Industry News of the Day for March 21, 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: New Economic Study Finds Online Casinos Increase Land-Based Casino Revenue
  • An economic study released Thursday highlights the market-expanding effect of online casinos on the overall gaming market and the complementary nature of iGaming and land-based casinos. The study shows land-based casino revenue growth rates across the six established US online casino gaming markets increased by nearly 2% after introducing iCasino.

Missouri

• Legal Sports Report: Poll: Missouri Sports Betting Support Clears Major Threshold
  • With Missouri sports betting legislation stalled, public support continues to grow for the issue. Saint Louis University and YouGov released a poll last week showing 60% of Show-Me State voters are in support of legalizing Missouri sports betting to fund public education. The poll comes as a Winning for Missouri Education spokesperson said a ballot petition to place the matter before voters in November is ahead of schedule.

North Carolina

• The Shelby Star: Catawba Two Kings Casino To Add Table Games, Boosting Staff By 120
  • The Catawba Two Kings Casino is preparing to add 12 live table games this summer in addition to the 1,000 slot machines and electronic table games, retail sportsbook and restaurant already in place. The table games are expected to include craps, roulette, mini-baccarat, blackjack, Mississippi stud poker and three-card poker.

Illinois

• Bonus.com: Illinois Senate Bill to Legalize Online Casinos Given Until April 5 to Exit Committee
  • Proposed legislation to legalize online casino gambling in Illinois now has a Senate deadline. SB1656 must exit the committee it’s in before April 5 to stay active in 2024, a Senate Bill Room staffer told Bonus on March 20. On March 15, the Internet Gaming Act (IGA) bill sponsored by state Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, received that deadline.

South Carolina

• SportsHandle: South Carolina Sports Betting Progress Slow Despite North Carolina Launch
  • Last week’s launch of legal online sports betting in North Carolina gave North Carolinians access to eight betting apps, including industry giants DraftKings and FanDuel. Despite expanded gambling in the Tar Heel State, its neighbor to the south isn’t particularly close to legalizing sports wagering. A bill to legalize sports betting in South Carolina, House Bill 3749, hasn’t moved since 2023. The state’s 2024 legislative session ends on May 9, and the state’s crossover deadline for bills to move into the opposite chamber is April 10.

New York

• Chelsea News: West Siders Vent Over Casino Proposals At CB4 Hearing
  • Three developers–Related Co., Silverstein Partners, and SL Green–are looking to snag a gambling license to operate a casino on the West Side of Manhattan and on March 19, local residents voiced concerns at CB4 public hearing. At the opening, CB4 chair Jessica Chait explained that the board has made “no specific decision on casinos,” and that no details of any of the proposals would be discussed that night. Instead, she encouraged residents with preexisting takes on the proposals to express their thoughts, and maybe blow off a little steam in the process.

Washington D.C.

• The Washington Post: New D.C. Bill Seeks To Boost Mobile Sports Betting Competition
  • A D.C. lawmaker wants to boost the city’s lackluster sports gambling operation through a bill that would overhaul the licensing system and create pathways for sports venues and teams to offer citywide mobile sports betting. Following months of complaints related to the platform’s interface, odds and usability, GambetDC had brought the city just over $4.3 million since launching in 2020 — a far cry from the $84 million lawmakers had expected.