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Weekly News – 12/15/2020

Chris Altman
Chris Altman Sports Betting Expert
3 minute read

THE WEEK IN LEGAL SPORTS BETTING - DECEMBER 15TH, 2020

Best US Sportsbooks · Weekly Update

Now that we’re approaching the end of the year, we have lots of updates! States are still scrambling to have legal sports betting before the year is out.

CONTENTS

STATES LOOKING TO MAKE MOVES: COULD OHIO HAVE LEGAL SPORTS BETTING IN 2020?

Ohio may be on its way toward legal sports betting sooner than you thought! Though the sports betting legislation introduced in the state is not quite what sports bettors hoped for, it’s definitely a great start.

SB 111 was introduced to the Ohio legislature by Senators John Eklund and Sean O’Brien very recently. SB 111 would legalize both retail as well as Ohio online sports betting. However, the bill only entitles casinos to one mobile skin per license.

SB 111 is not a shoe in, though. The bill would have to pass out of committee as well as through both sides of the full chamber. In order to have legal sports betting in the state this year, this would have to happen pretty fast.

Senator Eklund has indicated that he is confident he has the support of Reps. Dave Greenspan and Brigid Kelly. So, it appears the bill is likely to pass any time soon, hopefully before the year is out.

COMING SOON: CONNECTICUT SPORTS BETTING COULD BE A REALITY

Connecticut has shown some positive steps toward sports betting legalization in 2021. Various local Connecticut news outlets covered the productive conversations between Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and CT’s two gaming tribes.

The governor has indicated that he is open to a sports betting model that would benefit the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Indigenous Peoples. This model would seek to give them control over the sports betting industry in the state. Lamont fears Connecticut being left behind when it comes to sports betting while surrounding states move forward with legalization. He does not want his state to miss out on this opportunity and revenue.

The incoming House co-chair of the legislature’s finance committee, Rep. Sean Scanlon, was blunt in his assessment of legal sports betting. He indicated he had no doubts that sports betting in the state would be legalized in 2020.

Another important step to note in the progress towards legal sports betting in Connecticut was taken by the Mashantucket Pequot. The Mashantucket Pequot announced DraftKings as its sports betting partner in the state.

ILLINOIS GRANTS ANOTHER EXTENSION

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker granted mobile authorization for Illinois sports betting for another month. This order offers Illinois residents an alternative to having to sign up in a casino — the typical procedure. However, with all of the state’s casinos ordered closed since November 17th, residents had no option to exercise this in-person registration requirement.

The state’s first full month of mobile betting took place in September and appeared to work successfully.

MICHIGAN FACES DELAYS

Many thought Michigan would see legal sports betting in 2020. However, it is all but certain that Michigan’s residents won’t be seeing iGaming or online sports betting until 2021 at the earliest.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board pushed for a December 2020 rollout, but it appears as of this writing that this date is too soon for a launch. The Michigan Gaming Control Board’s website now reflects this change by listing early 2021 as the official start date for legal Michigan online sports betting.

Hopefully, Michigan online sports betting will be live in time for the next Super Bowl. However, it’s not a safe bet just yet.

Michigan’s casino operators were especially hurt by the delay. All retail casinos have been ordered to close since November 17 due to the ongoing surge in the COVID-19 pandemic.

WEST VIRGINIA REACHES AN INTERESTING AGREEMENT

It looks like an agreement between Century Casinos and Rush Street Interactive will soon bring BetRivers to the West Virginia iGaming and sports betting marketplace. The partnership deal will run for ten years with the option to be extended for an additional ten. BetRivers Sportsbook is expected to launch in West Virginia as soon as the second quarter of 2021.

DRAFTKINGS MAKES MOVES IN TENNESSEE

Sports betting stalwart DraftKings has found another partnership for daily fantasy sports and sports betting. And, the news is coming in from Tennessee.

DraftKings Sportsbook has become an official sports betting operator of the NHL‘s Nashville Predators in addition to the official Daily Fantasy Sports partner in the state. Since Tennessee sports betting launched on November 1st, this is the first marketing agreement in the state for DraftKings.

Per this agreement, Draftkings provided betting lines will be featured in both pre-game as well as in-game radio spots.

CONCLUSION

Just because the year is fast coming to a close, does not mean the sports betting news is slowing down. Come back next week for another update on the recent developments in legal sports betting!

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can learn more about our author's expertise.

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Chris Altman

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
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