Industry News of the Day for February 4, 2021

iDEA Growth in the News:

• House Of Cards, 2.3.21 – Episode 681
  • This week Dave discusses the recent Wire Act decision with gaming attorney and iDEA Growth founder, Jeff Ifrah.

iDEA Growth Member News

• iGB North Americas, 2.4.21 – NCAA Conference Brings In Sportradar For Integrity Education Drive
  • The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) affiliated America East Conference has partnered Sportradar’s Integrity Services division to launch an integrity education program for its student-athletes.
• SBC Americas, 2.4.21 – Entain And UNLV Launch Pathway Program For Women To Access Sports Betting And Gaming Sectors
  • Entain plc and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) have launched the Black Fire Women’s Innovation Igniter, an academic, technology, innovation and mentoring program designed to provide UNLV undergraduate and graduate women with a pathway toward careers in the sports betting, gaming, and technology industries.
• Forbes, 2.4.21 – FanDuel CEO Matt King Discusses Super Bowl, New York Legal Sports Betting Market, Possibly Going Public
  • Like every other sports betting company in the country, FanDuel has its fair share of Super Bowl offer and promos to entice new gamblers to sign up with them for the Big Game, including 55-1 odds on the winner if you live in one of the 10 states where the company operates as a mobile sports gambling provider.

Industry News:

• Bloomberg Law, 2.3.21 – How Sports Betting Impacts State Budgets
  • Just how much revenue is this new taxable activity bringing to states? And will it be enough to fill budgets depleted by Covid-19? In this video, Bloomberg Tax’s Sam McQuillan dives into the gamble many states are making on legalized sports betting.
• PlayUSA, 2.3.21 – PlayUSA Rewind: Online Poker Arrives In Michigan Via PokerStars
  • Online poker has made its way to Michigan, Google has some big news for its users, and a pair of sportsbooks get formal approval in Tennessee.
• US Bets, 2.3.21 – Record Online Super Bowl Betting Coming As Pandemic Shifts Expectations – And Some Odds
  • The online experience and the in-person experience are diverging for bookmakers and bettors this year.

Overall Industry News:

• SBC Americas, 2.3.21 – Getting Regulation Ready For The US – Navigating The Process Of Platform Certification For The Online Market
  • The speed at which you can get to market with a certified platform has become a crucial talking point for igaming operators as more US states open their doors to regulated gambling.

Sports League News:

• SBC Americas, 2.4.21 – BetMGM Agrees First Sports Betting/NASCAR Team Deal With Richard Childress Racing
  • NASCAR team Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has agreed a multi-faceted partnership with sports betting platform BetMGM, with the two collaborating on a variety of marketing and activation assets.

Pennsylvania:

• Philadelphia Business Journal, 2.3.21 – Pennsylvania Casino Revenue Plunged Last Year, But There Are Positive Signs For 2021
  • Slot and table wagering in August through November had come back to 80% of the levels they were in January and February.

Massachusetts:

• SHNS, 2.3.21 – Sports Betting, Racing On Gaming Commission’s Radar
  • Over the next few weeks, regulators at the Mass. Gaming Commission expect to be briefed on the proposals filed on Beacon Hill related to sports betting and could get an update on a commission effort to refile a bill that would change the way horse racing is managed.

Virginia:

• Sports Handle, 2.3.21 – William Hill’s Sportsbook Platform Now Live In Virginia Ahead Of Super Bowl LV
  • Caesars/William Hill Sportsbook went live Wednesday in Virginia, the company announced Wednesday afternoon. The platform is the fifth to launch in Virginia since FanDuel first went live on Jan. 21.
• PlayVirginia, 2.3.21 – Virginia Lottery Board Approves Emergency Regulations For Casino Gaming
  • The Virginia Lottery Board on Wednesday approved emergency regulations for casino gambling as expanded gaming in the commonwealth continues.
• WAVY, 2.3.21 – Virginia Lottery Board Approves Initial Casino Gaming Regulations, Sports Betting Moves Forward
  • The Virginia Lottery Board announced the formal approval of initial regulations on casino gaming in the Commonwealth as well as providing an update on the recent launch of mobile sports betting.

North Carolina:

• The Charlotte Observer, 2.4.21 – Duke-UNC Game, Super Bowl Are Coming Up. When Will You Be Able To Bet On Sports In NC? (subscription paywall)
  • Yes, sports gambling in North Carolina is legal. But only on tribal lands. And no, you can’t actually place a bet on Saturday’s Duke-North Carolina basketball game or Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Georgia:

• GPB, 2.4.21 – Georgia House Committee Clears Sports Betting Bill
  • Legislation legalizing online sports betting in Georgia passed a committee in the state House of Representatives Tuesday.
• PlayTenn, 2.3.21 – Georgia Wants To Replicate Tennessee’s Sports Betting Success
  • Sports betting legislation took flight Tuesday in Georgia, as a bill advanced through the House Tourism and Economic Development Committee.

Alabama:

• TN Bets, 2.3.21 – Alabama Governor Indicates She Wants Voters To Weigh In On Sports Betting
  • Alabama is a state that is far from being on the cusp of sports betting, but there are indications it could be a matter of when and not if for the state.

Mississippi:

• WSN, 2.3.21 – Mississippi Bills Created To Revisit Sports Wagering With Eye On Online
  • Looking to revise sports wagering legislative interest in Mississippi, two state senators have introduced new bills that would permit mobile wagering only.

Ohio:

• WKBN, 2.3.21 – Lawmakers Hope New Bill Will Allow Sports Betting In Ohio
  • The Super Bowl is the biggest sports event of the year, and some Ohio lawmakers are hopeful to legalize sports betting in the Buckeye State soon.

Illinois:

• WTVO, 2.2.21 – After Sports Betting Record, Some Illinois Lawmakers Want To Add College Sports To Legal Bets
  • Betting was off to a slow start across the state due to COVID-19. Experts say allowing online registration changed that. Supporters of sports betting say more can be done.

Missouri:

• Sports Handle, 2.3.21 – Contentious Missouri Sports Betting Hearing May Net Dividends
  • Missouri lawmakers had a vibrant, sometimes combative conversation about sports betting on Tuesday, and Sen. Denny Hoskins, who has been crafting sports betting legislation for at least four sessions, once again led the charge.

Iowa:

• CBS 2 Iowa, 2.3.21 – State Expects Continuing Upward Trend For Sports Betting By Axing In-Person Registration
  • The state is expecting sport betting to continue to increase, after in-person registration ended at the beginning of the year.
• KCRG, 2.4.21 – Iowans Take Advantage Of Online Sports Betting For Super Bowl LV
  • New research shows more than 23 million Americans plan to bet on this year’s Super Bowl.

Nebraska:

• PlayIA, 3.3.21 – Could Legal Sports Betting Be On Nebraska’s Horizon?
  • Nebraska voters told lawmakers they wanted casinos with a series of votes on Nov. 3. On Monday, the Nebraska unicameral held a public hearing to map out a way to carry out the directive.
• Law360, 2.3.21 – Bill Would Ask Voters To Tax, Regulate Sports Betting (subscription paywall)
  • Nebraska would ask voters to decide whether the state should regulate and tax sports wagering under a bill considered by the Legislature’s General Affairs Committee.

South Dakota:

• The Action Network, 2.3.21 – South Dakota Sports Betting Takes First (Small) Step Toward Legalization
  • South Dakota lawmakers heard sports betting legislation testimony Wednesday, beginning the long process to implement sportsbooks after voters overwhelmingly approved legal wagering on last year’s ballot.
• Rapid City Journal, 2.3.21 – State Officials Testify For Bill To Allow Sports Betting In Deadwood
  • A bill that lays the groundwork for authorizing, regulating and taxing sports wagering in Deadwood had its first hearing Wednesday morning before the Senate State Affairs Committee.

Washington:

• SBC Americas, 2.4.21 – Washington Hearing On Bipartisan Sports Betting Bill Scheduled Today
  • The subject of sports betting in the state of Washington is scheduled to be debated today at a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs.
• My Northwest, 2.3.21 – Advocates Believe Latest Effort To Expand WA Sports Betting Has ‘A Lot Of Momentum’
  • With so many wants and needs for Washington’s economic future, the state continues to plot its strategy out of the pandemic with new revenue-generating proposals.