Case Bets

More than 23 million Americans are expected to bet legally or otherwise on the Super Bowl, according to the American Gaming Association, which predicts $4.3 billion in handle. 7.5 million punters will be doing their wagering online, 63% more than last year. The action leans heavily (56%) toward the Kansas City Chiefs—sorry, GOAT—with 12 million citizens betting against friends, as opposed to 1.5 million using retail sports bookies, down 61% from last year, before Covid-19 struck. Action with Lefty in the back alley will be patronized by nearly two million Americans, down 21%, a sign of progress. Speaking of progress, the AGA says, “34 percent of Americans remember seeing responsible gaming messaging in the past year, up five points from 2020. Super Bowl bettors were even more likely to see responsibility content, with 53 percent seeing responsible gaming messaging in the past year.” As AGA prexy Bill Miller puts it, “Responsible gaming is core to legal sports betting’s long-term success, and this is borne out by continued demand for consumer protections only available in the legal market.”

More Illinois sports betting data is out, with $41 million in revenue realized on $449 million in November handle. Surprisingly, the #1 revenue spot was not held by DraftKings Casino Queen but “DFS Operator #2,” otherwise known as FanDuel, with $14.5 million. DraftKings was second with $12.5 million, followed by BetRivers‘ $11.5 million, while PointsBet made the board with $2 million. For handle, DraftKings led market share with 37%, then BetRivers’ 29.5%, followed by FanDuel’s 25% and PointsBet’s 6%, way down from its October 14%.

Philadelphia Live continues to impress our Atlantic City correspondent, who reports, “Due to the snow that was forecast starting today, Sunday through Tuesday, we went to Philly Live on Saturday. No need for reservations, as their website states. Nothing new(er) yet, just two food places open. They previously upgraded my AC player’s card, and they came thru with $250 in free slot play. No casino ever gave me that much free slot play before! Can’t beat the 18-19 minute drive home compared to 50-60 minutes from AC. Once they finish the food build-out and have their ‘Grand Opening’ mid-Feb they will have a winner, taking business from Rivers Casino (former SugarHouse) and Harrah’s Philadelphia (former Harrah’s Chester) as well as AC.”

Congratulations to MGM Resorts International for receiving a 100% score from the Human Rights Campaign as one of HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.” And to think the casino industry used to be notorious not so long ago for homophobia. MGM’s perfect score is in part due to its having led Big Gaming in offering health benefits to same-sex couples. The company is also kicking off a series of Black History Month observances. Now, other major companies may be doing this and leading in diversity initiatives but they’re not doing a good job of tooting their own horn about it.

Jottings: On Thursday the Neon Museum will presenting a one-hour Zoom tour, “Beyond the Boneyard,” focusing on historic roadside Las Vegas signage. Register at http://bit.ly/BeyondtheBoneyardRelics. We highly recommend it … Steve Wynn still hasn’t found any takers for his $110 million Beverly Hills mansion. The septuagenarian Lothario bought it in 2015 for $48 million and expanded it by 8K square feet. If you need a movie theater, wine cellar and 11 bedrooms, this is the place for you. By contrast, Matt Damon‘s mansion is a bargain at $21 million … According CEO Rob Goldstein, Las Vegas Sands is pondering a casino-resort application in Thailand, where gambling may soon be legalized. He’s also prepared to commit $5 billion-$10 billion in additional Macao spending to palliate the government. Goldstein added that LVS is “bullish” on the Las Vegas Strip, seeing “unbelievable” demand for 2022-27 … Both Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s Corp. are getting into the DFS business. Bally bought provider Monkey Knife Fight and Caesars acquired SuperDraft … and finally, the democratically elected government of Myanmar has been overthrown and imprisoned in a military coup. The junta has been jawboning “unfounded accusations of fraud in the November 2020” election for months. Gee, we wonder where they got that idea?