The wait for legal online sports betting in Vermont is essentially over while people in two other US states are seeing some action toward that end. In Ontario, there’s another call for online gambling market restrictions.
On the business side of things, there might be some new gambling tie-ins when it comes to NCAA championship events. Additionally, residents of yet another US state can finally wager on sports online legally although they have only one option for doing so.
Vermont set to launch legal online sportsbooks on Thursday
In mid-December, the Vermont Dept. of Liquor and Lottery announced that it had selected three online sportsbook operators for licensure in the state. At the same time, that regulatory body shared that barring any significant unexpected surprises, the three licensees would start taking bets in Vermont on Jan. 11, 2024.
The three licensees are DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel. These apps will give Vermonters access to betting markets on events like NWSL matches, women’s UFC bouts, and WNBA games. However, those looking to wager on University of Vermont Catamount regular-season women’s basketball games could be disappointed.
State law only allows wagering on events involving in-state collegiate teams during tournaments that contain fields of at least four teams. Thus, should Vermont qualify for the NCAA D1 women’s basketball championship, for instance, Vermonters would be able to bet on the Catamounts in those March Madness games.
Another US state with a small population recently got access to legal online sports betting. Its residents don’t have to deal with a similar restriction on collegiate wagers but don’t have as many options as Vermonters in another way.
Delaware finally gets legal online sports betting
After nearly six years, Delaware’s online gambling scene is finally complete. For most of that time, the only way to legally bet on sporting events in Delaware was to visit one of the state’s brick-and-mortar casinos to place wagers in-person.
That’s no longer the case as a new contract between the Delaware Lottery and Rush Street Interactive has brought the BetRivers online sportsbook to residents. For now, however, that is the only legal option in the state for online sports betting.
A legislative task force has issued a report recommending that the Delaware Lottery open the gaming vertical to other licensees, stating that a competitive market would result in more tax revenue for the state. To date, it’s uncertain how legislation toward that end will fare.
Even one option for legal online sports betting is better than none. That’s what residents of two other US states currently face. There is more momentum toward changing that status quo, however.
Missouri’s legislature starts the song and dance again
It looks like 2024 will feature more of the same in Missouri’s legislature while voters in California could again weigh in on the issue at the ballot in 2024. Residents of both states shouldn’t hold their breath that this action will lead to any real change.
Two bills that would legalize and regulate online sports betting in Missouri now exist in the Missouri Senate. Both are very similar to legislation that the sponsors, Sen. Denny Hoskins and Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, have filed in each session for the past five years now.
That’s exactly why neither has a real shot to become law in 2024, however. Luetkemeyer’s bill does not include a regulatory framework for another type of gaming expansion which would put licensed video lottery terminals in businesses around Missouri. Hoskins’ bill does.
That point has been polarizing enough to prevent any movement on the issue of sports betting in past sessions and probably will again in 2024. While there is a chance that Missourians could legalize sports betting via referendum this year, that potential ballot measure is still in the works.
Residents of another state might be weighing in on the same issue at the ballot in 2024 as well.
Another shot at legalizing sports betting in California
The process to possibly amend the California constitution to legalize online sports betting has started for another election cycle as workers are gathering signatures for a petition to put a measure on the 2024 ballot toward that end.
The proposed amendment wouldn’t legalize online sports betting on its own but rather add it to the constitution’s list of approved gaming types if the state government moves on the issue along with tribal gaming authorities within California. Currently, the California constitution bans such gaming.
Thus, even if the measure qualifies for the ballot and voters approve, it wouldn’t result in an overnight change. It could still be months if not years before online sportsbooks are legally taking bets in California.
There are doubts about whether the proposal will even get that far, however. Many of the most powerful tribal gaming authorities within California oppose the measure and it was their resistance that killed a similar effort in 2022.
When it comes to resistance against the gambling industry, California isn’t the only place where such actions are ongoing.
Religious leaders call for gambling advertising ban in Ontario
Ontario has some of the most restrictive policies when it comes to how gambling licensees can advertise themselves in the province. If some community leaders in Ontario get their way, however, that rules will go even further.
Three bishops in Ontario have called for a total ban on all gambling ads. The statement from the bishops cites the province’s ban on advertising for tobacco products and says that gambling can be similarly harmful for some people.
It’s unclear if the provincial government will grant this request. Ontario has existing rules on marketing like rules governing what language gambling companies can use and prohibiting the use of celebrities in such ads.
While groups in Ontario push for more restrictions on how gambling companies can market themselves, a new deal in the United States may lead to more opportunities for promotion of sports betting on women’s sports.
ESPN, NCAA renew championship broadcast deal
ESPN will continue to be the broadcast home of most NCAA championship events for the next eight years after the NCAA and ESPN renewed their broadcast contract recently. The deal covers all of the women’s championships that the NCAA sponsors. That includes the annual D1 basketball championship tournament, aka March Madness.
The timing is interesting given how ESPN now has some skin in the sports betting game. ESPN has licensed its branding to Penn National Gaming and the latter of those two has launched its ESPN Bet sportsbook product in over a dozen US states.
The exact financial terms of that deal are private. It’s uncertain whether Penn pays ESPN a flat fee or if ESPN receives a percentage of revenues, a combination of those two, or some other payment. What is clear, though, is that such programming is a way to promote ESPN Bet.
Whether and then to what degree ESPN will do so remains to be seen. For certain, though, the opportunity will be there for at least the next eight years.
