Maryland Legislature Passes Sports Wagering Bill with Expansive Licensing Opportunities and Targeted Support for Women and Minorities

The number of sports wagering licenses in Maryland may ultimately reach the triple digits after  House Bill 940 was overwhelmingly approved by both chambers of the legislature on the last day of the state’s 2021 legislative session.  Surrounded by four states and the District of Columbia, which all offer live wagering, the legislature continued its game of catchup by passing the bill as an emergency bill, which will allow it to take immediate effect upon the signature of Governor Larry Hogan.  With a House vote of 122-16 and a Senate vote of 47-0, the expansive legislation creates opportunities for land-based licenses at in-state casinos, racetracks, professional sports stadiums, State Fairgrounds, simulcast betting facilities, bars, and restaurants and also for mobile licenses. Continue reading “Maryland Legislature Passes Sports Wagering Bill with Expansive Licensing Opportunities and Targeted Support for Women and Minorities”

New York Mobile Sports Betting Approved in Fiscal Year 2022 State Budget

New York Governor Cuomo and state legislative leaders have reached a tentative agreement on the Fiscal Year 2022 New York State budget paving a way for mobile sports betting in the Empire State.  here is a link to the Senate Bill 2509  .  The General Assembly must now vote to accept the budget and additional changes may be forthcoming.

In summary, the New York State Gaming Commission plans to issue a Request  or Proposal (“RFP”) by July 1, 2021, to select up to two providers to offer mobile sports wagering.  According to the April 6, 2021 revised Budget Bill, a “platform provider” is defined as “an entity selected by the [New York State Gaming Commission] to conduct mobile sports wagering pursuant to a competitive bidding process.”  The operators selected during in the RFP process would then be able to subcontract mobile betting contracts, also known as “skins”, to other providers.  The operators submitting proposals are required to house their mobile sports wagering platform provider server and other equipment with a licensed casino facility.  Based on existing publicly reported agreements and/or affiliations with upstate casinos,  FanDuel,  DraftKings, Bet365, and BetRivers may have such agreements in place.  However, as noted in the “platform provider” definition, any operator that has an agreement with an upstate casino is eligible, and therefore, already existing sportsbooks are not the only potential applicants.

The selected operators must offer at least four skins combined, but according to New York State Senator Joseph Addabo Jr. and chair of the State Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee, J. Gary Pretlow, there is no ceiling on the amount of skins available, but instead, what the “market can bear.”  The selected providers will pay a $25 million licensing fee and pursuant to a revenue-sharing agreement between New York and selected providers, New York is estimated to receive a minimum of 50% of gross gaming revenues.  Finally, the New York State Gaming Commission may select more providers if it determines additional licenses “are in the best interest of the state.”

Key Components

  • Two platform providers will be selected through a RFP process
  • “Platform Provider” is broadly defined in the law
  • The New York State Gaming Commission must issue a RFP no later than July 1, with a 30 day application window following the RFP
  • The New York State Gaming Commission has 150 days after the final application is received to select the providers
  • $25 million one-time licensing fee for each selected platform provider
  • Applicant must include its proposed skins in the application
  • Selected providers must combine for a minimum of four total skins
  • New York to receive a minimum of 50% of gross gaming revenue from the selected providers
  • Providers must have server located in land-based casino and will pay $5 million annually to the land-based casino to house the server, unless the provider is already affiliated with a land-based casino
  • No mandate on official league data, but there will be a preference for use of such data in the bidding process

Tribes, Racetracks, and OTBs Left Out of the Deal

Indian tribes located in New York were effectively left out of the bill besides a provision that rewards applicants additional points in the RFP selection process if they have a revenue sharing agreement with an Indian gaming operator.  The Onedia Indian Nation released a statement following the release of the agreement noting the mobile sports legislation would result in a breach of its ten-county gaming exclusivity zone and threatened to withhold $70 million in annual revenue sharing to the state as a result.  In addition, racetracks and off-track betting (“OTB”) locations were not included in the agreement, although previously proposed legislation would have allowed these operators to offer mobile betting.

If you have any questions about this please contact Frank A. DiGiacomo, Adam BergerJoseph F. Caputi, or any of the attorneys in our Gaming Industry Group.

Gaming in the United States: Massachusetts

The Q&A provides a high level overview of the framework of gambling regulation; the regulatory authorities; gambling products; land-based gambling; regulation and licensing; online gambling; B2B and B2C operations; mobile gaming and interactive gambling; social gaming; blockchain technology; gambling debts; tax; advertising and developments and reform.

To read the full text of this chapter of Thomson Reuters Practical Law: Gaming Global Guide, written by Duane Morris attorneys Bill Gantz and Joseph Caputi, please visit the Thomson Reuters website.

Illinois Supreme Court Finds Daily Fantasy Sports to Be Legal, Rejects DFS Loser’s Gambling Loss Recovery Act Claim

In Dew-Becker v. Wu, 2020 IL 124472 (April 16, 2020), the Illinois Supreme Court, finally and definitively, has put to rest the question of whether DFS (daily fantasy sports) is unlawful in Illinois. In addition, as a result of the decision, the DFS industry dodged the potential impact of tens of thousands of lawsuits that otherwise could have been lodged against winning DFS players in Illinois by DFS contest losers seeking to recoup their losses under the Illinois Loss Recovery Act (LRA)(720 ILCS 5/28-8).

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

Small Business Administration Updates Interim Regulatory Guidelines to Greatly Expand Accessibility of Paycheck Protection Program Loans to Gaming Businesses

On April 24, 2020, the casino industry received some much-needed good news from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Specifically, the SBA issued revised regulatory guidelines for the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that now make PPP loans available to small gaming businesses previously precluded from the program because of restrictions on gambling-based revenue, but otherwise met the eligibility requirements.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

Governor Returns Virginia Gambling Legislation with Amendments, Including Tax for COVID-19 Fund

In a  March 17 Alert, we reported that Virginia’s General Assembly had sent Governor Ralph Northam two bills (Senate Bill 36 and House Bill 896), which, if signed, would permit five land-based casinos, online sports betting and up to 2,000 additional historical horse racing machines in the commonwealth. On the April 11 deadline to take action on the bills, Governor Northam returned them, each unsigned, to the Virginia legislature with amendments. While the governor’s proposed changes to the two bills appear minor (for example, they did not change tax rates, minimum capital expenditure requirements or the types of games), a new proposal would further expand gaming in Virginia, at least temporarily, by permitting and taxing skill-based machines in bars, convenience stores and truck stops to raise money for a COVID-19 relief fund.

Update: On April 22, 2020, both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly approved Governor Northam’s amendments to the casino and sports betting bills, thus effectively making both bills Virginia law.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

Small Business Administration Updates Interim Regulatory Guidelines to Help Certain Gaming Companies

On April 14, 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued revised interim regulatory guidelines for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The revisions provide, in relevant part, that certain companies which derive revenues from legal gaming activities are eligible for PPP loans and are not automatically ineligible as previously thought pursuant to the interim regulatory guidelines released on April 2, 2020, and discussed in our previous Alert.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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