Industry News of the Day for June 15, 2021

iDEA Growth Member News: 

• IGB, 6.15.21: Entain Launches New Us-facing Responsible Gambling App (Martin Lycka mentioned) 
  • The Entain Foundation US, a not-for-profit funded by BetMGM and Entain, has announced the launch of a new responsible gambling mobile app in the US. 
• IGB, 6.14.21: Pointsbet Appoints Fiore To Lead Responsible Gambling Strategy 
  • PointsBet has announced the appointment of Teresa Fiore as its responsible service of gambling and corporate social responsibility manager. 
• TN Bets, 6.14.21: FanDuel Selects Atlanta Location For New ‘Technology Campus’ 
  • According to FanDuel, the campus will be a hub for its software engineering, product development, user experience (UX), and user interface (UI) teams. It plans to hire 900 people over five years, workers who will be located in a new 68,000-square-foot space on the building’s third floor. 
• Play NJ, 6.14.21: DraftKings Casino Promises Realistic Experience In New DK Craps Game 
  • The market for New Jersey online casino play continually demands new content and innovation. With the NJ DK Craps launch, DraftKings Casino continues to try to meet those demands. 

Overall Industry News: 

• US Bets, 6.14.21: Sportsbooks Could Be Losing Up To A Third Of Would-Be Customers In Registration Process 
  • A short panel at the SBC Digital North America conference last week highlighted some of the challenges for gambling sites to be in regulatory compliance while also making the registration process as seamless as possible for the player so the customer is actually acquired. 
• US Bets, 6.14.21: The Most Valuable iGaming Customers Are The Ones Doing All Forms Of Gambling 
  • Jon Kaplowitz and Adam Greenblatt, CEO of BetMGM, and Richard Schwartz, president of Rush Street Gaming, shared an SBC Digital North America web conference panel about the trends and future of iGaming.  
• Sports Handle, 6.15.21: Sportsbooks Need To Act Now To Avoid A Heavy-Handed Government Future 
  • But as more and more states open the floodgates, more and more Americans are going to have trouble controlling their gambling. Take Michigan, for example. In the first full month online sports betting and online casinos were made available, calls to the state’s gambling helpline soared 1,000% year-over-year. 

Ohio:  

• Gaming Today, 6.14.21: 45 Amendments Proposed To Ohio Sports Betting Bill 
  • State Sen. Kirk Schuring, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Gaming, took to an Ohio radio station this morning and said they are nearing the finish line. Even with 45 proposed amendments submitted to the committee by last week’s deadline, the hope is to vote and send it to Ohio House by the end of the week. 

Iowa: 

• IGB, 6.14.21: Iowa Sports Betting Holds Steady With Cooling Sports Schedule 
  • The state handle was down a modest 2.9% compared to April, with $114.9 million in bets, according to an Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission release last week. Sportsbook operators generated $6.1 million in revenue, good for a 5.3% hold. Iowa sports betting generated $414,415 in May tax revenue for the state. 

Michigan: 

• Play Michigan, 6.15.21: Michigan Sports Bettors Wager $237.6 Million In May, Down 4.9% From April 
  • The numbers, released Tuesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, represented a continued and expected tempering for MI online sports betting after a strong wintertime start. A considerable uptick is expected this fall for football season. 
• Play Michigan, 6.15.21:  Paced By BetMGM Again, $94.9 Million In May Revenue For Massive Michigan Casino Market 
  • The torrid start to Michigan internet gaming continued into May, as $94.9 million in revenue was raised by operators. This total again places the state among the nation’s leaders. 

Illinois: 

• Play Illinois, 6.14.21: How Illinois Became The No. 2 Sports Betting Market In America 
  • The Illinois sports betting market finished well ahead of Nevada and Pennsylvania. Illinois, which is one of the last states to report monthly numbers, recorded $537.2 million in handle. Meanwhile, Nevada and Pennsylvania failed to crack $500 million. 

Arizona: 

• Sports Handle, 6.15.21: Arizona Proposed Sports Betting Rules Delayed. Is Sept. 9 Go-Live Date In Jeopardy? 
  • The Arizona Department of Gaming did not publish proposed sports betting and daily fantasy sports regulations as planned on Monday. The ADG shared little information about the delay, but multiple stakeholders told Sports Handle that Gov. Doug Ducey’s office sent the regulations back with more questions and comments than expected.