Industry News of the Day for October 18, 2021

iDEA Growth Member News: 

• SBC, 10.18.21: DraftKings Marketplace and Polygon announce blockchain collaboration 
  • Ethereum-based scaling platform Polygon has today announced a blockchain collaboration with DraftKings Marketplace, the digital collectibles ecosystem built by DraftKings for mainstream accessibility to support custom NFT drops along with secondary-market transactions. 
• IGB, 10.18.21: Bet365 Partners With Nba’s San Antonio Spurs With New Free-to-play Game 
  • UK-based operator Bet365 will partner with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs to create a new free-to-play game for fans. 

Overall Industry News: 

• Sports Handle, 10.18.21: What’s On Tap: NBA Opening Week, NFL Week 7, And DraftKings-Entain Deadline 
  • Come here for a summary of upcoming financial happenings, legislative and regulatory meetings, industry conferences, top games scheduled for the week, and much more. 
• Sports Handle, 10.15.21: Get A Grip —The Week In Sports Betting: Connecticut Coming, Charlie Hustlin’, Florida Legal Fracas, More 
  • Here’s the weekend 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. 
• Play NY, 10.15.21: Penn National CEO Warns UK Ad Restrictions Could Reach US Sports Betting 
  • The United Kingdom recently tightened its regulations on sports gambling advertising, and executives caution that history could repeat itself in the US. 
• Sports Handle, 10.15.21: NHL Intrigued By Data Revolution In Canada’s First Year Of Single-Game Wagering 
  • Tune into an NHL game this week on Turner Sports and there is a strong chance you will notice a host of new graphic enhancements, as the network attempts to make a splash in the first season of a seven-year broadcast partnership with the league. 

Tennessee: 

• Play TN, 10.15.21: Mary Beth Thomas Offered Executive Director Role For TN Sports Wagering 
  • Tennessee’s Sports Wagering Advisory Council (SWAC) met on Thursday, Oct. 14 to interview three final candidates for its vacant executive director position. 

Florida: 

• Play USA, 10.15.21: FL Sports Betting Won’t Begin Today As Scheduled, But Sportsbook Being Prepped  
  • On October 15, only 38 minutes remained before the blue sign indicated that the new “experience” would open at Seminole Hard Rock Casino’s Pool Bar & Grill. 

Minnesota:  

• Sports Handle, 10.15.21: Minnesota Lawmakers, Team Executives: Let’s Legalize Sports Wagering 
  • In January, a pair of Minnesota lawmakers held a virtual press conference all but begging their peers to seriously consider legalizing sports betting. 

Michigan:  

• SBC, 10.18.21: Michigan’s Sportsbooks Hit New Records In September Thanks To Football 
  • The return of the NFL and college football helped Michigan’s online sportsbooks rake in more than $350m in wagering in September, as well as hit a new record in combined retail and online betting volume. 

Nevada: 

• US Bets, 10.18.21: It All Adds Up: Bettors Slow House Roll With Nevada Body Blow 
  • After an early summer of taking blows from sportsbooks nationwide, bettors finally returned fire where it hurts the house the most — Las Vegas — to claw back some winnings based on a nationwide look across the U.S. sports betting landscape for August. 

Wisconsin:  

• Sports Handle, 10.18.21: Shhh! Wisconsin Tribes Know How To Keep A Secret 
  • Earlier this year, Brandon Yellowbird Stevens had a secret. And he — along with tribal leaders across Wisconsin — managed to stay quiet enough that when the Oneida Nation announced in July that it would be the first Wisconsin tribe to launch legal sports betting this fall, many in the industry were stunned.