Industry News of the Day for February 9, 2024

By iDEA | February 9, 2024

Industry News

  • Legal Sports Report: DraftKings Granted Partial Restraining Order Against Former VIP Head
    • DraftKings scored a partial win against former VIP head Michael Hermalyn with a temporary restraining order granted in a Massachusetts court Thursday. The District Court of Massachusetts found DraftKings established a “likelihood of success on the merits on some of its claims” and shown it could suffer irreparable harm without a temporary restraining order. “We are pleased that the judge granted a temporary restraining order in favor of DraftKings ordering Mr. Hermalyn not to solicit DraftKings employees or customers, and not to use any confidential company information,” a DraftKings spokesperson told LSR.
  • Gaming Today: How Betting In NFL Stadiums Surged Before Super Bowl
    • It stood to reason that several of the 62,000 people who will watch Super Bowl 58 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday will place a bet on it. Mobile sports betting has long been legal in Nevada. So locals and tourists who shell out upwards of $7,600 for a cheap seat are free to sit in it, stare at their phone, and make in-game bets. But it’s not just a Vegas thing anymore. This isn’t even the first Super Bowl held in a state with legal mobile sports betting since repealing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act made it a national possibility in 2018. State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with mobile wagering legal and a retail BetMGM Sportsbook on the property, checked that box last February.
  • Gambling Insider: BetMGM Reports $1.96bn Revenue In Fiscal Year 2023 Performance
    • BetMGM, jointly owned by Entain plc and MGM Resorts International, has disclosed its performance update for fiscal year 2023. The company’s unaudited results indicate financial growth, with net revenue from operations reaching $1.96bn, marking a 36% year-over-year increase and aligning with the upper end of the $1.8bn – $2.0bn guidance range. Key highlights of BetMGM’s fiscal year 2023 performance include: Financial Growth: BetMGM’s net revenue from operations witnessed a 36% year-over-year increase to $1.96bn. Same-state growth in net revenue from digital operations stood at 14%.
  • NPR: Millions Could Place Legal Bets On The Super Bowl. Just Not In California Or Missouri
    • Americans are expected to spend a record-setting amount placing bets on the outcome of this year’s Super Bowl. But many fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers won’t get the chance to make a legal wager. That’s because California and Missouri are two of a dozen states that have not yet legalized sports gambling amid its explosion across the U.S. over the past few years. “I think the low- and most of the medium-hanging fruit has been picked here,” Becca Giden, director of policy at the gambling research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, said of the majority of states that had legalized sports gambling.

Alabama

  • SBC Americas: Casino, Lottery, And Sports Betting Bill Introduced In Alabama
    • A new legislative session in Alabama is seeing a sports betting, lottery, and casino measure introduced. On Thursday, state Rep. Chris Blackshear and Andy Whitt introduced House Bill 152, a piece of legislation that would authorize the regulation and taxation of sports wagering, a state lottery, and casino-style gaming at brick-and-mortar establishments in the Heart of Dixie. The measure, if signed into law, would establish the Alabama Gaming Commission, which would regulate sports and casino-style wagering in the state. HB 152 calls for a state lottery to be administrated by the Alabama Lottery Corporation, which would have its own proceeds fund to handle all financial transactions.

Florida

  • PlayUSA: West Flagler Asks US Supreme Court To Review Challenge Of Seminole Compact In Florida
    • A Florida pari-mutuel company is asking the US Supreme Court to take a look at the legality of the Seminole Tribe’s gaming compact with the state of Florida. West Flagler filed a writ of certiorari on Thursday requesting that the nation’s highest court review the case West Flagler v. Haaland, which questions the Department of Interior’s allowing a tribal compact under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) to contain online sports betting off Indian lands. Thursday was the deadline for filing the cert petition on the case, which began in 2021 after the Seminole Tribe and state of Florida executed a gaming compact under IGRA to provide the tribe with statewide exclusivity on online sports betting.

Massachusetts

  • SportsHandle: Betr, WynnBET Approved To Exit Massachusetts This Month
    • The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) Thursday morning approved plans for Betr and WynnBET to halt operations in Massachusetts. While both companies have already stopped taking deposits and bets, Betr has plans to cease operations Feb. 16 and WynnBET will shut down on Feb. 23, the one-year anniversary of when it was awarded a temporary license. Once the companies stop operating in Massachusetts, six betting apps — BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics Sportsbook, and FanDuel — will remain active in a state that can issue up to 17 sports betting licenses.

Michigan

  • PlayMichigan: Governor Whitmer’s Budget Calls For Increased Funding For Problem Gambling
    • Governor Gretchen Whitmer has released her proposed 2025 fiscal year budget, which includes increased funding for problem gambling prevention in Michigan. It marks a third consecutive budget with money allocated toward Michigan responsible gambling from the governor’s office. The Michigan Gaming Control Board quickly issued its support of Whitmer’s proposals. MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams voiced his support at a joint session of the MI House and Senate Appropriations committees on Feb. 7.
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