Trending Positive
Trending Positive
Missouri's sports betting ballot initiative chances improve as election day nears. Smoke-free casinos gaining support.
The Bulletin Board
NEWS: Missouri sports betting initiative trends positive as election day nears.
QUICK HITTER: The AGA has a more tepid response to sweepstakes.
LOOSE ENDS: WSOP suspends bracelet winner; GG + WSOP; New iCasino app in PA; RSI’s new SGP product; Quote of the Week.
VIEWS: Stop dragging your feet; make all casinos smoke-free.
NEWS: PHAI files a lawsuit against the Mass Gaming Commission, claiming that anonymized customer data collection is mandated by MA law.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: The Pundit meets the Analyst.
STRAY THOUGHTS: I’m packing my bags for the Misty Mountains.
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Hopes Rise for Missouri Sports Betting
Tuesday is election day, and the biggest item on the gambling universe's agenda is the Missouri sports betting ballot initiative, the industry’s last hope to expand the online betting landscape in 2024.
Recent polling is trending positive, with Cleveland.com reporting:
“The latest poll from Emerson College of 850 ‘likely voters’ taken from Sept. 12-13 shows 52% are in favor of amending the constitution to allow for legalized sports betting. There is a +/- 3.3% margin of error attached to that poll, so it’s going to be close either way.”
Another positive signal was the opposition side pulling its ads in the election's final weeks. Caesars is heading up the opposition side, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment, funneling $14 million into the group’s coffers.
The support side, which includes FanDuel, DraftKings, and other commercial operators, has spent more than $40 million to convince Missourians to vote yes on Amendment 2, making it the most expensive ballot initiative in Missouri history.
And just for good measure, there has also been a late spate of high-profile endorsements:
Quick Hitter: The AGA’s Passive Opposition to Sweepstakes
The Indian Gaming Association’s New Normal hosted its third of five webinars on sweepstakes yesterday. This time, Chris Cylke, the senior vice president of government relations for the American Gaming Association, joined Victor Rocha and Jason Giles.
My roundups of Episode 1 and Episode 2
Unlike the first two installments, Cylke took a more measured approach to the conversation, and if we read between the lines of his statements, at least some AGA members are interested in the vertical.
According to Cylke, “The only reason many of these operators are in the sweepstakes space is because they don’t have any skin in the game, other parts of their company aren’t in jeopardy, and they don’t have any licenses to lose.”
AGA members don’t have that luxury and can’t take that risk. What Cylke and the AGA want is clarity and legal certainty, regardless if it means sweepstakes are legal or illegal.
Still, Rocha believes the commercial and tribal industries are united:
Two nuggets from the conversation:
Cylke didn’t trash the SAFE Bet Act and said the one real positive is it provides an opportunity to have a conversation at the federal level.
On what happens with sweepstakes, Rocha said, I think you’re going to see another Black Friday, and California is going to be at the forefront of it. Reminder: Payment processors were at the center of Black Friday.
Loose Ends: WSOP Suspends Bracelet Winner; GG + WSOP; New iCasino App in PA; RSI’s New SGP; Quote of the Week
WSOP bracelet winner suspended over RTA allegations: Michigan online player Kevin Ruscitti had his WSOP.com account suspended following an online bracelet victory. According to Poker.org’s Haley Hintze, Ruscitti’s account was suspended after “other Michigan players reported in-game playing decisions that matched to inputs found within GTOWizard's Fair Play tool.” Ruscitti confirmed the suspension but denied using any real-time assistance tools.
GG Poker finalizes acquisition of WSOP: Caesars has completed its sale of the World Series of Poker to GG Poker parent company NSUS. The $500 million deal ($250 million in cash and a $250 million promissory note) includes branding and hosting rights for Caesars B&M properties: “Caesars retains the right from NSUS to host the flagship WSOP live tournament series at its Las Vegas casinos for the next 20 years and will receive a license from NSUS to continue operating its recently upgraded WSOP Online real-money poker business in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future.” Three WSOP executives are moving over to NSUS’s WSOP subsidiary: Ty Stewart as CEO, Gregory Chochon as COO, and Erik Eidissen as Communications Manager.
Horseshoe online casino is up and running in its second and third states: Caesars Horseshoe online casino is now live in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, its second and third states following its launch in Michigan. Pending regulatory approvals, the new Caesars-related online casino brand is expected to launch in more locales, including New Jersey and Ontario.
RSI has a new SGP product: Rush Street is adding an extra boost to its SGPs via PropPacks. Per Rege Behe at CDC Gaming Reports, “Patrons who wager $10 or more on same-game parlays will randomly receive up to three PropPacks at no charge. If the NBA players on the PropPack score over the point totals on the card; bettors are eligible to win wagers.” There are three PropPacks tiers: bronze, silver, and gold. Gold cards have a potential maximum jackpot prize of $10,000 in bonus credits.
Quote of the Week: “It just made sense that the money from taxes will go to help schools. That’s a good thing, and people are going over the border to do it anyway. You might as well keep that money here in the state.” Clay County resident Ryan Ault on voting for Missouri’s sports betting ballot initiative
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We Need to Make Casinos Smoke Free Sooner, Not Later
Last week’s podcast featured Cynthia Hallett, the President & CEO of the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, who discussed the many reasons casinos nationwide should become smoke-free.
You can listen to the episode here.
There is growing support and interest in smoke-free casino environments, as evidenced by stories like this one from The Star-Ledger about a pregnant casino worker in Atlantic City who requested to work in a smoke-free section of the casino.
Per the Star-Ledger, “Bally’s, which did not respond to requests for comment, told the woman it will not grant her this accommodation because workers with asthma, etc., might request the same. Its HR rep, according to Smith, said such an act would place “undue hardship” on Bally’s.”
As The Star-Ledger opinion column said:
“She is 4½ months pregnant, and after losing three other pregnancies, this should be a blessed, magical time in her life.
“Instead, she is terrified, with good reason: Strangers blow smoke in her face eight hours a day as she deals cards at Bally’s Casino, her employer told her they’d rather have her take an unpaid leave than protect her, and the New Jersey State Legislature is cowered by the power and greed of an industry that doesn’t care about the toxic filth that workers have to inhale each day.”
Group Sues MGC for Failure to Provide Anonymized Betting Data
The Public Health Advocacy Institute, the group spearheading the federal SAFE Bet Act, has filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts Superior Court “to issue a Mandamus Order against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission citing the Commission's failure to meet its obligations under Section 97 of the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act.”
According to the PHAI, “Anonymized customer data collection is mandated under Massachusetts law, yet since creation of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission more than a decade ago, no data has been collected or shared.”
On my initial reading, the case seems pretty clear cut, as Section 97 reads in part:
“Notwithstanding any general or special law or rule or regulation to the contrary, a gaming establishment shall supply the Massachusetts gaming commission with customer tracking data collected or generated by loyalty programs, player tracking software, player card systems, online gambling transactions or any other information system.
“[…]
“The data shall retain information on player characteristics including, but not limited to, gender, age and region of residence, player behavior including, but not limited to, frequency of play, length of play, speed of play, denomination of play, amounts wagered and, if applicable, number of lines or hands played and characteristics of games played including, but not limited to, reel configuration, return-to-player or RTP, volatility index and denomination.
“The commission shall convey the anonymized data to a research facility which shall make the data available to qualified researchers for the purposes of: (1) conducting analyses that improve understanding of how gambling addiction develops and progresses; (2) developing evidence-based harm minimization strategies; and (3) developing evidence-based systems to monitor, detect and intervene in high-risk gambling.”
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Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
I'm very much in agreement with Joe Brennan here. Alfonso has been a go-to source for me (on social media) for years, and I'm glad to see him making a more permanent cyber home.
Also, iGamingAnalyst.com is a terrific domain name. It’s almost as good as iGamingPundit.com, yours truly’s website.
Stray Thoughts
“Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see… And baby, baby, baby, do you like it?” ~ Misty Mountain Hop, by Led Zeppelin