It’s information overload everywhere, and there’s not time enough to sleep and eat and stay fully apprised of what’s happening on this crazy blue dot of ours (two out of three ain’t bad). Here’s the weekend 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.
Top stories around our network this week
New York had its moment, and it continues to be the focus in the sports betting universe while other states are still trying to get there. Ohio sports betting should be a puzzle piece added relatively soon to the wagering landscape after legalized sports betting was signed into law Dec. 22. It’s just a matter of time.
Ohio sports betting regulatory process likely to take six months
Ohio’s digital sports betting to start by Jan. 1, 2023, but possibly sooner
Louisiana sees liftoff…
Seven online sports betting platforms have gone live in Louisiana
With mobile now in place, mature Louisiana market could bring in $50M in annual tax revenue
… but Arkansas can’t get off the ground
Mobile sports betting launch delayed in Arkansas
Florida continues its struggle
DraftKings, FanDuel spent about $37 million on failed ballot initiative
Still a long way to go in MO
There’s at least one big impediment on the road to legal sports betting in Missouri
Aloha or onerous?
Language in recently released bill would make Hawaii the highest-taxed state for sports betting
Permission to launch…
PointsBet launches in New York, becomes state’s sixth online sportsbook
Can PointsBet make up for lost time in New York through innovation?
New York bettors have a sportsbook six-pack with addition of PointsBet
…not so fast
Bally’s says it won’t go live in New York until April
Buyers and sellers
Standard General makes waves with proposed Bally’s takeover
Wynn Resorts seeks to sell online sports betting business
NFL betting options and angles
In-play bets represented 25% of NFL handle in regular season, but other targets missed
Endless options exist for how to bet Chiefs-Bengals and Rams-49ers
Poker on the outside looking in
While sports betting explodes and iCasino rakes in the money, iPoker is spinning its wheels
A big week in horse racing
Lawyers for NYRA, Baffert clash as trainer’s suspension hearing begins
Hearing date for Medina Spirit’s Kentucky Derby drug test disclosed during Baffert testimony
Gulfstream’s big day promises a showdown between America’s two hottest horses
Numerous horsemen disciplined by New Jersey Racing Commission
Pennsylvania regulator approved a series of items to address the safety of horses
NYRA adds Caesars as official sports betting partner
That’s a good question
Will other states follow New York’s lead and tax sportsbooks out the wazoo?
Is Mattress Mack good for gambling?
How do modern sportsbooks handle limiting sharps?
What’s the gambling capital of the U.S.?
Things’ll go your way, if you hold on for one more day
BetMGM hopes Yahoo partnership makes it harder for customers to bolt
More MGM news
BetMGM approved to offer mobile sports wagering in Illinois
Virginia is for… bettors?
Recent bills could shake up Virginia’s sports betting industry
Contemplating Canada
PointsBet, FanDuel explain how they hope to operate in Ontario
Canadian Gaming Association elects four new board members
PROLINE + now offering pre-match NFL player props
Potential problem gaming solutions
Kentucky bill could tap into $300 million settlement from PokerStars case
Revenue reports
New York clears $1 billion in mobile handle in 16 days
Nevada sportsbooks took a historic beating from public in December
Arizona became the fastest state to reach $1 billion in sports betting handle in the post-PASPA era
Online casinos brought Michigan more tax revenue than sports betting did in 2021
Celebrate in the Great Lakes State
Michigan operators did brisk business in 2021, joining the strong debut of online casino play
The retail experience in Maryland
Casino executive Rob Norton embraces the challenge of a competitive landscape
Hard Rock gaining position
Hard Rock partners with Navajo Nation to offer Arizona sportsbook app
Can Hard Rock duplicate its casino success with sports wagering in Indiana?
More Hoosier news
Online casino gaming again fails to move forward in Indiana
Maxim making moves
Kambi, White Hat Gaming, SportContentCo deals will fuel growth stateside and in Canada
Tennessee, Tennessee, there ain’t no place I’d rather be
It’s hard to fully gauge the relationship between state regulator and operators
Some Tennessee sportsbook operators fail to reach 10% hold
Casino issues
Borgata cited for failing to check IDs and other problems last year
Should those involved in questionable skill games be allowed into legal VGT industry?
Big winners
Online casino produced the two biggest 2021 jackpots in New Jersey
Two wagering bills filed in Oklahoma
Oklahoma has joined the list of states that will consider legal sports betting in 2022, with two bills that would allow for limited retail wagering prefiled ahead of the legislative session that opens Feb. 7.
Rep. Ken Luttrell’s HB 3008 would allow for wagering at tribal casinos, while Sen. Bergstrom’s SB 1821 would allow for retail wagering through charitable organizations.
Luttrell’s bill would only allow for wagering at tribal facilities where live horse racing or simulcasts take place and would require a minimum of four tribes to compact to offer sports betting. Under the bill, the tribes would pay the state 10% of net revenue and the Oklahoma Racing Commission would be the regulator.
There has long been a rift between the tribes and Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office, so it’s unclear how that could affect the legislation. According to the Tulsa World, the bill doesn’t look too attractive to tribes.
“You can add supplements [to compacts], but it has to be proposed by the state. The offer has to come from the state to the tribes,” Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Chairman Matthew Morgan told the newspaper. “The offer has to make economic sense. If it doesn’t make economic sense, I don’t see tribes taking up the offer.”
Bergstrom’s bill would allow for limited wagering through charitable organizations and would limit winnings to $1,000 per person per 90-day period. The bill sets the legal wagering age at 18 and allows for “one-day-only in-person private” wagering events where participants must be present not only to bet, but to win.
— Jill R. Dorson
Baffert hearing comes to a close
After four days of testimony, the New York Racing Association’s hearing to assess whether it will suspend trainer Bob Baffert from racing at its facilities came to a close Friday.
There was nothing groundbreaking in the closing arguments, which reiterated points made during opening statements and in testimony, but the process now shifts to hearing officer O. Peter Sherwood, a former New York State Supreme Court justice.
Sherwood will submit a report that will “contain findings of fact, conclusions, and a recommended disposition” to a panel that will eventually decide Baffert’s fate. The panel, which will be selected by NYRA President David O’Rourke, can “adopt, modify or reject any or all of the hearing officer’s report including, but not limited to, the appropriate disposition of the proceeding,” according to NYRA’s hearing rules and procedures. A NYRA official said that panel has not been selected.
NYRA initially suspended Baffert from racing at its tracks in mid-May, after Medina Spirit came up with a positive drug test from the Kentucky Derby, but a federal judge cited the absence of a hearing and due process in ruling in July that NYRA’s suspension was unconstitutional. That ruling led NYRA to create procedures for hearings to address such cases.
Louisiana revenue going up
In its second and final revenue report that covers exclusively retail wagering, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board reported $39.5 million in handle for December.
Overall, 11 retail sportsbooks were accepting wagers, as Treasure Chest Casino and racetracks Delta Downs and Evangeline Downs opened for sports wagering business in the final month of the year.
The additional venues helped bump handle 42.9% higher than November’s $27.6 million, but improved bettor performance resulted in a 22.9% decline in gross gaming revenue. The 11.1% win rate was barely more than half of November’s robust 20.6% hold, resulting in nearly $4.4 million in revenue. Parlays again were the primary driver of operator revenue as the 11 locations collected more than $2.4 million on such wagers, lifting the two-month parlay total to $6.1 million of the nearly $10.1 million in overall operator revenue.
— Chris Altruda
DraftKings names new chief marketing officer
DraftKings has tapped one of Adweek’s “Most Powerful Women in Sports,” Stephanie Sherman, to be its new chief marketing officer.
Sherman joined the sportsbook and DFS operator in 2013 as one of its first 15 employees, and most recently served as the company’s senior vice president of marketing.
“When I started at DraftKings nine years ago, there was a genuine and collective sense that we were building something special, and zooming out to today, that has been validated more than I could have ever imagined,” she said in a press release. “For all the accomplishments we’ve celebrated and adversity we’ve overcome, I take on this new position knowing there is still so much opportunity ahead along with brilliant people ready to deliver.”
— Mike Seely
PointsBet launches iCasino in West Virginia
On Wednesday, PointsBet announced it has launched a “proprietary online casino product” in West Virginia, which makes the Mountaineer State the third (after Michigan and New Jersey) to have access to its iGaming platform.
As noted in a press release, PointsBet gained online casino access to West Virginia through its relationship with the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. With the new iCasino product, PointsBet users will have access to 15 games, including blackjack and slots such as 88 Fortunes and Monopoly Megaways.
According to figures compiled by Sports Handle‘s Chris Altruda, more than $2.3 billion in iCasino wagers have been placed in West Virginia since its July 2020 launch, resulting in more than $69 million in revenue and $10.3 million in gross taxes for the state.
— Mike Seely
Full House raising funds for Waukegan casino
Full House Resorts announced Wednesday it has commenced a solicitation among its consents to amend its 8.25% Senior Secured Notes due in 2028. The goal is to raise $100 million that would go toward the construction and operation of the company’s temporary casino, called The Temporary by American Place, in Waukegan, Illinois. It would also provide the ability for Full House to increase its borrowing potential from $15 million to $40 million.
More of the most important, interesting stories
MOMENTUM?: Georgia gambling bill gaining traction [11 Alive]
FAIR WARNING: Al Michaels has a message for sports bettors [ForTheWin]
BIG MONEY: NFL earned record $1.8B from sponsorship deals for 2021-22 season [UPI]
BREAKING: @Edelman11 & @WynnBET make it official
Julian Edelman is now a brand ambassador for the site and will be partnering with it on a podcast.
Edelman bet and lost $100K on the @Patriots and @Buccaneers to reach the Super Bowl via the book earlier this month. @Bookies pic.twitter.com/5wK45T78aE
— Bill Speros (@billsperos) January 27, 2022
NEW GROUND: Nevada looking to expand eSports wagering [CDC]
UP AND RUNNING: First DRF Sportsbook launched in Iowa [Business Wire]
Picture time from the book:
Good morning.
Seen a lot of bets over the years. Some good, some bad. Notable at times, others not so much.
Never..seen..this.
Five guys to score the first basket parlayed together.
It’s not a “good” bet but it’s $10 & won 100k.
Wow! pic.twitter.com/ZOjpyuDaSY
— Sportsbook Consigliere (@SportsbkConsig) January 26, 2022
READY FOR PRIMETIME: Deadwood casinos gear up for Super Bowl Sunday [Keloland]
