Insight
UNITED STATES Sports-betting
US Sports-Betting Update AT A GLANCE Future of Sports Betting Bill in
Maine Uncertain l
New Hampshire Legalises Sports
Betting l
California Lawmakers Want
Sports Betting on 2020 Ballot l
Washington, D.C. Grants Intralot
Online Sports Betting Contract l
Growing Opposition to DOJ Wire
Act Interpretation in Congress l
New Jersey Makes Sports Betting
History l
Stars Group Inc Enters
agreement with Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort
State Tracker Maine
A bill to legalize sports betting has been held over by Gov. Janet Mills. The sports betting bill was among 39 that Mills decided not to act on, meaning that it will in all likelihood be held over until January when lawmakers are scheduled to return for their next regular session. The governor will use the time to scrutinise the bill more closely Mills said in a statement. Mills will have to sign or veto the bill, or have the Legislature recall it in order to make changes. “The Legislature has passed a significant number of bills this session, and I take seriously my constitutional obligation to thoroughly review all of them, evaluate their implications and
National Focus
Congress is now moving to block funding for enforcement of the latest interpretation of the Wire Act as put forward by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Te amendment, which has the backing of a wide number of congress members, seeks to effectively cut off any funding for the enforcement of the re-interpreted version of the Wire Act. Specifically the amendment reads: “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to enforce the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel Memorandum entitled ‘Reconsidering Whether the Wire Act
P28 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Applies to Non-Sports Gambling.” While the amendment was not called for a vote due to a technical error it is believed that it will be reintroduced.
Te news comes after a New Hampshire federal judge ruled that the Wire Act should only be applied to sports betting, rejecting the 2018 DOJ opinion which claimed the 1961 federal gambling law should cover all interstate online gambling.
New Jersey has made sports betting history by knocking Nevada from the top spot when it
comes to sports betting for the first time. Te state reported that its monthly sports betting handle came in at $318.9 in May - $1.5m more than the $317.4m in handle reported for the month in Nevada.
Te news comes after NJ Gov. Phil Murphy hailed the swift rise of the industry at the East Coast Gaming Congress earlier in June: “Today, we are staring straight into the possibility of something that would have been unthinkable 18 months ago. New Jersey, yes, New Jersey, can very soon and will very soon dethrone Nevada as the sports gaming capital of the US.”
State Tracker New Hampshire
New Hampshire has legalised sports gambling. Mobile betting as well as retail gambling at 10 locations will be allowed. Once in place the newly regulated industry is expected to produce an estimated $7.5m for education in 2021 and as much as $13.5m two years later meaning a huge windfall for the state. The state Lottery Commission will regulate the new industry. Governor Chris Sununu said: “We can do it with a lot of confidence because it’s being done responsibly, and it’s being done with an organization here at the lottery that just knows what they’re doing,” Sununu said. “They know how to get this stuff off the ground.”
Pro sports betting was always likely in 2019 with momentum gathering for legalised sports betting
decide whether they are in the best interest of Maine people,” Mills said. “I will continue to review these bills and gather more information, and I look forward to acting on them at the beginning of the next legislative session.”
The bill, L.D. 553 passed through the Senate by 19-15 and the House voted unanimously in its favour. According to the bill bets can be placed at physical locations – such as existing casinos or off-track betting parlours – or online via mobile apps. Licensed bricks and mortar facilities, such as casinos, will be taxed 10 percent, while mobile-only platform operators would pay 16 percent tax on their revenues if the bill is passed.
throughout the year. In February Sununu said that he supported the bill HB480 which would allow for a sports betting expansion in the state. The bill authorizes “the Lottery Commission to conduct sports betting directly or through an authorized agent via the use of mobile internet devices and through physical sports book retail establishments.”
State Tracker California
California voters could be asked next year to legalise sports betting. Two Democratic state lawmakers announced that they have introduced constitutional amendments so that Californians can have their say over the future of sports betting.
Sen. Bill Dodd and Assemblyman Adam Gray argue that money generated by legal betting could be spent on education, infrastructure and for programmes aimed at gambling addiction. In order for it to be part of the November 2020 ballot a two-thirds legislative vote would have to approve it first. A majority of voters would then have to approve an expansion of gambling in the state.
Under current rules the state allows for card rooms, tribal gaming and race tracks all of which have a vested interest in how sports betting develops in the state. Previously the California attorney general’s office approved the title and description for a potential sports betting amendment to the state constitution that would have been eligible to appear on the 2020
ballot if it gathered enough support by February 2019. However the California Sports Wagering Initiative did not get enough signatures to appear on the ballot. The measure would have allowed the California State Legislature to permit “licensed gambling establishments, such as card rooms, to conduct on-site sports wagering . . . and may result in authorisation of sports wagering on tribal lands because of federal law.” However it contained no provisions when it came to mobile or online sports betting.
State Tracker Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C. Council members have given Intralot the only contract to manage online sports betting and the lottery .The council voted 7-5 vote to approve the $215m contract which runs for five years with the Greek gaming giant to operate the city’s lottery and manage online and mobile sports betting in D.C. Intralot already operates the D.C. Lottery.
The awarding of the contract has caused considerable controversy as it was not opened for competition and gives Intralot the exclusive right to run a sports betting app that works across the city. In June during a public roundtable, some lawmakers argued that the District needed to give sports betting the green light quickly in order to beat Maryland and Virginia when it came to opening up the market. However both states have faced delays in passing sports betting bills leading Councilman Robert White, to ask for the process to be slowed down so that the sports betting contract could be up for tender.
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