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

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

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

It’s Official! Ohio Governor Signs Off On Comprehensive Legal Sports Betting Law

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed sports betting into law Wednesday afternoon, two weeks after a bill shot through the state legislature in mere hours. Ohio is the seventh U.S. jurisdiction to legalize in 2021, though the first bets probably won’t take place until next fall.

After years of disjointedly discussing legalization of sports betting, lawmakers on Dec. 8 moved a bill through conference committee, the Senate, and the House with little resistance and remarkable speed. The bill, which will allow for statewide mobile and retail wagering with a “preference” to existing casinos and professional sports teams, comes with a 10% tax on gross gaming revenue and puts the Casino Control Commission in charge of oversight.

Full story here.

If You’re Waiting For Online Casinos To Arrive In Your State … Keep Waiting

On Jan. 22 of this year, Michigan launched both online sports betting and online casinos. It was, as these things go, one of the more orderly launches in American gaming history. There was plenty of lead-up to the event, and as such, the vast majority of sportsbooks were able to go live with both their sportsbooks and casinos on day one, and most others within the first month.

Today, there are 14 active sportsbooks and casinos in the state, making for an easy apples-to-apples comparison of how well each segment is doing.

Full story here.

2021 Look Back: States That Legalized And/Or Launched Sports Betting

If it seemed like a new state was legalizing or launching sports betting every time you turned around in 2021 that’s because … well, somewhere, one was.

Eleven states went live with some new form of wagering over the last 12 months, and six U.S. states or territories legalized. And those numbers don’t include Florida, where the Seminoles negotiated a compact with the state and the U.S. Department of Interior approved it, but a federal judge threw it out.

While no discussion of how the sports betting landscape would be complete without Florida, it’s not on the list here of new states because in the moment, sports betting is not legal anywhere in Florida. Lawmakers only approved the now-nullified compact and not statewide commercial sports betting. If the compact is invalid, then the vote lawmakers took is moot.

Full story here.

Sportsbooks Made More Money Than Ever In Pennsylvania In November

Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks failed to follow up on October’s record betting handle with a new high in November, but you will not hear any complaints from their operators. That is because the revenue they collected — the amount retained from sports bettors’ losing wagers — busted through the previous record, according to monthly revenue figures released Monday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Full story here.

Sports Betting Kiosks May Be Headed To NY Sporting Venues

New York sports gamblers could have another convenient way to place a wager if a bill introduced by Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow of Mount Vernon passes.

With mobile sports gambling slated to begin in New York sometime before the Super Bowl, Pretlow’s bill would allow sports betting kiosks at pro sports venues, horse racetracks, and OTBs through agreements with mobile sportsbook operators licensed in the state. They could also be placed at virtual lottery terminals.

Full story here.

Louisiana Generates $27.6 Million Handle In First Month Of Sports Betting

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board has posted its first sports betting revenue report, with its eight retail locations generating more than $27.6 million in handle for the month of November.

The report does not go into location-by-location specifics for handle and revenue, but four venues — Boomtown New Orleans, Harrah’s New Orleans, Horseshoe Bossier City, and L’Auberge Baton Rouge — were taking wagers for practically the entire month. The other four — Boomtown Bossier City, Golden Nugget Lake Charles, L’Auberge Lake Charles, and Margaritaville — conducted a little less than three weeks of wagering.

Full story here.

Remembering Poker Pioneer Henry Orenstein

Televised poker can be divided into two distinct eras: before the introduction of the hole-card camera, and after the introduction of the hole-card camera. The former was defined by its mind-numbing dullness and appeal only to the most hardcore of poker enthusiasts. The latter saw the game explode in popularity and become a staple of every network from ESPN to NBC to Bravo.

And that distinction is owed largely to Henry Orenstein, the inventor and entrepreneur who died last week at the age of 98.

Full story here.