Industry News of the Day for January 9, 2020

Industry News:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.9.20 – Delaware, West Virginia Sports Betting Annual Reports Start 2019 Roundup
  • 2019 results for Delaware and West Virginia sports betting are in, the first full-year sports betting revenue tallies available.
• Bloomberg, 1.8.20 – Verizon To Expand Sports Betting Venture To Five More States
  • Verizon Communications Inc. got its Yahoo Sports betting venture out of the gate in New Jersey in November, and now plans to expand its online gambling partnership with MGM Resorts International to at least five more states this year.

Overall Industry News:

• SVG News, 1.8.20 – Live From CES: Monumental Sports’ Zach Leonsis Sees Opportunities In ‘Data Visualization And Data As Content’
  • As a decade full of advanced analytics gives way to a future full of high-end graphics and sports-betting content in sports-video production, data is becoming one of sports media’s most valuable resources. At least, that’s the opinion of Zach Leonsis, SVP, strategic initiatives, Monumental Sports & Entertainment/GM, Monumental Sports Network.
• Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1.8.20 – CES Sports Betting Panel Debates Future Of In-Play Wagering
  • In-play wagering, which allows gamblers to place bets during a game, is wildly popular overseas, where it accounts for roughly 80 percent of the action at sportsbooks.

New Jersey:

• NJ Biz, 1.7.20 – NJ Seeks Input To Double Down On Skills For Sports Betting Workforce
  • New Jersey has been increasingly referred to as the nation’s capital or “Mecca” of sports betting, and with the anticipated exploding market, the state wants to gauge just how it can begin training its workforce to staff relevant jobs.
• The Press of Atlantic City, 1.8.20 – Murphy Returning To Atlantic City’s Largest Gaming Conference
  • Phil Murphy has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the gaming industry’s largest conference outside Nevada.

Massachusetts:

• The Boston Glove, 1.9.20 – Mass. Should Step Up On Online Sports Betting
  • New Hampshire and Rhode Island are already in the game, even as another Super Bowl approaches.

Maine:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.9.20 – Final Countdown For Maine Sports Betting Bill Begins For Governor Mills
  • Last year, Gov. Janet Mills punted on making a decision whether to allow state lawmakers to legalize and regulate Maine sports betting.
• Sports Handle, 1.8.20 – Tick Tock: Maine Could Have Legal Sports Betting By Saturday
  • Maine could be the first state usher in legal sports wagering in 2020. That is, if Governor Janet Mills finally decides to sign (or not) LD 553, which lawmakers passed in June 2019.

Vermont:

• Legal Sports Report, 1.8.20 – Vermont Joins Legalization Rush With Mobile-Only Sports Betting Bill
  • Vermont has joined the push to legalize sports betting this year, with a new mobile-only betting bill filed this week.
• iGaming Business, 1.9.20 – Mobile Sports Betting Bill Filed In Vermont
  • Vermont state senators Dick Sears and Michael Sirotkin have filed a bill that would allow mobile, but not land-based, sports betting in the state.

Georgia:

• Sports Handle, 1.8.20 – Georgia Reps Look To Gauge Appetite For Sports Betting At Public Hearing
  • Georgia’s House of Representatives’ Special Committee on Economic Growth will have a public hearing Thursday at Atlanta Motor Speedway that is expected to touch on potential expansion into sports betting, casino gaming, and horse racing in the state.

California:

• Fox, 1.8.20 – Legal Sports Betting: California Among States Set For 2020 Push
  • California state lawmakers held a preliminary hearing on sports betting Wednesday, joining several other states considering legalization in 2020 in a rapid push that could soon eclipse more than half the United States by year-end.
• Legal Sports Report, 1.8.20 – Why The First California Sports Betting Hearing Of 2020 Will Not Have Fireworks
  • The Joint Assembly and Senate Governmental Organization Committees‘ informational hearing won’t feature anyone from California’s Indian gaming tribes, cardrooms or racetracks. It also will not feature online operators who would like to enter the state.
• Gambling Compliance, 1.9.20 – What Is The Best Way To Regulate Sports Betting? California Lawmakers Ask (subscription paywall)
  • California state lawmakers held an informational hearing on sports betting on Wednesday, as they began exploring alternative options to a proposed ballot initiative limited to retail sportsbooks at tribal casinos and racetracks.
• Courthouse News, 1.8.20 – California Takes First Steps Towards Legal Sports Betting
  • California, which likes to tout itself as a vanguard on most policies, has yet to move on sports betting. In fact, it had not held a single hearing on the possibility.

Virginia:

• Gaming Intelligence, 1.9.20 – Virginia Lawmakers Introduce Competing Sports Betting Bills
  • Lawmakers in the US state of Virginia have introduced legislation to authorise sports betting under the authority of the Virginia Lottery and to repeal the current ban on lottery sales via the internet.

Maryland:

• WMDT, 1.8.20 – MD Lawmakers Looks At Legalizing Sports Betting As Part Of Kirwan Funding Solution
  • Now that Maryland’s 2020 legislative session has kicked off, there’s speculation that a bill will be drafted this session that would look to legalize sports betting in Maryland.
• Associated Press, 1.8.20 – A Look At Issues Coming Before The Maryland General Assembly
  • Leading lawmakers say a measure to legalize sports betting in Maryland will get another look this year.

Iowa:

• KTIV, 1.8.20 – In Less Than 4 Months, Hard Rock Takes In More Than $2 Million Solely From Sports Betting Operations
  • Last fall, Sioux City’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened its “sportsbook” operation to allow patrons to place bets on sporting events in person, or online.

Indiana:

• Play Indiana, 1.8.20 – Holcomb Focused On Land-Based Growth Over Online Casinos
  • After a groundbreaking 2019, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb is in no hurry to make the gaming industry in his state over again. The three gambling projects on his radar represent the fulfillment of the existing landscape.

Missouri:

• KBIA, 1.8.20 – Missouri Legislature Convenes With Redistricting And Crime Prevention On Agenda
  • The Missouri General Assembly’s 2020 legislative session began with procedure and ceremony: lawmakers reading the Bill of Rights, new legislators getting sworn in and hundreds of bills being formally introduced. It’s also possible that lawmakers may make headway on expanding and further regulating gambling — including sports betting.

Sports League News:

• Online Poker Report, 1.8.20 – NBA Last 60: Can Virtual Sports Betting Find Real Success In The US?
  • Gamesys Group Plc, which operates New Jersey online casinos for Virgin and Tropicana, announced a content deal with Spin Games LLC this week. Along with a few new slot titles, the deal includes the virtual sports betting game NBA Last 60.