Industry News of the Day for June 5, 2019

By iDEA | June 5, 2019

iDEA Growth in the News:

  • NJ Online Gambling, 6.5.19 – New Jersey Holds Its Fire In Light Of New Hampshire Wire Act Ruling(J. Ifrah quoted)
    • The ruling issued Monday by a federal district court judge in New Hampshire in favor of the state lottery’s online game sales would seem to be a signal to New Jersey, moreso than any state, to be similarly aggressive in protecting its extensive online casino gaming operations.
  • EGR Global, 6.5.19 – Stakeholders Wary Of DOJ Appeal Against Wire Act Ruling(iDEA Growth lawsuit mentioned)
    • Online gambling stakeholders in the US celebrated a win this week with the New Hampshire District Court’s ruling that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting. While the ruling, in favour of the New Hampshire lottery Commission (NHLC), is certainly a coup for lotteries, gaming tech vendors and online gaming operators, some stakeholders are wary of celebrating to small a success considering the likelihood that the Department of Justice (DoJ) will appeal the decision.

Federal News:

  • GamblingCompliance, 6.5.19 – Muted Celebration By Online Gaming Advocates After Wire Act Victory
    • Despite winning a landmark decision on Monday in a New Hampshire federal court, the online gaming industry is restraining its jubilation because of uncertainty about what lies ahead. Foes of internet gambling are vowing to appeal the decision by U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro who rules the Wire Act of 1961 allows state lotteries and other games on the internet because the act applies exclusively to sports betting.

Industry News:

Pennsylvania:

  • AP, 6.4.19 – Pa. Casinos Ask Court To Immediately Stop Some Lottery Games
    • Pennsylvania’s casinos are asking a court to immediately stop the state lottery’s use of online games that they say are too much like casino games. The casinos filed paperwork Monday seeking an injunction in their 8-month-old lawsuit arguing that some of the lottery’s online games violate the 2017 state law that authorized them because they simulate slot machines and casino-style gambling.

West Virginia:

  • Charleston Gazette-Mail, 6.4.19 – Issues With Technology, Wire Act Delays Launch Of Sports Betting App
    • The state of Illinois has legalized sports betting, joining a growing number of states turning to gambling to raise tax revenues. A bill to make it legal in Minnesota didn’t make it out of the legislature this year, but sports betting is spreading across the country.

Ohio:

Michigan:

Illinois:

  • Chicago Tribune, 6.5.19 – Here’s When Sports Gambling Could Be Legal In Illinois, And Answers To Other Questions About Casinos And Betting
    • “Jeopardy!” whiz and professional Las Vegas gambler James Holzhauer, who grew up in Naperville, hailed the Illinois legislature’s weekend passage of a bill legalizing sports gambling in the state. “Trying to get me to move back before my Jeopardy tax bill hits, eh?” Holzhauer tweeted Sunday.
  • ProPublica, 6.4.19 – Illinois Is Poised To Become The Gambling Capital Of The Midwest
    • An 816-page bill introduced and passed by the General Assembly over the weekend will, if fully realized, transform Illinois into the gambling capital of the Midwest. The legislation legalizes sports gambling; sanctions six new casinos, including one in Chicago; increases the number of video gambling machines as well as the maximum bet; and transforms the state’s horse racing tracks into “racinos” by permitting casino operations at the state’s three existing tracks while allowing two more to open.

Alabama:

Overall Industry News:

  • Online Poker Report, 6.4.19 – YouTube Cracks Down On Videos Promoting Legal Online Poker
    • Poker content creators woke up to an unhappy surprise last week. YouTube is cracking down on videos promoting online gambling, specifically targeting some channels with legal online poker content. The apparent tightening of policy has affected a number of the industry’s most popular creators.
  • Legal Sports Report, 6.4.19 – Three Key Questions About Disney’s New Stake In DraftKings Sportsbook
    • The rapid pace of legal sports betting news makes it feel like Disney‘s acquisition of a stake in DraftKings happened years ago. The deal, in fact, took place just in the past month as an offshoot of the massive Fox Bet tie-up with The Stars Group.
  • Hollywood Reporter, 6.5.19 – CBS Acting CEO: Sports Betting Is a “Huge” Opportunity
    • CBS Corp. sees sports betting as a “huge” and growing business opportunity as it gets legalized in more states, particularly in terms of advertising revenue, acting CEO Joe Ianniello told an investor conference Wednesday.
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