Industry News of the Day for September 4, 2019

iDEA Growth Member News:

• PlayWV, 9.3.19 – ‘Excited To Be Live,’ DraftKings Sportsbook On Its First Weekend Of Sports Betting In WV
  • DraftKings Sportsbook launched its mobile sports betting app in West Virginia last week. West Virginia is the second state to have the DraftKings Sportsbook product, the other being New Jersey, of course.
• SBC News, 9.3.19 – The Data Crunch: Battle Lines Being Drawn Over Live Sports Data [Sportradar]
  • The roster of major sports properties entering into official data partnerships to commercialize their live data has attracted plenty of attention in recent months, not least because of the arrival of the major US sports leagues into this arena.

Washington, D.C.:

• Gambling Compliance, 9.3.19 – DC Lottery Publishes Sports Betting Regs, Says Licensing Set To Begin Soon [subscription paywall]
  • The regulator in charge of sports betting in the District of Columbia says it is preparing to open the licensing process in “upcoming weeks” after the adoption of regulations Friday.

Indiana:

• Inside Indiana Business, 9.3.19 – Protecting Data Integrity As Sports Betting Grows In Indiana
  • Casinos across the state are opening sports betting parlors this week, legally allowing gamblers in Indiana to place bets on professional and some collegiate sports.

Colorado:

• Gambling Compliance, 9.4.19 – Backers Of Sports Betting Referendum Seek To Save Colorado Water Resources [subscription paywall]
  • Should taxes paid on sports betting revenue be diverted to save Colorado’s rivers and streams? That is the question voters will have to answer in November when they decide the fate of a ballot measure legalizing sports betting.

Montana:

• Helena Independent Record, 9.3.19 – Sports Betting Timeline In Montana Pushed To Year’s End
  • Montana officials say the state won’t offer sports betting until the end of the year, and possibly longer.

Iowa:

• WHO, 9.3.19 – Early Numbers Spur Optimism In Iowa Sports Betting Industry
  • With the arrival of the college football season, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is starting to get some early clues about how sports betting is being received.
• The Gazette, 9.3.19 – What’s Next For Online Gambling In Iowa?
  • After Iowa legalized sports betting this year, gamblers are wondering what might be the next frontier in distributed digital gaming.

New York:

• Legal Sports Report, 9.3.19 – Why The Planned Mobile NY Sports Betting Study Hasn’t Even Started Yet
  • With the Aug. 12 deadline long past for the state gaming commission to pick the winning bid to conduct an NY sports betting study, Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. recently met with executive director Rob Williams to get an explanation for the delay.
• Spectrum Local News, 9.3.19 – Signs Point To Sports Betting In WNY Soon
  • Gaming regulators officially allowed sports gambling in New York in June and over the course of this summer, casinos have been opening their sports facilities.

Rhode Island:

• Sports Handle, 9.3.19 – Rhode Island Waiting On Wednesday Court Hearing To Go Live With Mobile Sports Betting
  • Two days before the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers kick off the 2019-2020 NFL season, Rhode Island’s two sportsbooks, its regulator, and its operator are likely sitting with their collective fingers hovering over the proverbial button.
• Legal Sports Report, 9.4.19 – Mobile RI Sports Betting Could Finally Start Today, But Will It Have To Stop?
  • Today could bring the end of a long wait for mobile RI sports betting, according to a local report.

Oregon:

• Sports Handle, 9.3.19 – Oregon Lottery Won’t Launch Sports Betting Before NFL Season Begins
  • The Oregon Lottery’s “Scoreboard” app won’t launch ahead of the NFL season, a Lottery spokesman told Sports Handle Tuesday. The app, which some patrons got a sneak peak of at the state fair in August and earlier this month, is still in the testing phase, and the decision was made to “get it right” rather than rush.
• PlayUSA, 9.3.19 – Oregon Online Sportsbook Won’t Go Live Until The Fall
  • The Oregon Lottery has already indicated its online sportsbook will not hit the market by its initial target date. Now, it anticipates introducing online sports betting service Scoreboard, integrated with Oregon’s online lottery app, by late-September or mid-October.

Sports League News:

• The New York Times, 9.4.19 – Sports Betting Has Arrived To Transform The N.F.L. Or Not.
  • The N.F.L.’s centennial season begins Thursday, an anniversary the league has already begun celebrating. Some observers believe that a true transformation of the sport’s economics is only just starting now thanks to the advancing legalization of sports betting across the country.
• ESPN, 9.4.19 – Survey: 15% Of American Adults To Bet On NFL
  • The sports betting landscape is evolving rapidly, but one thing remains the same — American bettors love the NFL.

Overall Industry News:

• Legal Sports Report, 9.4.19 – Another European Sportsbook Strikes US Deal, But Will It Bring A Betting Exchange?
  • European sports betting operator Smarkets announced today it has reached a multi-million-dollar deal with casino operator Full House Resorts in the US. That deal gives it access to the now open Indiana sports betting market, as well as to Colorado should it enact a referendum this fall.