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
The news has been mostly positive from the big players in the sportsbook industry. MGM Resorts stated this week it’s quite pleased with the trajectory of the BetMGM subsidiary it shares with Entain, and DraftKings followed that up by, like BetMGM, showing its first quarterly profit ever in the three-month period completed in June.
For the littler fish in the sports betting sea, that’s not the case. FOX Bet is the latest to sink, with Flutter Entertainment announcing this week that the smaller, poorer stepbrother of FanDuel is being phased out this month. For several years FOX Bet has coexisted and competed with FanDuel in several large sports betting states — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Colorado — while never capturing the same level of attention from bettors. In Pennsylvania, for example, FanDuel handled more than 30 times as much betting volume in the past year as FOX Bet.
So Flutter will instead be all-in on national market leader FanDuel as the busy 2023 football betting season gets underway. We will await word, meanwhile, on the next to join FOX Bet, Fubo Sportsbook, Maxim Bet, and TwinSpires among those to inhabit the sports betting graveyard.
As always, Sports Handle is on top of both the positive and negative news surrounding the sports betting industry, as additional stories below from the past week demonstrate. And for news from the broader gambling world, check out our partner site US Bets and its weekly Double Down column and Gamble On podcast.
When it’s a quarterback, it’s bigger news
Criminal charges around wagering filed against Iowa State starting quarterback
Dekkers’ denial is ludicrous, as is sacrificing football career for $2,799 in bets
Waiting for the next cleats to drop
Have we seen the last major wave of NFL betting suspensions?
Busy times in Maryland
Maryland Lottery approves sports wagering rule changes
Maryland Lottery names The Innovation Group its partner for iGaming study
Looking ahead to Illinois expansion
Breaking down Illinois’ online-only sports wagering applications
Massachusetts being quite deliberate
Decision delayed on Raynham Park’s Massachusetts wagering application
The biggest move of all for Fanatics
As NFL season nears, Fanatics moves closer to New York sports betting debut
Betr shows its reach
Betr launches pick-’em-style fantasy vertical
DraftKings gets the ball rolling
DraftKings Week 1 DFS salary release means NFL season is almost here
Seeing some crossover appeal here
The future of sports betting is horse racing
Will Coach Kelly’s idea catch on?
LSU football to release official injury reports during 2023 season
Plenty of money to go around
12 months in Michigan: sportsbook revenue up, Detroit action down, FanDuel reigns
Ohio continues slide in betting activity, revenue in June
Nuggets’ NBA title run sends Colorado retail sportsbooks reeling
Virginia sportsbooks post 10% hold for fourth straight month
Arizona operators rout public to cap historic May for U.S. sports betting
WynnBET rolling out new app
WynnBET has announced launch of a new app for online casino and sports betting customers in six of its states: Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia. The revamped platform has already been in use in Massachusetts and West Virginia and will also be coming to those in New Jersey, New York, and Michigan.
Wynn Interactive said its new multi-state platform improves various features from its state-specific apps, including providing for faster deposits and withdrawals, one login across all states, a traveling wallet, and more sports markets and casino game options.
Customers with existing accounts in the app’s six new states will be prompted to download the new app. All existing bets, funds, and Wynn Rewards points will be safely transferred automatically, the company said.
— Gary Rotstein
iGaming Ontario has new chief
Heidi Reinhardt, who just a month ago was named interim chair of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission Ontario (AGCO), this week was appointed chair of iGaming Ontario, according to EGR. Reinhardt replaces Dave Forestell, who was appointed to the position July 21 but has since stepped down.
iGaming Ontario manages the province’s gaming vertical when it is “provided by private operators,” according to EGR. Provincial regulators launched digital gaming in April 2022, making Ontario the first Canadian province to do so. Thirteen wagering platforms are currently available in the province, including 11 that went live on the universal start date. BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, and FanDuel are among the major operators, and they’re joined by a host of regional and European offerings.
Reinhardt was on the AGCO board of directors before the latest appointment. She is a member of the Ontario Securities Commission’s Security Advisory Committee and the Toronto Stock Exchange Listing Advisory Committee.
— Jill R. Dorson
Tweet of the week
When you realize there's football tonight and every single week for the next six months 🥹
pic.twitter.com/909NbbmBFo— Jordan Loupe (@CantALoupe_FF) August 3, 2023
More of the most important, interesting stories
WHEN IS A BONUS BAD? Staying ahead of the fraudsters [iGaming Business]
PARTNERING IN CANADA: Where are partnerships between Ontario sportsbooks and sports teams heading? [CDC Gaming Reports]
CIRCA FINDS A NICHE: Circa Sports partners with SlamBall league, will offer sports betting lines [Action Network]
ALL TOLD, IT COULD BE WORSE IN IOWA: No evidence found that betting integrity manipulated by Iowa and Iowa State athletes tied to gambling [Associated Press]
Iowa, Iowa State actually lucky in recent sports-betting news … so far https://t.co/OkNxOqQOMn
— The Gazette (@gazettedotcom) August 2, 2023
NEW HAMPSHIRE MAKING MONEY: New Hampshire sports betting revenue hits $81 million in FY 2023 [iGB North America]
TRIBE JUMPS INTO THE POOL: Snoqualmie Casino to launch multi-tier progressive pool sportsbook [Indian Gaming]
NORTH CAROLINA’S GOT A GUY NOW: NC Lottery Commission picks head for sports betting division [WRAL]
MORE MESS IN TENNIS: Bolivian tennis official suspended for 12 years over corruption [iGaming Business]
