The Week In Sports Betting News: Waiting On Launcb In Connecticut – Legal Sports Report

Happy Monday, everyone. There could be some exciting sports betting news coming this week as another state approaches its first legal bet.

Connecticut is one of many states in a rollout phase this football season. Maryland and Louisiana continue to move toward launches while Arizona is still trying to get all of its operators live.

As always, keep an eye on @LSPReport on Twitter for any breaking news and updates.

The launch of online Connecticut sportsbooks is less than two weeks away, but a retail launch is likely to happen first.

The two tribal casinos are allowed to launch retail betting before the states official start date of Oct. 7. That is the case only once their amended compacts are published in the Federal Register, though.

That happened for the Mohegan Indians earlier this month. The Mashantucket Pequots updated compact was published in Mondays edition.

According to a spokesperson from Gov. Ned Lamonts office, it should take about a week to get everything in line for a tribal retail launch. That means the Mohegan Indians and partner FanDuel Sportsbook should be ready to take bets already.

Foxwoods and DraftKings Sportsbook, meanwhile, could get a couple of days of retail betting under their belts next week before the online launch next Thursday.

PlaySugarHouse will be the third and final online brand in the state. Rush Street Interactive won the bid to partner with the Connecticut Lottery.

The Ohio Senate thinks it has the right plan for sports betting in the Buckeye State.

The most recent proposal for Ohio sportsbooks was attached to a voter ID bill. It already passed the House, but that chamberrejected the proposed amendments related to sports betting after the Senate passed them in June.

Now, the Senate is insisting on those amendments, which should lead to a conference committee.

The Ohio legislature runs through the end of December so there is still time to pass a bill.

After tough sledding around the US sports betting industry through July, Nevada will report Thursday whether its sportsbooks bounced back in August.

Handle fell 25% in July compared to June, but the $409.7 million bet still set a record for the month. Sports betting revenue also set a July record with $33.3 million.

So far, 12 jurisdictions reported their August results. Total US handle reported from August is $1.6 billion so far, up 11.2% from July. Revenue remains sluggish, down 9.3% to $125.3 million.

Elsewhere, Station Casinos is in hot water with Nevada regulators. The operator allegedly took 348 bets on completed events over a three-year span.

DraftKings came off the top rope with a $22 billion bid for Entain, the 50-50 joint venture partner of MGM Resorts in BetMGM.

DraftKings offered a 46% premium on Entains Sept. 20 closing price with an offer of 2,800 pence per share. UK-based Entain rejected an initial offer of 2,500 pence per share from DraftKings already.

MGM Resorts would have to consent to any deal in which Entain becomes a competing US operator. Entain turned down an $11 billion offer from MGM earlier this year, saying the bid dramatically undervalued the company.

It sounds like an October launch for online Maryland sportsbooks might be out of the question.

John Martin, the director of Marylands gaming regulator, hopes final regulations are in place by early November. The 17 retail licenses could then be issued to launch sports betting by late fall.

PointsBet asked for a formal rule to launch sportsbooks in unison at a public meeting last week. The NBA, MLB and PGA Tour all support an official league data requirement, an MLB rep added.

FanDuel hopes the stories of a former problem gambler will help others after hiring Craig Carton as a national responsible gaming ambassador.

Carton was convicted on felony fraud charges in 2018:

The former WFAN host was accused of fleecing millions of dollars from sports and entertainment promotion companies by buying large blocks of concert tickets and selling them on the secondary market.

Prosecutors say Carton used investor money to pay off gambling debts and other personal expenses.

More than ever, I want to use my experience and platform to shine a meaningful spotlight on the issue of problem gambling, Carton said. It was important to me that I find a real partnership with a company that shared my passion for this issue.

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The Week In Sports Betting News: Waiting On Launcb In Connecticut - Legal Sports Report