Tennessee Sports Betting Ready for November 1
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The Volunteer State is launching sports betting two Sundays from now. However, some last-minute housekeeping issues need to be addressed. Last week, the Tennessee Education Lottery Sports Wagering Committee held a special meeting discussing some of the issues about sports betting launching on November 1.
The launch would happen on an NFL Sunday, which is the week’s busiest day for sportsbooks in the fall. TEL CEO Rebecca Hargrave suggested that sportsbooks should operate a few hours a day leading up to the official November 1 launch, so sports betting operators are not overwhelmed on the first day with NFL bets coming in.
The special meeting was also held to discuss some final rules and regulations set in place and make sure the terms are up to par before the big day.
Who’s Expected to Launch in November?
Last month, the state confirmed that BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel were approved of sports betting licenses and could launch on November 1. However, a fourth sportsbook is also supposed to begin operations, but the state is slowing them down.
Tennessee Action 24/7 is not sure if they will be able to launch simultaneously as the other three sportsbooks. The company chose Amelco as the supplier, and they have not received the approval of a sports betting license by TEL. The homegrown sportsbook is in limbo, waiting for approval before they can officially launch.
Amelco sent on the sports betting application on September 23 and has been waiting on approval since. Reports have estimated that it takes TEL about six weeks to run through the application and background check, so Amelco would most likely be approved in the first week of November.
Although that still is not bad, that does put Tennessee Action 24/7 a few days behind the competition, which could hurt early customers. BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel are three of the largest sports betting operators in the U.S., and Tennesseans will most likely flock to them instead of wait around to sign-up with Tennessee Action 24/7.
What Still Needs to Be Done?
Outside of a few details, Tennessee will be ready to go come November. The biggest question will be whether or not they have a pre-launch allowing sportsbooks to operate a few days before NFL Sunday. This could help the state as well to make sure everything is running smoothly.
The last thing TEL would want is for the sports betting network to crash on the first day or have an issue where people can’t bet. Overall, the Volunteer State will be fine once they get things going.
Tennessee Action 24/7 is the biggest wild card of the launch, as Amelco is still going through the approval process. If they can go in the first week of November, then the state’s sportsbook will be fine in the coming months.
The state still is working on prop betting for college sports, but that should be taken care of before the launch date. Almost every state has banned college prop betting, so it would be a surprise if Tennessee went against the grain.
