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ByNovember 10th, 2020 | Last updated on November 10th, 2020
It was a memorable day. Record turnout in most states and nail-biting races at all levels of the US government made November 3 a day for the history books.
While ballot counters continue to tally the final votes in several states, and some election campaigns turn their efforts to lawsuits, the gambling industry in America can rest easy. It did extraordinarily well, with sports betting emerging as a clear winner, but casinos did well, too.
AGA Prefaced Election with Positive Outlook
The American Gaming Association has to walk a thin line in turbulent times, such as in 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic. The gambling industry advocacy organization must express the dire needs of land-based casinos and gambling operators across the United States while also touting a positive outlook for the future.
AGA President and CEO Bill Miller did that several weeks ago. He delivered his State of the Industry address at the virtual 2020 Global Gaming Expo (G2E).
He began his speech by acknowledging Covid-19, especially the two weeks in March that prompted government-mandated shutdowns across America.
–989 casinos closed
–1.8 million jobs impacted
–More than $2 billion lost in gaming tax revenue for states in first 4 months of shutdowns
However, Miller noted that more than 90% of America’s casinos had reopened by the end of October, albeit at reduced capacity in most parts of the country. Much of the factors necessary to bring the casino industry back to former profit points rely on safety protocols and, ultimately, a Covid-19 vaccine.
On the optimistic side, Miller provided some positive takeaways:
–September AGA survey shows more Americans with positive views of gaming than ever before at 50%.
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–Gaming available in 44 states.
–Significant responsible gaming and coronavirus safety protocols ensure industry recovery.
–Gaming received federal relief for first time in 2020 via CARES Act, overcoming discriminatory treatment.
–Congressional Gaming Caucus revived last year offers bipartisan federal support.
–Progress in digital payment alternatives for land-based gaming.
Finally, Miller discussed the ever-expanding legal sports betting market in the US. As of October 2020 – before the election – he provided these stats:
–Sports betting legal in 22 states and Washington, D.C.
–Nearly $26 billion wagered on sporting events since May 2018
–Nearly $231 million generated in taxes since May 2018
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AGA Hails Success in 2020 Election
Numerous states put various types of betting and gambling initiatives on their ballots for the November 3 election, leaving decisions with the voters. The results were overwhelmingly positive.
–Three states legalized sports betting: Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota.
–Three states expanded casino gaming: Colorado, Nebraska, and Virginia.
That brought the totals for US gaming to new highs:
–Some form of gaming is legal in 44 states.
–More than 45% of American adults (115 million people) live in states with legal sports betting.
On behalf of the AGA, Miller stated, “As a result of successful ballot measures in six gaming states, more Americans will have access to much needed job opportunities, dedicated tax revenue, and safe, regulated entertainment options closer to home.”
Positive Sports Betting Election Results
As mentioned, three more states legalized sports betting per ballot measures last week. Let’s look at exactly what voters approved.
Louisiana
Louisiana voters needed to decide if sports wagering activities and operations should be permitted on a parish-by-parish basis. The Louisiana Senate approved S.130 earlier in 2020 to put the question on the ballot for each of the 64 parishes.
The vast majority of parishes approved the measure with 55 positive votes.
The Louisiana parishes that voted to approve of sports betting will be able to start that in 2021 or 2022, but state lawmakers will have to hammer out some details first. https://t.co/04NMC8VDDM
— Reckon (@reckonsouth) November 8, 2020
Maryland
Voters in Maryland had the opportunity to legalize betting on sports and other events to raise revenue for education. While public support would still necessitate a legislative bill with specifics like tax rates and operator limitations, the first step was finding out where the public stood on the issue.
The bill passed with 66.63% approving the referendum.
Legal sports betting could be live in Maryland by summer. Good rundown here from the @AP on what needs to be done to make it happen. https://t.co/KmImhGENml
— Bill Miller (@BillMillerAGA) November 9, 2020
South Dakota
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Deadwood is the city in South Dakota that diverges from the rest of the state with regard to gambling. Lawmakers and residents of the state long ago decided that gambling would be restricted to one city and Native American tribal lands. The question for voters pertained to adding sports betting to the list of legal forms of gambling that currently includes table games and slot machines.
Voters approved sports betting with 58.47% checking the “yes” box.
With more than 89% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday morning, South Dakota was projected to pass all three ballot measures:
-53% supporting recreational marijuana
-69% supporting medical marijuana
-59% supporting sports betting in Deadwoodhttps://t.co/zuyjy5HXvo
— Arielle Zionts (@Ajzionts) November 4, 2020
More Casino Gambling in Three States
Sports betting may be the hot type of gambling at the moment – well, of the past 2.5 years – but states also garner revenue from traditional forms of gambling. And it is land-based gambling that is usually required to set the stage for gambling revenue. Sports betting is usually an add-on later.
Three states chose various forms of gambling expansion last week.
Colorado
Prior to the election, Colorado allowed casino gambling in only a few select cities. Each city has a select few casinos but maintained a mandatory betting limit of $100. In addition, the cities were at the mercy of the state legislature for their overall gambling parameters. The bill before the voters provided the opportunity to allow the individual cities with casinos to hold their own referendums for increase betting limits – or remove limits altogether – and add new games to their repertoires.
Voters in Colorado approved the measure with 60.33% in favor.
‘Increase The Fun’: Maximum Bets & New Games Coming To Colorado Casinos – CBS Denver https://t.co/4f1BhWoMUm
— AllCheatcodes (@AllCheatCodes) November 5, 2020
Nebraska
Earlier this year, Nebraska State Senator Justin Wayne introduced a bill to declare poker and sports betting as games of skill. His goal was to exempt them from current anti-gambling laws in the state. That bill failed to move through the legislature.
Those Nebraskans that wanted more gambling options than just horse race betting took it to the ballot box. The initiative pertained to games of chance, however, but wanted them legalized at horse racing venues. A series of three initiatives linked together asked voters to approve games of chance – creating racinos – to be licensed by a newly-established gambling regulator.
Voters strongly supported this constitutional amendment and approved it with 64.98% of the vote.
Casino boosters have failed repeatedly to bring them to Nebraska. Last week, voters approved them by a nearly 2-1 margin. What changed? @stoddardOWH reports: https://t.co/IBBvFqmdrJ
— Steve Liewer (@SteveLiewer) November 9, 2020
Virginia
Many cities in Virginia have been pushing for casino gambling for years. In March 2019, lawmakers for the Commonwealth of Virginia passed a bill with several components. The primary language of the bill authorized casino gambling via regulations set by the Virginia Lottery Board. The kicker was that only certain cities (Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, Richmond, and Norfolk – could consider casinos, and those cities must offer referendums for its residents to approve.
Technically, the language of the bill left open the possibility of those cities also authorizing online casino games, including poker. That is likely to wait at least one year before asking people to vote on it.
For the November 2020 election, four of those cities did put the issue of land-based casino gambling on their respective ballots for the voters: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth. A positive vote would move the process forward.
Voters in all four cities said yes. Norfolk voters chose yes with 65% of the vote, Portsmouth with 67%, Danville with 69%, and Bristol by 71% of the vote.
Virginia voters approve casino gaming in four cities; Richmond still in talks https://t.co/vwp5JkMoBm
— privateofficer (@privateofficer) November 8, 2020
Online casinos are winning — and they are winning big. Data from Statista show that the online gambling market is now worth $59 billion globally, and is anticipated to reach as high as $92 billion by 2023. This bullish projection is due to a confluence of factors, chief among them being continued digitization, advanced technology that is making online gaming highly accessible, and gamers starting to trust online platforms a lot more.
Another factor is the practice of online casinos tapping into pop culture in order to appeal to younger demographics such as millennials and Generation Z. And lately, online casinos have bet big on the superhero subculture in the same way established franchises have been doing. Just this February, for instance, The Simpsons released an Avengers: Endgame parody poster hinting at an Avengers-inspired episode and underscoring the broad appeal of Marvel’s mightiest heroes and superheroes in general.
Even Lego, in fact, is capitalizing on the global appeal of superheroes, with Reuters reporting how models of the Avengers, like Thor and Captain America, have helped drive sales up by 4% in Q1 of 2019 (which translates to roughly $2.2 billion in sales).
Unsurprisingly, online casinos have gotten into the act as well, with Tuxslots having several slots based on Marvel characters, including Daredevil, Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk. Similarly, there are titles based on DC’s superheroes, including Superman and The Flash. Even lesser known superheroes, like Black Widow, Blade, and Hellboy (of Dark Horse Comics), have inspired their own slots, further underscoring just how big of a bet online casinos have placed on superheroes.
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These slots are traditionalist in that their gameplay offers everything one might expect from online slot games. The big difference, though, is that they make use of the most famous and loved fictional characters in pop culture at the moment — and this alone is a differentiator. At times, online casinos need not even reference the actual superheroes, as simply alluding to them is often enough to elicit near-instant recall from fans. Such is the case with titles like Thunderstruck and The Dark Joker Rizes, which fans will recognize right away as being allusions to The Mighty Thor (as the character Thunderstruck closely resembles Marvel’s God of Thunder) and The Joker (with the title being a play on the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises), respectively,
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At the moment, though, there is no concrete data yet as to just how much the superhero genre is contributing to the coffers of online casinos. But given the large following of Earth’s mightiest heroes and the loyalty they’ve inspired from their fans, it would be reasonable to surmise that online casinos are making considerable money from their superhero-inspired games. And if Lego’s 2019 gains are any indication, online casinos are likely winning big by betting big on superheroes, like Thor, Iron Man, and Superman. Why else will online casinos continue creating and promoting games inspired by these fictional characters? The short answer is: They have a winner.