Industry News of the Day for July 6, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• PlayIllinois, 7.2.20 – DraftKings Sportsbook Fast-Tracks Illinois Access With Casino Queen Deal
  • DraftKings is headed to Illinois. The sports gaming giant has struck a partnership with the Casino Queen property in East St. Louis, according to a June SEC filing.
• PlayNJ, 7.2.20 – NJ Gaming News: AC Casinos Reopen; DraftKings Cooks Up Hot Dog Eating Odds
  • Here are the latest headlines making New Jersey gambling news this week.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 7.3.20 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: Oklahoma, California, 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.
• Gambling Compliance, 7.6.20 – Exotic Sports And The Evolution Of US Betting In The Pandemic Era (subscription paywall)
  • Forced to find alternative revenue streams in the new normal of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. bookmakers have discovered previously overlooked options that could remain viable even after major sports leagues begin playing games again.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 7.3.20 – Casinos In New Jersey, Illinois Reopen As US Coronavirus Cases Resurge
  • Casinos in Illinois and New Jersey received permission to resume operations this week, leaving just five states fully closed to gambling.

Sports League News:

• Legal Sports Report, 7.2.20 – First MLB Team Signs Sportsbooks Deal, As Detroit Tigers Pair Up With Pointsbet
  • PointsBet is the first sportsbook to land a Major League Baseball team sponsorship, signing a multi-year agreement to be the official gaming partner of the Detroit Tigers.

New Jersey:

• PlayNJ, 7.3.20 – Caesars Reopens Atlantic City Casinos, But Sportsbooks Remain Closed
  • With some pomp and a big pair of scissors, Caesars welcomed back patrons to its three casinos in Atlantic City on Friday morning.
• PlayNJ, 7.3.20 – Monmouth Reopens With An ‘Overwhelming’ Number Of Horses Ready To Race
  • PlayNJ interviewed Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, which operates the Monmouth Park racetrack, on several relevant issues impacting this race season.
• NJ Online Gambling, 7.2.20 – Hot Dog! NJ Permitting Wagering On Nathan’s Famous Contest
  • New Jersey historically has been a cutting-edge state for legal gambling innovations in the U.S. — most famously winning a six-year legal battle in 2018 when the Supreme Court vacated a 26-year-old law that banned all but Nevada from offering Las Vegas-style sports betting.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 7.2.20 – Scientific Games, Caesars Extend Deal Ahead Of Hopeful PA Sports Betting Surge
  • The NBA, MLB and NHL aren’t the only ones readying for a return to action. A B2B gambling company and an operator are preparing for the return of mainstream sports.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 7.2.20 – All But One Michigan Tribal Casino Is Reopened, Detroit Casinos Still Wait
  • There was hope that Detroit’s three casinos would be open for the Fourth of July weekend. But while they will remain closed through the holiday, tribal casinos across the state are nearly all reopened.

Indiana:

• PlayIndiana, 7.6.20 – Eldorado-Caesars Merger Sets Up Strong Position In Indiana
  • The merger of Caesars and Eldorado could be clearing another hurdle next week.

Tennessee:

• TN Bets, 7.2.20 – Tennessee Lottery Approves Four Vendors For Sports Betting
  • The Tennessee Education Lottery has approved four vendors for its upcoming sports wagering market.

Georgia:

• The Augusta Chronicle, 7.5.20 – Legalized Gambling Fails To Reach Finish Line Again In Georgia General Assembly
  • With state tax collections running below expectations even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, supporters of legalized gambling in Georgia were optimistic they could finally prevail during the 2020 legislative session after years of failure.

California:

• Forbes, 7.3.20 – California Tribes Granted Extension For Sports Betting 2022 Ballot Consideration
  • California tribal leaders received a small victory Thursday when a state Superior Court judge ruled to offer a 90 day extension in their attempts to obtain the signatures required to see their regulated sports betting proposal earn a slot on the 2022 ballot.
• Sports Handle, 7.2.20 – Judge Rules For California Tribes On Sports Betting Initiative Extension
  • A California Superior Court judge on Thursday made official his tentative ruling to allow a coalition of federally-recognized tribes 90 more days to collect signatures for a legal sports betting referendum that would go on the November 2022 ballot.
• PlayCA, 7.2.20 – CA Tribal Casinos Get Petition Extension But Will It Lead To What They Want?
  • California’s tribal casinos seem to be on a roll. A CA court has granted them an extension for their sports betting amendment petition.