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,” rounding up top stories in sports betting and gaming, and the world of sports at large. You may have missed them, and they are worth reading. This is meant to be brief, so that’s it.
MGM, PlaySugarHouse.com Debut Mobile App, Online Platform
It’s been a busy week in the virtual world of sports betting, as MGM finally dropped its mobile app in New Jersey. The company soft-launched the app for Android users on Wednesday with the intention of making it more widely available in the coming weeks. The playMGM NJ Sports app was released through the MGM-owned Borgata in Atlantic City will give company to the DraftKings Sportsbook, which had fully launched on Aug. 6 and remained the only online sports betting app available in New Jersey. The current version of the app offers tons of betting opportunities, including straight bets, futures, props, and parlays available. The professional (NFL) and college football menus are queued up with a wide variety of different player and team props, futures and totals. The only thing that appears to be missing the chance for in-play wagering.
PlaySugarHouse.com, owned by Rush Street Gaming, followed a day later when it launched an online betting platform, also for New Jersey users. What’s special about this one is that it integrates the new sports wagering opportunity for state residents with its already operating online casino. Rush Street’s platform is the third to be introduced in the Garden State this summer, with plenty more surely to come.
Cover City Podcast: Be in the Know With Sports Handle’s Newest Offering
Sports Handle debuted its Cover City Podcast: An NFL and NCAA Football Sports Betting Podcast, on Thursday. Hosted by professional sports bettor Eric Rosenthal, the podcast will air on Mondays and Thursdays, featuring a look back at the past weekend’s games (Monday) and a look ahead, as well as sports betting tips, on Thursdays. Cover City’s, debut episode features Fred Segal of @OldTakesExposed for the entire show. Segal talks NFL win totals and dishes about his favorite online scuffles, and talks about the interesting things he finds in his direct messages.
No-Go in Connecticut for Now
Governor Dannel Malloy publicly pushed for a special session to consider sports betting in the Constitution State more than once, but announced earlier this week that he was abandoning that idea. Why? Malloy had been negotiating with the state’s two Indian tribes, but blamed the failure to have a special session on a lack of legislative support, according to the Waterbury Republican-American, Malloy also hadn’t made much progress on the tribal front. Whatever the reason, halting talks about sports betting will put Connecticut behind the pack in the Northeast, as both New Jersey and Delaware are already open for sports betting, Rhode Island has legalized it and is working on regulations, New York lawmakers are actively moving forward and MGM earlier this week opened a $960 million casino in Springfield, Mass. just north of the Connecticut border. Sports betting is not yet legal in Massachusetts.
The Other Most Important Stories of the Week in Sports Betting and U.S. Gaming
Brace Yourselves! Tidal Wave of Online Sports Betting Coming: New Jersey’s David Rebuck, Division of Gaming Enforcement Director, says there are at least four more online betting platforms “in the lab” awaiting approval. He also talks more broadly about the state of sports betting in N.J. [NJ Online Gambling]
‘The Handcuffs Are Off!’: DraftKings CEO Jason Robbins has plenty to say about the upcoming NFL season and legal sports betting. [Yahoo!]
MGM Opens Springfield, Mass. Casino: Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) praise MGM’s commitment to Massachusetts and the city of Springfield as the company opened its $960 million facility. [Mass Live]
What’s the Total and Where Did It Come From? Our friends at National Football Post provide a primer on the over/under. [NFP]
No Betting in Cherry Hill? As the rest of New Jersey plows ahead with sports betting plans, a court battle is brewing around the Garden State Racetrack in Cherry Hill. [New Jersey Law Journal]
Elsewhere in the Wild World of Sports
Ouch! That Hurt: Ref cam caught Jordan Hicks’ sack of Tyrod Taylor up close and personal. [FoxSports]
Wow, This Would Be Cool: A Las Vegas casino exec proposes a futuristic casino and horse racetrack with a “moving” grandstand, that would allow fans to move alongside the running horses. ABC News]
Nothing But NET!: The NCAA unveils its new basketball ranking system, NET, which will replace the RPI. NCAA executives said NET is a “contemporary” ranking system based on analytics. [NCAA.com]
NBA Rule Changes Coming: The league’s board of governors is likely to approve multiple rule changes, including resetting the shot clock after an offensive rebound to 14 seconds from 24. [ESPN]
Look at this:
This is MESMERIZING. pic.twitter.com/MmrmNv7jQ7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 23, 2018
Tweets of Note
Despite Buck's misinformation about odds, here's the better part of that exchange:
Aikman: 'I'd go place some money on 'em (#Browns to win Super Bowl) , what the heck!'
Buck: 'You're not allowed'#PHIvsCLE #FoxSports
— BetChicago Marcus (@MarcusDiNitto) August 24, 2018
ICMYI SportsHandle Edition
Illinois Holds First Gaming Hearing: Lawmakers are starting to lay the groundwork for sports betting in Illinois and on Wednesday, heard from gaming stakeholders ahead of an October meeting that will feature sports betting as one of the key topics.
Is the Time Right?: According to a study presented to Kentucky’s working group on sports betting, despite struggles in the past, now may well be the time to legalize sports betting.
Bookies in the Legalized Sports Betting Market: Sports betting and other forms of illegal gambling used to take up lots of space in the justice system, but according to former Brooklyn and Bronx Criminal Courts judge John Wilson, not so much anymore.
