Industry News of the Day for March 19, 2019

New Jersey:

• Play NJ, 3.18.19 – Casino Employment, Occupancy, And Room Rates Bode Well For Atlantic City
  • The health of Atlantic City, and particularly the Atlantic City casino market is always a hotly debated topic. In recent years the news has been trending more positive particularly on the online gambling front, but the optimistic analysis always comes with caveats.
• CBS 2 New York, 3.17.19 – With Sports Betting Finally Legal In New Jersey, Gamblers Figure To Wager A Lot Of Money On NCAA Tournament
  • On Selection Sunday we find out which 68 college basketball teams will take part in the March Madness tournament. Some from our area made the cut, and for the first time fans in New Jersey can legally bet on who will win, CBS2’s Lisa Rozner reported.

Pennsylvania:

• Online Poker Report, 3.18.19 – Here’s Everything We Know About PA Online Poker And Casinos
  • Following passage of an omnibus expansion package in 2017, Pennsylvania is drawing closer to the launch of online gambling — including poker, casino and sports betting. The latter went live in the brick-and-mortar setting in November 2018.
• Philadelphia Business Journal (subscription paywall), 3.19.19 – How much revenue Pennsylvania got from sports betting so far
  • Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County was the first to roll out sports betting. Other properties have followed, results in millions of dollars in revenue.
• PA Online Casino, 3.18.19 – Experts Think PA Sportsbooks Could Take $10 Million In March Madness Bets
  • The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is the second-biggest event for wagering. The action tips off with the First Four on Tuesday. And with it, the first of likely hundreds of millions of dollars should begin coming into regulated sportsbooks across the country.
• Metro Bet, 3.18.19 – Breaking Down Pennsylvania – Philadelphia February Sports Betting Numbers
  • The state of Pennsylvania’s sports betting numbers for the month of February were released on Monday, with the total handle coming in at $31.5 million. This is down slightly from the month of January, when the statewide handle was $32 million – generating $2.6 million in revenue.
• Play Pennsylvania, 3.18.19 – Pa Sports Betting Revenue From February Definitely Not Too Hot To Handle
  • February may have included one of the biggest sporting events of the year, but even the Super Bowl couldn’t rise PA sports betting handle and revenue above the figures from January. Total handle for the month at Pennsylvania’s six sportsbooks came in at $31,500,742. The good news is that number is down just 1.6 percent from last month’s bets.

Ohio:

• ABC 6 Columbus, 3.18.19 – Sports betting could become legal in Ohio
  • Many sports fans will be filling out their NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament brackets this week but placing a bet on any of the games remains illegal in Ohio. That could soon change with a bill recently introduced in the Ohio Statehouse.

West Virginia:

• Play WV, 3.18.19 – Setbacks Aside, Wv Sportsbooks Contribute To National Conversation
  • As more states get on the sports betting bandwagon, sportsbooks in West Virginia are part of a growing movement that has seen major gains at the betting windows. Those states now exceed totals from the sports-betting mecca of Nevada.

Texas:

• KENS 5 San Antonio, 3.18.19 – Sports gambling could be legal in Texas in 2020
  • The men’s NCAA basketball tournament kicks off Tuesday, but some fans are already immersed in the madness. Sports gambling is expected to reach nearly 10 billion dollars this year – making this a bigger event than the Super Bowl for gamblers.

Missouri:

• Joplin Globe, 3.17.19 – Cardinals, Royals, MLB endorse Smith’s sports betting bill
  • The sports-betting bill filed in the Missouri General Assembly by Rep. Cody Smith this past week received the backing of two of the state’s most prominent sports organizations. Smith, R-Carthage, pre-filed House Bill 119 in December after the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 struck down a federal law that prevented states from legalizing sports betting.
• KRGC 13, 3.18.19 – March Madness: 47 million people plan to bet, sports gambling remains illegal in Missouri
  • Sports betting legalization is currently being considered in 23 states across the country. State lawmakers currently are considering several proposals to legalize sports gambling.

Iowa:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.18.19 – Iowa Sports Betting Bill Poised To Advance After Changes Bridge Partisan Gap
  • After squeaking through its first committee mostly on party lines, Iowa sports betting legislation is poised to advance to the House floor. It should happen with bipartisan support, thanks to changes being made in the Ways and Means Committee.
• US Bets, 3.18.19 – Iowa Lawmakers Make Deal On Collegiate Sports Betting Restrictions
  • State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, the Republican sponsor of HF 648, told US Bets on Monday ahead of a scheduled subcommittee meeting that there’s been a major compromise reached on the legislation.

New York:

• New York Upstate, 3.18.19 – Sports betting in NY: Where we stand as March Madness starts
  • Without that deadline, New York’s efforts to open sports books resemble a basketball team’s offense working without a shot clock. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has proposed a limited plan for rolling out sports betting, sounded doubtful Monday in an interview with host Alan Chartock on WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
• WROC, 3.18.19 – Casinos, sports betting, & state restrictions
  • Albany has been weighing decisions on expanding sports betting since the US Supreme Court struck down a federal law last year. New York does have a sports betting law from 2013 allowing limited wagering at four commercial casinos, with restrictions (keep in mind Native American tribal-owned/operated casinos can have different rules and regulations).
• Legal Sports Report, 3.19.19 – Oh No, Cuomo! Gov A No-Go On Mobile NY Sports Betting, Will Pols Slow Or Show?
  • Governor Andrew Cuomo doubled down on his opposition to mobile NY sports betting in a Monday interview. In an interview with WAMC‘s Alan Chartock, Cuomo downplayed the potential impact of sports betting on the Empire State.
• Times Union, 3.18.19 – Cuomo ‘Not A Fan’ Of Online Sports Betting
  • Gambling operators hoping New York lawmakers will allow online sports wagering were dealt another blow on Monday morning. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who in January signaled support for a limited rollout of sports gambling, told WAMC News on Monday that he is “not a fan” of expanding that form of betting to the internet.
• The Buffalo News, 3.18.19 – Online sports betting takes hit from Cuomo
  • The door to legalizing online sports gambling in the coming budget closed a bit more firmly on Monday courtesy of fresh doubts by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo about such wagering.

Rhode Island:

• AP, 3.16.19 – Steps Taken In Rhode Island To Increase Sports Betting
  • Twin River Casino is trying to add self-service kiosks for sports betting in time for the start of the NCAA basketball tournament.

Michigan:

• Casino Betting News, 3.18.19 – Michigan Online Gambling Boosted by Committee Hearing
  • The state of Michigan is looking forward to legislation in favor of online poker and gambling. During a House Regulatory Reform Committee hearing on March 12, witnesses who appeared for testimony showed an overall positive response towards the 2019 Lawful Internet Gaming Act.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• USL, 3.19.19 – The United Soccer League and Sportradar Announce Official U.S. Partnership
  • The United Soccer League and Sportradar, the global leader in sports data intelligence, announced today an official integrity services partnership. Sportradar will be monitoring and analyzing USL competitions via its award-winning fraud detection system and providing the USL with educational solutions, as well as access to its intelligence and investigations services.
• BBC, 3.18.19 – WorldPay payments firm in $43bn sale to US rival
  • WorldPay has been bought by Florida-based Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) for $35bn in cash and shares, plus WorldPay’s debt.
• GamblingCompliance, 3.18.19 – GamblingCompliance Global Regulatory Awards Announced
  • iDEA is proud to announce that our members have been recognized in numerous award categories for this year’s Gambling Compliance Global Regulatory Awards. This year saw a record number of nominations to this prestigious gaming industry event, making it more difficult than usual to achieve finalist status.

Overall Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 3.19.19 – As Offshore Books Operate Unchecked, Demand For Sports Betting Data Knows No Boundaries. That’s An Issue
  • An offshore betting website popular with U.S. customers, however, acts less swiftly, based on another source of data. For oddsmakers and bettors monitoring in-game lines, the disparity is stark.
• Legal Sports Report, 3.18.19 – How Big Is America’s March Madness Betting Appetite In 2019?
  • Legal March Madness betting across the United States certainly will become one of the biggest wagering events on the sports calendar. Just how big will it be? That is the question the Legal Sports Report team attempts to answer today.
• Sports Handle, 3.18.19 – March Madness More Like March Money: AGA Says $8.5 Billion Will Be Wagered
  • It’s well-established that sports betting brings new fans into sporting events. That goes for March Madness, too, according to the American Gaming Association. In fact, during Monday morning’s March Madness conference call, AGA president and CEO Bill Miller said at least twice that not only are people more engaged when they have something riding on the game, but that sports betting draws a “younger, wealthier” bettor to the table.