The biggest U.S. sports betting story of 2020 up until the relatively smooth-running 2020 NFL season (with apologies to Denver Broncos quarterbacks and Pittsburgh Steelers nation) was how the industry would withstand the challenge of operating sportsbooks in a climate with … no sports. Or only a smattering of table tennis contests, a celebrity golf challenge, UFC events on an island in United Arab Emirates, and mass heaps of uncertainty and creative crisis management.
Because my life operates based on a calendar that begins each year with the NFL kickoff, it’s now time to reflect on the 100th NFL season, from September 2020 to September 2021. In no particular order, here are the 21 most significant, impactful sports betting industry developments over that span while awaiting the Dallas Cowboys’ Sept. 9 visit to the Tampa Bay Bucs (-7.5) to open the regular season.
1. Caesars ditches William Hill name (August 2021) — Caesars Entertainment, formerly known as Eldorado Resorts, revealed in May that within the U.S. it would retire the name of the U.K.-based William Hill, which it agreed to purchase in September 2020 for $3.7 billion. Three months later, poof! Caesars Sportsbook and a focus on its rewards program. The confusing jumble of “Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill” is no more, and shuffling continued this week as longtime William Hill bookmaker Nick Bogdanovich was relieved of his duties as Caesars wanted to go “in a different direction.”
2. Fanatics enters the chat (July 2021) — coalition of commercial groups that this week announced a ballot initiative to bring some kind of online sportsbook market to California.
controversy. And there is emergency hearing Monday that could potentially sideline the whole thing.
bankrolling a ballot referendum for 2022 to usher in commercial operations.
5. California’s got referendum action, too (September 2021) — As of this week, there are BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel, with a $100 million war chest to a 2022 ballot measure that actually, in the interest of consensus building, would require tethering with Native American casinos.
6. Online sports betting is en route to New York via budget process (April 2021) — I’m not sure anyone believed New York would actually “happen” RFP and bid process is well underway, and we should find out in the coming weeks which sportsbooks will gain entry — at a steep cost of at least 50% revenue-sharing with the state.
7. NFL makes its gambling embrace officially official (April and September 2021) — The Shield designated Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel official sports betting partners with the league in deals worth a reported $1 billion over five years. And you probably saw that WynnBET to the “official” sportsbook roster. Meanwhile, Hall of Fame Coach Tony Dungy is struggling to wrap his mind around the NFL’s longstanding marriage of convenience and money-making with sports gambling.
I really don’t like seeing this Adam. When I came into the league the NFL had a stance against gambling. Now it seems like we’ve accepted it. I realize it’s legal now but we’ve all seen the damage gambling can do to lives. I don’t think we should be promoting it. https://t.co/8wUY1M8Ff5
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) August 30, 2021
8. ESPN looks to strike while the feeding frenzy continues (August 2021) — Last season’s NFL kickoff saw the Worldwide Leader looking to plunge deeper by licensing its letters for a sportsbook for … $3 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Whether it gets it in cash or equity or even a third of that amount in any form remains to be seen.
The Worldwide Leader In Sports Betting? If @espn can license a sportsbook brand it may prove that the U.S. sports betting mkt has reached mainstream acceptance accd to @roundhill's Will Hershey. With comments from @LloydDanzig and tweets from @AdamSchefter https://t.co/YiWwnEaH66
— Matt Rybaltowski (@MattRybaltowski) August 30, 2021
9. Genius Sports wins exclusive, official data deal with NFL (April 2021)– Genius process that is underway.
10. DraftKings becomes subject of investigation in proxy betting scandal (November 2020) — In a story broken by our Matt Rybaltowski, a bettor based in Florida says he placed ascrutiny of the alleged messenger betting activities is apparently still ongoing.
11. hastily called meeting. Total but semi-predictable train wreck.
12. needed only five months for its licensees to in excess of $1 billion in total wagers, fastest yet in the post-PASPA era.
13. Better Collective acquires Action Network for $240 million (May 2021) — The Danish-headquartered gambling marketing company (which also owns Sports Handle) opened the checkbook pretty, pretty, pretty wide to acquire Action, which launched in late 2017 with backing from The Chernin Group.
14. New Jersey es Nevada in post-PASPA handle (May 2021) — The inevitable became official in late May when Nevada was overtaken by New Jersey for the No. 1 spot in total sports betting handle in the post-PASPA era. With April ‘21 numbers in the books, the Garden State had cleared $15 billion handle while Nevada was about $80 million shy; now, New Jersey’s “lead” will only continue to grow.
15. Bally’s pandemic spending spree nets Sinclair stations — Bally’sBally Bet, which launched in the U.S. in May 2021 in Colorado.
Sinclair on hook for $1.82 billion in rights fees for Bally Sports regional sports networks https://t.co/pNI5ZIDwR7 pic.twitter.com/f1OsCnymkQ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 29, 2021
16. Ink-stained wretches the party (May and July 2021) — Gannett, owner of USA Today, Associated Press in May partnered with FanDuel for the same across the AP game previews, scores, and stories where sports betting odds are referenced.
17. Line swing for the ages in WNBA All-Star Game (July 2021) — From 248.5 to … 195.5! Purdum with the story:
Total on WNBA All-Star Game moved 53 points.
"At worst, I don't think this was more than 15 points off. That's as bad as I think it could be. I didn't think it would be the worst number ever."https://t.co/WGx8ByvjEH
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) July 14, 2021
18. wasted no time launching sportsbook platforms via existing lottery infrastructures in late August. Regulations are expected to follow that will usher in some commercial sportsbook licensure.
19. NHL’s Evander Kane gets in gambling hot water (August 2021)— The investigation is still young into his estranged wife’s allegations (made on social media) that he gambled on his own games, but some of the initial details are troubling. The 13-year NHL veteran declared bankruptcy earlier this year and noted in a filing that he lost over $1.5 million, in part, “via bookie.” Kane has completely denied his wife’s allegations, writing in part that he has “NEVER gambled/bet on Hockey, NEVER gambled/bet on a Sharks game, NEVER gambled/bet on any of my games and NEVER thrown a hockey game.”
— Evander Kane (@evanderkane_9) August 1, 2021
20. First in-stadium sportsbook opens at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. (May 2021) — A long time in the making and a year after the sportsbook ticket windows opened while the pandemic was in its earlier stages, the full-fledged sportsbook is now open for business in the venue the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals call home. More such locations will the ranks across the country, including a Caesars Sportsbook at the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field,a DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field (!!!), a FanDuel Sportsbook at the Suns arena, and a BetMGM Sportsbook at the State Farm Stadium.
The full sportsbook opens at Capital One arena today. The press is getting a look inside now, but a few quick snaps of the new @WilliamHillDC space. https://t.co/sDIqxXfxzu pic.twitter.com/cC160iqSsp
— Alex Koma (@AlexKomaWBJ) May 26, 2021
21. DraftKings spends big on media properties (March and April 2021) — Sports gambling’s feast on traditional sports media continued as DraftKings shelled out a semi-shocking $50 million on former ESPN talent Dan Le Batard’s podcast. Earlier in the year it spent an undisclosed sum for the Brent Musburger-led Vegas Sports and Information Network (VSiN). At least this much is true: It’s a good time to own a sports media property with some semi-provable metrics about an audience that likes to gamble.
Also receiving votes: Genius sentenced to 36 months prison … GambetDC indeed proves an abject disaster in nation’s capital.
