LSB Brief: Sports Betting Actions & Transactions Nationwide

• Florida has not yet been approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior to regulate sports betting but they have already been hit with their first lawsuit on the subject.
• Connecticut is gearing up for a launch of their sports gaming market in the 2021 NFL season and now DFS will continue to be a part of the package with FanDuel and DraftKings receiving temporary licenses.
• Washington, DC’s sports wagering provider Intralot for the DC Lottery’s GambetDC platform is being audited as many discrepancies have been found.
• Arizona Department of Gaming held a second public window for the rules and regulations of its sports betting industry with a launch of sportsbooks pushed back to the Super Bowl in 2022.

NEW YORK – With the 2021 NFL season right around the corner, sportsbooks, and sports betting industries nationwide are scrambling to take action in order to get some action in time for football game wagering.

Across the United States, moves are being made to either expand or launch sports gaming markets that will be able to go live by the kickoff for the National Football League or at least by the Super Bowl in February 2022.

What’s Happening Across The U.S. In Sports Betting

Florida is currently awaiting the approval of the U.S. Department of the Interior to make sports betting a regulated market in the Sunshine State through the Seminole Tribe of Florida. However, the state has already been hit with the first of what is being said to be many lawsuits to stop sportsbooks from going live. The lawsuit and those to occur in the future maintain that Floridians should be able to vote on a sports gaming industry, as is the rule within the Constitution of Florida when it comes to gambling expansions of any kind.

The main issue appears to be with the aspect of mobile sports betting which has not yet been fully addressed. Those against the Florida sports betting market do not believe statewide access to mobile sportsbooks should be available. In all likelihood, any mobile sports betting platform would be available on Seminole grounds only rather than anywhere in the state although online gambling on sporting events would be accessible statewide through tribal parimutuel websites.

Connecticut is nearing a regulated sports betting market with a launch slated for the NFL season. The biggest news surrounding the state this week has been whether or not DFS would still be allowed to be active once sports gaming was implemented as official law because there was no language within the Tribal Gaming Compacts to allow for it.

However, both DraftKings and FanDuel will remain DFS platforms in Connecticut, receiving temporary licensure through September 30, having made deals with the tribes that will lead to a permanent presence for DFS fans in Connecticut in the future.

In Washington, DC, sports betting endeavors are turning out to be a big flop for the District’s first year of business. Intralot, the sports gaming service provider for GambetDC has been audited.

It’s been found that the company has not held up its end of the contract with the DC Lottery where they are supposed to provide local businesses with at least 35% of their subcontracting needs.

Instead, they’ve done less than 1% of local subcontracting and five of the seven reported services used were actually connected to Intralot, which is against the laws of sports betting as they were funneling money back into their own company.

And last but not least, Arizona sports wagering is still trying to get its rules and regulations in order this week. The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) posted its second draft of rules and regulations for its sports betting market on Wednesday for public opinion.

This should be the last time that such a window is allowed and the rules for the Arizona sports betting industry will be finalized. Once that’s done, operators can begin to receive licenses and it is the hope of the ADG to launch sportsbooks while the 2021 NFL season is still being played.

Other Notable Happenings This Week For Sports Betting

DraftKings Sportsbook made headlines twice this week. Firstly, the company is being sued for patent infringement by gaming provider Winview in the District Court of New Jersey.

The suit claims that DraftKings took both the geolocation and live-in game betting technology patents from the company to use on their sportsbook platforms. The second headline for DraftKings was their MLB partnership expansion, which funnily enough includes live-stream MLB wagers through all of their applications.

New York mobile sports betting was delayed as far as receiving applications for licensure because the deadline for the rules of the industry was not met. Now, operators were given until January to apply for mobile NY sportsbook licenses. This kicks New Yorkers out of wagering with state-affiliated mobile sportsbooks for the entire NFL season.

Mainers are still waiting to hear the outcome of Governor Janet Mills‘ decision for regulating a sports betting industry in the state. Mills has not yet approved or vetoed LD 1352.

However, she vetoed a sports gaming last year so it’s very possible she could do the same in 2021. There is no word yet as to which way she will decide on regulated sports wagering and the Maine Legislature is currently in recess.

And Marylanders who were excited to bet on the NFL with Maryland’s local sportsbooks will also need to put that idea to bed as rules and regulations took too long to be approved.

The best that residents can hope for is a launch of the sports gaming industry by the Super Bowl in 2022.

News tags: Arizona | Arizona Department of Gaming | Connecticut | Constitution of Florida | DC Lottery | DraftKings | FanDuel | Florida | GambetDC | Intralot | Janet Mills | LD 1352 | Maine | Maine Legislature | Maryland | MLB | New York | NFL | Seminole Tribe of Florida | Super Bowl | U.S. Department of the Interior | Winview