Expect North Carolina Lawmakers to Talk Sports Betting in ’19

North Carolina lawmakers haven’t officially broached the subject of legal sports betting, but that doesn’t mean ideas and conversations about the topic aren’t circulating around the state.

“This is an issue that’s on people’s minds, but I don’t know where our caucus stands, particularly the new members. I expect that the proper role for the state will be discussed as we enter the new session next year,” North Carolina senator Phil Berger told the Charlotte Observer in an email.

Several North Carolina lawmakers introduced legislation in 2018 to legalize daily fantasy sports, but none got to a vote. In neighboring South Carolina, at least one sports betting bill was filed in the state legislature, but did not reach a vote. Lawmakers, there, though, are enthusiastic about the possibility of legalizing sports betting.

 
 

Read more Expect North Carolina Lawmakers to Talk Sports Betting in ’19 on SportsHandle.

Poll: Most Maryland Voters Want Sports Betting, Will Have to Wait

A Washington Post poll conducted in Sept. 2017 showed that 55% of respondents approved of legalizing sports betting with only 33% disapproving — the highest level of support ever record by the Roper Center public opinion archive.  

Now a brand new Post poll surveying Maryland registered voters found numbers in line with the national figures — 53 percent are in favor of legal sports wagering on professional sports, against 37 percent opposed (10 percent had no opinion).

Unfortunately for those Marylanders approving and also desiring to make legal sports bets, they’ll probably be waiting more than two years to do so within Maryland borders.

The Maryland state constitution requires that any gambling expansion must go to the voters via ballot referendum.  In March, the House of Delegates passed a bill 124-14 that would have put the matter on the Nov. 6 ballot, however the bill failed to make it out of committee in the Senate before the legislative session ended.  

As proponents at the time advised, now the next opportunity to get it on the ballot won’t come until Nov. 2020, unless lawmakers have the motivation and find a way to bypass the state constitution. Unlikely.

 
 

Read more Poll: Most Maryland Voters Want Sports Betting, Will Have to Wait  on SportsHandle.

Key Sports Betting Lawmakers: Who Survived the Election, and Who’s Out

The post Key Sports Betting Lawmakers: Who Survived the Election, and Who’s Out appeared first on SportsHandle.

Besides the 36 gubernatorial races decided on Tuesday, the Nov. 6 elections will have an impact on the future of sports betting in some states. Several key lawmakers in states actively considering legalizing sports betting lost their seats or were term-limited out, while others retained their posts and may see their influence elevate.

In Indiana, two key legislators, Ben Smaltz, whose Public Policy Committee held an intensive hearing on sports betting last month, hasn’t filed legislation, but could be a key drive. So could Ron Alting, Smaltz’s Senate counterpart. Both held off Democratic challengers to retain their seats.

In Kentucky, Adam Koenig, who retained his seat with 55 percent of the vote, hasn’t filed a bill yet, but hosted a comprehensive hearinghttps://sportshandle.com/ky-lawmakers-closing-in-on-sports-betting-bill-to-pass-in-19-hone-in-on-final-key-issues/ in October and appears to have taken the point on sports betting in the Bluegrass State. And in Massachusetts, chairman of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Joe Wagner, who ran unopposed, is carrying the torch.

 

 
 

Read more Key Sports Betting Lawmakers: Who Survived the Election, and Who’s Out on SportsHandle.

The Deals Keep Comin’: New York Jets-MGM Strike Marketing Deal With Eye Toward Sports Betting

The post The Deals Keep Comin’: New York Jets-MGM Strike Marketing Deal With Eye Toward Sports Betting appeared first on SportsHandle.

The New York Jets have joined with MGM Resorts International (MGM) in a first-of-its-kind partnership making MGM Resorts the Jets’ official gaming partner in an arrangement that goes beyond a basic casino sponsorship, the companies announced Wednesday.

The move is the latest in a recent flurry of transactions uniting the casino/sports wagering world with the U.S. professional sports leagues.

The multi-year agreement between the Jets and MGM is described as “the most comprehensive and integrated gaming partnership in the National Football League (NFL) to date.” 

 

Read more The Deals Keep Comin’: New York Jets-MGM Strike Marketing Deal With Eye Toward Sports Betting on SportsHandle.

NCAA Announces Establishment of New Committee to ‘Examine’ Sports Wagering

The NCAA announced on Friday the formation of a new committee to examine sports wagering.

“The Board of Governors Ad Hoc Committee on Sports Wagering will examine the sports wagering landscape and its potential impact on current NCAA rules, educational efforts, player availability reporting, and any associated risks as more states legalize sports wagering,” the statement reads.

This follows the Association’s announcement in July that the national office is examining the long-term impact on college sports with an “internal team of subject matter experts,” with generally the same objectives.

This all follows the United States Supreme Court’s decision on May 14 in Murphy v NCAA, in which the high court struck down the 1992 federal ban on full-fledged sports wagering outside Nevada on Tenth Amendment principles. Since that time, the NCAA’s fellow respondents in the case, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Football League, and some of those leagues’ teams, have announced new partnerships with casinos, sportsbooks, and overall relaxed its rules regarding such deals.

 

Read more NCAA Announces Establishment of New Committee to ‘Examine’ Sports Wagering on SportsHandle.

Louisiana Lawmakers Eyeing Sports Betting Legalization In 2019

If in-state LSU fans want to legally bet on the home team as a double-digit home underdog to No. 1-ranked Alabama on Nov. 3rd, they’ll most likely drive to Mississippi to do it. Or wager offshore. 

Meanwhile, Louisiana officials continue to discuss legislation that would allow local residents to join their Mississippi neighbors in legal sports betting.  

On Wednesday, State Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner, told a state Senate Judiciary Committee he would again introduce a sports betting bill, however, he expects other legislators will do the same. Martiny tried last spring to begin the process of legalizing sports betting but lawmakers failed to act and the bill died in committee, never getting to the full State Senate for a vote.

 
 

Read more Louisiana Lawmakers Eyeing Sports Betting Legalization In 2019 on SportsHandle.

After Spirited Hearing, Indiana Lawmakers Will Continue to Explore Sports Betting

Indiana on Friday became the latest state to hold a sports betting hearing, when lawmakers heard from various corners of the industry — a technology provider, the NBA, an anti-gambling group and small business owner Patrick Doerflein, who owns an app called “Burn and Bet,” referred to himself as a “hillbilly guy from Brown County” and asked legislators not to over regulate.

While the session had moments of levity, it was a very different sort of hearing in Illinois on Wednesday. Indiana state lawmakers put forth several sports betting bills in 2018 and the Gaming Commission signed on with a market analysis firm, but Hoosier State legislators on the Interim Joint Public Policy Committee still appeared to be in the early learning stages of learning about sports wagering.

One lawmaker asked if a technology professional had said “toad system” when he was referring to a “tote system,” and another asked NBA executive Dan Spillane if any states that have legalized sports betting passed a law granting the league an “integrity fee.” (None have.) This was in stark contrast to contract with gaming entities independently?”

NFL Sheds Some Scare Tactics In Sports Betting Statement In Illinois

Hearings on Wednesday in Illinois and Washington, D.C. that focused on sports betting brought together various lawmakers, stakeholders and players’ associations representatives — but not a National Football League representative in the flesh.

Jack Evans, Chairman of the D.C. Council’s Finance & Revenue Committee who led the Council hearing, asked aloud why the NFL has largely been absent from the public conversation on legal sports wagering. “That’s the largest gambling area — in football,” Evans noted, before the NBA’s Dan Spillane advised that an NFL official actually had appeared at a Congressional hearing in September.

At that House of Representatives committee hearing, the NFL’s Jocelyn Moore, Executive Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs stated that, “Since the Supreme Court decision, state governments are rushing to promote sports betting — and we are witnessing a regulatory race to the bottom.”

Study: MLB, NBA to Yield Combined $1.7 Billion From Legal Sports Betting

The American Gaming Association on Thursday released the results of two more Nielsen studies, showing how America’s professional sports leagues stand to benefit from legal, regulated sports betting. The latest studies indicate that Major League Baseball will see a revenue increase of $1.106 billion, and the NBA is look at a $585 million bump. Combined with research from previous studies on the NFL and NHL, U.S. professional sports leagues can expect an overall combined revenue boost of $4.23 billion.

The increased revenue won’t come from the “integrity fee” or “royalty” that some of the professional sports leagues have been lobbying for, but rather from increased fan engagement (media rights, sponsorships, merchandise, tickets) and through gaming (TV advertising, sponsorships, data packages).

According to the studies, MLB will net $952 million from increased fan engagement and $154 million from gaming-related revenue. The NBA should see increases of $425 million and $160 million, respectively. Results of previous studies showed that the NFL will see the biggest benefit, an overall increase in revenue of $2.33 billion, and the NHL can expect an increase of $216 million.

 

Read more Study: MLB, NBA to Yield Combined $1.7 Billion From Legal Sports Betting on SportsHandle.

Sports Betting Launches In New Mexico: ‘We Expect A Big Weekend’

The post Sports Betting Launches In New Mexico: ‘We Expect A Big Weekend’ appeared first on SportsHandle.

The Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel, a tribal gaming operation near Albuquerque, New Mexico, is now the first Western U.S. state to join Nevada in offering full-fledged sports betting in a legal environment.

The first bet, made Tuesday at noon Mountain Time, was a $30 money line win ticket on the Astros to beat the Red Sox (-128) in game four of their ALCS contest Tuesday. The Red Sox lost 8-2.  

Las Vegas-based USBookmaking is risk manager for the Santa Ana Star, in operation since 1993 by Tamaya Nation at the Pueblo of Santa Ana. US Bookmaking Director of Operations John Salerno told Sports Handle, it’s a B2B operation utilizing the Stadium betting platform with all employees working directly for the property. It has four windows for taking bets and will be open daily from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m., with expanded hours on weekends.

 
 

Read more Sports Betting Launches In New Mexico: ‘We Expect A Big Weekend’ on SportsHandle.