Industry News of the Day for January 11, 2024

Industry News

• The London Economic: The Market Influence Of Online Casinos Vs Offline Casinos
  • As of March 2022, the UK had 6,219 betting shops. This was a 19.1% decrease from March 2020. Online operations allow betting operators to significantly reduce costs associated with betting offices including rent, utilities, and staffing. The casino industry shares a lot of similarities with bookmakers, offering customers the opportunity to place bets on a variety of markets is just one of them. The rise in popularity of online casinos has also paved the way for costly offline casinos to close their doors, but how do both options impact the business market?

Alabama

• AL.com: Alabama House Republicans Discuss Gambling Bill In Closed Meeting
  • The Alabama House Republican caucus met for two hours behind closed doors Wednesday, a meeting that included a discussion of a gambling bill that GOP lawmakers will introduce for the annual legislative session that is less than four weeks away. Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, who has led a group of legislators studying gambling over the last 14 months, said the bill is still in the works and declined to release details. Whitt said he expects it to be a comprehensive bill, which has been the term used previously for bills that include a lottery, casinos, a regulatory commission, and sports betting. Whitt said his purpose is to crack down on illegal gambling happening across the state.

California

• SBC Americas: California Judge Sends Fliff Lawsuit To Arbitration
  • It was a victory for not just Fliff but other gaming companies, as a California court agreed with the company’s assertion that the arbitration in the terms and conditions of the sweepstakes sportsbook is binding. In her order granting the request to send the case to arbitration, Judge Sunshine S Sykes concluded that Fliff’s claims that the law of Pennsylvania should dictate the action had merit. Plaintiff Bishoy Nessim argued that because most of Fliff is now based in Texas that the ties to Pennsylvania lacked merit. Sykes disagreed.

Florida

• PlayFL: Legal Analyst: FL Sports Betting Case Might Not Be Solved Until 2025
  • For nearly two months, Floridians have been able to bet on sports legally. However, it feels like it will be taken away from the masses at any moment. Because technically, it could be. The Seminole Tribe won a lengthy legal battle against West Flagler Associates, the ownership group of a Florida pari-mutuel, to reinstate the 2021 Florida gaming compact. As a result, Florida sports betting returned, and the tribe brought craps and roulette to their Florida casinos in December. West Flagler appealed the ruling, which could jeopardize the future of Florida’s current gambling landscape.

Maryland

• PlayUSA: Senator Says Maryland Online Casino Tax Hike Could Help Bill Passage
  • A Maryland legislator said he believes a bigger chunk of iGaming revenue can help him get Maryland online casino legislation across the finish line in 2024. Sen. Ron Watson has discussed increasing the tax rate for online casino operators in this year’s bill from 15% to 46%, including 1% for problem gambling. Watson told PlayUSA that he had a simple explanation for proposing a substantially higher tax rate. “Because the casinos can afford it. The margins are huge because there is no overhead. I believe there’s a lot more that can be done through iGaming to support the state’s financial deficit.”

Missouri

• Legal Sports Report: With 2024 Missouri Sports Betting Bill Hopes Slim, Ballot Path Looms
  • With a Missouri sports betting ballot proposal set to circulate, another eventful legislative session appears in store for the Show-Me State in 2024. Last month, Secretary of State John (Jay) Ashcroft approved ballot initiative language that could allow voters the chance to legalize sports betting in Missouri. The push is led by the same group (the Missouri Sports Betting Coalition) behind legislative attempts that fell short in the Senate at the hands of Sen. Denny Hoskins. While the ballot initiative might put added pressure on legislators to pass their preferred sports betting legislation, industry sources are not holding out much hope.

New Jersey

• PlayNJ: MGM Funds Research To Help Prevent, Address Risks Of Gambling In NJ
  • The worries over gambling addiction have grown in recent years as more states have increasingly legalized sports betting and online casino gaming. Specifically, New Jersey boasts one of the most successful gaming industries in the United States, with legal sports betting, casino gaming, a state lottery and casinos in Atlantic City. Lifetime NJ revenue has exceeded $51 billion in revenue from online casinos and sports betting. Land-based casinos, meanwhile, have accounted for more than $19 million from slots and table game play since 2016.

New York

• PlayNY: Lawmakers Reintroduce Legislation To Expand NY Sports Betting, Add Kiosks At Stadiums
  • Assemb. Gary Pretlow and Sen. Joe Addabbo have renewed their collective fight for fixed-odds horse betting and self-service sports betting kiosks at professional stadiums, arenas and off-track betting sites. The duo of Pretlow and Addabbo, instrumental in the legalization of online sports betting in New York, will now make a third attempt at passing such legislation. The past two efforts never made it out of their respective committees. If passed, the state would allow the nine NY sportsbooks to integrate fixed-odds NY horse betting wagers in the state.

North Carolina

• NC Sharp: NC Tribes Enter Sports Betting Applicant Pool But Regulators Hold Off On A Launch Date
  • Two more operators joined the pool of applicants for an NC sports betting license this month, bringing the total number to nine. The newest submissions come from tribal entities: The Catawba Nation, which operates the Catawba Two Kings Casino, and Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Cherokee, otherwise known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates the two Harrah’s casinos in the western part of the state. Previously, seven commercial sportsbooks submitted applications ahead of the North Carolina Lottery Commission’s recommended Dec. 27 deadline for sportsbooks, gambling service providers, and suppliers.

Vermont

• PlayUSA: Three Vermont Sportsbooks Go Live On Jan. 11
  • With the 2024 NFL playoffs looming, Vermonters will soon have a new way to enjoy the games. Vermont is set to join the majority of states with a system for regulated online sports betting on Thursday. The Jan. 11 date is when DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel will start taking bets from eligible people in Vermont. Should that occur, it will meet the projected timeline and allow the state to benefit from the forthcoming NFL postseason. Vermont law allowed the state’s Dept. of Liquor and Lottery (DLL) to issue between two and six licenses in a competitive bidding process