SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.
Penn National Now Preparing September Debut For Barstool Sportsbook App In PA
Penn National Gaming’s much-anticipated Barstool Sportsbook app will launch in Pennsylvania in September, as the company says it won’t rush before then just to take advantage of the increasingly busy sports calendar.
While the possibility of an August launch existed previously, company President and CEO Jay Snowden described the new target during a Thursday morning conference call to discuss the company’s April-June financial results.
Penn National’s second quarter earnings, as with all gaming companies, have been staggered by the impact of COVID-19 casino shutdowns for multiple months starting in mid-March. It reported a net loss of $214.4 million on quarterly revenue of $305.5 million.
Full story here.
Fate Of Ohio’s 2020 Sports Betting Efforts Could Be Decided In Matter Of Days
Legislative efforts to legalize and regulate sports betting in Ohio apparently are nearing a crucial moment.
In late May, the Ohio House passed its version of legislation to authorize, regulate, and tax the commercial activity. However, a similar but distinctly different version of the plan was on the table in the Senate.
Notably, the House version would make the Ohio Lottery the regulator, while the Senate version calls for the Ohio Casino Control Commission to regulate. It’s a major difference, but it’s one that state Sen. John Eklund, the Republican sponsor of the Senate version, said can be resolved — and possibly very soon.
Full story here.
If No NFL, ‘Catastrophic Blow’ To Betting Business
The bubbles are working. The NBA and NHL seem to be, respectively, dribbling and skating along smoothly, with no positive COVID-19 tests reported in either league since their closed-off-campus season continuations began last week.
The MLB approach is not working. With players and staff permitted to interact with the outside world and traveling from stadium to stadium, the Marlins and Phillies have each missed eight games, the Cardinals will have missed nine by the time they (hopefully) resume on Friday, the Brewers have missed four, the Orioles four, the Yankees three, and the Tigers three and counting. Asterisks abound as the world witnesses a push-and-pull between the “we’ll keep going no matter what” forces and the “one more outbreak and it’s over” gang.
Full story here.
Michigan’s Bay Mills Tribe Embraces Mobile Sports Betting Because ‘It’s Evolve Or Die’
In states with legal sports betting — and in those considering it — Indian Country has railed against statewide mobile sports betting, often citing concerns about losing walk-in patrons to casinos or allowing commercial interests into their businesses. In fact, in five states that have legalized sports betting and tribal gaming, four have tribal sportsbooks that are not under the control of state regulators and one, Washington, legalized tribal-only gaming, which will be regulated by the state. But like the other four, the Washington tribes will not directly pay taxes to the state government.
Full story here.
DraftKings Goes Live Today In Illinois
DraftKings became just the second live mobile/online sports betting app in Illinois today when it launched its DraftKings at Casino Queen digital app and took the first bet at its retail location in East St. Louis, according to a company press release.
DraftKings has been advertising in Illinois for a few weeks in anticipation of the launch, but it had been waiting for Casino Queen to be awarded “provisional” wagering status by the Illinois Gaming Board.
DraftKings joins BetRivers, which launched on June 18, as the only live digital platforms in the state. It’s likely that PointsBet, which has partnered with the Hawthorne Race Course, will go live by the end of the month.
Full story here.
