Industry News of the Day for March 16, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• MassLive, 3.13.20 – DraftKings To Offer DFS Contests For Any Remaining Sports: ‘We Will Strive To Be A Source Of Entertainment And Joy For You During These Unprecedented Times’
  • DraftKings, a leading daily fantasy sports and betting site, sent a letter to players promising to continue to offer contests on any sports that are continuing among the rash of postponements and cancellations due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 3.15.20 – Get A Grip: The Coronavirus Pandemic & Sports Betting News Edition
  • Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories, highlighting some fresh news and rounding up key stories in the world (and industry) of legal U.S. sports betting.
• Sports Handle, 3.13.20 – Uncertain Futures: Sportsbooks And Bettors Playing Wait And See With Wagers
  • The sports leagues have stopped. In an effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and protect players, administrators, and fans, every major American sports league — and many overseas leagues as well — decided this week to halt play indefinitely.
• AL.Com, 3.13.20 – Sports Betting Industry Reels As Sports Pause Indefinitely
  • There’s little doubt Thursday was the worst day for the sports betting industry since years prior to the Supreme Court decision to repeal PASPA in May 2018.
• Sports Illustrated, 3.13.20 – Coronavirus Cripples World Of Sports Gambling, William Hill US CEO Weighs In On Impact
  • The unprecedented cancelation of March Madness and suspension of the NBA and NHL has turned the typically very profitable sports gambling industry on its head.
• Gambling Compliance, 3.16.20 – US Casinos Close En Masse Amid Coronavirus Crisis (subscription paywall)
  • Gaming regulators in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan and Rhode Island all shut down their casino industries this weekend as part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, with properties in various other states closing or limiting their options.
• ESPN, 3.14.20 – Bettors, Sportsbooks Turn To UFC, Soccer
  • Bettors in the U.S. were gravitating to UFC, international soccer and horse racing on the first weekend since most major sports leagues stopped play due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 3.13.20 – WSOP Circuit Pulls Plug On Live Events, Pulls Together Online Super Circuit
  • The World Series of Poker is making sweeping changes to the remainder of its WSOP Circuit schedule amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
• Online Poker Report, 3.13.20 – Inspired Entertainment Working To Popularize US Virtual Sports Betting After Record Quarter
  • Inspired Entertainment released its fourth quarter and full year 2019 results on Wednesday. It was a strong report for the company overall, but especially for its virtual sports products which had their strongest quarter on record.

Federal News:

• Law360, 3.13.20 – Sports Leagues Take NJ Racetrack Bond Dispute To SCOTUS (subscription paywall)
  • The NCAA, NFL, NBA and other sports organizations have asked the Supreme Court to undo a Third Circuit decision that could leave them on the hook for $150 million, after it found they wrongfully prevented a New Jersey racetrack from offering sports betting years before the practice became legal.

Sports League News:

• ESPN, 3.13.20 – SEC Suspends All Sports-Related Activity Until April 15
  • The SEC announced Friday that all organized team activities, including competitions, team and individual practices, meetings and other organized gatherings, will be suspended through April 15 due to coronavirus concerns.
• The New York Times, 3.15.20 – NFL Players Vote Yes On New 10-Year Labor Deal
  • F.L. players have approved a new 10-year labor deal that will include the first major expansion to the N.F.L. season in more than four decades. The players will also receive a share of revenue from gambling operations in stadiums, including wagers on other sports and games.

New Jersey:

• PlayNJ, 3.13.20 – Live Updates On COVID-19 In New Jersey And Its Impact On AC Casinos And NJ Racetracks
  • Right now, the discussion around COVID-19 summons up more questions than answers. The New Jersey sports betting market is still reeling from the suspension or cancellation of most sporting events.
• PlayNJ, 3.13.20 – Coronavirus Fears Pushes NJ Sports Betting Markets To Sidelines
  • March 12, 2020, will forever be known as the day the coronavirus shut down the sports world as we know it.
• Legal Sports Report, 3.15.20 – NJ Sports Betting Operators Receive State Guidance On Grading Wagers
  • Sportsbooks throughout the Garden State received state guidance this weekend on how to handle outstanding NJ sports betting tickets.
• Online Poker Report, 3.13.20 – Daily Revenue In February Adds Up To Another Record For New Jersey Online Gambling
  • Online gambling revenue in New Jersey just keeps on climbing.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 3.13.20 – Pennsylvania Casinos React To Coronavirus: Live Updates On PA Closures
  • As a result of coronavirus fears, Pennsylvania’s 12 brick-and-mortar casinos are already being impacted. PlayPennsylvania will continue to provide updates on casino closures here as they become available.
• PlayPennsylvania, 3.13.20 – Refunds, Voids, On Hold: How PA Sportsbooks Are Responding To COVID-19
  • When it comes to the novel coronavirus, no one knows what the next day, or hour, will bring. The future is unclear, and in the case of futures bets, it’s in limbo or canceled (NCAA basketball).
• PlayPennsylvania, 3.14.20 – UFC Fight Night & MLB Futures Can Help Curb March Sadness At PA Sportsbooks
  • The coronavirus has decimated the sports calendar, laying waste to all kinds of sports coverage – and perhaps a little bit of our hearts too.

Connecticut:

• Hartford Courant, 3.14.20 – Capitol Closure For Coronavirus Could Mean Connecticut Waits Another Year For Legalized Marijuana, Sports Betting
  • The closure of the state Capitol until at least March 30 due to the coronavirus outbreak could lead to the failure this year of key legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, enact sports betting and erase criminal records, lawmakers said.

Michigan:

• Fox 17, 3.15.20 – Michigan Sports Betting Takes A Hit During Pandemic
  • Just 24 hours after the grand openings, sporting events across the world had been stopped, leaving bettors without games to place wagers on.
• Detroit Free Press, 3.14.20 – How Detroit’s Casinos Are Dealing With Coronavirus, Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order
  • Following Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order banning gatherings of over 250 people, some Michigan casinos are finding ways to stay open for business while following the rules.
• MLive, 3.13.20 – How To Get Your Casino Sports Bet Money Back If Coronavirus Canceled The Game
  • Michigan’s in-person sports betting law took effect earlier this week and a lot of people, and we mean a whole lot of people, made all kinds of different sports bets.

Illinois:

• Sports Handle, 3.13.20 – Sources: FanDuel In Talks To Buy Illinois Racetrack, Gain Immediate Sports Betting Access
  • For $20 million, mobile-only sports betting operators can get a license to operate in Illinois. Only three such licenses are up for grabs. At least one company has decided that the money would be better spent on dirt.
• KSDK, 3.13.20 – Amid Widespread Cancellations, First Metro East Sports Betting Facility Opens Early
  • The first sports wagering venue in the St. Louis area began operations Thursday, even as major professional sports leagues and amateur groups suspended play amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Iowa:

• The Courier, 3.14.20 – Curtailing Sports Hurting Iowa Casinos? You Bet.
  • Sports betting in Iowa went from $372 million over the last seven months to zero late last week after coronavirus fears caused cancellations of nearly all college and professional sporting events — including the lucrative NCAA basketball tournament known as March Madness.

Indiana:

• PlayIndiana, 3.13.20 – Live Updates On Indiana Gambling Closings And Cancellations Related To COVID-19
  • Between the start and the end of this week, the sports and sports betting world screeched to a halt. Concerns about the spread of COVID-19 are impacting all facets of American life. As the cancellations, postponements, and closures keep rolling in, we are keeping tabs on how this is impacting the Indiana gambling economy.

Alabama:

• Associated Press, 3.15.20 – Lottery, Casino Bills Filed In Alabama But Outlook Unclear
  • Proposals to start a state lottery — and to allow the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to operate casino games — have been filed in the Alabama Legislature, but it is unclear when, or if, the bills will get a vote.

Nevada:

• New York Post, 3.13.20 – Vegas Getting A Handle On How Deep Losses Will Be
  • The sports world is often considered to exist in a parallel universe from real-world problems, but it was dealt a double dose of reality on Wednesday and Thursday with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament and the suspension of the NBA and NHL seasons among others due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• ESPN, 3.13.20 – Wynn Las Vegas Temporarily Closing Sportsbook Due To The Coronavirus
  • A Las Vegas sportsbook and casinos in multiple states are closing temporarily amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• Legal Sports Report, 3.13.20 – First Las Vegas Sportsbook To Close Over Coronavirus Concerns
  • Sports betting on the Las Vegas Strip will see its first tangible coronavirus effects this weekend as Wynn Las Vegas, Encore, and MGM Resorts announced temporary closures.
• USA Today, 3.15.20 – Sports Books In Las Vegas Are Getting Creative To Offset March Madness Betting Losses
  • Sports books in Las Vegas accustomed to raking in cash from the frenzied betting during March Madness are bracing for the impact of coronavirus. In years past, oddsmakers and ticket takers were busy on Saturday handling action on college basketball conference championship games and looking ahead to Selection Sunday.

New Mexico:

• Albuquerque Journal, 3.13.20 – Virus-Related Changes Create ‘Serious Impact’ At Sportsbooks
  • There’s little to bet on at the sportsbooks at Route 66, Isleta and Santa Ana Star casinos with the shutdown of major sports and NCAA men’s basketball because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Oregon:

• KMTR, 3.13.20 – Cancelation Of March Madness And Other Sports Leave Bettors With Little To Wager On
  • Nationwide, sports betting was likely to exceed $2 billion this month if everything had gone as planned.