Industry News of the Day for September 21, 2023

By iDEA | September 21, 2023

Industry News

  • SBC Americas: MGM’s Customer-Facing Operations Back To Normal After Cyber attack
    • MGM Resorts International has notified stakeholders that all of its customer-facing operations are back to normal in the wake of the cyber attack it was subjected to last week. A major cyberattack caused chaos at MGM properties nationwide with everything from the customer website to the gaming floor and even electronic room keys unable to function properly. A group named Scattered Spider is believed to be behind the attack and reportedly demanded a ransom from the casino operator. It is not known how much MGM paid the group.
  • CDC Gaming Reports: The United States Igaming Revenue Report — August 2023
    • An overview of igaming revenue in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, and Connecticut, the six states where online gambling is legal in the U.S. Total igaming revenue for August 2023 in the six igaming states totaled $516.3 million compared to August 2022’s $394.7 million, a year-over-year increase of 23.6%. It was also the first time in history that the six states combined for a total win of more than a half-billion dollars.
  • Sports Handle: New Sumsub Platform Allows Sportsbooks To Tackle Responsible Gambling
    • The first month of the NFL season coincides annually with Responsible Gaming Education Month, a critical period given the uptick in compulsive gambling cases since the U.S. Supreme Court’s PASPA decision. As a way of marking the occasion, a global company known for its full-cycle verification platform launched a new responsible gambling product this week. The platform from Sumsub, a London-based company, aims to enable gaming companies to promote safe and responsible activity.
  • The Wall Street Journal: Journalists Have Inside Information. Gamblers May Be Trying to Get It.
    • Joel Sherman, a veteran baseball columnist for the New York Post, recently received a bizarre text message from an unfamiliar number. The sender didn’t identify himself, but in a tone suggesting he was a friend, asked Sherman a question: Who would he pick in the National League’s hotly contested MVP race? Sherman didn’t answer, though he did push to find out who he was communicating with. It turns out the sender was a writer for a betting website, according to an internal email sent to members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and a person familiar with the matter.

District of Columbia

  • IGB North America: Caesars Takes Lead In DC Sports Betting Revenue
    • Sports wagering revenue and handle in Washington DC fell year-on-year in August, though spending increased month-on-month. DC players spent $8.1m (£6.5m/€7.6m) on sports betting in August. This was 38.2% down from $13.1m in August 2022 but 5.2% more than $7.7m in July this year. However gross revenue for the month hit $1.0m, which was down 44.4% year-on-year. This figure was also 28.6% behind the $1.4m generated in July.

Florida

  • PlayFL: Sports Betting On Hold in Florida With Legal Moves Potentially Causing Longer Delays
    • Kickoff postponed. First pitch called off. Tip-off put on hold. Use whatever sports term you want as sports betting in Florida is still in a circling pattern. As the state nears the two-year anniversary of the Seminole Tribe’s mobile app being taken offline by a court decision, interested parties wait for the next legal filing or decision. A motion filed Friday by a Florida-based parimutuel, who sued to stop the tribe from taking bets, kicked the can at least a couple more weeks down the road.

Michigan

  • PlayMichigan: BetRivers Michigan Posts Record Online Casino Revenue In August
    • Setting a monthly online casino revenue record in 2023 isn’t anything new. With Michigan online casinos surging this year, most online operators have seen record-setting numbers at some point in 2023. In August, BetRivers Michigan flew past its previous record for monthly revenue. BetRivers Casino MI brought in $10.5 million in monthly revenue in August. That was the highest total it has ever drawn in a single month.

New York

  • PlayNY: For Responsible Gaming In NY, It’s Not ‘How Much We Spend’ But ‘How We Spend It’
    • Sen. Joe Addabbo wanted to do something to recognize and acknowledge September as Responsible Gaming Education Month. Put out a statement? Sure, but certainly he could do more. How about partnering with Resorts World NYC and with the New York Council on Problem Gambling to create a safe, anonymous virtual education session to discuss gambling addiction and responsible gambling in NY? That’s more up Addabbo’s lane.

North Carolina

  • Legal Sports Report: Surprise NC Sports Betting Proposal Puts Market In Flux As Start Date Nears
    • North Carolina professional sports teams are in line to potentially gain more power in the NC sports betting market. A budget proposal by the North Carolina General Assembly, obtained by WRAL Monday, gives sports betting market access control solely to the state’s professional sports teams. In existing online NC sports betting law, operators partnered with the organizations are given license priority. The General Assembly is expected to vote on the $30 billion budget this week. In NC sports betting law signed earlier this year, the industry has to go live between January 8, 2024, and June 14, 2024.

Pennsylvania

  • PlayPennsylvania: PA Sportsbooks Top $393 Million In August Bets Ahead Of NFL Return
    • Sports betting is ready to explode in Pennsylvania, but it had one more summer month to deal with. The NFL preseason brought some slight excitement, as Pennsylvania online sportsbooks had their best showing over the course of the summer in August. Online sportsbook operators recorded $393 million in total bets last month and $30.6 million in revenue. PlayPennsylvania Managing Editor, Chris Imperiale, said: “Pennsylvania sports betting saw a slight boost in action this August, generating just over $393 million in total bets for the month…”

Virginia

  • Virginia Mercury: Virginia Sees Big Tax Bump From Sports Betting And Casinos
    • Virginia is collecting more tax revenue from sports betting and casinos than fiscal analysts predicted four years ago when the state was considering legalizing more types of gambling. Taxes from sports betting more than doubled in fiscal year 2023, according to Virginia Lottery figures presented Tuesday, jumping to $67 million from $27 million the prior year. Four years ago, a state gambling study predicted Virginia could see up to $55 million in annual tax revenue from sports betting once the industry was “fully developed.”
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