Industry News of the Day for October 13, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Associated Press, 10.10.20 – Gambling Companies Spend More Than $2M On Sports Betting Ads (DraftKings, FanDuel)
  • Gambling companies have spent more than $2 million trying to persuade Maryland voters to approve sports betting, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
• Sports Handle, 10.12.20 – We’re Open: Virginia Lottery To Begin Accepting Sports Betting Applications Thursday (DraftKings, FanDuel)
  • Virginia regulators appear to be right on schedule with launching sports wagering, preparing to accept applications this week with the permanent rules now posted in the Virginia Register.
• PlayTenn, 10.12.20 – Race Bettors, Hold Your Horses: TVG Suspends Tennessee Action
  • The popular horse betting platform TVG has temporarily suspended wagering for Tennessee bettors. Its parent company FanDuel’s sportsbook license must be officially approved in the state before betting can potentially resume.
• SBC Americas, 10.13.20 – DraftKings Joins The International Betting Integrity Association
  • DFS and sportsbook operator DraftKings has joined the ranks of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).
• SBC Americas, 10.12.20 – NetEnt Goes Live With Cordish Companies’ PlayLive! In Pennsylvania
  • Online gaming solutions provider NetEnt has confirmed its latest move in Pennsylvania, with an announcement this week that it has integrated with The Cordish Companies’ recently launched online casino PlayLive!.

Industry News:

• Sports Handle, 10.12.20 – What’s On Tap: The Week Ahead In Sports Betting: G2E Virtual Preview, NLCS, And Thursday Night Football Uncertainty
  • Regulatory meetings in Colorado, Tennessee, and Washington State highlight the week ahead.
• Sports Handle, 10.9.20 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: Coverage Of Huge Wagers, Illinois Surges, Nebraska Chatter, More
  • Here’s the weekend (or fashionably late) Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top U.S. sports betting stories, highlighting some fresh news, and rounding up key stories.
• PlayUSA, 10.9.20 – A $25 Billion Success Story: Legal US Betting Sets Records 2 Years In
  • It boggles the mind to think the US Supreme Court issued its ruling on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) a little more than two years ago.
• Legal Sports Report, 10.12.20 – Study: NBA Scorekeepers Pose Potential Integrity Risk In Official Data
  • A recent academic study flags official NBA scorekeepers as a potential integrity risk in the burgeoning legal sports betting market nationwide.
• Fox Business, 10.13.20 – Penn National Gaming CEO: Barstool Sportsbook App To Be In Every State Where Sports Betting Legal In 2021
  • Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden told FOX Business’ Liz Claman that the company plans to launch its minority-owned online gambling platform, the Barstool Sportsbook app, in every state where sports betting is legal by the end of 2021.

Overall Industry News:

• Gambling Insider, 10.12.20 – Advertising Regulation “Essential” To Getting US Players To Bet Legally, Says AGA Executive
  • Educating customers on responsible sports betting in the US is essential as players move into the legal market, according to an American Gaming Association (AGA) executive.

Sports League News:

• iGB North America, 10.13.20 – PGA Tour To Integrate BetMGM Odds Into Telecast
  •  Golf’s PGA Tour is to integrate live betting odds from BetMGM into a television broadcast of one of its events for the first time.

Pennsylvania:

• PlayPennsylvania, 10.13.20 – KonekTV Rebrands To BettorView, Reimagines Sports Viewing And Betting Experience
  • KonekTV, which we wrote about at PlayPennsylvania back in February, is now rebranded as BettorView Live.

West Virginia:

• Gambling.Com, 10.12.20 – West Virginia September Sports Betting Handle Is Up To $77M
  • West Virginia sports betting is flourishing, almost doubling in September with a record-breaking month after a strong August.
• Gaming Intelligence, 10.13.20 – West Virginia Hits Record Sports Betting And iGaming Highs In September (subscription paywall)
  • West Virginia’s licensed casino operators enjoyed a strong performance in September as total wagers from sports betting and iGaming grew to a combined $151.9m.

Michigan:

• The Action Network, 10.12.20 – Michigan Online Sports Betting Clears Latest Hurdle
  • Michigan online sports betting is one step closer to a late 2020 or early 2021 launch. State regulators advanced a final draft of online sports betting rules last week to a committee of Michigan lawmakers.
• PlayMichigan, 10.9.20 – College Player Props Not On The Menu At Detroit Sportsbooks… Yet
  • Michigan sports fans got teased into thinking they could make NCAA Tournament bets in March. Sports betting opened right before March Madness kicked into high gear.
• PlayMichigan, 10.13.20 – Live Dealer Finds Its Way To Third Michigan Online Casino Via William Hill Deal
  • Make it three partners for Evolution Gaming in Michigan. The live casino company signed with a third operator in the Great Lakes State, announcing a pact with William Hill on Friday.
• PlayMichigan, 10.9.20 – Stuck In Neutral: Which Online Poker Brands Are Coming To Michigan?
  • It appears Michigan online poker players will someday be able to compete across state lines.
• SBC Americas, 10.12.20 – Spin Games Granted Provisional License For Michigan iGaming Supply
  • Spin Games LLC, the North American remote gaming server technology and interactive content specialist, has been granted a Provisional Internet Gaming Supplier License by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB).

Indiana:

• Legal Sports Report, 10.9.20 – Indiana Sports Betting Hits Record $207 Million In Wagers In September
  • If returns out of Indiana and Iowa are any indication, the US sports betting industry is in for a big month.
• PlayIndiana, 10.9.20 – Football Betting Scores Indiana A Record $207 Million September Handle
  • September set a new record-high for Indiana sports betting handle.

Iowa:

• PlayIA, 10.9.20 – Iowa Sportsbooks Smash Handle Record In September Thanks To Football Wagering
  • No Iowa Hawkeyes football? No problem. The Iowa sports betting market set a new record for handle in September despite the absence of the Big Ten.
• Quad-City Times, 10.12.20 – Iowa Hits Monthly Record Of Sports Betting
  • A “perfect storm” of overlapping professional and college sports in September helped drive sports wagering to a record month in Iowa and aid state-licensed casinos trying to re-establish themselves as a viable entertainment option in a COVID-19 pandemic.
• PlayIA, 10.12.20 – What Caesars’ Purchase Of William Hill Could Mean For Sports Bettors In Iowa
  • William Hill continues to dominate the online sports betting market. For that reason, the pending William Hill sale could affect the landscape of legal wagering in the Hawkeye State.

Kentucky:

• Online Poker Report, 10.9.20 – Kentucky Historical Horse Racing May Need Legislative Intervention
  • Kentucky’s horse racing authority plans to fight the state’s Supreme Court on the issue of historical horse racing (HHR) machines.

Louisiana:

• The Advocate, 10.10.20 – Allowing A Form Of Sports Betting In Louisiana Is On The Ballot, Again. Will It Pass?
  • For the second time in two years, voters in all 64 parishes will decide individually whether to authorize a new form of sports betting.

Colorado:

• PlayColorado, 10.9.20 – Amendment 77 Would Be Economic Life Preserver For Struggling CO Gaming Towns
  • The financial toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the Colorado casino industry, Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek, the two counties and even the state has been pure havoc.
• PlayColorado, 10.12.20 – Century Casinos Partners With Tipico For Sports Betting In Colorado
  • Century Casinos has found its long-awaited third sports betting partner: Tipico.