Industry News of the Day for July 6, 2021

Overall Industry News: 

• Sports Handle, 7.5.21: What’s On Tap: The Week Ahead In Sports Betting: NBA Finals, Wimbledon, And Euro 2020 Finals 
  • While the betting public largely expected the Tampa Bay Lightning to defeat the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, few expected Tampa Bay to prevail in four straight. 

Sports League News: 

• Legal Sports Report, 7.6.21: Will ESPN Follow Sports Illustrated With Its Own Branded Sportsbook? 
  • Sports Illustrated became the latest media outlet to lend its name to a sportsbook last month, thanks to a new deal with 888. The agreement made plenty of headlines in its own right. But it also shifted the focus to ESPN as one of the last sports media giants not to jump into the betting fray. 

New York: 

• Legal Sports Report, 7.2.21: Fuhgeddaboudit: Gaming Commission Misses NY Sports Betting Deadline 
  • The time to prepare the RFA for mobile NY sports betting must have passed in a New York minute for the Gaming Commission. 

Connecticut: 

• WSHU, 7.6.21: Connecticut Issues First Sports Betting Licenses 
  • The first provisional licenses for fantasy sports operators have been issued in Connecticut. Governor Ned Lamont signed sports betting into law earlier this year. 

Maryland: 

• IGB, 7.6.21: Maryland Governor Appoints Martin To Lead Lottery And Gaming Control Agency 
  • Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has appointed John Martin as the new director of the US state’s Lottery and Gaming Control Agency. 

Ohio: 

• Legal Sports Report, 7.2.21: Ohio Sports Betting An Issue For Autumn As June Deadline Passes 
  • Multiple efforts by the Senate to push legal Ohio sportsbooks through the House failed this week. The House, not closely involved in the crafting of SB 176, decided not to rush through the process. 

Florida: 

• Sports Handle, 7.5.21: Florida Sports Betting Law Challenged In Court Over Its Mobile Provisions For Tribe 
  • It seemed like only a matter of time before a lawsuit was brought against Florida’s new sports betting law — and Friday was that day. 
• Miami Herald, 7.5.21: Magic City Casino Owners Sue To Invalidate Seminole Tribe’s Sports Betting Deal 
  • One of Florida’s oldest parimutuel companies, owner of Miami’s Magic City Casino and the Bonita Springs Poker Room, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Florida gaming compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, alleging that the sports betting component is based on “legal fiction” that violates federal law. 

Wisconsin: 

• FOX 11, 7.2.21: Potawatomi Looking To Follow Oneida’s Lead, Add Sports Betting 
  • One day after the Oneida Nation announced plans to offer sports betting at its casino, another Wisconsin tribe says it is hoping to get into that business. 

Louisiana: 

• The Advocate, 7.6.21: Will Sports Betting Be Ready For Football Season? ‘That Made Me Nervous,’ Lottery Leader Says (subscription paywall) 
  • Now that sports betting bills passed by the Legislature have been signed into law, the first legal bets in Louisiana could be placed at the end of football season. But some businesses are already making moves in anticipation of cashing in on the wagering. 

North Carolina: 

• Carolina Coast Online, 7.2.21: Sports Betting Legislation ‘In The Mix’ For Remainder Of NC Legislative Session 
  • While the N.C. Senate didn’t handle sports betting legislation before the Fourth of July break, there’s still hope of legal wagers in the state outside of the two Cherokee casinos. 

Arizona: 

• Sports Handle, 7.2.21: Arizona Regulator Doubles Number Of Mobile Sites Allowed In Latest Draft Rules 
  • The number of potential mobile sports betting participants in Arizona appears to have just doubled.