Industry News of the Day for February 15, 2021

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Turnpike Sports, 2.11.21 – Season 5 – Episode 6
  • This week Dave discusses the Wire Act decision with gaming attorney & iDEA Growth founder, Jeff Ifrah.

iDEA Growth Member News

• NJ Online Gambling, 2.12.21 – FansUnited Targets NJ For First US License Approval (Ifrah Law)
  • FansUnite Entertainment, a Canadian-based firm that has a major toehold in the Scottish gambling market with aspirations of the same level of success in Brazil, has chosen New Jersey as the place to gain its first U.S. gaming license.
• Legal Sports Report, 2.12.21 – BetMGM Growing As Contender For Sports Betting Medal Stand (Entain)
  • BetMGM went from being live in three states to start 2020 to 10 at the end of the year, with “sustainable” leadership positions.
• iGB North America, 2.12.21 – Entain Expands RG Partnerships Into Esports And Video Gaming
  • Industry giant Entain has expanded its partnership with EPIC Risk Management and formed new partnerships with the Counter-Strike Professional Players Association (CSPPA), and two mental health groups in order to extend its responsible gambling initiatives to video gaming and esports.
• MI Bets, 2.15.21 – Michigan To Have Two Online Poker Sites This Month (Entain)
  • It looks like PokerStars won’t have a monopoly on the Michigan regulated iPoker market for long.
• MI Bets, 2.15.21 – Four Winds Casino To Launch Online Sportsbook And Casino At Noon Monday
  • And “Four” makes 12 in Michigan, as Four Winds Casinos, along with its platform provider Pala Interactive, have been granted permission by the Michigan Gaming Control Board to begin its online sportsbook and online casino operations at high noon on Monday, Feb. 15.
• SBC Americas, 2.12.21 – FanDuel And WSC Sports Partner To Push Real-Time Live Golf Highlights For Sportsbook App
  • Sportsbook and gaming firm FanDuel Group and WSC Sports, a Tel Aviv-based startup that leverages artificial intelligence to generate highlights from live sports broadcasts, have partnered to push real-time highlights of golf events to FanDuel Sportsbook app users.
• Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2.13.21 – Some Gaming Firms Turning To Blank-Check Companies To Go Public (Paysafe, DraftKings, Golden Nugget)
  • Merging with a blank-check company is the latest trend for private companies ready to hit a stock exchange, especially those in high-growth industries such as online gaming.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 2.12.21 – Get A Grip: Super Bowl Ups And Downs, Dakotas, New Mexico, More
  • Here’s the weekend (or fashionably late) Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top US sports betting stories, highlighting some fresh news, and rounding up key stories.
• The Action Network, 2.12.21 – Sports Betting Legalization: 4 States With Longshot Hopes For 2021
  • Nearly every state has either approved sports betting or has filed a 2021 bill to do so.

Sports League News:

• PlayNJ, 2.12.21 – PointsBet-NHL Partnership Deepens League Investment In Legal Sports Betting
  • There may not be a retail sportsbook at any of the hockey arenas in New Jersey, New York, or Pennsylvania, but that doesn’t mean the teams that play there don’t have an interest in legal sports betting. A new PointsBet NHL partnership makes that interest very tangible.
• New York Business Journal, 2.15.21 – NFL Takes A Slow But Sure Path Towards Legalized Betting
  • Though it has moved at a slower pace than other American properties, the NFL has in fact moved on the sports betting front.
• CNBC, 2.13.21 – The Super Bowl Is Losing Viewers Under 50, Reflecting How American Media Has Fragmented
  • Super Bowl ratings among Americans between 18 and 49 have fallen dramatically over the past 10 years.

New York:

• SBC Americas, 2.15.21 – New York Sportsbooks Break Record In January With 3.57M Revenue
  • January proved to be a better month for New York’s legalized retail sports betting sector, with the state’s four sportsbooks generating a combined $3.57m in gross gaming revenue.

Connecticut:

• WSN, 2.15.21 – Connecticut Moves Seriously Ahead For Sports Wagering Legalization With Governor Lamont’s Support
  • When looking back on what ignited sports wagering legislation in each US state, the common thread was a governor providing the catalyst to move action and intent forward.

Vermont:

• Gaming Intelligence, 2.15.21 – Vermont Bill Aims To Authorize Sports Betting (subscription paywall)
  • Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Vermont have introduced a bill to authorize retail and online sports betting.

New Hampshire:

• Sentinel Source, 2.12.21 – Online Gambling A Concern During The Pandemic
  • New Hampshire lottery sales, particularly from online games, are surging during the pandemic, and with that increase comes a jump in another statistic — the number of problem gamblers who seek assistance.

Maryland:

• Baltimore Sun, 2.15.21 – Maryland Fairgrounds A ‘Shambles,’ Officials Say. They Hope Sports Betting Will Provide The Money For Repairs
  • The state fair society thinks a coveted sports betting license could bring in steady revenue needed to for repairs that will cost “many millions” of dollars to complete, said Gerry Brewster, chair of the board since 2017.

Tennessee:

• Sports Handle, 2.12.21 – Tennessee Bill Takes Aim At Sportsbook Partnered With Lender: ‘The Literal Definition Of Loan Sharking’
  • A policy reversal effort is underway to address a troubling situation that one Tennessee sports betting regulator said “feels a little funny to me from a public policy perspective,” while another remarked, “from a responsible gaming [perspective], it feels a little off, but it complies with statute.”

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 2.12.21 – Michigan’s Heart Beats For Hockey Betting At Online Sportsbooks
  • With online sports betting live now across the state, Michigan hockey fans have a chance to prove their fervor in the sport. According to some Michigan sportsbooks, that is exactly the case.

Indiana:

• Legal Sports Report, 2.12.21 – Indiana Sportsbooks Draw Record Monthly Handle, Revenue To Start 2021
  • Indiana sportsbooks continue to climb steadily, setting new handle and revenue figures in January.
• PlayIndiana, 2.12.21 – Indiana Sports Betting On Hot Streak With Five Straight Months Of Record Handle
  • Hoosiers bet over $348 million on sports throughout January.
• PlayIndiana, 2.12 21 – You Can’t Bet On The Colts’ Next QB Because Indiana Sportsbooks Didn’t Ask
  • You can’t bet on these player trade markets in Indiana because sportsbooks haven’t bothered to ask for permission yet. There seems to be some confusion regarding the process of approving new types of bets in Indiana.

Ohio:

• PlayOhio, 2.12.21 – Ohio Senate Committee On Sports Betting Off To Slow Start
  • At this rate, the Cleveland Browns may win a Super Bowl before the Ohio Senate Select Committee on Gaming puts out sports betting legislation.

Kansas:

• The Topeka Capital-Journal, 2.13.21 – Kansans Could Be Able To Bet On The Chiefs, Jayhawks. Here’s What You Need To Know.
  • Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs were not the only people in Kansas who would have been let down by Sunday’s Super Bowl.
• Yogonet, 2.12.21 – Kansas Senate Committee Hears Sports Betting Proponents
  • Wednesday’s session featured Jeff Morris, who is the director of government affairs for Penn National, which operates the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Raceway, and testified live.

Iowa:

• Des Moines Register, 2.12.21 – Iowans Placed $16 Million In Super Bowl Bets, Smashed Other Records In January
  • If one month and another Midwest-focused Super Bowl are any indication, it’s clear that Iowans will be betting big on sports in 2021.

Alabama:

• Yogonet, 2.15.21 – Alabama Senate Floor Discusses Bill To Allow 5 Casinos, Sports Betting And A Lottery
  • The debate over SB 214 began Thursday after the Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee unanimously approved it on Wednesday.

Louisiana:

• The Advocate, 2.14.21 – Sports Betting In Louisiana: How Will It Work? When Might It Start? A Look At Key Questions
  • Lawmakers aren’t sure what “sports betting” will look like in Louisiana, who gets to participate and how, when the Legislature convenes on April 12.

Mississippi:

• Gambling.com, 2.12.21 – Mississippi Sets Monthly Sports Betting Record In January
  • January was an ideal start to the year for Mississippi sports betting.

Washington:

• The Seattle Times, 2.12.21 – Here’s How Much Is Being Spent In The Battle For A Cut Of Washington’s Sports-Gambling Industry
  • Lawmakers at a state Senate committee hearing last week on a bipartisan bill to broaden sports gambling in Washington marveled openly that more than 1,800 people had signed into an online legislative portal to support or oppose the proposal.

Hawaii:

• Legal Sports Report, 2.12.21 – Hawaii Sports Betting Bill Stuck In Waiting Game
  • Hawaii sports betting is on the back burner. Several gambling bills were discussed this week during a House Economic Development Committee meeting, with plentiful vocal opposition.
• SBC Americas, 2.15.21 – Hawaiian Home Lands Given Five-Year Deadline For Legalized Gambling
  • It could be a long wait yet for Hawaii policy makers who would like to use revenues from yet-to-be legalized gaming to invest in the infrastructure of the islands, with a deadline of December 2026 set for a firm yes or no decision.