Industry News of the Day for October 10, 2023

By iDEA | October 10, 2023

Industry News

  • SBC Americas: Underdog Launches $1M RG Initiative Called GuardDog
    • Daily fantasy sports group Underdog is beefing up its responsible gambling efforts on several fronts, including the launch of a new $1 million investment fund, GuardDog. The fund will serve as an “investment initiative” with a focus on fostering tech innovations in the responsible gambling space. In addition to providing financial investment, GuardDog will also offer mentorship and consultation. In addition to being involved with GuardDog, Warrington is also coming on board as a consultant for Underdog on responsible gambling.
  • US Bets: Survey Says Over A Third Of Online Gamblers Visit Sites At Least A Few Times Each Day
    • Some 85% of online sports bettors report gambling on the sites at least once a week, with more than one in three active gamblers making multiple visits a day, according to survey data released by the Optimove marketing firm. The survey was conducted in the U.S. this September and October among 396 online sportsbook and/or online casino users 21 and older, with household incomes over $75,000. It focused on what it takes to keep these bettors coming back to the sites.
  • Variety: Netflix Inks First Licensing Deal In The Gambling Industry: ‘Squid Game’ Slot Machine To Hit Casinos in 2024
    • Netflix has given the green light to a new “Squid Game” slot machine — the streamer’s first consumer-products licensing deal in the casino and gambling industry. The slot game is based on one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time, the South Korean survival drama “Squid Game.” Built by gaming company Light & Wonder, it will integrate several iconic (and deadly) games from the show such as Red Light, Green Light; Tug of War; and the Glass Tile. Light & Wonder also will introduce a digital “Squid Game”-themed slots game featuring three bonus rounds based on the series.

California

  • PlayUSA: California Indian Tribe Announces Plan To File Online Sports Betting Initiative
    • It looks like there will be some California sports betting action for the 2024 election cycle after all. Multiple tribal sources tell PlayUSA the Pala Band of Mission Indians relayed its intention to file what’s expected to be an online sports betting initiative. Pala Chairman Robert Smith sent a communication to fellow tribal leaders Sunday giving them a heads up that the tribe will issue a news release Monday regarding filing a sports betting initiative for 2024. Filing a sports betting initiative doesn’t necessarily mean Pala will pursue it to the ballot. But it provides that option for California tribes.

Illinois

  • Daily Herald: Gambling Taxes Generated Record $1.99 Billion For Illinois Last Year, But Can It Last?
    • The expanding array of wagering opportunities in Illinois created the state’s largest windfall to date from gambling-related taxes during the last fiscal year. The Illinois legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s recently released annual “Wagering in Illinois” report shows the state’s gambling taxes from lottery sales, casinos, horse racing, sports betting and video gambling climbed to $1.99 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30, a 5.1% increase from the previous fiscal year.

Kentucky

  • Gaming Today: Kentucky Sports Betting Racks Up Over $72.5 Million In Wagers In First Month
    • Kentucky has wagered over $72.5 million on sports since the state launched legal sports betting four weeks ago. The total includes $68 million wagered over four days last weekend after mobile sports betting launched statewide on Sept. 28 as well as $4.5 million in retail wagers placed between Sept. 7 and Sept. 21. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced the weekend handle during his scheduled weekly update on Thursday. Retail handle from earlier in September was announced by the governor on Sept. 21.

Maine

  • TheLines: Maine Targeting Online Sportsbook Launch Between Nov. 5-15
    • Online sports betting in Maine officially has a launch window as regulators market an early November launch. Between Nov. 5 and Nov. 15, the launch of online sports betting will commence. This coincides with the earlier target to launch Maine sportsbooks in November. The proposed sports betting regulations from the Maine Gambling Control Unit are on the attorney general’s desk. Once the AG signs off on the regulations and the secretary of state grants final approval, the market will be allowed to launch.

Massachusetts

  • PlayMA: Here’s Why MA Regulators Are Discussing The MGM Hack In Private
    • The Massachusetts Gaming Commission held three public meetings where the cyberattack that affected MGM Springfield was on the schedule. MGC public meetings are exactly that. Public. They are live-streamed for everyone to see in real-time, allowing citizens to see how their state’s regulators govern the industry. On Sept. 13, Sept. 21 and Oct. 2, the MGC discussed the issue at a public hearing. However, the discussions revolving the hack were never on camera. Instead, those discussions were held in private. Commissioners voted to meet in executive session each time the topic was brought up.

Michigan

  • Legal Sports Report: Michigan Ban On Pick’em Daily Fantasy Sports To Take Effect By Halloween
    • Daily fantasy sports games that mimic player prop betting will be banned in Michigan by the end of October, according to a spokesman with the state gaming control board. Under Michigan‘s adjusted consumer protection rules, DFS operators “may not offer any contests that have the effect of mimicking betting on sports or that involve ‘prop bets’ or the effect of mimicking proposition selection.” Traditional peer-to-peer season-long and week-long daily fantasy sports contests are still OK, but those same operators are likely banned from offering de facto parlays where users stake their money on over-under combinations in competition with the house.

New York

  • Sports Handle: New York Sportsbooks Generate Record $166.8 Million Revenue In September
    • The New York State Gaming Commission reported Thursday a record $166.8 million in sports wagering adjusted gross revenue for September, the second-highest monthly total nationally in the post-PASPA era. The operator haul bettered March’s previous New York standard of $163.6 million and is second only to the $209 million generated by Ohio sportsbooks in the state’s debut this January. The Empire State has generated 17 of the 20 all-time state monthly revenue totals that have topped $100 million. The state’s eight mobile sportsbooks and four commercial retail ones accepted close to $1.77 billion worth of wagers.

Ontario

  • PlayCanada: Spain’s GoldenPark Coming To Ontario Online Casino Market
    • With success established in Spain and Portugal, GoldenPark is soon to make its way to Ontario. Through an agreement with Gaming Innovation Group, the GoldenPark platform will enter the Ontario online casino-regulated market. This is the first deal for GoldenPark to be brought outside of the Iberian peninsula. A partner with Gaming Innovation Group, GoldenPark is hoping to make a splash overseas, starting with Ontario.

West Virginia

Posted in Daily Clips