Industry News of the Day for March 8, 2021

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Delmarva Now, 3.8.21 – Sports Betting In Maryland: Lawmakers Begin Fleshing Out How It Will Work (iDEA Growth mentioned)
  • Maryland legislators have begun to discuss regulation of the state’s newly approved legalized sports betting market, which includes mobile wagering.

iDEA Growth Member News

• Sports Handle, 3.7.21 – Report: Sportradar To Go Public Through Deal With Todd Boehly-Led SPAC
  • Sportradar is going public through a reverse merger with special purpose acquisition company Horizon Acquisition Corp. II, a group led by Los Angeles Dodgers minority owner Todd Boehly, Sportico reported on Sunday.
• Associated Press, 3.7.21 – A Push To Teach Gamblers Which Sports Betting Sites Are Legal
  • A gambling industry group wants to teach consumers how to tell if a particular sports betting or online casino site is legal or not.
• SBC Americas, 3.8.21 – SG Secures Three-Year OpenGaming Contract Extension With Entain PLC
  • Scientific Games Corporation (SG) has secured a new three-year contract extension with sports betting and gaming group Entain plc to continue powering one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups with its OpenGaming ecosystem.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 3.7.21 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: Sportradar On Horizon, MD, KS, Gen Z, More
  • Here’s the weekend (or fashionably late) Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top US sports betting stories, highlighting some fresh news, and rounding up key stories.

Pennsylvania:

• Penn Bets, 3.5.21 – Call Arises For Pennsylvania To Adopt Nevada Court Model For Addicted Gamblers
  • Retired Nevada Judge Cheryl Moss spent two years running a novel Gambling Treatment Diversion Court in Clark County, and she would love to see Pennsylvania and other states adopt the model.

New York:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.8.21 – What Cuomo’s Political Troubles Could Mean For Mobile NY Sports Betting
  • The longtime New York governor faces a variety of serious allegations about nursing-home death coverups and sexual misconduct. At present, he is battling through it rather than resigning.

Connecticut:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.5.21 – So Who’s Actually Happy About This Connecticut Sports Betting Announcement?
  • Ned Lamont took a risk when he announced a Connecticut sports betting agreement with just one tribal partner instead of both.
• Hartford Courant, 3.5.21 – Mashantucket Pequots Chief: Gambling Deal By Gov. Ned Lamont And Mohegan Tribe ‘Opened Up Wounds’ Dating To The 17th Century’s Pequot War
  • The announcement Tuesday of a gambling overhaul in Connecticut agreed to by Gov. Ned Lamont and the Mohegan Tribe that failed to mention the Mashantucket Pequots nearly derailed negotiations, said Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequots.
• CT Insider, 3.7.21 – OTB Operator Sportech Looking For A Place In State’s Gambling Expansion (subscription paywall)
  • After 11 years operating Connecticut’s off-track-betting outlets, Sportech has been on the outside looking in at the high-stakes negotiations over the future of sports betting and online-casino gambling between the Lamont administration and the two tribal nations that run the casinos.

Massachusetts:

• Mass Live, 3.5.21 – Sports Betting Bills Pile Up On Beacon Hill: What Would Legalization Look Like In Mass?
  • Roughly a dozen sports betting proposals have been filed by Massachusetts lawmakers since the new legislative session started in January.

Maryland:

• Maryland Matters, 3.5.21 – House Panel Expands And Approves Sports Gambling Bill
  • The House Ways & Means Committee approved a sports betting bill on Friday that backers say would clear the way for more minority and female entrepreneurs to get a foothold in the new and fast-growing industry.

Illinois:

• PlayIllinois, 3.5.21 – Pritzker Extends Illinois Mobile Sports Betting Registration, Which Is Great News For Barstool
  • Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has once again extended mobile sports betting registration, this time until at least April 3.

Kansas:

• iGB North America, 3.5.21 – Kansas Senate Passes Sports Betting Bill
  • The Kansas Senate has passed a bill that would legalize both retail and online sports wagering in the US state, after some minor amendments.

South Dakota:

• Legal Sports Report, 3.5.21 – South Dakota Just A Signature Away From Legal Sports Betting
  • It didn’t take the legislature long to act on the South Dakota sports betting referendum passed at the ballot box in November.

Iowa:

• The Des Moines Register, 3.8.21 – Almost 18 Months After Legalizing Sports Betting, Iowans Get The Chance To Wager On March Madness
  • The Hawkeye State has nearly crossed the $1 billion threshold in sports wagers placed since August 2019, and that eye-popping total for a state of 3.1 million people has come without one of the biggest cash cows in American athletics.
• The Gazette, 3.6.21 – Iowa Sports Betting Hits Daily Record For February
  • Since Iowa dropped a requirement that sports bettors first register in-person at a state-licensed casino, gamblers have jumped into the action at record clips, with January’s all-time wagering handle of $149.5 million.
• PlayIA, 3.5.21 – Iowa Sportsbooks See $144 Million In Handle, Sets Per-Day Betting Record
  • Betting per day in the 28 days of the month averaged $5.1 million, which was up from the previous record of $4.8 million per day bet in the 31 days of January, according to Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission totals released Friday.
• PlayIA, 3.5.21 – More Ways To Bet On March Madness: Iowa Approves Pool Betting In Time For Tourney
  • March Madness got a little more interesting Thursday when the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved pool betting for sportsbooks in Iowa.

Indiana:

• PlayIndiana, 3.5.21 – Fubo Aims To Be More Than Just TV By Bringing Sportsbook To Indiana
  • FuboTV just inked a new deal with Caesars Entertainment to bring its sportsbook to both Indiana and New Jersey.

Georgia:

• Associated Press, 3.5.21 – Senate Approves Sports Betting Constitutional Amendment
  • Senators want Georgia’s voters to decide whether they will allow sports betting, passing a constitutional amendment and a bill to allow the practice Friday.
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3.5.21 – Georgia Senate Approves Legislation That Would Legalize Sports Betting (subscription paywall)
  • The Georgia Senate on Friday approved legislation that could legalize online sports betting in the state.
• Sports Handle, 3.5.21 – Georgia Senate Approves Sports Betting Referendum Bill And Framework
  • On crossover day, the final day for the Georgia General Assembly to pass legislation, the Senate approved two sports betting measures — one that would send the decision about whether or not to legalize to the voters, and the enabling legislation with framework.
• Legal Sports Report, 3.8.21 – Conference Expected As Georgia Sports Betting Bills Pass Senate
  • The state Senate formally passed two pieces of Georgia sports betting legislation Friday, but it doesn’t sound like the House is expected to agree.

Texas:

• iGB North America, 3.5.21 – Texas Sports Betting Bill Referred To House Committee
  • The Texas House of Representatives’ State Affairs Committee is to run the rule over a new bill that proposes legalizing certain forms of sports betting in the US state.
• Yogonet, 3.8.21 – A Majority Of Texans Would Support Legal Casinos, Sports Betting In The State
  • A new poll reveals that 57% of Texans support allowing casino gambling in the state, while 29% of respondents are opposed, with 13% saying it doesn’t matter. Of that total, 52% of white evangelicals, a group that routinely blocks the expansion of gambling, are in favor of allowing casinos in Texas.

Arizona:

• Phoenix Business Journal, 3.5.21 – Placing A Bet At Chase Field? Sports Gambling In Arizona Moves Closer To Reality
  • In the near future, the Arizona sports fan’s experience could include the ability to place bets inside sports venues while the action unfolds.

Nevada:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3.6.21 – US Sports Betting Boom Intensifies Competition For Nevada (subscription paywall)
  • The sports wagering business isn’t just about bookmakers and bettors handicapping games these days.

Oregon:

• The Chronicle, 3.6.21 – Hope And Help: Problem Gambling Awareness Month
  • For the 19th year, the Oregon Council on Problem Gambling dedicates March to help increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services.