SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.
Cup O’ Chowdah And $10 On The Patriots, Please
In sports crazy Massachusetts, restaurant and bar owners want sports fans to be able to have a chicken wing — or a cup of chowdah — with their sports bets. In a state that is home to two reigning professional league champions, it is nearly impossible to exist without being able to talk sports. So, why not be able to put your money where you mouth is when you’re at your local bar watching the Red Sox or Patriots?
Full story here.
Bill To Legalize Sports Betting At Minnesota-Based Tribes Announced
A month after the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association sent a letter to Minnesota legislative leaders opposing off-reservation sports betting, a state representative has announced that he will file a bill that would legalize sports betting on “tribal casino premises only.” Representative Pat Garofalo (R-District 58B) held a press conference Wednesday morning and shared details of the bill he plans to file on Thursday in the Democratically controlled House.
Full story here.
New Jersey sports betting industry sees record wagering, fueled almost entirely by online
Every month, lawmakers in states mulling over sports betting legislation get an increasingly strong reminder that without full-fledged online wagering, they might as well not pass a bill.
That reminder comes from New Jersey, which in January set a new record with betting handle of $385.3 mm, eclipsing November’s former high-water mark by an impressive $54.6 million, and last month’s tally by more than $66 million.
Of that total, 79.2% was generated online, continuing a trend where online encompasses a larger percentage of industry handle with each passing month.
Full story here.
Blurred Lines: Prominent Radio Show Unwittingly Promotes Black Market Sports Betting
In response to a caller question Wednesday morning about Manny Machado’s likely free agency landing spot, possibly with the New York Yankees, Gregg Gianotti, co-host of WFAN’s flagship morning show Boomer and Gio, took to Google to find the answer.
“These betting guys know,” Gianotti said, at least the second time this week that Gio had turned to oddsmakers — regarded as the most reliable indicators of what events are most and least likely to occur. Because bookmakers have good information and, after all, their skin depends upon it.
Full story here.