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Three More States Approve Sports Betting in the Wake of 2020 Election

Maryland, South Dakota, and Louisiana have joined 21 other states in legalizing sports betting. For big names in the industry like FanDuel and DraftKings, this represents a windfall and an exciting new chapter in the legal sports wagering market.

Louisiana

Voters in Louisiana approved a sports betting proposition on their ballot this past week. This marks the first such move in the state towards a change in the law.

The gambling industry in the state is moving quickly to get the first sports book up and running. Plans have already begun at L’Auberge Casino. “It’s where our guests could come, place their wagers, watch games, enjoy some food, and relax. We would build out a whole new section for that,” said Kim Ginn, the General Manager of L’Auberge Casino. She went on, “It’ll go in the legislative session starting in April. Once it’s made into law, then rules have to be made by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, which controls us.”

The state legislature approved the bill early in 2020 to add the sports betting question to this year’s ballot. The final tally saw fifty-five out of Louisiana’s sixty-four parishes voting for the measure. However, it will be some time before the first wagers are cast. Mike Noel is the Lieutenant Colonel for the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. He doesn’t believe residents will see open sports books opened until at least 2022. “It’s just the way the process works. The legislature has to lay out the framework, and then the rule-making process is a four to six-month process. Once that happens, the entities that wasn’t to participate will have to apply and get licensed,” says Noel.

Maryland

Maryland voters responded positively to question 2 on this year’s ballot, approving the expansion into legalized sports betting. Maryland’s ballot measure added the proposition that revenue generated from the sports gambling industry would be funneled primarily into the state’s public education system.

The measure passed with nearly 70% approval in the state. In addition, the Maryland legislature has expressed near unanimous support including Governor Larry Hogan.

“Question 2 provides a critical revenue source for public education without raising taxes on families and businesses. This initiative builds on the very successful ‘Hogan Lockbox,’ which puts casino revenues in a lockbox dedicated to education. We are already funding our K-12 schools at record levels, and this is another way to ensure that is the case for years to come,” says Governor Hogan.

Maryland State Senator Craig Zucker posits the new sports gambling measure could bring in millions to the state education coffers. “The lowball assumption is that Maryland will get an additional $20 to $40 million in additional revenue from sports betting,” says Zucker.

South Dakota

Constitutional Amendment B will bring sports betting to Deadwood, South Dakota. Nearly 60% of South Dakota residents approved the measure to authorize sports betting in both Deadwood and the state’s Native American reservation casinos.

“Obviously, we’re encouraged by this. This is pacing a little bit better than we did in 2014 with craps and roulette,” said Mike Rodman. Rodman is the Executive Director of the Deadwood Gaming Association. He went on, “we’re thankful to the voters of South Dakota for giving Deadwood this opportunity. We will reach out to the administration to see if they want to start working on some draft legislation for the 2021 session.”

The state constitution currently authorizes Keno, craps, roulette, slot machines, and limited card games in Deadwood casinos. The recent ballot measure now allows the state Legislature to include sports wagering as yet another form of gambling in Deadwood.

Circa Sports May Have Cracked The Code On Sports Betting

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According to Circa Sports director Matthew Metcalf, the key to a profitable and popular sportsbook is the machine operating behind the scenes. He has made it his career goal to assemble top talent at the Las Vegas sportsbook in order to offer his customers the best available products. He is not one to sit on the sidelines either. Metcalf has made a name for himself in this business by constantly scanning his surroundings and looking for ways to improve.

A Florida native, Metcalf graduated from the University of Florida in the early 2000’s and immediately set his sights on Las Vegas. He reached out to the top sportsbooks in town and secured a job under the leadership of Jay Kornegay who at the time was heading Imperial Palace and is now an executive at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. “That meant everything to me,” says Metcalf. “It was my single-minded focus. All I wanted to do was come out and work for a sportsbook in Las Vegas.” Metcalf learned under Kornegay for several years until he decided to pursue a professional career in gambling focusing on college football and NASCAR. It was this experience, on the other side of the betting counter that has largely driven his vision for the Circa Sportsbook.

“I really didn’t understand how much I loved the customer service part of the [sportsbook] job until I quit to bet sports and saw how a lot of bettors were disrespected,” says Metcalf. “Not everyone was treated the same when they came in. It almost got to a point where I was offended on behalf of sports bettors, and I decided if I got back in the position, I was going to make sure I righted a wrong that had existed, not at all sportsbooks but many, for the last 20 years.”

That opportunity presented itself when Metcalf linked up with Derek Stevens, who at the time was trying to gather talent ahead of breaking ground on his brand new $1 billion resort. The two quickly came to realize that they shared many of the same goals when it came to building out a premier sportsbook. “Matt really clearly showed what his thought process was on how to build this business, how to build a book from scratch,” said Stevens. “We spent a lot of time together. A lot of lunches where we would have an idea and it would just snowball.”

Bennett and Benson

The first two additions to the team were Chris Bennett and Jeffrey Benson. According to Metcalf, both Bennett and Benson were essential hires because they shared an understanding of that unique perspective of both the customer placing a bet and the sportsbook. “When I got hired for this job, I had a list in my head of exactly where I wanted to go,” says Metcalf. “I didn’t get everybody I wanted, and I still haven’t, but I knew Jeff [Benson] from Palace Station as the best customer service person in the entire town. And Chris [Bennett], I had been with him at the Hilton. I had to get Chris.”

Bennett is the sportsbook’s manager and specializes in the baseball sector. Together with Jeff Davis, a former Caesars executive and expert in NFL and NHL, Bennett runs more of the day to day operation of the Circa Sportsbook than anyone else. “I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of well-respected people, but Chris, man, he is so sharp,” says Nick Kalikas, another member of the Circa team. “He’s so on top of everything. I don’t think people understand the mind this guy has. He’s phenomenal and makes sure the ship runs tight all along the way.”

Bringing In Outside Minds

The guiding principle behind Circa Sports has been to offer customers some of the highest betting limits in Las Vegas across all of its sports offerings. When Metcalf took a good look at their position in the UFC and mixed martial arts betting market, he saw that potential profits were being missed. “I had no clue how big UFC betting was. I’m not a UFC fan and I didn’t understand how much write we would have in it and how important it was going to be to our bottom line,” said Metcalf.

His solution was to bring in top industry talent, Nick Kalikas. Kalikas was a consultant for a few of the biggest sportsbooks in the world up until rather recently when he decided to bet on his own, fulltime. That is, until he met up with Metcalf and the two were able to pool their ideas. “There were so many similarities between the two of us,” according to Kalikas. “From the first conversation we had, he totally got where I was coming from and why I stepped back and bet MMA for a while. We could relate to each other and that made things a lot easier for me, a lot more comfortable.” As a result, the Circa team has been able to manage its risk more effectively and has offered limits as high as $25,000 for certain bouts.

Future Plans

Metcalf is confident that he can bring this aggressive tack to bookmaking onto the Vegas stage and across all sports in the Circa repertoire. Together with owner Derek Stevens, he hopes the new Circa Resort will help elevate sports betting into a new era. “With the quantity of sports that’s now necessary to book, you’ve got to have specialists in every area. The team Matt put together is pretty terrific,” says Stevens.

As for the future of Circa Sportsbook, Metcalf had this to say, “The next step is to continue to get more people in here to experience the product we’ve built and the room we’ve built. And, at all points, treat them the way we would want to be treated if we were betting. I don’t think you can go wrong with that, and that will lead us to all our other goals.”

Voters To Decide If Maryland Will Legalize Sports Betting

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The voters in Maryland will see a ballot question in November regarding the legalization of sports betting. Question 2 will state plainly, “do you approve the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland to authorize sports and events betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education?” If the ballot measure should pass, the Maryland legislature will work to lay out a framework for the industry in the new year.

Senator Craig Zucker of Montgomery sponsored the recent legislation. “I feel like we would have had a more comprehensive piece of legislation to present the voters had a global pandemic not happened.” He went on, “we just made a judgement call to get it on the ballot and allow voters to have their say.” The legislation he proposed included mobile wagering as well as brick and mortar sports betting instillations. His bill passed the state Senate unanimously however, the House was only able to approve a paired down version before the legislative session was ended early due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Senator Zucker expects that the mobile gaming issue will ultimately be approved. “I can’t imagine a scenario where we wouldn’t allow mobile betting. Eighty to ninety percent of sports betting is done online.”

Specifically For Education

Industry experts have estimated that legal sports betting could raise annual revenues for the state of roughly $20 million. Both the legislation and ballot question itself specify that these funds would be set aside for state education initiatives.

“Given the horrific economic impact of Covid-19, any additional revenue that we can get that would help toward education is important,” said Senator Zucker. This is a key time for the state to be raising education funds. Just this past March, the state legislature passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a bill aimed at education reform in the state. The bill was comprised largely of recommendations by Maryland’s Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education. Unfortunately, the economic downturn associated with the Covid-19 pandemic put pressure on lawmakers to keep spending down. Governor Larry Hogan vetoed the multimillion-dollar bill in Spring of this year.

Not all lawmakers were behind the bill. Delegate William Wivell voted against the sports betting legislation and was one of only three legislators to do so. “The legislature has a spending problem, and the amount of revenue that’s going to be generated by sports betting is not going to bail them out of that problem,” said Wivell. He also expressed concern about widening the scope of gambling within the state. “I just think at some point we have to set limits on what we’re gambling on. We don’t have to bet on everything.”

A Growing Trend

Sports betting is a major industry in the United States and several states have taken active measures to bring the practice under a legal framework. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. have legalized sports betting as has Delaware and Virginia. Many in the state of Maryland do not want to be left behind and lose out on beneficial state revenue streams. “I hope Maryland voters approve this, because if we don’t get this done in November, by the time voters have an opportunity to vote on it again, maybe 75% of all states in the U.S. will have sports betting up and running,” said Senator Zucker.

Tennessee Set to Launch Sports Betting In November 2020

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Tennessee approved three sports betting licenses at the end of September and looks on track to bring a sports betting market to the state before the end of the year. The Tennessee Education Lottery Board’s Sports Wagering Committee is charged with processing license applications. The Committee has conditionally approved licenses for BetMGM, LLC, Crown TN Gaming, LLC which owns DraftKings, and Betfair Interactive U.S., LLC which owns FanDuel.

In addition, the Sports Wagering Committee approved a number of licenses for suppliers and vendors, bringing the count well past 30 and giving the Tennessee sports gambling market a healthy diversity of online sports gambling options. The Sports Wagering Committee is scheduled to convene again in mid-October in order to review more applications and digest feedback from the sports betting operators that have already been issued licenses. There is currently no limit to how many licenses can be approved. Every license holder will be required to adhere to strict guidelines as set down by the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation which is responsible for regulation of online sports wagering in the state.

Concerns had been expressed about how disruptive getting the industry up off of the ground in Tennessee would be. “I think people in Tennessee will be very familiar with the companies based on the fantasy sports side of things.” Brian Pempus is an industry expert from New Jersey and works for one of New Jersey’s online gambling platforms. He has seen all three operators succeed quickly in the New Jersey market and in other legal sports betting states across the country. He went on, “it was a very seamless transition for them to go into real money traditional sports betting.”

Legislative History

Online sports betting was legalized in Tennessee on July 1, 2019 despite opposition from Governor Bill Lee and by a very narrow margin in the state legislature. He stated that he did not believe that, at this time, passing online sports wagering legislation was “in the best interest of the state.” The Senate passed the bill with a vote of 19 to 12 and the State House of Representatives passed it 58 to 37. Yet the industry is estimated to bring in roughly $50 million each year into state coffers. That is much needed state revenue that will be set aside for education initiatives, local government budgets, and gambling addiction treatment programs.

New Territory

However, like many states that have recently passed sports betting legislation, they have yet to see their first bet. The state does not have brick and mortar gambling venues so the online market will be a first for Tennessee.

In April of this year, the Lottery Board approved rules and guidelines to govern the sport. The process was lengthy, taking several months and seeing the creation of the mandated, nine-member, Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation and an advisory council. Currently the state law allows online sports wagering in a number of ways including, via the internet, mobile devices, and telecommunications. Patrons will be required to be physically located in the state and at least 21 years of age or older.

Caesars Acquires UK Bookmaker William Hill

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Caesars Entertainment announced on Wednesday it is buying the United Kingdom bookmaker William Hill for $3.7 billion. Their stated goal is to increase their market share in the ever-growing legal sports betting industry in the United States. Caesars said in a statement that it is choosing to focus solely on the U.S. based assets held by William Hill. This indicates that it would seek a buyer of William Hill’s international portfolio.

Caesars Entertainment looks to have beat out Apollo Global Management Inc. who was also interested in acquiring William Hill. The pair had had close dealings in the past which made the purchase that more attractive. A joint venture was in place whereby Caesars would receive 20% of William Hill’s U.S. based revenue. In exchange, William Hill would have the right to offer its sports betting platform at more than 50 Caesars run casinos in the U.S. Caesars could have taken steps to terminate the relationship if Apollo’s bid had won out.

Caesars stated the partnership “needs to be broadened in scope in order to fully maximize the opportunity in the sports betting and gaming sector.” According to its own industry analysis, Caesars estimates that the U.S. legal sports and online gambling market could be worth as much as $35 billion.

An Optimistic Outlook

“The opportunity to combine our land-based casinos, sports betting, and online gaming in the U.S. is a truly exciting prospect,” said Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “William Hill’s sports betting expertise will complement Caesars’ current offering, enabling the combined group to better serve our customers in the fast-growing U.S. sports betting and online market.”

Roger Devlin is the Chairman of William Hill. He stated, “The William Hill board believes this is the best option for William Hill at an attractive price for shareholders. It recognizes the significant progress the William Hill Group has made over the last 18 months, as well as the risk and significant investment required to maximize the U.S. opportunity given intense competition in the U.S. and the potential for regulatory disruption in the U.K. and Europe.”

Perfect Timing?

From an outside perspective, this could just be a perfect storm of events and great timing for both companies. Legal sports betting has grown ever larger in the U.S. since the Supreme Court reversed PASPA in 2018. At the same time, the U.K. government has been tightening the leash on gambling operators. In 2018, the U.K. decided to limit the amount a company could charge on betting terminals and in doing so, erased the profit margins for companies like William Hill. Advertising in the U.K. has been heavily regulated albeit, in some cases, on a voluntary basis. Finally, taxes on sports betting have steadily increased in the United Kingdom.

“It looks like a logical and natural move of consolidation of this round of U.S. brick and mortar players acquiring online knowledge,” said Itai Pazner, CEO of 888 Holdings PLC. “I see a lot of opportunities in terms of mergers and acquisitions, either bolt-on M&A as we have been doing for the last few years, or something more strategic.”

University of Colorado Boulder Agrees to Deal with PointsBet

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The university of Colorado Boulder have agreed to a five-year deal with PointsBet, an Australia-based sports betting operator. While the athletics department will receive the financial incentive as part of the deal, its couches, staff, and players are still banned from using the platform under the NCAA rules.

Last November, the voters of Colorado approved legalized gambling in the state. However, the NCAA still maintains a strict “no gambling” policy when

it comes to student/athletes and coaches. Chris Grove tracks sports betting for the research and consulting firm, Eilers and Krejcik Gaming. “Any marketing partnership between a sportsbook and a college or university definitely raises serious questions of a conflict with the NCAA’s global message regarding sports betting.” He went on, “it’s important to realize that we’re on basically unexplored ground at this point. There’s no established playbook for how these partnerships should or will work. Everyone is going to learn together.”

An Exciting Prospect for College Sports

Colorado Athletic Director Rick George is excited about the recent partnership. “We supported the state bill around sports gaming because we believe the integrity of our sports will be stronger now that it’s legal. We are partnering with PointsBet because we feel this partnership further increases the integrity of our game.” George confirmed that he discussed the partnership with the NCAA and PAC-12 Conference before striking the deal and mentioned the existence of other casino sponsorships in college athletics, such as the advertising deal between UNLV and William Hill Sportsbook.

Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, George noted that the sponsorship will benefit the Scripps Leadership and Career Development program that the school runs for its student athletes. He hopes the joint venture will also raise awareness about what responsible gaming can look like and the benefits of sports betting education.

PointsBet will enjoy premium advertising at University of Colorado Boulder games and slots in radio broadcasts. In addition, PointsBet has recently partnered with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment to advertise at Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche games. The company hopes to establish a strong foothold in Colorado. Eric Foote is PointsBet’s Chief Commercial Officer in the United States. “Our intentions are to be synonymous with Colorado sports betting in the wake of the Kroenke partnership. This partnership also solidifies our efforts to become Colorado’s true hometown sports book.”

A Change in the Landscape?

Since the 2018 strike down of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act by the US Supreme Court, legal sports betting legislation has swept across the individual states. Attitudes towards the practice of sports gambling have relaxed and revenues are up across the various sports betting platforms. This has led to numerous professional sports alliances with legal sports books. However, the NCAA has remained steadfast in its opposition to gambling on college events.

The NCAA website offers in a general statement that sports betting “has the potential to undermine the integrity of sports contests and demeans the competition.”

According to Rick George this stance is not likely to change soon. “The NCAA has a long-standing policy against betting on college, or betting on any sport with the exception of horse racing and others like that, so nothing changes there.” George does not see gambling kiosks popping up in college facilities anytime in the future. The motivations for the deal look to be largely financial. The advertising revenue for the school comes at a critical time in the wake of the Covid-19 related shutdowns.

Virginia Lawmakers to Agree on Sports Betting Regulations

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In the wake of legalization, Virginia legislators have presented a draft of the sports betting regulations for public comment. There has been a significant rebuttal from online sports betting platforms such as FanDuel and DraftKings. The companies see some of the proposed regulations as untenable and unrealistic in the current sports betting climate.

In early 2020 the Virginia Legislature legalized sports betting within the state (HB 896). The bill empowered the Virginia Lottery to approve no more than twelve sports betting licenses to both brick and mortar locations like Colonial Downs and online based platforms such as DraftKings. In a review done by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on the profitability of online sports wagering, the commission estimated that tax revenue could be as high as $55 million per year.

The purposed regulations have now entered the public review phase. This period will determine how quickly legal sports betting is introduced to the state. But it will also shape the form that sports gambling takes in Virginia and several operators have expressed their concerns.

Advertising to Consumers

Under the current draft of the regulations, platform operators will be required to submit their advertising materials to the state lottery for prior approval. Marketing and promotional material will also need to be approved before platforms can deliver it to consumers. The aim is to prohibit sports betting platforms from branding content specifically tailored to minors.

The regulations would also prohibit advertising on any media that itself caters to minors. However, they do not specify which platforms specifically fall within the rule. Many sports betting platforms have countered with an offer of prior notice to the lottery rather than formal prior approval.

Penn National Gaming is not alone in seeing this formal ad review requirement as exceedingly burdensome. “By mandating an approval process for all advertising efforts, this will impact the ability to get promotions quickly posted, which is extremely important given the fast-paced nature of sports (e.g. playoff series being extended),” the company wrote in response to the proposed regulations.

The Olympics

Although not included in the legislature’s bill, the regulations include a provision which prohibits sports betting on the Olympics. The bill itself does prohibit betting on college sports games that involve Virginia schools. But the issue of gambling on the Olympics was left up to the Virginia Lottery to determine. Sports betting platforms, such as DraftKings, have expressed significant concern.

Their argument is plainly, to exclude certain sports defeats the purpose of legalizing sports betting. “In order to fully eradicate the illegal market, the legal market must be able to compete, which means including as wide an array of event and betting options for consumers.” DraftKings went on, “the International Olympic Committee is an international sports governing body that ensures integrity across the events it oversees and, as such, the board can be assured events comport with ethical standards.”

Displaying Odds and Handles

The proposed regulations are written to create a so called “Sports Bettors Bill of Rights.” One of those rights would require the various sports betting platforms to display the real time odds of winning a bet including how those odds were determined, the total amount wagered, and pay out amounts. Operators argue that sports betting odds differ greatly from the mathematical odds in other forms of gambling such as the lottery, card games, or dice based games.

Top sports betting platforms, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, gave significant pushback. Such regulations would be a first in any U.S. state to make sports gambling legal. “Sports betting apps are simply not built to provide and display this type of information,” wrote FanDuel in response to the proposed regulations. The company offered a recent example of an NBA Playoff game with twenty-four types of bets a customer could place. That gave a gambler more than 300 possible outcomes with an incalculable number of potential parlays. The processing power and screen space needed to display that information in real time could create huge logistical challenges, FanDuel wrote.

“As such, this requirement would force a re-engineering of the products, to create a demonstrably worse user experience, and all to provide information which is immaterial to the calculation of the odds and/or payout a bettor will receive.” FanDuel went on, “the actual odds that the Brooklyn Nets will beat the Toronto Raptors, and by how many points, is unknown.”

Consumer Exclusion Safeguards

The proposed regulations layout a detailed process by which consumers can voluntarily exclude themselves from sports betting if they feel they are becoming addicted and losing excessive amounts of money. The individual can ban themselves for periods of two years, five years, or for life. The self-identified addict would simply need to provide information such as address, date of birth, social security number, and description of their physical appearance. However, platforms have argued that the process is filled with flaws.

If a self-identified addict is found to have gambled on one of the various sports betting platforms, the platform is required to “seize the individual’s winnings and other things of value.” FanDuel responded, “it would be no more appropriate to require permit holders to seize the funds (not ascribable to winnings) in an individual’s account, any more than it would be for a casino operator to seize all the money in a self-excluded individual’s wallet if they were found to have entered the casino.”

The proposed process also requires a self-identified addict to ban themselves by going to the betting apps rather than through the lottery site. In addition, an individual who would like to ban themselves for life would need to appear in person. “This is akin to requiring an individual to enter a casino in order to ban himself from a casino,” said a representative from Caesars Entertainment.

The self-exclusion process would allow an individual to cancel their current bets and receive a refund. This has operators concerned that gamblers could use the process to get out of high-risk bets. Penn National Gaming wrote, “a patron may have a future wager on a team to win the Super Bowl, as soon as they know the team will not make the playoffs, they self-exclude in order to get a refund.”

Upcoming

The public comment period for the proposed regulations ended last week and the Virginia Lottery is scheduled to convene to discuss finalizing the regulations this week. Once the regulations are in place, the Lottery will begin accepting applications for sports betting licenses.

Illinois Sports Betting Goes Live

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Sports betting has slowly but surely been creeping its way from east to west across the United States, and Illinois is the latest to join the ranks of legal and regulated sports betting states. Unlike many other states, most of which had a casino or sportsbook presence even before the Federal Government paved the way for nationwide, legal sports betting, Illinois is new to most forms of gambling. Having undergone one of the biggest legislative changes of any state, Illinois is now poised to be a gambling powerhouse in the Midwest, joining and perhaps surpassing states like Iowa and Indiana.

FanDuel Joins the Action

FanDuel is the latest online based, sports betting platform to go live in Illinois. Launching this past week, FanDuel joins DraftKings and BetRivers to bring citizens of Illinois a sports betting outlet. The platform has partnered with Par-A-Dice Casino in Peoria due to the state’s co-branding rules which require an online sports betting app to pair with a physical, brick and mortar casino.

Mike Raffensperger, the CMO of FanDuel Group said, “We have been waiting for this day for quite some time. Sports are back, so we are going to show sports fans in Illinois an innovative sports betting app experience with industry leading promotions and consumer protections that have made FanDuel the #1 sportsbook in the U.S.”

In addition, the sports betting bill Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law in June 2019 included an in-person registration requirement for all patrons looking to utilize the online sports books. However, due in large part to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting health guidelines, Governor Pritzker has issued several Executive Orders suspending this requirement. The latest is in place and will not lapse until September 19 of 2020.

DraftKings Offers Another Option

Earlier this month, DraftKings partnered with Casino Queen in East St. Louis. Rebranded as the DraftKings at Casino Queen, it offers both brick and mortar and online sports betting.

Jason Robins is a co-founder and the CEO for DraftKings. He expressed joy and optimism for the future in a recent press release. “Illinois is home to some of the most passionate sports fans and most iconic sports teams in the entire country. DraftKings’ dedication to innovation and providing customers with a premier sports betting experience has made our app the top-rated option and we can’t wait for fans in Illinois to discover why.”

DraftKings is uniquely poised to take advantage of this new opportunity in Illinois. Their physical location at Casino Queen is located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. Missouri currently does not offer legal sports gambling. The only other competitor in the area, Argosy at Alton, a Penn National affiliate, does not currently have a live online platform.

Terry Downey is the president of DraftKings at Casino Queen said, “We are excited to bring sports betting to Illinois and the St. Louis community. The marriage of two iconic brands promises to create an unforgettable experience that can only be found at DraftKings at Casino Queen.”

What is Next?

Hawthorne Race Course is expected to be the next location to go live with an online platform. Hawthorne was awarded its sports wagering license at the Illinois Gaming Board meeting on July 30 of this year. They are expected to partner with PointsBet. Also, on the horizon is a partnership between William Hill and Grand Victoria Casino. They hope to have an online platform live in time for the start of the NFL season.

Massachusetts Sports Bettors Delivered Another Delay

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Last month, the Massachusetts House delayed making a decision on legalizing sports betting. As part of a proposed economic development plan, proponents of sports betting see it as a way to generate much needed revenue for the state. In addition, as a state that is home to some of the most popular sports franchises in the country, sports betting in Massachusetts is poised to generate huge profits for investors. Industry experts as well as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission estimate potential profits to be in the $40 million range with a ceiling as high as $61 million.

From a Legal Standpoint

The House met in July to discuss and decide upon a statewide economic and employment support plan. This is in response to the Covid-19 shutdowns that have emptied both private and public coffers. The bill, House Bill 4887, was passed in a 156-3 vote in the State House of Representatives. However, the issue of sports betting caused dispute in the State Senate. The bill was eventually passed unanimously but with the sports betting sections removed entirely.

State Senator Michael Rodrigues said that the “time is not now, nor is this the proper vehicle to do so in.” He was not alone. Many in the State Legislature expressed concerns of deciding the issue of legalized sports betting within a bill aimed at providing relief amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Future of Sports Betting in Massachusetts

To many in the State Legislature, sports betting in Massachusetts has a bright future. The House Bill was aimed at allowing sports betting within casinos and racetracks around the state in the near future. In the long term, the bill provided for an online facet in order to infuse competition and options for consumers in the budding market. Notably, Massachusetts decided to drop the requirement of partnering online sportsbooks with physical casino locations. This would have allowed the state to provide one of the most competitive online offerings in the country, had the bill passed.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said, “We wanted to give Massachusetts the ability to have people play here rather than playing elsewhere.” He went on, “I absolutely believe that, in addition to sort of the cross-border competition issues that would be addressed by doing something here in Massachusetts, it would certainly generate revenue and it would be something that a lot of people would be interested in here at home as opposed to doing across the border; we would like to see that happen.”

The House Bill also had provisions which called for a 1% Venue Fee. One percent of the gross revenue earned from a betting event in the state of Massachusetts would go to the owner of the event’s location. A controversial provision and the first of its kind, many believe any such proceeds should benefit the towns and communities where the events take place.

The Massachusetts legislative deadline has been extended until the end of 2020. This gives lawmakers time to construct a dedicated sports betting bill aimed at legalizing the practice in line with the state’s financial goals. In the meantime, Massachusetts residents will be forced to travel to nearby states like Rhode Island and New Hampshire to place legal sports bets.

Post Covid-19 restrictions, Indiana Sports Betting is Back

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After Covid-19 closures and restrictions, Indiana casino gambling and sports betting is nearly back to normal. After a never before seen three-month closure, gambling and sports betting in the Hoosier state is coming back to life. In July, the state reported total sports wagers topping $1 billion. Indiana casinos also reported roughly the same gambling revenues as this time last year according to the Indiana Gaming Commission; despite Covid-19 shutdowns and restrictions.

Dan Nita, General Manager of the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond and Regional President of its parent company Caesars Entertainment Inc. said he is very pleased with July’s results. He went on, “we continue to work very hard on providing a great entertainment escape for our guests, and over the last several weeks we continue to find ways to add to the experience.”

Indiana casinos reopened on June 15 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, patrons of Indiana’s casinos have been subjected to body temperature checks and other Covid-19 screenings, face mask requirements, and very strict capacity limits. Such capacity limits include a table capacity of no more than four players per table and nearly every other slot machine turned off in an effort to keep guests socially distant.

Revenues are Holding

However, even with the Covid-19 restrictions, Indiana casino win for July came in at just $10.1 million shy of $175.8 million reported for July of 2019. According to the Indiana Gaming Commission, Horseshoe Casino led the state reporting $30.5 million in July win. That is down just $2 million for the same period last year, operating without this year’s capacity limits and safety protocols. According to Dan Nita, such revenues were made possible by creatively spacing out slot machines, repurposing temporarily unused spaces, and making sure in-demand games remained available within current health protocols.

The Horseshoe has also seen a lot of traffic from players seeking entertainment in the absence of professional sporting events, movies, and other forms of entertainment. “Where we were from June 15 to where we are almost two months later, we have definitely learned a lot along the way, and are trying to provide a great entertainment experience for our guests,” says Nita.

Indiana’s other casinos are also keeping pace. Ameristar Casino in East Chicago is up $4.3 million in win compared with July of 2019. At $20.8 million in win, Ameristar ranked third in the state. Majestic Star Casino in Gary reported $11.4 million last month, down from $12.6 million in 2019. Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City reported $9.2 million compared to $13.2 million in 2019. This is due in large part to daily closings for cleaning.

Statewide, Indiana Gaming Commission data reports that July sports wagers pushed total wagers over $1 billion dollars in the 10 months since sports gambling was made legal last September.