Industry News of the Day for July 15, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Online Poker Report, 7.14.20 – DraftKings Launches Standalone Online Casino App In Pennsylvania
  • The company launched its standalone DraftKings Casino PA app on Tuesday, less than a month after debuting the product in New Jersey.
• PlayPennsylvania, 7.14.20 – An App Fit For A King: DraftKings Rolls Out Standalone Casino App In Pennsylvania
  • Come on, get ‘appy! DraftKings launched a standalone mobile casino app on July 14.
• Inside Indiana Business, 7.14.20 – Potawatomi Open Sportsbook In Michigan (Kambi)
  • The Michigan-based Pokagon Band of Potawatomi is now offering legalized sports betting at its three Four Winds Casinos in Michigan.
• SBC Americas, 7.15.20 – Seth Schorr: Innovation Impacts On Levels Of Mobile Betting (DraftKings, GeoComply)
  • Participating in the Next Generation of Venues panel at this week’s SBC Digital Summit North America, Seth Schorr – CEO of Fifth Street Gaming – told delegates that progressive companies like DraftKings and FanDuel which are “technology companies at their core”, have a dramatic impact on why so much betting is taking place on mobile devices as opposed to the retail environment.

Industry News:

• Gambling Compliance, 7.15.20 – Sports-Betting Advocates Face Uphill Battle In Educating State Lawmakers (subscription paywall)
  • In the year the world stands still because of the coronavirus pandemic, the expansion of sports betting into new U.S. states has come to a halt, and reviving the process is not going to be easy.
• Gambling Compliance, 7.15.20 – Penn National Expected To Launch Barstool Sports-Betting Platform For NFL Season (subscription paywall)
  • Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden has said the company will launch its new Barstool Sports branded sports-betting platform in time for the beginning of the National Football League season, but that initially the platform will only launch in the company’s home state of Pennsylvania.

Overall Industry News:

• SBC Americas, 7.14.20 – Penn’s Jay Snowden Kicks Off SBC Digital Summit North America In Style
  • The inaugural SBC Digital Summit North America began with one of the biggest names in US gaming as Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National Gaming, took his seat for the opening keynote address.
• SBC Americas, 7.14.20 – Peter Fornatale: ‘Built In Audience For Fixed Odds Betting’ In The US
  • Horse Racing and Sports Betting was subject to a lively panel discussion on the opening day of the SBC Digital Summit North America.
• SBC Americas, 7.14.20 – Josh Pearl: ‘Don’t Handcuff Regulators, Empower Them’
  • “I think the biggest thing is don’t handcuff regulators, instead empower them to work with operators to create the best environment,” expressed Josh Pearl, Director, New Market Operations, Penn National Gaming who believes regulatory bodies should be provided a framework to work in an efficient manner.

New Jersey:

• Online Poker Report, 7.14.20 – New Jersey Online Gambling Sites Make Hay With Casinos Closed, Win $85 Million In June
  • Online gambling continues to prop up a New Jersey casino industry that would otherwise have produced zero revenue in June.
• Legal Sports Report, 7.14.20 – How Did This June’s NJ Sports Betting Revenue Go Up From Last Year?
  • The NJ sports betting market continued on a path toward normalcy in June even without major sports leagues. Handle hit $165 million last month, up 40% from May’s total and more than triple April’s $54.6 million mark.
• Associated Press, 7.14.20 – NJ June Gambling Revenue Down 65.6% Amid Virus Closure
  • The final month of coronavirus-mandated closures for New Jersey’s casinos and racetracks was predictably bad.
• The Press of Atlantic City, 7.14.20 – Online Gaming Industry Helps Shuttered Casino Industry Stay Afloat In June
  • Online gaming revenue continued to grow in the final month of the casino shutdown, increasing more than 123% in June.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 7.14.20 – PA Gaming Review: Mini-Casino, VGTs & Party Poker Carry Expansion Momentum
  • Mini-casino news made a maxi-splash last week on two fronts in Pennsylvania. A mini license is unexpectedly up for auction in September and already there is a self-announced bidder looking to add a third PA property to its portfolio of gaming properties.
• PlayPennsylvania, 7.14.20 – Rivers Casino Philadelphia To Reopen At 25 Percent As More Major PA Events Cancelled
  • Rivers Casino Philadelphia, the final Pennsylvania casino to reopen since virus shutdowns in mid-March, opens its doors finally at 9 a.m. Friday, July 17.

West Virginia:

• PlayWV, 7.14.20 – West Virginia Sports Betting Handle Reaches $250 Million For Fiscal Year 2020
  • Even with the extended slow period at West Virginia sportsbooks caused by COVID-19, betting handle and revenue made significant strides this year.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 7.14.20 – Which Michigan Casino Will Open A Sportsbook Next?
  • With FireKeepers and Four Winds casinos now online with sports betting in southwest Michigan, who is next in the Great Lakes State?
• PlayUSA, 7.14.20 – Michigan Sports Betting Adds Three More Locations Via Four Winds Casinos
  • Michigan sports betting has launched at three tribal casinos just minutes from Indiana.

Iowa:

• PlayIA, 7.14.20 – Betfred Launches Online Sportsbook At NW Iowa Casino
  • Sports betting technology from across the pond comes to Iowa. On July 7, UK-based bookmaker Betfred Sports launched its mobile and online sportsbook at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort.

Louisiana:

• Bloomberg, 7.14.20 – Louisiana Governor Approves 8% Fantasy Sports Betting Tax Rate
  • Louisiana’s governor has approved an 8% tax rate on fantasy sports betting in about four dozen parishes that legalized it in 2018.
• Legal Sports Report, 7.14.20 – Louisiana Likely To Have DFS By NFL Season After Governor Signs Tax Bill
  • The coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of delays. For Louisiana daily fantasy sports, the virus actually moved up the time frame.

Mississippi:

• iGB North America, 7.15.20 – Mississippi Betting Market Swings To A Loss In June
  • Mississippi’s sports betting market posted a $62,230.77 loss for June, after the state’s northern casinos posted heavy losses on basketball betting for the month.

Colorado:

• PlayColorado, 7.14.20 – Colorado Releases May Sports Betting Breakdown
  • When sports betting in Colorado was approved in November, hopes were high for the market’s potential.
• The Action Network, 7.14.20 – Colorado’s First Month Of Sports Betting Shows Potential For Bright Future
  • Despite launching amid a worldwide pandemic, Colorado has released numbers for its first month of legalized sports betting that project the potential for a lucrative future.
• Colorado Springs Gazette, 7.14.20 – Cripple Creek Casinos Report Strong First Month After Reopening
  • Customers have returned to Cripple Creek casinos in bigger-than-expected numbers after being closed for three months.

Oklahoma:

• The Purcell Register, 7.15.20 – Oklahoma Legislative Leaders File Second Lawsuit Against Stitt On Tribal Compacts
  • Legislative leaders on Tuesday filed a second lawsuit in the Oklahoma Supreme Court against Gov. Kevin Stitt over tribal gaming compacts.

California:

• PlayCA, 7.14.20 – One California Tribal Casino Closes, Gov. Newsom Pressured To Close The Rest
  • The Havasu Landing Resort & Casino has closed again due to COVID-19. The casino will close its doors for a minimum of 14 days.