Online sports betting – Page 3

March 31, 2025

Weekend Report: NZ tackles gambling influencers, plus PropSwap-Bally Bet, Ladbrokes-Chester Racecourse deals

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

New Zealand authorities crack down on gambling influencers

First, authorities in New Zealand have launched a crackdown on social media influencers promoting offshore online gambling websites.

According to RNZ, the department of internal affairs (DIA) has issued its first takedown notices of influencers promoting illegal operators. Those that fail to comply could face hefty fines, the DIA warned.

The New Zealand Gambling Act makes it illegal to publish an advertisement for an offshore, unlicensed gambling operator.

“We’ve been investigating this,” director of gambling regulatory services Vicki Scott said. “We will be taking actions in relation to those influencers who are very publicly and clearly breaking the law.”

Malta regulator issues illegal gambling website warning

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is also strengthening its activity to tackle illegal gambl..

March 31, 2025

BVGroup moves into SaaS model with Rhino Entertainment new brand partnership

Gibraltar-headquartered BVGroup has entered into a strategic partnership with Rhino Entertainment Group to operate the latter's new global brand, Puntit.

Aimed at the global market, Rhino Entertainment’s new brand Puntit will offer customers access to both online sports betting and casino games. It will use BVGroup’s SaaS model to operate the brand using proprietary technology.

BVGroup said the link-up, announced today (31 March), marks a “significant” milestone in its expansion into software-as-a-service (SaaS).

It also owns inhouse UK brands BetVictor Casino and Heart Bingo and operates Betano’s UK offering, as well as Parimatch UK, via its platform.

The operator has started onboarding strategic partners via an SaaS framework. This allows third-party operators to run on BVGroup’s platform but also maintain full operational control of their brands.

Incidentally, Rhino, also a multi-brand operator, has become the first partner to leverage BVGroup’s SaaS model. The deal marks..

March 28, 2025

State of the Union: NJ issues cease-and-desist to Kalshi, Robinhood; Nevada RWLV fine, 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.

Robinhood pulls NCAA contracts in NJ

On Thursday (27 March), hours before the tip of the Sweet 16, the New Jersey attorney general’s office served notice to Kalshi and Robinhood that the prediction markets allegedly facilitated “unauthorised sports wagers” within state lines. Over the first weekend of the NCAA men’s division I basketball tournament, Kalshi users placed nearly $250 million (£193.1 million/€230.8 million) on event contracts nationwide on March Madness.

Within the letter, the office made a request to the exchanges urging them to void all sports event contracts placed by New Jersey residents inside the state. The state’s division of gaming enforcement (DGE) issued the letter shortly before four regional semifinal games on 27 March. To the surprise of some prediction market insiders, Robinhood ..

March 27, 2025

Sports Illustrated brand enters prediction market space following failed regulated sportsbook

Media brand is partnering with Galactic to launch ‘non-custodial platform’ SI Predict in Q2.

Sports Illustrated was once among the most famous names in sports media.

Times have changed and the media sphere has flattened, but there are clearly some who still believe the letters “SI” hold cachet. A news release this week announced the forthcoming launch of an SI-branded betting platform – the second such effort.

The announcement hailed the planned arrival, in partnership with Galactic, of SI Predict. It would be the latest in a line of sites/apps facilitating exchange-style wagering without state-by-state regulation.

Like Kalshi, Crypto.com, Robinhood and others offering a form of sports betting – they’re reluctant to call it “sports betting”, but the basic gist is that customers can risk money directly on sports-related outcomes – SI Predict intends to operate without procuring a licence through a state-level gambling regulator.

Instead, as Galactic CEO Stuart Stott told Bloomberg..

March 27, 2025

Brazil betting CPI chief demands further laws to restrict online gambling access

Senator Soraya Thronicke, rapporteur of the parliamentary inquiry commission (CPI) on betting in Brazil, has urged politicians to back news bills to restrict consumers' access to online gambling.

Thronicke voiced her concerns at Tuesday’s (25 March) meeting of the betting CPI, which was established in November last year amid increased concerns over the impacts of gambling, ahead of the legal online market launch in Brazil on 1 January.

On Tuesday, Thronicke called upon the congress to establish new laws to restrict the population’s access to online betting sites.

She also criticised the long delay between the initial passing of legislation in 2018 and the final approval in December 2023. Many blamed the proliferation of illegal sites during that period for ongoing concerns over betting addiction in Brazil.

“We need to make it increasingly difficult [to access online betting sites],” Thronicke said at the hearing. “We are here to make amends. We need to legislate to minimise th..

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..

March 25, 2025

European gross gambling revenue tops €123.4 billion in 2024

Gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Europe hit €123.4 billion (£103.1 billion/$133.4 billion) in 2024, a 5% year-on-year increase, according to data from the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and H2 Gambling Capital.

Published yesterday (24 March), “European Gambling Market – Key Figures 2025 Edition” covers all European Union member states, plus the UK. It includes analysis of provisional data for both the online and land-based gambling markets during 2024.

Online drives gambling revenue growth

Growth was evident across online and land-based gambling activities, but the former saw the steepest increase in GGR. In total, provisional online GGR climbed 11.7% year-on-year to €47.9 billion, or 39% of total GGR for the year.

Gaming accounted for €24.6 billion of this figure, with €23.2 billion attributed to casino-type games, including slots. In total, online casino games drew 45% of all internet gambling GGR during 2024.

Online betting revenue topped €16.2 billion, of which..

March 25, 2025

Spain online gambling revenue hits record €1.45 billion in 2024

Online gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Spain increased by 17.6% year-on-year during 2024, driven by double-digit increases across both online casino and sports betting.

Total revenue for the 12 months to 31 December 2024 was €1.45 billion (£1.21 billion/$1.56 billion), a new record for Spain. This comfortably beats the €1.24 billion reported in online gross gambling revenue (GGR) during the previous year.

Data published yesterday (24 March), by regulator Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), shows deposits for the year were 19.6% higher at €4.58 billion. Withdrawals were also up 19.7% to €3.15 billion as players won more while gambling online.

Online casino and sports betting records tumble in Spain

Breaking down each market segment, online casino was again the main source of revenue in Spain. Total GGR from this segment hit €730.7 million, up 17%, marking another new record for the country.

Slots generated the most revenue in this area at €472.2 million, up 22.8%. Liv..

March 24, 2025

Kalshi announces RG tools, IC360 partnership as roundtable approaches

Kalshi today (24 March) announced a new responsible gaming hub and a partnership with integrity monitor IC360 as it continues to toe the sports betting line.

In a post on X, Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said the platform is debuting a ‘Consumer Protection Hub’. This will include “features like deposit caps, trading breaks and voluntary opt-outs”. These features, Mansour said, work in tandem with Kalshi’s “market surveillance team” and regulatory systems.

The phrase “responsible gambling” (RG) is absent from the announcement. However, the features are essentially identical to those offered by regulated sportsbooks. All major operators currently offer deposit and time limits as well as self-exclusion tools.

Mansour also announced Monday that Kalshi is partnering with integrity monitor IC360 for its sports contracts. The CEO said IC360’s data will enhance Kalshi’s “ability to prevent bad actors” and report them to sports leagues and regulators.

No important financial innovation has eve..

March 24, 2025

iGaming Ontario reveals year-on-year growth in February

Online gambling spend and revenue in Ontario both increased year-on-year during February, according to new monthly statistics published by the Canadian province’s market regulator.

Previously, iGaming Ontario released online gambling data on a quarterly basis. However, as confirmed by the regulator in January, it has switched to monthly reports, with the February set published on 19 March.

In February, consumers spent a total of CA$7.13 billion (£3.84 billion/€4.56 billion/US$4.96 billion) on gambling. This is 26.9% higher than last year, with figures now available for each month of regulated igaming in Ontario. The province opened its legal market in April 2022.

Month-on-month, however, the February total was 9.1% behind January.

Online casino leads the way in Ontario

As for how players were gambling, $6.07 billion of all wagers were on casino-type games in February. This beat the previous year by 30.5% and represented 85% of all February bets.

On top of this, online sports bett..

March 21, 2025

State of the Union: MD governor wants betting tax increase, new AR bill, 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.

Mixed bag in Maryland

Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, unveiled his latest budget proposal on Thursday (20 March) night and it’s not terribly favourable for the gambling industry. The proposal does not include any funding from online casino and does include a sports betting tax hike.

Moore previously floated the idea of doubling the tax rate on wagering from 15% to 30%. In his new proposal, he pitches a 20% tax rate, which is projected to bring in an additional $32 million (£24.6 million/€29.6 million) in tax revenue in FY 2026. The state is facing a $3 billion deficit.

If lawmakers follow through, Maryland would become the third state in two years to raise its betting tax. Ohio was the first when Governor Mike DeWine pushed through a bump from 10% to 20% in July 2023, six months after wagering went live. He..

March 21, 2025

Massachusetts sports betting handle slips to eight-month low in February

Player spending on sports betting in Massachusetts fell to its lowest monthly amount since July last year during February, although the state was able to report year-on-year growth across handle and taxable revenue.

Total spend by sportsbook customers in February hit $628.2 million (£484.5 million/€578.5 million). This surpassed last year by 15.8% but was 17.6% behind January’s betting handle in Massachusetts.

Data released yesterday (20 March) by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission show online handle topped $618.6 million in February. Retail sportsbooks also processed $9.6 million in total wagers.

As for taxable gaming revenue, this reached $65.6 million. It beat the previous February by 24.7% but was 30.5% less than January’s $94.4 million record haul.

Breaking this down, online betting generated $65.4 million of total revenue. The retail sector was responsible for $205,391 of the overall monthly amount in Massachusetts.

In terms of hold, the statewide figure for February stood ..

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Tag: Online sports betting