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.
MLB pitches “royalty,” data mandate in Washington
Major League Baseball continued to beat the drum in its quest for mandating the use of official league data in legal sports betting on Thursday at a meeting of the Washington State Gambling Commission. MLB, on behalf of itself, the Seattle Mariners, the NBA and the PGA Tour, shared what it believes are the “five pillars” for a safe and robust sports betting market.
No. 3 on the list is the argument to mandate the use of official league data, and No. 4 is the payment of a .25 percent royalty on handle to the professional leagues. No state has yet agreed to pay the pro leagues a royalty or “integrity fee,” as it was initially referred to, and so far, of the 18 jurisdictions that currently have some form of legal sports betting, only two, Tennessee and Illinois, have included a data mandate in their laws. Neither of those states has launched sports betting yet, and in public comments to the Illinois Gaming Board, stakeholders voiced vehement opposition to the mandate. Operators have argued against a royalty or data mandate in every state considering legal sports betting saying such fees would make it untenable to do business, and that the data mandate would create a monopoly for the leagues.
Gambling Commission staff made its own presentation, calling for the creation of an integrity unit within law enforcement, for cooperation between licensees, sports governing bodies and the state to handle suspicious activity, and allowing for whistleblower protections.
There are currently three sports betting bills in the Washington state legislature — HB 1975, a tribal-only bill that does not allow for mobile sports betting; HB 1992, which would allow for sports betting at tribal and commercial locations, but does not authorize mobile sports betting; and SB 5965, which is a place-holder bill. Should sports betting become legal, the Washington State Gambling Commission is “positioning” itself to be the regulator, according to a spokesperson.
More of the most important stories
St. Joe's' sports betting policy: Bad idea? Or terrible idea?https://t.co/00mbK3D80o
— Eric Raskin (@EricRaskin) October 11, 2019
BETTING BAN: Why Purdue faces major obstacles legally, logistically in sports betting ban [SI]
AND A BAN HERE, TOO: St. Joe’s to students, staff, faculty: No sports betting. [TheHawk]
GAME FIXING? According to DOJ, a New York man tried fixing a college hoops game. [ESPN]
THUMBS UP: National poll shows 80% of Americans approve of sports betting. [Seton Hall]
JUST IN: Indiana's first month of sports betting (retail only) saw $35.2 million in handle and $8.5 million in AGR.
Story coming on https://t.co/ZOKrNeMYlj pic.twitter.com/L4md93AurW
— Brian Pempus (@brianpempus) October 10, 2019
DENIED: The U.S. Supreme Court rejects gambler Billy Walters’ appeal. [Reuters]
NO FLUFF HERE: Pauly Howard skips the silly stuff and cuts to heart of sports betting. [BSM]
NICE SPOT: Senecas open sports lounge at KeyBank Center. [WBEN]
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF? A look at how the Black Sox scandal could happen again. [ESPN]
UP AND RUNNING: IRGA says all Iowa sportsbooks now open. [RadioIowa]
After Ben Simmons made his first 3 last night and scored 21 points in 21 minutes….
His MVP odds have skyrocketed at @PointsBetUSA
His odds have jumped from +10000 to +8000 https://t.co/KQvMmYVRcb
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 9, 2019
In the wider world of sports
GOOD CALL: Here’s why the Dodgers were right not to fire Roberts. [LAT]
This picture is actually haunting. There’s a full-on tied elimination game going down and there isn’t another person in the vicinity of Clayton Kershaw.pic.twitter.com/VC7hruY9i6
— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) October 10, 2019
VEGAS BOUND? Another Bay Area team could be heading to Las Vegas. [SFChronicle]
FUTURE OF PREAKNESS: Deal would keep historic race at Pimlico. [BloodHorse]
DATA COMING TO NHL: Analytics and data are finally coming to hockey. [WSJ]
Also around our network this week
Indiana sports betting sees $35 million handle in first month
Acquisition of The Stars Group could place gambling markets on path toward more consolidation
Georgia’s got sports betting on its mind.
Q&A with the newest sportsbook manager in Pennsylvania.
Ohio the site for sports leagues’ latest attempt at a money grab
Data mandate, branding, in-person registration surface as key IL sports-betting issues.
Sports betting kiosks a a growing favorite all over U.S. — except in Las Vegas.
Kentucky gubernatorial candidate: Tennessee to ‘eat our lunch’ on sports betting.
