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
Late May is not typically a prime spot on the calendar for NFL news. The draft is over. Training camps haven’t started. The sportsbooks have posted their futures odds for the 2023 season Super Bowl champion, team wins, individual awards, and even weekly game lines, and those odds won’t be changing much for months.
Any pro football news coming out around Memorial Day is as likely to be negative as positive, and that’s the situation going into the holiday weekend. A month after the NFL suspended four players on the Detroit Lions’ 2022 roster among five the league cited for gambling violations, it’s now reported that a fifth Lion is also under investigation.
The Athletic did not identify the player in reporting news of the ongoing investigation that has yet to determine wrongdoing, but it stated he “was not a prominent member of the 2022 team.” That was generally the case with the other players suspended in April, although wide receiver Jameson Williams is notable as the Lions’ No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft.
The report followed an article by ESPN’s David Purdum this week in which he summarized the NFL’s various gambling-related issues and reported that the league “is investigating a second wave of potential violations of its gambling policy.” He noted that seven players, at least one assistant coach, and an undisclosed number of team employees have violated the league’s gambling policy in the past five years. That span covers the time since the U.S. Supreme Court’s PASPA decision opened the nation broadly to legalized sports betting.
It remains to be seen just what America’s most popular sport has in the way of new gambling-related offenses and how the league deals with them. Unfortunately, though, it comes at a time when problematic questions surrounding the intersection of sports and betting are already in the news. Sports Handle reported this week on the recent investigations involving collegiate sports and professional soccer, among other concerns.
Our staff will stay on top of further developments, as well as covering all of the broader topics connected to the sports betting industry, as the stories linked below from the past week demonstrate. And to be further informed on the business of gambling, check out US Bets and its weekly column feature, Double Down, as well as the latest Gamble On podcast.
Fanatics fancying big moves this year
No license transfer required as Fanatics begins move into New York
Massachusetts becomes third state with access to Fanatics mobile sportsbook
Massachusetts regulators are vocal type
Massachusetts Gaming Commission ‘frustrated’ by DraftKings violation
Massachusetts betting regulator keeps tax on promotional play
Decision time in North Carolina
Report: Senate vote on North Carolina mobile betting bill coming soon
Heavily amended North Carolina mobile betting bill begins Senate journey
New York tries not to go overboard
New York regulator backs off of plan to ban third-party sports betting advertisements
Lawmakers keep busy in Illinois
Illinois Legislature extends wagering on in-state schools to 2024
Bally’s gets potential labor pool boost with Illinois bill passage
A new sportsbook bonus stands out
ZenSports offers cash-back rewards to Tennessee sports bettors
Official’s tweets got him twisted
Maine betting regulator placed on leave following controversial tweets
New partners make for more bets
Hard Rock partnering with Simplebet to enhance microbetting options
College students lively with their betting
NCAA study of college-aged sports bettors finds 61% have placed a live bet
Let’s teach bettors about money
Reading between the lines: financial literacy in sports betting
A good subject for research
Risky business: UNLV gambling conference leaves no card unturned
Researchers take their shots at explaining gamblers’ behavior at Vegas gathering
Circa takes the contest lead again
Circa increases Million and Survivor pool payouts to combined $14 million
Tweet of the week
The Heat trying to play defense tonight: pic.twitter.com/JQVtViZWwy
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) May 26, 2023
More of the most important, interesting stories
LAS VEGAS A’S OFFER PLENTY OF POTENTIAL: A’s stadium could be a home run for Gaming and Leisure Properties [The Nevada Independent]
ATHLETES ARE PROBLEM GAMBLERS, TOO: FA reduced Ivan Toney’s suspension due to gambling addiction diagnosis [ESPN.com]
WORRIED ABOUT THE KIDS: Kids as young as 8 report gambling addictions, advocates say, calling out sports betting ads [CTV News]
A SPORTSBOOK A GUY COULD FALL FOR: Circa Sports has new sportsbook director, but same sharp model [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
It took Chris Bennett 19 years of hard work in the sportsbook industry to reach his goal of becoming a sportsbook director. https://t.co/v7z2MeZhzd
— Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) May 24, 2023
HONEYMOON COULD BE OVER: Dave Portnoy’s Barstool Sports future uncertain with contract up in 20 months [New York Post]
WHEN DIVERSITY ISN’T ALL THAT DIVERSE: Schuetz column: Less than perfect work [GGB News]
TRYING TO PUT A RAP ON IT: Meek Mill named PrizePicks brand ambassador & culture advisor [Boardroom]
BEYOND A RETURN TO NORMALCY: Las Vegas airport sets April record as international travel grows [CDC Gaming Reports]
