Industry News of the Day for October 23, 2023

Industry News

• Legal Sports Report: Analysis: MGM Data Breach Highlights Growing Concern For Sports Betting Industry
  • MGM Resorts recently outlined details of a cyberattack in their 8-K earlier this month that some MGM Rewards customers who had signed up for accounts prior to March 2019 may have had some critical information stolen by cybercriminals including driver’s license numbers, and social security numbers. The revelation follows a lawsuit filed in January alleging that BetMGM failed to protect customer data that later was dismissed voluntarily by the plaintiff. BetMGM is, however, likely not celebrating just yet, as the plaintiff in the proposed class-action lawsuit has dismissed the claims without prejudice, which can mean they will be back to try again.

Delaware

• iGB North America: Delaware Sports Betting Handle Hits Eight-Month High In September
  • Players in Delaware spent $7.6m betting on sports in September, the highest total in eight months, while igaming wagers also increased. Sports betting handle was down 14.6% from $8.9m in September 2022. However, the figure was up 216.7% from $2.4m in August 2023 and the highest total in in Delaware since January. It was a similar story for revenue, which at $958,547 was down 65.6% year-on-year but up 208.9% from August. Delaware Park remains the sports betting market leader with $130,379 in revenue off a $1.9m handle.

Florida

• SBC Americas: FL Supreme Court Grants DeSantis Extension To Dec. 1
  • Despite West Flagler’s best efforts to deter the court, the Florida Supreme Court has granted the state of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis’s request for an extension to file a response in the state sports betting challenge. Florida filed for the extension yesterday and West Flagler was quick to file its opposition. On Friday, the court granted the extension, which means DeSantis now has until Dec. 1 to file a response to West Flagler’s initial brief. As attorney Daniel Wallach noted on Twitter Thursday, the extension buys the state some time while the calendar keeps moving forward in a potential US Supreme Court case on the same subject.

Georgia

• Gaming Today: Georgia Lawmakers Confer With Entain Foundation To Address Gambling Legislation
  • Officials from Entain Foundation US recently convened with Georgia lawmakers in Atlanta to deliberate on proposed gambling regulations. The meeting focused on bills aimed at potentially legalizing casino gambling, horseracing, and sports betting in the state. Georgia currently only permits legal gambling in the form of lotteries and charity bingo. Pro-gambling organizations, including Entain, Princeton Public Affairs Group (PPAG), alongside other lobbyists, have been actively pushing for comprehensive gambling legalization in Georgia. Bill Pascrell, an Entain trustee, has been an advocate for the legalization of both retail and online betting.

Maryland

• WMAL: Maryland Sports Gambling Is Almost Entirely Online, Sportsbooks Leaving The Market
  • Maryland sports betting is about to top $4 billion this year but most of that revenue is coming in from cell phones. Currently, the Maryland General Assembly awarded 13 physical sportsbook licenses and 12 mobile applications. However, 95% of sports betting in Maryland comes from licensed wagering apps. With almost all of the revenue coming from online, physical betting locations aren’t making the money they were hoping for. One sportsbook, WynnBet, recently announced it has ceased operations in eight states, including Maryland.

New York

• Play USA: Industry Expert Predicts Half Of Gaming States To Have Online Casino By 2030
  • Online casino legalization progress has been slow in recent years and that isn’t expected to change in the short term. But one industry expert said he believes a large wave of states legalizing and regulating online casino is on the horizon. Speaking at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas last week, Howard Glaser was bullish on the medium-term prospects for online casino legalization. “If I look five-to-seven years ahead, I think more than half of the US states which have land-based gaming will have adopted iGaming by that point,” said Glaser, the global head of government affairs and legislative counsel at Light & Wonder.

Ontario

• CBC: Ontarians Wagering Far More On Legal Online Casino Games Than On Sports Betting
  • Ontarians’ total wagers on online casino games stand far higher than what’s spent on sports-related betting, according to newly released figures from iGaming Ontario (iGO), providing a first glimpse into how these two segments compare. The province launched a regulated online gaming market last year, allowing licensed operators to provide services including casino games, sports betting and poker services. Data released this week by iGO — a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario that manages the regulated market — indicates that Ontarians placed $14 billion in total wagers in the recent April-June quarter.