Industry News of the Day for May 29, 2019

Pennsylvania:

  • CBS Philly, 5.28.19 – SugarHouse Casino Becomes First Outlet To Offer Online Sports Betting In Pennsylvania
    • Online sports betting is coming to Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, SugarHouse Casino became the first outlet in the state to offer mobile sports betting. Analysts from PlayPennsylvania expect more online sportsbooks to go live soon.
  • Pittsburg Post-Gazette, 5.28.19 – Online Sports Betting Gets Its First Test In Pennsylvania
    • The first legal online sports wagers within Pennsylvania became possible Tuesday afternoon, as SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia — the sister property of Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino — began a state-supervised test period of its app and web-based opportunities for those.
  • Legal Sports Report, 5.28.19 – PA Sports Betting Mobile Launches: Everything We Know Right Now
    • Live testing of online PA sports betting began today with SugarHouse Sportsbook standing first in line. The platform went live for web-based and Android devices on Tuesday, with the iOS app still pending approval in Pennsylvania. In-person PA sports betting kicked off late last year, and eight retail sportsbooks now take wagers.
  • Penn Bets, 5.28.19 – Play SugarHouse Officially Launches Mobile Sports Betting In Pennsylvania
    • It took longer than just about anyone expected, but finally, legal online/mobile sports betting has come to Pennsylvania. Play Sugarhouse, the online brand of the SugarHouse Casino located in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, began taking bets at about 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28 — just over a year after the Supreme Court paved the way for individual states to regulate sports betting, and some 19 months after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law in October 2017 that allowed for legal sports betting pending the Supreme Court’s decision.

Massachusetts:

  • WWLP, 5.29.19 – Members Of The Public To Testify On Legalization Of Sports Betting
    • For the second day in a row, lawmakers will be meeting at the State House in Boston Wednesday for a hearing focused on legalizing sports betting. At a hearing at the State House on Tuesday, MGM Springfield officials said they support allowing bets on professional, college, and amateur games.
  • State House News Service, 5.28.19 – Sports Betting On The Rise, Gaming Commission Chair Says
    • Sports betting has been on the rise in Massachusetts over the last five or so years, the chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said Tuesday as lawmakers start to dig into the weighty questions around another proposed expansion of gaming in the Bay State.
  • MassLive, 5.28.19 – How Much Money Would Legalized Sports Betting Bring Into Massachusetts?
    • If sports betting is legalized in Massachusetts, how much money could it raise? The answer depends on what exactly is allowed and how high the tax rate will be. But a presentation Tuesday by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission at a legislative hearing indicates that the profits to the state would be relatively modest — between $11 million and $45 million annually.

Illinois:

  • Legal Sports Report, 5.29.19 – A Dear John Letter To Illinois And America’s Worst Sports Betting Bill
    • Bad actor penalties, $25 million licenses, and mandated official league data mixed together make me feel like you don’t know what you want. First, you say five amendments. Then it’s just two, and suddenly now you’re trying to make everyone happy with this last creation.
  • Legal Sports Report, 5.28.19 – Letter: Illinois Sports Betting Won’t Happen Unless Another Major Expansion Is Included
    • Illinois state senators wrote a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month advising him that they would not support or vote for any standalone sports betting legislation, preferring to pass a more comprehensive gambling expansion package.
  • Sports Handle, 5.28.19 – Illinois Lawmakers Pushing Sports Betting Decision To Limit
    • Illinois lawmakers continue to try to find a way to legalize sports betting before the General Assembly adjourns on Friday. There is still time, from a procedural standpoint, to send a bill to the governor’s desk, but the bigger issue remains coming to a consensus on what sports betting will look like in Illinois.
  • Legal Sports Report, 5.28.19 – So Who Are These Supposed Bad Actors And What Should We Do With Them?
    • Illinois has recently been struggling with how to handle a situation involving two daily fantasy sports providers with gambling ambitions. Both operated in the state in direct contravention of Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s 2015 determination that FanDuel and DraftKings contests offered in Illinois constituted illegal gambling.

Louisiana:

  • Monroe Star News, 5.28.19 – Sports Betting Bill Killed By House Panel
    • Louisiana gamblers won’t be able to bet legally on the New Orleans Saints in their home state after a House panel Tuesday killed a bill to legalize sports betting. The fate of Senate Bill 153 by Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner, was set after it was loaded with amendments that even caused the state’s casino representatives to abandon it.
  • AP, 5.28.19 – Louisiana House Lawmakers Refuse To Legalize Sports Betting
    • The odds of legalizing sports betting in Louisiana grew even longer Tuesday, growing very near to impossible. The House Appropriations Committee voted 14-6 to shelve Republican Sen. Danny Martiny’s proposal to allow sports wagering in the state, and an effort to yank the bill from committee later Tuesday also fell short of the votes needed.
  • Sports Handle, 5.28.19 – Sports Betting All But Dead In Louisiana For 2019
    • Louisiana will not become the next state to legalize sports betting after the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday voted not a advance a heavily amended version of SB 153. Amendments added on Tuesday would have allowed for sports betting at 2,800 video poker locations across the state and would have mandated the use of official league data.
  • WWL, 5.28.19 – Too Many Hands Out, Sports Betting Fails In Louisiana
    • The effort to legalize sports betting in Louisiana appears to be dead for this legislative session. As more hands went out to get in on the action, opposition built against the bill. The measure was originally written to allow sports betting inside the state’s licensed casinos and horse race tracks.
  • Legal Sports Report, 5.28.19 – Louisiana Sports Betting Bill Receives Mortal Hit From Poison Pill Amendments
    • If you had Louisiana to legalize sports betting this year, hold your tickets. The House Appropriations committee loaded up S 153 with poison pills during a Tuesday hearing, likely scuttling the legal sports betting push from Sen. Danny Martiny.

New York:

  • New York Post, 5.28.19 – Cuomo: Mobile Sports Betting Could Be Legal By Next Month
    • Mobile sports betting in New York may not be dead after all. State legislators could legalize wagering before the end of their session next month, Gov. Cuomo said Tuesday — despite previously insisting it would take years to clear legal hurdles.

Sports League News:

  • Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5.28.19 – NCAA Adapting But Still Concerned About Legalized Sports Betting
    • The NCAA has kept an arm’s length from Las Vegas and legalized sports wagering for many years, and three officials from college athletics’ governing body made clear Tuesday not much has changed. But they also said the NCAA is adapting as legalized sports betting spreads nationwide.
  • The Drum, 5.28.19 – The NBA Is Slowly Bringing Sports Betting Ads To Its Broadcasts
    • While sports betting is now legal in the United States, it’s slow state-by-state rollout has the National Basketball Association (NBA) cautiously introducing gambling ads to its media mix. Scott Kaufman-Ross, senior vice-president, head of fantasy and gaming at the NBA, said the league will be working with its broadcast partners and sports betting operators to sensibly introduce gambling ads so they don’t overwhelm viewers.

iDEA Growth Member News:

  • Boston Herald, 5.29.19 – Casinos, DraftKings Make Pitch For Sports Betting
    • The three casinos of Massachusetts are making their case about why they and fantasy sports firms should handle the digital sports books together as lawmakers consider legalizing sports betting.

Overall Industry News:

  • Online Poker Report, 5.29.19 – Just How Big Will 2019 WSOP Online Bracelet Prize Pools Get?
    • Although the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and online poker have both been around for a long time, this will only be the fifth year the series contains an online component. With nine events this time around, online poker will now make up more than 10% of the WSOP schedule and will account for millions in prize pools.