The introduction of sports betting in Montana on March 9 has boosted the bottom line in many of the state’s bars and small casinos in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
That is true even though the sports world itself took extreme body blows from the pandemic when the NBA, NHL and MLB began cancelling their seasons beginning in March.
Jennifer McKee, spokesman for the Montana Lottery, which operates Sports Bet Montana, commented last week, “This inaugural year was strange for sports betting,” adding “We were prepared to be overwhelmed, but by the end of the week we started placing terminals, all major sports were shutting down.”
That caused the rollout of the program to stumble out of the gate as the Lottery had to cancel a large ad campaign when Governor Steve Bullock ordered a lockdown of non-essential businesses, including the very casinos and bars that hosted the betting kiosks.
As businesses reopened, the Lottery took steps to ensure social distancing by relocating the terminals within the retailers and keeping them disinfected.
Sports betting resumed slowly during the summer, and wagering fans discovered odd new sports such as Korean baseball and table tennis.
The system went through growing pains because the tech team that had been assembled to handle complaints and problems had been largely let go during the pandemic. But once sports began to revive, said McKee, “everything is going gangbusters.”
As off last month, $11.6 million had been wagered at almost 300 retail locations, with $10.2 million paid out and about $632,000 paid to retailers. The state gets a 12 percent of which it devotes half to STEM scholarships and half is paid to retailers.
McKee declared, “Every single thing that helps a Montana business to be successful, especially right now, matters.”
The Big Diamond Casino, which has the third highest handle in the state, has seen a 15 percent increase in business since incorporating sports betting. Like other locations the casino has a betting terminal as well as an app beacon that takes bets from patrons who are within range of it, which must be inside of the establishment.
Patrons can make bets without contacting others, which encourages social distancing and Covid safety.
The biggest wagering interest has been in the NFL season, with more than half of the total money wagered being wagered on football.
McKee touted the state’s emphasis on the private sector. “It’s one thing to say we’re investing in Main Street businesses — everyone says that and it’s always true — but we really see how that applies with our products in this year,” she said.
