Casino City’s Friday Five: Online gambling news edition

Sports betting has been in the headlines a lot in the last year, since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court back in May 2018. That being said, we can’t overlook the legalization of online gambling in U.S. states. This week, Pennsylvania made a big announcement for those anticipating the launch of online casinos in the Keystone State. Also this week, we saw a royal flush jackpot, a southern U.S. casino closing, a new sports betting network and a dicey Wire Act lawsuit that our own J. Todd from "This Week in Gambling" provides a complete breakdown. Let’s start it off with the payday: 5. Sycuan player hits jackpot on royal flush Khammanh K. was playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em at Sycuan Casino in California when a royal flush jackpot hit for a $126,139.20 payout. This isn’t the only recent jackpot at Sycuan Casino either. David H. won $25,311.49 while playing the Black Diamond slot machine, Marvin R. won $21,023.75 while playing the Extreme Jackpots slot machine and two other lucky guests won $21,815.81 while playing the Lightning Link Heart Throb slot machine and $18,188.06 while playing the Superball Keno slot machine. "We recently opened the doors to our $260 million expansion and the energy throughout Sycuan has been incredible," said John Dinius, general manager at Sycuan Casino. "With the addition of our newly expanded gaming floor, we now have 2,800 slot machines, 54 table games and even more ways for our guests to win big." 4. DOJ online gambling lawsuit breakdown The U.S. Department of Justice decided that the Wire Act applies to all forms of online gambling, but 14 U.S. states disagree, joining New Hampshire’s lawsuit against the DOJ, which is already in motion. New Hampshire is worried about its lottery sales falling under the 1961 Wire Act. "The New Hampshire Lottery has a responsibility to support education in New Hampshire," New Hampshire Lottery Executive Director Charlie McIntyre said. "Just last year, the New Hampshire Lottery generated $87.5 million in net profits, all of which supports education in New Hampshire, and we expect to generate more than $90 million for education this year. This reversal by DOJ puts that support for education in question." More recent news on the matter broke last night as the New Hampshire Lottery is questioning the wording in the Wire Act.

JUST IN: New Hampshire Lottery files a supplemental brief arguing that the Wire Act’s use of the word “Whoever”
means that the statute “does not apply to the States, their agencies, or their employees acting in their official capacities pursuant to a valid state law.”
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) April 19, 2019

3. Sportradar and SportsGrid launching free 24-hour sports betting network A partnership was announced yesterday between Sportradar and SportsGrid to introduce the first free, 24-hour sports betting network. “Sportradar is always looking to enhance the fan experience through the use of data and technology,” said Jason Sukhraj, SVP US Advertising and OTT, Sportradar. “Collaborating with the SportsGrid executive team provides us with the platform to mesh our core competencies around betting with their programming talent and address the increasing demand for information and content geared around sports gaming.” The new offering will bring together Sportradar’s technology and data with SportsGrid’s programming, which provides fans with coverage and analysis of stats and odds on professional sports.

#Sportradar and @SportsGrid partner to launch the first free, 24-hour network dedicated to #sports #betting https://t.co/pbggs3iYHu pic.twitter.com/LF22uElAFH
— Sportradar (@Sportradar) April 18, 2019

2. Penn National Gaming to close Resorts Casino Tunica On Tuesday, Penn National Gaming announced plans to close Resorts Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. This plan will take effect on 30 June. The company acquired the operations of both 1st Jackpot Casino and Resorts Casino Tunica back in March 2017. In addition, Penn National Gaming operates Hollywood Casino - Tunica, located adjacent to Resorts Casino. “With our acquisition of Resorts Casino as part of the two-property deal, we knew we were acquiring an aging barge in need of significant capital improvements,” said Al Britton, Penn National Sr. Vice President of Regional Operations. “While we did everything in our control to keep the property profitable over the last two years, increased competition from recent gaming expansion in Arkansas continues to drive the property’s business volumes lower. After exploring all viable alternatives, we are left with the difficult decision to close the business.” 1. Pennsylvania online gambling scheduled for July launch Finally! Get ready for iGaming in Pennsylvania. On 15 July, almost 18 months after the Pennsylvania’s Senate gave the go-ahead for online gambling, the Keystone State will officially roll out online casinos, according to an announcement at Wednesday’s Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board public meeting. Along with that news, we can expect sports betting apps to be introduced within in the next few months, or even earlier, according to Doug Harbach, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Communications Director, in a statement to iGaming certificate holders and iGaming operators. Of course, land-based sports betting was introduced in Pennsylvania late last year, and the introduction of mobile apps is expected to immediately boost revenue. Kevin O’Toole, Executive Director of the PGCB, emphasized the importance of the 15 July date in his statement to the Board. “This timeframe will provide approximately 90 days from this date for certificate holders and operators to fulfill their duties to submit materials to the Board’s laboratory, to submit required internal controls and to obtain all certifications necessary to operate iGaming in Pennsylvania.” Online gaming will generate more revenue for the state, even after a record-setting month in March.