Industry News of the Day for September 15, 2022

iDEA Growth and GeoComply present the 2022 Power Lunch Summit – September 20, 21 & 22

In this 3-part online gaming and sports betting webinar series, panelists will discuss the battle against illegal online gambling sites, what states looking to legalize online gaming can learn from states that already have, and what M&A activity may look like for the industry in the year to come.

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iDEA Growth Member News

• Legal Sports Report, 9.15.22 – Amazon Thursday Night Football Broadcasts To Feature DraftKings Odds
  • The NFL’s first stream-only broadcast on Amazon Prime will feature a sports betting component. DraftKings Sportsbook and Amazon reached a multi-year deal for DraftKings to serve as a sponsor for Thursday Night Football on Prime, the sports betting operator announced Tuesday. The sponsorship will enable DraftKings to be the exclusive pregame and in-game odds provider for TNF. Mike Raffensperger, CCO of FanDuel Sportsbook, is quoted in this story.
• Legal Sports Report, 9.15.22 – DraftKings CFO Park Praises Marketing Efforts, Gives Clues On Q3
  • DraftKings CFO Jason Park must have made investors happy with his comments at the Susquehanna Gambling & Tech Ecosystem Forum last week. Park discussed multiple positives for DraftKings, including its same-game parlay push for NFL betting, still finding customers in mature states, and even how to get a read on the company’s third-quarter results.
• Play Colorado, 9.14.22 – Bet365 Colorado Sportsbook Kicks Off In Time For NFL Season
  • A deal two years in the making is finally ready to make book. A 10-year partnership between bet365 sportsbook and Colorado’s Century Casinos kicked off at the beginning of this month with the sportsbook’s Colorado launch.

Industry News

• iGB, 9.15.22 – Disney “working hard” on ESPN sports betting app launch
  • Disney chief executive Bob Chapek said work on the potential launch of a sports betting app is ongoing, revealing the business has received as many as 100 enquiries about the venture.
• Gaming Today, 9.14.22 – ESPN Sports Betting App Would be Logical Evolution of a Process Disney Didn’t Hide
  • Then-Disney CEO Bob Iger said early in 2019 that he didn’t foresee the company “facilitating gambling in any way” through its sprawling ESPN properties. That is officially a very long time and very sharp contrast in CEOs ago. At the Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., last weekend, current company head Bob Chapek said Disney is working on a way for ESPN to facilitate gambling: a branded sports betting app.

California

• California Casinos, 9.15.22 – 54% of Likely California Voters Plan to Vote No on Prop 27, New Poll Finds
  • A new statewide survey casts serious doubt on if Prop 27 will pass in California this November. The Public Policy Institute of California, an independent non-profit research firm based in San Francisco, found that 54% of likely voters plan to vote no on Prop 27, compared to 34% who plan to vote yes. The other 12% is unsure.
• Legal Sports Report, 9.14.22 – California Sports Betting Campaigns Extend Record-Breaking Haul
  • The most-funded state ballot initiative in US history continues to break records as the fight for sports betting in California continues.
• Play CA, 9.14.22 – No On Prop 26 Campaign Gives Big To Republican Party To Back Up Support
  • After the California Republican Party came out against in-person tribal sports betting Proposition 26, a No on 26 campaign sponsored by California cardrooms made a big contribution to the Party.

Massachusetts

• Legal Sports Report, 9.15.22 – Clarity On Retail MA Sports Betting Launch Timeframe Could Come Thursday
  • Retail books ready to do legal MA sports betting business could get some much-desired clarity this week. The MA Gaming Commission will have a meeting Thursday to discuss temporary licenses. There is still no exact date for brick-and-mortar or online Massachusetts sports betting to launch.
• Sports Handle, 9.14.22 – Massachusetts Gaming Commission Discusses Responsible Gambling
  • The Massachusetts Gaming Commission held a responsible gaming virtual roundtable Tuesday afternoon, bringing in experts in the sports betting industry for preliminary discussion as the commission prepares to craft regulations related to responsible gambling.

New Jersey

• NH Gambling Sites, 9.14.22 – New Jersey Prepares to Sign Up for Another Decade of Online Gambling
  • Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of legal online casinos in New Jersey. Hypothetically, it could also mark the last year of the market. Fortunately, the odds of that happening are close to nil. New Jersey is the US poster child for online gambling, and it’s hard to see the state abandoning such a successful endeavor at this point.

New York

• Play NY, 9.15.22 – New York Sports Betting At Forefront Of ‘Unbelievable Start’ To NFL Betting In US
  • In case we needed any further proof that New York sports betting was king of the hill, GeoComply provided even more evidence from Week 1 of the NFL season. Anna Sainsbury, CEO of GeoComply, is quoted in this story.

Texas

• Legal Sports Report, 9.15.22 – Does Texas Sports Betting Legislation Have A Chance in 2023?
  • The push to legalize Texas sports betting is revving back up ahead of a crucial legislative session. The Texas Sports Betting Alliance sent out a release last week reminding Texans that NFL betting is not legal in the Lone Star State. An effort to legalize TX sports betting fell short in 2021.