Industry News of the Day for March 4, 2022

iDEA Growth in the News: 

• Play NY, 3.4.22: Budget Negotiations Begin Regarding Legalization Of New York Online Casinos, Poker (iDEA Growth mentioned) 
  • Lobbying firm iDEA Growth sent a letter to Sen. Majority Leader Andrew Stewart-Cousins on Thursday, pushing for the bill to be included in the one-house Senate budget. 

iDEA Growth Member News: 

• SBC, 3.4.22: Kindred Expands Its Sports Betting Presence In Arizona 
  • Kindred has partnered with Turf Paradise and obtained nine limited event wagering operator (LEWO) licenses for sports betting in the state of Arizona. 
• SBC, 3.4.22: FanDuel Pledges $100,000 To NCPG For Problem Gambling Awareness Month 
  • FanDuel has announced it has intensified its efforts to promote responsible gambling to mark Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM), with a $100,000 donation made to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). 
• SBC, 3.4.22: PointsBet Partners With NBC Sports For BetCast Sports Betting Experience 
  • PointsBet has partnered with NBC Sports Chicago and NBC Sports Philadelphia to present BetCast, an alternate live game sports-betting experience, during coverage of the Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers NBA matchup on March 7. 
• US Bets, 3.3.22: Draftkings Pulls All Russian Sports Off Its Sportsbook Menu 
  • The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted DraftKings to become the first sportsbook in America to pull all betting markets associated with Russia and Belarus. 
• Play PN, 3.3.22: Bet Side Story: Top Executives from FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics Take Stage To Talk About Sports Betting 
  • Two of sports betting’s main players took the stage at a theater in New York on March 3 to discuss the current state and future of the industry. 
• Play TN, 3.4.22: FanDuel Puts The Fun In Responsible Gambling 
  • FanDuel Group is taking a proactive approach to responsible gambling by debuting a new ad campaign, enhancing its “Play Well” initiative and making a considerable contribution to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). 
• Bloomberg, 3.4.22: Our Best Reads of the Week Newsletter (excerpt featuring Jeff Ifrah) 
  • Decentral Games doesn’t have a gambling license in the U.S. and says it doesn’t need one, but experts aren’t so sure. “Any contest or prize predicated on ‘buying in’ constitutes gambling,” says Jeff Ifrah, an attorney specializing in gambling law. 

Overall Industry News: 

• SBC, 3.4.22: SportsHandle: That Was The Week That Was In US Sports Betting 
  • SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting. 
• Legal Sports Report, 3.3.22: Major US Sportsbooks End Betting On Events In Russia, Belarus 
  • Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet are no longer taking bets on sports leagues or events in Russia or Belarus. 
• Online Poker Report, 3.3.22: What New York’s Online Gambling Bill Could Mean For US Online Poker 
  • Last week, an online gambling bill appeared in the New York Senate. 

New York: 

• Play NY, 3.4.22: Assemblyman Plans To Join Senator In Push For Online Casinos In New York 
  • Assemblyman Gary Pretlow tells PlayNY that he plans to follow Sen. Joe Addabbo’s lead in filing legislation to legalize internet gaming, including online slots, table games and poker. But he won’t prioritize the bill until next year. 
• Play USA, 3.3.22: New York Could Take Another Step Forward In Gambling Accessibility With Online Casino Bill 
  • New York Sen. Joseph Addabbo might not have gotten everything he wanted out of the legalization of online sports betting in his state, but it seems that hasn’t soured him to push for more gambling expansion whatsoever. 

Virginia: 

• Play VA, 3.3.22: A Look At Virginia’s Responsible Gaming Measures 
  • Since Virginia began its gambling expansion plan last year, state officials have implemented several measures to encourage responsible gaming. 
• Legal Sports Report, 3.3.22: A Year After Launch, Virginia Sports Betting Continues Growth 
  • While legislators keep the Virginia sports betting landscape relatively stable, the state turned in a record month in January. 

Alabama: 

• CBS 42, 3.2.22: Lawmakers Push To Legalize Sports Betting As The USFL Announces Wagering In Other States 
  • The USFL announced partnerships with several states over sports betting but right now that does not include Alabama, the home of the new professional team. This as Alabama lawmakers introduce new gambling legislation in the statehouse. 

Missouri:  

• Legal Sports Report, 3.4.22: Missouri Sports Betting Bill Crawls Forward From Committee 
  • A bill legalizing sports betting in Missouri is moving forward, but it still has plenty of discussion in its future. 

Arkansas:  

• THV 11, 3.3.22: Arkansans Could See Delay In Mobile Sports Betting Apps 
  • Mobile sports betting has been approved and apps could roll out starting Friday. 
• Sports Handle, 3.4.22: Arkansas Mobile Betting Launch May Come After March 4 
  • Just over a week ago, Arkansas casinos were given approval to launch mobile sports betting in early March. 

Kentucky:  

• Online Poker Report, 3.3.22: Kentucky’s Online Poker And Sports Betting Bill Is Up For Consideration… Again 
  • As of Wednesday, Kentucky is officially back at bat in its never-ending effort to legalize sports betting.