Industry News of the Day for February 22, 2019

Industry News:

West Virginia:

Kentucky:

  • Online Poker Report, 2.21.19 – Kentucky Moves One Step Closer To Online Poker, Sports Betting
    • Add Kentucky to the list of US states seriously considering a modernized expansion of gambling. A multi-pronged bill that would legalize online poker, daily fantasy sports, and sports betting cleared its first legislative stop in Frankfort this week.
  • AP, 2.21.19 – State lawmakers place their bets on sports gambling
    • Kentucky’s public employee pension system, $39 billion in the red, is among the worst-funded retirement plans in the country and has vexed lawmakers for years as they sought a solution. Now some lawmakers think they’ve found at least a partial fix: sports gambling.

New Jersey:

Pennsylvania:

  • Play Pennsylvania, 2.21.19 – When It Comes To Casino Revenue, Valley Forge Just Keeps On Winning
    • Pennsylvania’s casino industry is off to a strong start in 2019. According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s (PGCB) January revenue reports, gaming revenues were up across the board, with total casino revenue (a combination of slot machines and table games) up 2.18 percent.

New York:

Arizona:

  • Mohave Valley Daily News, 2.22.19 – Future uncertain as sports betting remains on hold in Arizona
    • Ten months after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared a path for states to allow gambling on sporting events, a movement is underway to allow Arizonans to wager on their favorite teams. SB 1158, introduced Jan. 23 by Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, would allow sports gambling in the state by giving Native American tribes exclusive rights.

Iowa:

  • Des Moines Register, 2.21.19 – Prairie Meadows bets big on Iowa sports gambling
    • Some might call it a roll of the dice. But Prairie Meadows officials believe the odds of sports betting becoming legal in Iowa are in their favor. The Altoona racetrack and casino has transformed a portion of its fourth-floor horse racing simulcast area into a Las Vegas-style sports book and bar, part of a larger $1.5 million renovation project.

Sports League News:

  • Legal Sports Report, 2.21.19 – The Chicago Cubs Are Investing In A Company That Promotes Illegal Sportsbooks
    • Why is a Major League Baseball team investing in a company that enthusiastically provides odds for offshore sportsbooks? That’s the question I have in the wake of sports betting media company The Action Network completing a $17.5 million Series B funding round.
  • AP, 2.21.19 – Other football leagues seek boost from legal sports betting
    • The National Football League is king when it comes to legal sports bets, but other professional gridiron leagues are looking to embrace and profit from it, too. Casino sportsbooks are already taking action on the Alliance of American Football, a new spring league.

iDEA Growth Member News:

  • Play NJ, 2.21.19 – NJ Sports Betting Welcomes Online Casino’s Golden Child, Golden Nugget
    • Superstitions aside, Golden Nugget Sportsbook becomes the 13th NJ mobile sportsbook to open its virtual sports betting windows. The dominant NJ online casino plans to take its loyal customer base, market-leader position, and forward-thinking ways and translate it into NJ sports betting gold.