By now, regular readers might have grown tired of the endless metaphors of food and general indulgence in this weekly sports betting news roundup.
Bad news for you, because of Thanksgiving, the last six months of these recaps have pretty much all been leading up to this week, in which overindulgence becomes a nationwide cultural mandate. Here’s hoping your bird and your betting lines were equally juicy.
Luckily enough, the headline makers took a bit of a holiday break, making this batch of leftovers a little lighter than usual. Let’s run through the week’s news in brief, shall we?
Sports betting appetizers
We’ll begin Friday supper with a quick lap around the map, where another state has a bill on file for next year:
- Virginia: Another Virginia lawmaker is looking to push sports betting forward in 2019. In what might be a first, the pre-filed bill from Del. Mark Sickles is an online-only bill with no provisions for retail operations.
- West Virginia: Although Mountaineer Casino opened its sportsbook this week, the WV sports betting industry isn’t growing as quickly as it should be. The main hangup? A lack of online/mobile options.
- Mississippi: Regulators released Mississippi sports betting numbers from October, and they were a mixed bag. Total handle rose to $33 million, but a rough month for the house led to a win of just $1.2 million.
- New Mexico: An FYI here, and an insightful one. Analyst Steve Ruddock explains how NM sports betting is legal under state and federal laws.
- New York: File this one under somewhat disconcerting DFS news. NY fantasy sports is now fully unregulated in the wake of a recent court decision regarding the constitutionality of the existing law.
The main dish
Rhode Island finally seizes the spotlight in an otherwise quiet week. At long last, RI sports betting has an official start date.
Twin River Lincoln will open its sportsbook at 3 p.m. Monday. When it does, the smallest state will officially become the eighth to book a legal wager. RI sports betting is possible under inclusion in the governor’s budget package passed earlier this year.
A second Twin River property in Tiverton has its new sportsbook under construction, as well.
That will be the extent of RI sports betting for the foreseeable future. The existing law restricts the implementation to in-person wagering at those two physical properties. Let the betting begin.
Dessert course
With the tryptophan still coursing through our bloodstream, we have just enough energy left for a few more bites and a Friday afternoon nap.
- Watch out, tout: Nevada is looking to reign in the business of selling betting picks and strategies. A new bill would require so-called “touts” to register as gaming entities.
- Your local sportsbook: This week marked the entry of DraftKings Sportsbook into the retail marketplace, taking over operations at Resorts AC on the boardwalk. FanDuel Sportsbook, of course, runs the book at Meadowlands upstate.
- Revis Island: Aussie startup PointsBet has found a sportsman to promote its entry into the US market. Former All-Pro NFL cornerback Darrelle Revis will serve as the face of the brand.
- Can’t win ’em all: The pro sports leagues won a lawsuit brought by Monmouth Park and others in New Jersey. A judge ruled that the leagues did not act in bad faith by working to keep NJ sports betting off the books.
- They’re back: Sports betting and online gambling remain illegal in New York in principle alone. Offshore site Bovada is once again serving customers in the state in open violation of state and federal law.
That’s really all there is to talk about, honestly. The crew of TheLines Podcast even took the week off to eat turkey, so that’s just the end of it. Bye.
Happy Cyber Monday, Y’all.
