Industry News of the Day for February 5, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Gambling.Com, 2.4.20 – DraftKings Hires Its First Director Of Responsible Gaming
  • Christine Thurmond, a former senior business contributor at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, has been named the first Director of Responsible Gaming at DraftKings.
• Sports Illustrated, 2.5.20 – Despite Overwhelming Evidence That Mobile Sports Betting Is The Future, States Continue To Pass Legislation Without Option (Sportradar)
  • 19 states have passed sports betting legislation (14 are live). By the end of 2020, Jake Williams, VP of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Sportradar U.S. (the leading data supplier in the domestic betting market), expects that figure to climb into “the mid-twenties.”

Industry News:

• ESPN, 2.4.20 – Las Vegas Sportsbooks Win $18.7M On Super Bowl Wagers
  • Nevada sportsbooks won $18.7 million off $154.6 million in bets on Super Bowl LIV, according to figures released Tuesday by gaming control officials.
• Gambling Compliance, 2.5.20 – Nevada Rebounds, Other States Thrive On Super Bowl Sunday (subscription paywall)
  • Nevada sportsbooks bounced back this year with their second-highest Super Bowl betting total ever, reporting a 12.1 percent gross win margin on wagers approaching $154.7m.
• Legal Sports Report, 2.4.20 – Reported Legal Super Bowl Betting Handle Nears $270M, So Far
  • Sports bettors wagered nearly $270 million in legal Super Bowl bets, with Nevada retaining its top spot in the US with more than half of that total.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 2.4.20 – Can Payment Processing Reform Help Curb Problem Gambling Online In US?
  • The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is hoping its new guidelines for payment processing will make an impact on online gambling.
• SBC Americas, 2.5.20 – Amelco And Atlantis Gaming Forge Historic Multi-State Sports Betting Deal
  • Sports betting software and trading services provider Amelco has partnered with Atlantis Gaming Corporation (AGC), to produce a fully serviced sportsbook offering that could be introduced at 450 tribal casinos across 28 US states.

New Jersey:

• NJBIZ, 2.4.20 – NJ Gaming Officials: House Loses $4.2M During Super Bowl Sports Betting
  • The state’s casinos and racetracks took in $54,288,227 of wagers during Super Bowl LIV this past Sunday, but paid out $58,568,699 in winnings to patrons, spelling a loss of $4,280,000 for casinos and racetracks, gaming regulators said Monday.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 2.4.20 – Will Gov. Wolf Take A Bite Out Of Horse Racing To Feed Scholarship Fund?
  • Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf 2020 budget address placed a big focus on education in the Commonwealth. He proposed a $200 million college scholarship program to cut student debt, which would be funded by the state’s horse-racing industry.
• PlayPennsylvania, 2.4.20 – Under Construction: Malls Make Way For Mini-Casinos In Pennsylvania
  • Mini-casinos seemed so promising back in October 2017 when gaming expansion legislation authorized licenses for 10 satellite casinos.

Maine:

• Sports Handle, 2.4.20 – Absences Delay Maine Veto Override Vote On Legal Sports Betting
  • Despite word that the Maine Senate would considering overriding a gubernatorial veto on legal sports betting on Tuesday, it appeared that too many absences delayed the vote.

Connecticut:

• Sports Handle, 2.4.20 – Sports Betting Will Be Front And Center When CT General Assembly Opens
  • Connecticut lawmakers seem to have had enough of dilly-dallying around and last week unveiled a draft of sweeping gaming expansion that includes legal sports betting.
• The Day, 2.4.20 – 2020 Is The Time For Legislature To Make Big Policy Decisions
  • Cathy Osten, a Democrat from Sprague whose 18th District includes the towns of Ledyard and Montville — homes to the reservations hosting the Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun tribal casinos — has introduced an ambitious plan to address a host of gaming issues.

Maryland:

• Sports Handle, 2.5.20 – Lower Taxes, Fees, But We Love Mobile, Stakeholders Tell Maryland Lawmakers
  • The mantra for a “good” legal sports betting bill goes like this: low taxes, low fees, state-wide mobile with remote registration, and wagering allowed on all sports.
• Com, 2.4.20 – Maryland Sports Betting Debate Centers On Fees And Access
  • A Tuesday hearing in the Maryland House of Delegates reaffirmed a core of support for a legalized sports betting bill.
• Maryland Matters, 2.5.20 – Redskins Pledge To Partner With Minority-Owned Firm To Run Sports Betting At Stadium
  • As Maryland lawmakers move closer to legalizing sports betting in the state, a representative for the Washington Redskins, which is shopping for a new stadium somewhere in the region, pledged Tuesday that the team would partner with a minority-owned operator if it is granted permission to have a sports gaming operation at FedEx Field.

Virginia:

• Associated Press, 4.5.20 – Virginia Lawmakers Advance Plan To Legalize Casinos
  • Virginia lawmakers took steps Tuesday to legalize casinos in five cities around the state.

Kansas:

• The Morning Sun, 2.4.20 – Legislature Could Approve Sports Betting, But Local Revenue Contribution Unclear
  • If a bill under discussion in the state legislature is approved, Kansas Crossing Casino may soon feature a variety of options for sports betting.

Illinois:

• Legal Sports Report, 2.5.20 – What First Illinois Sports Betting Applicants Reveal About Path Forward
  • The first applicants are in for Illinois sports betting licenses, and the results provide some possible insights into how wagering will roll out in the Prairie State.

Michigan:

• WBCK, 2.5.20 – Don’t Hold Your Breath For Online Sports Betting In Michigan
  • A spokesperson for Michigan’s Gaming Control Board says the approval from the Governor legalizing sports betting just sets the stage for all the background work that needs to be done.

Florida:

• Florida Politics, 2.5.20 – Sunburn – The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics
  • Two years ago, there was no discussion of legalizing sports betting in Florida. Then the U.S. Supreme Court tossed out a quarter-century federal law that prohibited sports betting in every state except Nevada.

Nevada:

• Associated Press, 2.4.20 – $154.7 Million Bet On Super Bowl At Nevada Sports Books
  • Gamblers in Nevada wagered $154.7 million on this year’s Super Bowl, an increase from last year but still below the high set in 2018.
• Nevada Appeal, 2.4.20 – Nevada Gaming Win Tops $12 Billion For Year
  • For the seventh time in the calendar year, Nevada’s total gaming win topped $1 billion in December, finishing the year with a 5.79 percent increase to $1.08 billion.

Arizona:

• Legal Sports Report, 2.4.20 – Arizona Sports Betting Bill Again Seeks To Legalize Off-Reservation Wagers
  • An Arizona sports betting bill from last year, which would give tribes the option to offer sports betting off of their reservations, was filed again this week.

South Dakota:

• KOTATV, 2.4.20 – Sports Betting Might Go Before South Dakota Voters
  • South Dakota voters might be able to weigh in on sports betting, if the state Legislature approves a Senate Joint Resolution to set up a vote.