Industry News of the Day for January 27, 2021

iDEA Growth Member News

• Sportsbook Review, 1.26.21 – GeoComply Data Shows Drastic Move From Black Market To Legal Sports Betting
  • Conscious Gaming, “a philanthropic organization committed to utilizing advanced technology to propel social responsibility initiatives” has been busy analyzing the legal sports betting trends within the U.S. market.
• Yahoo! Sports, 1.27.21 – Entain, EPIC Partner To Help NCAA Athletes Navigate New Sports Betting Pressures
  • Entain’s U.S.-based non-profit is partnering with EPIC Risk Management to educate college students, and athletes in particular, about the potential dangers associated with the rapidly expanding sports betting industry.
• PlayIA, 1.26.21 – Ready For The Super Bowl? 888 Sportsbook Gets Final Stamp Of Approval; Online Launch Imminent
  • The continuing rollout of new online sports betting apps in Iowa doesn’t look like it will slow down anytime soon. Last week, the final regulatory hurdle for 888 Sportsbook became a thing of the past, opening the door for what could be the state’s next operator.
• PlayVirginia, 1.26.21 – A Look At Virginia’s Staggered But Successful Sports-Betting Debut
  • Legal sports betting in Virginia kicked off with industry giants FanDuel and DraftKings, as well as the surprise addition of the Washington Football Team, this past week.
• SBC Americas, 1.27.21 – FanDuel To Provide Real-Time PGA TOUR Highlights On Sportsbook App
  • FanDuel Group has announced this week that it will commence providing real-time highlights of PGA TOUR golf events to FanDuel Sportsbook app users.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.26.21 – DraftKings Ready for Record-Breaking Super Bowl After Historic Championship Weekend
  • How busy was Championship Sunday for online sportsbooks? At DraftKings, Championship Sunday was big.
• SBC Americas, 1.27.21 – DraftKings Announces Addition Of NFL Video Highlights On Apps
  • In the wake of the recent NFL Conference Championship games, DFS and sportsbook operator DraftKings has announced that it will debut NFL-produced video content on its sportsbook and daily fantasy apps.
• iGB North America, 1.27.21 – DraftKings Joins NBA’s Charlotte Hornets As Official DFS Partner
  • Daily fantasy and sports betting operator DraftKings has entered into a new partnership with the North Carolina-based Charlotte Hornets, of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Overall Industry News:

• Associated Press, 1.26.21 – Different Types Of Gambling, Media Converging For Growth
  • The many different types of gambling are quickly coming together with each other and with media outlets — and Wall Street is taking notice.
• iGB North America, 1.27.21 – Las Vegas Sands Appoints Robert Goldstein As New CEO
  • Long-serving executive Robert Goldstein will serve as Las Vegas Sands’ chairman and chief executive officer following the passing of the casino giant’s founder Sheldon Adelson.

Massachusetts:

• Sports Handle, 1.26.21 – First Sports Betting Bill Of 2021 Filed In Massachusetts
  • Two years after nearly a dozen sports betting bills were filed in Massachusetts, Sen. Brendan Crighton became the first in 2021 to re-file and restart the push for legalization.

Connecticut:

• Associated Press, 1.26.21 – Connecticut Lawmakers Considering Sports Wagering Once Again
  • Connecticut lawmakers were urged Tuesday to finally legalize sports betting and internet gambling after years of debate, but it’s clear disagreement still remains as to whether the state’s federally recognized tribes have exclusive rights to that kind of wagering — an issue that has stymied the state’s efforts in the past.
• CT Mirror, 1.26.21 – Lamont Edges Close To Deal On Sports Betting. Just Don’t Ask For Odds
  • For a full five seconds, Gov. Ned Lamont was the picture of unshakable confidence Tuesday when asked about the prospect of finally cutting a deal with the tribal owners of Connecticut’s two casinos over the rights to sports betting.
• The Hartford Courant, 1.26.21 – Rivals Seeking Sports Betting Franchise In Connecticut Make Their Case To State Lawmakers Hammering Out A Gambling Rewrite
  • The two sides vying for access to sport betting made their cases Tuesday to state lawmakers who say they are closing in on legislation reworking gambling in Connecticut.
• The Day, 1.26.21 – Gaming Forum Marked By Talk Of Compromise On Sports Betting
  • The future of gambling in Connecticut may have started to take shape on Tuesday as the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, one of the major players in that future, announced their involvement in the reopening of an iconic casino in Puerto Rico.

New York:

• US Bets, 1.26.21 – Analyzing New York State’s Complex Casinos Law: Is Manhattan Getting One Next?
  • In the fast-paced world of U.S. gambling expansion, the Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act of 2013 seems like ancient history.

Pennsylvania

• Penn Bets, 1.26.21 – PA Participation In Online Poker Compact Just Became Far More Likely, But Timing Is Iffy
  • The chill that has long frozen Pennsylvania’s intent to join an interstate poker compact was relieved by a federal court ruling last week, but it’s too soon to provide a timetable for when the games with players in other states might actually begin.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.26.21 – Responsible Gambling Efforts Ramp Up In Pennsylvania During Challenging Year
  • As Pennsylvanians discover increased options and methods for gambling available to them, new resources to help prevent and treat problem gambling have arrived as well as part of the state’s ongoing effort to promote responsible gambling.

Virginia:

• The Baltimore Sun, 1.26.21 – Virginia Sports Betting: BetMGM Sportsbook To Launch Wednesday
  • BetMGM Sportsbook will launch online sports betting in Virginia this Wednesday, Jan. 27, sources tell The Action Network.
• PlayVirginia, 1.27.21 – BetRivers Sportsbook Debuting In Virginia On Wednesday
  • BetRivers Sportsbook will debut in Virginia on Wednesday, according to an official announcement from the sportsbook’s parent company Rush Street Interactive.
• PlayVirginia, 1.26.21 – Virginia Sports Bettors May Get To Wager On Olympics, After All
  • Virginia lawmakers are looking to clean up some language that could open the door for more sports-betting licenses, as well as Olympics betting.

Maryland:

• The Action Network, 1.26.21 – Maryland Online Sports Betting Takes Shape With Non-Profit Licensing Bill
  • A Maryland legislative committee hearing on Tuesday shed light on a proposed sports betting license for a nonprofit organization, the next step for lawmakers as they determine which entities will be eligible for sportsbooks.

Tennessee:

• Associated Press, 1.26.21 – Tennessee Sports Betting Tax Revenue Hits $5.4M In 2 Months
  • Tennessee’s online-only sports betting program has seen $312.3 million in gross wagers in its first two months, yielding $5.4 million in privilege taxes, officials said Tuesday.
• PlayTenn, 1.27.21 – Tennessee Keeps Hitting Record Numbers With $180 Million In December Wagers
  • The Tennessee Education Lottery (TEL) has released revenue reports for Tennessee sports betting in the month of December.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 1.26.21 – Patience Is A Virtue: Michigan Online Poker Players Await Their Turn For Launch
  • There has been a lot of excitement surrounding last week’s launch of legal online casinos and sportsbooks in Michigan. However, poker players will need to be a little more patient as they await the first legal online poker rooms to start dealing hands.

Minnesota:

• Sports Handle, 1.26.21 – Keep Talking: Minnesota Lawmakers Open Sports Betting Discussion
  • A pair of Minnesota lawmakers hosted a virtual press conference Tuesday morning to formally announce they’ll be filing sports betting legislation, and they all but implored their peers to create a safe, legal environment for bettors.
• Fox 9, 1.26.21 – ‘We Need To Legalize It’: Sports Betting Gets Another Push In Minnesota Legislature
  • With the Super Bowl just two weeks away, a pair of state lawmakers is once again trying to legalize sports betting.

Illinois:

• Sports Handle, 1.26.21 – Hawthorne Set To Open First OTB Non-Casino Sportsbook In Illinois
  • Hawthorne Race Course will have the first non-casino, off-track betting site with a sportsbook in Illinois starting Wednesday when its newly remodeled Club Hawthorne opens in Crestwood with PointsBet as its operator.

Iowa:

• PlayIA, 1.26.21 – Iowa Casinos Looking For Relief From Promotional Play Tax
  • Iowa casinos going through a tough time during the coronavirus pandemic might soon catch a break. The Senate Ways and Means Committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would make it so that casinos no longer need to pay taxes on promotional play.

Georgia:

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1.27.21 – Georgia Republican Lawmaker Again Files Casino Gambling Bill
  • A Savannah Republican lawmaker is again pushing legislation that would ask Georgia voters if they believe casino gambling should be allowed in the state.

Colorado:

• The Colorado Sun, 1.26.21 – Colorado Sports Betting Is Popular Enough To Quickly Benefit State Water Projects After All
  • Jared Polis’ administration thought sports wagering would get off to a slow start, limiting payments to Colorado’s Water Plan until at least the second full year of betting.
• Associated Press, 1.26.21 – Colorado Sports Gambling Industry Reports Over $1B In Wagers
  • Colorado’s new sports betting industry reported nearly $1.2 billion in wagers from May to December 2020.