The Friday Line: Massachusetts Departures, CBS + Offshore
Here’s today’s quick rundown in the world of U.S. gambling. Check out The Thursday Line if you are catching up on the week.
Massachusetts matters
Two operators (WynnBet, Betr) are leaving Massachusetts as market forces and the licensing regime there appear to be less than ideal for all but the largest operators. BetMGM is also facing a fine for 15,000 wagers that involved a college player prop bet, which is illegal to offer in MA.
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CBS cites offshore sportsbook
Legacy media has never been good at differentiating between legal sports betting and offshore sportsbooks. The latest example is a CBS News piece where it cites and links to BetUS (not legal or licensed in the U.S.) for a story about Super Bowl prop bets. It comes as CBS will broadcast the Super Bowl and air a 60 Minutes piece that looks like it will be negative for the industry. Yes, all three things are different parts of a massive media organization. But it would be great if a serious news outlet (and an NFL broadcast partner) would avoid legitimizing an illegally operating sportsbook for a few clicks. (Update: CBS reworked the story and removed the references to the offshore sportsbook.)
Indiana bettor pleads guilty
If you’ve missed the wild story about an attempt to bet on an Alabama college baseball game with inside information, read it here. The Indiana man who tried to place a $100K bet with information provided by the former Alabama baseball coach now faces up to 10 years in prison in one of the dumbest gambling schemes ever. In other negative news around people betting:
The Jacksonville Jaguars are asking for FanDuel to return $20 million in fantasy sports entries placed by a former employee who stole money from the team. FanDuel isn’t having it, according to the ESPN report.
More athletes in Iowa are named in an ongoing betting probe that also features allegations that law enforcement overstepped its bounds in the investigation.
ESPN spoke with suspended NFL player Isaiah Rodgers Sr. about his betting activity, which he says was often done on behalf of family and friends.
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