SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.
The New York Times Tackles Sports Betting And Loses Its Damn Mind
I like The New York Times so much I actually started paying for it last year instead of clearing cookies and playing browser roulette every time I wanted to read it. That’s a modern-day love story right there.
Of course, just because I read it doesn’t mean I’m always going to agree with the takes of their columnists. (I mean, cheer up, Paul Krugman. It’s not all bad out there.)
And I say this as a veteran of column writing. I’ve been doing it for two decades, and putting my opinion out there on a daily basis is asking for people to disagree with me. That’s the nature of the job.
Additionally, being a columnist demands that your knowledge base continuously evolve, even if most of your knowledge is going to be mile wide and inch deep.
So having said that …
Full story here.
What If California And Ohio Had Legal, Live Sports Wagering For Super Bowl LVI?
Bettors in California and Ohio, neither of which currently offer live digital sports betting, may have wagered as much as $400 million on Super Bowl LVI if able to do so legally, according to research conducted by Sports Handle. The Super Bowl features a team from each state and will be played in California. Based on a 7% hold and a 10% tax rate, the states combined would potentially have taken in nearly $3 million in tax revenue for the biggest single-day sports betting event in the U.S.
Full story here.
Which Sportsbook Wanted To Offer Betting On The Puppy Bowl?
The Colorado Division of Gaming has a large online document that covers its sports betting catalog. It is essentially dozens of spreadsheets that detail exactly what kinds of events sportsbooks are allowed to offer wagers on in the state.
But the gem of the document is a tab labeled “rejected wagers.”
Full story here.
North Carolina Governor Wants Action On Mobile Sports Betting Bill
Mobile sports betting could soon be on its way to North Carolina.
The state, which allows retail sports betting at a pair of locations owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, doesn’t yet allow for online sports wagering. But that could change thanks to SB 688, a bill introduced in 2021 that has a legitimate chance of passing through the House in 2022.
Full story here.
New York Mobile Sportsbooks Ready For Their First Super Bowl
After attaining numerous superlatives over the first month of operation in the state, New York mobile sportsbooks have a key date circled on the calendar this weekend.
Industry analysts expect the state to handle record-setting amounts of money on the Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. Neighboring New Jersey took about $117 million in bets on last year’s Super Bowl, a 31-9 win by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Kansas City Chiefs. With a population more than double that of the Garden State, combined with years of pent-up demand from New Yorkers, the handle in the Empire State is expected to be staggering.
Full story here.
OCCC’s Schuler Talks Ohio’s Sports Betting Launch
Longer work days emerged for Ohio Casino Control Commission Executive Director Matt Schuler and his staff not long after the ink had dried from Gov. Mike DeWine signing bill HB 29 into law to legalize sports betting in Ohio.
The long work days are probably going to remain until late in the year, or whenever the day arrives when Ohio residents will be able to place a legal wager on sports in the Buckeye state. The law states that legal sports betting must be launched by Jan. 1, 2023.
Full story here.
OLG Becomes First Official Sportsbook Partner Of The NFL In Canada
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has signed a five-year deal to become the first official sportsbook partner of the NFL in Ontario and in Canada, it announced Monday afternoon in an email release.
The announcement comes just days before Super Bowl LVI, and nearly a week after the corporation unveiled a new PROLINE retail sports betting platform in Ontario. PROLINE (retail) and PROLINE +(online) are currently the only legal sports betting options in the province until Ontario’s regulated iGaming market launches on April 4. At that time, dozens of private operators are expected to flood the market, putting an end to OLG’s monopoly in the province. OLG is run by the Ontario government and all of its proceeds are invested back into the province.
Full story here.
