Delaware saw football parlay card sales rise by almost 40 percent in August as they continue to experience quite the payoff from the state’s decision to expand legal betting on pro football games. Allowing those in bars and restaurants, instead of just casinos, to wager on games has seen a “52-percent increase” during the first two weeks of the regular season, according to lottery director Vernon Kirk. There’s a lesson here also for any casino worried about the effect sports betting could have on their revenues with casinos selling 13 percent more parlay cards than last year, and Kirk adding: “The gratifying thing for us is that there has been not only no cannibalization from the racetracks – we were holding our breath – but their sales have gone up considerably”. Expectations are that the new sports betting rules will bring in $7.75m in new state revenue this fiscal year and that should fuel more locations applying for licences next year.
Maui’s county prosecutors office won’t prosecute nine people accused of gambling offences. The nine people were accused of playing poker at the residence on Kaikai Street on August 16 and one defence attorney commented that he was “disappointed” that the police department “targets legal poker games”. Meanwhile, deputy prosecutor Byron Fujieda stated: “Based on the investigation that was done, we didn’t have enough evidence to pursue those cases.”
Illinois is set to receive more than 4,000 VLTs after Bally Technologies signed a contract to bring them to the state. It will give the company control over more than 50 percent of the state’s gambling industry after placing the machines in over 1,500 locations statewide. The news comes after the state approved expansion earlier on this year that means bars, taverns, restaurants and convenience stores to offer VLT gambling. Las Vegas Review-Journal revealed that no financial terms have yet been disclosed.
