Over the winter and spring that just passed, a number of American states and jurisdictions moved to legalize sports betting in a variety of different ways. The nation’s capital, Washington DC, was one of the jurisdictions that did this by way of a legislative process that seemed to take no time at all. When you consider that sports betting was officially legalized in DC last December, it might come as a shock to find out that, in all likelihood, sports betting will not be available in time for the start of the 2019/2020 NFL season, which is only a matter of weeks away.

Despite being one of the smallest areas to legalize sports betting, Washington DC is going to need more time to get things set in place so that betting can begin. There is still hope for NFL betting this year, but how far into the season it will be made available remains to be seen.

What is Going On in DC?

On its surface, the delays we are seeing in DC could easily be mistaken for some sort of bureaucratic dispute between lawmakers, but the explanation is actually much simpler than that. DC’s Office of Lottery and Gaming, which is tasked with overseeing all sports betting activities, has not yet begun accepting license applications, and may not be able to do so until sometime in September. The driving force behind this is the fact that the rules sportsbook operators must abide by in DC have not yet been established.

According to the Washington Post, some of the points of contention that still need to be worked out concern things such as advertising restrictions, requirements for licensure, and whether college sports bets will be restricted in any way. If you can recall, a few other states that have legalized sports betting have banned wagers involving colleges from the state in question.

What makes the sports betting situation in Washington DC so unique is that, unlike most other states that have legalized sports betting, there are no casinos where a sportsbook can quickly and easily be placed. Instead, sports betting in the nation’s capital will take place at restaurants and bars, sports arenas, and kiosks that are reportedly going to exist in convenience stores and other, similar locales. There will be mobile sports betting available as well, however the sole application will belong to the city government.

When and How Betting Can Be Expected

If all goes to plan applications will begin being accepted in September, with a turnaround of 30-45 days for provisional licenses to be granted. A provisional license will be granted to operators who have partnered with established entities in the gambling industry, such as DraftKings, for example. For brand new operators, the full licensure process may take up to a half year.

What this means for sports bettors is that, in all likelihood, they might see NFL betting in time for the second half of the regular season. Depending on what the rules surrounding college football betting end up being, there will still be plenty of NCAA action to take part in as well.

There is no official word on when the government-sponsored sports betting application will go live, but DC’s council did announce that a Greek company by the name of Intralot would be tasked with developing the app.

Since the 1992 PASPA ruling, which put a Federal ban on sports betting, was overturned during the middle of 2018, more than 10 states have passed legislation that made sports betting legal. North Carolina joined that growing number of states last week when Governor Roy Cooper signed SB154 into law. While this is a move that Carolina sports bettors will be happy about, it is worth noting that sports betting in North Carolina will look a good bit different from that which exists in states like Pennsylvania and Illinois.

The path to legalization did not have much in the way of roadblocks, but did have a sizeable gap that had some concerned that SB154 would die before it was approved. Back in April, the Senate’s bill passed by an overwhelming majority and many folks thought that it would sail into and subsequently through the House. Such was not the case, however, as more than two months passed before the bill was spoken of once more. Finally, earlier this month, the House passed the measure almost as easily as the Senate. While other state’s had to fight battles in order to see sports betting legislation passed, such was not the case in North Carolina. What made SB154 different, as well as what the bill actually entails, will be discussed in-depth below.

What Makes North Carolina Different?

First and foremost, the biggest differentiating factor between North Carolina and just about every other state that has passed sports betting legislation is the fact that North Carolina really didn’t legalize anything. Because gambling is already allowed in the state so long as it takes place on Native American lands, SB154 simply redefined what Class III entails. In the end, “sports wagering” was added to the list of approved gaming—alongside table games and slots—that is allowed to take place on Native American lands.

For this reason, SB154 is considerably shorter than most other pieces of sports betting legislation we have seen passed up to this point.

When Can You Begin Betting?

Another aspect of sports betting in North Carolina that is different from other states is that there seems to be no rush for the state’s two casinos to begin taking bets. Both Harrah’s properties—one of which is in Cherokee, the other is in Murphy—will likely offer sports betting “by late fall,” according to regional vice president Brian Saunooke. Though both casinos will not need to expand their footprint in order to offer a sportsbook, there are upgrades needed, including an addition 30+ employees at both sites. Even though sports betting might not exist in time for the beginning of the NFL and NCAA football seasons, it will likely be available before each league’s respective postseasons.

Finally, there will be no mobile sports betting allowed in North Carolina. Because the state already prohibits Native American casinos from offering mobile gaming, it follows that sports betting too will remain something that must be done at a brick and mortar betting location. Sports betting in North Carolina is only expected to bring in a little more than $1 million on an annual basis, but seeing as there are only two betting locations in the entire state, that sum is nothing to scoff at.

Back in November of 2018, Major League Baseball announced that MGM Resorts would be the league’s first ever gambling partner. When you consider baseball betting scandal stories such as the Black Sox in the early 1900s and Pete Rose in 1989, it is mildly shocking that MLB would ever make such a move. Even more surprising is the fact that, just this week, MLB announced that they had penned a deal with DraftKings, one of the largest daily fantasy sports operators in the world.

What Does the Deal Entail?

The deal between DraftKings Inc and Major League Baseball is a multi-year deal that will allow DraftKings to use official league data and logos within its online offering. How this might look for DraftKings players is that you will see your drafted team appearing in their official MLB uniforms and will be basing your selections off of data provided directly by Major League Baseball.

The financial terms and exact length of the deal were not disclosed, but you can rest-assured knowing that this was no small transaction. Gambling is something that has been intertwined into foreign soccer and other professional sporting leagues for decades, but has long been something US sports leagues have avoided talking about, much less promoting.

Thanks to the overturning of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act last year, states like New Jersey, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania have created legalized and regulated sports betting networks. As an increasing number of states move to legalize and regulate the activity, we expect that deals such as this will become increasingly commonplace. What’s more, we may soon be seeing sports betting not just being affiliated with Major League Baseball, but in MLB stadiums as well.

New Dodger Stadium to Potentially Host In-House Sports Betting

Dodger Stadium, home to MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, is one of the oldest stadiums in the league (built in 1962) and is set to be replaced in the coming years. Renderings for the new stadium were released this week and, according to an article by the Los Angeles Times, the images showed a part of the stadium where sports betting odds were clearly displayed. Naturally, the assumption has become that the Dodgers are contemplating taking advantage of the shifting mood towards sports betting by creating a part of their ballpark specifically for it.

With all of this being said, there remains just one problem: California is not one of the ten states where sports betting is currently legal. In fact, while a handful of other states are either a few votes or a governor’s signature away from a fully legal and regulated sports betting network, California really isn’t close at all. The biggest push for sports betting in California came just a month ago when Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) introduced a bill that, if successful, would put the question of whether or not to make sports betting legal on the 2020 ballot. This means that the most optimistic timeline for legalized and regulated sports betting in California is sometime in 2021.

For California’s five Major League Baseball teams, sports betting is something the remains a long ways away for the time being. Understanding the massive potential for tax revenue from betting at stadiums and sports betting in general, perhaps sports betting legalization will be expedited. For now, however, we will simply have to look at an artist’s renderings and wonder about the possibilities.

In a move that is as similar as it is dissimilar to others around the country, Oregon has moved to offer sports betting via a mobile application in time for the upcoming NFL season. The reason we use the word “offer” rather than “legalize” is due to the fact that sports betting was never truly illegal in Oregon. When the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was passed and ultimately banned sports betting in all of the country, a few exceptions were made. Oregon was on the small list of exceptions, so when PASPA was overturned in 2018, sports betting was officially legal.

Thanks to all of this, the matter of whether to offer sports betting in Oregon came down to a decision by the lottery commission. There is a bit more to the story than this, but the end result is that Oregon will be the first Northwest state that has given sports betting the green light. 

No Vote, but Opponents Abound

Even though this story seems like one of a simple, cut and dry decision on the part of the Oregon Lottery, happenings on the US sports betting scene rarely go over so smoothly. The first level of opposition came in the form of a few senators who attempted to amend a separate bill in a way that would disallow the lottery from offering any games “via the internet” or “via mobile devices.” Fortunately, this movement did not gain much traction and the amendment was eventually done away with.

Sports Betting Operator’s Integrity Questioned

Another interesting facet of this story took place in the wake of the Oregon Lottery Commission’s decision to award the sole mobile operator license to a firm known as SBTech. On its face, this seems like a relatively fitting choice seeing as SBTech already operates in a few other US states and has a longstanding reputation with brands in Europe and elsewhere around the world. In reality, there quickly arose questions about the operator’s integrity as it relates to operating in jurisdictions where sports betting is illegal. 

Unsurprisingly enough, these questions arose directly from the firm that finished second place in the Oregon Lottery’s Request for Proposal, Scientific Games. In a public letter, Scientific Games accused SBTech of being affiliated with a site—10Bet—that was supposedly operating illegally in Belgium. This event ended up being more of a flash in the pan than anything else as it also gained little traction. SBTech was quick to deny the accusations, and the Oregon Lottery’s chief gaming officer, Farshad Allahdadi, came out in support of the brand. Considering that SBTech passed all of the background checks levied against it by the Oregon Lottery Commission, it seems safe to say that they are a trustworthy operator. After all, they already operate in both Mississippi and Atlantic City.

Notetaking

While sports betting will be offered via a mobile platform supported by SBTech, it will exist in somewhat different fashion from what we see elsewhere around the country. During the initial stages of Oregon sports betting, bettors will only be able to place wagers on professional sporting events. This means that “amateur” athletics, such as NCAA football and basketball, will be excluded from offer. The movers and shakers of the Oregon Lottery Commission have made it clear that the option is on the table for the future, but have chosen to stay away from now.

If mobile sports betting is set to be on offer by September, the estimation is that betting kiosks will be available shortly after 2020 begins. Betting kiosks will be located at most locations that currently offer lottery tickets (such as gas stations), but they will eventually be placed elsewhere, in restaurants and bars.

In the world of US casinos and gambling in general, the state of Maine does not typically make many headlines. After all, there are only a handful of casinos, even fewer off-track betting facilities, and the state, as a whole, has a fairly small, sparse population. Despite all of this, a piece of legislation that just recently unanimously passed through the House of Representatives is being heralded as one of the best sports betting bills in the country.

After first narrowly passing through Maine’s House of Representatives by a vote of 19-15, the House went on to pass the bill, known as LD 553, without a single objection. Democratic Governor Janet Mills still needs to apply her signature to the 23-page document, but that seems like a foregone conclusion as it currently stands. Proponents of legal sports betting are pointing to Maine as having potentially set the standard for other pieces of sports betting legislation that are currently being drafted across the country.

What Makes Maine so Special?

Something that you will hear a lot when discussing LD 553 is the phrase “open market.” The reason for this is due to the fact that Maine is creating an even playing field for potential sports betting licensees. Unlike other states that put a cap on the number of licenses and/or restrict licensees to only preexistent casinos and other gambling facilities, Maine has not set any limits on the number of licenses that can be dealt and are further not requiring any operators to be from the state of Maine in any sense of the word. 

Something else that makes this development in Maine so significant is that there are two different—yet favorable—tax rates for brick and mortar and mobile operators. For brick and mortar sports betting facilities, sports betting revenue will be taxed at a low rate of 10%. Mobile operators will see sports betting revenue taxed at 16%. 

A point of contention during the formation of this piece of legislation was with regard to the eligibility of mobile operators. There was a contingent of lawmakers who felt that mobile operators should be “tethered” to an entity that already existed in Maine. In other words, there was hope that mobile operators be tied to a casino or off-track betting facility as a means of keeping things within the state, so to speak. While that is a good idea, the “open market” idea won out and operators do not have to be tied to any single gambling facility. In fact, the bill itself specifically states that gaming operators that already exist in other states will be qualified to apply for a license to operate within the state. The logic behind this is that operators from other states already know the ins and outs of the industry and will be better equipped to offer a top-notch sports betting platform right from the offing. 

Mobile betting was a major part of this bill and was included from the beginning, which is something we did not see in many other states. 

Who Can Bet, and When?

The timeline as it relates to when bets will actually be placed is something that is still quite vague. First, the governor needs to sign the bill to officially enact it as law. After that, the body tasked with overseeing the sports betting industry—The Department of Public Safety’s Gambling Control Unit—will need to determine what licenses are given out. After prospective licensees pay their $20,000 application fee, there is no set timeline for when the Gambling Control Unit will determine whether or not a license is given. 

Conservative estimates do not think that we will see sports betting in Maine until 2020, however there is some confidence that we will see bets being placed in time for the NFL season this fall. 

Those who are able to place bets both in person and online must be at least 21 years old. At this point, there is no official language as to how one will have to prove that they are of age to place mobile bets. As is the case in most other states, it is widely believed that one will have to prove their age at a physical gambling destination before they can place mobile wagers. 

All things considered, things are happening in a hurry in New England. After all, Maine’s neighbor, New Hampshire, also moved to legalize sports betting just a week or so ago. The dominoes continue to fall and now, more than 20% of the total United States 21+ population has access to legal, regulated sports betting.

Illinois is a lot like other states in the country in that it recently moved to legalize sports betting. It is different than other states, however, in that its gambling expansion bill came with a lot more than just that. In addition to the state officially allowing its casinos to offer sports betting, the 816-page bill also sets forth the establishment of six new casinos, one of which will be located in Chicago. On top of all of this, the quantity of video gaming terminals allowed to be at bars and truck stops is going to nearly double.

When you consider all of the changes imminently going to hit Illinois’ gambling industry, it becomes immediately apparent that Illinois is the Midwestern gambling capital in the making. While this is music to the ears of gamblers and lawmakers, not everyone is happy about how drastic the gambling environment of the state is being altered.

A Quick, Massive Rollout of Changes

As mentioned above, the new law will not only pave the way for six new casino licenses, but will also allow currently existing casinos to expand their footprint. According to the law, the state’s 10 already standing casinos are able to expand their offering of slots and table games by roughly 70% when all is said and done. What’s more, the state’s three struggling horse tracks will all be allowed to virtually transform themselves into full-fledged casinos. Now, the tracks can offer slots and table games.

Perhaps the most noticeable change people will see comes with the aforementioned casino that will be erected in the Chicago area. The entity that is granted this license will also be granted the ability to station slots and other video games within the confines of O’Hare and Midway airports. This is such a big deal because there is only one other part of the US where gambling takes place in airports, and that is in Las Vegas. Understanding just this much will help you understand why many people believe Illinois is going to quickly become one of the premier gambling destinations of the United States, behind places like Nevada and New Jersey.

For those who have vested interest in the state’s gambling industry, as well as gamblers in general, the passing of this massive bill is being seen as a major victory. As these things typically go, however, not everyone is satisfied with how quickly nor how easily this bill was passed. Luckily for them, the bill does not solely focus on the positives an expanded gambling industry will bring to the state.

Problem Gambling to be Studied as Part of the Bill

For those who are on the front lines of combating problem gambling in Illinois, the expansion of the gambling industry is something that brings with it mixed emotions. On one hand, there is some disappointment with regard to just how easily accessed gambling will be, but on the other hand researchers are finally going to be able to study just how many people in the state are problem gamblers. The reason for this is due to the fact that the recently passed bill also sets forth a study into problem gambling and how it can be addressed going forward.

Opponents have gotten angry in the wake of this bill’s passing, but it is clear that their anger is mostly in vain as Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker has spoken in support of gambling on more than one occasion. Being that Illinois is one of the worst-performing states from an economic perspective, this move is one that makes a lot of sense. With that said, Pritzker is not moving forward on expanding gambling in Illinois without regard for the potential problems that can arise. In addition to the bill mandating that a study into problem gambling be conducted, the first-term governor also outlined nearly $7 million that will go directly to supporting those who identify as being problem gamblers. The hope is that, with time, problem gambling in Illinois can be identified before it is too late.

There is no timeline surrounding when the Chicago casino will be built, but after hearing about projected revenues the site might bring in, the belief is that very little time will be wasted.