Category: Legal Sports Betting

While the majority of US states struggle to pass sports betting legislation, lawmakers in Rhode Island have now done it twice in consecutive years. The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that will authorize statewide online and mobile wagering. RI sports betting first became legal late last year, but implementation has so far been restricted to in-person betting at the two Twin River…

Happy Monday, ladies and gents, and welcome back for another tour of the US sports betting landscape. In this weekly piece, we try to cover the recent, relevant movement in states considering legal sports betting. Here are the numbers right now: States with regulated sports betting: 8 Jurisdictions pending launch: 3 States with bills on file: 31 Number of bills on file: 138 Our…

Momentum for California sports betting will not come this year from the legislature or the ballot. A proposed initiative to authorize CA sports betting expired without enough signatures to qualify for the 2020 ballot. The deadline for introduction of new sports betting bills also passed last month in the state legislature. According to the petition's filer, the legal sports betting effort never really got off the…

Two West Virginia casinos have suspended retail and online sports betting operations because of an issue with its platform provider. Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras casinos, both operated by Delaware North, have ceased activity at both their physical sportsbooks and their shared online home at BetLucky.com. A Delaware North spokesman provided the following statement to Legal Sports Report: “We have been informed by Miomni…

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) denied a request from Major League Baseball (MLB) to NJ sports betting on spring training. An NJ DGE spokesperson confirmed that the division responded last week to MLB with the denial. MLB asked New Jersey and other legal sports betting states including Pennsylvania and Nevada to take spring training off the board. Pennsylvania agreed to pull…

Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) reports that 2018 was a pretty good year with revenues up by 9 percent to $2.5 billion (£1.9 billion.) The launch of US sports betting, however, drove a significant loss for the company. PPB lost $19.75 million (£15 million) on a proforma basis on its US operations last year. The fantasy business (FanDuel’s former top focus). TVG, and the casino business created $13 million (£10…

Did 888 Holdings just acquire a sports betting platform that it will use throughout the US? The online gambling company announced on Monday morning that it had acquired the sports betting platform of Irish online bookmaker BetBright for £15 million ($19.8 million). The deal could have implications for 888 Sportsbook in America; 888 currently serves the New Jersey sports betting market and could be deployed in…

North Carolina sports betting might showing up late in the game, but the new bill's sponsor expects it to reach the finish line. State Sen. Jim Davis tells Legal Sports Report that S 154, introduced Wednesday, should be passed by the Senate within the month. He doesn’t anticipate it being a challenge to get the legal sports betting bill signed into law by June. The…

Even with its industry up and running, West Virginia sports betting rules continue to attract attention — this time from the NFL. Sources tell Legal Sports Report that NFL lobbyists made their way to Charleston on Thursday for an upcoming House Judiciary committee hearing. The league is asking legislators to consider a series of requests as they review permanent WV sports betting rules. Those…

MGM Resorts announced this week its title sponsorship of Major League Baseball's Opening Series in Japan. The deal adds another log to the fire of the gaming giant's ambitions to earn a casino license in Japan. The country legalized limited casino gaming in 2018, authorizing three licenses that major casino companies covet. Following passage of that legislation, MGM CEO Jim Murren gave us a…