SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.
As Offshore Books Operate Unchecked, Demand For Sports Betting Data Knows No Boundaries. That’s An Issue
Trailing by 12 early in the second quarter, Al Horford backs down his defender on the high post and spots a cutting Marcus Smart for an acrobatic layup over Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III.
Within seconds, the NBA’s “official” data feed updates the basket from the Boston Celtics’ guard. On trading desks worldwide, the score from the official feed reflects Smart’s layup: Kings 44, Celtics 32, 8:27 left in the second quarter. A major U.K. sportsbook moves quickly to update the in-game spread and total: Kings minus-1.5, o/u 231.5 points.
Full story here.
‘It’s Time To Get To Work’: Illinois Lawmakers To File Batch Of Sports Betting Bills
Representative Mike Zalewski isn’t exactly sure what his colleagues think sports betting in Illinois should look like. So instead of putting his faith in a single piece of legislation, he’s leading a team of lawmakers who will hedge their bets, and file four distinct sports betting amendments today, Thursday.
The amendments, which offer everything from a New Jersey-style setup to a pro-league friendly framework, will be filed as amendments to HB 3308, a shell bill Zalewski filed in February that was assigned to the Revenue and Finance Committee, of which Zalewski (D-District 23) is the chair.
Full story here.
Pennsylvania Remains Only State to Legalize Online Sports Betting, But Make Zero Dollars From It
It’s now been nearly 16 months since Pennsylvania passed an omnibus gambling expansion package that called for the legalization of online sports betting, casinos, and poker.
Licensing fees aside, February 2019 was the 16th consecutive month that the state collected exactly zero dollars from any of these sources.
Instead, the state’s struggling land-based industry, which now consists of eight retail sportsbooks mostly sprinkled throughout the greater Philadelphia area, took $31.5 mm in sports betting handle last month, or less than one-tenth of what New Jersey pulled in February.
Full story here.
Tennessee Could Be First State With Mobile-Only Sports Betting, Bill Sponsor Says
Tennessee’s sports betting efforts this year appear to gaining serious momentum.
At a House committee hearing in Nashville on Tuesday, the sponsor of the sports betting legislation on the agenda unveiled significant proposed changes to the measure, House Bill 1. There wasn’t a vote held Tuesday, so the amendments weren’t approved, but they seemed to be received favorably by the committee.
Full story here.
