THIS WEEK IN SPORTS BETTING NEWS – DECEMBER 3RD, 2021

Chris Altman Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

NORTH DAKOTA MOVES TOWARDS LEGAL SPORTS BETTING

One of the most limited gambling markets in the US, North Dakota wasn’t high on anyone’s list for legalizing sports betting. However, there’s a shimmer of light behind the clouds in the Peace Garden State- legal sports betting is expected to be available in-person at Dakota Magic Casino.

The Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise (DNGE), a tribal entity located within the state, will allow the Dakota Magic Casino to offer in-person sports betting- hopefully by February 2022. This is occurring without the explicit permission of the North Dakota state legislature, but due to the nature of tribal compacts in the US, said permission is not required.

Though the DNGE is allowed to internally decide what bets may be available, this will only apply to tribal land. Once sports betting goes online in a given state, users are able to access platforms and bet whether or not they are on reservations or tribal casino properties, meaning that the state government has to get involved.

One particular case where this was troublesome was in Florida, where the Seminole Tribe offered bets for about a week before being shut down by a local judge. If North Dakotans want access to sports betting on mobile devices and computers, the decision will have to go to a vote in the legislature.

FANDUEL JOINS WYOMING MARKET

Nationally-recognized operator FanDuel has recently entered the market in Wyoming. They’ve received approval to start offering their platform from the Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission, the commission overseeing horse racing betting and other forms of gambling in the state.

They’re not expected to go live until 2022. When they do, they’ll join the ranks of other widespread national operators like DraftKings. Wyoming’s market is interesting in that it has no cap on available licenses, so the opportunity for competition is ripe there. We’ll keep you up to date on the latest with FanDuel’s launch in WY.

DAZN STREAMING WILL ENTER US MARKET

DAZN, a global sports streaming service, will enter the US market soon, and likely also get involved in the betting space. Primarily offering sports like boxing, snooker, and markets more popular in Europe, the streaming service is expected to expand and cover a majority of markets popular in the US.

Ian Turnbull, a former member of Amazon Web Services and gaming giant Entain, is now stepping into the role of Executive Vice President of Betting and Gaming. The mere existence of this role within DAZN is a clear indicator of the platform’s aims in the future.

The provider aims to be an “all-in-one-service”, which indicates to the keen listener that they plan to offer sports betting as well as streaming and stats, perhaps built into one app. Similar steps are being taken by a number of similar services like fuboTV, as streaming is becoming the main medium for consuming live sports and games in the US.

ONTARIO WILL OPEN SPORTS BETTING MARKET, EVENTUALLY

Ontario has been the market to watch ever since Canada legalized single-game wagers in August 2021. Other provinces in Canada are sticking to the lottery-run model wherein only one operator will provide the full scope of sports betting, but Ontario plans to open up the market to competition.

However, when that will actually take place remains to be seen. It’s been more than three months since Canada legalized single-game wagers through C-218, and Ontario’s Lottery and Gaming Corporation still doesn’t have a full plan in place for opening the market.

Other provinces have their eyes fixed on Ontario. If opening up the sports betting market to competition by offering licenses to commercial operators goes well, it’s more than likely that Ontario’s companions will follow suit. Another province to watch is British Columbia, which boasts the third highest population by province and is home to Vancouver, ranked one of the best cities in the world.

When Ontario does move forward with offering licenses to competing sportsbooks, you’ll be updated right here.

Written by Chris Altman, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can learn more about our author’s expertise here.

Chris Altman

Chris Altman is a sports betting writer and content expert with almost a decade of experience. He's covered everything, but his current focus is on reviewing sportsbooks and online casinos and keeping tabs on sports betting legislation. Chris has been with VegasInsider since 2019 and has freelanced in the sports betting content industry for years. More from Chris Altman