SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.

Flutter Entertainment’s Acquisition of The Stars Group Could Place Gambling Markets On Path Toward More Consolidation

Last week, Flutter Entertainment — the parent company of Paddy Power Betfair, Sportsbet and FanDuel — announced its intent to purchase The Stars Group, which owns poker websites PokerStars and Full Tilt, along with the sports betting website BetStars and a joint venture with FOX Sports.  The proposed merger of Flutter Entertainment with The Stars Group invites immediate questions under both U.S. and foreign antitrust law as Flutter claims that its FanDuel brand is the “#1 operator in the developing US market,” and thus a merger with The Stars Group figures to only enhance the Flutter’s currently strong market position in the emerging U.S. sports betting market. 

Full story here.

Ohio The Site For Sports Leagues’ Latest Attempt At A Money Grab

The Ohio House Finance Committee on Wednesday held its second hearing in as many days on a proposal to legalize sports wagering, both in a retail setting and via the internet.

The legislation, House Bill 194, now has had six official hearings, but no vote has been taken to move it out of the committee. A competing sports betting bill, Senate Bill 111, awaits action in the Senate.

Full story here.

Pennsylvania University Forbids Students From Betting On School’s Athletics

It may be legal, but it won’t be allowed. That goes for students and faculty of St. Joe’s University, a private Jesuit school in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The interim policy on sports wagering set forth in the updated student handbook forbids students, faculty, staff, contractors, and members of the Board of Trustees from placing “an otherwise legal sports wager on any team, contest or event, or individual affiliated with the Saint Joseph’s University Department of Athletics.”

Full story here.

Data Mandate, Branding, In-Person Registration Surface As Key Issues For Illinois Sports Betting

Response to the Illinois Gaming Board’s sports betting public-comment period was, to say the least, robust… and fierce.

The 35-plus replies represent a who’s who in the sports betting world, and the net result is that operators and the professional sports leagues are preparing for a heavyweight fight over data as the process continues. Or perhaps it’s Round Five.

Full story here.

Sports Betting Kiosks A Growing Favorite All Over U.S. — But Not In Vegas

Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh opened its temporary sportsbook in December 2018 with six self-serve betting kiosks, a feature that had been rarely seen in the large, glitzy Las Vegas casinos patrons might have visited. For customers, there was a sharp learning curve.

“At first, people didn’t even know where to put money in,” Andre Barnabei, the casino’s vice president of gaming, recalled last month, three days after Rivers debuted its larger, permanent sportsbook.

Full story here.

Montana Lottery Rolls Out Proposed Sports Betting Rules

Late last week, the Montana Lottery rolled out its proposed sports betting regulations and opened a public-comment period. Montana in May legalized sports betting through its Lottery, with the goal of going live by football season, though that goal has been pushed to late this year or next. The proposed regulations, which outline who can offer and participate in sports betting, as well as detailing licensing procedures, is the first step toward a launch.

Full story here.