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
First came the news of possible match-fixing in a professional basketball league thousands of miles away — then gambling concerns hit a lot closer to home in the most popular league in America, for sports fans and bettors alike.
Suspensions and fines meted out in the Chinese Basketball Association — evidently over whether teams were putting out sufficient effort in playoff contests — became a relatively minor footnote to those who follow sports and sports betting in the U.S. once the NFL announced suspensions of five members of the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders Friday.
Three of the players were suspended indefinitely — through the 2023 season at minimum — for betting on NFL contests. Two others received six-game suspensions for violating rules by being on team property when placing wagers on non-NFL events, which is otherwise allowed for players.
None of the five involved were impact players last year, although Lions wideout Jameson Williams — one of those suspended for six games — is a former first-round draft choice who could still have a promising career. For the Lions, who made their own promising turnaround last year and seemed to have better things ahead, the suspensions put a crimp in 2023 preparations well ahead of training camp’s start.
For the NFL, Friday’s announcement might be what amounts to a double-edged sword: The league can be credited with identifying and cracking down on gambling by players that could taint the sport, but it returns to the spotlight concerns about how the nation’s proliferation of legal sports betting could widen such activity.
The NFL just levied suspensions of at least one season on three players who bet on NFL games last season.
Sports embraced betting and the dollars that come with it. This won’t be the last time, and it won’t just be the NFL. https://t.co/ElvqYTgriw
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) April 21, 2023
On the crucial subject of integrity of the sport, the NFL reported there is “no evidence indicating any information was used or that any game was compromised in any way.” That’s good to hear, even if how the league is handling these matters is confounding to some, including Sports Handle columnist Jeff Edelstein.
Expect detailed coverage of anything of this nature from Sports Handle and its network of sites and reporters, along with delving into everything else in the sports betting and broader commercial gambling industry, as stories below from the past week show. And for additional gaming-related information of vital and entertaining interest, be sure to check out the Gamble On podcast.
Is age really just a number?
What’s the difference between a legal wagering age of 18 versus 21?
Whoop-de-do over sportsbook ads
Pro leagues, TV networks form coalition for responsible sports betting advertising
New Jersey adds responsible gaming czar, new sportsbook advertising rules
Celebrities pushing sportsbooks could get the axe in Maine and Canada
A year after Charlie Blackmon’s deal, MLB betting endorsements have vanished
Suspense builds over Fanatics
Rubin believes Fanatics can hang with sports betting giants as app launch nears
Fanatics Sportsbook mobile interface shows a clean, easy-to-navigate look
Some bonuses go to bad guys
Criminal intent: How bonus abuse is identified and investigated
Maryland’s a growth state
Maryland wagering commission awards 15th mobile betting license
Complications abound in NYC
Times Square casino proposal drawing heavy neighborhood pushback
If you want it done right, do it yourself
Operators starting to grow their in-house casino games
The best of two vices meet
Detroit pot shop sees high demand for ‘cannabis casino’
TV ready for its take on betting
Two sports betting-themed shows planned for the small screen
Plenty of money to go around
New Jersey sets online casino revenue record with $165.7 million in March
Pennsylvania achieves a first: monthly gaming revenue above $500 million
Michigan internet casino revenue spikes to record $171.8 million for March
Massachusetts’ mobile debut a hit with $568.1 million handle for March
ClutchBet debuts in Colorado
ClutchBet soft-launched in Colorado this week, the second state in which the BlueBet-owned operator has gone live. While ClutchBet’s website is currently accepting bets, the sportsbook is still awaiting approval for its mobile app and is planning a full launch in early May.
With more than 20 commercial licensees, Colorado is one of the country’s most crowded sports betting marketplaces. ClutchBet went live in Iowa in September, where it has ranked among the more modest sportsbooks with an average monthly handle in the low- to mid-six figures. It holds one of Dubuque-based Q Casino’s two skins.
ClutchBet also has market access agreements in place in Indiana and Louisiana and hopes to launch wagering in those states later this year.
— Mike Seely
Vermont lawmakers still mull legal wagering
Vermont’s Senate Finance Committee got a walkthrough Tuesday on what’s included in HB 127, which would legalize statewide mobile wagering, and spent several hours Wednesday and Thursday discussing how much to charge operators for the right to operate in the state. No vote was taken by the final committee that must hear the bill before it could go to the Senate floor. The measure passed the House in March.
The current version of the bill includes a revenue share minimum of 20% and a license fee on a sliding scale from $320,833-$415,500, depending on the number of operators. There would be a minimum of two operators and a maximum of six, with the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery as the regulator.
The legislature adjourns May 19, allowing a window before then for Vermont to become the final New England state to legalize.
— Jill R. Dorson
Tweet of the week
It would be interesting to know the number of regulators who had ever worked in sports betting, or the regulation of betting, who are working in those jurisdictions that have legalized betting post-repeal of PASPA.
— Richard Schuetz (@Schuetzinc) April 20, 2023
More of the most important, interesting stories
HEY, WHAT’S THE BIG HOLDUP HERE? As U.S. sports betting booms, internet gambling is slow to expand [Associated Press]
MORE OF THE SAME, IT SEEMS: Is the sun setting on sports gaming in Missouri again? House leaders say yes [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
POINTSBET WONDERS WHAT’S THE POINT: Sports betting giant selling its U.S. operations [Front Office Sports]
ONE MORE NOTCH IN VEGAS’ BELT: Oakland A’s agree to purchase land near Las Vegas Strip [ESPN.com]
NEWS: The Oakland A's have entered an agreement for land in Las Vegas — with plans to build a $1 billion, 35,000-seat ballpark.
The MLB team has signed a binding deal for 49 acres of land owned by Red Rock Resorts, per @reviewjournal. pic.twitter.com/xzaqrJtdyx
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 20, 2023
WATCH OUT, CANNIBALS LIE IN WAIT: Conference panelists say NYC-area casinos could lead to Atlantic City closures [Associated Press]
ONE FEWER APP TO CHECK EACH DAY: Golden Nugget sportsbook mobile app no longer will be available [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
NOTHING OK ABOUT BETTING IN STATE OF OK: Oklahoma sports betting bill appears dead for the session [Tulsa World]
VIRGINIA FINDS A WAY TO HELP: Reeves’ gambling treatment & support legislation signed into law [Culpeper Star-Exponent]
