LSB Brief: Sports Betting Bills Seeing Action Across U.S. 2/16/2021

Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, and Kansas have all proposed sports betting legalization in 2021.
The Kindred Group has partnered with the Quechan Tribe in Arizona and California that would allow Unibet to launch a sportsbook if and when these states legalize industries.
5Dimes Sportsbook became more legitimate, having launched a licensed and regulated platform in the U.K.

ATLANTA – It’s all about the legislation for sports betting this week as a number of states across the country are introducing bills to legalize the industry.

Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, and Kansas have all introduced proposals to make sports wagering a legalized industry in their states. Each has taken a unique approach.

With that in mind, the Kindred Group has partnered with the Quechan Tribe in Arizona and California that would have Unibet open a sportsbook should these states make sports betting legal in 2021.

And on the other side of the globe, offshore sports wagering platform 5Dimes is making their way into a more legitimate business as they have entered the UK market as a licensed and regulated operator in the country.

Sports Gaming Legislation Talks In Multiple States For 2021

Alabama known to be a highly conservative state in regards to gambling expansions, is now one of the many states across the country considering legalizing sports betting. Senate Bill 214 can be seen as a huge gaming proposal because sports wagering isn’t the only thing it wishes to make legal.

On top of retail sportsbooks, the bill is seeking to have mobile sports betting platforms as well as having casinos and iGaming industries become part of the deal. A lottery has also been added to the list of requests within the bill that is currently under review in the Alabama Legislature.

Arizona has a set of companion bills to legalize retail and mobile sportsbooks for both Tribal and professional sporting organization venues in the state. House Bill 2772 and Senate Bill 1797 are currently being heard in the Arizona Legislature.

Pending further amendments to the legislation, there seems to be a favorable outlook for legal sports betting in Arizona in 2021 as Governor Doug Ducey has said he will back any legislation to legalize the industry that lands on his desk.

Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut has a bill to make sports wagering legal in the state that has been issued from his office. The Governor’s Bill would have Tribes in the state become eligible to offer land-based and mobile sportsbooks to the residents of Connecticut.

Esports, DFS, and iCasino applications are also named in the bill to become legal upon approval from the Connecticut General Assembly. Tribal establishments have already partnered with sportsbook operators making legal Connecticut sports betting in 2021 an almost sure thing.

The Georgia General Assembly is presently considering two bills for a legal sports wagering market in the Peach State. House Bill 86 and Senate Bill 142 both want to make mobile sports betting platforms a legal industry.

The House bill has been making moves while the Senate bill has not yet seen any progress. These proposals would make mobile sportsbooks legal in Georgia with the differences lying in the details.

The biggest example of this is the House bill not allowing for collegiate betting of any kind while the Senate bill has college wagers available for schools not affiliated with the state.

The Aloha State has sports gaming legislation open to discussions with the Hawaii State Legislature. House Bill 736 would allow for mobile sports betting to happen sporadically throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

Under this bill, the window for these mobile sportsbook applications would end in 2025, giving the state enough time to see whether or not a legalized Hawaiian sports wagering industry is worth making permanent.

The Illinois sports betting market is already a very lucrative legal sports betting market but there is a bill that hopes to expand upon the current offerings.

House Bill 0849 wants to add collegiate sports bets to the sporting events that can be wagered on. Lawmakers are discussing how much profit could be made with the inclusion of college sports, especially when it comes times for championship events like March Madness.

Sports betting in Kansas is something that Senate Bill 84 wishes to achieve in 2021. Both mobile and retail sportsbooks would be legal in the state should the bill receive passage. Kansas came very close in 2020 to making sports betting legal but the lack of iGaming in the bill was something that Governor Laura Kelly wanted to see put into the legislation.

However, lawmakers were not on board with that which ultimately led to the proposals of the year going nowhere. KS SB 84 does not include iGaming either which is sure to be talked about during the session in hopes of Kansas legal sports betting in 2021.

Kindred Group Gets Head Start In CA & AZ Sports Betting Markets

Kindred Group partnered with the Quechan Tribe in Arizona and California to set up for these states to eventually have a legal sports wagering industry. Unibet will gain entry into the markets of each state through this partnership if and when Arizona and California decide to make gambling on sporting events legal.

While California is not currently speaking on the topic, Arizona has bills being heard for legalization and if they come to fruition, Unibet will have the jump on the market because of this deal.

5Dimes Moving Toward Legitimate Business

The popular internet sportsbook 5Dimes has taken a step in the right direction to be more than an offshore sports betting platform.

The company has now opened in the UK to offer full-service sports wagers to residents as they have been licensed and regulated to do so in the country.

This is a huge step for the business that wishes to join the ranks of DraftKings and FanDuel one day. This is merely the first step in what is meant to be a complete transition into a sportsbook that can be regulated and operating in multiple countries.

What’s Next?

A subcommittee in Iowa will hold a hearing to discuss House Study Bill 200. This bill would make esports wagers and betting on sports-related activities like player awards open for action. Player prop betting is not something that has been a legal aspect of the Iowa sports betting market.

On Wednesday, the Arizona Appropriations Committee will discuss Senate Bill 1797, the companion bill to House Bill 2772. The Senate Commerce Committee held the bill over in its hearing last week. AZ SB 1797 would make retail and mobile sportsbooks legal in Arizona.

The Australian Open Semifinals and Finals for both men and women will be held this week and go all the way through the weekend. The biggest names in tennis will be competing for a chance to win. Sportsbooks have posted tons of bets on each matchup for the events that sports bettors can get some action in on.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.