Industry News of the Day for January 26, 2024

By iDEA | January 26, 2024

Industry News

  • SBC Americas: Bet365 Debuts Free Peer-To-Peer Fantasy Sports Offering
    • A sports betting operator has debuted a new free-to-play product. British gambling brand bet365 announced a partnership on Thursday with fantasy sports provider Scout Gaming Group to launch “Daily Lineups”, a free-to-play offering that allows users to compete against one another with a team they build. Users build a team of players that accumulate points based on real-time game statistics. Daily Lineups, which was initially launched in North America, has markets available for sports including football, basketball, and golf. As of Jan. 25, Daily Lineups has gone live in Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, Louisiana and New Jersey.
  • SportsHandle: Deep Dive Into Rift Created By Federal Gambling Addiction Bill
    • In October, at the largest annual U.S. gathering of sports betting stakeholders in Las Vegas, word started to get around that a piece of federal legislation funneling 50% of the current sports betting excise tax to problem and responsible gambling initiatives was in the offing. That murmur reached a roar earlier this month, when U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon) introduced the so-called GRIT Act, which quickly exposed a massive rift among gaming stakeholders. Nevada Rep. Dina Titus, long a lead voice in all things gambling on Capitol Hill, said she was blindsided by a bill that opposes a goal she has long sought: to eliminate the excise tax altogether.

California

  • iGaming Business: CNIGA Issues “Warning” After California Sports Betting Initiative Scrapped
    • The California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) has said the failure of another effort to legalise sports betting in California should “be a warning” against future attempts. The two ballots aiming to legalise sports betting would have given tribes the exclusive rights to offer sports betting in California. However, they were scrapped on Monday after fierce opposition from tribes in the state given the proposals outlined. Eagle1 Acquisitions Corp, the group of backers for a proposition to legalise sports betting in California, had made several amendments to its ballot initiative in December in an effort to gain further tribal support.

Florida

  • PlayFL: Hard Rock Becomes 6th Largest U.S. Online Sportsbook Thanks To Florida
    • Hard Rock Bet’s monopoly in the Sunshine State is already paying dividends. Recent data from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming shows that Hard Rock’s hold over Florida online sports betting allowed the operator to become the sixth-largest sportsbook in the US. Hard Rock Bet Florida relaunched last November after the Seminole Tribe won a lengthy legal battle about the 2021 Florida gaming compact. After the DC Court of Appeals overturned a district court ruling from 2021, the compact was the law of the land again. As a result, the tribe’s sportsbook regained its position as the only legal one in the Sunshine State. The compact from nearly three years ago only permitted the tribe to offer online sports betting.

Georgia

  • Legal Sports Report: Bipartisan Georgia Sports Betting Bill Could Be Cause For Optimism
    • A new Georgia sports betting bill could be a sign that key forces are aligning. Republican Sen. Clint Dixon introduced new Georgia sports betting legislation, SB 386, Wednesday, with key co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle. Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler, the chamber’s top-ranking Democrat, is a co-sponsor. Heading into the year, one industry source said, “The stars need to align perfectly for Georgia to pass in 2024.” And the bipartisan support is crucial as the political divide has killed the issue over the past few years. Partisan politics remain a key concern for industry stakeholders moving through the Georgia legislative session.

Maryland

  • Bonus.com: ‘Referendum’ Portion of Maryland Online Casino Bill Is Published On Jan. 25
    • The proposed legislation that may bring an iGaming legalization ballot measure to voters in November became public record on Jan. 25. That’s when SB565 appeared on the Maryland General Assembly‘s list of pending Senate legislation. A complementary Maryland online casino bill is expected to arrive next. In November, Maryland voters may see this question from the Expansion of Commercial Gaming — Internet Gaming Referendum bill: “Do you favor the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize Internet gaming for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education?”

Massachusetts

  • PlayMA: Betr Won’t Renew License, Will Exit Massachusetts Sports Betting Market
    • Betr is a newcomer in the US sports betting market. The Miami-based operator has been making some waves as it plans an expansion of its sports wagering and gaming operations. However, these plans include a hasty exit out of the Massachusetts sports betting market. Betr has announced plans to withdraw from The Bay State in 2024. Betr hit the scene last year as a joint effort between online gambling entrepreneur Joey Levy and social media personality and boxer Jake Paul. There are several reasons as to why the company is getting out of the Massachusetts sports betting scene. But overall performance is a glaring factor.

Missouri

  • PlayUSA: Missouri Senate Devolves Into ‘Absolute Chaos,’ Sets Up Sports Betting Ballot Initiative Opportunity
    • Just weeks into the Missouri legislative session, it’s already clear that the only way Missouri sports betting gets done this year will be through a ballot initiative. Usually, it takes months for the Missouri Senate to break down into bickering and filibusters. This time, the animosity from the end of the last session, heightened by an election year, already has the Missouri Senate at a standstill. Edward Vought, assistant to Rep. Dan Houx, described the situation in Missouri to PlayUSA: “It’s already absolute chaos in the Senate.”

North Carolina

  • NCSharp: North Carolina Casino Expansion Proposal Gets Shelved As Public Outcry Is Exposed
    • A public records request placed by the News and Observer in Oct. 2023 to acquire all emails from the 170 members of the North Carolina House and Senate returned hundreds of emails from constituents opposed to casino gambling expansion. The News and Observer requested all communications from each legislative member for a single day—September 19. On this date, both chambers resolved a budget impasse over the plan to include North Carolina casinos in the bill. The initial controversy arose from state lawmakers prioritizing action to legalize casinos over pending expansions to Medicaid and pay raises for state employees.
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