Industry News of the Day for January 14, 2019

Industry news of the day:

• Sports Handle, 1.11.19 – Get a Grip: The Week in Sports and Sports Betting: Southern States Getting in on Action 
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories, and rounding up key stories in sports betting, gaming, and the world of sports at large. You may have missed them, and they are worth reading.

New York: 

• iGaming Business, 1.11.19 – Madison Square Garden eyes sports betting move
  • The parent company of New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG) could be set to move into the sports betting market after applying to trademark its MSG brand for sports wagering purposes.

Maine: 

• Press Herald, 1.13.19 – Maine Legislature poised to debate legalized sports betting 
  • Mainers could legally place bets on football, baseball, basketball and other professional and college games under several bills to sanction and regulate sports betting that are heading for debate in this session of the Legislature.

Pennsylvania: 

• Philadelphia Business Journal, 1.11.19 – Sports betting officially kicks off at Parx Casino 
  • Parx Casino on Thursday accepted its first legal sports wager, with a line of people waiting to take their first bets following a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Louisiana: 

• The Advocate, 1.13.19 – James Gill: How sports betting money could be used to boost literacy in Louisiana 
  • Gov. John Bel Edwards believes that the state has been too eager to dedicate tax revenues, but suggests we do it again.
• The Advocate, 1.12.19 – Support builds around legalizing sports betting in Louisiana, but it’s not a slam dunk 
  • Bipartisan support is building around a plan to allow sports wagering in Louisiana casinos, but a host of issues have yet to be hashed out and it will likely be more than a year before the first bet is placed here.

Iowa: 

• Neighbor News, 1.12.19 – GOP leader says ‘good chance’ sports book legalized in Iowa this year 
  • The 2019 Iowa legislature convenes on Monday and odds are that lawmakers will consider a bill to make it legal to bet on sporting events.

Tennessee: 

• Chalk Beat, 1.11.19 – Sports betting among first education bills filed in Tennessee in 2019 
  • A proposal that would let voters legalize sports betting to help fund local schools and infrastructure is among a dozen education-related bills filed in the first week of Tennessee’s 2019 legislative session.

Missouri: 

• News-Press Now, 1.11.19 – Make Missouri benefits from sports betting 
  • If the Kansas City Chiefs play the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs next year, odds are you will be able to place a bet on that game.

New Jersey: 

• PlayNJ, 1.14.19 – Can the New Owners of Ocean Resort Casino Succeed Where Others have Failed? 
  • It’s official, pending final approval Ocean Resort Casino (formerly Reveland Ten) is once again changing hands.
• PlayNJ, 1.11.19 – Ride the NJ Online Casino Coaster this Weekend and Pick up Three Easy Bonuses 
  • Hold tight, as we’re about to go on another roller coaster ride through the wonderful world of NJ online casino bonuses.

Federal updates: 

• No new federal updates to report.

Sports league updates: 

• Sports Handle, 1.11.19 – NBC Sports Washington Hopes to Offer Fans Glimpse of Future Sports Betting Broadcasts with Innovative Wizards’ Contest 
  • Less than 10 months since the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on sports betting, a Washington D.C.-area network is launching an innovative product that may serve as a harbinger for how sports will be consumed in the post-PASPA era.

• Gaming Today, 1.13.19 – Super Bowl broadcast won’t be talking sports betting 
  • Super Bowl Sunday is in three weeks. Sports betting has been legalized in multiple states around the country in recent months.
• Gambling Insider, 1.11.19 – Gambling not to be mentioned during the 2019 Super Bowl 
  • Despite the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in the US, Columbia Broadcasting System (CMS) will not be discussing gambling during its broadcasting of the 2019 Super Bowl.

Member updates: 

• Legal Sports Report, 1.13.19 – $2.5 Million DraftKings Sports Betting Championship Ends with Controversy 
  • The DraftKings Sports Betting National Championship was supposed to be a celebration of the possibilities for the future of US sports betting.
• ESPN, 1.14.19 – Leader prevented from making final wager in $2.5 M betting contest 
  • A national sports betting handicapping contest with a $2.5 million prize pool ended in controversy Sunday in New Jersey, after the Day 3 leader was prevented from making his final wager before the NFC divisional-round game between the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints kicked off.
• Market Watch, 1.11.19 – DraftKings hires lobbyists as sports betting spreads in U.S. and draws lawmakers’ attention 
  • DraftKings Inc., a company that’s seen sizable growth thanks to its daily-fantasy games, is providing more evidence that it’s aiming to become a force in sports betting.
• Globe Newswire, 1.14.19 – Paysafe Group Appoints Walt Macnee as Non-Executive Director 
  • Paysafe Group (Paysafe), a leading global payments provider, today announces the appointment of Walt Macnee as an independent, non-executive director. The appointment takes immediate effect.

Overall industry updates: 

• The Guardian, 1.11.19 – ‘People are dying’: Campaigners want gambling classes a public health issue 
  • Campaigners for stronger government regulation of gambling have called for it to be classed as a public health concern and for betting companies to be required to prove their products are safe before being allowed to launch them.
• European Gaming, 1.12.19 – Race to Capitalize on U.S. Sports Betting Set to Continue in 2019 says GamblingCompliance 
  • The number of U.S. states with legally approved sports betting will more than double in 2019 from 9 to 18 or more as lawmakers capitalize on last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned a federal ban, according to a report published today by GamblingCompliance.