The Weekender: OSB Updates in CA and MO; Return Of The C-Word
Missouri's sports betting ballot initiative picks up steam. Is the sweeps fight good for online gambling. Land-based and online revenue trend in opposite directions.
The Bulletin Board
ABOVE the FOLD: A look at the three biggest stories of the week.
— Can the sweepstakes fight accelerate California sports betting?
— Sports betting is trending positive in Missouri.
— Revenue numbers show land-based and online trending in opposite directions.
HOUSEKEEPING: A look at recent podcasts, featured articles, and more from yours truly.
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Are Sweepstakes Online Gambling Supporters Best Friend?
California tribes are planning a sports betting push in 2026 or 2028, with the latter date being more likely. At the same time, California’s tribes have declared war on sweepstakes operators, whom they claim are illegally operating in the state.
On Thursday (when I posted four California news notes), I asked if that might speed up legalization efforts, putting 2026 in play:
“The presence of sweepstakes sportsbooks and casinos could spur tribes into action, perhaps sooner than they originally planned. Yes, they could wage an expensive battle to try to rid California of sweepstakes sites, or alternatively, tribes could fill the current mobile sports betting vacuum themselves.”
Missouri Sports Betting: More Likely Than Not
The polling data and the overall mood on the ground point to a positive outcome for Missouri’s sports betting ballot initiative.
“The opposition to Missouri’s sports betting ballot initiative, the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment, canceled $1.2 million of ads in the weeks leading up to the election.”
The opposition side said their ads were “closing the gap,” but they were going to put the money elsewhere. To which I asked, “If the ads were effective, and the vote is “margin of error close,” why would you stop running them?”
The Cannibalization Fights Aren’t Going Away
Not too long ago, I argued that the word cannibalization should be put out to pasture.
However, my wishes are unlikely to come true, as the evidence from online casino states (which I reported on Monday) shows land-based and online revenue trending in opposite directions, as seen in the following two charts.
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Housekeeping
The Forecast is a premium service that provides quarterly reports and weekly updates on the US online gambling sector. I created it specifically for individuals and organizations interested in an unbiased, clear-cut assessment of the landscape.
It will launch in November, costing $2,600 annually (just $50 per week).
Reach out here for more details or to register your organization for The Forecast.
PODCASTS:
This week’s guest on the Talking Shop Podcast was Cynthia Hallett, the President and CEO of the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, one of the groups trying to end indoor smoking at casinos. The chat was very informative and poked many holes in the current belief that smoking bans will be bad for the casino business.
COLUMNS:
This week’s featured column revisits one of the hottest topics in the gambling sphere: Sweepstakes. In the column, I look at the arguments for and against sweepstakes and offer some thoughts on how the battle might conclude.
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Whether you’re looking for market research, want to raise your brand awareness, or are trying to develop responsible gaming strategies, Steve can help with honest, balanced, no-nonsense analysis of the situation.
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Reach out for more information: Straight to the Point Consulting.