe it’s important to bet with a legal, regulated sportsbook.

Virginia:

• SBC Americas, 2.10.21 – Virginia Has Potential To Be Among The Biggest US Sports Betting Markets
  • Virginia’s fledgling sports betting industry will expand to become one of the largest US markets, capable of generating more than $5bn in annual wagers, $400m in annual operator revenue, and $60m in annual state taxes by the market’s third year, according to estimates by PlayVirginia.com.

Tennessee:

• iGB North America, 2.10.21 – WynnBet Conditionally Approved For Online Sports Betting In Tennessee
  • Wynn Resorts’ online sports betting brand, WynnBet, has been conditionally approved to offer online sports gaming in the state of Tennessee.

Georgia:

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2.10.21 – The Jolt: Odds Improving For Sports Betting In Georgia
  • Legislation to allow online sports betting has already sailed through a state House vote. Now a tandem effort to expand gambling without a constitutional amendment is pending in the Senate.

Alabama:

• Montgomery Advertiser, 2.10.21 – Alabama Gambling Bill Would Authorize State Lottery, 5 Casinos, Sports Betting
  • The Alabama Legislature is about to wade back into arguments over gambling.
• AL.com, 2.10.21 – Bill For Alabama Lottery, Casinos, Faces 1^st Test In Senate Committee
  • An Alabama Senate committee this morning will get the first look at a plan to authorize a lottery and five new casinos in Alabama.

Louisiana:

• KATC, 2.9.21 – Louisiana Lawmakers To Set Rules For Sports Betting
  • Voters in most parishes supported the legalization of sports gambling last Nov. 3, but it may be 2022 by the time bettors are legally allowed to wager in Louisiana on football and other games.

Illinois:

• PlayIllinois, 2.9.21 – Penn CEO: Barstool Illinois Will Launch In Time For March Madness
  • Where will we see Barstool Sportsbook launch next? The answer is Illinois, according to Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden.

Missouri:

• WSN, 2.9.21 – Missouri Sports Betting Legalization Progress Slowed By Major Conflict
  • Last Tuesday Missouri lawmakers gathered for a tumultuous session in a Senate Committee hearing regarding the legalization of sports betting in the state.

Texas:

• Houston Chronicle, 2.9.21 – Legalized Sports Betting ‘Not Going To See The Light Of Day’ In Texas, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick Says (subscription paywall)
  • While other states race to legalize sports betting, don’t count on Texas to follow suit.
• Austin American-Statesman, 2.9.21 – Don’t Bet On Gambling, Gaming In Texas Anytime Soon, Lt. Gov. Patrick Says
  • Gov. Dan Patrick tossed cold water on efforts to expand gambling and sports betting this legislative session.
• Sports Handle, 2.9.21 – Texas’ Lt. Governor Dan Patrick Puts Kibosh On Legal Sports Betting
  • One day after a coalition of Dallas-based professional sports teams made public their support of a proposal to send the decision to legalize sports betting to Texas voters, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick essentially told a local radio station “not on my watch,” Tuesday, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Arizona:

• Associated Press, 2.10.21 – Arizona House Panel Advances Bill Allowing Sports Betting
  • An Arizona House committee on Tuesday advanced a proposal that would allow betting on professional and college sports at tribal casinos and sites owned by pro sports teams after hearing from teams and the tribes that back the deal Gov. Doug Ducey cut with tribes.
• Sports Handle, 2.9.21 – Arizona House Committee Moves Sports Betting Bill Forward
  • Senate committee will hear mirror bill Wednesday; state poised to be first mover in West.
• PlayCA, 2.9.21 – Arizona Gov. Doug Doucey, Other Lawmakers Seek Expanded Gambling In New Tribal Deal
  • California has long paid notice to its neighbor Nevada when it comes to the goings-on in the gambling industry. Its other neighbor, Arizona, may require even more attention going forward soon as well. Particularly when it comes to sports betting.

Nevada:

• PlayNevada, 2.9.21 – Nevada Posts Lowest Super Bowl Betting Total Of The Past Five Years
  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV didn’t make for the most fun Super Bowl to watch. However, that didn’t stop Nevada sports bettors from getting in on the action.

Oregon:

• iGB North America, 2.9.21 – Oregon Lottery Scoreboard Attracts Record 23,000 Super Bowl Bettors
  • Oregon Lottery’s Scoreboard sports betting app saw a record number of customers place bets on last week’s Super Bowl LV at 23,000, with more than 150,000 wagers placed via the app.