Industry News of the Day for March 20, 2019
Pennsylvania:
- CBS Pittsburgh, 3.19.19 – Sports Bettors Expected To Flow Into Rivers Casino During March Madness
- In the first two months of 2019, sports bettors wagered almost $18 million at the Rivers Casino. Now, here comes March Madness and the bettors are expected to flow into the Rivers Thursday through Sunday.
- CBS Pittsburgh, 3.19.19 – Reporter Update: Sports Betting at Rivers Casino Getting ready For Big Weekend (video)
- In January and February alone, betters put down $18 million on sports betting At the Rivers. March Madness could take it to another level.
- Play Pennsylvania, 3.19.19 – Despite Record PA Lottery Revenue, Illegal Skill Games And Wire Act Still Loom Large
- Soon after signing a gambling expansion law in 2017 to legalize PA online gambling, among other things, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf made a statement. The goal, he said, “has been all along to do what’s prudent, not cannibalize existing gambling revenue coming to the state, and I think what we’re settling on will actually do that.”
- PA Online Casino, 3.19.19 – A Tale Of Two Cities: Philly And Pittsburgh Sports Betting Numbers
- The Super Bowl has long been the most-watched and most-wagered-on sporting event in America. Even in February, albeit a short month, the biggest NFL game of the year would theoretically provide a boost to legalized sports betting in Pennsylvania.
- Play Pennsylvania, 3.19.19 – With Flat Feb. Casino Revenue, Lackluster Sports Betting Even More Disappointing
- After a torrid start to 2019, Pennsylvania’s casino industry cooled off in February, with the state’s casino industry posting modest revenue gains across the board. According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s (PGCB) latest revenue report, total casino revenue came in at $263,975,463 for the month. That’s a year-over-year increase of .44 percent.
Michigan:
- Online Poker Report, 3.19.19 – Michigan Online Gambling Bill Charting A Direct Path Toward House Vote
- The Michigan online gambling bill from Rep. Brandt Iden is on the move in Lansing. Iden’s bill (H 4311) was up for its second hearing before the House Regulatory Reform Committee on Tuesday, culminating in a 13-1 vote recommending passage.
West Virginia:
- Legal Sports Report, 3.20.19 – Country Woes: WV Sports Betting Remains Closed For Start Of March Madness
- The ongoing outage for WV sports betting will cost sportsbooks one of the year’s most popular sports wagering events. The West Virginia Lottery issued a statement on the contract dispute affecting Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island casinos Wednesday.
New Hampshire:
- Legal Sports Report, 3.19.19 – Almost Halfway Home For New Hampshire Sports Betting As It Passes House
- New Hampshire is making a push to become the first state to authorize legal sports betting this year. H 480 was up for a vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, a proposal from Rep. Timothy Lang to authorize full-scale NH sports betting. Following some brief debate, lawmakers voted 269-82 to pass an amended version onto the Senate.
- New Hampshire Union Leader, 3.19.19 – Legal sports betting looking like a sure thing, clears House vote by 3-1 margin
- Legal sports betting in New Hampshire moved one step closer to reality with a 269-82 vote in the House to advance HB 480, with the ringing endorsement of Gov. Chris Sununu. Sununu already has $10 million in new revenue from sports betting in the state budget for 2020-21. In his inaugural address, he called on lawmakers to “Go all in and get it done.”
- AP, 3.19.19 – New Hampshire House Approves Legalizing Sports Betting
- The New Hampshire House has approved legalizing sports betting in the state. The House voted 269-82 on Tuesday to send a legalization bill to the Senate. Meanwhile, House leaders say they also will likely incorporate the provisions into their two-year proposed state budget.
- NH NPR, 3.19.19 – Sports Betting Bill Passes N.H. House
- New Hampshire is a step closer to allowing betting on sports. A plan to authorize up to 10 sites for sports betting easily cleared the New Hampshire House on Tuesday.
New York:
- Legal Sports Report, 3.19.19 – New York Law Firms Agree With Senators: No Amendment Needed For Mobile Wagering
- Armed with legal opinions from some of the top law firms in the state, New York Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. is making the case that mobile NY sports betting can be authorized without a constitutional amendment.
- The Journal News, 3.19.19 – Andrew Cuomo pans proposal for new downstate casinos
- Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday essentially ruled out a push by casino interests to speed up the process to allow new casinos in the New York City area. MGM, Genting and Sands have all been working the halls of the state Capitol in recent days to try to get state leaders to drop a moratorium on new casinos before 2023.
- 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. The Cuomo administration has already declared that online sports wagering would be a violation of the state’s constitution.
- NY Daily News, 3.19.19 – Cuomo not ready to gamble on New York City casinos
- Don’t bet on the Big Apple. Gov. Cuomo warned Tuesday that the true odds of a new casino opening up in the five boroughs are not very good.
- Times Union, 3.19.19 – Cuomo ‘dubious’ of plan to launch downstate casinos
- Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday shot down a plan being floated by some major casino operators that could accelerate their entry in the New York City market.
- ESPN Radio, 3.19.19 – Cuomo ‘Not A Fan’ Of Online Gambling
- Recently, many states have been moving forward with allowing sports wagering and New York is expected to do so as well. Governor Andrew Cuomo came out in support of sports betting in New York so long as it was in either a Native American Casino or one of the four “Brick and Mortar” casinos in New York. Now the Governor is saying he doesn’t want to extend that to online gambling.
Tennessee:
- News Channel 5 Nashville, 3.19.19 – Sports betting bill would allow only online betting
- A bill that would allow sports betting in Tennessee was fundamentally altered by the bill’s sponsor by only allowing customers to place bets online.
- US Bets, 3.19.19 – Tennessee Could Be First State With Mobile-Only Sports Betting, Bill Sponsor Says
- Tennessee’s sports betting efforts this year appear to gaining serious momentum. At a House committee hearing in Nashville on Tuesday, the sponsor of the sports betting legislation on the agenda unveiled significant proposed changes to the measure, House Bill 1.
Maine:
- US Bets, 3.20.19 – First Full-Fledged Sports Betting Bill Introduced In Maine
- Maine’s first true sports betting bill was filed this week. Following a shell measure that was introduced in January, the legislation, LD 1348, has an official House introduction date slated for Thursday, Mar. 21. It has 10 lawmakers behind it.
Connecticut:
- CT Post, 3.19.19 – New sports betting proposal, Bridgeport casino clear first Connecticut legislative hurdle
- The legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee overwhelmingly voted Tuesday to support gambling expansion in Connecticut through sports betting, internet lottery games and a commercial casino.
Washington:
- KXLY, 3.19.19 – Washington sports betting laws won’t stop fans from betting on their brackets
- Every year when March rolls around, millions of people across the country break the law — and they might not even know it. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the madness of the NCAA tournament and forget that the traditional office pool, which seemingly everyone is in on, is technically illegal in Washington and Idaho.
Rhode Island:
- Sports Handle, 3.19.19 – RI Mobile Sports Betting Clears Final Legislative Hurdle
- In what could be considered a formality or simple redundancy, the Rhode Island Senate on Tuesday passed HB 5241, the mobile sports betting bill that mirrors S 37, which the Senate approved last month.
Montana:
- Helena Independent Record, 3.19.19 – Montana state lawmaker goes all in on legal sports betting
- Montana would join a growing list of states with legalized sports betting if a bill proposed in the state Legislature passes.
- AP, 3.19.19 – Lawmakers hear bill to legalize sports gambling in Montana
- A Montana legislative committee heard testimony Tuesday on a bill to legalize betting on college and professional sporting events as long as it’s done in bars with full liquor licenses.
- KTVH, 3.19.19 – Proposed legislation would legalize sports gambling in Montana
- Proposed legislation was heard at the Capitol which would legalize sports gambling in the state of Montana. On March 19 the Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs Committee heard Senate Bill 330, the Montana Sports Betting Act.
Sports League News:
- 60 Minutes, 3.20.19 – NBA Commissioner says legalized sports gambling cuts risk of corruption, but college athletic director isn’t buying it
- Will more sports betting lead to more attempts to fix games? It could, warns a Division I athletic director. Marshall University AD Mike Hamrick worries that with an increasing number of states with legalized sports betting, including West Virginia where Marshall is located, the odds of gamblers trying to corrupt unpaid college athletes will increase as well.
Overall Industry News:
- Forbes, 3.19.19 – Sports Betting Explodes During March Madness, And AGA Estimates $8.5 Billion Bet On NCAA Tournament
- College basketball’s biggest event will be played across the U.S. at selected cities over the next three weeks. And according to data just released by the American Gaming Association, 47 million American’s will bet near $8.5 billion on the NCAA Tournament.
- Legal Sports Report, 3.19.19 – Legal March Madness Betting Is Here, So Why Is Everyone Promoting Offshore Sportsbooks?
- As March Madness descends upon the US, it’s handy to remember the federal Supreme Court lifted the ban on sports gambling outside of Nevada about a year ago. What the Supreme Court did not do, however, is legalize sports betting nationwide. Nor did it suddenly open up the market to the wide variety of illegal offshore sportsbook operators that have been serving the US for years.
- ESPN, 3.20.19 – Why pro bettors have less of an edge in March Madness
- “Bill” is a U.S.-based professional sports bettor who has been betting since the mid-2000s, the past seven years as a professional. He focuses primarily on college basketball. He visited with Chalk ahead of the 2019 NCAA tournament to share some insights on the college hoops market and the difficulty of winning in March.