Online Gambling – FairOdds Network

April 16, 2025

Tax rate, fees, regulator at issue as Hawaii sports betting bill goes to conference

A conference committee has about two weeks to come to an agreement.

Hawaii’s digital sports betting bill has hit a snag. HB 1308, which has made a surprising march through the house and senate, is headed to conference committee after the house rejected an amended version passed by the senate on Friday.

After moving through senate committees with no tax rate or application fee, both were added on the senate floor. In addition, the regulator was changed in a senate committee and the department of law is now named.

HB 1308 would allow for statewide digital sports betting with a minimum of four platforms. There would be no retail locations.

The bill initially had a 10% tax rate and a $250,000 application fee, but those were stripped in the house finance committee, where Representative Sue L Keohokapu-Lee Loy voiced concern that the application fee was too low.

It “appears rather low for an industry that makes billions of dollars”, she said. “I would love to see that licence fee go up ..

April 16, 2025

Dutch deposit limits and tax hike impact FDJ United Q1 revenue

FDJ United's online betting revenues were significantly impacted by tightening regulation in the UK and increased taxes in the Netherlands.

In its Q1 results, published on 15 April, FDJ United reported total gaming revenue (GGR) of €925 million ($1 billion/£791,934), up 30% year-on-year.

However, online betting, through its Kindred business, was down 10% to €231 million in the first three months of the year. This was despite active players increasing 10%.

FDJ United pointed to increased taxation in the Netherlands and stricter regulations in the UK as causing an adverse impact on its earnings.

Notably, online betting and gaming revenue excluding the Netherlands and the United Kingdom was up by almost 8% on the previous year.

Revenue in the Netherlands dropped 41% in Q1, following the implementation of an almost 4% tax increase to 34.2% of GGR. The operator’s revenues were also squeezed by the introduction of deposit limits in the Netherlands.

“We were impacted by increas..

April 14, 2025

KSA reports falling GGR, following deposit limit introduction

The Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has reported that market GGR for legal gambling has fallen since the introduction of deposit limits, despite growing account numbers.

For the full year, KSA reported in its spring report that gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2024 was €1.47 billion ($1.58 billion/£1.2 billion), up 6% year-on-year.

However, in the second half of 2024, GGR was 10% lower than in the first half of the year at €697 million. KSA’s GGR numbers cover the 12-month period ending 31 December 2024.

Impacting the results are KSA protection measures that came into force last October.

“This decrease is probably due to both the peak during the European Football Championship in June 2024 and the new rules that should better protect players in the online gambling market,” KSA stated.

New rules included deposit thresholds connected to a player’s net deposit during a calendar month. If a gambler’s net deposits reach €700 (£583/$777) in a month, operators are obligated to block..

March 27, 2025

Underdog tops $1 billion valuation following Series C funding round

Underdog describes the raise led by Spark Capital as the sports gaming industry's largest investment from a top-tier Silicon Valley firm.

Underdog achieved a proverbial milestone with a funding round disclosed on Wednesday (26 March), clearing a valuation of $1 billion for the first time in company history.

The $70 million Series C round values the online sports gaming company at $1.2 billion (£927.4 million/€1.1 billion), nearly tripling the valuation Underdog received three years ago. The round led by Spark Capital represents the sports gaming industry’s largest investment from a top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Underdog wrote in a 26 March press release.

“This investment fits Spark’s philosophy of backing products we love from creators we admire,” said Will Reed, a general partner at Spark Capital. “Underdog has proven they can win where it matters most: product. They’ve also shown they can attract top talent from gaming, tech and sports.”

“A real accelerator”
..

March 26, 2025

Bet365 exits Chinese sports betting market

Global online sportsbook Bet365 will cease taking bets from Chinese punters on Thursday (27 March). The UK firm will pursue a growth strategy in legal markets including the US and Brazil.

In a 19 March statement emailed to Chinese customers, Bet365 announced it will now focus on “core markets [and] regions that provide long-term sustainable revenue”.

Founded in 2001, the UK company has long occupied a grey area in China. Gambling in the People’s Republic is strictly prohibited with the exception of two special administrative regions (SARs): Macau and Hong Kong.

Even so, a 2024 Financial Times report called China a “cash machine” for the family business helmed by Denise Coates. Bet365 reportedly sought out unregulated markets as UK sports betting reached saturation.

By 2014, per Regulus Partners, China “was probably Bet365’s second largest market behind the UK”, although it kicked in less than 20% of revenue at the time.

“Mirror sites” foiled China censors

A 2022 article in Busine..

February 17, 2025

New Jersey igaming up in January, online betting slips 29%

Igaming continued on its growth trajectory in New Jersey in January, while sports betting took a hit compared to the previous year's revenue.

Total gambling revenue in New Jersey hit $553.9 million (£439.6 million/€528.1 million). This is 0.9% behind January last year but 6.% ahead of December.

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) figures filed on 14 February show the year-on-year fall was due to a decline in sports betting. Igaming, on the other hand, continues to go from strength to strength.

For January, igaming revenue topped $221.6 million. This beats last year by 20.9% and falls just 2.8% short of December’s $228 million record. However, it was only the second time igaming drew the highest gambling revenue in a single month, after the feat was first achieved in October 2024.

Breaking down igaming, ‘other authorised games’, including slots, drew $218.9 million, up 21.1%. Online poker revenue also increased by 8.1% to $2.7 million.

FanDuel and Golden Nugget..

December 24, 2024

Crypto.com launches sports prediction platform in US

The potentially game-changing platform immediately drew a mixed reaction.

Crypto.com has unveiled a groundbreaking – and potentially controversial – product, marking a new era in sports and cryptocurrency integration. The company announced today (23 December) the launch of a sports event trading platform. It is exclusively available to US users through the Crypto.com app.

This offering allows participants to trade predictions on sports event outcomes. At time of launch, the only trading option available on the platform was for the upcoming Super Bowl.

Crypto.com users can make a prediction on which team they think will win the NFL’s championship game. In the app, various teams are listed with their probabilities, giving users easy access to select.

The product’s release aligns with Crypto.com’s commitment of expanding its portfolio of regulated trading products. It is also focused on solidifying its presence in the burgeoning event-driven trading market.

🏈 Predicting the outcome o..

October 18, 2024

State of the Union: Industry, CFG fight over cannibalisation, Bally Bet launches in TN

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.
iDEA report refutes previous NJ economic impact study
The iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA Growth) this week released a report that refutes a 2023 study about the economic impact of online gambling in New Jersey. The previous report, by the NERA Consulting Group, itself questioned findings from a 2019 report on the same topic. At issue is just how much of an impact online gambling has had on the economy in New Jersey. The studies also explore the level of cannibalisation caused by online markets.

The iDEA study raised questions about the methodology NERA used.

The 2019 report by Meister Economic Consulting and Victor Strategies found that online gambling contributed $2bn (£1.5bn/€1.84bn) to the Garden State’s economy between 2013 and 2018. The 2023 NERA report, commissioned by the Campaign for F..

August 27, 2024

Yield Sec report: Illegal US gross gaming revenue continues to significantly outpace legal GGR

A new Yield Sec report shared exclusively with iGB shows that the US gambling market reached $39.9bn (£30bn/€35.7bn) in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in the first half of 2024. The company said $29.1bn of that GGR came from illegal platforms between January and June 2024.
Yield Sec uses predictive analytics in its report. The report is for sports betting and online gambling only and reveals $10.8bn in GGR on legal platforms. According to the report, there were 892 illegal operators working in the US in the first half of 2024. In addition, 651 affiliates were promoting illegal platforms.

In 2023, Yield Sec predicted that the US market was $40.9bn in GGR for the year. It appears the 2024 numbers will easily eclipse that. Two new US states entered the live US market in 2024 – North Carolina and Vermont. No US jurisdictions legalised wagering in 2024. North Carolina is the ninth-biggest US state by population and the sixth-biggest legal betting state by population.

Through its first five ..

June 26, 2024

MGCB’s try at examining legal vs illegal activity causing consternation

A new six-page, six-question attestation form issued by the Michigan Gaming Control Board in late April has left some licensed igaming and sports betting suppliers in a corner, unsure how to respond to the open-ended inquiry that the board itself has revealed is more about “information gathering” at this point.

The “Illegal Gaming Attestation Internet Game Content Providers” form may be well-intentioned to stamp out support for illegal actors siphoning business and taxable revenue from Michigan’s legal market, but many stakeholders are concerned. Relationships and involvement in areas where the legal versus illegal activity of igaming is not cut and dried is common. Those operating globally are especially alarmed by some unclear questions and undefined terms. They believe unintended consequences may follow from the Michigan regulators’ methods.

“The form does not define every single relevant term, such as what constitutes ‘illegal gambling’,” said gaming lawyer Susan Hensel of Hense..

March 28, 2024

Slovaks place €21.4bn in bets over 2023 as online market surges

Slovaks placed €21.4bn (£18.3bn/$23.1bn) in bets during 2023, revealed during a press conference held at the office of the country’s Regulation of Gambling Games.

Martin Bohoš, director general of the regulator, stated players in Slovakia were paid €20.4bn in winnings. Contributions to the state rose by over €50m year-on-year to more than €301m.

In state contributions, the online levy accounted for €93m of the total, while fixed-odds bets were responsible for €80.48m. Land-based casinos, meanwhile, contributed €61.9m to the state.

The online market continues to dominate, with 90% of Slovaks preferring to bet online. For number lotteries, however, online betting accounts for just 14% of bets with Slovaks still preferring to play the lottery at land-based venues.

The tax rate for fixed-odds betting in Slovakia is 22% of gross gaming revenue (GGR) for online operators and 6% of turnover for land-based companies. For casino, meanwhile, the rate is again 22% for online operators. For la..

March 25, 2024

India government cracks down on celebrities advertising offshore gambling

India’s ministry of information and broadcasting has warned celebrities and influencers against advertising offshore online operators on social media, stating they could face penal action for doing so.

The ministry’s advisory explained that those with influence in India are prohibited from advertising illegal gambling operators in a surrogate manner. Those who do risk facing “rigorous scrutiny”.

Under the current system, the Indian government can issue notifications to intermediaries such as social media platforms to remove access to posts advertising illegal operators.

Beyond that, celebrities and influencers could also face proceedings under the 2019 Consumer Protection Act. This could lead to social media accounts being disabled, while further penal action can also be administered under applicable statutes.

The advisory highlighted the “significant financial and socio-economic implications of online betting” as reasons not to promote offshore operators.

CCPA warns celebrities o..

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Tag: Online Gambling