Industry News of the Day for January 17, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Online Poker Report, 1.16.20 – FireKeepers Casino, Scientific Games Racing Toward Michigan Online Gambling (The Stars Group)
  • The Michigan partnerships are coming fast and furious this month.

Industry News:

• Gambling Compliance, 1.17.20 – Even With Low Margins, No Curbing Appetite For U.S. Sports Betting In 2020 (subscription paywall)
  • With at least two-dozen states set to consider sports-betting legislation this year, a veteran gaming attorney has urged lawmakers to be realistic with their revenue expectations from a low-margin business that is often viewed as an amenity to lure customers into a casino.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 1.17.20 – Why The UK Banned Gambling On Credit Cards – And What It Could Mean For The US
  • The UK gambling regulator this week banned gambling on credit cards, saying it aimed to stop people “gambling with money they don’t have.”

New Jersey:

• Daily Press, 1.17.20 – New Jersey Taking On Vegas With Plenty Of Help From New York When It Comes To Sports Betting
  • On Monday, the Garden State announced that December’s sports betting handle was $557.8 million. That means, in 2019, bettors wagered $4.5 billion in the state.

Pennsylvania:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.16.20 – PA Sports Betting Needs Less Than A Year To Reach Mobile Potential
  • Peak mobile share for PA sports betting reached new heights in December, another telling sign of public preference in the US market.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.16.20 – Online Betting Propels PA Sportsbooks To Record $343 Million December
  • Pennsylvania sports betting hit a record $342.6 million in wagers in December, 2019. Following a growing trend, nearly 87% of all those bets were placed online.
• Penn Bets, 1.17.20 – Pennsylvania Online Casino Market Worth $33.5 Million In 2019 Since Mid-Year Launch
  • The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported Thursday that the state’s licensed online casinos reported $33.5 mm in revenue in 2019.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.16.20 – PA Skill Games Have Their Day In Court, Surrounded By Opposition
  • The legal battle over whether or not “Pennsylvania Skill Games” are slot machines based on random chance – or skill games where decisions and knowledge influence the outcome – remains undecided for now.
• SBC Americas, 1.17.20 – Pennsylvania Sports Betting Posed For More Success And Growth In 2020
  • Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks have shown that high taxes might not, necessarily, be the hurdle to success that some industry observers have predicted.
• Philadelphia Business Journal, 1.16.20 – Sports Betting Fuels Pennsylvania Casinos To Record Year
  • Local casinos are showing big gains in revenue, in part because of sports betting’s growth in the state.

Connecticut:

• New Haven Register, 1.16.20 – CT Political Leaders Trade Jabs Over Legislative Priorities
  • Four of Connecticut’s most powerful lawmakers offered differing views on tolls, legalizing sports betting and fixing the state’s economy during a forum before area business leaders Thursday.

Kentucky:

• PlayIndiana, 1.16.20 – Kentucky Sports Betting Bill Headed To Assembly Floor
  • The momentum for legal Kentucky sports betting is growing. Comments from the state’s new governor and bipartisan approval of a regulatory framework for online poker and legal sports betting both point to that.
• Lexington Herald-Leader, 1.16.20 – Bookies In Rupp Arena? What Could Sports Betting Mean For College Athletics In Kentucky?
  • Adam Koenig says the sports betting bill will allow people to bet on University of Kentucky and University of Louisville sports.
• One World Herald, 1.17.20 – Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Offers His Support For Sports Betting Bill And Asks Casinos for More Education Funding
  • Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has offered his support for sports betting bill in the state and expressed his new demands in the legislature regarding the online gaming.

Washington:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.16.20 – What Are The Prospects For New Washington Sports Betting Bills?
  • An initiative to get Washington sports betting is underway in the legislature but one man behind the bill doesn’t expect passage this year.
• Sports Handle, 1.16.20 – Washington State Suddenly Awash In Sports Betting Bills
  • Two tribal sports betting bills have been filed in the Washington state legislature in the last two days, and both include the college “carve out” and allow sports betting on tribal lands.
• Betting News, 1.16.20 – Could Washington Shock The U.S. Sports Betting Industry?
  • The west coast state now has two bills introduced that would legalize sports betting, but a short legislative session and a lot of hurdles to jump may not allow for either bill to be passed in 2020.

Nebraska:

• Online Poker Report, 1.16.20 – Nebraska Games Of Skill Act Would Legalize Poker, Sports Gambling
  • Online poker in Nebraska could become a reality if a new gaming bill passes through the legislature this year.

New York:

• Sports Handle, 1.16.20 – New York Senate Committee Advances Bill On Online Sports Betting But Will Impasse On Mobile Continue?
  • A New York State Senate committee passed a measure that could lead to the legalization of online sports gambling in the Empire State, firing the latest salvo in a contentious battle surrounding mobile betting in one of the nation’s largest markets.

Florida:

• Gambling Compliance, 1.17.20 – Every Day Seems Like Groundhog Day For Florida Gambling Bills (subscription paywall)
  • It may be the longest of longshots, but a Florida state representative is trying to resurrect the Seminole compact and make the state legislature finally do something on gambling.

Colorado:

• The Denver Post, 1.16.20 – More Than 50 Applicants In Line For Colorado’s First Sports Betting Licenses
  • Colorado’s gaming commission solidified the rules for sports betting licensure Thursday, setting the stage for the first group of applicants to be approved next month as the state moves toward legalized sports gambling this spring.

West Virginia:

• PlayWV, 1.16.20 – West Virginia Sportsbooks See Uptick In Wagers Thanks To WVU Hoops & College Football Bowl Season
  • The West Virginia sports betting market took a positive turn in the last two weeks. After the overall betting handle fell three consecutive weeks, WV sportsbooks saw a sizable increase in wagers in the last two.

Tennessee:

• The Tennesseean, 1.16.20 – The Tennessee Lottery Shouldn’t Oversee Sports Gambling. Here Is Why.
  • Placing the Tennessee Lottery in charge of sports betting illustrates a fundamental misunderstanding our state legislature has about sports betting. Lotteries and sports betting – other than both legal forms of gambling in Tennessee — share little in common.
• News Channel 9, 1.17.20 – Online Sports Betting Still Not Legal In Tennessee Despite 6-Month-Old Law Passing It
  • Tennessee lawmakers made online sports betting legal April 30, 2019. It went into effect July 1. But now 9 months later, people still can’t legally gamble on games until regulations are set.

Massachusetts:

• The Boston Globe, 1.16.20 – Springfield Casino Rethinks Its Business Plan As Gambling Revenue Lags
  • On Wednesday, MGM posted its worst monthly gaming numbers yet — just under $19 million in revenue — an unneeded reminder that the nearly $1 billion development in Western Massachusetts has fallen below expectations since it opened in August 2018.