Industry News of the Day for March 15, 2019

Industry News:

• Axios, 3.15.19 – Where each state stands on sports betting
  • 8 states — Nevada, New Jersey, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Delaware and New Mexico — have already legalized sports betting, and the on-deck circle is packed.

New Jersey:

• Play NJ, 3.14.19 – Even With A Short Month, New Jersey Online Casinos Still Surpass $30 Million
  • Online casino and poker revenue fell from an all-time high of $33.6 million in January to $31.7 million in February. Online sports betting revenue tumbled even farther, falling from $15.5 million to $12.9 million month-over-month.
• NJ Online Gambling, 3.14.19 – A Variety Of Sources Providing Atlantic City Casino Revenue Boost
  • The Atlantic City casino industry is benefiting from the addition of sports betting last summer — but that’s far from the only reason why business is booming.
• NJ Spotlight, 3.14.19 – NJ Joins Suit Opposing Trump Administration Take On Online Gaming
  • With hundreds of millions in potential tax revenue at stake, Garden State isn’t gambling on feds’ restrictive reading of Wire Act, which could even shut down interstate lotteries
• NJ Online Gambling, 3.13.19 – New Jersey Sports Betting Figures Down Across The Board, But That’s Hardly Cause For Concern
  • February was a rare down month for the now nearly one-year-old NJ sports wagering industry, with handle clocking in at just $320.4 mm, down from a record-breaking $385.3 mm in the month of January and just slightly ahead of the industry’s December tally.

Pennsylvania:

• Penn Bets, 3.14.19 – FanDuel Sportsbook Arrives In Philly, Ready To Go State-Wide With Mobile Betting This Summer
  • Sports betting legalization outside Nevada was still a few months away when the Philadelphia Eagles went on their 2018 Super Bowl run, but the players on that team were very much aware of the betting lines in their games.

Ohio:

• Sports Handle, 3.14.19 – Bill Introduced To Legalize Retail, Mobile Sports Betting In Ohio
  • A bill to legalize brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and mobile betting platforms has been introduced in Ohio, one of the remaining large market potential states without active legislation on file.
• Legal Sports Report, 3.14.19 – Ohio Sports Betting Bill Finally Appears; Will Sports Gambling Also Surface In Governor’s Budget?
  • A long-awaited sports betting bill appeared in Ohio on Thursday, marking one of the last major states in the Midwest or Northeast to address the topic in earnest. And it seems primed to get a real push this spring.
• Cincinnati Inquirer, 3.15.19 – Ohio sports betting pitch: Use revenues to eliminate fees for high school sports, band, art
  • Ohio won’t be raking in the dough if it legalizes sports betting, but the few million dollars it’s expected to raise could be used to eliminate high school pay-to-participate fees for sports and activities.
• The Toledo Blade, 3.15.19 – Ohio weighs the odds as sports gambling spreads
  • Mike DeWine — then Ohio’s attorney general, now the state’s governor — at the time urged lawmakers to get ahead of an industry in which players might wager on outcomes of games, point spreads, foul shots, field goal attempts, and other elements of professional and college sports.
• iGaming Business, 3.15.19 – Senators introduce sports betting bill in Ohio
  • Lawmakers in Ohio are to run the rule over a new bill that could lead to the state legalizing land-based and online sports betting. Sponsored by Senators John Eklund and Sean O’Brien, SB111 would permit the state’s 11 casinos and racinos to offer legal sports wagering to consumers in Ohio.

Florida:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.14.19 – Senate President Says Florida Sports Betting Could Be Part of Tribal Negotiation
  • There is neither a bill nor any proposal, but there is some ray of hope for Florida sports betting to sneak into the state’s short legislative session. A priority of the legislature is negotiating a new gaming compact with the Seminole tribe. Senate President Bill Galvano tells Legal Sports Report he thinks legal sports betting would be part of any agreement.

Indiana:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.14.19 – Indiana Sports Betting Part Of Monster Gambling Bill In Committee Next Week
  • The Frankenstein-like gambling expansion legislation that includes Indiana sports betting will be dissected Wednesday in the House Committee on Public Policy.

Maryland:

• AP, 3.14.1.9 – Maryland lawmakers: sports betting bill stalled this year
  • A key Maryland lawmaker says measures to allow sports betting in the state are “not going to happen this year.” State Sen. Nancy King, who chairs the Maryland Senate’s budget committee, said Thursday there isn’t a big appetite to go ahead this year.

Tennessee:

• TUNF, 3.14.19 – Tennessee Legislators File Bill to Legalize Sports Betting
  • Tennessee could soon join the eight American states with fully legalized sports betting. Tennessee lawmakers filed two bills in the state legislature to legalize sports betting in the Volunteer State.

North Carolina:

• TUNF, 3.14.19 – North Carolina’s new Sports Betting Bill is the Latest in a Series of Ground-Breaking Gaming Legislation
  • One after the other, the U.S. states are individually falling like dominos over the issue of sports betting, Approval is sweeping the country and North Carolina is now in the limelight. It is the thirtieth state this year to introduce a gaming bill.

Iowa:

• Sports Handle, 3.14.19 – Iowa Sports Betting Likely To Come Down To Wire In 2019
  • Many signs have pointed to Iowa as one of the strongest contenders to legalize sports betting in 2019, but a compromise over the provisions of the bill has yet to be hashed out. According to a report from The Daily Iowan, some policymakers are currently at odds over whether or not to make it illegal to take bets on college sports.

New York:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.14.19 – Long Shot Still Alive As Senate Pitches Governor On Mobile NY Sports Betting
  • The state legislature continues to press Gov. Andrew Cuomo to authorize mobile NY sports betting. Amid budget negotiations, Senate lawmakers are prepared to include enabling language in their proposal to Cuomo. Voters previously approved NY sports betting for four upstate casinos, and regulators are now working to create a framework of rules.

Connecticut:

• CT Post, 3.14.19 – Rhode Island spurs CT toward mobile sports betting
  • Rhode Island this week expanded legalized sports betting, paving the way for gamblers to make wagers online. The move by Rhode Island caught the attention of Connecticut lawmakers, who are struggling over how to implement gambling in their state.
• AP, 3.13.19 – Legislative leader says it’s crucial to pass sports betting
  • A top Democratic leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives says it’s crucial the state enact legalized sports betting this during this year’s legislative session.

Missouri:

• KCTV, 3.14.19 – Missouri considers legalizing sports betting
  • The Big 12 games are of passionate interest to fans of the ten teams involved. But in the near future, more people may have a stake in these tournament games. The state of Missouri is considering legalizing betting on college basketball and other sports.
• Fox 2 St. Louis, 3.14.19 – Cardinals organization in support for Missouri sports gambling bill
  • The Missouri House Committee heard from representatives of Major League Baseball Wednesday about a bill that would legalize sports betting.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• NJ Online Gambling, 3.14.19 – DraftKings Turns Stagnant Resorts Into An Online Casino Powerhouse In February
  • New Jersey online casinos didn’t top their blockbuster January numbers last month,but came relatively close. During February, the state’s online gambling sites raked in $31.7 mm in total revenue ($29.9 mm from casino and $1.8 mm from poker), putting it on the board as the industry’s second-best month ever.
• MA State House News Service, 3.14.19 – DraftKings angling for piece of pro sports betting
  • With legislation to legalize and regulate sports betting on the horizon in Massachusetts, representatives from a Boston-based mobile sports wagering service visited the State House on Thursday to remind a key House lawmaker of what they said are the benefits of mobile betting.

Overall Industry News:

• Axios, 3.15.19 – 1 big thing: Betting on the future of sports
  • It’s been almost a year since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which had prevented states from creating their own regulations regarding sports betting.