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 (or fashionably late) Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top U.S. sports betting stories, highlighting some fresh news, and rounding up key stories.
Also check out this week’s Wide World of Gambling at US Bets.
Time for Tennessee
At least three digital sports betting platforms will go live on Tennessee on Sunday — or really, any time after the clock strikes midnight CT in the wee hours. BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel have all gotten their go-live paperwork approved. A fourth company, Tennessee Action 24/7 could be added to the mix if it completes testing on Saturday.
“This Sunday will represent the culmination of an enormous amount of work and due diligence to bring online-only sports wagering to Tennessee, the only state in the nation to do so,” TEL President and CEO Rebecca Paul Hargrove said via press release Friday. “As the regulator, today also represents the beginning of a new stage as we establish and support a responsible and competitive program here. We will continue to work with all licensees, registrants and applicants to protect the consumer, promote fairness in sports and regulate this new Tennessee industry that provides critical funds to the state and local governments.”
The three national operators are already live in multiple states, some for both sports betting and daily fantasy. In September, BetMGM announced a partnership with the Tennessee Titans.
At least three more applicants are waiting in the wings — in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the TEL says Churchill Downs, Inc., William Hill and Wynn have all filed applications.
No sports betting in OK any time soon
Oklahoma’s tribes and Gov. Kevin Stitt have been unable to come to any sort of agreement after tribal compacts in the state expired on Jan. 1, and according to Matthew Morgan of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, that disagreement will likely stall legal sports betting for the foreseeable future.
“Gov. Stitt said that if the renegotiations weren’t to his liking, they would expire, which set off a huge battle between the state governor and the tribes,” Morgan said during a Global Gaming Expo virtual panel earlier this week.
In Oklahoma, tribal pacts must be approved by the tribes, state legislature and the governor. There are 39 federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma operating more than 60 casinos.
“I feel like tribal leadership in Oklahoma is ready to have that discussion, and they have had those discussions over the last year,” Morgan said. “Our big question is ‘Who will be sitting on the other side of the table?’ If we have parties on the other side of the table that see this the way we do, where it’s good for everyone, then I think it will be great. If we see the opposite, then I think you’ll see the tribes being patient.”
Sports betting coming to Wyoming
The Northern Arapaho Tribe earlier this week announced that it will begin offering sports betting at its three casinos on the Wind River Reservation — hopefully in time for the Super Bowl — according to Wyoming Public Media. The move would make the Northern Arapaho the first to offer sports betting in Wyoming. The tribe appears to be following a trend in more rural states where casinos in Indian country are launching sportsbooks independent of state laws and regulators. New Mexico’s Santa Ana Star Casino was the first to go this route, and since then, tribes in Oregon and Colorado have begun offering sports betting.
According to the Wyoming Public Media report, the Northern Arapaho do not have a gaming compact with the state. The state created a gaming commission earlier this year, but has not yet legalized sports betting.
“The state has no regulatory authority over us when it comes to gaming,” Northern Arapaho Business Councilman Stephen Fasthorse told the website.
Wyoming is sandwiched between Montana and Colorado, both of which have legalized, and in South Dakota, voters could legalize sports betting in Deadwood next week.
More of the most interesting, important stories of the week (and some sports stuff)
Fantasy heartbreak: a stat correction shortly after Monday Night Football cost a man from St. Louis $997,000 in DFS winnings 😱 https://t.co/uTtIuUQryl
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 28, 2020
VERY VERY BIG IF: 5Dimes seeking files application for NJ betting license. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
OUCH: theScore Bet actually lost $1.4 million CAD in first full year of operation [IGB]
SORTING IT OUT: A detailed look at the Gill Alexander-Westgate Superbook dispute. [USBets]
LUCAS OIL: Colts announce sponsorship deal with Caesars, William Hill. [CDC Gaming]
TAXONOMY: What is a ‘sharp?’ [Gaming Today]
FOOTY: D.C. United, FanDuel partner to open sportsbook in 2021 at Audi Field [WTOP]
WHAT’S HOT? Bettors warming up to in-play wagering, but still love parlays. [MiBets]
Gorgeous. Stadium like. Looking forward to many football Sundays. @CircaSports @CircaLasVegas pic.twitter.com/ERprSc1P0f
— Cabbie Richards (@Cabbie) October 29, 2020
HERE COMES THE IRS: The federal tax agency makes next move to tax DFS. [SportsHandle]
LESSONS LEARNED: What we learned from sports in the COVID-19 era. [WSJ]
REFUND: DraftKings will refund bets after a questionable call in last week’s Penn State-Indiana game. [Sports Illustrated]
We will be opening the @BSSportsbook on November 5th! #BarstoolSportsbook pic.twitter.com/SxshuSzo4X
— Ameristar Black Hawk (@AmeristarBH) October 26, 2020
SPAC PARTY: U.K. Betting Firm Genius Sports to Go Public in $1.5 Billion SPAC Deal [WSJ]
LATEST IN IL: FanDuel adds a second casino partner with Fairmount Park [Sports Handle]
ATLANTIC CITY: FanDuel is getting into Atlantic City with a retail location at Bally’s. [NJOG]
A week and 25 years after he was paralyzed while on his first shift as a Boston University hockey player, Travis Roy has died of complications from his paralysis. https://t.co/WnXpX2OlrK
— Boston Globe Sports (@BGlobeSports) October 29, 2020
THANK YOU to everyone who played @DraftKings Pink Em contests — you helped raise over $113,000 for breast cancer research 🙏🏾
I’d especially like to thank the amazing team at DraftKings for making this possible. Your support means the world…let’s all keep up the fight together. https://t.co/NHe3hRqyKC
— Larry Fitzgerald (@LarryFitzgerald) October 30, 2020
