Finance – Page 8 – FairOdds Network

August 16, 2024

Casino expansions lift US Q2 GGR

US gross gaming revenue (GGR) increased by 8.9% year-on-year to $17.63bn (£13.66bn/€16.04bn) in the second quarter of 2024.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) stated that casino expansions in states such as Illinois, Nebraska and Virginia drove the increase. This led to traditional casino GGR improving by 1.8% to $12.49bn.

However, there were also sharp rises in sports betting and igaming GGR.

Sports betting GGR rocketed by 35.3% year-on-year to $3.16bn in Q2, while igaming GGR increased by 25.2% to $1.97bn.

Q2 record
In total, it was the 14th consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth and the highest-grossing Q2 revenue performance on record. However, the total figure was slightly below the quarterly commercial gaming revenue record of $17.7bn registered in Q1.

Over the first six months of the year, total GGR was up 7.7% to $35.48bn. Traditional casino GGR was up 1.1% to $24.83bn, while sports betting GGR improved by 28.7% to $6.67bn and igaming GGR rose by 25.6% to $3.95bn.

Q..

August 16, 2024

Casino expansions lift US Q2 GGR

US gross gaming revenue (GGR) increased by 8.9% year-on-year to $17.63bn (£13.66bn/€16.04bn) in the second quarter of 2024.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) stated that casino expansions in states such as Illinois, Nebraska and Virginia drove the increase. This led to traditional casino GGR improving by 1.8% to $12.49bn.

However, there were also sharp rises in sports betting and igaming GGR.

Sports betting GGR rocketed by 35.3% year-on-year to $3.16bn in Q2, while igaming GGR increased by 25.2% to $1.97bn.

Q2 record
In total, it was the 14th consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth and the highest-grossing Q2 revenue performance on record. However, the total figure was slightly below the quarterly commercial gaming revenue record of $17.7bn registered in Q1.

Over the first six months of the year, total GGR was up 7.7% to $35.48bn. Traditional casino GGR was up 1.1% to $24.83bn, while sports betting GGR improved by 28.7% to $6.67bn and igaming GGR rose by 25.6% to $3.95bn.

Q..

August 16, 2024

Massachusetts operators hold 10.3% as Bally Bet makes debut

Massachusetts sportsbook operators were the winners in July, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission revenue report released on Thursday (15 August).
The state’s seven mobile operators and three retail operators combined for a 10.3% hold and handle was up significantly over July 2024.

Bally Bet, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel took a combined $405.3m (£315.3/€369.3m) in wagers compared to $294.9m in July 2023. Massachusetts’ handle was down against June’s $509.3m. Four digital operators recorded hold of over 10%.

Massachusetts operators paid more than $8m to the state in taxes.

Boston-based DraftKings retained its spot as the market-share leader, taking $202m in wagers, holding 10.3% and recording adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of $20.9m. FanDuel was second with $119.9m in handle and a hold of 10.97%.

Bally Bet had lowest hold of all operators
Massachusetts was back up to seven operators for July, after Bally Bet launched o..

August 13, 2024

Flutter beats street and won’t tax winners in the US; DraftKings backs off plan

Flutter CEO Peter Jackson said on Tuesday (13 August) that his company has no plans to follow DraftKings' lead with a winners' surcharge. The company, the market-share leader in the US, reported second-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations and raised earnings guidance for FY2024.
DraftKings in early August announced that it will introduce a winners’ surcharge in four high-tax states beginning 1 January 2025. Industry watchers have since been waiting to see if other companies, and Flutter in particular, would follow suit.

“We have no plans to introduce a surcharge to winners,” Jackson said during the Q&A portion of the call. He then declined to entertain the issue further when others asked.

Less than an hour after the Flutter call ended, DraftKings released an announcement saying it would not move forward with the idea.

DraftKings Statement on Gaming Tax Surcharge pic.twitter.com/cucbsQJIVD
— DraftKings News (@DraftKingsNews) August 13, 2024

Other companie..

August 12, 2024

Belgium reports 16.7% rise in 2023 GGR despite tighter regulatory controls

A new report from the Commission des Jeux de Hasard (CJH), the regulator of gambling in Belgium, has revealed the country’s industry saw its gross gaming revenue (GGR) grow by 16.7% over 2023.
Belgium gambling gross revenue total for 2023 was €1.7bn (£1.5bn/$1.9bn), a significant rise from the €1.5bn generated in 2022. Online grew by 18% to a GGR of €944.6m, while offline GGR also increased substantially, with €758m reflecting a 15.2% year-on-year rise.

Growth came despite the Belgian government ratcheting up restrictions on the sector. From 2022 operators had to enforce a €200 weekly loss limit, down from 2020’s €500 limit.

Midway through 2023 they were then forced to halt all advertising. After a last-ditch attempt from a consortium of Belgian sports teams and operators failed to halt the move, a ban on advertising came into force from 1 July 2023.

Restrictions? What restrictions? Belgian gambling market grows in 2023
Casino GGR increased 18.7% year-on-year to €594.9m, powered by..

August 9, 2024

Online slots growth pushes Lithuania gambling revenue to €116m in H1

Gambling revenue in Lithuania increased 12.6% year-on-year to €116.0m (£99.3m/$126.7m) in H1 with a strong online performance mitigating a decline in land-based revenue.
Figures from the Lithuania Gaming Control Authority show H1 revenue was clear of the €108.5m reported in the same period last year.

Starting with the online market, revenue for the channel climbed 12.5% year-on-year to €72.2m. Player spending increased by 8.7% to €1.05bn, winning $973.1m in the process.

Slots reign supreme in Lithuania online gambling market
Category A online slots – games with unlimited winnings – were undoubtedly the star of the show in H1. These slots generated €53.5m in revenue, more than any other segment across both the online and land-based market in Lithuania. Player spending on these machines also hit a market-high of €627.7m, up 6.2%.

For Category B online slots, with maximum stakes of LTL1 (€0.3) and wins limited to 200 times customer bets, revenue was flat at €1.8m in H1. In addition, o..

August 7, 2024

New casino launches help Full House grow revenue in Q2 but costs hit bottom line

Net losses increased for Full House Resorts in Q2 due to costs associated with opening new casinos hit its bottom line.
Revenue for the three months to 30 June at Full House hit $73.5m (£57.8m/€67.3m). This is 23.7% more than Q2 last year at Full House, with casino driving the increase.

August 3, 2024

After rolling out proposed winners’ tax, DraftKings projects $1bn in 2025 profits, fails to meet estimates

DraftKings founder Jason Robins has so much confidence in his company's product, that he is willing to risk driving customers away by charging them for winning in some states. During the company's second-quarter earnings call on Friday (2 August) he doubled down on that belief.
On Thursday (1 August) DraftKings announced that, beginning 1 January 2025, it will charge a surcharge on winnings on customers in high-tax (more than 20%) legal gaming states. A day later, the company announced that it expects between $900m-$1bn (£781m/€917m) in EBITDA in fiscal year 2025, which began 1 July.

The new fee, Robins explained in the call, is a sort of insurance, which he calls a “nominal” fee to bettors.

“It makes a huge difference to our ability to make a reasonable margin,” he told investors on Friday. “And more importantly [it will help us] to compete with the illegal market that pays no taxes and can invest 100% of revenue into their products.”

Robins banking on consumers to “ulti..

August 1, 2024

UKGC data: Record quarter for gambling activity in Britain

Great Britain’s online gross gambling yield (GGY) increased by 12% year-on-year to £1.46bn (€1.73bn/$1.87bn) in Q2, with the total number of bets and spins reaching a record high for the second consecutive quarter.
Players in Britain placed 24.5 billion bets and spins in Q2 (April to June), representing an increase of 11% on last year and a new quarterly record since the UKGC began publishing player data in 2019.

Breaking down the UKGC data, online slots were the primary source of GGY at £642m, noting a rise of 10% from last year. May proved the busiest month for online slots gaming with GGY hitting £217.9m.

Consumers placed a total of 22.4 billion spins during the quarter, which is up 12% on last year. However, slot session length was marginally shorter at 17 minutes, compared to just under 18 minutes in the previous year.

As for how many people were playing online slots, total active players in this segment hit 13.3 million for the period. This represents a year-on-year increase..

August 1, 2024

Bally’s execs tout online growth, Chicago casino progress during second-quarter earnings call

Executives from Bally's Corp. were triumphant on Wednesday (31 July) in their presentation of the company's future prospects in Chicago, Las Vegas and online. The company reported $622m in overall revenue, a year-on-year increase of 3%.
Bally’s second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday featured optimistic presentations from CEO Robeson Reeves, president George Papanier and CFO Marcus Glover. Of its three verticals, two reported year-over-year growth in Q2. Its casino operations and North American digital segments posted gains of 3% and 95%, respectively. Its international interactive division declined 7%.

The big spike in digital was due mainly to the company’s March launch of igaming in Rhode Island. Internationally, Reeves said that its UK performance was strong but lagged elsewhere, mainly Asia, leading to the overall segment decline.

The trio did not comment on or field questions about Bally’s biggest development, last week’s takeover from Standard General. There was..

July 29, 2024

Investment year paying off for BetMGM as H1 NGR hits $1bn

With revenue reaching $1bn in the first half of 2024, BetMGM expects growth to accelerate in H2, underpinned by Angstrom’s product capabilities and leveraging its omnichannel opportunities through MGM Resorts.
In a trading update published today (29 July), BetMGM chief executive Adam Greenblatt described 2024 as an investment year, focused on improving customer acquisition and enhancing player experiences.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, iconic quarterback Tom Brady and Hollywood star Vince Vaughn starred in BetMGM’s Super Bowl commercial
Net gaming revenue (NGR) for the six months to 30 June grew 6% year-on-year. Despite no new state launches revenue grew 9% year-on-year in Q2, following a slower first quarter.

This showed the strategy of investing in players gain momentum, Greenblatt said, with BetMGM exceeding its acquisition and retention targets for the six-month period. This was helped by a successful Super Bowl campaign featuring Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and Vince Vaughn and a ..