Industry News of the Day for March 16, 2021
iDEA Growth Member News
- CNBC, 3.15.21 – PointsBet Hopes To Fuel US Expansion With $43 Million Acquisition Of Betting Platform Company
- PointsBet will pay 55% cash and distribute one million in shares to Banach Technology after acquiring it.
- Legal Sports Report, 3.16.21 – What PointsBet Hopes New Purchase Can Do To Expand In-Play Sports Betting
- PointsBet hopes a new $43 million acquisition can help it become a leader in US in-play betting.
- SBC Americas, 3.16.21 – Paysafe Expands PointsBet Partnership With Move Into Michigan
- Specialist payments platform provider Paysafe has expanded its partnership with global sportsbook operator PointsBet which recently launched its online sports-betting brand in Michigan.
- iGB North America, 3.16.21 – Golden Nugget Online Gaming Gains Virginia Sports Betting License
- Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) today announced it has been granted an online sports betting license in the state of Virginia.
- iGB North America, 3.16.21 – Kindred Offers Gamban Blocking Software In US
- Unibet operator Kindred Group announced today its US arm has partnered with UK self-exclusion supplier Gamban, becoming the first operator in the US to offer its gambling blocking software to its customers.
- Online Poker Report, 3.15.21 – Flutter Confirm Rumors That It Is Considering A FanDuel Spinoff And IPO
- FanDuel‘s primary owner, Flutter Entertainment, confirmed rumors it has been considering a public offering.
- Sports Handle, 3.15.21 – FanDuel Opens Second Illinois Retail Sportsbook At Fairmount Park
- The Wizard of Oz took a swing at being the Wizard of Odds on Monday when Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ozzie Smith made the ceremonial first bet at the newly rebranded FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing in the southwest portion of Illinois near St. Louis.
Industry News:
- PlayUSA, 3.15.21 – March Madness Is Here, But Only Some States Allow Betting On In-State College Teams
- Sports betting is legal and underway in 21 states or jurisdictions. Betting on local colleges is not allowed in 13 of them.
- PlayNJ, 3.16.21 – AGA Expects March To Truly Be Mad At Sportsbooks Around The Country
- The AGA predicts a huge spike in wagers on the tourney this year in comparison to 2019. Its reasoning for the increase is about more than just the fact that there was no such tournament in 2020, however.
- Legal Sports Report, 3.15.21 – The Week In Sports Betting News: New York Mobile Bill Gets Support
- A couple of big states dominated sports betting news last week, with an annual disappointment taking its biggest step yet.
- Sports Handle, 3.16.21 – WynnBET May Have Been Late To Sports Betting Party, But It’s Making Noise
- As the legal sports betting landscape has begun to fill out since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned in 2018, one luxury casino brand had been noticeably absent — until last fall, anyway.
Overall Industry News:
- ESPN, 3.16.21 – Mercy Rule: Judge Aims To Get Gambling Addicts ‘Out Of Chaos’ Rather Than Send Them To Prison
- Judge Cheryl Moss witnessed stories of devastation while overseeing the Nevada Gambling Treatment Diversion Court, beginning with her first case, a grandmother who stole more than $500,000 from a Las Vegas plumbing business to fuel an addiction to video poker and slot machines.
- SBC Americas, 3.16.21 – Jalen Rose Appointed As Celebrity Brand Ambassador For BetMGM
- BetMGM has appointed Michigan basketball legend and analyst Jalen Rose as a celebrity brand ambassador this week.
New York:
- Legal Sports Report, 3.15.21 – Addabbo: Competing Mobile NY Sports Betting Proposals Have ‘Common Ground’
- Mobile NY sports betting appears as closer as ever before to legalization, with support from both the Assembly and Senate.
- US Bets, 3.15.21 – Annual Budget Proposals Show NY Lawmakers Split On NYC-Area Casino Plans
- The New York State Senate and Assembly each released their annual budget proposals over the weekend, with nearly identical language on approval of mobile sports wagering.
- The Action Network, 3.15.21 – New York Legislature Advances Mobile Sports Betting Framework
- The New York State Senate and Assembly advanced a multi-operator mobile sports betting framework within their budget bills Monday, a key move toward legal statewide mobile wagering and the competitive market model favored by most gaming stakeholders.
Connecticut:
- The Day, March 15, 2021 – State-Tribes Agreement On Sports Wagering, Online Gaming Said To Be Imminent (subscription paywall)
- An agreement that would authorize the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to offer sports wagering and online gaming is imminent, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday.
- Connecticut Law Tribune, 3.15.21 – Lawyers Weigh In On Potential Litigation From Connecticut’s Tentative Gaming Agreement
- On the heels of a tentative agreement between Connecticut and one of the state’s two casinos over sports betting and the future of gambling, attorneys who specialize in gaming are asking one question: Will the casinos be immune to lawsuits that occur off Native American land?
Massachusetts:
- Boston Herald, 3.15.21 – Hold Your Bets: Spilka Taking ‘Wait To See’ Stance On Sports Betting
- March Madness betting pools are coming together and would-be bettors in Massachusetts will once again be on the sidelines as other states grab a stake of the wagering due to laws legalizing sports betting.
- GBH, 3.15.21 – If She Supports It, Spilka Wants Mass. To Be Sports Betting “National Model”
- March Madness betting pools are coming together and would-be bettors in Massachusetts will once again be on the (legal) betting sidelines as other states grab a stake of the wagering due to laws legalizing sports betting.
Delaware:
- iGB North America, 3.16.21 – Delaware iGaming Revenue Rockets 131.2% In February
- The Delaware Lottery has reported a 131.2% year-on-year increase in igaming revenue for February, while consumer spending more than doubled during the month.
Maryland:
- WSN, 3.16.21 – Maryland House Approves Sports Wagering Onsite And Online
- In one of the final phases toward beginning sports wagering the Maryland House approved measures within House Bill 940 to allow for sports wagering in the state both at select onsite locations and online.
Virginia:
- PlayVirginia, 3.16.21 – There Are 5 VA Schools In March Madness And You Can’t Bet On Any Of Them
- The tournament field is set, and Virginia is well-represented in the 2021 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. However, if you’re a Virginia sports bettor who hopes to wager on any of those schools, well, you’re in for some disappointment.
West Virginia:
- PlayWV, 3.15.21 – West Virginia Legislature Proposes Updated Bill To Expand Legal Betting In The Mountain State
- West Virginia Senate Bill 603 has been updated to potentially expand legal sports betting and interactive wagering in the state.
Michigan:
- PlayMichigan, 3.16.21 – First Full Month Of Michigan Online Sports Betting Yields $301.9 Million In Bets
- Michigan online sportsbooks reported $301.9 million in wagers for February, the first full month of statewide online betting.
- PlayMichigan, 3.16.21 – Michigan Online Gambling Strikes Gold With $79.7 Million Revenue In February
- Michigan online gaming continued its hot start in February, raising $79.7 million of revenue in its first full month active in the state.
- MI Bets, 3.15.21 – Michigan Gaming Control Board Reminds Residents They Can Self-Limit
- With March Madness about to tip-off in the midst of Problem Gambling Awareness Month, the Michigan Gaming Control Board is reminding sportsbook and casino gamblers that there are a plethora of options available should they decide they need to take a self-imposed break.
Ohio:
- Crain’s Cleveland Business, 3.15.21 – As Ohio Continues To Mull Its Sports Betting Future, NCAA Tournament Could Produce $1 Billion In Legal Wagers (subscription paywall)
- When the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament last was held in 2019, sports betting was legal in seven states.
Iowa:
- Radio Iowa, 3.15.21 – Help Is Available For Problem Gamblers
- March is “Problem Gambling Awareness” month and the head of Iowa’s treatment program says they are trying to let everyone know that things don’t have to get out of control.
North Dakota:
- US Bets, 3.16.21 – North Dakota Holds Another Hearing On Multi-State Online Poker Bill
- Efforts to bring regulated online poker to North Dakota and allow the state to enter into liquidity sharing deals with other online poker states continued to advance this week in Bismarck.
Washington:
- US Bets, 3.16.21 – Washington State Card Rooms Need Signatures And Votes To Legalize Commercial Sports Betting
- As other areas of the country pivot toward a back-to-normal-ish lifestyle where COVID is all but an afterthought, Washington state remains a place where people get passive-aggressively shamed for not wearing a mask — outdoors.