SportsHandle: that was the week that was in US sports betting

Image source: Shutterstock

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

Unplanned Outages During Super Bowl Place Damper On Extraordinary Demand For Mobile Sports Betting

Shares among several prominent gaming companies fell sharply on Monday, but subsequently rebounded in response to a series of mobile sportsbook outages on Super Bowl Sunday.

While the issues appear to be related to increased demand for online sports wagering, the steady stream of outages raise critical questions on the industry’s ability to handle technological bottlenecks during major events on the global sports calendar. All told, at least five companies – Barstool Sports, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers –- experienced tech disruptions with their mobile sports betting apps prior to kickoff or during the game itself.

Full story here

NHL Makes PointsBet An Official Sports Betting Partner

The National Hockey League continued expanding its sports betting reach Tuesday, signing a multiyear deal to make PointsBet an official sports betting partner of the league.

The NHL, which had been one of the most strident opponents of legalized sports betting in the United States prior to the United States Supreme Court striking down PASPA in May 2018, previously reached deals with FanDuel, William Hill, and MGM Resorts International, which owns BetMGM.

“As the sports betting landscape evolves at a rapid pace, we continue to develop unique, strategic alliances within the sports gaming industry,” said NHL Chief Business Officer and Senior Executive Vice President Keith Wachtel. “Our partnership with PointsBet brings to life our collaboration with our valued media partners and we look forward to enhancing our fan engagement opportunities in concert with both PointsBet and NBC. We are proud to welcome PointsBet to the NHL family.”

Full story here

Texas’ Lt. Governor Dan Patrick Puts Kibosh On Legal Sports Betting

One day after a coalition of Dallas-based professional sports teams made public their support of a proposal to send the decision to legalize sports betting to Texas voters, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick essentially told a local radio station “not on my watch,” Tuesday, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

“I’ve never been in favor of it,” he told radio host Chad Hasty of Lubbock’s KFYO. “We are nowhere close to having the votes for it. We don’t even have a bill that has been filed in the Senate on the issue. When you don’t even have a sponsor, it’s not even a bill you spend much time on or think about. … I don’t spend much time on it because the members are just against it.”

Full story here.

5Dimes Launches In Isle Of Man, Needed Step For Possible US Expansion

Nearly six months after shutting down its U.S. operations as an offshore sports betting market, 5Dimes announced Wednesday it launched online sports wagering and casino gaming in the Isle of Man, a regulated market that could open a path to potential re-entry into the legal sports betting and casino gaming markets in the United States.

The license awarded by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission allows 5Dimes to establish international operations — excluding the United States market — to conduct legal gaming in multiple jurisdictions.

Full story here

BetMGM Stakes Claim As The Number One Sportsbook In Tennessee

The lion is roaring in Tennessee

According to figures released by BetMGM during their 4Q investor presentation Wednesday, BetMGM is the number one sportsbook in Tennessee, outpacing the projected big guns — DraftKings and FanDuel — in 2020 revenue in the state.

While Tennessee does not break down revenue by operator, BetMGM knows how much they brought in compared to what the state says the total revenue number is, and as such — and based on BetMGM “assumptions” — their 34% market share leads the pack.

Full story here.

Arizona Senate Committee Postpones Sports Betting Hearing

The path to legal sports betting in Arizona hit a speed bump — or maybe more on Wednesday.

One day after a bill that would allow statewide mobile sports betting passed through the House Commerce Committee, 9-1, a mirror bill in the same committee on the Senate side was held over. Sources say the votes weren’t there to move the bill, though it’s unclear where the opposition is coming from.

Like its House counterpart, SB 1797 would allow for mobile platforms tethered to tribal casinos or professional sports leagues, including the all the major sports, the PGA Tour, and NASCAR. Both bills allow for 10 licenses each for commercial interests and tribes, which could be a possible source of conflict. There are seven professional franchises — one each from the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer, in addition to the PGA Tour and NASCAR — that fit the bill. But there are 16 tribes operating 24 casinos throughout the state, meaning that with only 10 licenses, six tribes would be left out of the mix.

Full story here