Industry News of the Day for March 19, 2024

Industry News

• Legal Sports Report: Sportradar Adds NBA Betting Integration To League Pass
  • On Tuesday, Sportradar announced NBA League Pass will feature “enhanced betting-related functionality” with the integration of emBET. The product will direct bets to DraftKings and FanDuel. “We’re not taking bets in League Pass by any means. That’s a bridge too far,” NBA vice president of US fantasy and betting Eric Rimsky told LSR at the iGaming Next Conference. “But it’s another step forward with respect to making sure that the operators have inventory next to League Pass. And people can click into the betting operator of choice if there’s something they’re interested in betting during the game.”

• PlayUSA: Regulators From Established US Online Casino Markets Agree: No Retail Cannibalization
  • Competing studies released in the past year offer differing takes on whether online casino gaming cannibalizes US brick-and-mortar casinos. PlayUSA reached out to representatives of gambling regulatory bodies in those states to get their thoughts on the effect legal online casinos have had on brick-and-mortar gaming facilities. While some expressed that the possibility of cannibalization is an important issue to monitor, none believed legal online casinos have negatively impacted casinos or jobs in their states.

• Bonus.com: White Hat Studios Continues To Expand Partnerships At A Lightning Pace
  • White Hat has a relatively short history, but its pace of growth has been accelerating with the expansion of existing partnerships with Caesars and FanDuel. White Hat’s growing popularity almost certainly stems from its extensive library of pop culture tie-ins. Many of its titles are based on mainstream movies and television and feature officially licensed content. White Hat’s games are now available at over 50 online casino sites in seven states.

Alabama

• Alabama Reflector: What’s Happening With Gambling? No One In The Alabama Legislature Knows
  • When it started in the Alabama House of Representatives earlier this year, a package of gambling bills would have created a lottery; allowed casino gambling and sports betting. When the legislation came out of the Senate, it had been stripped down to a lottery and compact bill, with some historic horse betting allowed in certain casinos. And as lawmakers return to start the second half of the 2024 regular session, they don’t know where it’s headed next. There doesn’t appear to be a compromise or a willingness to compromise. While a way towards passage is unclear, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

Colorado

• KUNC Radio: Ute Leaders Call On Colorado To Follow Through On Tribal Commitments, Allow Tribes To Offer Sports Betting
  • After briefly praising the state government’s Tribal engagement efforts, they also called on officials to follow through on their promises. “Colorado, like many states, has a turbulent history with tribal governments, which includes broken promises, and ignored treaties. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Indian Tribe have worked hard over the past decades to overcome that difficult history,” Southern Ute Tribal Chairman Melvin J. Baker said in his address.

Louisiana

• SBC Americas: Louisiana State Representative Seeks To Ban Sports Betting Adverts
  • Louisiana State Representative Shaun Mena is pushing for sports betting ads on TV to be made illegal across the state. Mena’s bill is only concerned with sports betting and daily fantasy sports promotion, but all things considered, Mena’s fellow state politicians believe it’s unlikely the bill will make much headway. “I’m not proposing that we ban online sports betting, not at all — I’m just want to ban the advertisement of it,” said Mena.

Michigan

• PlayMichigan: Michigan Shatters Online Casino Revenue Record With $188 Million In February
  • Over the 29 days in February, Michigan recorded just over $188 million, setting a new record by over $6 million. Online casinos continue to make record monthly gains, setting a new monthly record for the fourth consecutive month. The $188 million in February, was an increase of nearly $40 million or 3.4% compared to last February’s total. While all eyes are on Fanatics, it was only operational for eight days. March will. be a much better indicator.

New Jersey

• PlayNJ: February Revenue Shows Atlantic City Casinos Stumbling As Online Gambling Takes Over As King
  • Through February, online gambling revenue is responsible for a larger percentage of total gambling revenue — the sum of brick-and-mortar casino, online casino and sports wagering — reported by Atlantic City casino licensees than all types of land-based gambling combined. Of the $872.2 million in total gaming revenue year-to-date, $456.2 million (52.3%) was generated by NJ online casinos and online sportsbooks in NJ. AC’s nine casinos have won roughly $413 million (47.7%) from in-person gamblers.

New York

• SportsHandle: New York Lawmaker Pitches New Sports Betting Bill To Limit Ads, Deposits & AI
  • New York Congressman Paul Tonko is once again taking aim at the sports betting industry, announcing plans to introduce a new bill known as the SAFE Bet Act later this year. The SAFE (Supporting Affordability and Fairness With Every) Bet Act also addresses advertising, but instead of seeking to ban advertising, it would limit it. There would be no sportsbook advertising during live sporting events, and no advertising that is designed to induce gambling, such as ads that hype bonus bets, odds boosts, and the like.

Pennsylvania

• PlayPennsylvania: February Online Casino Revenue Of $215.3 Million Smashes All-Time Record
  • After a slower January, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reported that operators produced $215.3 million in February online casino revenue, which is an all-time US record. It broke December’s mark of $204.2 million in revenue. For the fourth time in six months, Pennsylvania online casinos broke another US record. To the Keystone State’s standards, operators had a slow January, generating just $189.3 million in revenue. February shows that the state is setting a new bar almost every month. Not to mention, February is the shortest month of the year and shattered December’s record by over $11 million.