SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.
Operators To Run Sports Betting Ballot Initiative In Florida
Operators seeking a chance to get into the Florida sports betting market without having to work with the Seminole Tribe have filed a proposed ballot initiative for statewide mobile wagering, multiple industry sources confirmed to Sports Handle Wednesday morning. The initiative, which would go on the November 2022 ballot, would permit the Seminole Tribe and others to offer online wagering. Sources say DraftKings and FanDuel are behind the proposal.
Full story here.
Florida Sports Betting Ballot Initiative Is Here, And Gives Established Books Inside Track
Update: The Seminole Tribe, via spokesperson Gary Bitner issued the following statement Thursday afternoon:
This is a political Hail Mary from out-of-state corporations trying to interfere with the business of the people of Florida. They couldn’t stop Florida’s new Gaming Compact, which passed by an overwhelming 88 percent “yes” vote from Florida’s elected legislators and enjoys 3-1 support from Floridians and guarantees $2.5 billion in revenue sharing. The guarantee is the largest commitment by any gaming company in U.S. history.
The ballot initiative that would bring a more robust online sports betting market to Florida, in what would appear to be an end-around to the deal Gov. Ron DeSantis struck with the Seminole Tribe on May 19, was obtained by Sports Handle this morning.
Full story here.
Ohio House Leader To Would-Be Sports Bettors: You’re Going To Have To Wait
For months, the Ohio Senate Select Committee on Gaming — in-between hearing testimony on sports betting from bowling alley owners and grocery store trade groups — has been beating the same drum, over and over again. The beat was simple: June 30, June 30, June 30.
Sen. Kirk Schuring, the chairman of the committee, kept saying it was his goal to get Ohio sports betting through the entire legislative process by the end of the month.
Full story here.
Cashless Transactions Will Be A Hallmark Of New Resorts World Vegas Sportsbook
When Resorts World Las Vegas opens its doors Thursday night, it will mark the first opening of a casino on the Las Vegas Strip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first debut of a mega casino on the famous thoroughfare over the last decade.
Resorts World Vegas, a $4.3 billion property on the north end of the Strip, bills itself as the first casino in the nation where customers won’t need cash for any transaction inside the venue. Patrons can make any purchase — gaming, shopping, hotel, and dining — on a digital basis. Cashless transactions will also be a hallmark of the Resorts World retail sportsbook, in line with casino industry trends across the nation.
Full story here.
Superbook Retail Sportsbook To Have Colorado Grand Opening Friday
Former Denver Broncos offensive lineman and local radio personality Mark “Stink” Schlereth will place a ceremonial first bet on Friday when SuperBook Sports officially opens its Colorado retail sports betting location at The Lodge Casino in Black Hawk. SuperBook, a well-known Nevada brand, expanded into Colorado with its digital app last fall. The new sportsbook will be SuperBook’s first brick-and-mortar location outside of Nevada.
Full story here.
COVID-19 And Betting On Death: Valuable Info Or Purely Vile?
Fifteen months and more than 600,000 Americans have passed since COVID-19 first gripped the country, upending all aspects of everyday life, sports, the economy, and the public’s consciousness. On March 11, 2020, after NBA officials ushered Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz players off the court at Chesapeake Energy Arena moments before tip-off, the subsequent sports hiatus presented a dilemma for professional gamblers making a living through sportsbooks and poker rooms: take a sabbatical, or find other things to gamble on.
Full story here.
It’s Official! Louisiana Governor Signs Off On Sports Betting
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday signed the final two pieces of sports betting legislation into law, paving the way for the state’s first bets to be placed, with any luck, before the end of the year.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board is already working on proposed rules for both legal sports betting and daily fantasy. Voters in the state legalized mobile sports betting nearly statewide in November 2020 after authorizing daily fantasy in November 2018.
Full story here.
NJ Voters Will Decide This Fall On Wagering On NJ College Sporting Events
The New Jersey Assembly on Thursday voted, 70-4, to approve a resolution on permitting wagering on Rutgers football, Seton Hall basketball, and other New Jersey college sports.
The state Senate already had approved the same resolution on June 3, by a 36-1 vote, so the next step — after state officials finalize technical language — is for voters statewide to indicate whether they agree with lawmakers that such gambling should be added to the sports betting menu.
Full story here.
DOJ Declines To Appeal Wire Act Decision, Potentially Boosting Poker As Well As Lotteries
Supporters of traditional state lotteries, as well as advocates for expansion of interstate online poker compacts, cheered as the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday let a deadline expire without appealing a federal Wire Act ruling in favor of the New Hampshire Lottery.
The iDevelopment and Economic Association group — known as iDEA, with a goal of expanding legal, regulated online gambling — was among those hailing the inaction.
Full story here.
