Industry News of the Day for January 13, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.13.20 – The Week In Sports Betting News: Roses For All My DraftKings!
  • Happy Monday, everyone. The holidays are officially over, which means it’s time to get those belts back to the notch they started on at the beginning of November.
• PlayUSA, 1.10.20 – PlayUSA’s ‘On The Record:’ A Chat With Co-Founder Of DraftKings, Plus Sports Betting In 2020
  • Welcome to 2020 and a new volume of the PlayUSA series On The Record. To kick off this new decade, I wanted to explore the explosive way DraftKings ended the year and attempt to understand what this means for the future of sports betting.
• SBC Americas, 1.13.20 – Stanza Looks To Sportradar To Boost Sports Content Through Calendar
  • Calendar app developer Stanza, creator of the Add-to-Calendar button, has partnered with Sportradar to bring subscribers sports content on a global scale.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 1.10.20 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: California, Maine, Michigan, And More
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories and rounding up key stories in legal sports wagering, gaming, and the world of sports at large.
• Bloomberg, 1.13.20 – States Bolster Coffers With New Taxes, Avoid Income Tax Hikes
  • States have more revenue to spend in 2020, and that’s not because they’re raising income taxes. Instead, state budgets are benefiting from a healthy economy and a slew of new taxes on out-of-state online retailers, sports betting, and marijuana.
• WSN, 1.10.20 – New York, Vermont Inch Closer To Online Sports Betting Bills
  • As states continue to propel the breakneck expansion of sports betting in the United States, the focus has zeroed in on the New England area as multiple states in the region have their eye on the revenue that New Jersey and Pennsylvania have enjoyed in recent months.

Overall Industry News:

• Vox, 1.10.20 – Barstool Sports Is Close To Selling To A Casino Company You’ve Never Heard Of
  • Barstool Sports, the high-profile, controversial, and fast-growing sports media company, may soon have a new owner: A low-profile casino operator.
• Legal Sports Report, 1.10.20 – Barstool Sports May Be Sold To Casino Company Penn National
  • Publicly traded casino company Penn National Gaming is looking to acquire Barstool Sports, according to a report first made at Vox. Legal Sports Report sources are aware of discussions between the two companies.
• Bloomberg, 1.11.20 – Verizon Media Will Tap Disney+, Sports Betting, Says Group CEO
  • Guru Gowrappan, Verizon Media group chief executive officer, discusses 5G, sports betting and more with Bloomberg’s Ed Ludlow at CES in Las Vegas.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.11.20 – FanDuel Down: Users Frustrated With Issues During Peak Betting Times
  • Will the FanDuel Sportsbook app work during the time leading up to playoff games and the Super Bowl? It’s questionable.
• Sports Handle, 1.10.20 – A Requiem For JAMBOS Picks’ Sports Betting Tout Service
  • This week, JAMBOS Picks, the sports betting tout service headed by former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Michael Schwimer, announced it would discontinue its picks subscription service.
• 10 News, 1.10.20 – National Council Of Legislators From Gaming States Meeting Begins In San Diego
  • The three-day winter meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States will bring nearly four dozen legislators from 20 states to San Diego Friday to discuss the state of the gaming industry and its economic impacts.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayUSA, 1.11.20 – After A Banner 2019, How Big Could Pennsylvania Online Gambling Become?
  • It feels like the awareness and legalization of online gambling did not exist until the repeal of PASPA in 2018, which opened the door for state-sanctioned sports betting.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.10.20 – Big Moves: Parx To Launch Live Dealer Games, New Online Titles In PA
  • It’s early in 2020 but Parx is already raising the stakes for PA online gambling.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.10.20 – Keep On Truckin’: VGT Sites Reach 20 And Set To Multiply
  • Video gaming terminals (VGTs) have a new benchmark in Pennsylvania. Twenty truck stops outfitted with 100 terminals were in place in PA by the end of 2019.

Maine:

• Associated Press, 1.10.20 – Maine Gov Vetoes Legislation Of Sports Betting In State
  • Maine’s governor is closing the books on legalized sports betting in the state for now.
• Gambling Compliance, 1.13.20 – Governor Mills Vetoes Bill Legalizing Sports Betting In Maine (subscription paywall)
  • Citing concerns over problem gambling and skepticism about projected revenues, Maine Governor Janet Mills vetoed legislation that would have established legalized sports betting in the state on Friday.
• Sports Handle, 1.10.20 – Maine Governor Vetoes Sports Betting Legislation
  • Maine was set to became the first state to legalize sports betting in 2020. However, Governor Janet Mills decided to veto the legislation Friday in what many consider a disappointing, and somewhat surprising development.
• Legal Sports Report, 1.10.20 – Maine Squeezed: Mills Vetoes Bill To Legalize Sports Betting
  • Janet Mills vetoed on Friday a 2019 bill to legalize Maine sports betting.

Kentucky:

• Lexington Herald-Leader, 1.10.20 – A Gambling ‘Expert’ Gave Por-Gambling Legislators Exactly What They Wanted For Christmas
  • The week before Christmas, Kentucky’s Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations decided to give itself a present.

Maryland:

• Fox Baltimore, 1.10.20 – State Lawmakers To Consider Legalizing Sports Betting
  • Supporters of a constitutional amendment which would allow Maryland voters to decide whether to legalize sports betting predict the measure will be approved this year.

Missouri:

• Gambling Compliance, 1.13.20 – Enforcement Needed As ‘Grey Slot Machines’ Have Cost Missouri Lottery $50M (subscription paywall)
  • Thousands of retailers who sell Missouri Lottery tickets could face fines or prosecution over illegal slot machines in their stores, according to the lottery’s executive director.
• News-Press Now, 1.12.20 – Missouri Senator Places Odds On Legal Sports Betting
  • Missouri could be one step closer to allowing legal sports gambling. Under legislation proposed by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, betting on sports would be permitted in-state at casinos and over the internet.

Washington, D.C.:

• The Washington Post, 1.10.20 – D.C.. Sports Betting App To Go Live In March; Capital One Arena Seeks Sportsbook
  • The long-awaited app to place bets on sports is scheduled to launch in the nation’s capital in March, D.C. gambling regulators said Friday, and the only application for a sportsbook license so far involves a British bookmaker looking to operate at Capital One Arena.
• NBC Washington, 1.10.20 – Capital One Arena First DC Sports Venue To File Application For Sports Betting License
  • There’s a chance sports betting in the District could arrive in time for the Super Bowl. Capital One Arena has filed the first application for a “Class A” provisional sports betting license, meaning they want to allow wagering on the property.

Tennessee:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.13.20 – How Many Millions Would Tennessee Sports Betting Forfeit With Minimum Hold Rule
  • Tennessee sports betting could cost itself nearly $11 million annually in tax revenue by imposing minimum hold requirements on operators.

New Hampshire:

• The Eagle-Tribune, 1.12.20 – Sports Betting May Make March Ballot In Derry
  • Town councilors want the state’s top leader to know they are interested in bringing sports betting to town. At a recent meeting, councilors decided it would be wise to draft a letter to New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu to voice an interest in bringing sports betting to Derry if voters approve the measure at the polls in March.
• WHAV, 1.13.20 – Plaistow, NH, Selectmen To Consider Sports Betting At Public Hearing Tonight
  • The Plaistow, N.H., Board of Selectmen meets tonight to, among other agenda items, hold a public hearing on considering sports betting in the town.

Iowa:

• Gambling.Com, 1.10.20 – Iowa Sports Betting In December Nearly Identical To November
  • Heading into 2020, Iowa has nearly hit the $60 million mark in monthly total sports betting handle for two straight months, according to the December 2019 sports betting report issued by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

New York:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.13.20 – NY Senate Committee Passing Mobile Sports Betting To Spark Budget Debate
  • Joseph Addabbo Jr. is wasting no time beginning the push for mobile NY sports betting in 2020.
• Online Poker Report, 1.10.20 – New York Online Poker Bill Hopes To Reverse 7 Years Of Bad Luck
  • Lawmakers in New York once again have the opportunity to consider online poker legislation this year. Following a complete lack of progress through 2019, a relevant bill from Sen. Joseph Addabbo is back on file for 2020.
• PIX 11, 1.10.20 – How New Yorkers Legally Bet On Sports And New Jersey Reaps The Profits
  • It’s been called sports betting tourism and because New Jersey is right next to New York, the Garden State is profiting from the practice in a big way.

Georgia:

• Bluffton Today, 1.13.20 – Budget, Taxes To Dominate 2020 General Assembly
  • Sports betting has been added to the Georgia budget mix thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a federal law banning commercial sports betting.

Indiana:

• SBC Americas, 1.13.20 – Indiana Continues Surging Run As Sports Betting Breaks More Records
  • Indiana retail and online sportsbooks topped off their inaugural year in the state by surpassing $160m in bets in a month for the first time.
• PlayIndiana, 1.10.20 – Like The Football Calendar, Sports Betting Numbers Slowed In December
  • Indiana’s 61% growth in handle from October to November 2019 was hard to top, much less repeat. The December sports betting numbers show some growth, but nowhere near that large.
• WDRB, 1.10.20 – December 2019 Was Indiana’s Biggest Month In Sports Betting So Far
  • Indiana had its biggest month of sport betting since the state legalized it in 2019.

Sports League News:

• Gambling.Com, 1.11.20 – Leagues Push For Sports Betting Role, With Or Without Fees
  • The battles behind so-called integrity fees may be winding down in the developing U.S. sports betting market, but the nation’s top sports leagues are not backing down from their role in shaping the multi-billion-dollar industry.
• Las Vegas Sun, 1.11.20 – As Sports Betting Expands, MLB Executive Eyes Prop Wagering As A Natural Fit
  • Baseball has never been a prime attraction as far as betting interest in local sports books, at least not in comparison to football or basketball.