Industry News of the Day for July 21, 2023

Industry News

• iGB North America: Playtech Expands Live Casino Game Show Format To US
  • Playtech has announced it is to launch its live casino game show format in the US, with plans to open a dedicated studio in New Jersey. The offering will debut with ‘Adventures Beyond Wonderland’, which, developed by Playtech Live, first launched over two years ago. In-studio dealers will dress as characters from the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ series and present the main game and bonus games. Players will experience augmented reality with real-time elements, allowing interaction with both the game and hosts.

Kentucky

• Bonus.com: Kentucky Emergency Sportsbook Regulations Subject of Aug. 22 Public Hearing
  • Days before Kentucky sports betting kicks off with the start of the NFL season, residents of the Bluegrass State can attend an Aug. 22 public hearing to say what they think of emergency sportsbook regulations. Sportsbooks will be governed by those 11 proposed administrative regulations when retail sports betting begins on Sept. 7 and online sportsbooks launch on Sept. 28. The 11 permanent regulations, called “ordinary,” also have a public comment period and a Sept. 22 public hearing. Both hearings will be hosted by the sports wagering regulator, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC).

Louisiana

• CDC Gaming Reports: Louisiana Gaming Revenue Reaches $196 Million In June, Year-Over-Year Drop Of 2%
  • The Louisiana Gaming Control Board on Thursday posted revenue of $196 million in June from riverboat casinos and the Harrah’s New Orleans land-based casino, a year-over-year decrease of 2 percent and a drop from the $202.8 million generated in May. Louisiana online sports betting was responsible for $12.5 million in revenue on a handle of $146 million, with retail sports betting generating $1.2 million in revenue from a handle of $14.4 million.

Maine

• SBC Americas: Maine Sports Betting Regulators Aim For November Launch
  • Sports betting was legalized in Maine last May, but not a single legal bet has been taken, owing to the arduous process to set up regulations in the state. But that is all set to change after officials of the Gambling Control Unit indicated that sports betting could go live in November.  A spokesperson for the regulator, Shannon Moss, stated that temporary licenses could be issued in November on the current timeline of events. The Maine Gambling Control Unit has submitted its proposals for the regulation of sports betting to the state’s attorney general for final review and approval.

New Jersey

• Legal Sports Report: PlayUp NJ Sports Betting License Revoked For Multiple Issues
  • The PlayUp New Jersey sportsbook is no longer licensed to accept deposits or bets, the Division of Gaming Enforcement announced Thursday. Global CEO Daniel Simic told employees Wednesday evening the website had to be put into maintenance mode, according to a message reviewed by Legal Sports Report. Its Colorado sportsbook is still live as of 3:45 pm Eastern Thursday. “Guys, NJDGE require me to shut the site down and put a maintenance page up. urgently,” CEO Daniel Simic said in the Wednesday message.

North Carolina

• NC Sharp: Four New NC Casinos Pitched As Part Of State Budget Deal
  • North Carolina lawmakers have proposed four casinos as part of a deal to hammer out the state’s new budget. House Speaker Tim Moore provided that Anson, Nash and Rockingham counties would be the sites for three of the four “entertainment districts,” as the casinos have been termed. The fourth casino site would be in the southeast part of the state under the operation of the Lumbee Tribe. Coupled into the budget with casino expansion would be the legalization of video lottery terminals. VLTs are machines that play similarly to slot machines.

Pennsylvania

• PlayPennsylvania: PA Gaming Operators Set Records For Revenue And Taxes In FY 2022/2023
  • The Pennsylvania gaming industry is booming. The Keystone State set a fiscal year record for revenue and taxes in 2022/2023. The online vertical of gambling has helped push the state beyond the $5 billion threshold for gaming revenue the past two fiscal years. However, retail slots at Pennsylvania casinos are the state’s bread and butter, making up 44.4% of the entire gambling revenue. Almost every gambling vertical increased in the state over the last 12 months.

Vermont

• Gaming Today: Request for Proposal Pushes Vermont Closer To Legal Sports Betting
  • Vermont has started the bid process for the selection of two to six mobile sports betting operators authorized by a sports betting law signed in June. The 125-page request for proposal (RFP) for sports betting operators was issued Wednesday by the state’s purchasing agency on behalf of regulators at the state Department of Liquor and Lottery. DLL Commissioner Wendy Knight told Gaming Today in a phone interview Thursday that bids are due Aug. 28. Knight said her agency expects to select mobile sports betting operator winning bids no later than Sept. 22.