CaliforniaGovernor appoints new State Lottery HeadThe GoldenState continues to negotiate with tribal operatorsWestVirginia revenue plummets
Amidvarious changes in the U.S. sports betting climate, CA Governor GavinNewson has appointed Alva Johnson as the new head of the StateLottery. Meanwhile, revenue in West Virginia has taken off quitesignificantly in May.
California Appoints New StateLottery Head
CA Governor Gavin Newsonhas made an important shift in the management of the State Lottery byappointing Alva Johnson, a famous proponent of tribal gamblingoperations. Johnson is taking over Hugo Lopez who hadannounced his retirement a week before.
Lopez was embroiled in multiple scandals that had to do with mismanagement of funds as well as misconduct since he stepped into office in 2015. Johnson, on the other hand, has a reputation for a person who understands the needs of tribal operators and can consolidate them with other business goals in the betting and iGaming industry.
He served as Director ofIntergovernmental Affairs for San Manuel Band of Mission Indiansuntil 2018 and he had held a stint with the Agua Caliente Band ofCahuilla Indians. In addition,Johnson served as legislative liaison with the lottery back in 2011.Handing over the organization into his hands is reassuring given theLottery’s contributions into the state’s educational budget.
West Virginia’s Sports BettingRevenue Soars Big Time in May
WestVirginia posted solid results in May, with the sports betting revenuegoing up the whopping 69% month-over-month. In May, WV raked in asmu 7BALL ch as $937,065 with the total amount of wagers going up 4%. Thetotal sports handle stood at $10.7 million. As of May, 2019, both thesportsbooks’ revenue and players’ winnings increased. Here is howindividual properties performed:
HollywoodCasino, Charles Town Races – $672,070 ($7.64m wagered)EldoradoResorts Mountaineer Casino – $222,736 ($2.84m wagered)DelawareNorth’s Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack – N/AMardiGras Casino – N/A
On top of not taking any wagers, both Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras casino had to pay out for prior bets, which generated slight losses for the casinos. Conversely, they are the only properties authorized to accept sports wagers, with the DraftKings-backed project now delayed by the WV Lottery Commission.
WVis still treading carefully amid an impending Wire Act enforcementwhich may throw a big upset in the plans of many operators out therewho want to introduce mobile sports betting en masse throughout thecountry. However, NewHampshire recently wona case, which has given a glimmer of hope to those opposed to theWire Act.
However,the court decision didn’t favor NH heavily, so even though the U.S.Department of Justice, the body to come up with the latest WAOpinion, has lost a fight, the war is only about to begin when DOJattorneys start enforcing the WA in earnest.
