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 headlines, highlighting some fresh news, and rounding up key stories.
Top stories around our network this week
Unless you are living in a cave or consumed by nothing but sports betting 24 hours a day — or horror of horrors, both — it is hard not to realize there are major elections taking place across the U.S. on Tuesday. Much of the focus for the sports betting industry has been on a pair of California initiatives that have been deemed unlikely to pass, but there are numerous gubernatorial races across the country where the outcome could impact whether and how those states proceed with expansion of their gaming industries.
Despite California’s apparently imperiled effort after big investments by the likes of FanDuel and DraftKings, voters in many states have approved such referendums. In fact, it happened in four different states just two years ago, though they have been on different tracks since then in implementing voters’ desires.
Unlike other countries, betting on election outcomes at sportsbooks is still a no-no in the U.S., but the PredictIt site makes it possible in a smaller way. It’s interesting to compare the betting odds there with what polls say about the anticipated outcome of Tuesday’s elections, especially for control of the U.S. Senate.
Sports Handle and its network of sites and staffers will be analyzing whatever meaning Tuesday’s ballot results have for the future of sports betting and the gaming industry. We will also be covering much more than that, as this past week’s stories demonstrate.
Oh, c’mon and tell us, DK, we won’t share
DraftKings pleased with improved pricing on media deals, remains mum on ESPN talks
Tennessee’s a good-lookin’ toddler
Tennessee celebrates two years of legal mobile sports wagering
Nothing stops a Hard Rock from rolling
Hard Rock’s expansion plans figure to continue in 2023
We keep hearing about this esports thingy
Is sports betting important to the future of esports in the United States?
Say bye to Vie, the first esports betting site to die in New Jersey
Before the kegger, let’s discuss addiction
Bet him to the Greek: Fraternities and sports betting
Yeah, I’ve got a question: When???
Answering key questions about Maryland’s mobile betting launch
Geez, these Fanatics guys must be serious
Fanatics bolsters sports betting team with hire of prominent lobbyist Brandt Iden
You can never have enough frontons
Dania Beach Casino gives jai alai a second U.S. foothold
You’d betr believe it, Hoosiers
Jake Paul’s Betr gets sports betting access to Indiana
The winner can even afford to buy gas
Powerball jackpot creeping toward all-time record for Saturday’s drawing
Can’t blame them for trying
Little River Band may resubmit plans for Fruitport casino
Some Ohioans will have happy new year
DraftKings offering eye-popping opportunity for $100,000 free bets
And if it’s numbers you want …
FanDuel in dominant position in NY market
Colorado clears $50 million in September sports betting revenue
Virginia latest to set sports wagering revenue record in September
Caesars betting kiosks introduced in Ontario
Caesars Sportsbook unveiled 10 new sports betting kiosks Thursday inside a casino in Windsor, Ontario. The launch came less than a week after the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced that casino service providers could move forward with the launch of retail sportsbooks across the province.
The kiosks offer wagering on a variety of sports as well as an option that allows customers to engage in-game betting, Caesars said in a statement. The company views the kiosks as just the start of the expansion of sports betting at Caesars Windsor.
“These sports betting kiosks are Phase 1 of what we will be offering at Caesars Windsor, with a full-service Caesars Sportsbook opening soon with dining, bar service, and sports betting all in one location,” said Kevin Laforet, who serves as president at Caesars Windsor.
— Matt Rybaltowski
Soon. 👀 10 sports betting kiosks open up at 12pm today. Get ready to #BetLikeACaesar pic.twitter.com/gXSN4Wb3Fy
— Caesars Windsor (@CaesarsWindsor) November 3, 2022
BetDEX acquires landmark betting license
The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission this week awarded a sports betting license to BetDEX, marking what is believed to be the first time a blockchain exchange has been cleared for regulated wagering in a physical jurisdiction.
Founded by three former FanDuel executives, including ex-CEO Nigel Eccles, BetDEX launched on the open-sourced Monaco Protocol in late August. Theoretically, it gives anyone who wants it — including major U.S. sportsbooks — access to its code, which is currently geared toward soccer wagering. At the time, a BetDEX spokesperson told Sports Handle, “The team’s immediate focus is obtaining licensing for international markets. The U.S. is not a priority for this year.”
— Mike Seeley
More of the most important, interesting stories
BIG PUSH NEEDED IN BIG STATE: Sports betting in Texas? Multiple sports teams, organizations pushing to legalize [KPRC]
SANDS FOLDING ITS HAND: Sands reportedly drops legal online gaming efforts [The Nevada Independent]
MADNESS AHEAD IN NASHVILLE: FanDuel Bracket City Live festival coming to Nashville [WSMV]
FanDuel Bracket City Live, a free, three-day festival centered around music, basketball and action, will take over Lower Broadway this coming March. Music City becomes Bracket City, coinciding with the initial rounds of college basketball postseason. https://t.co/PbMy4RmJuy
— Main Street Nashville (@MainNashville) November 2, 2022
LINING UP SOME HELP IN ARKANSAS: Arkansas Problem Gambling Council will work as treatment provider for Arkansans with gambling disorders [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]
ANOTHER PROVINCE JOINS THE iFRENZY: Saskatchewan’s first legal online gaming platform is now live [Global News]
WASHINGTON STATE ADDS SOME BETTING: 12 Tribes casinos now offering sports betting [KPQ]
