Industry News of the Day for July 13, 2020

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Betting USA, 7.9.20 – Rhode Island Mobile Sports Betting Takes Overdue Step Forward (iDEA Growth mentioned)
  • Rhode Island’s in-person sports betting requirement will likely end as soon as this month, curtailing a policy industry stakeholders decry as a handicap to legal betting and a boon to unregulated bookmakers.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Forbes, 7.13.20 – Despite Pandemic, New Sports Gambling And Online Gaming Market Entries Proliferate (Ifrah Law, DraftKings, SBTech, GVC Holdings, The Stars Group, Golden Nugget)
  • If someone had told you at the beginning of 2020 that, by March, global sports would largely shut down, with a slow resumption not happening until the summer of 2020, you may have predicted that 2020 would be a bad year for businesses involved in sports wagering, fantasy sports, and iGaming.
• Online Poker Report, 7.10.20 – BetMGM Takes Another Step Towards Pennsylvania Online Casino Launch (GVC Holdings, Golden Nugget)
  • The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) met on Wednesday. One of the items on the agenda was a consent agreement with MGM Resorts International.
• PlayMichigan, 7.10.20 – MGM Is Prepared To Spend, And Spend Big In Michigan Online Gambling Market (GVC Holdings)
  • An executive involved in pushing BetMGM made big a big splash Wednesday about the brand’s future prospects in the US online gambling market.
• PlayPennsylvania, 7.10.20 – Looking To Join The PA Online Poker Party: PartyPoker Nearing Regulatory Approval (GVC Holdings)
  • A second online poker operator – partypoker PA – is likely for Pennsylvania as early as August. The partypoker platform, now owned by GVC Holdings, is already in use in New Jersey.
• PlayUSA, 7.10.20 – Rocky Mountain Hi: DraftKings Introduces Temporary Retail Sportsbook In Colorado
  • In opening a temporary brick-and-mortar July 10 at Mardi Gras Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado, DraftKings introduced its seventh retail sportsbook in a fifth state.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 7.11.20 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: Rhode Island, Denver Broncos, More
  • Here’s the weekend (or fashionably late) Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top U.S. sports betting stories, highlighting some fresh news, and rounding up key stories.
• SBC Americas, 7.10.20 – Content Will Be King As Sports Come Back With A Bang In July
  • When FanDuel Group and SportsGrid announced their strategic partnership last month, one of the major talking points of the deal was the effect it would have on content, specifically that both parties will be creating more than 50 hours of original content for their customers a month.

New Jersey:

• PlayNJ, 7.10.20 – NJ Sportsbooks React To Big Ten’s Decision To Limit College Football Season
  • It’s a big announcement, and it may be just a precursor to more significant changes. Big Ten football, if it happens this year, will only involve conference games. New Jersey online sportsbooks are among the affected parties.
• PlayNJ, 7.10.20 – Ukrainian Table Tennis Is Off The Table At New Jersey Sportsbooks
  • On Thursday, the New Jersey Divison of Gaming Enforcement suspended all betting on Ukrainian table tennis until further notice.

Rhode Island:

• SBC Americas, 7.13.20 – Rhode Island Looks To End In-Person Registration For Mobile Sports Betting
  • Rhode Island sports bettors now face the increasingly optimistic prospect of being able to register personal sports wagering accounts without the need to turn up in person at one of the state’s two casinos.

New Hampshire:

• WMUR, 7.11.20 – NH Lottery Sales Rebound After Taking Huge Hut Due To Pandemic
  • New Hampshire Lottery officials say like most industries, they felt the impact of the pandemic earlier this year, but things started to bounce back as businesses reopened. They’re also seeing success with iLottery, where there’s been a 110% increase in sales year over year.

West Virginia:

• Gambling.Com, 7.10.20 – Mobile Betting Spurs West Virginia Handle To End Fiscal Year
  • West Virginia sports betting ended the 2019-20 fiscal year with strong signs of recovery in June.

Indiana:

• PlayIndiana, 7.10.20 – Retail Betting Disappoints As Indiana’s June Handle Shrinks To $29M
  • Indiana’s sports betting handle took a step back in June. In May, Indiana pulled in over $37 million worth of wagers. That number dropped down to $29 million in June.
• iGB North America, 7.10.20 – Indiana Sports Betting Market Suffers June Dip
  • Indiana’s regulated sports betting market saw revenue and handle decline in June, despite the state’s land-based casinos reopening midway through the month.

Iowa:

• PlayIA, 7.10.20 – Doubling Up: June Sports Betting Handle In Iowa Nearly Twice Previous Months
  • While there are still lingering concerns about the status of sports, there is good news for sportsbooks in the Hawkeye State. Iowa sports betting handle in June was almost twice as good as the month before.
• Sioux City Journal, 7.13.20 – Sports Betting Proves To Be Payoff For Iowa Casinos
  • Financial reports issued by the state Racing & Gaming Commission show Iowans wagered about $368 million in fiscal 2020 on the outcome of professional and collegiate sports competition — more than $223.6 million done online — even though much of the activity was shut down starting in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Colorado:

• PlayColorado, 7.10.20 – Colorado Turns The Ukrainian Tennis Tables Off
  • Colorado is the latest state to suspend Ukranian table tennis, making it official on Friday afternoon. New Jersey made a similar move on Friday.

Washington:

• Forbes, 7.12.20 – Washington Sports Betting Prepares To Launch: State Gaming Commission To Oversee Tribal Controlled Industry
  • Where tribal and legislative disputes have extended the timeline for a regulated sports betting market in California,