{"id":263671,"date":"2023-03-10T11:24:08","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T17:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=263671"},"modified":"2023-03-10T15:18:20","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T21:18:20","slug":"wwe-betting-report-bodyslammed-by-state-gaming-regulators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wwe-betting-report-bodyslammed-by-state-gaming-regulators\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE Betting Report Bodyslammed by State Gaming Regulators"},"content":{"rendered":"

One day after CNBC<\/a><\/i> indicated WWE was seeking approval for wagering on its events, all three state agencies mentioned in the article refuted the report.<\/p>\n

\"WWE\"<\/a>
WWE’s WrestleMania 35 attracts a large crowd to MetLife Stadium at the New Jersey Meadowlands in 2019. A report earlier this week indicated the professional wrestling organization was in talks with gaming officials in certain states about allowing sportsbooks to accept wagers on its matches. Regulators in those states refuted the report. (Image: Howitto\/Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a statement issued Thursday morning, the Colorado Division of Gaming said it was responding to \u201cthe inaccurate representation\u201d in the article that the professional wrestling organization was talking with the division about allowing sportsbooks to offer betting markets on its matches.<\/p>\n

Unlike sporting events, WWE matches are scripted with predetermined outcomes.<\/p>\n

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The Colorado Division of Gaming is not currently and has not considered allowing sports betting wagers on WWE matches,\u201d <\/strong>the statement read. \u201cAt no time has any state gaming regulator in Colorado spoken with the WWE about including wagers on our approved wager list.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The statement continued, noting that state statute forbids offering odds \u201con events with fixed or predicted outcomes or purely by chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michigan and Indiana Chime In<\/h2>\n

Hours later, the Michigan Gaming Control Board issued a statement saying there have been no \u201cdirect communications\u201d with WWE<\/a> employees or executives about allowing licensed sportsbooks in the state to offer markets. It did acknowledge \u201ca third-party consultant\u201d broached the topic with the board, but that was more than a year ago. Nothing progressed from that, the MGCB said.<\/p>\n

MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said any formal request to offer an event needs to come from a state-licensed operator or platform provider. None have done so.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe WWE should work with the gaming industry if it wishes to bring a proposal before the MGCB,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

On Thursday evening, an Indiana Gaming Commission spokesperson told Casino.org<\/em> that it has \u201cno interest in approving wagering on scripted events.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sports betting rules vary by state, with some permitting operators to offer more markets than others. That\u2019s why some states, like Indiana and Michigan, can offer markets on the Academy Awards<\/a>, while states like New York prohibit betting on such outcomes as a league\u2019s Most Valuable Player recipient.<\/p>\n

Major Sports Betting Operator Hesitant<\/h2>\n

The CNBC report was widely panned by many in the gaming industry after it was published.<\/p>\n

Contessa Brewer, an anchor and gaming industry reporter for the network, tweeted Wednesday she got an NSFW response from BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt when she asked him during an iGamingNEXT session about his interest in offering bets on WWE events.<\/p>\n

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Late this afternoon, I asked @BetMGM<\/a> CEO Adam Greenblatt whether he would be eager to take bets on @WWE<\/a> scripted matches. His answer- and I quote \u201cNFW!\u201d (To audience laughter @IGamingNEXT<\/a> ) @CNBC<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/CpKrtp6x6I<\/a><\/p>\n

— Contessa Brewer (@contessabrewer) March 9, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n