Industry News of the Day for February 6, 2019
iDEA Growth in the News:
- Sports Handle, 2.5.19 – Controversial D.C. Council Closer To Awarding Sole-Source Betting Contract To Intralot (J.Pappas on behalf of iDEA Growth quoted)
- With little discussion, but clear opposition, the D.C. Council on Tuesday voted to approve a measure that will allow it to bypass a bidding process in finding a sports betting vendor. The measure would also extend the contract of current D.C. Lottery vendor, Intralot, with no competition.
Federal News:
- Online Poker Report, 2.5.19 – Top Lottery Group Says Wire Act Opinion ‘Detrimental’ To Industry; Court Challenge Likely Looms
- Lotteries in the United States made their displeasure known with the recent change in the interpretation of the Wire Act by the Department of Justice.
- Legal Sports Report, 2.5.19 – NJ Attorney General Blasts DOJ’s Wire Act Opinion In New Letter, Eyes Adelson Meddling
- The attorneys general of New Jersey and Pennsylvania had some choice words for the US Department of Justice for its recent reversal on the interpretation of the federal Wire Act. And one of the AGs wants to know what one of the gaming industry’s biggest names had to do with it.
- NJ Online Gambling, 2.5.19 – NJ Wants Records Of Communications Between Adelson, White House Pertaining To Online Gambling
- The state of New Jersey issued a scathing press release on Tuesday indicating that it is all in on fighting back against the Trump Administration Department of Justice’s recent Wire Act legal opinion that puts state-sanctioned gambling in the crosshairs.
- Online Poker Report, 2.5.19 – New Jersey, Pennsylvania Submit Joint Letter To DOJ On ‘Deeply Troubling’ Wire Act Opinion
- Pushback surrounding the new Wire Act opinion from the US Department of Justice is beginning to materialize.
- NJ Gambling Sites, 2.5.19 – New Jersey, Pennsylvania Combine To Fight Against Latest Wire Act Opinion
- New Jersey has finally responded to the latest Wire Act opinion made by the Department of Justice. And the state has Pennsylvania in its corner.
- Play Pennsylvania, 2.5.19 – Pennsylvania And New Jersey Call DOJ Out On Its Wire Act BS
- Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal sent a letter to the Department of Justice regarding the new DOJ opinion on the Wire Act. The letter, dated Feb. 5, rebukes the DOJ for its recent change of heart.
- Philly.com, 2.5.19 – , NJ ask feds to withdraw ‘troubling’ online gaming rule
- The attorneys general of New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Tuesday asked the U.S. Justice Department to withdraw a “deeply troubling” legal opinion that state-sanctioned online gambling may violate federal law, which has thrown the internet gaming business into disarray.
- NJ.com, 2.5.19 – Trump administration just threatened Jersey’s $350M online gambling industry. The state is fighting back
- Online gambling in New Jersey has grown to become a $350 million business since the federal government gave its OK eight years ago.
Washington, DC:
- Washington Post, 2.5.19 – C. Council approves sole-source sports betting contract, aid to federal workers
- The D.C. Council on Tuesday narrowly authorized the city to grant a sole-source contract to run its new foray into online sports betting, a move that concerns critics who say the lucrative deal should be competitively bid.
- Washington Business Journal, 2.5.19 – C. Council divided on sole-source contract for sports betting, lottery platforms
- The council signed off Tuesday on first reading of legislation that would allow the D.C. Lottery to negotiate a new contract with its current vendor Intralot, allowing the Greek international gaming firm to operate the District’s sports betting platform.
- Legal Sports Report, 2.5.19 – Intralot Nearly In For DC Sports Betting As Council Narrowly Waives Bid Process
- The District of Columbia could be the next US jurisdiction to roll out a legal, regulated sports betting industry.
- WAMU, 2.5.19 – Sports Betting In D.C. Gets One Step Closer To Becoming Reality With Council Vote
- Only two days after the Super Bowl — one of the most lucrative days for legal and illegal wagering — the D.C. Council took a first step towards ensuring that residents and visitors will be able to legally cast bets on the next big game.
- Gambling.com, 2.5.19 – DC No-Bid Sports Betting Deal with Intralot All But Finalized
- In a move even government officials admitted was unusual, the Washington D.C. City Council advanced an amendment to its sports betting legalization bill that allows a no-bid contract for current lottery provider Intralot to not only operate wagering in the District, but extend its existing lottery operations.
New Jersey:
- NJ Gambling Sites, 2.5.19 – A Not-So-Super Super Bowl At New Jersey Sportsbooks Leads To $4.5 Million Loss
- For the first time, New Jersey bettors placed legal wagers on the Super Bowl. But the day after, numbers tell the story of a Sunday that, much like the game itself, simply did not live up to its hype.
- NJ Online Gambling, 2.6.19 – The Case For And Against Legal Academy Awards Betting In NJ
- It’s been a rollercoaster ride for would-be Oscars gamblers in New Jersey’s regulated sports betting market the last several days, as what had always been an outlawed activity in Nevada suddenly became a legal offering in New Jersey last Thursday … only to see the odds come off the board on Saturday … then reappear hours later.
- ROI-NJ, 2.5.19 – No football? No problem, gaming expert says: Sports wagering will continue to rise in N.J.
- Nick Amato has been around the casino industry long enough to be knowledgeable enough to make this statement: Even though the Super Bowl marks the end of the football season — easily the biggest sports betting vehicle — sports betting in New Jersey will remain on the upswing.
Mississippi:
- Legal Sports Report, 2.6.19 – Goodbye Mobile Mississippi Sports Betting Bills, We Hardly Knew Ye
- Hope for adding mobile to Mississippi sports betting lasted roughly two weeks in 2019 before fading out. State House and Senate bills authorizing mobile sports wagering died after missing Tuesday’s deadline to advance from committee.
Rhode Island:
- WPRI, 2.5.19 – Big Super Bowl win for Pats meant big payout for RI bettors
- While most of New England is still celebrating the Patriots’ sixth Super Bowl victory since 2002, Rhode Island’s sportsbooks are stuck with a big tab.
- AP, 2.5.19 – Rhode Island won’t disclose amount legally bet on Super Bowl
- Officials in Rhode Island won’t say how much gamblers wagered specifically on the Super Bowl at the two local casinos that accept bets.
Maryland:
- Baltimore Post Examiner, 2.5.19 – Maryland should seriously consider legalizing sports betting for the sake of funding education
- Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of sports betting. However, the ruling still left the final decision to each individual state. While casinos in neighboring states Pennsylvania and West Virginia added sports books, Maryland continues to consider putting a wager on sports games an illegal activity.
South Dakota:
- KOTA TV, 2.6.19 – Lawmakers to decide fate of sports betting in Deadwood
- Lawmakers in Pierre are one step closer to legalizing sports betting in Deadwood. It’s a step that could help bring in more revenue.
Virginia:
- Bristol Herald Courier, 2.4.19 – Casino bill passes Va. Senate with set tax rates
- Legislation that could pave the way for the Bristol Resort and Casino passed the Senate on Monday, but under revised language the state would retain 90 percent of the tax revenues it would generate.
Sports League News:
- No news to report.
iDEA Growth Member News:
- Play NJ, 2.5.19 – DraftKings NJ Online Casino Deals A New Hand With Live Dealer Games
- It seems with each month, something new is being added to DraftKings Casino. Just two days removed from Super Bowl 53, the company rolled out popular live dealer games.
Overall Industry News:
- Ad Age, 2.6.19 – Brand Playbook: The Table Stakes For Sports Betting
- New York is on the threshold of legalizing sports gambling, and while it likely will precipitate a rush for legislatures to do likewise throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the first draft of the proposal seems to have put the kibosh on mobile and in-game wagering.
- Sports Handle, 2.5.19 – Super Bowl LIII: Getting A Handle On The Underwhelming Handle
- That’s because the expected record handle in Nevada never materialized. In New Jersey, the newly created industry also had less-than-predicted betting action with Garden State books losing money on Super Bowl LIII, in which the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.