Top stories around our network this week
Four years-plus into legalized sports betting operations in the U.S. outside of Nevada, there’s still a big learning curve for the many major mobile sportsbooks in how to market their product. That was made clear in analyst Bennett Conlin’s deep dive this week into the evolution of the term “risk-free bets,” which not long ago was being used to lure customers but has recently become frowned upon as misleading them.
Regulators in Ohio and Massachusetts have stepped up to ban the use of “risk-free” in marketing — if a customer has to put some of his own money into play — in a way that their peers in previously legalized states did not. And the NBA has joined in, by telling those operators it partners with to avoid the terminology. Major operators such as FanDuel and PointsBet say they’ve already adjusted the wording of special bet offers in recent months or are in the process of doing so, recognizing there are ways to be more forthright about how they’re giving customers a chance to make up for an initial losing wager — but allowing for the possibility they will still lose money.
It’s an interesting evolution in the still-early stages of sportsbook marketing, which is well-equipped to cover. Our network of sites and writers examined much more this week, as the stories below show.
Massachusetts is up and running
Sports betting launches in Massachusetts, giving three retail books a head start
It’s finally legal to bet on the Boston Celtics in Massachusetts
Three Massachusetts sportsbooks get operation certificates for Tuesday launch
Retail sports betting arrives in Massachusetts
Taxes are big topic in New York
DraftKings, FanDuel executives plead for lower taxes in New York
New York governor hopes to use casino taxes for public transportation
A partnership in flux
What’s next for BetMGM as Entain nears end of commitment to U.S. joint venture?
Here a bill, there a bill
Groundhog Day? Missouri lawmakers file similar betting bills to what failed in 2022
Georgia senators file bill to legalize sports betting without constitutional amendment