Industry News of the Day for January 27, 2020

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 1.25.20 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: VT, DC, MI, More Letters!
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories and rounding up key stories in the world (and industry) of legal U.S. sports betting.
• WSN, 1.24.20 – Kansas And Missouri Lawmakers Eye Sports Betting Legislation
  • Even though it is too late to get sports betting into Kansas and Missouri for next week’s Super Bowl featuring the region’s beloved Kansas City Chiefs, lawmakers from both states are inching their way closer to pursuing legal wagering.

Overall Industry News:

• The Las Vegas Sun, 1.27.20 – Gaming In 2020: Five Things To Watch
  • 2020 promises to bring even more disruption to the gaming industry worldwide. Here are five things to watch for in the coming year.

Pennsylvania:

• Online Poker Report, 1.24.20 – FanDuel’s First Eponymous Online Casino Goes Live In Pennsylvania
  • The list of Pennsylvania online casinos grew again on Friday. Users of the FanDuel Sportsbook app were treated to a notification revealing online slots and table games newly available within the same interface.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.24.20 – FanDuel Casino App Launches In PA With Popular Slots, Table Games
  • FanDuel, though a partnership with Valley Forge Casino and Boyd Gaming, debuted its online casino in Pennsylvania on Jan. 24.
• SBC Americas, 1.27.20 – Betfred Powers Wind Creek Sportsbook And Pennsylvania Mobile Betting
  • Privately-owned bookmaker Betfred will provide its full sportsbook service at Wind Creek Casino & Resort Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, subject to regulatory approval.

California:

• Law360, 1.24.20 – Tribes Push For Sports Betting With Ballot Proposal (subscription paywall)
  • A group of 18 federally recognized Native American gambling tribes has proposed a California ballot initiative that would allow sports betting at the state’s tribal casinos and horse racing tracks.

Washington:

• Gambling Compliance, 1.27.20 – Washington State Lawmakers Face Tight Deadline To Pass Sports-Betting Bills (subscription paywall)
  • Lawmakers in Washington State have been considering several sports-betting bills since the start of the 2020 legislative session, but they face a hard deadline in terms of passing any legislation and sending it to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Kentucky:

• PlayIndiana, 1.24.20 – Kentucky Rep. Adam Koenig Says Sports Betting An “Urban-Rural” Issue For The State
  • Kentucky sports betting got off to a fast start in the state. The bill to allow sportsbooks at Kentucky horse racing tracks and the Kentucky Speedway already sailed through committee with a unanimous vote.
• Kentucky Today, 1.26.20 – KBC Leader Says Sports Wagering No Safe Bet For Kentucky
  • Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director-Treasurer Dr. Todd Gray is urging Kentuckians to call their legislators and tell them they oppose gambling.

Illinois:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.24.20 – Will Illinois Lead The Way On ‘Commercially Reasonable’ Pricing Rules For Official League Data?
  • Illinois appears poised to provide the first regulatory view of what the buzzphrase “commercially reasonable” means in sports betting.
• Sports Handle, 1.24.20 – Illinois Gaming Board Releases Phase 2 Sports Wagering Rule
  • The Illinois Gaming Board moved the Land of Lincoln another step closer to entering the sports wagering market late Thursday afternoon when it released Phase 2 of its sports wagering rules.
• iGaming Business, 1.24.20 – Illinois Launches Second Phase Of Sports Betting Rules
  • The Illinois Gaming Board has released the phase two rules for sports betting, setting out the technical regulations and operating requirements for wagering in the state.

Indiana:

• Associated Press, 1.25.20 – Indiana Allowing Wagers On Who’ll Win Oscars Next Month
  • Indiana is giving gamblers a chance to put down wagers on who’ll be winners in next month’s Academy Awards.
• Evansville Courier & Press, 1.27.20 – Congrats, Indiana: You Can Now Bet On Oscars. Will Politics Be Next?
  • Last week, the commission declared that Indiana casinos are now allowed to take bets on the Academy Awards.
• WTTV, 1.24.20 – Oscar Betting Raises Concerns About Future Gaming Expansion
  • It’s now legal to place bets on the winners of the Oscars in Indiana. While some feel this expansion of gaming is going too far, others are excited about the opportunity.

Ohio:

• WBNS, 1.24.20 – How Close Are Ohioans To Legally Wagering On Sporting Events? Answer Remains In Limbo
  • With the Super Bowl and March Madness around the corner, how soon will Ohioans be able to place a legal bet on sporting event in the state?

Missouri:

• London Daily Post, 1.25.20 – Missouri To Legalize Sports Betting; Other States To Follow Suit
  • Missouri State Rep. Wes Rogers, a democrat from Kansas City, has said that sports gambling is a straight forward task where casinos build the books, and gamblers bet.

Iowa:

• Sioux City Journal, 1.27.20 – Iowa Expected To Score Big With Super Bowl Bets
  • State-regulated casinos could be the big Super Bowl winner as Kansas City Chiefs fans and others living in neighboring states where sports gambling is illegal come to Iowa to legally wager on America’s most-popular betting athletic event.
• KMTV, 1.24.20 – Iowa Sports Books Prepare For First Super Bowl Since State Legalized Sports Betting
  • According to the American Gaming Association (AGA). with sports betting now legal in 14 states, they expect 1.2 million more Americans to place sports bets this year compared to last year.
• PlayIA, 1.24.20 – December Didn’t Bring Tidings Of Joy For Iowa Sportsbooks As Handle Fell
  • The final month of 2019 was more stingy than generous for legal sportsbooks in the Hawkeye State. The December sports betting numbers across the state represented a small decline.

Michigan:

• Crain’s Detroit Business, 1.26.20 – Casinos Go All In On Sports Bets
  • Detroit’s three casinos are betting big on sports gambling with expectations for the newly legal activity to generate a fresh customer base and millions of dollars in additional revenue.
• CBS Detroit, 1.24.20 – Sports Betting Coming Soon To Michigan Casinos
  • Last month Governor Whitmer signed a bill making sports betting legal in Michigan. Now local casinos are getting ready to roll the dice.

Washington, D.C.:

• PlayUSA, 1.24.20 – Handle19 Wants To Both The First And Most Unique Sportsbook In Washington, DC
  • Handle19 DC Sportsbook wants to become another DC landmark, not only for sports bettors but for everyone.

Virginia:

• WTVR, 1.24.20 – Online Lotto Ticket Sales May Be Coming To Virginia
  • Virginia is among four states that allow players 18-years-old and older to purchase online lotto subscriptions. However, a bill debated by lawmakers in the General Assembly would introduce more ways to win a jackpot.

West Virginia:

• EGR North America, 1.24.20 – West Virginia Expects To Launch iGaming In June (subscription paywall)
  • West Virginia is expected to launch igaming in June 2020 once the regulator has filed its emergency rules with the legislator.

Colorado:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.24.20 – Colorado Sports Betting Allowed In May But Will Operators Be Ready?
  • Colorado sports betting can’t officially begin until May 1, but plenty of potential operators are lining up to get approved before then.
• Colorado Politics, 1.24.20 – Colorado Gaming Regulator Prepares To Award First Round Of Sports Betting Licenses
  • Colorado’s gaming regulatory body is prepared to award the state’s very first licenses for sports betting.
• SBC Americas, 1.24.20 – TheScore Gains Access To Colorado Sports Betting Market With JEI
  • Score Media and Gaming, parent firm of theScore, has secured market access to offer mobile sports betting in Colorado via an agreement executed yesterday with a subsidiary of US gaming operator Jacobs Entertainment Inc (JEI).

Wyoming:

• Casper Star-Tribune, 1.26.20 – Driskill: Wyoming Needs A Gaming Commission
  • Whether you are anti-gaming, pro-gaming or a libertarian that hates regulation, the time has come for Wyoming to create a gaming commission.

Oklahoma:

• Public Radio Tulsa, 1.27.20 – Sports Betting Likely Not A Big Deal If Stitt, Tribes Go For New Gaming Compact
  • Oklahomans still can’t legally bet on basketball, football and other events nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for sports betting.

Vermont:

• Valley News, 1.26.20 – Proposals To Expand Gambling In Vermont Get Cool Reception
  • Phil Scott’s proposals to expand gambling in Vermont by legalizing online sports betting and keno, a game similar to bingo, are drawing a mixed response from Democratic lawmakers.

Massachusetts:

• The Boston Globe, 1.24.20 – MGM Believes Its Sports Wagering Approach Is A Good Bet
  • Well after that day in the not-so-distant future when Massachusetts is expected to legalize sports betting, Jim Murren sees MGM’s mobile betting platform, BetMGM, standing alongside DraftKings and only a few other survivors in the currently crowded US sports betting landscape.

New York:

• Lockport Journal, 1.26.20 – Mahoney: Mobile Sports Betting And More Casinos Get Fresh Look At Statehouse
  • New York has casinos, racetracks, video-lottery racinos, off track betting parlors, bingo halls and a long list of lottery games.

Sports League News:

• NJ Online Gambling, 1.24.20 – Stalemate Continues As NJ Horsemen Battle For $150 Million From Sports Leagues
  • New Jersey’s thoroughbred horsemen and their opponents in a $150 mm lawsuit — including the NCAA and NFL — have been unable even to get on the same page for a conference call with the federal magistrate judge handling the case.