Industry News of the Day for June 16, 2020

Industry News:

• Legal Sports Report, 6.16.20 – Return Of Sports Could Start Second Land Grab For US Sportsbook Operators
  • While table tennis and Belarussian soccer have been surprising saviors for stateside bookmakers during the coronavirus shutdown, the fallow period without US sports betting appears to be coming to a close.
• PlayUSA, 6.15.20 – New Affinity For eSports Betting Will Recede But It May Have Established Foundation
  • The NBA is going to Disney World before anyone even wins a championship. The NFL and NHL are going forward with plans to return to a new normal. And even with Major League Baseball going about destroying itself, eSports’ cameo as a major sports betting option in North America figures to soon be over.

Overall Industry News:

• CNBC, 6.16.20 – Coronavirus May Sway Regulators To Allow Casinos To Say Good-Bye To Cash
  • More than half of casino customers say they are less likely to use cash in their everyday lives because of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association.
• SBC Americas, 6.15.20 – AGA Cites Further Tribal Gaming Growth In Latest Annual Survey
  • In its 2020 State of the States annual survey of the US commercial casino sector, the American Gaming Association (AGA) has again dedicated a full segment to the country’s tribal gaming industry, citing further growth in 2019.
• Gambling Compliance, 6.16.20 – Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Loot Boxes (subscription paywall)
  • Attorneys representing a California mother and her son allege technology behemoth Apple is complicit in promoting illegal gambling by allowing developers to market games featuring loot boxes on the App Store.

Federal News:

• NJ Online Gambling, 6.15.20 – NJ Horsemen Get New Judge – And New Life? – In $150M Lawsuit Against Sports Leagues
  • The one-page notice is quite terse — but could it mean volumes for the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association?

Sports League News:

• ESPN, 6.15.20 – Broncos Agree To Multiyear Partnership With FanDuel
  • The Denver Broncos have agreed to a multiyear deal with FanDuel to make the sportsbook their official sports betting and daily fantasy football partner.
• Fox Business, 6.15.20 – Denver Broncos, FanDuel Ink Sports Betting Deal In NFL First
  • FanDuel and Denver Broncos unveiled a multi-year sports betting partnership on Monday, marking the first deal of its kind since the NFL relaxed its rules on gambling sponsorships earlier this year.
• Legal Sports Report, 6.15.20 – FanDuel Sportsbook Inks Deal With Denver Broncos, First Sports Betting Pact For An NFL Team
  • FanDuel has inked a first-of-its kind sponsorship deal with the NFL’s Denver Broncos.
• PlayUSA, 6.15.20 – Plans For The 2020 NFL Schedule Remain Unchanged – For Now
  • Any state that currently features legalized sports betting (or is even considering passing legislation to regulate the industry) has their eye on fall for one simple reason: football season.

New Jersey:

• PlayNJ, 6.15.20 – NJ Online Casino Revenue Climbs To $85.9M In May As AC Casinos Remain Closed
  • Last month, New Jersey online casinos exceeded expectations when the market earned nearly $80 million.

Pennsylvania:

• Penn Bets, 6.15.20 – Three More PA Casinos Have Green Light To Reopen As Soon As Friday
  • Three more Pennsylvania casinos have the go-ahead to reopen as soon as Friday, although only one of them announced it will be ready to do so.

Washington, D.C.:

• ly, 6.15.20 – Online Sports Betting Has Officially Launched In The District With GambetDC
  • Since the DC Office of Lottery and Charitable Gaming (DC Lottery) announced the delay of its retail sports betting operation, the association did a soft launch for an online sports betting platform.

Virginia:

• WTKR, 6.15.20 – Virginia Lottery To Launch Online Lottery Games
  • The Virginia Lottery is set to launch online games in July that will allow users to play popular Virginia lottery games on their smart devices or computers.

Iowa:

• PlayIA, 6.15.20 – Iowa Sports Betting Handle A Shadow Of Its Former Self
  • Iowa’s sports betting handle in May saw a drastic improvement compared with April. However, for the state’s legal sportsbooks, it was the lowest bar possible to clear.
• The National Law Review, 6.16.20 – Is eSports Betting Sports Betting In Iowa?
  • Where does esports fall within this legislative framework? Many people assume the esports is a sport.

Indiana:

• Cincinnati Business Courier, 6.15.20 – Here’s How Indiana Sports Betting Fared In May (subscription paywall)
  • Sports betting in Indiana began its comeback in May as more sporting events became available for gamblers to get action.
• WDRB, 6.15.20 – Indiana Casinos Reopen With Charges For Social Distancing, Smoking, Face Masks
  • Monday marked the official reopening date for casinos in Indiana, as part of the Hoosier state’s Back on Track Phase 4.

Ohio:

• Cleveland.Com, 6.15.20 – Lawmaker Thinks Ohio Could Raise More Education Funding Through State Lottery
  • A key state lawmaker thinks the Ohio Lottery could do more to raise money for Ohio schools to help off-set funding cuts due to the coronavirus crisis.

Tennessee:

• TN Bets, 6.15.20 – Three Sports Betting Companies Submit Paperwork For Operator License In Tennessee
  • Despite the American sports world still suffering from a great deal of uncertainty, Tennessee is moving ahead with its efforts to launch online/mobile sports wagering this fall.

Louisiana:

• Gambling.Com, 6.15.20 – Louisiana Sports Betting Officially In The Hands Of Voters
  • Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed Senate Bill 130 and the question of legalizing sports betting in the state will now be on the November ballot.

California:

• Sports Handle, 6.15.20 – CA Tribes Not Giving Up On Their Version Of Sports Betting
  • A coalition of California Indian tribes was remarkably close to the threshold of signatures needed to get its sports betting referendum on the November ballot when Gov. Gavin Newsom put the state on lockdown to battle the spread of COVID-19 on March 20.