Tomorrow is the first day of October and marks the beginning of the busiest sports betting season each year in the United States
And sportsbooks will surely have their hands full of wagers all month long.
The NFL and college football are already in full swing. The MLB postseason starts tomorrow. The first puck of the NHL regular season will drop Wednesday night, and the NBA Tip-Off game is only three weeks away.
Last week also saw the release of the first Super Bowl 54 prop bets after the NFL announced that Jennifer Lopez and Shakira would headline the halftime show in Miami Gardens, FL next year.
And it’s not just sports that are getting all the fun. There’s even prop bets for Netflix’s “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”—the follow up to the critically acclaimed TV show directed by Vince Gilligan.
And to top it off, President Donald Trump is surrounded in controversy from the whistleblower complaint. House Democrats have launched an impeachment inquiry, and political betting sites have raised Trump’s impeachment odds from Yes +300, No -500 to Yes +175, No -250.
October is sure to be full of surprises, so let’s see what the states are up to on the issue of legalizing sports betting.
Indiana betting app gets the green flag
Indiana began offering legal sportsbooks at the start of September, but since then, regulators had been relatively quiet on when online and mobile sports betting would be coming to the Hoosier State.
However, that all changed last week when the Indiana Gaming Commission authorized Rush Street Interactive to launch its website and mobile app for French Lick Casino. Hoosiers will be able to bet on their smartphones, tablets, and computers starting Thursday, October 3.
Michigan’s budget drama could delay bill
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said there wouldn’t be a government shutdown in Michigan, but that hasn’t stopped both political parties from lashing out at each other.
The governor and lawmakers must agree on a budget plan before the clock strikes midnight or all non-essential government services will grind to a halt, and over 30,000 state employees will be temporarily laid off and without pay.
Michigan has a pending sports betting bill in committee, but the legislation has taken a backseat until the issue surrounding the state’s budget is resolved.
New Jersey reigns supreme over Nevada once again
The last of the August sportsbook revenue reports came out last week, and New Jersey has topped Nevada for the third time in four months. NJ sportsbooks accepted $293.6 million worth of wagers and had $25.2 million in revenue compared to the $288 million handle and $18.7 million in revenue earned at NV sportsbooks.
Oregon Lottery’s app is ready for primetime
Late last week, the Oregon Lottery announced it has finished testing the Scoreboard mobile sports betting app and is waiting for approval from banks before officially going live in the state.
Oregon became the 12th state to offer legal sports betting in late-August when the Chinook Winds Casino opened its sportsbook. The Lottery’s app was supposed to roll out in time for the NFL season, but those plans were scrapped since more testing was needed.
Officials said the Scoreboard app is scheduled to be released on Monday, October 7 if everything goes according to plan.
DC judge delays mobile app launch
Dylan Carragher, an app developer living in Washington DC, filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming the DC Council illegal awarded Intralot a $215 million no-bid contract to operate the lottery and eventually, the only mobile betting app allowed in the nation’s capital.
This past week, Carragher and his attorney asked Superior Court Judge Joan Zeldon to issue a temporary restraining order, and the judge sided with the app developer, stopping the first $30 million payment to Intralot and delaying the launch of the city’s mobile app. The judge is expected to schedule a full hearing on Tuesday, October 1.
SportsBetting.Legal resources
And that’s all the biggest legal sports betting headlines from last week and what’s soon to come for the week of September 30. To stay up-to-date on the latest legislative movement in your area, check out our sports betting bill tracker.
And as always: If you’re looking to place a bet during the busiest betting season of the year, then head on over to our online sportsbook reviews where we list the best legal betting sites covering all the wagers US residents want to place in October and in the coming months.
