Sports betting and casinos get Election Day boost in the US

They were still counting votes for the U.S. Presidential Election on Friday morning. However, other topics were determined much easier on Tuesday when the polls closed, especially in the gambling industry. Earlier this week in our top 10, we covered what would be on the ballot for certain states regarding gambling laws and regulations and the results were all positive for the industry.

Let’s begin with a new casino ready to move forward in Virginia.

Four cities in Virginia - Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth and Norfolk – voted to approve casino expansion.

The emphasis was on Danville especially from Caesars Entertainment. The citizens of Danville overwhelmingly voted in favor of the proposed Caesars casino development, passing the referendum with 69% of the vote.

Caesars Entertainment may continue with its plans to proceed with the project. The casino operator giant and the City of Danville entered into an agreement on 3 September, with Caesars pledging the re-development of a former industrial site as a $400 million casino resort with 300 hotel rooms, 2,500 seat entertainment theater, 35,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, full-service spa, and pool.

Caesars Virginia will be a reality thanks to the citizens of Danville. Last night, the casino referendum passed in Danville, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/82z9f8FMYW

— Caesars Entertainment (@CaesarsEnt) November 4, 2020

Voters in Colorado also gave gambling expansion the green light. Casinos in Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek can eliminate the $100 maximum bet rule that is currently in place. In addition, casinos can also welcome new games, including baccarat and keno for their guests to enjoy.

In the last two years we have seen major steps taken by Colorado in the industry. In 2019, sports betting was approved and launched in May of this year, and now we see land-based casinos broadening their offerings.

Horse tracks in Nebraska are going to begin looking a little different. On Tuesday, voters in the state had the opportunity to decide if they wanted to allow casino gambling at horse tracks in the state. Voters easily reached majority to approve racetracks in Omaha, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Columbus, Hastings and Grand Island to have expanded gambling at their facilities.

Because of the approval, a seven-member gaming commission will be formed to oversee the new casinos at the race tracks. While it will eventually happen, it may be a bit before bettors can place casino wagers at these race tracks.

Let’s move over to some sports betting.

Three U.S. states - Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota - saw ballot initiatives legalize sports betting. We highlighted Maryland in our top 10 since every state that it borders is already with legalized sports wagering and now Maryland can say the same.

Even though all three states said “yes” to sports betting, it will take some time before placing sports wagers in those states actually happens.

American Gaming Association CEO and President Bill Miller said, “Some form of legal gaming is currently authorized in 44 states, and more than 45% of American adults – 115 million – live in states with legal, regulated sports betting and the safeguards these markets provide.”

So we saw the success these areas in the U.S. had on Election Day, now it is time to watch the progress take place in each state with the ballots already in as successful.