Industry News of the Day for July 20, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Online Poker Report, 7.17.20 – Golden Nugget Finds Its Partner For Michigan Online Gambling
  • Golden Nugget revealed its partner on Thursday, joining forces with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to offer online casino games and sports betting.
• Legal Sports Report, 7.17.20 – Fixed-Odds Horse Racing Ready To Debut In New Jersey – And Beyond (GVC)
  • New Jersey’s Monmouth Park is on track to become the first course in America to offer fixed-odds horse race wagering.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 7.17.20 – Get A Grip: Week In Sports Betting: NJ Numbers Rise, First CO Report In, RI Registration, Senate Hearing, More
  • Here’s the weekend 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.
• PlayUSA, 7.17.20 – What Have People In Popular Betting States Wagered On During The Pandemic?
  • For months, the legalized sports betting world has gone without major American sports. The “other” sports, as they’re often listed in monthly state revenue reports, picked up the slack.

New Jersey:

• Gambling Compliance, 7.20.20 – New Jersey Signs Off On Eldorado Resorts Becoming U.S. Gambling Giant (subscription paywall)
  • A $17.3bn gaming company merger is complete now that New Jersey regulators have signed off on Eldorado Resorts’ deal to acquire Caesars Entertainment, but deed restrictions on several Atlantic City properties will remain in place.
• PlayNJ, 7.17.20 – NJDGE Approves Eldorado-Caesars Merger, Signaling Deal’s Closure
  • With an unemotional “yes” on Friday morning, New Jersey regulators signaled the creation of the largest gambling company in the United States. The NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement’s Casino Control Commission unanimously approved the conditional Eldorado acquisition of Caesars in its meeting.

Pennsylvania:

• SBC Americas, 7.17.20 – Pennsylvania Sportsbooks Eyeing A Return To Form After June Uplift
  • Reporting on the latest sports betting receipts for Pennsylvania, analyst website PlayPennsylvania said that sportsbooks has again capitalized on non-traditional sports to draw surprising interest from sports bettors.

Rhode Island:

• Gambling Compliance, 7.20.20 – Rhode Island Deals Another Blow To In-Person Registration (subscription paywall)
  • Rhode Island has joined Illinois in abandoning an in-person registration requirement for online sports betting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, but advocates of remote registration insist their battle is not won yet.

New York:

• WICZ, 7.19.20 – Could Mobile Sports Betting Come To New York Amid COVID-19?
  • Leadership in the New York Assembly is polling members on whether they’d back the legalization of mobile sports betting.

Virginia:

• Forbes, 7.18.20 – Virginia Sports Betting To Exclude Wagers On In-State Collegiate Teams Per Regulations Proposal
  • Virginia continued its push to approve the state’s sports betting regulations Wednesday in a meeting that saw advocates formally present guidelines.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 7.17.20 – Detroit Casinos Tax Revenue Plummets Nearly 60% During COVID-19 Pandemic
  • When a city’s arguably largest tax contributors post a nearly 60% year-over-year decline, it’s impossible for that depreciation to not have residual effects. That’s the situation with Detroit casino revenue right now.
• PlayMichigan, 7.17.20 – Dacey’s Sportsbook Stoking The Retail Sports Betting Fires In Opening Month
  • Sports betting in the state of Michigan became legal at the end of 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the plans for many casinos around the state. FireKeepers Casino & Hotel opened the state’s first tribal casino sportsbook last month.

Colorado:

• PlayUSA, 7.18.20 – Colorado Sports Betting’s Success Raises Expectations For Future
  • Even in a world devoid of major sports due to the coronavirus pandemic, regulated wagering in Colorado has flourished. As a result, somehow, the expectation for the industry has been raised.

Nevada:

• KTNV, 7.17.20 – Vegas Sportsbooks See More Sports, Betting Action Return
  • As sports pick up again, the local sportsbooks are seeing more business.

California:

• PlayCA, 7.17.20 – Local Support For Bakersfield Casino Seems Strong, Regulatory Decision Looms
  • It’s an interesting time to operate or be looking to operate a tribal casino in California. While many call for the existing casinos to close their doors to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, support for a Bakersfield casino seems to be at an all-time high.