{"id":156937,"date":"2020-11-30T13:40:25","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T21:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=156937"},"modified":"2020-11-30T14:44:51","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T22:44:51","slug":"zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"

ZenSports, which seeks to establish its sports betting marketplace in the United States, has filed for licenses Tennessee and Virginia.<\/p>\n

\"ZenSports\"
ZenSports cofounder and CEO Mark Thomas, seen here at the Balkan Gaming Expo in 2018, announced that the sports betting company has applied for licenses in Tennessee and Virginia. (Image: ZenSports\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Company cofounder and CEO Mark Thomas said that the company will seek approval to offer its online marketplace, which is like a sports betting exchange, where players can set bets and take action on them from other players.<\/p>\n

We are amenable to only doing market-making and bookmaking ourselves in states where peer-to-peer isn’t yet allowed,\u201d Thomas told Casino.org. \u201cWe’re pushing to allow for as many of our features as possible. But we have the capability to turn on\/off as many or as few features as need be.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In its peer-to-peer model, ZenSports charges a fee in lieu of the vig or juice sportsbooks place on odds. Thomas has said its fee is substantially lower than what other sportsbooks charge. However, Tennessee\u2019s sports betting rules require sportsbooks to maintain a 10 percent hold, a figure higher than most sportsbooks\u2019 margins.<\/p>\n

If approved for peer-to-peer, Thomas said ZenSports<\/a> would be able to adjust the fees in order to meet the state\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n

Currently, four sportsbooks operate in Tennessee. They are Action247, BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Besides ZenSports, Churchill Downs\u2019 BetAmerica, William Hill, and Wynn Resorts have also reportedly applied for a license in the state.<\/p>\n

Up to A Dozen Licenses Available in Virginia<\/h2>\n

Like Tennessee, sports betting in Virginia will be online only.<\/p>\n

The state approved sports wagering as part of the expanded gaming law that is also allowing casinos to operate in select Virginia communities. Casinos likely won’t open for some time. However, the Virginia Lottery expects to approve sports betting apps perhaps as early as January.<\/p>\n

\n

Unlike Tennessee, though, Virginia will cap the number of sportsbooks that can operate. However, the law gives the lottery some flexibility there. The lottery must approve at least four licenses for sports betting applications and no more than 12.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Earlier this month, the Virginia Lottery acknowledged it received 25 applications prior to its Oct. 31 deadline. It did not release the names of the applicants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe high level of interest by national and international sports betting operators validates Virginia\u2019s efforts to strike an appropriate and responsible balance in its regulatory program for legalized sports betting,\u201d said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kevin Hall in a release.<\/p>\n

Besides ZenSports, another sports betting company that has confirmed its application is Wynn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About ZenSports<\/h2>\n

US-based ZenSports has offered its marketplace internationally for two years and promotes the use of its own cryptocurrency for bets. Thomas has said operating in the US is a major goal for the company.<\/p>\n

In August, the company announced an agreement with Strategic Gaming Management that gives ZenSports an option to buy the Big Wheel Casino in Lovelock, Nev. In addition, it also offers an option to operate the sportsbook at Baldini\u2019s in Sparks. With that deal, ZenSports applied for a sports betting license in Nevada, which would allow it to operate its marketplace.<\/p>\n

In September, the company closed on a round of seed funding. It received nearly $1.5 million with a valuation of $8 million..<\/p>\n

Besides Tennessee and Virginia, ZenSports also has been eying the Colorado sports betting market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ZenSports, which seeks to establish its sports betting marketplace in the United States, has filed for licenses Tennessee and Virginia. Company cofounder and CEO Mark Thomas said that the company will seek approval to offer its online marketplace, which is like a sports betting exchange, where players can set bets and take action on them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":156940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33810,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ZenSports, which wants to bring its peer-to-peer marketplace to the States, is also seeking a sports betting license in Nevada.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ZenSports, which wants to bring its peer-to-peer marketplace to the States, is also seeking a sports betting license in Nevada.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-30T21:40:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-30T22:44:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1318\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1018\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/\",\"name\":\"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-30T21:40:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-30T22:44:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\"},\"description\":\"ZenSports, which wants to bring its peer-to-peer marketplace to the States, is also seeking a sports betting license in Nevada.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg\",\"width\":1318,\"height\":1018,\"caption\":\"ZenSports Co-Founder and CEO Mark Thomas, seen here at the Balkan Gaming Expo in 2018, announced that the sports betting company has applied for licenses in Tennessee and Virginia. (Image: ZenSports\/Facebook)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gaming Business\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/gaming-business\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\",\"name\":\"Steve Bittenbender\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Steve Bittenbender\"},\"description\":\"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia","description":"ZenSports, which wants to bring its peer-to-peer marketplace to the States, is also seeking a sports betting license in Nevada.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia","og_description":"ZenSports, which wants to bring its peer-to-peer marketplace to the States, is also seeking a sports betting license in Nevada.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2020-11-30T21:40:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-11-30T22:44:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1318,"height":1018,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Bittenbender","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Steve Bittenbender","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/","name":"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg","datePublished":"2020-11-30T21:40:25+00:00","dateModified":"2020-11-30T22:44:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2"},"description":"ZenSports, which wants to bring its peer-to-peer marketplace to the States, is also seeking a sports betting license in Nevada.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/46501036_2092849357693655_4132922882911109120_o.jpg","width":1318,"height":1018,"caption":"ZenSports Co-Founder and CEO Mark Thomas, seen here at the Balkan Gaming Expo in 2018, announced that the sports betting company has applied for licenses in Tennessee and Virginia. (Image: ZenSports\/Facebook)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/zensports-applies-for-sports-betting-licenses-in-tennessee-and-virginia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gaming Business","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/gaming-business\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"ZenSports Applies for Sports Betting Licenses in Tennessee and Virginia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2","name":"Steve Bittenbender","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","caption":"Steve Bittenbender"},"description":"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156937"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}