Happy Monday, everyone. Sports betting news was mostly dominated by both New York and The Masters last week, though that was not all that happened.
The LSR Podcast broke down all of the biggest stories last week, which included big news out of Illinois and Wyoming as well as New York.
Make sure to follow @LSPReport on Twitter to stay on top of any breaking legislative news.
Top sports betting news: New York legislation quite confusing
Mobile sports betting in New York was officially added to the state’s budget, but it’s not exactly clear what it will look like.
Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., one of the important voices in the budget negotiation, said a lot of the answers will be determined going forward.
What is known is that the New York State Gaming Commission will approve at least two platform providers that will partner with a minimum of four total skin partners. What exactly those relationships will look like is still unclear.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo modeled his proposal after New Hampshire sports betting, which also determined its sports betting market through a competitive bid.
Wyoming legalizes mobile sports betting
Wyoming is joining the legal sports betting world after Gov. Mark Gordon signed HB 133 into law last week.
The bill took an unlikely journey, as it was first killed by the House more than a month ago. The next day, however, the bill was reconsidered and passed by a 32-4 vote.
Sports betting in Wyoming will be mobile-only. Operators will pay $100,000 for a five-year license and will be taxed 10% on revenue. Sportsbooks will only qualify if they operate in at least three other states.
Other legislative action
There are at least six other legislative storylines to watch:
- Arizona sports betting is getting new life after historical horse racing language was removed from the proposal.
- Louisiana‘s residents approved sports betting in 55 parishes last year. Proposals on what LA sports betting should look like will finally be heard once the state’s session begins today.
- Some of the most surprising sports betting news of 2020 came from Maine, which saw Gov. Janet Mills veto legislation. The state is now trying to legalize sports betting again.
- Sports betting in Maryland is officially in crunch time as the legislative session ends today.
- North Carolina is looking to expand its retail-only industry to mobile with SB 688.
- At the federal level, Reps. Dina Titus and Guy Reschenthaler are again trying to repeal the 0.25% excise tax on all legal sports bets.
Illinois sports betting handle dipped in February
Like most other states, sports betting in Illinois saw handle fall in February.
Sportsbooks reported $509.8 million in handle for the month, holding 6.9% with $35.4 million in sports betting revenue.
Illinois and most other legal US sports betting jurisdictions should see handle return to growth in March thanks to March Madness. All eyes will be on April‘s report, though, as Gov. JB Pritzker finally ended the executive order that allowed remote registration in the state.
Vaccination rates are rapidly increasing and casinos have reopened with safety guidelines in place, which rendered the executive order unnecessary, Pritzker’s office said.
WynnBET partners with Minute Media
WynnBET signed a multi-year content marketing and affiliate partnership with Minute Media, which operates sports brands like The Players’ Tribune and FanSided.
The hundreds of websites integrated into Minute Media’s platform get more than a billion video streams each month.
This is the second media partnership for WynnBET. It became the official sports betting partner of Blue Wire Podcasts in February.
AGA, UFC partner on responsible gaming
The UFC is the American Gaming Association‘s latest partner for its Have a Game Plan, Bet Responsibly campaign.
NASCAR, the NHL and the PGA Tour also are partners.
“As sports betting expands nationwide, professional sports leagues recognize the need to educate fans and ensure they’re wagering safely,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “We’re thankful to see this campaign grow as progressive leagues like UFC lend their considerable voice to this important effort. UFC’s commitment is important to engage, educate and encourage their fans – some of whom may be placing bets for the first time – to wager responsibly.”
SBC to hold online BETFEST
SBC and SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory will hold BETFEST May 15.
The event will combine entertainment, education and networking to show sports fans how legal sports betting can enhance their enjoyment of sports.
“BETFEST is a brand new event that will bring together a community of sports fans and bettors for a day of entertainment and education, which will leave them better informed about sports betting, safe gambling, the industry, and the best betting brands in their states,” said Sue Schneider, SBC’s VP of growth & strategy, Americas.