Tennessee approves first three online betting operators

Tennessee sports bettors are gearing up for a November 1 launch of legal wagering after the state approved its first three bookmaker licenses.

On Wednesday, local media reported that the Tennessee Education Lottery committee had approved the state’s first three sports betting operator license applications. The thrillsome threesome are DraftKings (technically Crown TN Gaming), FanDuel (technically Betfair Interactive) and BetMGM, which had the audacity to apply under its actual brand name.

The successful applicants currently represent the three biggest US-facing operators in terms of online market share, which may or may not be the reason their names were the first drawn from this hat. A spokesperson said earlier this month that the Lottery had received four ‘complete’ operator applications plus another ‘incomplete’ application. A local firm, Tennessee Action 24/7, is the only other confirmed applicant.

The Lottery committee won’t meet again until October 5, at which other betting applicants may learn whether they’ll be joining the legal betting party when it gets underway on November 1. Lottery officials said earlier this month that the November date was a ‘no later than’ timeline and “we will start earlier if possible.”