Online sports betting – Page 25

September 27, 2024

ESPN Bet now live in New York

Penn Entertainment launched ESPN Bet in its biggest market yet on Friday (27 September) when it went live in New York state. The platform is now available in 19 US jurisdictions.
The platform, a partnership between the casino company and ESPN, went live in 17 US jurisdictions in November 2023. Prior to Friday’s New York launch, Pennsylvania was the biggest state in which the platform was live.

The New York launch was later than Penn executives had pointed to, as CEO Jay Snowden said he was hoping for a late August launch during the company’s second-quarter earnings call in early August. But the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) didn’t have a meeting at which to approve the application until 23 September.

Penn was able to get into New York because WynnBet left earlier this year. The state has a cap of nine platforms, and all licences were accounted for at the beginning of the year. But Wynn Resorts has been unwinding its digital betting business and exited New York over the ..

September 27, 2024

Nevada August betting revenue jumps 39.7% while slots hit total GGR

Rounding up some of the latest monthly state results in the US, iGB takes a closer look at how a drop in slots activity saw overall gambling revenue fall in Nevada in August, while Mississippi reported growth within its retail sports betting market.
Mobile sports betting in Nevada was up 13% on 2023 to $14.8m, data from the Nevada Gaming Control Board shows.

Baseball reaped the highest revenue of all sports during the month, making up $9.7m of the vertical’s revenue in August, while American football betting hit $8.7m. However, hockey and basketball betting activity both generated losses for operators.

Betting across other sports generated $7.6m in additional revenue, with the Control Board noting that $14.8m of all wagering revenue came from mobile.

Meanwhile revenue from sports betting pools, which is counted under table games, jumped 38.9% year-on-year to $25m in August.

The Control Board does not disclose handle details for sports betting.

Nevada revenue down again in August
..

September 27, 2024

Study shows gambling ads increased threefold on Premier League opening weekend

Almost 30,000 gambling adverts featured across television, radio and social media during the opening weekend of this season’s English Premier League, according to a report by the University of Bristol.
Funded by a GambleAware grant, the research found gambling adverts almost trebled since last year. The 2024-25 Premier League season kicked off on 16 August, with games taking place until 19 August.

During the opening round of games, the university recorded 29,145 adverts, compared to 10,999 the previous year. This includes pitch-side hoardings and shirt logos featuring on live televised matches and news coverage of games.

Televised gambling messages rocket 240%
Television appeared to be the main area of concern for researchers. The report found that the number of gambling messages that appeared during the six televised games across the opening weekend totalled 23,690, up 240% from last year.

The worst-hit match, the report said, was West Ham United against Aston Villa. This game feat..

September 26, 2024

Massachusetts regulator gives Penn green light for ESPN Bet retail rebrand; removes betting on college awards from menu

As Penn Entertainment and ESPN Bet prepare to launch in New York, Penn got approval on Thursday (26 September) to rebrand its Massachusetts brick-and-mortar sportsbook. The company has rebranded and opened two others in the last two weeks.
Late last week, ESPN Bet openeda retail sportsbook at L’Auberge Casino Resort in Louisiana and it opened a venue at the Margaritaville Resort Casino on 14 September. For its Massachusetts location, at Plainridge Park, Penn was doing its due diligence by asking the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to sign off on the change. Commission staff said it saw no “substantive issues” with the rebrand and the Massachusetts regulator gave Penn its blessing. No date was announced for the rebranding.

ESPN Bet went live digitally in 17 US jurisdictions, including Massachusetts, last November. On Monday (23 September) the company got approval from the New York State Gaming Commission to launch in that state. On Monday a Penn executive pointed to a go-live a..

September 26, 2024

Study suggests Canadian regulators should pace themselves when crafting RG rules

Within a year of launching legal online gambling in Canada, complaints about frequency and content of advertising were common. A new study suggests regulators are moving too quickly to appropriately address the issue.
The Canadian Gaming Association on Wednesday (25 September) released an academic and policy study. It posits that new gambling regulations in Canada are “evolving at a faster rate than the accompanying evidence base”. This could ultimately mean that regulations don’t tackle targeted issues and could be “insufficiently nuanced”.

The study – a “rapid review” – is designed to be informational for regulators and other stakeholders. GP Consulting conducted the study using a US-based team. The team included policy specialists from from Eilers & Krejcik and academics from UNLV’s International Gaming Institute and Washington State University.

The authors studied academic literature related to online sports betting and casino advertising and how it might inform responsible gamb..

September 25, 2024

Dutch operators face player losses lawsuit dating back to 2021

Dutch advocacy organisation Gokverliesterug has initiated a class action lawsuit against a group of licensed online gambling operators in relation to their activities before being licensed in the country.
The Gokverliesterug lawsuit is seeking reimbursement on behalf of Dutch consumers for losses made prior to October 2021. The Netherlands launched its legal online gambling market on 1 October 2021 but several operators – which are now licensed – were active prior to this.

Specifically, the lawsuit names major operators such as Unibet, Bwin, PokerStars and Bet365. However, Bet365 has contacted iGB to clarify it was not active in the Netherlands prior to regulation.

Gokverliesterug states operators allowed hundreds of thousands of Dutch people to gamble prior to the legal market opening, which left many consumers without sufficient supervision and protection against problem gambling behaviours.

Gokverliesterug said it has chosen to act now following several recent rulings from Dutc..

September 25, 2024

Stats Perform snaps up betting video rights to Scottish football

Sports data and live streaming provider Stats Perform has secured exclusive betting video rights for the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL).
Under the long-term agreement, Stats Perform will distribute live video streams to licensed international sportsbooks outside the UK. The deal marks the first time the provider will offer Scottish football video content.

The partnership covers the top-tier men’s Premiership and Women’s Premier League. It also includes games across the Championship and League One, as well as the Scottish League Cup, SPFL Trust Trophy and the SWPL Cup.

Content will be available via the Stats Perform Bet LiveStreams video service. The provider did not disclose the length of the new deal.

“Innovative” step for Scottish football
SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster welcomed the partnership. He said it will allow fans to “tap into a wealth of innovation” within the sports betting sector.

“Stats Perform’s team..

September 24, 2024

NJ bill banning some partnerships between sportsbooks and universities moves

A New Jersey bill that would prohibit partnerships between sportsbooks and universities – with some exceptions – passed out of an assembly committee on Monday (23 September).
The NJ bill, A4113, was originally introduced last session, but did not gain traction. On Monday, the Assembly Higher Education Committee voted out an amended version. In general, the proposal would make it illegal for sportsbooks or “intermediaries” (think affiliates or booster clubs) to make deals with public institutions of higher learning.

This means that state universities, like Rutgers, could not partner with sportsbooks. But the bill does not address private universities or colleges, of which there are 13. Among them in Division I are Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, Princeton and St John’s.

The bill passed unanimously on Monday, with little discussion and few public comments.

The amended bill would allow university-gambling relationships that don’t involve direct marketing or advertising to students. ..

September 23, 2024

ESPN Bet aiming to launch within days after getting NYSGC licence approval

On Monday (23 September) the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) voted to transfer the Wynn Resorts digital sports betting licence to Penn Entertainment. This means that ESPN Bet could be live in the state by the weekend.
Penn Entertainment and ESPN have been waiting for the vote and the go-ahead to launch. Executives from both companies had previously pointed to a launch by the end of August. But the NYSGC declined to call a special meeting to vote and the last meeting was in June.

The state of New York has a cap of nine digital wagering licences. All nine were accounted for at the beginning of 2024, but WynnBet decided to get out of the digital betting business and exited the state in July. In February, Penn made a deal to buy WynnBet’s NY licence for $25m (£18.7m/€22.5m).

At Monday’s meeting, Penn executive vice-president, chief strategy and legal officer and secretary Chris Rogers told the commission that his company still has “a couple of boxes to check” on technology. But ..

September 23, 2024

US August round-up: Louisiana, New Hampshire and Wyoming

Rounding up some of the latest monthly sports betting results in the US, iGB takes a look at how Louisiana, New Hampshire and Wyoming performed in August.
Handle and revenue growth in Louisiana
Starting in Louisiana, spending on sports betting in August hit $234.5m (£176.3m/€211m). This is 52.3% higher than in August last year and also 27.1% ahead of July this year.

Online handle jumped 57.1% year-on-year to $218.2m, while retail spend was 8.2% higher in August at $16.3m.

As for revenue, the market total in Louisiana was $25.4m, up 49.5% from last year and 5.9% more than July. Online revenue jumped 51.2% year-on-year to $22.7m, with retail rising by 36.4% to $2.7m.

Louisiana does not publish a breakdown of individual operators. It does, however, set out where revenue came from, with parlay betting the main source of revenue across online ($13m) and retail ($1.4m) In August.

This meant an overall hold of 10.8%, with online at 10.4% and retail 16.5%. As for tax, some $3.7m was colle..

September 23, 2024

Weekend Report: Labour MP urges Channel 4 to stop gambling ads, Caesars expands reach in Washington

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week, a Labour MP urges Channel 4 to lead the way in halting gambling adverts in the UK and Caesars extends its sports betting reach in Washington.
Labour MP calls on Channel 4 to drop gambling adverts
First, Labour MP Alex Sobel has written to UK broadcaster Channel 4 urging it to become the first channel to stop airing gambling adverts. Sobel has targeted Channel 4 as it is in public ownership, allowing it more freedom over such issues.

According to the Independent, Sobel referenced Channel 4 as a broadcaster that challenges “the status quo”. He also said he would be willing to work with Channel 4 on the initiative in the longer term.

“Removing gambling advertising from broadcast and on-demand television would provide another layer of protection for those vulnerable to gambling-related harms, and help [curb] the increase in gambling activity among new demograph..

September 23, 2024

SI Sportsbook’s Colorado exit another example of squeeze on the small guys

Colorado has long been the testing ground for small or alternative sports betting operators in the US. But SI Sportsbook is now the seventh platform in about a year to announce that it is exiting the state.
The last 12 to 18 months have seen more contraction than expansion in the wagering world. No US jurisdiction in 2024 has expanded gambling, whether that be sports betting or online casino. In November, Missouri voters could approve legal wagering. If they do, Missouri will be the only state this year to legalise. If they do not, 2024 will go down as the first year since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was overturned during which no US locales legalised.

Legislators from Georgia to Minnesota tried again in 2024 to legalise digital wagering, but ran into a variety of issues from moral objections to trying to tie legal wagering to other issues like video lottery terminals to managing charitable or tribal gaming.

Choices dwindling
Even in states where onl..

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Tag: Online sports betting