Betting News – Page 39 – FairOdds Network

October 29, 2024

Plenty of support for Missouri legal wagering initiative, but fate unclear

While Caesars has backed down on its “no” on Amendment 2 contributions in Missouri, on 24 October FanDuel added another $4.6 million in support of the legal sports betting initiative.

FanDuel’s latest deposit brings the total contributions to the “Winning for Missouri Education” campaign to $40.7 million (£31.2 million/€37.6 million), according to Missouri Ethics Commission records. That total alone would make the campaign the priciest in Missouri history. Before deciding to “focus our efforts on grassroots outreach and community conversations” and pulling $1 million worth of scheduled television advertising earlier this month, Caesars had funded the “no” campaign with more than $14 million.

The two biggest newspapers in Missouri have endorsed Amendment 2. But the Kansas City Star editorial board did so “with some hesitation” on 10 October. In an editorial, the newspaper outlined concerns about addiction.

Whether or not the initiative will pass is unclear. The most recent polling..

October 29, 2024

Summer of sport fails to halt betting activity decline in Belgium

Fewer consumers in Belgium were active online and betting on this summer’s UEFA Euro 2024 national football team tournament than during the 2022 Fifa World Cup, according to new data from the country’s gambling regulator Kansspelcommissie.

Published this week, the ‘Summer of Sports 2024’ report details players’ betting activity throughout this summer. This period includes major events such as Euro 2024 and the Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Kansspelcommissie released figure for new players, with the average number of new online users during Euro 2024 at 1,031. This is lower than both the 2022 World Cup (1,487) and Euro 2020 (1,175). New online accounts fell from the 3,961 daily average at the 2022 World Cup to 3,298 this year. However, this did surpass the 3,022 daily average during Euro 2020.

Euro 2024 fails to match betting heights of World Cup 2022

Stand-out findings include a decline in the average number of online players active per day during Euro 2024. This stood at 196,95..

October 29, 2024

Tekkorp Capital eyes Africa for “rapidly-growing” investment opportunities

Global betting and gaming investor Tekkorp Capital is actively looking for investment opportunities in the African gambling space as it is a high-growth market with promising opportunities.

Gaming investment fund Tekkorp Capital believes Africa offers some of the industry’s most exciting growth opportunities and is seeking out locally led businesses to turn them into regional leaders, it said.

It also aims to shine a spotlight on the market to encourage more businesses to move into the African gaming space.

In targeting Africa, Tekkorp said it aims to support its investors across operational, technical and strategic matters and provide access to capital. This includes product solutions, media partnerships, payments and legal expertise.

Tekkorp founder and chairman Matt Davey expects to see strong growth at a significant pace in the market. “This will encourage more operators to enter the space and that’s why we believe the time is right to get ahead of the coalescing trends and cr..

October 28, 2024

West Flagler stands down in Florida and announces partnership with Seminoles

After multiple years of legal challenges, Florida's Seminole tribe announced a new partnership with West Flagler and Associates on Monday (28 October) to promote jai alai on the tribe's Hard Rock Bet app.

The announcement came four months after the US Supreme Court declined to hear the West Flagler case against the US Department of Justice (DoJ). That decision allowed an appellate court decision to stand. At its heart, the ruling made it legal for the Seminoles to offer digital sports betting anywhere within Florida.

West Flagler and the Seminoles agreed to “refrain from engaging in any future litigation with respect to the Seminole tribe’s gaming operations”, according to a release. The announcement is a stunning reversal for the two sides. West Flagler, owners of two Florida pari-mutuels, spent three years and untold dollars in federal and state court battles in an attempt to declare the 2021 Seminole-Florida compact invalid.

“As I said when this litigation first star..

October 28, 2024

Jordan Maynard officially named Massachusetts gaming chair

On Monday (28 October) interim Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) chair Jordan Maynard was appointed to a permanent role by the state's governor.

Maynard has been serving as the interim chair since former MGC chief Cathy Judd-Stein retired from public service in March. Governor Maura Healy also appointed former Melrose mayor Paul Brodeur as the agency’s fifth commissioner, according to a press release. The MGC had been down a commissioner since Judd-Stein’s retirement.

“He has proven to be a consensus builder who has a deep understanding of the agency and strives to do what’s best for the people of Massachusetts,” Healy said via press release.

Maynard was first appointed to the MGC in August 2022 and was part of the MGC when it developed rules and launched digital and in-person sports betting in 2023. The state’s general assembly legalised wagering in August 2022.

“I wish to congratulate Jordan Maynard upon his designation by Governor Healey as chair of the Massachusetts ..

October 28, 2024

Weekend Report: Operators criticised for research tax credits in Australia, McGregor banks €7m in betting winnings

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: Australia treasurer blasts gambling operators over research tax credits, personnel changes at Aristocrat and SkyCity and Connor McGregor banks €7m in betting winnings.

Australia government mulls changes to research tax credits in gambling industry

Firstly this week, the Australian government could change the rules for gambling and betting operators that want to receive government research tax concessions. This comes after it emerged they claimed almost AU$90 million (£45.8 million/€54.9 million/US$59.5 million) in one year.

According to the Guardian, figures from the Australian tax office show four major gambling companies claimed $86.5 million in credits between them in 2021-22. These include Tabcorp, which received $39.5 million, Aristocrat with $22.2 million, Ainsworth Game Technology at $15 million and PointsBet $10 million.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers h..

October 28, 2024

EasyJet founder launches EasyBet online betting brand

EasyGroup, the conglomerate that counts budget airline EasyJet among its businesses, has announced the launch of new online sports betting brand EasyBet.

Developed in partnership with betting exchange Matchbook, the EasyBet.net website is now live and taking bets on a range of sports. Customers have access to various markets and bet types across a betting exchange model.

EasyBet.net is accessible in the UK but it is not clear where exactly the brand will be active. It is licenced by both the Great Britain Gambling Commission and Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

The launch comes after EasyGroup historically pursued several brand infringement cases around the ‘Easy’ brand. This includes taking action over websites EasyBet.com and South Africa-facing EasyBet.co.za.

By launching its official brand, EasyGroup said this will assure customers it is a legitimate member of the ‘Easy’ family.

This venture marks the first time an ‘Easy’ brand has entered the sports betting industry. Ho..

October 25, 2024

Ontario online total gambling handle continue growth in Q2, but sports betting dropped

Digital sports betting handle and online casino revenue grew again in Ontario, according to iGaming Ontario, which reported second-quarter results on Thursday (24 October).

Gamblers in Ontario wagered CA$18.7 billion ($13.5 billion/£10.4 billion/€12.5 billion) across all platforms, the highest amount bet during any quarter since digital sports betting and online gambling went live in April 2022. Handle in Q1 was CA$18.4 billion. Second-quarter handle for all forms of gambling was up 1.6% over the first quarter and 31.7% against the same period last year.

According to the report, handle does not include promotional deductions. iGaming Ontario does not report promotional deductions, hold or individual operator numbers. Fifty-three operators and 83 platforms were live in the province during the quarter.

Casino games = $16 billion in bets placed

On the online casino front, total bets placed were CA$16 billion, and gaming revenue was CA$738 million, up 35.4% against the same period in..

October 25, 2024

State of the Union: VA Tech player dismissed, Holt out at IC360, more

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

VA Tech drops player over Temple betting probe

Temple transfer Hysier Miller has been dismissed from the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team amid a sports betting investigation of Temple, Sports Illustrated reported on 23 October. Last spring, Temple’s game against UAB was flagged for “suspicious activity” by US Integrity. The line for the game opened with UAB as a 1.5-point favourite, but moved to as high as eight. Miller scored eight points and committed three turnovers. His season average was 16 points per game.

That game was the second in which Temple did not cover a point spread – UAB won, 100-72. Despite having a losing regular season, Temple advanced to the ACC championship game and Miller averaged 27.8 points per game during the conference tournament. He announced he was entering the transfer portal ..