Industry News of the Day for June 7, 2023

Industry News

• TheLines: Isaiah Rodgers Latest Example Of Regulated Betting System Working
  • This week, news broke that Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is embroiled in a league investigation into sports betting. This latest NFL betting scandal highlights a growing trend across the sports world of players and coaches getting popped for betting. However, it also shows the regulated system is working to discover and punish corrupt and illegal betting by players and coaches.

• SBC Americas: XLMedia Ditches Personal Finance Assets As Focus Firmly On Betting & Gaming
  • XLMedia has completed its plans to completely exit the personal finance affiliate marketing space after offloading its MoneyUnder30 web assets. The sale of the MoneyUnder30 domain and website was worth $675K to the publishing company and will be used to help cover day-to-day operational expenses. It follows on from the previously announced sales of Dough Roller, among other websites, as XLMedia seeks to offload all “non-core” operations, ie. anything that does not entail sports betting or online casino publishing.

Illinois

• PlayIllinois: Legalizing Illinois Online Casinos Could Help Stave Off Coming Budget Deficits
  • Legalizing online casinos in Illinois is one way the state could help eliminate projected budget deficits after pandemic-era rescue funds run out. Though bills to make Illinois online casinos legal failed in the legislative session that just ended in Springfield, lawmakers may want to try again in 2024. As it stands, without the revenue from online casinos, Illinois is projected to post a $384 million deficit in 2025 that is expected to grow to $708 million by 2028. That’s according to Illinois Policy.

Kentucky

• PlayKentucky: Louisville Professor: Horse Racing Decline Led To Sports Betting
  • As a whole, the horse racing industry is becoming less popular among gamblers in the Bluegrass State. However, that isn’t necessarily bad for Kentuckians excited about the prospect of gambling expansion. According to a University of Louisville professor, that decline is precisely why Kentucky sports betting is on the way. Dr. Thomas Lambert is an assistant professor at the University of Louisville College of Business in the equine industry program.

• WCPO-TV: Ohio Casino Regulator Blasts Neighboring Kentucky’s Sports-Betting Law
  • Ohio’s top gambling regulator says Kentucky made “a fundamental mistake” by legalizing sports betting for people aged 18 and older. But at least one company eligible for sports-betting licenses in Kentucky says it will refuse bets from people under 21. “I absolutely hate the idea that individuals under 21 can go across the border, open an account and bet,” said Matt Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission. “I think it’s horrible.”

Michigan

• PlayMichigan: MGCB’s Double Down Podcast Informing Michigan Residents About Gambling Industry
  • The Michigan Gaming Control Board announced in April that it had stepped up its communications game, launching a podcast. Five episodes in, that podcast — named Double Down — is doing what was promised: providing residents with information about the gambling industry in Michigan. But MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams is doing more than simply talking to the regulator’s employees about rules and regulations. It’s also not a live read of the MGCB website.

New York

• PlayUSA: New York Senator Proposes Comptroller Review Of Gaming Compact Agreements
  • If a new bill in the New York Senate becomes law, agreements between the state and tribal gaming authorities that already undergo four separate stages of review will see even further administrative oversight. One state senator wants a different part of the state’s executive branch to weigh in on the matters. The bill would require the New York State comptroller to review all pending gaming compacts.

North Carolina

• Legal Sports Report: NC Sports Betting Regulator Readies For Online Future As Bill Nears Passage
  • Online NC sports betting is teed up for legalization this week, and regulators are ready to work quickly to get sportsbook apps running. House Speaker Tim Moore said last week that the lower chamber would concur with Senate changes to the online North Carolina sports betting legislation with votes on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Senate advanced HB 347 last week.

• NC Sharp: House Gives Initial Approval To Senate Sports Betting Changes
  • One North Carolina sports betting House concurrence vote down, one to go in Raleigh. State representatives in the lower chamber voted, 67-42, on Tuesday to approve changes made to the North Carolina sports betting bill by the Senate. The House must vote to concur once more before sending the bill to Gov. Roy Cooper. That last vote could happen as soon as Wednesday. The soonest sports betting could launch is Jan. 8, 2024. The North Carolina Lottery Commission has one year after the bill becomes law to launch sports betting, but that can’t be before Jan. 8. The bill would become law when signed by Cooper.

Pennsylvania

• PlayUSA: Pennsylvania Awards Online Casino Supplier License To Greentube
  • A presence in most of, if not all, six states that allow people to legally play real-money online casinos is essential for any game developer like Greentube. Greentube can now check another, and arguably the most important, state off that list. Greentube has a license to supply its games to Pennsylvania online casino app operators. Other recent moves by the company could lead to an even greater presence in the US online casino market.