Industry News of the Day for January 15, 2019
New Jersey:
- NJ Online Gambling, 1.14.19 – NJ Gaming Sites Finish Off 2018 with a Bang, Setting the Bar High For 2019
- NJ online gambling sites have topped their all-time revenue record for the third month in a row, taking in just over $29 million in December.
- Asbury Free Press, 1.14.19 – NJ sports betting: Handle, revenues flatten as Super Bowl approaches
- As the road to Super Bowl LIII continues with National Football League’s conference championship games this Sunday, the final three football games of the season will be critical for the state’s nascent sports betting industry.
- AP, 1.1.4.19 – NJ probes $1M sports gambling tourney with bet timing issues
- New Jersey gambling regulators are looking into a sports betting tournament held over the weekend in which some competitors were unable to make bets on an NFL playoff game, costing them a shot at a $1 million top prize.
- Calvin Ayre, 1.14.19 – New Jersey, Golden Nugget smash online gambling records
- New Jersey’s regulated online gambling market closed out 2018 by blowing past old revenue records for both the month of December and the year as a whole.
- NJ.com, 1.14.19 – Reopened casinos, sports betting help Atlantic City rake in $2.86 billion in casino revenue
- Two reopened casinos and half a year of sports betting helped push Atlantic City’s casino revenue up 7.5 percent in 2018 to nearly $2.86 billion, state gambling regulators said Monday.
- Sports Handle, 1.14.19 – New Jersey’s December Sports Betting Handle Drops $10 Million; $1.25 Billion Handle In 2018
- It was a down month in December, slightly, for the New Jersey sportsbooks in terms of overall betting handle and gross gaming revenue after a 2018 high of $330.7 million in November.
- Online Poker Report, 1.14.19 – New Jersey Online Casinos Surpass $1 Billion In Lifetime Revenue During Dazzling December
- Operators combined to earn more than $29 million across poker and casino platforms in December 2018, clearing the previous monthly record by more than $2 million. It’s the third record-setting month in the past six and the largest increase across that period.
- Legal Sports Report, 1.14.19 – Race Between FanDuel, DraftKings Heats Up As NJ Sports Betting Handle Passes $1 Billion
- FanDuel Sportsbook and Meadowlands Racetrack posted a strong December as NJ sports betting revenue held steady from November.
- AP, 1.14.19 – Atlantic City casino win up in 2018, but newbies hurt others
- Two reopened casinos and half a year of sports betting helped push Atlantic City’s casino revenue up 7.5 percent in 2018 to nearly $2.86 billion, state gambling regulators said Monday.
Virginia:
- WHSV, 1.14.19 – General Assembly to consider legalizing sports betting
- Virginia would become the ninth state to legalize sports betting under legislation being considered by the General Assembly this session.
- Richmond Times Dispatch, 1.14.19 – Virginia’s casino question: Move fast to grab gambling dollars? Or slow down and study?
- Asked what he has to say to social conservatives who oppose casino gambling in Virginia, state Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, said, “Even God gives us free will.” Instead of imposing his own convictions on others, Carrico said, he’ll leave it to the people to decide.
- WRIC, 1.14.19 – Lawmakers put all cards on the table for casino legislation, wanting voters to decide
- Calling it their own “Amazon,” representatives from three regions are coming together in support of legislation to bring casinos to Virginia. But there are some in Richmond who are concerned about how this could impact families.
- WAVY, 1.14.19 – Video: Andy Fox reports on plans for a casino in Portsmouth
- WAVY News 10’s Andy Fox reports from the Portsmouth waterfront with details on where the proposed casino would go.
- WSLS, 1.14.19 – Virginia casino proposal prompts tribes to clash over ancestral lands
- Two Native American tribes in Virginia are clashing over ancestral claims to land that could be the site of the state’s first casino.
Maine:
- News Center Maine, 1.14.19 – Maine Legislature to Debate Sports Betting
- Maine Legislature will debate sports betting after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that states may regulate sports betting.
Washington, DC:
- The Action Network, 1.15.19 – Rovell: NBC Sports Washington’s Betting Broadcast Impresses in Debut
- The numbers are back from NBC Sports Washington’s betting-centric streaming broadcast, and they are impressive.
Missouri:
- Sports Handle, 1.15.19 – Latest MO Bill: State-Wide Mobile Betting, 6.75% Tax Rate
- A third Missouri sports betting bill was filed last week, this one calling for a 6.75 percent tax rate and allowing for mobile sports betting throughout the Show-Me state.
Mississippi:
- Sports Handle, 1.14.19 – Mississippi Betting Handle Down, But Gross Gaming Revenue Up
- Mississippi sportsbooks reported $40.9 million in handle for December and record-high gross gaming revenue of $5.9 million, according to an early report from the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
California:
- The Press-Enterprise, 1.14.19 – Soboba Casino’s new resort will open in February, and here’s what’s inside
- The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians is getting closer to the completion of its brand new 200-room hotel and casino site with an announcement that it plans to open in the third week of February.
Nevada:
- Los Angeles Times, 1.14.19 – New Circa Resort & Casino to open in downtown Las Vegas in 2020
- Las Vegas’ newest resorts will be opening in downtown, not on the Strip. Circa Resort & Casino will tower over the Fremont Street Experience when the 44-story hotel opens next year.
Federal updates:
- Washington Post, 1.14.19 – Justice Department issues new opinion that could further restrict online gambling
- The Justice Department late Monday issued a legal opinion that could further restrict online gambling even as some states have been moving to embrace it — a restriction long sought by GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson, who controls one of the world’s largest casino empires.
- Online Poker Report, 1.14.19 – Department Of Justice Reverses Wire Act Opinion That Said Law Is Limited To Sports Betting
- The Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel has issued a replacement for its 2011 opinion which said that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting.
- Legal Sports Report, 1.15.19 – Does The New Wire Act Memo On Online Gambling Have A Legal Leg To Stand On?
- Looking at Monday’s news on a new federal Wire Act memo from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) requires a brief history lesson.
- Press Herald, 1.13.19 – Federal case opens a window to the underground world of sports betting
- Stephen Mardigan’s life as the leader of a high-stakes sports betting operation in Portland began by accident.
Sports league updates:
- Play USA, 1.14.19 – Former NJ Gov. Christie Still Sticking it to the Leagues on Sports Betting
- Bravo to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Christie, who stood up to the biggest pro sports leagues across the US when they sued to prevent NJ from passing sports betting legislation, is at it again. In fact, he didn’t mince words recently when it came to the leagues’ latest efforts to get a piece of the sports betting pie through integrity fees.
Member updates:
- NJ Online Gambling, 1.14.19 – William Hill Drops Lawsuit Against FanDuel Over Sports Betting Guide
- An eyebrow-raising lawsuit filed in October pitting two New Jersey sports betting companies against each other has been dropped by the firm that filed it.
- Sports Handle, 1.14.19 – DraftKings Sports Betting Contest Marred by Controversy
- DraftKings is now facing some controversy in the form of bad publicity and, perhaps, some regulatory problems as a result of its first-ever and Sports Betting National Championship (SBNC).
- Online Poker Report, 1.14.19 – Sports Betting National Championship Ends With False Start On DraftKings
- The DraftKings Sports Betting National Championship (SBNC) was an ambitious, innovative attempt to disrupt the sports betting status quo.
Overall industry updates:
- Calvin Ayre, 1.14.19 – UK considering credit card ban for online gambling
- Credit cards, specifically those used for online gambling deposits, are coming under fire in the United Kingdom. Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright wants to question bookmakers and bankers about his concerns that punters are gambling with money they can’t afford.