Industry News of the Day for January 31, 2020

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Gambling.Com, 1.30.20 – Maryland Sports Betting Bills Face Critical Decisions (iDEA Growth mentioned)
  • Maryland’s sports-betting prospects look better than ever after discussions in Annapolis earlier this week.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• PlayNJ, 1.30.20 – NJ Gaming News: Super Bowl Betting, Need We Say More? (DraftKings)
  • Here is a look at the stories making headlines in the New Jersey gambling world this week.

Industry News:

• Politifact, 1.31.20 – Sports Betting In The US: Where Do States Stand?
  • Sports betting is big business in the United States, and the Super Bowl is, well, the Super Bowl of sports gambling.

Overall Industry News:

• US Bets, 1.30.20 – US-Facing Online Sportsbook Partners With Chess World Championship
  • Chess wagering via regulated online/mobile sportsbooks in the U.S. might have taken one step closer to becoming a reality under a major sponsorship deal announced Thursday.
• Fox Business, 1.30.20 – Hooters Partners With Sports Betting Website To Bring Odds To Diners In These 3 States
  • Hooters is partnering with a sports betting website and an advertising company to help diners in some states enjoy a side of gambling with their chicken wings.

Sports League News:

• Associated Press, 1.31.20 – How To Bet On The Super Bowl As Legal Sports Betting Spreads
  • With legal sports betting continuing to spread in the U.S., this year’s Super Bowl is likely to be among the most wagered-on championship games ever.
• Sports Handle, 1.31.20 – Heads, Goal Line Score And MVPs: Staff Props For Super Bowl LIV
  • As legal sports wagering expands across the country at a rapid pace, millions of new bettors have been introduced to the expansive prop menus offered by top sportsbooks on Super Bowl Sunday (also known as the “Big Game.”)

New Jersey:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.30.20 – Will New Jersey Set The National Pace For Esports Betting?
  • New Jersey is taking steps towards more widespread esports betting.

Pennsylvania:

• Online Poker Report, 1.30.20 – BetRivers, BetAmerica Join PA Online Casino Boom Ahead Of Super Bowl
  • Pennsylvania has two new online casinos this week following successive launches from BetRivers and BetAmerica.
• PlayPennsylvania, 1.30.20 – BetRivers Casino Live In PA: Make It 8 Casinos, 8 Sportsbooks Now Online
  • Just in advance of Super Bowl weekend, BetRivers Online Casino joins the existing Rivers Casino Pittsburgh online sportsbook, also operating under the BetRivers name.

Connecticut:

• WSHU, 1.30.20 – Bill Pushes Online Sports Betting At Connecticut Casinos
  • Connecticut lawmakers say they want to mandate Governor Ned Lamont to reopen negotiations with the state’s two federally recognized Native American tribes to offer online sports betting at existing and any future casinos.
• Journal Inquirer, 1.30.20 – Backing For Expanded Gambling
  • Lawmakers said they’re ready to legalize sports gambling and internet betting as a bipartisan group of legislators united Wednesday to lend their support to a comprehensive gambling package, but a deal with the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans still must be finalized.

Massachusetts:

• Milford Daily News, 1.30.20 – With Sports Betting Bills Stuck In Committee, Mass. Will Sit Out Super Bowl Wagering
  • Ahead of one of the biggest sports betting events on the calendar, Gov. Charlie Baker acknowledged Thursday that he has failed to make progress toward legalizing sports betting in Massachusetts.

Virginia:

• Sports Handle, 1.30.20 – Virginia Is For Sports Bettors? Two Bills Making Moves
  • When the D.C. Council in December 2018 approved legal sports wagering, it did so with the idea that it would capture the regional market well ahead of neighbors Virginia and Maryland.

West Virginia:

• Associated Press, 1.30.20 – New Tech Vendor To Handle Sports Betting At 2 WVa Casinos
  • A casino operator has signed an agreement with a technology vendor to replace another one whose contract dispute caused a shutdown of sports betting at two West Virginia casinos.

Washington:

• Associated Press, 1.30.20 – Push To Allow Online Sports Betting In Washington State
  • A owner of a company that owns 19 private gambling rooms across Washington state on Thursday spoke in support of a bill that would authorize sports betting, including on mobile devices.
• Law360, 1.30.20 – State House Committee OKs Tribal Sports Betting Bill (subscription paywall)
  • Washington state lawmakers on Thursday pushed forward a bill to allow sports betting at the state’s tribal casinos, looking to become the latest state to legalize the activity, though it would fall short of allowing online and mobile betting that has proved to be dominant in other states.
• KOMO News, 1.30.20 – Washington State Lawmakers Mull Legalizing Sports Betting
  • With the Super Bowl just a few days away, it could be legal in Washington state for sports betting as lawmakers mull whether to allow it.

California:

• KSBY, 1.31.20 – Pair Of Lawmakers And Coalition Of Native American Tribes Push For Sports Betting In CA
  • Though many of us have our predictions about whether the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers will win the Super Bowl on Sunday, sports betting is not currently legal in California. But a pair of lawmakers and a coalition of Native American tribes is working to change that.

Iowa:

• Gambling Compliance, 1.31.20 – A Rookie Among Sports-Betting States Aims To Cash In On Super Bowl Sunday (subscription paywall)
  • Bordered by six states that do not allow sports betting, Iowa is primed for a huge payday on Sunday when 18 of its 19 casinos will take bets on the Super Bowl for the first time.
• PlayIA, 1.30.20 – Advantage Hawkeye State: Why Iowa’s Sports Betting Rules Are Superior To Illinois’
  • Because multiple states have legalized sports betting, sportsbook operators have choices of where they want to open up shop. The latest proposed Illinois sports betting rules make Iowa a superior option.
• KWQC, 1.30.20 – Busy Week For Sports Betting In Iowa Ahead Of The Super Bowl
  • Iowans can now legally bet on the Super Bowl, placing bets on this Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and 49ers.

Ohio:

• The Columbus Dispatch, 1.30.20 – Penn National Buys Stake In Barstool Sports, Prepares For Legal Sports Gambling In Ohio
  • Hollywood Casino operator Penn National Gaming recently acquired a 36% stake in Barstool Sports, making it the online site’s exclusive gambling partner for the next four decades and putting the company in a prime position to take advantage of legalized sports gambling in Ohio.

Illinois:

• Chicago Tribune, 1.31.20 – Legal Illinois Sports Betting Won’t Be Ready For The Super Bowl, But Should Be Live By March Madness
  • They won’t be ready by Super Bowl Sunday, but it’s a good bet the first Illinois sports books will be open by March Madness.

Missouri:

• Sports Handle, 1.30.20 – Missouri Bill With Royalty, Data Mandate Passes Committee
  • The potential legalization of sports wagering took another step forward in Missouri on Wednesday when a new bill that would regulate sports betting, as well as video lottery terminals, cleared the state’s House Special Committee on Government Oversight and is now headed to the House floor.

Indiana:

• Fox 59, 1.31.20 – Butler University Announces Policy Prohibiting School Sports Betting By Faculty, Students
  • Butler University has put a new policy in place to prohibit betting on school sports events by trustees, faculty, staff and students.

Kentucky:

• Louisville Courier Journal, 1.31.20 – Bill That Would Legalize Sports Betting In Kentucky Is In Doubt… If Not ‘In Trouble’
  • Two weeks after clearing committee like a locomotive, a bill that would bring legalized sports betting to Kentucky appears to be running short on steam.
• Louisville Courier Journal, 1.31.20 – Andy Beshear’s Biggest Revenue Measure May Be In Trouble Already
  • Beshear’s biggest revenue measure, legalizing and taxing sports betting, may be in trouble.
• PlayIndiana, 1.30.20 – Kentucky Governor’s Budget Plans Include A Big Push For Sports Betting
  • Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wasn’t bashful about his support for gambling expansion at any point in his run for the office. With his first Kentucky budget proposal, he is pressing that issue again.

Florida:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.30.20 – 2020 Vision: Conditions Still Look Swampy For Florida Sports Betting
  • Florida Rep. David Santiago walked to the microphone in an aisle at the National Council of Legislators for Gaming States conference earlier this month. He asked panelists the question on the mind of all legislators in the Sunshine State: Does authorizing Florida sports betting count as an expansion of gambling?

Georgia:

• Georgia Public Broadcasting, 1.31.20 – Major League Sports Organizations Push For Mobile Sports Betting
  • Four of the major league professional sports teams based in Atlanta are teaming up to push for legalization of some forms of sports betting in Georgia.

Arkansas:

• 4029 News, 1.31.20 – Arkansans To Place First Legal Bets On The Super Bowl
  • Super Bowl 54 marks the first time Arkansans can make a wager on the big game. Three locations in the Natural State will take those bets — the first time in state history.

Oklahoma:

• Tulsa World, 1.30.20 – Oklahoma Senate Leader Takes No Stand On Tribal Gaming Compacts
  • While three of the state’s legislative leaders say the gaming compacts with the state automatically renewed, Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat isn’t so sure.

Montana:

• KTVH, 1.30.20 – Court Denies Injunction In Sports Wagering License Lawsuit
  • The judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging sports betting rules in Montana, has denied an injunction that would have stopped the Montana Lottery from issuing sports wagering licenses until the lawsuit was resolved.

Nevada:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.30.20 – Nevada Sports Betting Still Reigns In First Full Year Of National Competition
  • Another year, another record for Nevada sports betting handle as 2019’s total grew to $5.3 billion, up 6.2% from last year’s total.
• US Bets, 1.30.20 – Nevada Sports Betting Handle Soars To $5.3B In 2019
  • According to Nevada figures made public Thursday, the books handled $5.31 billion in wagers in 2019, up from last year’s record of $5.01 billion. Revenue grew 9.5% in 2019 to $329.1 million.
• PlayUSA, 1.30.20 – The NFL Is About To Make A Huge Impact On Las Vegas – Here’s How
  • The NFL is about to make a significant impact on Las Vegas, and the Raiders moving to town is only the beginning.

New Mexico:

• KVIA, 1.30.20 – Only Casino Sports Book In Southern New Mexico Expects To See Hefty Super Bowl Wagering
  • In the state of New Mexico, gamblers can place their bets legally at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Sports Book.