Happy Monday, everyone. Last week was a bit quieter than the week before, but there was still plenty of sports betting news to go around.
Check out the latest LSR Podcast, where the crew rounded up the biggest stories from the biggest states, including California, Florida and New York.
Earnings season is all but over, which means big announcements and stories should slow down for the time being. Consider it the calm before the US sports betting storm as college football betting starts in earnest with the first games in late August followed by the NFL season kickoff Sept. 9.
Keep an eye on @LSPReport for the latest updates and breaking news.
Top sports betting news: Will Florida sports betting be delayed?
Sports betting in Florida can launch Oct. 15 but there could be an injunction coming to prevent that.
Another lawsuit was filed concerning the compact, this time against the Department of Interior and Secretary Deb Haaland. The lawsuit seeks to throw out the approval of the entire updated compact that would give the Seminole Indians control of sports betting.
That lawsuit also went along with an amended lawsuit in Florida against Gov. Ron DeSantis and others. LSR resident legal expert John Holden broke down what both lawsuits mean and what to watch for.
Watch out for more declining July results
Expect to see more red as states continue to report their July results through the end of August (and into September as well – thanks Illinois.)
Handle has taken a hit in every state to report sports betting results so far for July. Multiple states reported big drops last week:
- Michigan sportsbooks saw handle fall 20.5% to $206.3 million.
- NJ sports betting handle fell 25%, falling below $600 million for the first time since last July. Strong hold on parlays helped buoy sports betting revenue at nearly $55 million.
- Pennsylvania sportsbooks had handle drop 27.6% to $304.4 million. Handle hadn’t been below $400 million since last August.
- Washington DC saw its third sportsbook, BetMGM, take revenue share in its first full month. DC sports betting is continuing to expand with more retail betting opportunities for the NFL season.
Last week’s top sports betting news: NY keeps rolling
The process to launch New York sportsbooks continued last week as regulators approved mobile betting rules with very little discussion.
There were 14 public comments out of 94 that helped craft the regulations, though those were not immediately available. LSR placed a request for the documents and is waiting to hear back.
We’re about a week away from when oral presentations from the six applicants can begin. How quickly the process moves at that point is up to the New York State Gaming Commission. Winners must be notified by Dec. 6, but they could find out sooner if the commission works fast enough.
Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. thinks mobile sportsbooks could still launch in 2021 with “a little fire in the belly,” but definitely before the Super Bowl.
AGA gets first NFL partner for responsible betting initiative
The Washington Football Team is the first NFL organization to partner with the American Gaming Association on its “Have a Game, Bet Responsibly” campaign.
TV and radio broadcasts of Washington’s games will include 20-second spots urging viewers to bet responsibly this season.
The team joins the Vegas Golden Knights as the only other professional team to partner. The NHL, PGA Tour, NASCAR and the UFC are also partners, as are DraftKings and FanDuel.
Barstool Sportsbook launches in New Jersey
Penn National is now live in New Jersey with its Barstool Sportsbook.
The brand started its soft launch last week. It’s the third state launch of the month for Barstool, which also went live in Colorado and Virginia.
Other top sports betting stories
Here is the rest of LSR’s coverage from last week:
- Arizona has more qualified tribal applicants than licenses available. AZ sports betting is still expected to launch Sept. 9.
- GAN reported solid results for the second quarter.
- Louisiana regulators adopted emergency rules for LA sports betting, which went into effect Monday.
- Maryland will not launch in time for the NFL season kickoff. The rules have not yet been published in the Maryland Register and there is a 30-day public comment period that follows. Elsewhere, DraftKings Sportsbook is now an official MD sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens.
- North Carolina sports betting could be expanding to mobile after SB 688 passed the Senate last week.
- Sportradar filed the documents to start the IPO process after a deal to go public through SPAC fell apart in June.
Press release roundup
- BetMGM will operate sports betting in South Dakota at two Deadwood casinos.
- FanDuel extended its data agreement with Sportradar through 2028.
- Genius Sports acquired marketing platform Spirable.
