Industry News of the Day for June 1, 2020

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Gambling.Com, 5.29.20 – States Showing Urgency In Expanding Online Gaming Options (iDEA Growth mentioned)
  • States need only to look at New Jersey’s experience with online gambling for evidence of digital wagering’s potential financial impact.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Online Poker Report, 6.1.20 – Playtech To Enter New Jersey Via Bet365 Online Casino Deal
  • Playtech, one of the world’s largest online gambling suppliers, has secured approval to launch its casino products in New Jersey.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 5.30.20 – Get A Grip: Latest Sports Betting Amendment A California Dream? D.C. Launch, More
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top legal U.S. sports betting stories, highlighting some fresh news and rounding up key stories.
• Associated Press, 5.29.20 – Virus Could Lead More States To OK Sports, Online Betting
  • The coronavirus pandemic could lead to a quicker expansion of sports betting and internet gambling in the U.S. as states deal with huge budget deficits and look for new tax revenue wherever they can find it.

Overall Industry News:

• US Bets, 5.29.20 – Gaming Analysts Feel Bullish Right Now About Casino Reopenings, Especially Regionally
  • Casinos are reopening day by day across the country with severe restrictions on their gaming floors, inability to offer regular amenities, and unprecedented cleaning costs.

Pennsylvania:

• Online Poker Report, 5.29.20 – Live! Online Casino Coming To Pennsylvania Ahead Of Philadelphia Grand Opening
  • Nearly all of the chess pieces are now on the board for the Pennsylvania online casino market.
• PlayPennsylvania, 5.29.20 – New Philadelphia And Pittsburgh Casinos Announce Online Gambling Deal
  • Cordish Gaming Group and GAN Limited extended their five-yearlong business relationship, agreeing to make the software company the platform provider for its online casino business in Pennsylvania.
• PlayPennsylvania, 5.29.20 – When Do Pennsylvania Casinos Open? Live Blog On Reopening Of Coronavirus-Related Closures
  • As of May 28, no casino in Pennsylvania is open. Also, there is no target date for when operations can resume.

Connecticut:

• Hartford Courant, 5.30.20 – Without Fanfare, Connecticut’s Scaled-Back Casinos Are Set To Reopen Monday
  • No grand opening with balloons, confetti and marching bands will herald a scaled-back reset Monday of Connecticut’s two tribal-owned casinos ending an 11-week shutdown brought on by the coronavirus.

Rhode Island:

• iGB North America, 6.1.20 – RI Betting Revenue Drops 98.6% In April
  • The suspension of major sporting events and a full month’s closure for Rhode Island’s land-based casinos badly affected the state’s sports betting market, with handle and revenue plummeting in April.

Washington, D.C.:

• WTOP, 5.29.20 – Sports Betting Arrives In DC, Headlining MMA Fights, German Soccer League
  • The District’s sports betting website is now active and accepting bets.
• WTOP, 5.30.20 – Sports Betting In The District Adds To Huge Market Growth In The DC Region
  • The District’s entrance into legalized gambling — by way of legalized sports betting — only adds to the gambling industry’s heavy growth throughout the D.C. region.

West Virginia:

• PlayWV, 5.29.20 – Sports Leagues Release Plans As WV Sports Betting Fans Eagerly Await Their Return
  • Even though retail casinos are still closed for at least another week, residents in West Virginia have been wagering with the online sports betting apps available.

Illinois:

• Gambling Compliance, 6.1.20 – Illinois Approves Sports-Betting Co-Branding (subscription paywall)
  • The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has released a new emergency rule that would effectively permit co-branding for online sportsbook platforms, potentially easing the path into the coveted state for several U.S. sports-betting heavyweights.
• PlayIllinois, 5.29.20 – New Gaming Rule Could Be A Shortcut For FanDuel And DraftKings Getting In IL
  • When Illinois passed its latest gambling expansion bill, it looked like Illinoisans would have to wait years to enjoy unencumbered online sports betting.
• Gaming Intelligence, 6.1.20 – Illinois Issues New Rules Allowing Sports Betting Co-Branding (subscription paywall)
  • The Illinois Gaming Board published emergency rules Thursday to allow sportsbooks to operate under different brands.

Ohio:

• Dayton Business Journal, 5.29.20 – State House Passes Bill To Legalize Sports Betting In Ohio
  • Sports betting in Ohio advanced another step.
• The Daily Press, 5.31.20 – Ohio Sports Betting Bill Passes House Vote, Will Compete With Senate Bill Next
  • A bill that would legalize sports betting in Ohio passed the House with an 83-10 vote on Thursday, just one day after advancing through the Ohio House Finance Committee.
• Star Beacon, 5.30.20 – Local Lawmakers React To Sports Betting Legislation
  • The Ohio House passed a bill on Thursday that would legalize sports betting in Ohio.
• PlayMichigan, 5.29.20 – All Buckeyes On Ohio: Legal Sports Betting One Step Closer To Reality
  • With budget crunches throughout the country and momentum of regulated sports betting growing, Ohio is moving toward the front of the line.

Louisiana:

• Bloomberg, 5.31.20 – Louisiana Lawmakers Approve Rules For Fantasy Sports Betting
  • Regulations needed for fantasy sports betting to begin in about four dozen Louisiana parishes headed to the governor’s desk on Sunday evening.
• WAFB, 5.29.20 – Sports Betting Will Be On Nov. Ballot, But Implementation At Least A Year Away
  • Voters will get to decide whether sports betting should be allowed in their parishes during the presidential election, though it would not happen where it is approved for at least another year.

Nevada:

• Play Nevada, 5.29.20 – Despite Casinos Being Closed, April NV Gaming Revenue Still Generated $3.6M
  • As expected, April gaming revenue in Nevada was down drastically. Nevada gaming win in April was a paltry $3.64 million.
• Legal Sports Report, 5.29.20 – Want To Know How Nevada Sports Betting Did In April? You’re Not Alone
  • It’s the end of the month, which normally brings a monthly breakdown of Nevada sports betting handle and revenue. Not this month, it appears.
• US Bets, 5.29.20 – Nevada Gaming Revenue — Limited To Two Online Verticals — Collapses In April
  • The decisions by Nevada to offer only online poker among casino games and to require in-person registration for mobile sports betting came back to haunt the state in April.

Montana:

• 406 MT Sports, 5.30.20 – Sports Betting Gradually Gaining Traction Among Montanans; NHL Causes Headaches For Vegas Books
  • Legalized sports betting has had a bit of a rocky start out of the gates in Montana. Most professional sports were canceled just days after Sports Bet Montana installed their first wave of betting terminals across the state.

California:

• San Francisco Chronicle, 5.31.20 – New Effort To Legalize Sports Betting In California Cites Coronavirus’ Attack On State Economy (subscription paywall)
  • Ballparks, arenas and ice rinks have sat empty to limit the spread the coronavirus, but a pair of Northern California legislators are betting that legalizing sports wagers will help the state’s economy recover from the economic shutdown.
• Los Angeles Times, 6.1.20 – Column: To Solve California’s Coronavirus-Fueled Budget Woes, Newsom Should Gamble On Sports Betting
  • If we legalize sports betting in California, schoolkids will be the winners.
• NY Daily News, 5.30.20 – ‘The Moment Is Right For Us’: California Moves Toward Legalized Sports Betting
  • In the midst of a budget deficit caused by the coronavirus crisis, California could turn to sports betting to increase revenue.
• PlayCA, 5.29.20 – Tick-Tock: CA Sports Betting Amendment Is Still Alive But On A Tight Deadline
  • A sports betting amendment will soon face its fate in the California Legislature with only a few weeks to go before a crucial deadline.