SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.
Tennessee Still Mulling Difficult And Controversial Sports Betting ‘Payout Cap’
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation and its Sports Wagering Advisory Council met Tuesday afternoon to discuss the finer details of how the internet sports betting law enacted in 2019 will be implemented and lead to sportsbook launches.
The stakes were high as the nascent U.S. sports betting industry and many industry observers had a lot of constructive criticism for the draft rules that were released in late November. The TELC took feedback from the industry and members of the Advisory Council, as well as the general public, for a handful of weeks before releasing a lengthy summary of the comments, also on Tuesday.
Full story here.
Roar Digital, BetIndiana Receive Indiana Online Sports Betting Licenses
The Indiana sports betting industry will soon become a little more crowded following state approvals for a pair of online/mobile sportsbooks. On Monday, the Indiana Gaming Commission awarded temporary vendor licenses to Roar Digital and BetIndiana.
The approvals come ahead of a mobile launch authorization, which the IGC issues separately closer to the go-live date. Neither sportsbook has a firm date in place for launching. DraftKings, which received approval in late August, started taking its first bets in early October, which was the quickest timeline for any online/mobile book so far. There are four online/mobile sportsbooks live in Indiana.
Full story here.
Kentucky On The Move As Sports Betting Bill Clears Committee
Kentucky lawmakers on Wednesday officially began the 2020 push to join the growing number of legal sports betting states, when the House Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee unanimously approved HB 137, sending it to the full House for a vote. The bill, sponsored by Adam Koenig, underwent a few critical changes earlier this week from when it was initially pre-filed in December.
The bill has 26 bi-partisan sponsors listed, and Koenig is a Republican while new Governor Andy Beshear is a Democrat and sports betting proponent.
Full story here.
New York Senate Committee Advances Bill On Online Sports Betting But Will Impasse On Mobile Continue?
A New York State Senate committee passed a measure that could lead to the legalization of online sports gambling in the Empire State, firing the latest salvo in a contentious battle surrounding mobile betting in one of the nation’s largest markets.
The bill, S17 D, advanced to the Senate Finance Committee this week after it was passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote in the Senate Racing, Gaming And Wagering Committee. A similar version of the bill, S17, was passed by the Senate in 2019, but effectively died when the measure was not taken up for a vote by the State Assembly.
Full story here.
New Jersey Wraps Up 2019 With Another Big Month
The December sports betting revenue figures released Tuesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement also opened the door for a look back at all of 2019.
And for the significant part of the population that doesn’t gamble, the fact that $4.58 billion was legally wagered in the state might seem mind-boggling.
Operator revenue — from the Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park to the Atlantic City casinos and nearly 20 of their mobile betting partner sites — was a more modest $299.4 mm, for a 6.5% hold that is quite respectable for the industry.
Full story here.
PA Hits New High In Sports Betting, With DraftKings Providing Big Boost
New online sports betting sites helped push Pennsylvania’s sports wagering handle to a new high of $342.6 mm in December, an increase of 8.2% over November.
The addition of the first full month of betting through DraftKings, in particular, helped the state overcome the traditional December drop in sports betting after the end of the regular college football season, according to figures released Thursday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
The increase was all due to a boost in online wagering, which represented a new high share of 86.8% of bets, with $297.4 mm. The amount wagered online at eight sites was 11.5% higher than the month before.
The retail sector, at 12 locations, dipped 9.3% in December to $45.1 mm.
Full story here.
