Industry News of the Day for June 21, 2021

iDEA Growth Member News: 

• SBC, 6.18.21: Lynn S. Mccreary Joins Sportradar As New Chief Legal Officer 
  • Sportradar has strengthened its senior leadership team after selecting Lynn S. McCreary as its new Chief Legal Officer. 
• Online Poker Report, 6.18.21: DraftKings Social Goes Fully Live For DFS Customers Early Next Week, With Sports Bettors To Follow 
  • DraftKings Daily Fantasy sports customers who’ve been paying attention maybe have noticed weekly updates during the past month to the operator’s new in-app social network. Early next week, they’ll get to see the full capabilities of DraftKings Social, said Jordan Mendell, senior vice president of product at DraftKings. 

Overall Industry News: 

• US Bets, 6.17.21: Top Sportsbooks Balk At Taking Bets On Olympic Trials, Despite Some States Allowing It 
  • The Olympics Games, set to kick off in Tokyo, Japan late next month, look to be a go, despite strong local opposition due to lingering concerns over COVID-19. The Olympic trials in the U.S. are currently ongoing, with the highly anticipated trials for the sport of track and field to begin Friday in Oregon. 

New York: 

• Play NY, 6.18.21: Sports Betting Partially Responsible For NY Commercial Casino Rebound 
  • For upstate New York casinos, legal sports betting in New York is only part of their business. In May of this year, it was a good business to be in. New York commercial casino revenue improved again in May of this year as hold from wagers on sporting events across the four properties saw improvement as well. 

Michigan: 

• Play Michigan, 6.18.21: How Good Are Michigan Residents At Sports Betting? Here’s What The Early Results Say 
  • In the first full month of legal online sports wagering in Michigan, the state’s sports fans appeared to have this betting thing  handled at least as well as everyone else in the US. 

Maine: 

• IGB, 6.18.21: Amended Maine Sports Betting Bill Passes Senate 
  • A bill to legalize and regulate sports betting within Maine has passed through the state’s Senate by 23 votes to 12 and passed the House for engrossment after each house submitted new amendments. 

Louisiana: 

• SBC, 6.21.21: Louisiana Set To Achieve $2.5bn Sports Betting Market According To Playlouisiana Analysts 
  • With expectations that Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards will sign the bill legalizing retail and mobile sports betting across the state, analysts at PlayLouisiana are already predicting big things for the sector when it opens the doors for business. 

Ohio: 

• Sports Handle, 6.21.21: Is It Uh-Oh In Ohio For The Sports Betting Bill? 
  • And while this may sound like something that ends up as a major plot point in a future Martin Scorsese film, the fact remains the Senate’s sports gambling bill — which sailed through the chamber with a 30-2 vote last Wednesday — completely cuts out the casino industry in favor of Ohio’s professional sports teams. 

Arizona: 

• Sports Handle, 6.18.21: Arizona Department Of Gaming: Game On For Sept. 9 Sports Betting Launch; Expect Finished Rules In July 
  • The Arizona Department of Gaming on Friday reiterated that it continues to aim for a Sept. 9 group launch of sports betting platforms and retail locations, and said that it is hoping to have the rules process complete by mid-July. That information, and much more, came out during a virtual stakeholder meeting about the state’s event wagering draft rules. 

Puerto Rico: 

• SBC, 6.21.21: Sports Betting Could Generate More Than $40m In Puerto Rico 
  • Pedro Pierlusi, Governor of Puerto Rico, has announced the creation of a group to advise on the sports betting, electronic games and fantasy sports industries. According to official estimates, these sectors could contribute more than $40m to local coffers. 

Canada: 

• IGB, 6.21.21: Canada Single-event Sports Betting Bill Given Third Reading In Senate 
  • Canada’s single-event sports betting bill was given its third reading in the country’s Senate as it edges closer to a final vote.