State of the Union
Segev LLP reports on the broadening of online sports betting,
lottery and gaming models at the state level
Individual states continue to forge ahead with
legalization despite the US Department of Justice’s
recent reversal of its 2011 opinion casting some doubt
on the future of online gambling in the US. Recent
developments include Pennsylvania casinos and
sportsbooks launching online; live online sports
betting commencing in Iowa and Rhode Island; and
New Hampshire’s approval of online sports betting.
DELAWARE
Regulated gaming type:
full service online gaming
Operator type: centralized igaming system via
Delaware Lottery and operated by the three state casinos
Go-live date: October 2013
Delaware’s igaming program is run by the state lottery
and powered by a vendor collaboration between 888
and Scientific Games/WMS. The state’s 888-powered
poker sites, including WSOP, began pooling liquidity
with Nevada’s in March 2015. This was extended to
include New Jersey on May 1, 2018, following October
2017’s Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement
(MSIGA). On June 5, 2018, Delaware became the first
state to launch sports wagering following the lifting of
the federal ban when Delaware Park, Dover Downs
Hotel & Casino and Harrington Raceway & Casino
started offering sports betting services.
NEVADA
Regulated gaming type: poker
Operator type:
applicants with existing land-based licenses
Go-live date: April 2013
There are two real-money online poker platforms in
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operation in Nevada: WSOP and Real Gaming.
WSOP started to pool liquidity with Delaware in
late March 2015 and on May 1, 2018, started
doing so with New Jersey, following the MSIGA
signed by the three states in October 2017.
NEW JERSEY
Regulated gaming type:
casino, poker, sports betting
Go-live date: November 2013
There are now 29 authorized igaming websites,
potentially able to pool liquidity for poker,
tournaments and progressive slots across Nevada
and Delaware following the October 2017 MSIGA.
Mobile sports betting, meanwhile, commenced live
operations in August 2018. Online gambling
revenues in New Jersey have eclipsed the $30m mark
in every month so far in 2019, with a record $39m in
revenues drawn in March.
WEST VIRGINIA
Regulated gaming type: sports betting
Go-live date: March 2019
West Virginia’s sports betting law allows casinos to
offer online and mobile wagering to patrons located
physically inside state borders. The two properties
that originally offer online/mobile betting, Wheeling
Island and Mardi Gras casinos, have suspended
sports betting due to an issue with their platform
provider. In August 2019 Greenbrier (FanDuel) and
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town (DraftKings)
began taking bets on through their online/mobile
betting platforms.
Hawaii