Industry News of the Day for February 27, 2019

iDEA Blog Post:

  • Pushing Back: iDEA Growth Files Suit to Challenge DOJ Opinion
    • Yesterday, Ifrah Law filed suit in New Hampshire against William Barr, in his capacity as Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice. The suit challenges a January DOJ Opinion that threatens to disrupt America’s rapidly growing online gaming industry.

New Jersey:

Indiana:

  • Legal Sports Report, 2.26.19 – Smooth Sailing For Indiana Sports Betting Bill As It Clears State Senate
    • A comprehensive gaming bill that includes Indiana sports betting easily passed the state Senate on a third reading Tuesday. The Indiana Senate approved the bill on a 38-11 vote. The proposed legislation now moves across to the House after facing very little resistance in the upper chamber.

Pennsylvania:

Arizona:

  • Sports Handle, 2.26.19 – Arizona Senate Committee Moves Sports Betting Forward After Tense Hearing
    • Despite more than an hour of testimony from tribes across Arizona opposing the measure, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted, 6-3, to advance a sports betting bill that would give the tribes exclusivity over sports betting.
  • Phoenix Business Journal (subscription paywall), 2.26.19 – Revamped Arizona sports betting bill passes key Senate vote
    • The Arizona Senate Appropriations Committee voted 6-3 on Feb. 26 in favor of moving SB 1163, the newly named sports betting bill, along in the legislative process.
  • Arizona Daily Star, 2.27.19 – Arizona Senate to vote on bill allowing tribes to take sports bets
    • State lawmakers are moving to make it easier for Arizonans to wager on sporting events. On a 6-3 margin the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a measure Tuesday that would permit most tribes to take bets on professional and amateur sporting events at the casinos they operate.
  • Arizona Capitol Times, 2.26.19 – Tribes oppose sports betting bill
    • Arizona’s Native American tribes overwhelmingly oppose a legislative effort to legalize sports betting in Arizona. Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance a bill to bring sports gambling to bars and private clubs over the objections of representatives from tribal governments across the state, who argued that sports betting should be discussed in negotiations with the governor’s office.
  • Cronkite News, 2.26.19 – As tribes voice opposition, sports betting bill moves forward with 6-3 vote
    • In front of a packed Senate hearing room, the Appropriations Committee voted 6-3 Tuesday in favor of moving SB 1163, the newly named sports betting bill, along in the legislative process of the Senate.

Indiana:

Virginia:

Connecticut:

  • US Bets, 2.27.19 – Sports Betting Talk Lost In The Shuffle In Connecticut
    • If you think that Tuesday’s 10-hour, 45-minute marathon public hearing on gaming issues in Hartford must have left plenty of time for a robust discussion about the future of legal sports betting — well, you don’t know Connecticut politics.
  • AP, 2.26.19 – Lawmakers hear from tribes, Valentine on sports betting
    • Casino executives, lottery officials, and even former baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine traveled to Connecticut’s Capitol on Tuesday, hoping to get a piece of whatever system the legislature may put in place to legalize sports gambling.

Massachusetts:

  • Boston Herald, 2.27.19 – Editorial: Lottery lifeline is online
    • With a slew of online gaming options coming to the Bay State in the very near future, it is critical that the Massachusetts State Lottery get in the game, or cities and towns may be kissing a boatload of revenue goodbye.

Georgia:

  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2.26.19 – Are casinos in Georgia’s future? Kemp cracks open a door
    • Brian Kemp signaled he won’t stand in the way of a constitutional amendment that would let voters decide whether to allow casinos in Georgia, cracking the door open for the revival of a high-stakes debate about legalizing gambling.

Louisiana:

Washington, DC:

New Hampshire:

  • WCAX, 2.26.19 – New Hampshire weighs pros and cons of sports betting
    • There’s a new push to legalize sports betting in New Hampshire, which would include online and a local option for retail locations. But how much control would would cities and towns really have?

Sports League News:

iDEA Growth Member News:

Overall Industry News:

  • AGA, 2.27.19 – American Gaming Association Releases Comprehensive Industry Responsibility Report
    • The American Gaming Association (AGA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) Corporate Citizenship Center today announced the release of first-of-its-kind research analyzing the scope of the U.S. casino gaming industry’s community impact and commitment to communities, employees and customers.