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
Plenty of seasoned sports bettors are content to practice the craft similar to how their fathers did, even if it may be different that they do so clicking buttons on a phone. When it comes down to it, many still just want to bet the point spread or points total, and maybe they’ll go wild with an occasional prop or futures bet.
But the industry is changing thanks to new technology, and the market is looking to captivate younger bettors in particular with formats that may hold more appeal to them. That’s the thinking behind this week’s launch in New Jersey of Sporttrade, which has followed Prophet Exchange in giving residents of that state — and likely others before long — a form of sports betting more equivalent to the stock trading many users may be more familiar and comfortable with.
At the same time, ScoresAndOdds has new software to help bettors make better use of parlays, and WagerWire is accessing new artificial intelligence to assist customers interested in buying and selling futures bet tickets on the secondary market.
As for another thing past generations never could bet on legally in the U.S., even if it’s common around the world, there are dual developments in the possibilities for futures market trading related to politics. Users of the PredictIt site, where on a small scale people can engage in wagering on election outcomes, have filed suit trying to stop the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission from shutting the site down. The action comes as another futures market operator, Kalshi, seeks the commission’s approval to allow wagering on which party will control Congress after the midterm elections.
The gambling industry is evolving for the public in many ways beyond just letting it consider whether Toledo will upset Ohio State in football action this Saturday (hint: they won’t). We have a group of writers and sites determined to explore and explain all of that and much more, as this past week’s articles show.
I remember the good old days of 2019-21
Sportsbook sign-up bonus offers starting to wither away
But Canadians always used to seem so nice
Frustration growing from sportsbook stakeholders toward Ontario’s regulators
Is there ever any good news in California?
Independent survey reveals uphill battle for California Proposition 27
Let’s talk about how to be responsible
Responsible gambling: A moving target in a mobile world
Massachusetts first state to put responsible gaming software on all slots
Massachusetts Gaming Commission discusses responsible gambling
Massachusetts maybe making a mess
Mass mixup? Law could allow operators to launch, then force them to shutter
You get a kiosk, and you get a kiosk, and …
Diverse group of 1,400 Type C applicants looking to offer sports betting kiosks
Maybe the Marlboro Man could have subbed
Scheduled AC casino smoking ban debate extinguished after panelist backs out
Who doesn’t love the start of a new NFL season?
Monthly stock watch: Sports betting stocks look to NFL’s return for added tailwind
So many numbers to sort through here
Nationwide post-PASPA sports wagering handle officially clears $150 billion
New York sports betting weekly volume hits four-month high
Illinois reaches $1 billion sports wagering revenue milestone
Louisiana sportsbooks cool off in August
Tennessee sports wagering operators rout public in August
Indiana sportsbooks clear $25 million in revenue for August
Maryland sportsbooks extend roll against public in August
Summer winds up status quo for Atlantic City casinos and their revenue rankings
PointsBet drops trou with edgy bathroom ad
PointsBet on Wednesday released two versions of a commercial featuring a man tending to his mobile sportsbook account while seated on his toilet at home. PointsBet called one version of the ad, which shows off the seated man’s bare legs (but not, you know, it), “too edgy” for TV and will only use it on social media platforms. A broadcast-friendly version shows the sports bettor from the waist up, while both 30-second spots feature a digital boot-up noise that sounds suspiciously like flatulence.
“We wanted to place an increased emphasis on the fact that betting is done in the most casual settings, like while on the toilet,” Josh Powell, director of brand at PointsBet, said in a press release. “We view the bathroom as the ultimate sanctuary where plenty of people leave the world behind, get out their phone, and use the PointsBet app.” By coincidence, the ads were released soon after a satirical OH Bets article suggested allowing Ohioans to place sports wagers from kiosks in public bathroom stalls.
— Mike Seely
Stacey Abrams using sports betting in campaign
Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor in Georgia, has been touting her support of legalized sports betting in campaign advertising. Recent polls suggest Abrams is trailing incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp in a tight race, and Abrams is looking for every edge she can in the coming months. Kemp, a Republican, has been less inclined to push Georgia toward legalized sports wagering.
“While Georgians still place bets, Kemp is forcing them out of state to do it, taking the tax dollars with them,” says one of Abrams’ advertisements. It’s unclear how much weight this talking point will carry for Abrams, especially as the legislature’s support is necessary for the state to legalize sports wagering.
— Bennett Conlin
Bills, Packers renew free-to-play platform
Free-to-play prediction and trivia games will again be part of the Buffalo Bills’ and Green Bay Packers’ marketing strategies, as Tally Technology this week announced it has renewed contracts with both teams. The sports betting-style games help teams and other companies collect data and email addresses while keeping fans engaged in their product.
Tally Technology says it is building a unique database that tracks users’ gaming, wagering, and brand preferences and gains insights into consumer spending.
— Jill R. Dorson
Colorado water funds approved
The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission has approved distribution to the state’s water fund of $11.4 million from tax revenue off legal sports betting. It’s an increase of 43% from the previous fiscal year, according to the commission.
Other beneficiaries of those tax funds, approved for distribution at the CLGC’s meeting Thursday, include the Hold Harmless Fund, which received $747,000, and the Office of Behavioral Health, which got an annual distribution of $130,000. The tax revenue collected by the state is based on reported net sports betting proceeds. Since legalization of sports betting in Colorado in May 2020, $7.9 billion has been wagered in the state, according to the GLGCC.
— Mark Saxon
More of the most important, interesting stories
THAT’S ME, SO WHAT ARE YOU OTHER 4 DOING?: Study: 1-in-5 U.S. adults bet money on sports in past year [Associated Press]
NOW THEY’RE GETTING SERIOUS: Fanatics names Jason White as CMO for Betting and Gaming Division [Ad Week]
IF ONLY BETTING SUCCESS WAS UP THIS MUCH: Geolocation checks rocket 71.5 percent for NFL opening weekend as legal betting thrives [GeoComply]
THOSE AREN’T MICKEY MOUSE ODDS: Disney CEO Bob Chapek says ESPN will never take bets [CNBC]
Sports fans want "the ability to have a frictionless sports betting potential with not having to have four screens in front of you,” says Disney CEO Bob Chapek on ESPN and the future of sports media. https://t.co/0CwXIXeie4 pic.twitter.com/FfQLDjmdKl
— CNBC (@CNBC) September 15, 2022
IT’S THE BARSTOOLIZATION OF THE WORLD: Barstool Sports bets that live event coverage can “take us into a new stratosphere” [The Hollywood Reporter]
BLAME IT ON THE PANDEMIC, LIKE EVERYTHING: Sports betting at downtown Hartford’s XL Center delayed until spring [Hartford Courant]
THAT WOULD BE SAD, ACTUALLY: What if sports betting could actually reduce fan engagement? [extrapointsmb.com]
BACK WHEN VEGAS WAS REALLY VEGAS: Monkeys, Skee-Ball and nudity: Recalling the Strip’s wildest casino [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
