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 stories and rounding up key stories in sports betting, gaming, and the world of sports at large. You may have missed them, and they are worth reading.
More to come in Iowa
Eight Iowa sportsbooks launched in a shotgun start last week, including at Prairie Meadows, which debuted one of four William Hill-run sportsbooks in the state. Beginning today, another wave will open more counters across Iowa. Among them is the PointsBet sportsbook at Catfish Bend in Burlington, which has a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for today.
Eighteen Iowa casinos are licensed for sports betting, and 11 have yet to launch. Iowa is the first Midwestern state to launch sports betting, though the Indiana Gaming Commission is poised to approve sports betting regulations and multiple openings are set for Sept. 1. Illinois also legalized sports betting during the summer, but launch there is likely six months or more away.
The Catfish Bend sportsbook will a first for PointsBet, an Australian company that debuted in the U.S. in New Jersey in January. According to the company, the new 5,600 square-foot sportsbook has 35 TVs, including eight with odds displays, a 163-inch TV for special events, 26 slot machines, 13 video poker machines, blackjack tables and sports betting kiosks.
Friday’s launch will be at the physical sportsbook only with mobile to follow. The mobile app will resemble PointsBet’s NJ digital sportsbook. Randy Winegard, Principal Owner and Chairman of the Board of Great River Entertainment will place the first bet.
“PointsBet is thrilled to be bringing our best-in-market proprietary technology, modernized and premium brand mentality, expert trading practices and proven growth marketing strategies to the great state of Iowa,” PointsBet CEO Johnny Aitken told Sports Handle.
“The Book” at both Harrah’s Council Bluff and the Horseshoe Casino, both Caesars properties, are also set for launch on Friday. And Thursday, according to a Rush Street Interactive press release, the company will partner with Wild Rose Resorts, which has three casinos around Iowa. DraftKings is also partnered with Wild Rose, as Iowa law allows each sportsbook to have two online skins. William Hill’s online sportsbook was the first to go live in Iowa.
Here’s an update on some other sportsbooks yet to launch:
Blackbird Bend: No information on the website about launch.
Diamond Jo, Diamond Jo Worth: Books will be powered by FanDuel, and the expected launch is sometime in September, with mobile to follow at a later date.
Grand Falls: Sportsbook tab available on the website, but no news on opening date.
Hard Rock Sioux City: No information on the website about launch.
Q Casino: No opening date set, but the 4,200-square foot book will have 47 TVs and a 165-inch video wall.
$10 billion and counting …
According to release from the American Gaming Association, sports bettors in the U.S. placed $10 billion in wagers between May 14, 2018, when the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, and July 2019.
Eleven states currently have some form of legal sports betting and by September, that number will rise to 13, as sportsbooks in Indiana and a tribal casino sportsbook in Oregon will go live. The AGA says that eight in 10 adult Americans support legal sports betting, and 71 percent of those who bet with a bookie or offshore say they would switch to a legal market if it were available in their state.
Of the $10 billion wagered, $3.2 billion was bet in New Jersey, the second state to launch legal sports betting, and one of only two (Pennsylvania is the other) with live state-wide mobile sports betting.
More of the most important, interesting stories
Earlier today, Kambi signed a multi-state contract extension with DraftKings, adding eight states to our strong partnership in New Jersey. Tomorrow we'll launch with DraftKings in New York, with other states to follow. https://t.co/PVXXH5yBMI pic.twitter.com/tsAqdA3N6t
— Kambi (@KambiSports) August 22, 2019
HYPE TRAIN: Bettors favor the Bears, followed by the Browns, to win the Super Bowl. [ESPN]
RECONSIDER: Maybe it’s time for Silver State to allow remote registration. [Review-Journal]
SWISH: Swish Analytics cuts deal to become “authorized MLB data distributor” [Sports Biz]
APPROVAL COMING: Indiana’s Gaming Commission to approve sports betting rules Aug. 28. [Wave3News]
NEW RULE? Ohio Casino Control Commission drafting DFS rules ahead of NFL season. [Dispatch]
BIG UPSET: When the Tigers beat the Astros on Wednesday, it was historic — for sports betting. [CBS]
Sorry not sorry, Vegas.#TigersWIN pic.twitter.com/HlFegegwGn
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 22, 2019
MORE ON WIRE ACT: The Department of Justice will appeal the latest NH ruling. [NJOG]
BREAKING IT DOWN: What does the NFL’s new partnership with Sportradar mean? [EGR]
GOING, GOING, GONE: Bankruptcy court approves sale of AAF sports betting app to MGM. [ProFootballTalk]
WAITING, SEEING: Oklahoma casinos look into possibility of adding sports betting [News9]
NY’S DEL LAGO TO OPEN: Fourth upstate New York B&M sportsbook will go live today. [Syracuse.com]
11 states now feature full-scale legalized sports betting. Jason Robins, CEO and co-founder at DraftKings, joins @SquawkCNBC to discuss the future of the gambling industry. https://t.co/ll7eJAEerw pic.twitter.com/IGBtD0HUa5
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 19, 2019
In the wider world of sports
When you remember there will be college football games this weekend pic.twitter.com/QvJJ1q0mW4
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) August 20, 2019
MAGIC OF DABO: How Swinney made Clemson a football powerhouse. [ESPN]
EPIC FAIL: Ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson: ‘I failed tremendously.’ [SI]
WHO NEEDS NEW? Dozens of college teams unveiled new unis for ’19, but we like throwbacks. [Yahoo!]
James Harden didn't hold back about not winning the MVP 👀 pic.twitter.com/STYqjuVm9o
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 22, 2019
DIFFERENT KIND OF HORSE: 70-year-old wins 1,000k horse race in Mongolia. [NYT]
ICYMI at Sports Handle, US Bets
A tribute to my colleague and friend Bob Mann.
West Virginia mobile launch with FanDuel and DraftKings coming next week.
Even with sports betting, Chicago casino would operate in the red.
Chinook Winds set to open first Oregon sportsbook.
Q&A: PointsBet sportsbook’s Seth Young on US growth, what’s unique and what’s better.
Pete Rose should place first sports bet in Cincinnati if Ohio legalizes sports betting.
No mobile, but Mississippi’s first year of sports betting has been ‘great.’
