Category Archives: Sports Betting

Interestingly, Maryland is going to have the most competition of any state in the country. The Senate of Maryland agreed to allow for an incredible 60 online mobile sportsbooks and 30 retail sportsbooks. Maryland sports betting was signed into legislation by Gov. Larry Hogan in May 2021. The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission approved regulations for sports betting on July 15th.

Maryland sports betting is expected to launch during the NFL season.

Although, there is no official date given from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission. The goal has always been to launch sports betting before the NFL playoffs start.

A better question is what sportsbook cant you use in Maryland? Maryland is prepared to have one of the most competitive sports betting markets in the United States.

Below is a list of who we know will be operating in Maryland. Expect almost every major sportsbook to gain market access in the Old Line State.

The market is going to be wide open in Maryland. This will surely bite into the industry leaders market share but it will be great for the bettor. Pricing and odds on any given market are going to be excellent. Be sure to take full advantage of as many promotions as you can!

It is suspected that these will be the top performers in the market:

BetMGM Sportsbook: BetMGM should be a major player in the state of Maryland. We all know how huge football season is in the sports betting industry. Well, BetMGM quickly locked up a sports betting partnership with the Baltimore Ravens. The strategic marketing that comes along with the Ravens is incredibly important. Expect BetMGM to be heavily featured in the state.

Caesars Sportsbook: Caesars was able to maintain access in Maryland through their casino in Maryland. Horseshoe Casino will have its very own retail sportsbook and mobile sportsbook to take bets from. Having both revenue streams of a major retail sportsbook at a popular casino as well as the mobile side is an important piece of the puzzle for Caesars.

FanDuel Sportsbook: We already know how big FanDuels market share is around the country. It is important to recognize how many sportsbooks there are. It is entirely possible that their handle is not as large as it is in other states. However, they should be able to get plenty of users based solely on their new user bonuses and promotions.

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Everything You Need To Know About Maryland Sports Betting | Eye On Annapolis - Eye On Annapolis

When legal sports betting debuts next month in Connecticut, itll be remarkable forwhos involved.

The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes,the casino duopoly, wont have it all to themselves.

The Connecticut Lottery Corp., the quasi-public agency whose contributions to state coffers have exceeded the casinos payments of slot-machine revenue in every fiscal year since 2012-13, will be a major player, authorized to operate up to 15 retail sports betting locations around the state as well as an online skin, or brand. Earlier this month, lottery officials announced partnerships with vendor Rush Street Interactiveand with Sportech, the states off-track betting operator.

The lottery will provide sports betting at 10 of Sportechs 11 existing brick-and-mortar locations, including Bobby Vs restaurants at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks and in Stamford, at Sports Haven in New Haven and seven other Sportech Winners locations around much of the state, including one at Sheas, a Manchester sports bar.

Two of thelottery's 15 sports betting locations must be located in Bridgeport and Hartford. None of them can be within 25 miles of the Mashantucket or Mohegan reservations.

For the state and lottery, the no-compete zones were a small price to pay for the tribes agreeing to abandon their demandfor the exclusive right to offer sports betting in Connecticut, a major concession that paved the way for negotiation ofa landmark gaming-expansion deal among Gov. Ned Lamont, the Mashantuckets and Mohegans.

"Yes, that was major," said Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket chairman, who acknowledged in an interview Friday that the lottery and Rush Street Interactive promise to be formidable competitors.

While FoxwoodsResort Casino and Mohegan Sun may be in a position to dominate online sports betting due to the databases they and their respective sports-betting partners DraftKings and FanDuel maintain, the lotterys network of outlets and retail sports-betting locations will be an advantage in competition for the retail market, Butler said.

They have the ability to make a lot of impressions, he said. Their retail locations will put them closer to the population in some places. If you consider the more than 2,000places where they sell lottery tickets, you just cant discount that theyre everywhere. And they dont have to maintain the infrastructure we do. They can plow more money into marketing.

Rob Simmelkjaer, chairman of the lotterys board of directors, agreed retail sports betting will be the lotterys strength. He said the Sportech locations and others the lottery has yet to select will put the lottery's retail sports betting operation within a 30-minute drive of 80%to 90% of the states residents.

Online, obviously, were going against two very well-established brands, he said, referring to the casinos. We expect theyll get off to a good start because of their databases. Theyll do well the first couple of years.

Over time, competition for the online sports-betting market, which generally accounts for 70% to 80% of all sports betting revenue, could intensify, Simmelkjaer said.

We expect in a market where there are only three operators (the lottery, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun), that people who are really into sports betting are going to try all three, he said. Each will get a chance to acquire a majority of the market. Itll come down to execution.

Bettors can decide which operator to bet with based on variations in the products and servicesthey offer, such as different odds, point spreads, returns and account-funding options.

Simmelkjaer said the lotterys Sportech locations will have a combination of multiple kiosks and at least one betting window with a teller. The number of tellers will be increased for certain events, such asbig NFL weekends. In locations like the Bobby Vs restaurants, the betting will be in cordoned-off areas. Some of the locations will serve food and beverages while others will not, as is now the case. He said the lottery is focused on establishing a Hartford location in the XL Center, formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center, and is considering several locations in Bridgeport, though not Sportechs Shoreline Star, a former greyhound track.

The lottery will seek proposals from other business people in the state for the three remaining retail sports-betting locations it has been authorized to operate. Simmelkjaer revealed Friday that the lottery will give preference to bidders from underrepresented groups, including minority-owned and women-owned businesses.

We will look at any response that comes in from outside the 25-mile radius (of each tribal reservation), he said. If its 26 miles, well look at it.

Both the lottery and the casinos are planning to launch their retail and online sports-betting operations at the same time, as soon as the U.S. Department of the Interior signs off on amendments to the tribal-state gaming agreements and the legislatures Regulation Review Committee approves new sports-betting regulations written by the state Department of Consumer Protection.

As of this past Friday, Butler, the Mashantucket chairman,was holding out hope that the approvals and the states licensing of operators would be secured in time for sports betting in Connecticut to debut Sept. 9, the day Tom Bradys Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL season opener.

On paper, it can still happen, Butler said.

But not if the Interior Departments Bureau of Indian Affairs, instead of taking action in the next week or so, grants approval by letting a 45-day review period expire, as it has done in some other cases.That period, which began July 27, ends Sept. 9.

The Regulation Review Committee is scheduled to vote on the regulations Aug. 31.

Simmelkjaer said he expects sports betting to launch by the halfway point of the NFL season at the end of October.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

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Connecticut lottery, tribes poised for three-way sports betting competition - theday.com

As legal sports betting is at the doorstep in Connecticut and is set to debut next month, the market will no longer be a duopoly in which the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes control the market. The competition will now be three-way, as the Connecticut Lottery Corp. will be another major player. This quasi-public agency was authorized to operate in as many as 15 retail sportsbook locations around Connecticut.

The lottery will provide visitors with sportsbook services at ten of the 11 Sportech brick-and-mortar facilities. Some of the locations that are included are Sports Haven (New Haven) and Bradley International Airport (Stamford and Windsor Locks). Seven additional Winners locations run by Sportech around the state, including a Manchester sports bar at Sheas, are also included.

Furthermore, Hartford and Bridgeport are two of the total of 15 venues where the lottery must set up shop, and none of them is allowed to be in the vicinity of Mohegan or Mashantucket reservations. That vicinity is 25 miles.

The no-compete zones were actually a small price that the lottery had to pay in order for tribes not to demand exclusive rights to sports betting in the state of Connecticut and that started the process of negotiating a deal between the Mohegans, the Mashantuckets, and Gov. Ned Lamont concerning landmark gaming expansion.

Rodney Butler, the chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, stated that this deal was major during a Friday interview and acknowledged the fact that Rush Street Interactive and the lottery will be fierce competitors on the market.

Connecticut Lottery Corp.s contributions have gone beyond the payments that casinos make for slot revenue in each fiscal year so far, starting from 2012-2013. The corporation will also have an online brand and, earlier in August, lottery officials formed partnerships with Rush Street Interactive and Sportech. Rush Street is a vendor, while Sportech is an off-track betting operator.

Even though online betting will likely be dominated by Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino thanks to the database that these two operators and DraftKings and FanDuel (their sportsbook partners) have, the lotterys advantage is that it has a network of land-based sportsbook locations and hence, it can come out on top for the retail market, according to Butler.

He added that the lottery has the potential to make many impressions as their brick-and-mortar locations will put them closer to the people in selected areas. The company sells lottery tickets at more than 2,000 locations and it can put more money into advertising, as it doesnt have to maintain the infrastructure.

The chairman of the board of the directors of the lottery, Rob Simmelkjaer, agreed on whats stated above and said the Sportech and other locations that the lottery will select will put the off-track betting operations by the company within a 30-minute drive to 80% to 90% of the residents in Connecticut.

Simmelkjaer acknowledged the fact that in the online betting market, the lottery will be against two well-established companies and that the lottery expects these operators to have a good start thanks to their database. He added that in the first couple of years, these betting operators will do well but, over time, the competition for this market, which is responsible for 70%-80% of the betting revenue, will intensify.

Furthermore, Simmelkjaer stated that in a market in which only three operators are offering sports betting services, betting fans will be more than open to try all three options and thus, each operator will get a shot at attracting more customers and thus, get a majority share on the market.

Based on the services that the three operators provide, like point spreads, odds, payment methods, and returns, bettors will be able to determine which operator meets their individual needs.

Speaking on the Sportech locations of the lottery, Simmelkjaer said that they will have at least one betting window and multiple kiosks. Certain big events, like NFL weekends, will be accompanied by a higher number of tellers. Betting will take place in special areas in locations such as Bobby Vs.

Additionally, some locations will offer food and drinks, but some will not. Currently, the lottery has a major focus on establishing an XL Center Hartford location. XL Center was previously known as Hartford Civic Center. It may also include several Bridgepoint locations, but not Sportechs Shoreline Star, which is a former greyhound track.

When it is all said and done, the lottery will have three more betting locations in Connecticut, which is why it will be open to proposals from business operators. According to Simmelkjaer, bidders that are coming from underrepresented groups, women-owned businesses and minority-owned businesses included, will have the advantage. He added that all responses that are outside of the tribal reservations 25-mile radius will be looked into.

Online and offline betting operations are likely to be launched at the same time by both the lottery and the casinos and that will be as soon as the amendments on the agreements of tribal-state gaming are signed by the U.S. Department of the Interior and as soon as the new regulations on sports betting, which are written by the Department of Consumer Protection are approved by the Regulation Review Committee.

Mashantuckets chairman was hoping that these approvals will be done by the start of the NFL season on September 9, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Dallas Cowboys. But, that wont be the case if the Department of the Interiors Bureau of Indian Affairs allows the 45-day review period to expire without comment. If that happens, which the agency has done previously, the desired scenario will not take place. The 45-day period began on July 27 and that means that it will end on the date of the NFL season opener.

The Regulation Review Committee will vote on these regulations on August 31 and Simmelkjaer expects wagering to be launched at the end of October, the NFL seasons halfway point.

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Connecticut's Sports Betting Competition Is Heating Up - GamblingNews.com

Everyone loves an underdog. Underdog stories inspire tales of greatness, heroics, and some of the bestand worstsports gambling losses of all time. With underdogs come long sports-betting odds and with long sports betting odds come massive wins with heartwarming stories and some massive losses that lead to real heartache.

There are hundreds of tall tales around the world of sports gambling. Everyone knows someone who hit it big or just missed out and has long-winded stories of what ifs. But this isnt about mythology.

BestOdds.com culled the legends and found 10 of the biggest longshot wins in sports betting history. To keep things simple and clear away the clutter, researchers focused on major news outlets to find inspiring, exhilarating, and breathtaking sports gambling stories that will leave you awestruck.

The next time you come across a longshot, remember these unbelievable stories. If you hit that parlay just right, youll have a chance of being added to this prestigious list of gamblers who simply defied the odds, and logic, for the greatest wins in sports betting history.

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Stories behind 10 of the biggest longshot wins in sports betting history - Grand Island Independent

Harrahs in New Orleans is already preparing to start taking wagers on sporting events

NEW ORLEANS You may soon be able to place a legal bet on your favorite sports teams like the Saints and LSU Tigers.

Last week, Louisiana gambling regulators approved emergency rules. They allow the states established casinos to file for sports betting licenses. Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns is hopeful sports betting can begin by mid to late September.

We want them up and running as quickly as we can, Johns said. Were behind the eight ball with Mississippi. Were a couple of years behind them. But I think we can catch up very quickly and so were going to move forward, but were going to do it in a very compliant way.

Harrahs in New Orleans is already preparing to start taking wagers on sporting events. It is now building out a space for a temporary sportsbook inside its downtown casino. General Manager Samir Mowad says Harrahs parent company Caesars Entertainment was first in line to submit a sports betting application with the state.

Our guess would be, assuming weve done everything the right way, filled the application out correctly and all that kind of thing that we could be taking first bets sometime in the next week, Mowad said.

For now, only Louisianas 15 riverboat casinos, one land-based casino and four racetracks can apply for a state sports betting license.

The state started taking applications on Monday.

You do the lion share of your revenue during football season, Mowad said. Its what drives all the excitement and the interest from the fans. You think, about LSU-UCLA coming on Labor Day weekend and then the Saints the week after that.

Voters in 55 of 64 parishes agreed to legalize sports betting on live-action games last fall. Lawmakers set up the framework to regulate and tax sports wagers in their most recent legislative session.

The interest has been phenomenal from the general public as to when can we do this, Johns said. Sixty-five percent of the people who voted in the state said that they wanted (sports betting). So, that's almost a 2-1 referendum. So, we're excited we're moving forward.

Soon, mobile wagering will also be allowed in Louisiana. Eventually, youll be able to download an app from casinos like Caesars and place your bet right over the phone or tablet. But it will only be allowed in the parishes where voters approved sports betting.

The geofencing is so advanced whereas you cross the parish line into the parishes that didnt approve it, the app will shut down, Mowad said. Youll be able to see things in the app, but you wont be able to place wagers.

Betting is also expected to eventually expand to bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. It will be supervised by the Louisiana Lottery.

There is no date yet as to when that will begin. Initially, legal bets will only be taken at the bricks and mortar casinos. Those interested in placing bets will have to be 21 or older. No bets can be placed on high school or youth sports events.

Athletes, coaches, and referees cannot bet on a sports event in which they are involved.

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Betting on your favorite team could happen soon in Louisiana - WWLTV.com

Thanks to the ruling of the Supreme Court in 2018, online sports betting is now licenced and regulated in Pennsylvania making it both safe and legal to enjoy having a wager in the state. The first online sportsbook in the state of Pennsylvania launched in May 2019 and we have since witnessed the introduction of several online sportsbooks for sports betting fans in the Keystone state.

If you would like to find out more about the selection of online sportsbooks available in Pennsylvania head to BettingGuide. You can select the United States by clicking on the flag situated at the bottom of the homepage and they provide details of the online sports betting in each state, including Pennsylvania.

Going into a little more detail regarding the legal sports betting bill of Pennsylvania, the bill allows wagering on both professional and college sporting events and must be 21 years old to legally have a wager. One of the many reasons why states across the US have decided to make online sports betting legal is because of the revenue it can bring via taxes. For example, online sportsbooks in Pennsylvania must pay $10,000,000 for a license fee and all revenue is taxed at 36%. At the time of writing, you will not find a higher tax rate for online sports betting anywhere else in the United States.

Some of the online sportsbooks currently operating in Pennsylvania have emerged from land-based casinos in the state. The SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia is a good example, and they used their casino to obtain a license to offer online sports betting via a mobile application. To provide a mobile sports betting experience, an operator must have a physical brick and mortar location partner.

At the time of writing, you will find over 10 different online sportsbooks available in Pennsylvania including FanDuel, BetRivers, FOXBet, Parx, Unibet, DraftKings, Caesars, SugarHouse, BetAmerica, and Barstool.

Much like the SugarHouse sports betting app, both FanDuel and DraftKings were well placed to launch their sports betting service as soon as it became legal in Pennsylvania. Both brands were already operating successful online fantasy sports businesses, and this has always been legal in the United States. As soon as it became possible to legally bet on sports in the Pennsylvania, FanDuel and DraftKings were quick to take advantage of the changes in legislation to offer their services to the online sports betting world.

Although it is possible to enjoy betting on most sports online in Pennsylvania, at the time of writing it is still illegal to bet on eSports. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board have said allowing betting markets on eSports does not meet with the legislatures intent of what constitutes a sporting event. However, this could soon be about to change as a bill has been set out to allow online eSports betting in Pennsylvania if the competitors in the event are at least 18 years old.

It will be interesting to see how the new bill regarding online eSports betting is monitored but, in the meantime, there is plenty to enjoy for online sports betting lovers in Pennsylvania.

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Everything You Need to Know About Online Sports Betting in Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania News Today

GREEN BAY, Wis. Wisconsin is officially a part of the regulated sports betting industry within the United States as a Tribal Gaming Compact for the Oneida Nation was given federal approval last week. The Oneida Nation received the green light to open sportsbooks at all of their locations statewide, with the Oneida Casino in Green Bay becoming the first venue on their list that will house a sports betting site. Unfortunately, this is not expected to take place until November.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) gave the Oneida Nation the go-ahead days ago, which means the tribe can open immediately. But, the Oneida Casino, who has not yet announced their service provider for a sportsbook, has said that the delay has to do with everything that is needed to open a sportsbook at their casino.

Mobile sports betting is not a part of the package when it comes to the sports gaming market in Wisconsin. It will be a retail-only industry. Regrettably, all of the necessary things needed for the Oneida Casino to open its sportsbook will take longer than expected to arrive and install at the facility, which is why their date has been pushed back.

They are now expected to have a November rollout of their retail sportsbook because of these delays. Everything else about the new market is ready to go live now. A launch to coincide with the 2021-2022 NFL season was the original plan, yet sadly, that wont pan out. If they are able to get the equipment earlier, sports bettors could see a sportsbook in Green Bay before November.

Although NFL betting for at least half of the season is out of the cards, this is a big step for Wisconsin as other tribes will now be able to expand their Tribal Gaming Compacts to open up regulated sportsbooks statewide. However, it does not look as though mobile sportsbooks will be happening any time soon. There has been talk that if this part of the industry does open up, it will need to be done on tribal grounds in order for platforms to be accessed.

The Wisconsin sports betting market should see a number of sport wagering locations pop up in 2022. Not just with the Oneida Nation but through other tribes as well. Annual revenue is projected to be in the millions of dollars range and Green Bay Packers fans are just waiting to place their first bets at a local sportsbook before the end of 2021.

News tags: Department of the Interior | Green Bay Packers | NFL | Oneida Casino | Oneida Nation | Wisconsin

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kartthe N64 version of course.

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Wisconsin Sports Betting To Roll Out In November - Legal Sports Betting

Last week, the US Department of the Interior finally gave its approval to the updated gaming compact that regulates tribal gaming offerings in the state of Wisconsin, paving the way towards legal sports betting there.

At the start of July, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and Gov. Tony Evers announced a deal that will allow the tribe to open sportsbooks at its properties, giving Badger State bettors hope that they might be able to place wagers on the upcoming NFL season before it ends.

This comes as a pleasant surprise to a state that has dragged its heels regarding legal sports gambling but, given that Wisconsin gamblers have already been pouring their money into sportsbooks that are available online in nearby Iowa and Illinois and offshore, its no wonder that state leaders have begun to make the shift towards regulating this lucrative market.

Part of that regulation involves keeping all bets strictly on native property.

One relative negative to this updated compact is that it only allows for sports betting on Oneida Nation property, bad news for major brands like DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, Barstool, and PointsBet.

But for Wisconsin bettors, at least now they will be able to place wagers on sports at Oneida gaming facilities using the Oneida Casino sportsbook, which will be accessible through kiosks and ticket windows and eventually through a mobile app that can be used within the casinos.

This includes the Main-Airport casino near the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport where a temporary sportsbook is being constructed near its sports bar, with the sportsbooks third-party operating partner set to be announced in the near future.

Except nothing can move forward there until all the physical parts of the operation arrive on location, and right now theres an inventory problem stalling the launch.

As is the case in any new venture, success depends on a multitude of parts coming together in a timely fashion, but in the case of the new sportsbook being set up on Oneida property, a missing piece of physical equipment has yet to be delivered.

Thats according to Louise Cornelius, general manager of Oneida Casino Gaming, who said in an email:

A component backorder is delaying the launch.

Once the Main Street Casino sportsbook receives its operating systems and equipment, sports bettors in Americas Dairyland can begin placing bets on the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and on out-of-state Big Ten, Big East, and other college events as well as on major awards programs such as the Oscars (theyd be one of the first sportsbooks in the country to do that).

If all goes according to plan, expect regulated sports betting on Wisconsins Oneida Nation property to launch sometime before the end of 2021, just in time to catch the most popular part of the upcoming NFL season, the playoffs, and the Super Bowl.

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Wisconsin Compact Approved, Sports Betting on Tribal Lands - World Sports Network

Despite COVID shutdowns, a total of $21.52 billion was wagered legally on sports in the U.S. in 2020, about twice what was bet on horse racing, and the gap will be even greater this year and for years to come. Sports betting is growing exponentially and an argument can be made that some of its success is coming at horse racing's expense. It's surely siphoning off dollars that otherwise might be available to racing's pari-mutuel pools and it has to be drawing existing and potential customers away from racing.

Yet, at last week's Racing & Gaming Conference in Saratoga, NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke made the surprising statement that sports betting represented a once-in-a-generational opportunity for our sport.

He may just have a point.

The primary difference between betting on sports and racing is that sports bets are based on fixed odds and racing uses a pari-mutuel system. That's not a problem when it comes to on-track bets or bets made through an ADW. But the pari-mutuel system doesn't work for the bookmakers now taking sports bets legally, most of them online. That's why popular gambling websites such as bet365.com offer bets on every sport imaginable, that is, other than horse racing. There's the four major sports, soccer, golf, tennis, even darts and handball.

If these same online websites were to begin taking bets on racing, O'Rourke said racing would have an unprecedented opportunity to grow its customer base.

With sports betting you have, literally, every other sport on these platforms, he said. To put racing side by side with those sports, we think that is a winning combination. It just opens up our customer base, 10 times, 20 times. It's an incredible opportunity and we look forward to that.

The first step toward solving the problem is for horse racing to adopt the fixed odds system. That doesn't mean the end of pari-mutuels, which will always be necessary for exotic bets. It does mean creating an alternative pool where the odds are set and they do not change after a gambler has placed their bets. Without fixed odds, racing will never benefit from the growth of sports wagering.

Were there fixed odds bets available for Saturday's GI Alabama S. at Saratoga, a player may have been able to bet on Malathaat (Curlin) to win at odds of, say, minus 180. That means someone would have to wager $180 on her to win $100. Maracuja (Honor Code) would have been something like plus 650.

Fixed odds are what the sports bettor knows. They'll never understand or embrace a system where they might bet on a horse at 8-1 only to see it go down to 6-1 at post time and then plummet to 7-2 in the middle of a race. But the players, looking for action, may very well be happy to make a fixed odds bet on a Belmont or Santa Anita race during halftime of an NFL game or throw a bet on the GI Runhappy Travers S. into a parlay that includes a bet on the Yankees to win and the over-under on a Dodgers-Giants game.

This is why the legalization for fixed odds betting in New Jersey is an important first step. There are a lot of details that remain unclear, particularly when it comes to who will be allowed to offer the bets. We do know that there will be on-track fixed odds betting and it may also be available through TVG's 4njbets.com, the only ADW allowed to take wagers in the state. But bets through those two platforms don't figure to do anything more than shift existing pari-mutuel bets from one pool to another.

It will likely take some time and there are plenty of hurdles to clear, but look for BetMakers, the company hired by Monmouth to operate its fixed odds system, to cut deals with large bookmaking firms like bet365.com, FanDuel and DraftKings.

Dennis Drazin, who heads the management team that runs Monmouth Park and who has been instrumental in pushing through fixed odds bets in New Jersey, sees a future where every conceivable website and betting app will include the option to bet on racing. But he also fears that the sport may shoot itself in the foot. New Jersey has already had an experiment with a form of fixed odds wagering with the Betfair betting exchange. It never caught on and the plug was pulled in September of 2020. One of Betfair's problems was its inability to secure agreements with the top-tier tracks to add their races to its betting menu.

If not everybody gets on board, that would be bad for racing, Drazin said. It will be like exchange wagering, where we were able to get some B signals or C signals but not the A tracks, like NYRA, the Stronach tracks, the Kentucky signals. We need to have those signals. If we are not able to offer the top tracks, I'm not sure how successful this will be. We can't have everybody scared to do this because they think fixed odds wagering will cannibalize the other pools. That's going to be a problem.

One can only hope that the industry will give fixed odds wagering a chance to make it. This is a sport where betting has been stagnant for years and, when factoring in inflation, has dropped significantly since handle hit its peak in 2003 at $15.1 billion. That's a huge problem. Whether they work or not, it's time to try new things to improve handle on the sport. Can we get the sport bettor to start placing bets on Monmouth, Saratoga, Del Mar? If done right, if embraced by the entire industry and marketed, sports betting could well be the way out of our sport's wagering malaise.

Honoring Secretariat

There is no more GI Secretariat S. at Arlington Park. The name of this year's running was changed to the Bruce D. S., a race that is unlikely to be run again because of the inevitable closing of the Chicago track. That means that the sport no longer has a major race named in honor of the GOAT. That can't be.

My idea is to rename the GI Belmont S. the Secretariat and to do so for the 2023 running, the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic 31-length romp in the Belmont. Ok, that's never going to happen, but NYRA should still fill the void and name a race in honor of Secretariat. He was a New York horse and there should be a New York race named for him.

Limiting the list to races he won in New York, the best candidate is the GI Hopeful S. Secretariat won that in 1972, so next year's running is the 50th anniversary of that win. Naming the race after the greatest horse ever to step foot on a New York track would be a fitting honor.

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The Week in Review: Sports Betting May Not Be the Enemy After All - Thoroughbred Daily News

North Carolina lawmakers advanced a statewide mobile sports betting bill Thursday, a major step toward legal online wagering in the state.

The North Carolina Senate voted, 26-19, to pass the bill, which will allow as many as 12 operators to offer mobile sports betting in the state. The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives.

A companion bill has lingered in the House for months with little action as the Senate steadily advanced the legislation through multiple committees and several revisions. The Senate and House must pass identical versions of the bill before it can pass the General Assembly.

The Senate advanced the bill, 26-21, in a perfunctory vote Wednesday.

Though the bill earned final passage with bipartisan support, some lawmakers remain opposed to gambling in any form. Outside religious and anti-gambling groups have also publicly opposed the bill.

The Senate bill would permit between 10 and 12 online sportsbooks. Operators would be taxed at 8% gross gaming revenue, which would be one of the lowest rates in the country.

Eligible bettors age 21 and up can register, deposit and wager from anywhere within state lines without having to complete registration in person. Bettors could wager on in-state college programs as well as certain eSports events, as approved by regulators.

Owners of the NFLs Carolina Panthers, NBAs Charlotte Hornets and NHLs Carolina Hurricanes could also open sportsbooks in or adjacent to their respective stadiums. The host of a PGA Tour event could also open a book.

The low tax rate would further intensify what would be highly-coveted licenses.

Operators such as FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM the nations three largest operators by market share would likely highlight interested applicants. All three also operate sportsbooks in neighboring Virginia and Tennessee.

Caesars, which operates the states two lone retail sportsbooks at the Harrahs Cherokee Casino Resort and Cherokee Valley River, respectively, would also be allotted an online sports betting license as a tribal betting partner.

The license allotted to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians would not count against the 10-to-12 operator cap.

The Catawba Indian Nation, which recently opened the states third casino, could presumably also apply for a tribal mobile sports betting license, though it doesnt yet have a retail sportsbook operator partner.

The House must now consider the sports betting legislation before it can become law, a process that could take several more weeks. The Senates House companion has gained little traction, but sports betting proponents hope the Senate vote will spark momentum forward.

Backers will still have to overcome House lawmakers opposed to gambling in any form. Supporters have pitched legal sports betting to reticent legislators as a way to capture revenue from the current black market.

If passed out of the Republican-controlled General Assembly, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper would still have to sign the bill into law before legal wagering could begin.

Each sportsbook would also need to pass state regulatory approval, a process that would take several months, so even a 2021 legislative passage would mean a likely 2022 sports betting launch.

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North Carolina Sports Betting Bill Passed by Senate - The Action Network