Industry News of the Day for January 21, 2019
Federal News:
- Wall Street Journal, 1.18.19 – Justice Department’s Reversal on Online Gambling Tracked Memo From Adelson Lobbyists
- The legal reasoning behind the Justice Department’s unusual reversal this week of an opinion that paved the way for online gambling hewed closely to arguments made by lobbyists for casino magnate and top Republican donor Sheldon Adelson.
- Online Poker Report, 1.18.19 – Former NJ Senator Lesniak To Seek Judgment on ‘Outrageous’ Wire Act Reversal
- Former New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak is ready to answer the call of current Senate President Steve Sweeney and the New Jersey Senate Democrats to seek a declaratory judgment that Monday’s opinion issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel is contrary to the clear intent of the Wire Act.
- The Business Times, 1.21.19 – Chips are down for online gambling as US moves towards new ban
- US authorities have begun an effort to ban all forms of Internet gambling, reversing course from a 2011 decision and imperilling a burgeoning online wagering sector in several American states.
- Poker News Daily, 1.20.19 – Responses to Reversal of DOJ Online Gaming Decision: “Unfortunate,” Planning for Next Steps
- Since the U. S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a reversal last Monday of the 2011 decision by the Obama Administration’s decision regarding online sports betting, gaming and poker, there have been a flurry of opinions on the issue.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1.19.19 – New Wire Act interpretation affects gaming regulators, consumers
- Just when it was looking like nationwide online sports wagering had a chance of catching fire, the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in and might have broken up the party.
Industry News:
- CBS Sports, 1.18.19 – As New York weighs legalized sports gambling, bet on the industry to find answers
- Nine months ago, something remarkable happened in the world of sports. After 26 years of sports betting being illegal outside the state of Nevada and a handful of other venues, the Supreme Court struck down the law that made bookmaking illegal.
- Sports Handle, 1.18.19 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting and Sports: 1st PA Report Strong, RI Mobile, And More
- 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.
Pennsylvania:
- AP, 1.18.19 – Sports betting in Pennsylvania hits $16M in first full month
- The first full month of legal sports betting in Pennsylvania saw gamblers wager just over $16 million at three casinos.
- Legal Sports Report, 1.18.19 – Regulators To Pennsylvania Online Gambling Operators: ‘Comply With Wire Act’
- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) is instructing prospective online gambling operators to comply with a new opinion from the US Department of Justice.
- Play Pennsylvania, 1.18.19 – PGCB Tells PA Casinos They Have 30 Days To Get A Wire Act Plan In Order
- The PA Gaming Control Board issued a public statement about the new opinion on the Wire Act earlier this week.
- Legal Sports Report, 1.18.19 – Two New PA Sports Betting Options Coming As Philly Sportsbooks Spread
- A key Philadelphia sportsbook opened this week and another opens its doors next week as PA sports betting expands.
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1.16.19 – Pennsylvania casino revenue nudges up to new state high in 2018, but barely
- Pennsylvania’s 12 casinos reached a record high in slots and table game revenue for the fourth straight year in 2018, though the increases have been so small as to virtually represent flat-lining of gambling in the state.
- Tribune Live, 1.18.19 – Editorial: Is record casino revenue enough?
- Yes, it’s a record. It topped the previous record from 2017 by $21 million, which is, incidentally, about $1.75 more per Pennsylvanian. The state is now second only to Nevada in casino revenue.
- South Philly Review, 1.20.19 – Sports betting debuts in South Philly near stadiums
- On Thursday, sports betting officially debuted as Parx Race and Sports Book at the South Philadelphia Turf Club, 700 Packer Ave. — the first legalized sports gambling business in South Philly.
Massachusetts:
- Boston Herald, 1.19.19 – Online gambling a risky wager
- With Gov. Charlie Baker all but green-lighting online gambling in the Bay State, the drawbacks of such a sanctioned recreation should be discussed.
- AP, 1.17.19 – Baker proposes sports betting law
- Charlie Baker unveiled a proposal on Thursday that would legalize and tax betting on professional sports online and at casinos in Massachusetts.
- The Sun Chronicle, 1.20.19 – Baker’s backing makes sports gambling solid bet in Mass., lawmakers say
- Local lawmakers say that Gov. Charlie Baker’s support of legal sports betting all but assures it will become a reality in Massachusetts.
Washington, DC:
- Legal Sports Report, 1.21.19 – How DC Sports Betting Sets An Unparalleled Challenge For The US Market
- The recent sports betting bill that passed in Washington D.C. for example will bring its own unique complexity to test the emerging US sports betting market.
Virginia:
- The Daily Progress, 1.20.19 – Place your bets: Will gambling win in Virginia?
- No one seems to know for certain how well the Virginia General Assembly’s lawmakers and leprechauns will fare this session in their growing searches for pots of revenue gold in the once small but rapidly growing field of legal gambling.
- WAVY 10, 1.19.19 – Portsmouth group heads to Richmond to support casino legislation
- A group of Portsmouth residents trekked up to Richmond Friday to support an effort to authorize casino gaming in Virginia.
Maryland:
- Legal Sports Report, 1.19.19 – Could Maryland Sports Betting Make An End Run Around The Ballot?
- Maryland sports betting might not need to wait for 2020 voter approval to roll out.
Mississippi:
- AP, 1.18.19 – Mississippi casino revenue up in 2018 with sports betting
- Mississippi casino revenues rose in 2018, with patronage noticeably increasing beginning in August, after the state legalized sports betting.
- Sun Herald, 1.19.19 – A Saints Super Bowl could mean a big payout to South Mississippi sports betters
- A New Orleans Saints’ win in the Super Bowl could mean a big payout to fans in South Mississippi.
- The New Orleans Advocate, 1.19.19 – Saints fans invading Mississippi casinos — and at times, both sides have profited
- The success of the Saints has been a good news/bad news proposition for the 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos in the state’s first year of legalized sports betting.
New York:
- Sports Handle, 1.18.19 – New York Sports Betting Still Faces Constitutional Roadblock
- There’s been plenty of rhetoric in New York this week with regards to sports betting, and by the middle of the week, talk gave way to action when Senator Joseph Addabbo (D-District 15) introduced SO 1490, which proposes a constitutional amendment that would permit legal sports betting at racetracks, OTB facilities, on mobile platforms, and in “any constitutionally authorized casino facility.”
- New York Upstate, 1.18.19 – Online sports bets in Massachusetts could leave New York surrounded
- On-site sports betting is probably coming to New York this year, but a legal online version is likely to be delayed. Yet New Yorkers won’t have to look far to find it.
New Jersey:
- The Press of Atlantic City, 1.18.19 – Ocean Resort Casino tenants in the dark on new owner
- It’s been more than a week since it was revealed Ocean Resort Casino would be changing hands, and there’s still no word on what company is taking over.
- Play NJ, 1.18.19 – It’s Business As Usual For Ocean Online Casino Despite Ownership Changes
- There’s a mystery buyer ready to invest some serious money in Ocean Resort Casino.
West Virginia:
- Play WV, 1.18.19 – WV Sports Betting Heavyweights Begin To Emerge
- West Virginia sports betting has been live for more than four months, and some leaders are starting to emerge.
Illinois:
- Chicago Tribune, 1.18.19 – Editorial: Keeping City Hall — and corruption — out of a Chicago casino
- Mayor Rahm Emanuel again is trying to put a casino in Chicago, part of his plan to salvage city pensions.
Indiana:
- Tribune-Star, 1.17.19 – Gary seeks part of profits from potential Terre Haute casino
- If Terre Haute lands a casino, it is clear that it will come from relocating an existing gaming license from elsewhere in Indiana.
Sports League News:
- Motley Fool, 1.16.19 – Caesars Becomes the NFL’s Official Casino, With a Key Restriction
- Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR) grabbed the last of the sports-betting crown jewels when it signed on as the official casino for the National Football League (NFL).
iDEA Growth Member News:
- Sports Handle, 1.18.19 – PointsBet Brings High-Risk Spread Betting Concept From Down Under To New Jersey
- When logging on to PointsBet.com for the first time, a bettor may be surprised to learn that the site’s wide sampling of offerings bears closer resemblance to the options market than a traditional sportsbook.
Overall Industry News:
- Bloomberg, 1.20.19 – Sports Betting Is Legal. Watch Out.
- Since ancient Rome, gambling on athletic events has been a fun, popular and hugely ill-advised pastime. Now states across the U.S. are racing to legalize it.
- Forbes, 1.18.19 – Sportsbooks Get Creative With Virginia-Duke NCAAB Sports Betting Options
- In what is undoubtedly the most highly anticipated college basketball matchup of the weekend, and possibly the season up to this point, the Duke Blue Devils host the Virginia Cavaliers in a battle between two of the nation’s top programs.
- Barron’s (subscription required), 1.18.19 – I’m a Sports Fan. But I Don’t Like to Bet on the Games. Here’s Why.
- I go back a long way as a sports fan.
- ESPN, 1.21.29- The Family Vice
- It was illegal, and it ruined him. But we could talk about it. It was, in fact, about the only thing in his life that wasn’t secret, and for that I’ll always be grateful to the great god of gambling, which despite its hunger and bloody fangs gave us point spreads and football Sundays together.
- The Sports Daily, 1.20.19 – What Are Online Casino Games? Each Type Of Game Explained
- Did you know that as of 2018 there where roughly ten million online casinos worldwide? This is because online gambling has grown so popular.
- Baltimore Post-Examiner, 1.18.19 – 4 Things We Learned about Online Gaming in 2018
- Another year has come and gone, so what exactly did we learn from 2018. With major developments in augmented and virtual reality, and new titles like Fortnite shooting straight into the viral stratosphere, what can we take away from such an exciting year?