It’s information overload everywhere, and there’s not time enough to sleep and eat and stay fully apprised of what’s happening on this crazy blue dot of ours (two out of three ain’t bad). Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top U.S. sports betting headlines, highlighting some fresh news, and rounding up key stories.

Each new year brings with it the hopes (pipe dreams?) for healthier habits, slimmer waistlines, increased time spent reading instead of watching — and likely for anyone reading this, interest in seeing more legalized gambling opportunities.

We already know for sure that North Carolina sports betting is coming in 2024, to be preceded this year by Vermont, which launches next Thursday. A group of sports betting apps will hopefully be allowed to launch in North Carolina in March, and DraftKings and BetMGM both issued announcements Friday that they’ve lined up the necessary partnerships with North Carolina sports organizations or venues in order to be ready.

That reference above to pipe dreams might be apt for anything happening soon to bring sports betting sites to either California or Texas, but there’s plenty of talk about it in those big states — one with a potential new ballot initiative in November and one with sale of an NBA franchise to a casino industry family eager for gambling expansion.

On a smaller scale, while Mississippi was among the first states to legalize retail sportsbooks, it has been surpassed in tax benefit to the state by its many peers that have since embraced mobile sports betting. It is a rather out-of-date and costly quirk that Mississippi allows adults to bet on a game at its casinos but denies them the chance to do so by phone or computer.

It’s possible that inconsistency will be remedied this year, as a state task force recently released a report making a strong case for the benefits of adding digital betting in Mississippi. It will likely receive at least some level of discussion in the new legislative session, where if any action is taken to expand sports betting, it will occur before the session ends May 5.

As to whether any state without any kind of legal sports betting currently will enact legislation this year to allow it, odds don’t seem encouraging, but Georgia, Missouri, and Minnesota are among the most viable candidates.

No one will be tracking all of these developments throughout 2024 better than the staff of Sports Handle, and that’s only part of our broad coverage of the sports betting industry, as shown by the recently published stories linked below. And be sure to check out US Bets’ own weekly Double Down column recapping the week of broad gambling industry news, in addition to its Gamble On podcast.

Sports betting in 2023: Hello to ESPN BET, Fanatics, and Taylor Swift

Launch of ESPN BET, Fanatics tops list of 2023 sports betting business stories

The worst sports betting bad beats of 2023

As sports betting debuts go, Ohio’s first year was a news-making doozy

Ask a bookmaker: Looking back at 2023 and toward 2024

Hit the lights, for it’s the 2023 sports betting industry oopsie awards

Will the sports wagering money train slow down anytime soon? Don’t count on it

The under is a near lock for DraftKings’ creative prop on NFL 2023 total points

Mobile sports betting goes live in Delaware via BetRivers

Maine tribes now angling for legal iCasino, historical horse racing

New York mobile sportsbooks post record $188 million in December revenue

Ohio’s November numbers show ESPN BET arriving with a bang

Nevada sports wagering handle virtually flat at $921 million in November

Colorado latest to top $600 million in monthly sports wagering handle

Virginia posts record $639 million sports wagering handle for November

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission revealed Thursday that Betway, which paid $1 million for a temporary license last year, has decided not to launch its sports betting in the state, while Bally’s will renew its temporary license with plans to launch later this year.

According to comments from commission staff, Bally’s will focus on its Rhode Island business early in the year before turning its attention to launching Bally Bet in Massachusetts. Both Bally’s and Betway currently hold untethered mobile licenses, of which up to seven are available in the state. Once Betway’s temporary license expires, three untethered licenses will still be available.

The MGC also had a comprehensive discussion about whether to allow WynnBet to reduce the number of hours that its problem and responsible gambling hotline is available. Responsible gambling has been a key tenet for the commission, and it will continue to gather information before deciding if it will agree to allow WynnBet to stop offering 24-hour service on the line.

With 2023 in the rearview mirror, the microbetting platform provider Simplebet this week released a list of last year’s most popular wagers and teams at the sportsbooks it services.

The exact result of a given NFL drive was the most popular betting market, followed by the result of a single pitch or plate appearance in Major League Baseball. The most popular team to bet on across all sports was the Kansas City Chiefs, followed by a pair of MLB teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies.

Unsurprisingly, New York accounted for the largest microbetting handle among all states, followed by Ohio and Illinois, although Ohio had the most bets taken.

There was maybe a total of 100 people there (and I'm being generous). It was small enough that you could… https://t.co/z7NxUTKJ8Z

— Steve Ruddock (@SteveRuddock) January 4, 2024

NOT EVERYTHING WAS BAD IN ’23: DraftKings’ 2023 surge paces sports stocks to rebound year [Sportico]

GAMBLING ON A NEW CONCEPT: How Turning Stone is trying to revolutionize sports betting experience [Spectrum News]

IN FLORIDA, IT’S ALWAYS COMPLICATED: Fantasy sports dispute surfaces as Florida deals with online expansion [News Service of Florida]

CFP BETS KEPT COMING IN, BUT …: Surge of betting for CFP semifinals, short of setting records [Associated Press]

— Las Vegas Sun (@LasVegasSun) January 5, 2024

HE’S PARLAYING WITH PURDUM: ESPN signs writer Doug Greenburg to multi-year contract [ESPN]

SMALL STATE WITH WRONG TREND: Rhode Island: Handle and revenue down in November [iGaming Business]

A SINFUL TYPE OF MARKETING? Ontario bishops call for ban on gambling ads [Anglican Journal]

CHALLENGING THE GAMBLING GOLD RUSH: Gambling boom detrimental to New Jersey economy, report says [The Guardian]