Each week throughout the year, Digital Wager Wire highlights the most important events impacting the domestic and international sports betting and gaming industry landscape.
DraftKings CEO Sees Bright Future for Mobile Gaming
The 4th Annual Craig-Hallum Online Gaming Conference was held earlier this week, and among the industry luminaries in virtual attendance was Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings, who shared his vision for the future of US mobile sports betting and iGaming, among many other topics.
Now that the presidential election year is in our rearview mirrors and a course is set for the next four years, Robins believes 2025 will see more gaming legislation as Missouri becomes the next state to launch mobile and retail sports betting.
“Every sign is pointing to that,” Robins said. “Obviously, really excited about state legislative front. 2024 was an election year. It’s always hard to get gaming bills done in an election year. I think this year coming up, 2025, we’re going to get some real momentum, potentially even get some iGaming bills over the hump, which should be great.”
States Hesitate on iGaming
Although states have steadily embraced mobile and retail sports betting due to the millions it generates in additional tax revenue, iGaming has been less welcome, with only seven states currently offering online casino gambling. The tax revenues culled from sports betting pale in comparison to iGaming, but states have been reluctant to pull the trigger on legislation due to what they believe will be a conflict with the land-based casinos in their respective states.
Many anti-gambling voices have also warned against the addictive nature of having a 24/7 casino in the palm of one’s hand. However, that hasn’t stopped New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia, Delaware, and Rhode Island from launching iGaming within their borders.
In fact, David Rebuck, former director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, has firsthand knowledge of the impact of digital casino gaming on land-based casinos.
“When you hear the fear-mongering of cannibalization and loss of jobs from internet gaming, I have 12 years of data in New Jersey showing that isn’t true. Online gaming doesn’t cannibalize brick-and-mortar casinos, and it doesn’t hurt casino jobs,” Rebuck said.
Live! Casino Site Plan Approved in New Hampshire
You can find Live! Casinos in Maryland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and a location soon to be opening in Bossier City, Louisiana. But recent reports are that a site plan for a Live! Casino in Salem, New Hampshire, has recently been approved. It will be located in a vacant building near the Rockingham Mall and is expected to cost $160 million and spread out over three floors. Designs on an accompanying hotel are also in the works, but those plans will not be advanced until after the casino has been fully approved.
Local Opposition
Despite the local planning board approving the site plan, 5-2, the project is not without its detractors, chief among them, abutters Jamie and Chris Cummings, represented by attorney Amy Manzelli.
“This application is not approvable because it does not provide enough information about how it will impact the neighborhood around it,” Manzelli said. “It requires the consideration of public health and safety and the general welfare, comfort, and convenience of the residents of the immediate neighborhood.”
However, Police Chief Joel Dol an addressed Manzelli’s public safety concerns by saying, “As far as adding any staff to alleviate any concerns, that cost would be entirely on the property managers and owners and would not have a tax impact nor would it impact the salaries or the need for additional staff. This is not anything we aren’t accustomed to or not prepared to respond to.”
