Industry News of the Day for May 26, 2021

iDEA Growth Member News: 

• IGB, 5.26.21: FanDuel Pens Exclusive Odds Deal With Associated Press (Adam Kaplan quoted) 
  • Sports betting and daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel Group has entered into a deal to become the exclusive provider of sports odds to non-profit news agency the Associated Press (AP). 
• Legal Sports Report, 5.25.21: Why FanDuel Odds Deal With AP Is Good News For Legal US Sports Betting 
  • FanDuel has become the official odds provider of the Associated Press (AP) in a move that might clear up some confusion over legal versus illegal sportsbooks. Under the agreement, FanDuel Sportsbook odds will appear in AP’s daily game previews, recaps and fixture lists. 
• Play Indiana, 5.25.21: BetMGM, DraftKings Show ‘Strong Interest’ As Deadwood Sets Stage For Sports Betting 
  • About 3 of every 5 voters in South Dakota supported Amendment B in November 2020, which allowed Deadwood casinos to open sportsbooks in the Black Hills community. Gov. Kristi Noem on March 18 signed Senate Bill 44, which officially opened the door for sportsbooks there. 
• Legal Sports Report, 5.25.21: Sports Betting In Connecticut Gains Senate Approval In Late-Night Session (DraftKings mentioned) 
  • HB 6451 authorizes Gov. Ned Lamont to sign renegotiated gaming compacts with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Indians. The bill passed the Senate late Tuesday night, 28-6, after a lengthy day of debate. The bill quickly passed the House last week. 
• Legal Sports Report, 5.26.21: Analysis: Past-Due DC Sports Betting Audit Likely To Show GambetDC Failures (FanDuel mentioned) 
  • The rollout of DC sports betting has been less than perfect since Intralot’s contract was steamrolled through DC Council more than two years ago. It is only fitting, then, that a deep dive into the market’s performance is delayed because the office in charge of the audit did not know it had to do it. 

New Hampshire: 

• IGB, 5.26.21: New Hampshire Sports Betting Revenue Rockets 1,158.6% in April 
  • The New Hampshire Lottery reported a 1,158.6% year-on-year increase in sports betting revenue to $3.3m in April, while the US state’s handle also hiked 1,129.0% to $46.7m for the month. 

Connecticut: 

• IGB, 5.26.21: Connecticut iGaming Bill Passed By State Senate 
  • Connecticut’s state senate has approved House Bill 6451, which would legalize online sports wagering, fantasy sports and other forms of igaming in the state through the state’s two tribal operators.] 

Louisiana: 

• Sports Handle, 5.25.21: Louisiana Lawmakers Close To Legalizing Online And In-Person Sports Betting With Projected Fall Launch 
  • Louisiana lawmakers continue to move forward a package of bills that will create the framework, including tax rate, for legal sports betting, which voters there approved on the November 2020 ballot. The proposed framework allows for statewide mobile wagering and 20 retail and mobile sports betting operator licenses. 

Tennessee: 

• IGB, 5.26.21: Tennessee Total Betting Handle Surpasses $1bn in April 
  • Results published by the Tennessee Education Lottery show that the state’s sports betting market saw players wager $172.4m in April, bringing the total sports betting handle in the state to over $1bn since the market’s launch in November. 

Illinois: 

• Play Illinois, 5.25.21: Why The Illinois VGT Industry Doesn’t Want Online Casino Legalized 
  • The days are winding down to pass online casino legislation in Illinois this session. There are online casino bills in the House and Senate, but video gaming terminal (VGT) operators are adamantly against expanded internet gaming for fear of cannibalization. 

Colorado: 

• IGB, 5.26.21: Colorado Betting Brings In $147.3m In Debut Year As Handle Hits $2.34bn 
  • Revenue from sports wagering in Colorado amounted to $147.3m during the first year of regulation in the US state, with players staking a total of $2.34bn. 
• Play CO, 5.26.21: April Sports Betting Revenue Closes Out The First Year In Colorado 
  • Earlier this month, the Colorado Division of Gaming released unaudited numbers for April. On Tuesday, the state confirmed those numbers with its full report. For the month of April, the state brought in $244.5 million in bets for the month, a drop of 18.8% from the $300.1 million in March. 

Canada: 

• IGB, 5.26.21: Canada’s Single-event Betting Bill Passes Second Senate Reading 
  • A bill that would legalize single-event sports betting in Canada has passed its second reading in the Senate and will now advance to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce.