Industry News of the Day for May 22, 2019

Industry News:

• US Bets, 5.21.19 – Ohio, Nevada Making Similar Moves To Protect Sports Betting From Wire Act?
  • A mid-January legal memo from the Department of Justice was broad and vague, causing many in the gaming and lottery industries to consider the implications for any state-sanctioned gambling that involved any interstate transmission of data or technology.

Pennsylvania:

• Play Pennsylvania, 5.21.19 – Pennsylvania Casinos Can Thank Sports Betting For Revenue Holding Steady
  • After a record-setting March, the Pennsylvania casino industry saw its revenue fall by just over 1% in April. However, April 2019 bested April 2018… if the $4.2 million generated by Pennsylvania’s licensed sportsbooks is added to the revenue mix.

Michigan:

• MI Bets, 5.21.19 – Michigan Oks Experienced Sports Betting Operator For Detroit Casino Ownership
  • Sports betting is on the horizon in the Wolverine State, and on Tuesday the Michigan Gaming Control Board approved a casino operator with robust sports betting experience for involvement in the Detroit casino market.

Illinois:

• Legal Sports Report, 5.21.19 – Why The Illinois Sports Betting Bill Is Down To Its Final Chance This Year
  • Months of whittling down multiple options for Illinois sports betting culminate this week with Rep. Mike Zalewski planning to unveil one last-ditch amendment. The House will try to push it forward in the final days of the legislative session.

Louisiana:

• Sports Handle, 5.21.19 – Louisiana Committee Sends Sports Betting To House Floor
  • Despite one opposition witness essentially comparing legalizing sports betting to putting lipstick on a pig, the Louisiana House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice on Tuesday voted 11-6 to advance the sports betting bill SB 153. The bill passed out of the Senate by a vote of 24-15 on April 30. Lawmakers have a little more than two weeks to approve the bill and send it to Governor John Bel Edwards. The session adjourns on June 6.
• AP, 5.21.19 – Louisiana’s Sports Betting Legalization Effort Edges Ahead
  • A proposal to legalize sports betting in Louisiana edged forward in the Legislature, winning the backing of a committee packed with several anti-gambling lawmakers. The Senate-supported legalization bill won passage Tuesday from the House criminal justice committee, with an 11-6 vote.

Florida:

• WFLA, 5.21.19 – Paid To Play: Florida Becoming Epicenter For Esports, Pro Gaming
  • As the world of professional video gaming explodes in popularity, you might be wondering where pro gamers are making a living when they earn enormous salaries playing from home. As it turns out, many eSport stars and pro gaming celebrities are flocking right here to Florida.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Metro US, 5.20.19 – Sportradar Exec Jake Williams On The Sports Betting Landscape
  • Data is everything when it comes to sports betting and as the legal industry in the United States evolves over the next few years, Sportradar has positioned itself to be at the forefront of the market.

Overall Industry News:

• Axios, 5.21.19 – Media Companies’ Newest Wager: Their Commitment To Sports Betting
  • The legalization of sports betting has opened up new business opportunities for some of America’s biggest media companies, forcing them to decide just how far they want to wade into the world of sports books.