Industry News of the Day for March 20, 2020

iDEA Growth in the News:

• The Wall Street Journal, 3.20.20 – Online Gambling Stands Ready As Casinos Close (iDEA Growth mentioned; 888, Fox Bet/The Stars Group)
  • An industry trade group, iDevelopment & Economic Association, is pushing states to allow online casino games to replace disappearing revenue from temporarily closed casinos, including exploring how governors can use wide emergency powers to quickly allow online casinos to operate, leaders of the group said.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• SBC Americas, 3.20.20 – DraftKings Explores Alternative Markets To Keep Sports Bettors Engaged
  • With traditional sports betting options dwindling as a consequence of temporary major league suspensions in the face of COVID-19, DFS operator DraftKings has been busy finding alternative markets to keep its customers engaged.

Overall Industry News:

• ESPN, 3.20.20 – What Does A Pro Sports Bettor Do Without Sports To Bet On?
  • Sportsbooks are empty. What does that mean for professional bettors?
• Gambling Compliance, 3.20.20 – Esports’ Remote Regroup Could Fill Sporting Void (subscription paywall)
  • Virus-pummelled bookmakers desperate for viable betting events are looking longingly at esports, which seems set to largely avoid the shutdowns plaguing traditional sports, but the sector presents plenty of its own complicationa.

Sports League News:

• ESPN, 3.20.20 – New CBA Allows Owners, Players To Cash In On Stadium Sportsbooks
  • The new NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining agreement takes the league through 2030 and paints a picture of a future with owners and players profiting off bets placed by gamblers at sportsbooks inside stadiums.
• PlayIA, 3.19.20 – Kentucky Derby Postponement Likely Pushes Other Legs Of Triple Crown Back
  • For horse racing fans, 2020 will be a year that is long remembered. The Kentucky Derby postponement is just the start of that.

New Jersey:

• PlayNJ, 3.19.20 – New Jersey Gaming News: AC Casinos Close, Online Casinos Stay Open, Poker Rebounds
  • What a difference a week makes. When we wrote last week’s NJ Gaming News, the NBA had just suspended its season, and March Madness was set to play to empty stadiums.

Pennsylvania:

• Online Poker Report, 3.19.20 – Pennsylvania Online Casinos Record Best-Ever Month; FanDuel With An Early Lead
  • Pennsylvania online gambling sites recorded yet another revenue record in February. The market, still in its infancy, saw its fastest monthly growth since PokerStars PA began operations under the license of Mount Airy in November.
• PlayPennsylvania, 3.19.20 – FanDuel Casino Leads Charge To Record Online Gaming Revenue In PA
  • Online gaming revenue peaked while PA sports gambling saw month-over-month declines in February. Internet-based gambling in Pennsylvania experienced its best month yet in February, 2020 bringing in nearly $19.5 million in revenue.

Maryland:

• Sports Handle, 3.19.20 – Will Maryland Sports Betting Referendum Gain Public Support?
  • Maryland lawmakers earlier this week rushed through a bare-bones sports betting referendum bill that didn’t include any framework for how legal sports wagering would work in the state — a matter that both chambers had debated before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the country.
• Legal Sports Report, 3.19.20 – How Inclusion Concerns Led To Gutting Of Maryland Sports Betting Bill
  • Concerns over the lack of women and minorities in ownership positions of potential licensees led to the removal of the implementation language from the Maryland sports betting bill passed Wednesday.
• Maryland Matters, 3.19.20 – Sports Betting Will Go To Ballot In November
  • Maryland voters will decide in November whether to legalize gambling on sporting events.

West Virginia:

• PlayWV, 3.20.20 – Clock Strikes Midnight: WV Casinos Suspend Operations To Fight Coronavirus
  • West Virginia casinos are closed until further notice.

Alabama:

• Online Poker Report, 3.19.20 – Alabama Looks Likely To Legalize Lottery; Don’t Count On Sports Betting
  • Alabama is one of just five US states without a lottery. That could change this year, as two separate bills were recently introduced to create one.

Colorado:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.19.20 – Colorado Sports Betting Regulators Still Pushing Toward May 1 Launch
  • Regulators are still pushing toward a May 1 launch date for Colorado sports betting.

California:

• Spectrum News 1, 3.19.20 – CA Initiative To Legalize Sports Betting Could Be On Nov. Ballot
  • Journalist Matthew Kredell talks about the history of sports betting in California and what a proposal on the November ballot may look like.