Welcome iGB’s State of the Union. Here you can find the most important sports betting news in North America that we have covered this week, as well as briefs about other stories we thought were interesting.
NY requires gambling hotline numbers to be displayed on advertisements
New York will be the next state that tightens gambling advertising regulations after the Senate passed a law that requires all ads to include warnings regarding “harmful or addictive behavior”.
AB 1118 was introduced in the House, then passed through the Senate and sent back to be finalized by the House. The bill is now on its way to the Governor’s desk. Every advertisement must include a hotline for problem gamblers. .
A second bill, which would have mandated that three casino licenses in the downstate be granted by August 31, did not receive a vote on its final version before Thursday’s (6 June) adjournment. SO 9673 would have also required that the final approval of licences be given by 31 December 2020.
Waiting…
Illinois Governor JB pritzker has signed the budget bill that does not include a progressive wagering tax. Pritzker plans to sign HB 4951 before the end the month, according to WGEM. According to WGEM, Pritzker plans to sign HB 4951, which taxes sports betting gross revenues over $200m with 40% tax, by the end of July.
Massachusetts regulator remains firm
Jordan Maynard, chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday (3rd June), reiterated his position that all discussions about betor limits must take place publicly. The Commission hosted a roundtable last month to discuss betting limits, but none of the live operators attended.
Operators wrote the MGC before the meeting to say they would be open to a discussion but only behind closed doors. Maynard told reporters on Monday that FanDuel representatives had reached out to him. However, he is not interested in a public debate.
Massachusetts’ open-meetings law limits the number of commissioners who can discuss a subject outside a formal meeting.
Maynard stated, “I’ll make sure that FanDuel or any other operator knows that every commissioner must be kept up-to-date in a transparent manner that is fully compliant with open meeting law.” Maynard said: “I wanted to recognize that outreach and I am hopeful about the future, as we continue learning more on this issue.”
Operators also presented their first-quarter results at the same meeting. Sportsbooks in the state generated $171.1 million in revenue. DraftKings, the leading producer with $91.9m in revenue, was at the top of this list.
Cherokees present plan for Pope County, Arkansas casino
According to TB&P, Cherokee Nation Entertainment has submitted a proposal for the construction of a casino at Pope County in Arkansas. This comes after Arkansans voted six years ago to allow sports betting, and up to four bricks-and-mortar gambling establishments. Three more casinos have opened or are in the process of opening. Pope County’s application deadline for the year is June 11.
Cherokee Nation’s proposal includes 200 rooms and a 50,000 sqft casino, with 1200 slots and 32 tables games. A sportsbook, poker room and a dedicated gambling area would be included in the casino. The plan also includes a music venue, waterpark, RV park and a dog park. The tribe intends to invest $300m in the Legends-branded Casino Resort.
Move to solid ground
The Baton Rouge Advocate reports that Gaming and Leisure Properties will spend up to $111 million to relocate its Belle of Baton Rouge Casino resort off the Mississippi River and onto land. Louisiana legalized gambling in the early 1990s, but casinos were only allowed on riverboats. Since then, the law has changed. GLPI plans to relocate the casino as well as renovate 250 hotel rooms. Casino Queen & Entertainment will operate the casino.
Read this article.
Are you interested in the way sportsbooks and casino manage their VIPs. CasinoReports Brett Smiley did a detailed dive on how sportsbooks and casinos define VIPs. He also looked at how VIP hosts were trained, and how they identify possible problem gambling. Check it out.
Other news…
KTNV reports that Demolition and construction will take place in three phases, over a period of 18 months. The iconic volcano is the first to be demolished, according to the permits obtained by the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability. The second phase will involve deep excavations and construction of a 660 room guitar-shaped building. The third phase will include landscaping, walkways and surface improvements.
Hard Rock’s Bristol, Virginia property will not open as planned in the next month. The company announced this on Wednesday (5th June). Hard Rock did not give a specific date but hinted at a grand opening by the end of this year. A temporary casino is operating on the site.
Bloomberg News reports that fanDuel has reached an agreement with Diamond Sports to acquire the regional sports network’s naming rights. Bally’s has currently the naming right. FanDuel will purchase equity in the company.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming issued an RFP to upgrade its backend technology. It is hoped that the RFP will allow Ontario Lottery and Gaming to update its back-end technology and offer more options to customers.
Gaming Compliance Company Continent 8 has announced that they are now authorized to operate in Nevada. This company offers solutions for regulatory compliance and is currently operating in more than 30 US jurisdictions.
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