X Gon' Give It To Ya
A look at BetMGM's exclusive sports betting deal with X (Twitter), including several questions and whether or not it can move the proverbial needle.
The Bulletin Board
NEWS: BetMGM has inked a deal with X (Twitter) that will make it the exclusive sports betting partner of the social media platform.
LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP: Hawaii gambling bills on the move; a new sports betting bill in Oklahoma; push begins for mobile betting in Nebraska.
NEWS: California tribes wade into the DFS 2.0 debate.
BEYOND the HEADLINE: PrizePicks will stop offering paid contests in NY.
QUICK HITTER: A look ahead to the 27th East Coast Gaming Congress.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: (Another) great poker debate.
STRAY THOUGHTS: The wisdom of ancient Greece.
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BetMGM + X = ?
BetMGM has announced a “strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform’s exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner.”
What does that mean? BetMGM’s odds and branding will be integrated into X, “with each game linking to BetMGM’s website and app,” creating a seamless transition from the odds interface on X to the BetMGM app. Or, more simply put, BetMGM odds will display on X, and users can click through to the BetMGM app.
The deal will undoubtedly put more eyeballs on the BetMGM brand. But there are also questions:
How much is this costing BetMGM?
Will it drive new downloads/signups?
How much direct betting will the deal create, and is it measurable?
How will X users feel about the branded odds?
X CEO Linda Yaccarino gave us a look at what the integration will look like:
Chris Shreeve, a sports betting app developer, called it “a really intriguing partnership” with the potential to be a “home run.”
Shreeve noted that despite a crowded app landscape, none have the reach of X, particularly when it comes to sports and betting.
” Now, BetMGM will have their branding and live odds within X, which is where sports fans go to share real-time takes, rant about bad calls by refs, and talk trash into the void of the internet,” Shreeve said. “All jokes aside, X is still a platform frequented by millions of users, and every major sporting event trends within the app.”
Legislative Roundup: The latest out of Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Nebraska
The Hawaii House Economic and Development Committee passed two gaming bills last week. One (HB 2762) would bring a land-based casino to Hawaii, and the other (HB 2765) would legalize mobile betting.
Oklahoma has another new sports betting bill following the introduction of SB 1434 by State Sen. Casey Murdock. The bill is based on Gov. Kevin Stitt’s plan, which went over like a lead balloon in December. Under the plan, Oklahoma tribes would have the ability to offer retail betting, while the Lottery would hand out mobile betting licenses to virtually anyone.
FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars are teaming up with Ho-Chunk, the developmental arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, to gauge interest in bringing online sports betting to Nebraska. If the poll demonstrates support, the group could make a push to place online sports betting on the November ballot.
CNIGA Calls DFS 2.0 “Illegal Sports Wagering”
California is one of the states looking into the legality of DFS 2.0 products following a request from State Sen. Scott Wilk in October 2023. It’s unclear how or when the Attorney General will come down on the issue, but the number of entities lining up against DFS 2.0 is growing.
As reported by Legal Sports Report, a January 31 letter from California Indian Nations Gaming Association (CNIGA) Chairman James Siva sent to California AG Rob Bonta states:
“The State has not yet taken any actions against or made any determinations regarding the legality of the operation of Pick’em Games within the State.
“However, even assuming fantasy sports wagering is legal under the laws of the State, the Pick’em Games offered by major operators of said games, such as Underdog Fantasy and PrizePicks, do not qualify as lawful fantasy sports or contests but illegal sports wagering.”
Even though they have no involvement, Siva couldn’t resist throwing some shade at California cardrooms, telling Play USA’s Matthew Kredell, “It’s both surprising and concerning that the attorney general moved so quickly for comments on fantasy sports when the tribes have been asking for decades for comments on the illegal games at cardrooms.”
While likely unrelated, it didn’t escape my notice that CNIGA’s opposition to DFS 2.0 comes after DraftKings, FanDuel, and other operators opposed the recently withdrawn sports betting efforts in California.
As I said then, “The enemy of my enemy situation may help mend some of the fences torn down during the 2022 initiative battles that turned ugly very early on.”
Beyond the Headline: PrizePicks Pulls the Plug in NY
PrizePicks is pulling the plug on its paid contests in New York “due to recent updates in the licensing rules by the New York State Gaming Commission.”
In an email sent to customers, PrizePicks said it would cease offering paid contests on Wednesday at 11:59 PM. In their stead, PrizePicks will offer its new free-to-play game.
Legal Sports Report has the full story.
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Quick Hitter: 27th ECGC Has a Strong Speaker Lineup
The 27th Annual East Coast Gaming Congress is scheduled for April 17-18 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. As is typically the case with the longest-running gaming conference in the US, anyone who’s anyone will be there.
Among the keynote addresses:
James Allen, Chairman, Hard Rock International & CEO, Seminole Gaming
David Cordish, CEO & Chairman, The Cordish Companies
Tim Drehkoff, CEO, Rush Street Gaming
Soo Kim, Chairman, Bally’s Corporation
Bill Miller, President & Chief Executive Officer, American Gaming Association
Ray Pineault, CEO, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment
Thomas Reeg, CEO, Caesars Entertainment
Anna Sainsbury, CEO & Co-Founder, GeoComply
Jay Snowden, CEO & President, Penn Entertainment
There will also be panel discussions on topics from online gambling to lotteries to investments.
You can find out more about ECGC here.
Around the Watercooler
Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.
Should poker players be allowed to mask at the table? That’s the question being debated on Poker Twitter, thanks to a Phil Hellmuth tweet.
Opinions vary. Rob Yong is in the Hellmuth camp.
Others have pointed out that poker players have concealed their faces with everything from hats to sunglasses to scarves to hoodies to their hands. That makes drawing hard lines at medical masks quite tricky, as some of the responses to Yong indicate.
Stray Thoughts
“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” — Heraclitus
As much as we all want to be the ONE, we should be thrilled to be one of the nine and are likely among the 80.