Industry News of the Day for January 24, 2019

Industry News:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.24.19 – Sports Betting Bill Roundup: New Legislation Pops Up in Arizona, Hawaii
  • As anticipated to begin the new year, the appetite for legalized, state-regulated sports betting has surged.
• Play USA, 1.23.19 – As New Sports Betting States Compete, A Look At The Revenue Numbers
  • Sports betting in the US is now available in eight states. For some, it has created an instant revenue boom, while others haven’t fared as well as they initially hoped.

Washington, DC:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.23.19 – DC Sports Betting Bill Signed By Mayor But It’s Not A Law Just Yet
  • The DC sports betting appears bill headed for success after Mayor Muriel Bowser signed it Thursday.

Massachusetts:

• Online Poker Report, 1.23.19 – Massachusetts Treasurer Insists Lawmakers Include Online Lottery In Gambling Expansion
  • The Massachusetts state treasurer has a simple message for lawmakers: If you legalize online sports betting, you better be prepared to authorize the Massachusetts Lottery to sell products online.
• Boston Herald, 1.24.19 – Regulators to consider reopening bid process for southeastern Massachusetts casino
  • Gaming regulators are meeting today to discuss the next steps in deciding whether to reopen a bidding process for a southeastern Massachusetts casino.
• The Herald News, 1.22.19 – Southeast casino, Wynn lawsuit on Gaming Commission agenda
  • The possibility of a third resort casino will be on the table Thursday when state officials meet to discuss how they might move forward with re-starting the bidding process for the southeastern Massachusetts casino license.
• Lowell Sun, 1.23.19 – Treasurer pushes online lottery sales as legalized sports betting advances
  • If Massachusetts lawmakers are going to legalize sports betting and allow people to place wagers online or through smartphone apps, the Massachusetts Lottery must also be granted the authority to sell its gaming products online, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said Tuesday.

New York:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.24.19 – NY Sports Betting Revenue Not Included in Governor Cuomo’s Budget
  • Governor Andrew Cuomo continues to send mixed messages about his desire to start regulated NY sports betting.

Pennsylvania:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.23.29 – PA Sports Betting Off To Reasonably Fast Start Despite High Tax Rate
  • Pennsylvania sports betting tallied $16 million in wagers and $2 million in handle during December.
• PA Online Casino, 1.23.19 – PA Casinos Had Record 2018, But 2019 Will Blow It Out Of The Water
  • The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) released the PA casino total revenue numbers for 2018, and the news is mostly positive. Once again, the Keystone State’s 12 casinos combined to hit a new all-time high in gaming revenue.

Michigan:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.23.19 – Michigan Lawmaker Calls Wire Act Opinion ‘Bunk’, ‘Irrelevant’ To Sports Betting
  • Michigan Rep. Brandt Iden called last week’s Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion on the scope of the Wire Act “pretty irrelevant” to his efforts to legalize sports betting and online gambling in the state.

Arizona:

• Sports Handle, 1.24.19 – Arizona Bill Would Legalize Tribal Sports Betting
  • A new Arizona Senate bill that would legalize tribal sports betting was introduced Wednesday, making Arizona the first state to consider legalizing sports betting on Indian reservations only. SB 1158 would amend current Arizona statutes to allow sports wagering on reservations, but nowhere else.

California:

• The Press-Enterprise, 1.23.19 – The high limit gaming experience is changing at Southern California casinos, here’s how
  • Make your way past the flashing lights and noise of the regular gaming floor at a Southern California casino and you will likely find more secluded spaces, where the minimum bets are much higher and the experience is elevated to match.

Connecticut:

• AP, 1.22.19 – State increases estimates for casino slot machine revenue
  • State officials say they are raising their estimates for slot machine revenue from Connecticut’s two casinos.

New Jersey:

• AP, 1.23.19 – Atlantic City told to pay new casino tax appeal settlement
  • Atlantic City will again be forced to pay out millions to settle casino tax appeals just a year after they were told all issues were settled.
• Play NJ, 1.23.19 – Strict Enforcement Of The New DOJ Wire Act Opinion Could Spell Doom For Atlantic City
  • A Nov. 2, 2018, Department of Justice opinion (released earlier this month) reversing a 2011 DOJ opinion on the 1961 Wire Act has left the gaming industry with far more questions than answers.
• NJ Online Gambling, 1.23.19 – NJ Horse Racing Subsidy Bill Still In Flux, And Clock Is Ticking For Tracks
  • When the New Jersey Senate unanimously passed a horse racing subsidy bill in mid-December, it seemed as if the struggling industry would be able to take its first collective deep breaths in a decade.
• NJ Gambling Sites, 1.23.19 – NJ Online Gambling Has Taken Off, In Large Part Thanks To Out-Of-State Users
  • Sports betting in the state received the green light in June 2018. And since then, NJ sports betting has taken off, leading to $1.2 billion in accepted wagers since launch. To boot, NJ online gambling has grown into a beast, setting state revenue records in each of the past three months, including an astronomical $29 million in revenue in December.
• NJ Gambling Sites, 1.23.19 – Rush Street Gets Fined By NJ Regulators For Illegal Underage Online Gambling
  • The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement fined Rush Street Interactive NJ (RSI) for an underage online gambling incident.

Virginia:

• WTKR, 1.23.19 – Casino legislation passes first hurdle, but challenges remain
  • Could there really be two casinos in Hampton Roads? Right now, debate continues on proposals to build casinos in Norfolk and Portsmouth and for now everything remains on the table.

Minnesota:

• Star Tribune, 1.23.19 – Some lawmakers want legal sports betting in Minnesota, but opposition will be fierce
  • Advocates of legalized sports betting in Minnesota are urging the Legislature to allow wagers on their favorite athletic contests, drawing hope from a wave of states across the country that have done so in the past year.

Federal News:

• The Hill, 1.23.19 – DOJ opinion will help protect kids from dangers of online gambling
  • Shocking a gambling establishment working to place 24/7 gambling on every cell phone and video game, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Jan. 14 dealt a significant blow to online gambling.

Sports League News:

• Forbes, 1.23.19 – LPGA Invests In Shot-Tracking System In Anticipation Of Legalized Sports Gambling
  • As legalized gambling is moving into more and more states, sports leagues are working quickly to be ready to facilitate the ability of their fans to consume their games and events in this entirely new way.
• The Baltimore Sun, 1.22.19 – Former Terps star McMillen predicts ‘major gambling scandal’ tied to college sports betting in future
  • Former Maryland congressman and basketball star Tom McMillen is urging Gov. Larry Hogan and legislative leaders “to take all necessary steps” to avoid a college athletics betting scandal if the state legalizes gambling on football, basketball and other sports.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.23.19 – Big Game For The Big Game: DraftKings Sportsbook Introduces Super Bowl Squares
  • On Wednesday, ahead of Super Bowl LIII, the DFS and NJ sports betting power unveiled Big Game Squares, a free-to-play contest that boasts total cash prizes of more than $50,000.
• NJ Online Casino, 1.24.19 – Dribble And Drool Over BetStars NJ’s NBA Free Bet Friday
  • Heating up just as the NFL is winding down, the elite basketball league is packed with ways to win some money over the coming weeks.

Overall Industry News:

• CNBC, 1.22.19 – Vice trade fizzles as casino, tobacco stocks slump
  • Casinos such as Wynn and Las Vegas Sands, and tobacco stocks including Altria and Philip Morris, are tumbling. Craig Johnson of Piper Jaffray and Erin Gibbs of S&P Global discuss whether the vice trade could go from bad to worse.
• Legal Sports Report, 1.24.19 – SportsGrid, Elvis Duran Bring Sports Betting To Top 40 Radio Audience
  • SportsGrid and the Elvis Duran Group (EDG) have struck a partnership to expand radio coverage of sports betting and fantasy sports.
• The Sports Daily, 1.22.19 – How Online Gambling Works
  • Online gambling has been around for quite a while and it has seen rapid growth in popularity, but the whole concept still seems new to some individuals.