November 2022

November 22, 2022

Betsson’s TonyBet secures online gambling licence in the Netherlands

TonyBet has become the 24th online gaming operator to secure an internet gambling licence from Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit.

The licence will enable TonyBet to offer online casino games, sports betting and horse racing wagering to players across the Netherlands.

TonyBet is yet to confirm the domain name under which it will operate in the country, but it was confirmed that the licence will run for a period of five years, from 15 November this year to 14 November 2027.

Licences in the country are awarded under the Netherlands’ remote gambling act (KOA), which came into force on 1 April 2021. Last month, One Casino Limited also secured a licence from de Kansspelautoriteit to operate in the country.

TonyBet is based in Riga in Latvia and is already live in a number of other countries such as Canada, Spain, Estonia and Malta.

Last month, TonyBet also extended its offering into its native Latvia after securing approval from regulators in the country.

November 22, 2022

Industry slams NYT sports betting coverage

On Sunday, the New York Times (NYT) published an article on sports betting lobbying efforts, which has been criticised by industry trade groups and individuals as including “several mischaracterisations”.

Titled “Cigars, Booze, Money: How a Lobbying Blitz Made Sports Betting Ubiquitous”, the article makes the argument that the gambling sector “got their way with lawmakers after showering them with donations, gifts and dubious arguments”.

This assertion has been criticised by a number of US-based trade organisations, who pointed to the already stringent regulatory environment and the industry-wide commitments to responsible gaming.

Criticised by trade bodies

In a statement published on LinkedIn, the American Gaming Association (AGA) said that the NYT had made “several mischaracterisations” in the article, and emphasised that there is a high standard for obtaining gaming licences in the US.

“As unapologetic advocates for our industry, the AGA engages with the New York Times and any..

November 22, 2022

DraftKings hack affects $300,000 in customer funds

DraftKings’ co-founder and president of global technology and product, Paul Liberman, has released a statement confirming that a mass hacking has taken place on a number of customer accounts affecting $300,000 (£252,745/€291,742) in funds.

The hack was first reported by sports betting insights site Action Network. In the article, customers said that hundreds of dollars had been withdrawn from bank accounts that had been linked to their DraftKings accounts.

In addition, customers’ two-factor authentication had been rendered useless as the hack had allowed their phone numbers to be changed.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 22, 2022

PressEnter announces management buyout

The senior team at PressEnter Group, the igaming operator formerly known as BetPoint, is to take charge of the business through a management buyout.

Terms for the buyout have been agreed with PressEnter’s existing investors.

Chief executive Lahcene Merzoug and a team of senior executives will then take control, with Merzoug named the operator’s executive chairman once the deal completes.

Management said PressEnter, who operate online casino brands such as 21.com, JustSpin, NeonVegas Casino, NitroCasino, UltraCasino and RapidCasino, in addition to the XLBet sportsbook, offers “significant growth potential”.

New chapter for PressEnter

“The management team sees this as a new chapter for the business and will be reviewing existing strategies and processes to maximise new opportunities, grow the business and focus on the company’s core strengths,” PressEnter said.

Lahcene Merzoug will become executive chair of PressEnter following the buyout

“The management team has worked hard fo..

November 21, 2022

Industry gears up for record betting volumes as World Cup begins

The industry expects a record number of bets to be placed during the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

The 2018 tournament saw high betting levels and is widely considered to be the most bet-on sports event in history. For many sports betting operators, 2022’s controversial tournament will be the most significant betting event of the year.

Looking across the industry, Flutter has predicted that its UK and Ireland brands will see £300m staked during the World Cup.

In particular, Flutter noted that its FanDuel and Sportbet brands may see greater engagement due to both the USA and Australia qualifying for the competition.

Flutter cited a study from Fifa, conducted in conjunction with Sportradar, which estimated that $136bn was staked globally on various teams during the 2018 event. Whether betting levels will surpass the previous record will depend on many factors, not least which teams are able to proceed the furthest.

Elsewhere, Ladbrokes, Coral and Bwin agreed with Sportingbet brand operator ..

November 21, 2022

Oregon posts record sports betting revenue and handle in October

Sports betting revenue and handle in October reached new monthly highs during October, according to the latest figures published by the Oregon Lottery.

Player spending in October amounted to $55.6m (£47.1m/€54.3m), which was 29.6% higher than the existing record of $42.9m set in April this year.

The figure was also 47.9% ahead of $37.6m in October last year and 41.5% up from $39.3m in September this year.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 21, 2022

Mississippi sports betting handle reaches $56.2m in October

Consumers in Mississippi wagered $56.2m (£47.6m/€54.8m) on sports during October, a 32.7% drop on last year but an improvement on the amount bet in September this year.

The monthly handle was some way behind the $83.5m bet during October 2021, but 30.4% higher than $43.1m in September 2022.

Lower spending year-on-year also meant revenue fell 15.4% from $9.1m last year to $7.7m, while this figure was also 12.5% lower than $8.8m in September this year.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 21, 2022

BetMakers pens distribution deal with Racing Victoria’s media business

Betting technology and data business BetMakers has entered into a digital distribution agreement with Racing Victoria’s media business, the Victorian Thoroughbred Racing IMB (VTRIMB).

As part of the deal, BetMakers will embed a feed featuring Victoria horse races into its digital platform. This will then be distributed to betting companies across Australia via Betmakers’ streaming services .

“BetMakers is delighted to reach agreement with VTRIMB as a distribution partner for Racing.com’s live horse racing vision,” said BetMakers CEO Todd Buckingham. “Making this top-quality content available to more consumers will drive increased interest and wagering in Victorian horse racing.

“The content will also continue to bridge the product gap for BetMakers’ platform customers and is the first of many exciting updates we will roll out in this space.”

The agreement means BetMakers will provide content to up to 25 new distribution partners in the Australian online betting market.

“BetMakers..

November 18, 2022

Betfred and DraftKings launch sportsbook products in Maryland

DraftKings and Betfred have become the latest operators to announce their entry into the Maryland sports betting market.

Betfred’s physical sportsbook will go live from today (18 November), while DraftKings’ sportsbook app is set to launch on 23 November.

Both operators completed the mandatory early access test period, a measure implemented by the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency and paid the $500,000 application fee.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 18, 2022

Global regulators release joint World Cup statement

Regulators from France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain have released a joint statement before the World Cup begins on 20 November, reminding operators to keep responsible gambling and player protection in mind as the tournament runs.

The regulators met in Paris, France on 15 November. L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the gambling regulator for France, said that the meeting saw a number of key issues being discussed that would affect betting during the World Cup.

“This meeting was an opportunity to address several topics, including the fight against illegal offers and the protection of players and advertising during the World Cup,” read the statement.

“On the latter topic, regulators agreed to commit to working together to closely monitor gambling operators’ compliance with advertising, betting integrity and consumer protection regulations during the World Cup.”

Earlier this month, a number of operators and advertisers signed four charters in France, which committed ..

November 18, 2022

The view from Latvia

More than two years on from the country shutting down all legal gambling for two months, what is the current state of the Latvian market? iGB talks to TonyBet Latvia and Estonia country manager Valters Rozmanis to find out more.

It’s one of those thought experiments that naturally comes up from time to time in this industry – what would happen if a country just abolished gambling overnight?

How would consumers adjust? Would they abstain entirely or move in droves to the unregulated black market, outside the remit of both the taxman and a socially responsible regulator?

Latvia provides something of a natural experiment in this regard. In April 2020, as the first wave of Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced, fearing for the wellbeing of their citizens, the 40th government of Latvia announced a complete ban on all forms of online and land-based gambling.

The shutdown, which ran from 6 April to 9 June, pitted a modern, digital-savvy European country against the mawing forces of th..

November 18, 2022

Michigan reports record igaming revenue in October

Online gaming revenue in Michigan reached a record $141.0m in October, while the state also reported a 34.7% year-on-year increase in total internet gambling revenue.

Overall online commercial and tribal revenue for the month amounted to $190.2m (£159.9m/€183.7m), up from $134.0m in the same month in 2021 and also 7.7% higher than $176.5m in September this year, according to the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB).

Of this total, $141.0m came from online gaming gross receipts, a 25.0% rise from $109.7m and a new record, surpassing the previous monthly high of $132.4m set in April this year.

Internet sports betting gross receipts also increased 67.8% year-on-year to $49.2m, while the state’s handle climbed 3.6% from $463.3m to $480.8m.

Combined total adjusted gross receipts, which also account for promotional spending, were $158.5m, including $126.7m from igaming activity and $31.8m from sports betting.

Operators paid $28.2m in taxes and payments to the state of Michigan during Oc..

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Monthly Archives: November 2022