Matthew Waters and the team at Legal Sports Report highlight some of the key US sports betting issues to look out for in the week ahead.
Tennessee’s sports betting comment period closes Monday: Today is the last day to submit comments concerning the draft sports betting rules, regulations and standards in Tennessee. The period was extended from Dec. 23 to give interested parties more time to submit comments. One of the biggest concerns noted by many so far is the surprising inclusion of a mandatory 15% hold from operators. Other concerns that could be addressed include clarifying who can be licensed, requirements that sports betting operators notify leagues of suspicious activities and whether a push in a parlay would lead to a loss for the whole card.
December/full 2019 sports betting figures expected: The first full-year sports betting reports should be available at some point this week. West Virginia and Delaware are two states likely to report. Other states including Indiana and Iowa could come out with their December figures as well, and while those won’t offer a full year of results they will give the industry better insight into how those states might ramp up results in 2020. Most states had strong growth in November – including a new handle record in Nevada – which should carry over into those December numbers.
Nearly two dozen state legislatures begin sessions: This week marks one of the busiest times in sports betting news as many state legislatures will begin. There are efforts in multiple states this year, including California, Florida and Maryland, to legalize sports betting and join the 20 states that either offer sports betting or are in the process of regulating and launching it. But it’s important that state legislatures take the time to understand the process and make sure they’re passing the best possible sports betting laws that they can. Early experience indicates the best laws seem to include multiple operators and mobile betting without in-person registration requirements..
