Industry News of the Day for October 28, 2020

iDEA Growth Member News:

• SBC Americas, 10.28.20 – FanDuel Announces Multi-Year Partnership With DC United
  • FanDuel Group has announced a multi-year partnership with DC United, making the online gaming company the exclusive sports betting sponsor of the Major League Soccer (MLS) team.
• iGB North America, 10.27.20 – ESPN Veteran Ryan Spoon Named BetMGM Operations Chief
  • BetMGM, the sports betting joint venture between MGM Resorts and GVC Holdings, has appointed Ryan Spoon as its new chief operating officer.
• DraftKings Nation, 10.27.20 – DraftKings Casino Offers New Live-Dealer Option In Pennsylvania
  • DraftKings Casino has launched a new Live Dealer Studio in Pennsylvania, and the casino is offering a host of games and deals in its opening week.

Industry News:

• US Bets, 10.28.20 – Online Gaming Panel Asks, Is Your State Next?
  • After a year during which only two states, Virginia and Washington, have so far legalized sports wagering, expect 2021 to be the year of the “big state.”
• SBC Americas, 10.28.20 – NCLGS President Sets Out Commitment To Guiding US Gaming Sector
  • Nevada State Senator Keith Pickard, President of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS), has set out the organization’s vision to expand its reputation as the primary source of best practices in gaming law and regulation.
• PlayUSA, 10.27.20 – PlayUSA Rewind: Independent DC Sportsbook Eyes Thanksgiving Opening
  • This week, small businesses in our Nations’s Capital are one step closer to being represented in the sports betting conversation. Additionally, Maryland gets a big political boost from its governor and a pair of gaming states ponder their ultimate pipe dream.

Overall Industry News:

• Gambling Compliance, 10.28.20 – US Casinos Lobby For Cashless Gaming, But Unknowns Remain For Responsible Gambling (subscription paywall)
  • Momentum is gathering for cashless payments on the casino floor, but academics and industry executives caution there are outstanding concerns regarding responsible gambling.
• Gambling Compliance, 10.28.20 – US Sports-Betting Execs Wary Of Potential Advertising Backlash (subscription paywall)
  • Executives from several sports-betting operators acknowledge that regulatory pushback to excessive advertising in the United States is a very real threat in the coming years as sportsbooks battle for market share.
• Sports Handle, 10.27.20 – G2E 2020: Fan Engagement, Media Partnerships Will Drive Sports Betting Dealmaking Over Next Decade
  • Since the Supreme Court’s historic decision to overturn PASPA in May 2018, major U.S. professional sports leagues and their respective franchises have notched approximately 110 partnerships with sports betting operators over a span of 30 months.
• Gambling.Com, 10.27.20 – AGA: Washington Needs To Recognize Gaming’s Contributions
  • During his opening remarks Tuesday at the Global Gaming Expo — held virtually this year rather than in Las Vegas because of COVID-19 concerns — American Gaming Association president and CEO Bill Miller discussed how it was critical that gaming no longer be treated as less than a full member of the American economy by those in power.
• Legal Sports Report, 10.27.20 – Data Company Genius Sports Going Public Via SPAC, Valued At $1.5 Billion
  • Genius Sports will list on the New York Stock Exchange in a reverse merger process that values the firm at more than $1.5 billion.

Federal News:

• Gambling Compliance, 10.28.20 – Judge’s Death Puts Crucial Wire Act Decision In Limbo (subscription paywall)
  • A pending federal court ruling on the Wire Act, which could influence the future of the U.S. gambling industry and appeared to be going the industry’s way, is up in the air after one of the three judges overseeing the case died on Monday.
• Sports Handle, 10.28.20 – The IRS Is Coming For Federal Tax On DFS Entries, Just Like Sports Betting
  • The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) last week doubled down on its position that daily fantasy sports (DFS) entry fees are akin to sports wagers, signaling that it is a matter of when, and at what percentage, the IRS will levy federal taxes on those sums.

Sports League News:

• Fox Business, 10.26.20 – Indianapolis Colts Become Caesars Entertainment’s First NFL Betting Partner
  • The Indianapolis Colts will be the first NFL team sponsored by Caesars Entertainment and its sports betting partner William Hill US.

Virginia:

• WTOP, 10.28.20 – Betting On The Future: Going Mobile In Virginia
  • Virginia is moving quickly to launch sports betting throughout the commonwealth, with applications for mobile betting licenses flowing into the Virginia Lottery ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 10.26.20 – Live Updates As Michigan Online Casinos And Sports Betting Launch Nears
  • When will Michigan online gambling officially launch? It is a question that has plagued the state since December 2019 when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed both pieces of legislation into law, making online casinos, online poker, and online sports betting legal in the Great Lakes State.

Louisiana:

• Legal Sports Report, 10.27.20 – Louisiana Sports Betting Ballot Question: What You Should Know Before You Vote
  • Three states, including Louisiana, will decide whether or not to allow sports betting this election.