Digital Wager Wire highlights the most significant events affecting the domestic and international sports betting and gaming industries each week throughout the year.
Las Vegas Tourism Continues Its Decline
Much has been made of the tourism decline in Las Vegas, with critics voicing their disapproval of greedy resorts overcharging for everything from bottled water to cocktails to parking. And let’s not forget about the resort fees that have become ubiquitous on the Strip.
It’s pricing the average consumer right out of the market, which means they are finding alternate destinations to vacation and spend their money. Despite that logical narrative, other factors at work also contribute to Las Vegas’ tourism malaise.
Those in search of a gambling vacation now have plenty of options with casinos popping up all over the nation.
We should also note that sports betting, once the exclusive province of Las Vegas’ glitzy sportsbooks, is as easy as opening up an app on a mobile device. There is no need to travel to make a bet anymore, and it is that lack of exclusivity that may be hurting Sin City more than anything else.
September was the ninth consecutive month in which Las Vegas tourism declined year-over-year. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, September’s tourism plummeted 8.8%, with not even 3.1 million travelers visiting the city.
Wisconsin Ponders Sports Betting
As only one of 11 states that have not launched a sports betting industry, Wisconsin is considering it, and Senate Bill 592 would grant exclusivity to the state’s Native American tribes to operate sportsbooks in the Badger State.
The stipulation is that the servers must be on tribal land to receive the wagers digitally. The bill is a bit like putting the cart before the horse because, although it grants exclusivity to the tribes, it does not establish a framework for sports betting in the state. That would have to come as either an addendum or in a separate piece of legislation.
“This bill does not authorize gambling on its own; it only is one part in a multi-step process to create the legal framework necessary for Wisconsin to participate in mobile sports wagering under tribal compacts,” the proposal for the sports betting framework reportedly said.
The bill now rests with the Committee on Agriculture and Revenue and could be discussed during a legislative “floor period” from November 11th to November 20th, but it could also be debated during next year’s session.
