US Sports Betting Regulation Heats Up, but is it Happening Fast Enough?

Maine is rising, New York is stalling, and Oregon is breaking new ground and Illinois is the latest to join the fold of legalised sports betting in the US post-PASPA.

Maine Betting Aligns

On the final day of legislation season, the state of Maine successfully passed a sports betting bill in time for the summer, pushing Legislative Document 553 through the House and Senate within two days, with the final bill sent to Governor Jane Mills to pass into law on June 18th.

Senator Louis Lucchini filed the bill all the way back in January, but lawmakers did not complete development of the regulatory framework until June 17th.

Maine Bill

LD553 will make make sports betting available to brick and mortar gaming venues; commercial racetracks; off-track betting facilities; and commercial and tribal casinos, and mobile operators need have land-based partners in the state to apply.

New York Blues

All was not so keen in New York, where Senator Joseph Addabbo's mobile betting bill died in Assembly, with the Senator tweeting a final salvo lamenting an estimated $75m loss in revenue for education, job creation and retention.

The vehement Senator compared New York to “a disabled car on the shoulder, while we allow an illegal sports betting business in our state thrive and idly watch other neighboring states pass us up with enormous revenue gains from mobile sports betting.

Oregon Innovates

Meanwhile, Oregon projected a whopping $1.6b total take for the first three years of its incoming SB-Tech powered retail and mobile sportsbook. The unique lottery deal Oregon signed with SBTech last month launches betting as a mobile offering ahead of the National Football League (NFL) season in September, followed by retail betting kiosks in early 2020.

Illinois Legalises

The state of Illinois is moving forward with a gaming expansion bill signed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Illinois' Social Reinvestment

Incorporated as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan, Senate Bill 690 seeks to raise $45bn over the next six years to reinvest in state infrastructure including roads, bridges, railways, universities, early childhood centers and state facilities while creating an estimated 540,000 jobs over the next six years.

Revenues will be generated from six new land-based casinos including a major site in Chicago and the installation of slot machines at racetracks and both airports. The proposed licencing fee for operations is $10m, making Illinois the 17th state to legalize sports betting post PASPA.

Outlook

With the governments of populous liberal states considering bills, look for US state-to-state regulation actions to really heat up in the fall, while 18 states apportion their summer sports betting takes.