Monthly Archives: May 2022

[NOTE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated California has certified the second sports betting initiative discussed herein. We have since updated the post to reflect that the second initiative merely secured enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and will officially be certified once the signatures are verified by the California Secretary of State]

On May 3, 2022, the backers of a second sports betting initiative announced they have secured the requisite number of signatures to qualify for the November 2022 ballot in California. As we reported in September 2021, the state previously certified an initiative proposed by 18 of the states federally-recognized Indian Tribes, which would allow for legalized retail, but not online, sports betting at the states tribal casinos and licensed racetracks (the Tribal Initiative). Two other initiatives were proposed one by a group of California cities (the Cities Initiative) and another by a group of leading commercial online betting platform operators (the Operator Initiative). But only one the Operator Initiative secured the requisite number of signatures by the April 26 deadline. Assuming the signatures are verified by the California Secretary of State on or before June 30, the Operator Initiative will be certified (i.e., listed on the ballot).

If approved by voters in November, the Operator Initiative would amend the states constitution to (i) give the states tribes the right to offer online and retail sports betting and (ii) permit the Tribes to contract with commercial sportsbook operators to conduct online betting operations on the tribes behalf. The initiative would cap operators share of net online betting revenue at 40% and would limit the term of any agreement between a tribe and operator to seven years.

Article II of the California state constitution provides that to the extent two or more ballot measures approved at the same time conflict, the measure with the most votes shall prevail. The operators insist their initiative complements the Tribal Initiative, as it merely adds an online component to the retail betting framework set forth in the Tribal Initiative. They insist further that because the Tribal Initiative doesnt specifically prohibit online sports betting, the measures do not conflict.

Proponents of the Tribal Initiative reject the notion the two measures are complementary, insisting the intent behind the Tribal Initiative is to limit sports betting exclusively to in-person wagers. Because the Operator Initiative permits online wagering, they maintain, the measures are irreconcilably different.

If both measures receive 50% or more approval from voters in November, it will likely be up to a California court to decide whether and to what extent the measures can co-exist.

We will continue to monitor the situation in California and provide further details upon any new developments.

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Second Sports Betting Initiative Qualifies for 2022 Ballot in California - JD Supra

Many Californians are looking ahead to November because a bill to legalize California online sports betting is about to be voted on. California has Indian gaming casinos and horse tracks for in-person betting, but the new bill could mean California sports betting could become a reality. If California mobile sports betting gets the green light, sports fans in the Golden State will get to wager on all of their favorite sports teams, leagues and games from the comfort of their own homes. That means using California online sportsbook sign-offers and other California sports betting promotions to win big.

Before California sports books get the go-ahead, new bettors should be familiar with common online sportsbook terminology. Here is a sports betting glossary from our friends at SportsLine.

There are several ways you can make sports wagers both online and in retail sportsbooks and plenty of bet types you'll want to familiarize yourself with.

Over-under: This betting method is perfect for when you think a game or match will have a very high or very low score, like in pro basketball. Sportsbooks will set a total number of points expected for a game and then bettors decide which side of that number the combined scores will land on. So, if the over-under for a basketball game between two California pro basketball teams is 200, you can bet on whether the total of the two scores will be more or less than 200.

Outright: This is a popular kind of bet in sports like pro golf. With an outright bet, the bettor picks which athlete or driver will win an entire tournament or race.

Parlay: Parlays are wagers that are combined with other wagers to multiply the payout. If you put together a three-leg parlay, all three bets you've strung together must win for the overall parlay to pay. A three-leg parlay could involve picking three teams to win. If they all win, your bet wins too.

Prop bet: A prop bet is a wager on something other than which horse is going to win a specific event. You can bet on how many points a basketball player will have in a game. In baseball, you can bet on how many strikeouts a pitcher will have.

Handle: The handle is the total amount of money taken in by a sports book for a particular event and it includes every type of wager.

If you're looking for the best values on the board in California or elsewhere, be sure to check out SportsLine, which specializes in Vegas picks, DFS advice and season-long fantasy sports projections.

An industry leader, SportsLine.com provides advanced computer modeling, expert picks, news and analysis of all the biggest events in sports. It can help you identify in which games you'll have the biggest statistical advantage. Plus, you'll get access to a team of over 40 experts.

SportsLine provides betting advice across the four major professional sports, college sports, golf, tennis, soccer, combat sports, horse racing, auto racing and more. It's a proven resource to sports bettors around the world. You can sign up here to enjoy all of the sports betting and fantasy sports advice that SportsLine has to offer. Then, use your knowledge to crush California online sports betting when it's a reality.

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Sports betting in California: When it will be legalized, how to bet online, where to find picks, best promos - CBS Sports

At the end of April, the Massachusetts Senate passed a sports betting bill via a voice vote. Having faced criticism around the lack of transparency in voice votes, which dont show the public how individual lawmakers would vote, Senate President Karen Spilka told Boston Public Radio Friday that she would have voted yes had the vote been a roll call.

Spilka committed Friday that the final vote will be a roll call.

It's no secret, I am not a fan of gambling, Spilka said, referencing her vote against a casino law in 2010. I would have voted yes on this particular bill based on [these] very strong pieces of consumer protection.

Spilka pointed to parts of the bill that would require 9% of revenue going to addiction treatment resources, prohibitions on credit card use for betting and limits on advertising as conditions that led to her support.

The House also approved a version of the sports betting bill in April. Next, the House and Senate will reconcile any differences before a final vote differences that perhaps most notably include whether college sports betting will be legalized.

The Senate President also discussed the Senates $50 million budget plan released Tuesday, which includes funding for early education, childcare, opioid addiction treatment, mental health care, higher education scholarships and more. The budget also allocates $2 million towards reproductive health care and rights.

She hinted that there is more to come on protecting abortions in the commonwealth, following the leaked Supreme Court draft decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade that was first reported by POLITICO.

We are looking at language, working with reproduction advocates, working with the attorney general as to what more we need to do, she said. We're looking at other legislative options. Again, this is all very early, but I anticipate that we will do more as well.

The Senate will start debating the budget on May 24.

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Spilka says she 'would have voted yes' had sports betting bill gone to roll call - GBH News

JEFFERSON CITY The General Assembly enters the final week of its annual session with a laundry list of legislative wishes, but it remains to be seen how many will get across the finish line.

Last week, lawmakers passed a $49 billion annual budget, fulfilling their constitutional obligation mere hours before the deadline to get the bills to Gov. Mike Parson's desk. There aren't constitutional requirements to pass any other legislation, but the Republican majorities are aiming to regardless after an election-year session that has been dominated by inter-party disagreements.

With the clock ticking down, the number of bills sent to Parson this year could be smaller but those that do pass are more likely to contain key priorities.

"This has been a painful path on certain days and weeks," said Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, last week. "We will presumably pass fewer actual bills this year.I would assume those bills will be larger and we'll get more of these smaller things done."

If the GOP can avoid halting progress and keep members satisfied, the lead Senate Democrat said, there's still the potential for significant legislative movement.

"It's very much like playing against Michael Jordan in the fourth quarter," said Minority Leader John Rizzo of Independence. "You know what's coming, you just got to hope he misses it. We'll see how it goes."

Here are a few issues that could see debate and possible action in the final five days of the 2022 regular session.

Redrawing Missouri's congressional map is in part what spurred so much disagreement and a lack of action early on in the session. But state lawmakers seem determined to make one last run at redistricting, under the threat of several lawsuits seeking court intervention and with the knowledge that the Show-Me State is the last in the U.S. to pass a map.

A new proposal passed out of a House committee last week would likely retain the current partisan alignment in Congress six Republican-favored districts and two Democrat-favored districts. Its most drastic changes come in the 2nd district in suburban St. Louis, where regional lawmakers have pushed hard for certain communities and counties to be included or excluded. It also splits each of the city of Columbia in mid-Missouri and Webster County in southwest Missouri between two districts.

Republicans are also seeking to pass a litany of changes to how elections are run, ahead of voters heading to the polls this fall.

The proposal with the most momentum is House Bill 1878, which requires photo ID to vote and allows for two weeks of early voting, among other measures. It was debated and finalized by the Senate last week; it needs a final vote in the chamber, after which the House can request a conference to negotiate a compromise or accept the Senate's version of the 82-page bill.

Several proposals to make it more difficult for voters to put a measure on the ballot through the initiative petition reform process have made it through the House but have seen little action in the Senate. Rowden told reporters last week it still wasn't off the table.

Legalized sports betting could also see a last minute compromise and push after previous attempts to pass bills on the subject ran into resistance.

The latest proposal came in the Senate at almost 1 a.m. last week, as Republican Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg proposed new language legalizing sports betting but excluding language on video lottery terminals, which have proved to be controversial among other Republicans. It imposed a 15 percent tax on wagers, allowed for parlay bets and included $5 million for measures relating to gambling addiction.

Sports betting in Missouri: House approves bill legalizing betting on college, pro teams

Hoskins said that latest language had been discussed with professional sports teams in the state as well as lobbyists with the casino and gaming industries, but eventually withdrew the language. But as a priority for some of the state's biggest teams and a potential generator of big revenue, its proponents will aim to pass some form of sports betting legalization if possible.

Republicans have also indicated that two bills targeting social safety net programs could be priorities in the final days.

House Bill 1860 would allow Missouri to reduce how long unemployment benefits would be available depending on the current statewide unemployment rate, going as low as eight weeks.

House Joint Resolution 117 would ask voters whether or not MO HealthNet, Missouri's Medicaid program, could be subject to appropriation by state lawmakers. The measure could potentially lead to the General Assembly stripping out funding for parts of the expansion population, which is funded in this year's budget but was not in last year's budget due to many Republicans' opposition to expansion.

Both bills still needto make it through Senate debate and potential amendments before being voted on by the chamber and seeking final approval from the House.

A number of other pieces of legislation could see a final push this week:

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com,(573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

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Missouri bills from sports betting to redistricting still on the table - News-Leader

Phase one of US sports betting is over without ESPN deeply involved.

Earnings calls no longer focus on growth-at-all-costs and market share. Instead, execs talk of cutting marketing spend and the path to profitability.

In other words, the initial land grab is subsiding. But what does that mean for those who never participated in it?

Industry investor David VanEgmond asked on social media.Has ESPN missed the party? Indeed, ESPN did not cash in massively as a media outlet or as an operator.

The company may have inked advertising deals with DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook but it did not secure the big exclusive ad deal like NBC or CBS, VanEgmond said.

The company did try. It was looking for at least $3 billion over several years to license the ESPN brand to a sportsbook partner, according to a WSJ report last year.

Partners balked at that price tag. And now market leaders have established their brand and share.

As VanEgmond put it:

FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars own ~80% national market share and dont need to do a deal with ESPN at all costs for brand awareness. Plus DKNG and CZR did small deals with ESPN already. Why break the bank now?

It feels like the big payday was missed even if the market is still early days, VanEgmond added.

Parent company Disney held its Q2 earnings call on Wednesday, and for the first time in several quarters there was no talk of sports betting.

The marketing opportunity is perhaps gone, given now-falling ad spend from the industry. But that closing door opens up another, specifically the chance to run a sportsbook under the ESPN brand.

ESPN has said multiple times it is willing to go down that road,as long as it has a partner with industry expertise.From that perspective, ESPN might have benefited from waiting rather than missing out.

For one, the competitive environment is now much less intense. Some operators have dropped out of the sector entirely. WynnBet and Caesars cut marketing dramatically, while other companies are turning their focus to profitability rather than growth at all costs.

This is an opportunity, said industry consultant Alun Bowden. The space is less crowded. People made mistakes but you dont have to repeat their mistakes.

It is also shortsighted to assume the US sports betting market is settled in perpetuity with FanDuel and DraftKings atop the pile.

As Bowden put it in his recent newsletter:

The way things are is just the way things are. It is no more a guide to the future than the run out of red and black on the roulette table.

The growth of BetMGM over the last year is just one example of how quickly things can change. Further afield,Sky Bet rose to prominence in the UK well after the market matured.

Sky Bet didnt really become a serious player until something like 2010, said FanDuel founder Nigel Eccles. And ESPN is much more dominant than Sky Sports was in the UK.

The comparison is helpful because ESPN has many of the attributes that made Sky Bet a success, starting with a massive customer acquisition funnel via TV and digital assets.

An ESPN Super 6-style game would be very successful, Im sure, Bowden said.

Some 5.5 million people have played the free-to-play game at Fox Sports for instance.

Perhaps the bigger question then is ESPNs partner. Who is going to bring the technology and operational expertise to pair with the ESPN brand and customer base?

Bet365 is one tantalizing option, given the quality of the product and relative lack of brand awareness in the US.

Thats the only one that makes sense to me, Eccles said. They would need to figure out market access but I suspect that gets easier as a lot of the tier-two operators start to bail sooner or later.

PointsBet is another interesting potential technology partner, with the companys betting app ranking third in Eilers & Krecjicks recent app review, behind only FanDuel and DraftKings.

Alternatively, Bowden suggests one of the current market leaders could opt for a dual-brand strategy with ESPNBet alongside BetMGM, for example.

The exact details remain to be seen, but the opportunity is clear. ESPN is still evaluating various options in the space, LSR understands.

As for missing the boat? Well, as Bowden put it: The boat has barely left the dock.

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Analysis: Has ESPN Missed The US Sports Betting Boat? - Legal Sports Report

Obfuscation of player injuries during Stanley Cup Playoffs has hardened over the years into a quaint and often comical traditionDAVID BERDING/USA TODAY SPORTS

The NHLs "concealing approach to injury disclosure has made it an outlier" among sports leagues "full-throated efforts to profit from legalized sports betting," according to Adam Kilgore of the WASHINGTON POST. The obfuscation of player injuries during the Stanley Cup Playoffs has "hardened over the years into a quaint and often comical tradition." While other leagues maintain "strict rules about disclosing injuries and punish noncompliant teams," NHL coaches still "discuss injuries in only the vaguest terms, and the league has no mechanism that compels teams to reveal specifics." Even in an "age of widespread gambling, from which it reaps financial benefits," the NHL has "stuck with its approach." But the "dearth of transparency" means the fans whom the NHL has "tacitly or explicitly encouraged to gamble on its games often operate without the most fundamental knowledge: Whos playing?" Kilgore: "More disquieting, it allows for the possibility that some bettors or bookmakers could gain access to information the public does not have, skewing the market in the favor of insiders." The NHL has "ventured into new territory with betting," as the league and its franchises have "formed partnerships with a passel of online sportsbooks." However, the league has "no plans to adjust how it permits teams to withhold injuries from the public." The NFLs "comprehensive injury-disclosure policy" was adopted with the aim of "creating a level playing field for bettors, although some NFL coaches remain deliberately vague." In a "rapidly evolving climate," though, some sportsbook operators "expect that to change" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/10).

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NHL approach to injury disclosure conflicting with sports betting growth - Sports Business Journal

A series opener between the Boston Red Sox (13-21) and Houston Astros (23-12) is scheduled for Monday at 7:10 PM ET, at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox are a home favorite (-122) versus the Astros (+103). The matchup on the mound for this contest is set with the Boston Red Sox looking to Garrett Whitlock (1-1), and Jake Odorizzi (3-2) getting the nod for the Houston Astros.

The Astros earned an 8-0 victory against the Nationals yesterday. Chas McCormick (1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI) led the way offensively, while Justin Verlander got the win on the mound after going five innings without giving up an earned run on two hits, while striking out five.

Here is everything you need to prepare for Mondays Red Sox vs. Astros matchup.

Major League Baseball odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 8:04 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

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Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros odds, tips and betting trends | May 16 - USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire

Time is winding down to when Ohio sports betting will finally be legal. Ohio casinos and racetracks paved the way in 2021, and now the rules and regulations are being ironed out for Ohio online sports books to join in the fun. Once Ohio mobile sports betting is open for business, sports fans across the state will be able to use unique Ohio sportsbook promo codes to wager on their favorite teams and athletes. From Cleveland to Columbus, from Cincinnati to Akron, sports fans in the Buckeye State will be able to place bets from the comfort of their own homes thanks to legalized Ohio online sports betting sites.

Once Ohio internet sports betting is open for business, Ohio sports betting promotions will be very popular. Ohio sports betting promo codes can give first-time players risk-free bets, deposit matches, odds boosts, and more. Before you check out all that Ohio sports betting deposit codes have to offer, you should get familiar with popular betting terms and tips. Below are some tips from our friends at SportsLine.

There are several ways you can make sports wagers both online and in retail sportsbooks and plenty of bet types you'll want to familiarize yourself with.

Over-Under: This method is best used if you are expecting a game to have a very high or very low score, like in pro basketball. Sportsbooks will set a total number of points expected for a game and then bettors decide which side of that number the combined scores will land on. If the over-under for a basketball game between Cleveland and Chicago is 220, you can bet on whether the total of the two scores will be more or less than 220.

Proposition bets: A "prop" bet is a wager on a given outcome within a game other than the final score. A prop bet in a baseball game between Cleveland and Cincinnati could be on whether a big hitter for Cleveland hits a home run. A bet could also be placed on whether Cincinnati's starting pitcher makes it through seven innings or on how many strikeouts he records.

Futures: Want to bet on more than just a single game? Futures bets are more of big-picture gambles on long-term events, like a full sports season. You can wager on if Cleveland's pro baseball team will win the championship or which player will win the season-ending MVP award. Even though the pro football season is still a few months away, bettors can make early wagers on how they think Cincinnati's pro football team will perform.

If you're looking for the best values on the board in Ohio or elsewhere, be sure to check out SportsLine.com, which specializes in Vegas picks, DFS advice and season-long fantasy sports projections.

An industry leader, SportsLine.com provides advanced computer modeling, expert picks, news and analysis of all the biggest events in sports. It can help you identify in which games you'll have the biggest statistical advantage. Plus, you'll get access to a team of over 40 experts.

SportsLine provides betting advice across the four major professional sports, college sports, golf, tennis, soccer, combat sports, horse racing, auto racing and more. It's a proven resource to sports bettors around the world. You can sign up here to enjoy all of the sports betting and fantasy sports advice that SportsLine has to offer.

Originally posted here:

Sports betting in Ohio: When it will be legalized, how to bet online, where to find picks, optimal promos - CBS Sports