Industry News of the Day for November 5, 2019

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Sports Handle, 11.4.19 – Sports Betting Geolocation Maps Show Wagers At Highway Rest Stops (GeoComply)
  • As more states continue to roll out mobile sportsbook offerings, the task of geofencing areas with unique geographic features has become increasingly more difficult.
• Associated Press, 11.4.19 – Gambling Firms See $7B To $8B Sports Betting Market By 2025 (DraftKings, Sportradar)
  • Investors and sports betting companies are running up the score when it comes to sports betting, predicting the fast-growing industry will be a $7 billion to $8 billion business in the U.S. within five years.
• Online Poker Report, 11.4.19 – PokerStars Pennsylvania Launch Day: What You Need To Know
  • Today is the day online poker players in Pennsylvania have waited years to see.
• Play Pennsylvania, 11.4.19 – PokerStars and PokerStars Casinos Now Accepting PA Customers
  • It took more than two years to get from law to launch, but online poker is finally available in Pennsylvania.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer, 11.4.19 – Pennsylvania Casino Launches Online Poker Games, A First In The State (Pokerstars)
  • Pennsylvania’s first online poker operator launched Monday, the latest option created by the state’s 2017 law that expanded gambling.
• Play Pennsylvania, 11.4.19 – All Hail The DraftKings! Sixth Online Sportsbook Launches In PA
  • There was a “royal birth” on Monday, Nov. 4. DraftKings soft-launched its online sportsbook in Pennsylvania.
• SBC Americas, 11.5.19 – Kambi, Seneca and Bragg Form Multi-Channel Partnership In New York
  • Sports betting specialist Kambi Group has forged a long-term partnership agreement with Seneca Gaming Corporation, the operator of three Class III gaming operations in Western New York, in collaboration with gaming and platform provider Bragg Gaming Group.

Industry News:

• Legal Sports Report, 11.4.19 – The Week In Sports Betting: Y Ask Y? Yahoo Finally Makes The Jump Into Betting
  • Here’s what happened last week in sports betting, in short. There’s a lot to cover, unsurprisingly, but we’re all hands on deck for the impending launch of DraftKings Sportsbook and PokerStars in Pennsylvania.
• Gambling Compliance, 11.5.19 – Elections In Colorado, Kentucky Could Expand Gambling In Both States (subscription paywall)
  • Voters go to the polls Tuesday to determine the outcome of a bitter governor’s race in Kentucky and a sports-betting election in Colorado.
• The Holmes Report, 11.4.19 – The Emergence Of Sports Betting
  • It seems clear that legal sports gambling is here to stay — and the role of PR will be to make sports betting part of the mainstream sports conversation.

Colorado:

• Play USA, 11.4.19 – Future Of Colorado Sports Betting In Voters’ Hands On Nov. 5
  • Lawmakers deliberated. Stakeholders lobbied. A sports betting bill made its way onto the ballot. Now, the future of legal wagering in Colorado sits in the hands of state voters.

California:

• Online Poker Report, 11.5.19 – Problems And Solutions For Legalizing California Sports Betting
  • A path to legal sports betting is developing in California, but there are two issues that must be resolved before the legislature will enact legislation offering the electorate the opportunity to legalize sports betting there (The state constitution requires any expansion of gambling to be approved by the voters).
• WSN, 11.5.19 – California Legislators Eye 2020 Ballot For Sports Betting
  • With the 2020 election only a year away, legislators in California are eyeing the ballot as a deadline for approval for sports betting in the state from voters. But before the measure reaches the ballot it must get through the California legislative process first.

Washington, D.C.:

• Law360, 11.4.19 – DC City Council Skirted Law In $215M Gambling Contract Row (subscription paywall)
  • A Washington, D.C., app developer is urging the Supreme Court to hand him a win in his suit over the city awarding a $215 million sports betting contract to the district’s lottery operator, saying the city council violated federal law by creating a one-time exception to its awarding procedure.

New Hampshire:

• New Hampshire Union Leader, 11.4.19 – Editorial: Sports Betting Problem: Hidden Process Not A Good Start
  • Manchester and several other cities also vote today on the question of sports betting. We think it would be wise for the Queen City to approve the question. But we are not impressed with how the sports-betting plan has progressed thus far.
• Concord Monitor, 11.4.19 – Concord To Vote On Sports Betting: What You Need To Know
  • Tucked onto the Concord city ballot Tuesday is a yes or no question with some curious phrasing. “Shall we allow the operation of sports book retail locations within the city?”
• NHPR, 11.4.19 – Sports Gambling Is On The Ballot In 9 N.H. Cities Tuesday. Here’s What You Need To Know
  • State lawmakers approved sports gambling earlier this year, but left up to voters the ability to opt-in for having any retail gambling facilities in their community.

West Virginia:

• iGaming Business, 11.5.19 – West Virginia Sports Betting Revenue Up Again In October
  • Sports wagering revenue in West Virginia climbed in October as operators in the state were boosted by an increased usage of mobile betting platforms.

Rhode Island:

• Boston Globe, 11.5.19 – Should RI Loosen Up Its Sports Betting Rules? Industry Analysts Say Yes
  • Rhode Island’s sportsbooks had their most profitable month ever in September, but industry analysts say the state could have made even more money if officials walked back a requirement that individuals activate the mobile betting app in person at Twin River’s two casinos.

Massachusetts:

• WBZ, 11.4.19 – Sports Betting In Massachusetts: What’s The Hold-Up?
  • Eric Lesser won’t put an artificial timeline on legalizing sports betting in Massachusetts—in his words, “It’s ready when it’s ready.”
• Boston Globe, 11.4.19 – Massachusetts Casinos Keep Missing Their Revenue Targets. What’s Wrong?
  • During the years of debate over whether to allow casinos in Massachusetts, proponents invariably returned to this point: The state was losing out on a revenue jackpot enjoyed by Connecticut and other states where gambling is legal.