Welcome iGB’s State of the Union. Here you’ll find a summary of the most important sports betting news in North America that we covered this week, as well as briefs about other stories we thought were interesting.
Illinois grants DraftKings mobile license
The Illinois Gaming Board awarded DraftKings, Inc. a mobile and retail license for four years on Thursday, 25 April. Since 2019, the company offers mobile sports betting statewide. Last month, it opened a sportsbook in the historic Wrigley Field. DraftKings entered Illinois’ mobile market in 2019 through a partnership between the Casino Queen East St Louis and DraftKings.
Wrigley Field is Chicago’s second brick-and mortar sports book. FanDuel’s United Center location opened in 2022. Illinois was one of the first US states to permit sports betting operators and professional teams to work together. Customers could also place wagers at sportsbooks located in professional venues. Caesars Sportsbook, then William Hill, was the first retail outlet in the US at a professional venue. It was the Capital One Arena, Washington DC in 2020.
Tropicana demolition approved
The Las Vegas Review Journal announced on Wednesday, 24 April that the demolition permit of the Tropicana hotel had been approved. Bally’s has now until the 20th of October to demolish the hotel. The $48,000 permit was approved by Clark County. Bally’s will spend $15m on the implosion of this historic building. Bally’s plans to use part of the land for a $1.5bn baseball stadium with 33,000 seats for the Athletics.
Bally’s owns the Tropicana hotel, but Gaming and Leisure Properties is the owner of the land on which it sits. Both companies are partnering on redevelopment. GLPI will contribute $175m towards demolition and redevelopment.
NoVig leaving Colorado
Steve Ruddock, in “Straight to the Point”, reported that Novig will be leaving Colorado on 30 April. In Colorado, the operator launched its service in January. It claims to generate revenue by charging professional and market bettors, rather than average Joes. NoVig has not been launched in other states. In a letter sent to its customers, the company announced that it would “cease all operations” on April 30. The customers can still withdraw their money up until that date. After 30 April, any balances will be converted into paper checks and mailed.
The NoVig Team wrote: “In order to rewrite the rules for sports betting, our team has worked on a number of game-changing updates.” We can’t reveal too many details about the updates at this time, but we will let you know the major news within the next few months.
Wynn NYC project blowback
According to The New York Post, a local community board in New York City has called out Wynn/Related and its proposed Hudson Yards Casino Project. Manhattan Community Board 4’s (MCB4) 12-page letter dated 1 April stated that Hudson Yards was approved initially in 2009, and originally included 5,700 units of housing. In the current proposal, there are 1,507 housing units.
The board stated that it could not support the project because of the drastic change from residential use to commercial, which is centered around casino usage. The applicant, Related Companies is solely pursuing casino dollars to fund the platform above the WRY (Western Rail Yards) and proposes that the plan be amended out of existence to favour two oversize towers. One of the towers will have a hotel of 1,750 rooms, while the other would contain a casino.
For brick-and mortar properties in the downstate, up to three licences may be granted. New York State Gaming Board aims to grant the licenses before the end of the year 2025.
Read this article.
Iowa’s sports betting scandal… is convoluted. The Iowa sports betting scandal is… convoluted. Albert Samaha, a Washington Post investigative sports reporter, did an excellent job peeling away the layers. He does a good job explaining how and where things went wrong in his article. This story will help you understand the Iowa Scandal, the technology available to track bets and people, or if just looking for a deeper understanding.
Other news…
Harrah’s Columbus, Nebraska will open its doors on May 13. The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission approved last week the date of the first permanent casino in the state. There are three other temporary casinos that operate.
PrizePicks has also hired former Turner Sports executives Renee White and Phil Sherwood, former Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health Communications Officers and the former Bleacher report and Warner Brothers Discovery executive Phil Sherwood to serve as Senior Director of Responsible Gaming.
Ontario is concerned about a casino scam which has spread across Canada. Casino Rama is advertising social media on behalf of WinSpirit Casino in Curacao, which is linked to Casino Rama. The province isn’t regulating this casino. The provincial police has warned customers not to fall for any fraudulent gambling advertisements.
Live! and DraftKings are collaborating to open the third edition of “Sport & Social”, on May 9, 2009. Hospitality and Entertainment. Columbus will host the new sports bar/restaurant. There will not be any teller kiosks or windows, but DraftKings’ odds and wagering options can be accessed via the DraftKings app. It will feature a media wall measuring 37 feet and 20 HDTVs.
ICYMI for iGB
NHL Coyotes Leave Arizona What will happen to the event betting license?
Alabama’s gambling expansion is in a hurry
Arkansas Casino tries a new approach for online gambling statewide
Churchill Downs, Inc. posts record revenue for the quarter despite falling profits
Penn is much more than ESPN.
