Betting News – Page 4 – FairOdds Network

April 4, 2025

Hawaii sports betting bill reaches senate floor

Its tax rate is set at 10% of AGR with percentages earmarked for problem gambling and education.

It was another step forward for proponents of legalised mobile sports betting in Hawaii on Wednesday (2 April) after the senate ways and means committee approved HB 1308, moving it to the full senate floor.

The bill passed by an 11-2 vote, although four state senators voted “aye with reservations”. Ways and means was the third and final senate committee needed to vote the bill forward after the economic development and tourism and the commerce and consumer protection committees did likewise.

The bill reached the senate floor despite ongoing opposition from notable groups throughout the state. Among them was the state attorney general’s office, which submitted written testimony citing problem gambling concerns as well as changes to fantasy sports that will lead to “unregulated and unlicensed gambling”.

Filling in the numerical blanks

HB 1308 passed through the lower chamber of state gov..

April 4, 2025

How Rei do Pitaco is following the US DFS to sports betting model in Brazil

One of the first to gain a full licence in the newly regulated Brazil betting market, Rei do Pitaco is hoping to compete against a wave of international entrants. Somewhat following in the footsteps of success stories in the US, CEO Kiko Augusto explains how the company’s strategy differs and how Rei do Pitaco’s daily fantasy sports (DFS) roots have set it up for success.

Rei do Pitaco launched its DFS offering in 2019 with one eye already on the soon-to-be regulated sports betting market in Brazil, which finally launched on 1 January.

It first signed an online sportsbook partnership with Kambi in 2022 – a deal it extended last October as it prepared to transition from a DFS operator to a full-fledged sports betting site.

It is a strategy that has been hugely successful in the US for the two market leaders, FanDuel and DraftKings. Both evolved from DFS-focused operations to sports betting and igaming to the tune of a combined $10.6 billion (£8.2 billion/€9.6 billion) in FY2024 reven..

April 4, 2025

Metric Gaming partners with BetZone to enter UK sports betting market

Sportsbook solutions provider Metric Gaming has entered into the UK market by supporting BetZone with the launch of its new sports betting offering.

The UK-facing BetZone sportsbook is now live, operating on technology provided by Metric Gaming. Players are able to wager across a range of sports and events including football, tennis and horse racing.

Metric Gaming said the offering will primarily be racing-first, with a focus on horse racing betting. This will be supported by its in-house racing product, which is being rolled out for the first time.

The new partnership was first revealed in July of last year. Since then, Metric Gaming and BetZone have been working on the new sportsbook ahead of its launch this spring.

BetZone also collaborated with GiG Software for its roll-out in the UK, the operator revealed last month. GiG provided BetZone with its X-Suite technology to support its online offering.

BetZone aims to disrupt ‘crowded’ UK market

Commenting on the launch, BetZone c..

April 4, 2025

BGC: Almost £10 million to be bet illegally on 2025 Grand National

Almost £10.0 million (€11.9 million/$13.1 million) could be illegally bet on this weekend’s Grand National, according to new analysis by the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC).

As the showpiece event on Britain’s horse racing calendar, the Grand National is popular with both regular and seasonal bettors. However, while many will wager with licensed operators, the BGC expects millions to be bet via illegal routes.

The BGC estimates £9.4m will be staked with black market operators this year. This represents 3.8% of the overall £250.0 million the BGC expects to be wagered on the race. The race takes place tomorrow (5 April) at Aintree Racecourse.

BGC CEO Grainne Hurst said this should serve as a “wake-up call” for the government. As illegal operators do not pay tax in Britain, the government would miss out on significant tax revenue.

According to the BGC, the Grand National alone will generate £3.0 million in tax revenue and £2.0 million in contributions to the horse racing levy to suppor..

April 3, 2025

Racecourse Media Group appoints Russell Ferris as managing director

Racecourse Media Group has announced the appointment of Russell Ferris, currently CEO of horseracing organisation Weatherbys, as its new managing director.

Ferris will officially take on the new role on 18 August, the Racecourse Media Group (RMG) confirmed yesterday (2 April). The RMG is the umbrella organisation responsible for media rights involving 61 racecourses across Britain and Ireland.

An experienced executive, Ferris has been serving as the CEO of Weatherbys since September 2019. Weatherbys provides a range of services to the horseracing industry, including playing a major role in breeding approval.

Before becoming CEO, Ferris also had a spell as chief executive of the Weatherbys General Stud Book, a breed registry for horses in Britain and Ireland. He also spent time as operations director.

Prior to Weatherbys, Ferris was a director for At The Race, a dedicated horseracing channel in the UK and Ireland. He also worked as the managing director of Limerick Racecourse in Ire..

April 2, 2025

Bill to ban sweeps casinos dies in Mississippi, along with online sports betting hopes

Meanwhile, several other states – mostly on the east coast – continue to advance sweeps bans.

A Mississippi senate bill that would have both banned online sweepstakes casinos and legalised mobile sports wagering died in committee Monday night (31 March).

The lines of demarcation regarding passing SB 2510 were clearly drawn in the statehouse. An earlier version of the bill solely devoted to banning online sweepstakes casinos passed unanimously in the senate, but Representative Casey Eure amended it to include sports betting language as part of a procedural manoeuvre last month.

Senate gaming committee chair David Blount, though, remained steadfast in opposition. He would approve an expansion of sports betting – which is legal as a retail activity in the state – only if the request came from the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

The senate declined an opportunity for concurrence on the bill last Thursday. A six-person bicameral conference committee that included both Eure and Blount fai..

April 2, 2025

Virginia sports betting hold hits near-record in February

Sports betting hold in Virginia reached 11.12% in February, its highest monthly percentage since September 2022, as the state reported year-on-year growth across both revenue and handle.

Players spent a total of $556.8 million (£430.9 million/€515.6 million) betting on sports in February. This surpassed the previous year by 2.2% but fell 24.4% short of January this year in Virginia.

Of this, $553 million was wagered online, while $3.8 million was bet at retail sportsbooks across the state. This is according to figures published yesterday (1 April) by the Virginia Lottery.

Players won $490 million from betting while some $4.9 million was accounted for in other, undisclosed deductions.

Revenue rises 39.1% in Virginia

As such, this resulted in adjusted gross revenue of $61.9 million. This beat February 2024 by 39.1% but was 23.6% less than January this year.

Online betting accounted for $61.7 million of all revenue, with retail’s contribution reaching just $206,590.

This left a tot..

April 2, 2025

Ohtani’s ex-interpreter scheduled to report to prison in May after delay

Ippei Mizuhara is set to surrender to federal authorities this spring to serve a 57-month sentence stemming from gambling-related crimes.

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has received a new date to report to federal prison for crimes related to his gambling. Mizuhara is scheduled to surrender to federal authorities by 12 May, according to court filings unsealed this week.

The disgraced confidant of the MLB star was sentenced to in February to 57 months imprisonment for embezzling $17 million (€15.8 million/£13.2 million) from Ohtani. The interpreter used the stolen funds to repay a portion of his sports gambling debts with an illegal California bookmaker.

The new date is nearly two months past Mizuhara’s initial reporting deadline of 24 March. Mizuhara pleaded guilty last June to one count of bank fraud and a count of signing a fraudulent tax return.

Delayed reporting date

Over a 37-month span, Mizuhara placed more than 19,000 wagers with an enterprise operate..

April 2, 2025

Norway regulator orders blocking of 57 illegal websites

Norway gambling regulator Lotteritilsynet has ordered the blocking of 57 websites it deems to be operating in the county illegally.

Some 23 companies are behind the sites that have now been blocked in Norway, the regulator revealed yesterday (1 April). This is the first round of blocking initiated by Lotteritilsynet as part of a crackdown on unlicensed activities.

DNS blocking works by redirecting players from the illegal websites to a page hosted by their internet service provider. This page sets out how while the site the consumer was trying to access is illegal, they were not breaking the law by trying to gamble on the site.

Lotteritilsynet lawyer Silje Sægrov Amble said blocking illegal websites will help tackle issues related to gambling harm in Norway.

“Blocking illegal websites will help fewer people develop gambling problems,” she said. “These are the games that have the highest risk. They are designed to get you hooked and you can lose a lot of money in a short time.”

War..