Industry News of the Day for June 22, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• PlayIndiana, 6.19.20 – FanDuel-Sportradar Deal Expands To Bring Official NFL Data Down Pipeline
  • FanDuel has inked a new deal with Sportradar.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 6.19.20 – Get A Grip: Week In Sports Betting News: Broncos Buck Up With Sportsbooks, Illinois Online Betting Launch, MGM Into Oregon & More
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top U.S. sports betting stories, highlighting some fresh news and rounding up key stories.
• EGR Global, 6.19.20 – The Month In US Sports Betting: State Revenues To Recover By July? (subscription paywall)
  • After the US sports betting market in April generated just $8.5mm in revenue, we expect May to look, well, a little better.
• Gambling Compliance, 6.22.20 – U.S. iGaming Boom Leaves Europe In The Shade (subscription paywall)
  • Both New Jersey and Pennsylvania now figure among the top five regulated online casino markets in the world, having together emerged as the fastest-growing sub-segment of the visible global gaming industry, according to VIXIO Gambling Compliance research.
• PlayUSA, 6.19.20 – Odds On The Oddities: COVID-19 Plunged Bookmakers Beyond Their Normal Lines Of Comfort
  • The shuttering of all major college and professional sports globally in response to the COVID-19 pandemic forced oddsmakers to become creative with betting markets and competent quickly in areas in which they often had little experience.

Overall Industry News:

• The Wall Street Journal, 6.22.20 – Retail Trading Surge Drives Newbie Investors To Big Bet On Gaming
  • Some sports bettors and newbie investors who have turned to the stock market for action in recent months are placing their wagers on a new gambling-themed exchange-traded fund.

Federal News:

• US Bets, 6.19.20 – Feds Again Claim They Are Not Looking To Abolish State Lotteries With Wire Act Opinion
  • The oral argument in an online conference call on Thursday in the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals lawsuit against the federal government’s threat to many forms of online wagering tread on some familiar ground.

Georgia:

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6.19.20 – Senate Panel Votes To Legalize Sports Betting In Georgia
  • A Senate panel voted Friday to resurrect a proposal that would allow mobile sports betting in Georgia.
• Associated Press, 6.19.20 – Long Odds As Georgia Lawmakers Try Again On Sports Gambling
  • Some Georgia lawmakers want to test the odds one more time on sports gambling this year.
• Legal Sports Report, 6.19.20 – How Georgia Sports Betting Bill Found New Life In Budget Crisis
  • Legislators revived a dormant Georgia sports betting bill Friday as the state wrestles with pandemic-induced budget issues.
• Sports Handle, 6.19.20 – Sports Betting On The Move Again In Georgia
  • A Georgia senator on Friday amended a bill that deals with traffic tickets to add legal sports wagering and the Senate Special Judiciary Committee approved the amended bill, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
• Gambling Compliance, 6.22.20 – Sports Betting Back On Table In Georgia (subscription paywall)
  • As states search for new revenue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, sports-betting legislation in Georgia was resurrected and could be heard on the Senate floor early this week.

California:

• SFGate, 6.19.20 – How To Help Shore Up California’s Virus-Ravaged Budget? Legalize Sports Betting, These Lawmakers Say
  • With the state of California staring down a $54 billion budget deficit directly attributable to the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic fallout, two Northern California lawmakers are offering a potential partial solution: legalize sports gambling, and tax the winnings to generate revenue.
• US Bets, 6.19.20 – Longshot California Sports Betting Plan Would Prevent Full Mobile Betting Until 2023 NFL Season
  • California tribal casino operators are still opposed to a proposal to legalize and regulate sports wagering, but recent changes represent an attempt to garner their support.
• PlayCA, 6.20.20 – After Long COVID-19 Closures, LA Cardrooms Reopen
  • Five Los Angeles-area cardrooms received authorization to reopen Friday.
• Sacramento Bee, 6.22.20 – Could California Legalize Sports Betting? Epic Fight Unfolding Between Casinos, Legislature
  • Legalized sports betting has flourished across the country, while California has watched from the sidelines. That could be changing for the largest and richest state.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 6.19.20 – Can A Push To Expand Video Gaming Terminals Overcome PA Casino Roadblocks?
  • Video gaming terminals might not only be at truck stops in the future if it’s up to top Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers.

West Virginia:

• PlayWV, 6.19.20 – West Virginia Casinos Draw Massive Crowds As They Reopen With Safety Protocols
  • As the state of West Virginia continues to open back up, many businesses are now up and running. This includes the five casinos in West Virginia, which reopened their doors on Friday, June 5.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 6.19.20 – Illinois Adds Online Sports Betting; Will Michigan Be Next?
  • With BetRivers launching its sportsbook, Illinois became the 11th state to add online sports betting on Thursday.

Illinois:

• Forbes, 6.20.20 – Illinois Becomes 11^th State To Offer Online Sports Betting As BetRivers Opens For Business
  • It was a big week for the advancement of sports betting in Illinois, and while the future of the local horse racing calendar remains undecided, massive advances were made in terms of the mobile wagering options available to the state’s 12.7 million residents.
• Sports Handle, 6.19.20 – No Deal: Illinois’ Arlington Park, ITHA Talks Break Down Again
  • A late breakdown relating to a force majeure clause prevented Arlington Park International and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association from reaching agreement on a contract for live thoroughbred racing Friday, forcing a second recess that will carry over to Monday morning.
• PlayIllinois, 6.19.10 – Despite Lack Of Sports Betting, Illinois Officials Pitch Chicago As NHL Hub City
  • Chicago has a lot of things going for it to become a potential hub city for the NHL. However, an abundance of local sports betting options isn’t one of those selling points right now.

South Dakota:

• KEVN, 6.21.20 – Sports Betting Campaign Continues Despite COVID-19 Delays
  • There will be a question on the South Dakota ballot this November about a constitutional amendment for sports betting in Deadwood.

Nevada:

• The Nevada Independent, 6.19.20 – Sportsbooks See Betting Enthusiasm, Especially Via Mobile Apps, Even As Athletic Events Are Slow To Return
  • Another trend: more players signing up for mobile sports-betting apps.
• The Nevada Independent, 6.22.20 – Digital And Cashless Gaming Technology Viewed As Bringing Casinos Into The 21^st Century
  • Cashless gaming has been used on slot machines throughout the casino industry for at least two decades, although it wasn’t initially accepted by customers.