Industry News of the Day for June 17, 2020

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 6.16.20 – Two-Thirds Of US Casinos Reopen; Northeast Needs More Time
  • It has now been six weeks since land-based casino gambling in the US began its gradual restart. What was initially a trickle of casinos opening their doors has, in that time, become a flood.
• Gambling Compliance, 6.17.20 – US Casinos Lobby Lawmakers, Regulators For Cashless Gaming, Citing Coronavirus (subscription paywall)
  • The American Gaming Association (AGA) is calling on state gaming regulators to consider adopting cashless or digital payment transactions on the casino floor, citing visitor demand for another option to gambling with cash because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• US Bets, 6.16.20 – Is Cash No Longer King? Poll Shows Digital Payment Option Important To Casino Customers
  • The insistence of the U.S. casino industry on the use of cash for wagering has become more and more antiquated, as some in a generation of potential young new players who grew up in a mostly cash-less society shrug their shoulders and walk off the casino floor.
• iGB, 6.17.20 – Blurring The Lines Between Players And Products
  • As the industry begins to emerge from the disruption caused by novel coronavirus (Covid-19), ESA Gaming’s Zorica Smallwood looks at how operators can retain customers that migrated to new products amid sporting shutdowns.

Federal News:

• Gambling Compliance, 6.17.20 – Justice Department Faces Long Odds In Internet Gambling Appeal (subscription paywall)
  • The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is like a football team trailing by two touchdowns at half-time and hoping for a comeback in a case which could determine the future of online lotteries and the internet gambling industry.
• Law360, 6.16.20 – Leagues Say Purported Sports Betting Hypocrisy Old News (subscription paywall)
  • The major professional sports leagues and NCAA urged a New Jersey federal court to toss a bid for $150 million in damages from a horse racetrack that was prevented from offering sports betting after the leagues sued to stop New Jersey from legalizing the activity.

Sports League News:

• Sports Handle, 6.16.20 – NFL’s Sports Betting Evolution Near Complete With Broncos-FanDuel Deal: A Timeline
  • FanDuel’s announcement on Monday that it had signed a promotional agreement with the the NFL’s Denver Broncos brings full circle the league’s turnaround on how it treats sports wagering.
• SBC Americas, 6.16.20 – Broncos And FanDuel Tie Up Multi-Year Sports Betting Partnership
  • The Denver Broncos and FanDuel Group have jointly announced a multi-year partnership this week that positions FanDuel as an official sports betting partner and official daily fantasy partner of the NFL franchise.
• Legal Sports Report, 6.16.20 – Denver Broncos To Host First NFL Betting Lounge With Partner BetFred
  • After becoming the first team to partner with a sportsbook on Monday, the Broncos revealed a second sportsbook partner. This time it includes provisions for the NFL’s first on-site betting lounge.
• ESPN, 6.16.20 – Betting Companies Help Get Tennis Players Back On The Court
  • Tennis has a long and complicated relationship with the betting industry, especially at the lower levels, where prize money is often significantly less than what match-fixers are offering.

Pennsylvania:

• Legal Sports Report, 6.16.20 – Online PA Sports Betting Points Up As Major Sports Near Return
  • No one will mistake $78 million in PA sports betting handle for a traditionally good month.
• Online Poker Report, 6.16.20 – Online Gambling Revenue Blooms During Final Month Of Pennsylvania Casino Shutdown
  • A confluence of factors made May an exceptional month for online casinos in Pennsylvania, one in which operators won a record $55.8 million.
• PlayPennsylvania, 6.16.20 – Pennsylvania Sports Betting In May: Still Down But Recovery In Sight
  • Sportsbooks in Pennsylvania experienced a small spike in May but it served as small consolation considering what could have been a monster month.
• PlayPennsylvania, 6.16.20 – PA Online Casinos Spread Their Wings In May, Surpass $55 Million In Revenue
  • The second full month of brick-and-mortar casino closures in PA equated to another month of no retail gaming revenue. But online gaming once again delivered on expectations to soften the blow.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 6.17.20 – Senate Bill Wants To Speed Up MI Online Casino Launch
  • A bipartisan bill introduced by Sen. Adam Holier Tuesday in the Senate seeks to rally a hurry-up offense during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• PlayMichigan, 6.16.20 – Shutdown Of Michigan Casinos Create $100M Budget Gap, So Far
  • Tuesday marks the three-month anniversary since a Detroit casino saw a legal bet.
• MiBiz, 6.16.20 – Bill Would Jumpstart Internet Gaming During Pandemic To Spur Revenue
  • Bipartisan legislation introduced in the state Senate today would allow tribally and commercially owned casinos to launch online gaming months before statewide regulations are expected, as a way to jumpstart lost revenue from the pandemic.

Ohio:

• Statehouse News Bureau, 6.16.20 – Senator Wants Lottery To Bring In More Cash From Players To Replace Budget Cuts
  • State lawmakers are still considering how to regulate sports gambling in Ohio. But one Republican state senator says sports betting isn’t going to help bring in a lot more money for the state, so he wants more action from a state agency already in the gambling game.

Indiana:

• PlayIndiana, 6.16.20 – Indiana Sportsbooks Receive OK For Women’s Pro Soccer Betting
  • Soccer bettors in and around Indiana received a long-awaited treat on Monday morning.
• PlayIndiana, 6.16.20 – New Safety Measures, Long Lines Greet Gamblers At Indiana Casinos
  • Indiana casinos have finally reopened their doors. Monday, June 15, was the first day that the state’s casinos took bets in three months.

Tennessee:

• TN Bets, 6.16.20 – Tennessee Lottery Denies Company’s Request To Delay Sports Betting Fee Payment
  • The Tennessee Education Lottery held a board of directors meeting Tuesday in Nashville, one day after the Sports Wagering Advisory Council met.

Louisiana:

• Ballopedia News, 6.17.20 – Louisiana Parishes To Vote On Sports Betting In November
  • On June 12, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) signed Senate Bill 130 (SB 130) that will ask the voters in each of Louisiana’s 64 parishes whether or not to authorize sports betting within the parish.

Colorado:

• PlayColorado, 6.16.20 – Betfred Comes In Hot With June 17 Launch And Broncos Partnership
  • Betfred has gone big with its launch in Colorado. Really big.

California:

• Legal Sports Report, 6.16.20 – How New California Sports Betting Amendments Shoot For Compromise
  • Proposed changes to the California sports betting bill provide further restrictions on cardrooms and a multiyear phase-in of mobile wagering.
• Gambling Compliance, 6.17.20 – Amendments To California Sports-Betting Bill Seek Tribal Compromise (subscription paywall)
  • Proposed changes to a constitutional amendment legalizing sports betting throughout California would put more restrictions on how cardrooms’ table games operate and phase in mobile wagering over three years.