Industry News of the Day for September 14, 2020

iDEA Growth in the News:

• Sports Handle, 9.12.20 – Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: Illinois, Michigan, More (iDEA Growth mentioned)
  • 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.

iDEA Growth Member News:

• Bloomberg, 9.11.20 – FanDuel CEO: Legalization Of Sports Betting Is Common Sense
  • FanDuel Chief Executive Officer Matt King says the company was able to grow amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Industry News:

• CNBC, 9.12.20 – Unprecedented Mega-Sports Weekend Could Be Online Betting Bonanza
  • This will be an unprecedented weekend in the history of American sports as the NFL’s week one overlaps with NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, Major League Baseball and the U.S. Open tennis finals.

Overall Industry News:

• Online Poker Report, 9.11.20 – How COVID-19 Pandemic Awareness Could Drive Convergence In The Gaming Industry
  • What will the casino industry’s “new normal” look like? That’s very hard to say, but it’s a good bet that new digital technologies will be a part of it.
• Gambling Compliance, 9.14.20 – US Urged To Join Global Conversation On Integrity Risks (subscription paywall)
  • Although the expansion of legal sports betting is expected to help sporting integrity, the U.S. should still engage in a robust discussion on integrity and match-fixing risks, panelists said last week.
• PlayColorado, 9.11.20 – Is PointsBet-CU Deal A Risky Gamble For Integrity Of College Sports?
  • PointsBet has been a mover and shaker in Colorado’s budding sports betting scene.

New Jersey:

• NJ Online Gambling, 9.10.20 – Freehold Raceway Sportsbook Delayed – Again
  • The first legal, regulated brick-and-mortar sportsbooks opened in New Jersey in mid-June of 2018. But one racetrack has lagged behind: Freehold Raceway.

Massachusetts:

• Boston Globe, 9.11.20 – Mass. College Presidents To State Lawmakers: Don’t Allow Betting On Our Sports Teams
  • The leaders of schools that include BC, BU, and Harvard say it would ‘create unnecessary and unacceptable risks.’
• The Lowell Sun, 9.11.20 – College Presidents, Including UML’s Moloney, Warn On Sports Betting
  • If Massachusetts legalizes sports betting and allows wagers on college contests, it will lead to “unnecessary and unacceptable risks to student athletes, their campus peers, and the integrity and culture of colleges and universities in the Commonwealth,” the presidents and athletic directors of the eight Massachusetts colleges and universities that have Division I sports programs told legislative leaders this week.

Michigan:

• PlayMichigan, 9.11.20 – GLI Testing Lab Authorization Another Step Forward For Michigan Online Gambling
  • With the NFL back and Michigan casinos still impacted by the coronavirus, any move toward an online gambling launch is welcome news for many.

Indiana:

• Legal Sports Report, 9.11.20 – Indiana Sports Betting Handle Jumps To $170 Million After Unprecedented August
  • States with legal sports betting could be reporting some big months if bettors reacted to August‘s sports-packed calendar like they did in Indiana.
• PlayIndiana, 9.11.20 – What Pandemic? Indiana’s $169M August Handle Returns State To ‘Normal’ Levels
  • Indiana’s sports betting handle is finally “back to normal.” Hoosiers wagered $169 million on sports in August, which was the state’s highest mark since February’s $187 million haul.
• iGB North America, 9.11.20 – Indiana Betting Revenue Tops $100M In First Year
  • Indiana sportsbooks took in revenue of $9.8m in June, up 47.6% from July, as stakes hit $1.20bn and revenue exceeded $100m for the first 12 months of legal sports betting in the state.

Illinois:

• Legal Sports Report, 9.12.20 – PointsBet Launches Sports Betting App In Illinois
  • PointsBet is finally live in Illinois with just one day to spare before the first full slate of NFL games.

Iowa:

• PlayIA, 9.11.20 – Even Without Football, Iowa Sports Betting Handle For August Rivals Best Months
  • Up until last month, the most robust months for Iowa sportsbooks had one thing in common: college football and NFL season.
• Gaming Intelligence, 9.14.20 – Online Drives Iowa Sports Betting Growth In August (subscription paywall)
  • Iowa’s licensed sportsbook operators collected total wagers of $50.3m in August, of which more than two-thirds was generated online.
• KWWL, 9.11.20 – August Report Indicates Sports Betting, Other Iowa Game Revenues Rebounding
  • New data out from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission indicating sports betting, legalized in Iowa just last year, is helping casinos rebound from COVID-19.

Louisiana:

• The Advocate, 9.12.20 – Sports Betting Legalization Effort Kicks Off With The Saints
  • A group called Louisiana Wins that backs sports betting will unveil its first television commercial Sunday during the New Orleans Saints’ season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Arkansas:

• Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 9.12.20 – Southland Third Casino In State To Offer Wagering On Sports
  • Sports betting — complete with kiosks — has launched at Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis, joining two other casinos in the state in offering wagering on athletic games, a casino spokeswoman announced Wednesday.

Colorado:

• Legal Sports Report, 9.11.20 – Colorado Has Two New Sportsbook Options Just As NFL Season Arrives
  • Both William Hill and Betfred launched their Colorado sportsbooks just in time for NFL season.

Nevada:

• KLAS, 9.11.20 – NFL’s Return Signals Wagering Uptick At The Betting Windows
  • For the first time, sports bets will be legally made in a city with an NFL franchise.