Industry News of the Day of June 14, 2019

Industry News:

New Jersey:

  • The Philadelphia Inquirer, 6.13.19 – Murphy: New Jersey Will Soon Dethrone Nevada As America’s Sports-Betting Capital
    • Phil Murphy, whose name adorns last year’s groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing sports betting, was given a hero’s standing ovation Thursday at a gaming conference in Atlantic City, where he proclaimed the Garden State to be the nation’s coming No. 1 location for sports wagering.
  • Legal Sports Report, 6.13.19 – Is This The Month NJ Sports Betting Passes Nevada For The Top Spot?
    • New Jersey sports betting nearly caught Nevada in April, and it appears the Garden State could do so in May. The state saw $318.9 million in wagers last month. In May 2018, Nevada sports betting set a record for handle in that month with $315.5 million.
  • NJ Online Gambling, 6.13.19 – Big Gains By Borgata, Golden Nugget, And Resorts Propel NJ Online Casino Revenue In May
    • NJ online casinos booked their second-biggest win ever in May, raking in $36.5 mm in slots and table game revenue, along with another $1.8 mm at the poker tables. The $38.3 mm total — which was generated in large part thanks to Golden Nugget breaking the $14 mm barrier for the second time — represents a 58% year-over-year gain, but falls around $800K short of the all-time revenue record NJ iGaming sites achieved during March.
  • NJ Online Gambling, 6.12.19 – Online Accounts For More Than 82 Percent Of NJ’s Sports Betting Handle In May
    • On Wednesday afternoon, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement released casino industry figures from May, including totals for sports betting. According to the figures, the Garden State’s retail and online/mobile sportsbooks collected $318.9 mm in wagers, winning $15.5 mm off of gamblers.
  • SBC Americas, 6.14.19 – Slower Sports Contributes To Slight Fall In New Jersey Online Gaming Revenue
    • The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has published its monthly figures for the state’s online gambling operators who collectively experienced a slight fall in gross revenue throughout may. Between them they generated a total of $52.09m in online poker, casino, and sports betting gross revenue, down by 1.8% compared to a total of $53.08m in May.
  • Online Poker Report, 6.13.19 – New Google Policy Gives Online Sportsbooks A Prime Place To Advertise In New Jersey
    • Last week, Google launched a beta update for its Google Ads platform in New Jersey. The new version allows licensed NJ online sportsbooks to use the world’s most powerful advertising service for the first time.

New Hampshire:

  • Sports Handle, 6.13.19 – Live Free And Sports Bet: NH Sports Betting Bill Headed To Governor
    • The New Hampshire House on Thursday concurred on minor changes to sports betting bill HB 480, sending it on to Governor Chris Sununu’s desk. It’s likely Sununu will sign the bill after he included sports betting revenue in his budget address earlier this year, and was one of four governors who called for his state to legalize. One of the others, Illinois, legalized earlier this month.
  • AP, 6.13.19 – NH Sports Betting Bill Sent To Governor’s Desk
    • Sports betting is close to becoming legal in New Hampshire. The House voted Thursday to accept the Senate’s minor changes to a bill that would legalize betting on professional sports and most Division I college sports, excluding games involving New Hampshire schools. The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who supports it.

Tennessee:

Louisiana:

  • US Bets, 6.13.19 – Louisiana’s Sports Gaming Efforts In 2019 Were A Dumpster Fire
    • This year was a brutal one for the communities of sports bettors and fantasy sports players in the state of Louisiana. The legislature failed to approve both activities, in what was once looking to be a promising year for the Pelican State. Consumers who choose to bet will be forced to continue to turn to the black market to do so.

Federal News:

  • Play Pennsylvania, 6.13.19 – DOJ Won’t Enforce New Wire Act Opinion Until 2020 At The Earliest
    • The conclusion to the Wire Act lawsuit in New Hampshire is still pending. However, we can now rest easy that any retaliation from the Department of Justice is not coming until 2020, if at all. Online Poker Report obtained a recent memo Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen sent to staffers about enforcement of the new Wire Act opinion issued earlier this year. In it, Rosen instructs staff to delay enforcement until the start of 2020 or 60 days after the court case is resolved, whichever comes later.
  • Legal Sports Report, 6.14.19 – Let’s Talk About The Lyons Case And Why It Matters More Than Ever Today
    • Back in February, patron-saint lawyer of sports betting Ted Olson, as well as a few gambling pundits on Twitter, advanced a proposition. They said the First Circuit Court of Appeals had held that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting.

Sports League News:

  • Sports Handle, 6.13.19 – Document Shows MLB Pitch For Sportsbooks To Become ‘Official League Data Licensee’
    • Earlier this spring, a Major League Baseball executive embarked on a road show out West stopping at several major sportsbooks on or around the Las Vegas Strip. There, the executive disseminated a pitch deck for the league’s Authorized Gaming Operator (AGO) program, through which prospective sportsbook operators can become an “official league data licensee.”

iDEA Growth Member News:

  • Legal Sports Report, 6.13.19 – 888: US Sports Bettors Don’t Use In-Play Betting Like Others But Soon Will
    • 888’s latest trading update presentation set out the company’s route to growth in the US market. One area where they see real opportunity is in-game sports betting. 888 Holdings is active right across the globe and it has six years’ experience in the regulated US market. With gaming operations since 2013 in Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey it has the most experience of any of the operators in the US legal sports betting market.