Industry News of the Day for February 19, 2020

Industry News:

• Gambling Compliance, 2.19.20 – US Gaming Groups Unite To Combat Grey Machines (subscription paywall)
  • Legislative efforts by several states to crack down on so-called grey-market gaming machines either through measures banning the devices or stepped up enforcement efforts received support Tuesday from about two-dozen gaming organizations.
• Chicago Business Journal, 2.18.20 – Media Deals With Sportsbooks Strike Bet On Gambling Growth (subscription paywall)
  • With the arrival of legal sports betting outside Nevada, nearly every major player in sports media has paired with a sportsbook operator.

Sports League News:

• Legal Sports Report, 2.18.20 – NHL Streaming Coming To US Sportsbooks Via IMG Arena Deal
  • IMG Arena has secured the rights to provide live NHL streaming to US sportsbook partners.

New Jersey:

• PlayNJ, 2.18.20 – NJ Online Casinos Start The New Year In New Territory: A Record $55 Million In Revenue
  • It might be a new year, but New Jersey online casinos are up to their same old tricks, busting through ceilings and setting new records.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 2.18.20 – Unregulated Gaming Machines Under Fire In Pennsylvania As Opponents Unite
  • Two prominent gaming organizations have partnered to “combat the unchecked spread of unregulated gaming machines throughout the United States.”
• Penn Bets, 2.18.20 – PA Gaming Board Chief Kevin O’Toole Sheds Light On State’s Expansion In Q-And-A
  • Kevin O’Toole has been executive director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board since 2009, following positions as deputy attorney general for the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and executive director of the Gaming Commission of the Oneida Indian Nation.

New York:

• The Wall Street Journal, 2.18.20 – Some New York Lawmakers Push Mobile Betting Amid Budget Deficit
  • As state lawmakers debate whether to legalize mobile sports betting in the Empire State, New Yorkers wagered $837 million on sporting events in New Jersey last year, according to an industry-funded study released Tuesday.

Michigan:

• WKAR, 2.18.20 – Sports Gambling In Michigan Soon To Take Off With NCAA Men’s Tournament
  • The state’s commercial and tribal casinos hope to open their sports books in time for March Madness – if they can get all the paperwork and logistics settled.
• 9&10 News, 2.18.20 – Special Report: Going All In
  • Big changes are coming soon to our ability to gamble in Michigan.

Illinois:

• WIFR, 2.18.20 – Sports Betting Could Be Operational In March
  • Sports books will soon be coming to Illinois, and the outcomes of sporting events could change the outcome of some lives.

Missouri:

• Sports Handle, 2.18.20 – Missouri Lawmaker Dreams Of Legal ‘Sports Betting Utopia,’ Prepared To Negotiate
  • Missouri State Representative Dan Shaul really wants legal sports betting in his state.
• KCUR, 2.18.20 – As Missouri Lawmakers Consider Legalizing Sports Gambling, Iowa Has Some Advice
  • If you placed a Super Bowl wager in Missouri or Kansas this year, chances are good it was probably illegal.

Indiana:

• PlayIndiana, 2.18.20 – PointsBet’s New NBA Partnership Should Help In Indiana, But First It Has To Launch
  • PointsBet announced this week it struck a multi-year dear to be an authorized sports betting operator of the NBA.

South Dakota:

• The Volante, 2.18.20 – South Dakota Legislature Proposes Bill To Amend Constitution For Sports Gambling
  • The South Dakota legislature has proposed Senate Joint Resolution 501 to propose an amendment to the State Constitution that would allow sports betting.

Tennessee:

• Sports Handle, 2.19.20 – Tennessee Sports Betting Launch Delayed As Proposed Regs Get Revised
  • Tuesday’s Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council meeting was nothing if not eventful. The Council, made up of nine appointees, determined that the proposed sports betting rules need another draft, and the most controversial issue — an 85% percent cap on payouts — looks to be headed to somewhere around a 90% cap.
• Gambling Compliance, 2.19.20 – Tennessee Sports-Betting Council Recommends Higher Maximum Payout Cap (subscription paywall)
  • A controversial provision in Tennessee’s draft sports-betting regulations that would require operators to payout no more than 85 percent of wagers will likely be modified following recommendations by an advisory council and comments from top regulators Tuesday.
• TN Bets, 2.18.20 – Tennessee Sports Betting Might Not Be Live By Football Season
  • Tennessee’s legal sports wagering industry won’t be ready for at least several months and potentially not even in time for the upcoming college and NFL football seasons.

Kentucky:

• Louisville Courier Journal, 2.18.20 – Flurry Of Amendments Create Another Barrier For Kentucky Sports Betting Bill
  • Lawmakers filed nearly a dozen “unfriendly” floor amendments last week to the bill seeking to legalize and tax sports betting in Kentucky.
• Louisville Business First, 2.18.20 – Kentucky Sports Betting Bill Facing New Challenges
  • Several amendments have been filed that could make it harder to gain passage.

Arizona:

• US Bets, 2.18.20 – Arizona To Consider Sports Betting Bill At Hearing
  • Sports betting in Arizona? That could happen, under a bill up for consideration Tuesday in the state House Commerce Committee.

Washington:

• The Columbian, 2.19.20 – In Our View: Blowing The Whistle On Sports-Gambling Bill
  • A bill in the Legislature that would allow for sports gambling in Washington is discriminatory and should be rejected.

Alaska:

• Gaming Intelligence, 2.19.20 – Alaska Governor Calls On Legislature To Establish State Lottery (subscription paywall)
  • Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has introduced legislation to establish a new lottery to help fund state expenditure.