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

Missouri Sports Betting Legislation Headed To Senate For Approval

On Thursday, the Missouri House easily passed two sports betting bills, 115-33, in what was mostly a perfunctory final vote before sending the issue to the Senate for consideration. House members debated and amended the legislation Wednesday before passing it on second reading, making Thursday’s vote more of a rubber stamp.

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California Card Room Cities: Tribal Sports Betting Initiative Would ‘Harm’ Communities

Get ready for the full-bore public relations battle over sports betting, California.

With television ads now circulating from tribal organizations in support of their sports betting referendum and in opposition to an effort driven by national sportsbooks FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM, the card room contingent has entered the fray.

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A Tale Of Two Gambling Addicts

Scott Meyer isn’t interested in discussing the particulars of why he went to prison. Instead he’d like to focus on his recovery from gambling addiction.

But the fact remains that Meyer, a certified public accountant, was sentenced to 12-1/2 years behind bars in 2015 for embezzlement and fraud, crimes he committed to feed his addiction to what he calls “video-stimulated betting” — slot machines, video poker, online casino games, and the like.

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The Seven Most Divisive Sports Betting Personalities In America

Politically, culturally, you name it — we’re divided here in America.

So let’s buck that trend, shall we? Let’s unite. Let’s all agree that the following sports betting personalities are … the seven most divisive out there.  

OK, fine, maybe we’re not exactly bucking the trend here as much as leaning into it, but whaddya want? A list of the seven most unifying sports betting figures would be: A) boring and B) pretty much begin and end with Cooper Manning’s role in the Caesars commercials. I mean, we all agree he’s a national treasure, right?

So without further ado, here’s the inaugural Hard Seven: The Most Divisive Sports Betting Personalities in America.

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Daily Fantasy Sports Is Legal In New York, Judges Clarify

The cloud under which daily fantasy sports has operated in New York state for more than six years was finally lifted on Tuesday when the state’s Court of Appeals — the preeminent court in the state — ruled by a 4-3 vote that DFS (referred to as “interactive fantasy sports, or “IFS,” throughout the ruling) was legal under the state Constitution.

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Delayed Mobile Betting Launch In Arkansas Frustrates Customers

When mobile sports betting was legalized in Arkansas this year, executives at Saracen Casino Resort were confident their online betting platform would be live by the start of March Madness

“We will launch BetSaracen, an Arkansas born and bred, first-class mobile wagering app, before March Madness,” Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa told Sports Handle in late February. 

As of Wednesday, BetSaracen has yet to launch, as the casino shifts responsibility to “partners, vendors, and testing laboratories.”

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Minnesota Sports Betting Bill Clears Third Committee Amid Verbal Sparring

Minnesota Rep. Zack Stephenson’s virtual road show continued Thursday, as be brought his amended sports betting bill, HF 778, before the House Judiciary, Finance, and Civil Law Committee — only to find himself in a sparring match with one committee member. The bill, which would allow for statewide mobile wagering with platforms tied to tribal casinos, ultimately passed out of committee by a 9-6 vote, and now moves on to the Taxes Committee.
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