August 2023

August 23, 2023

Sportradar scores betting data deal with US Soccer

Sportradar has entered into a global partnership with US Soccer, the national governing body for the sport, covering exclusive rights to betting data and content distribution.

Under the deal, Sportradar becomes US Soccer’s official betting data partner. Sportradar will have exclusive rights to collect, licence and distribute the federation’s official betting and media data.

The agreement enables Sportradar to provide the data to its global network of more than 900 regulated betting operators.

Sportradar also takes exclusive distribution rights for the live AV streaming of US Soccer competitions for betting purposes. This will only be available outside of the US.

The deal covers more than 111 matches per year across US men’s and women’s national team competitions.

Sportradar and US Soccer will also collaborate on the development of bespoke data-driven solutions. This is with the aim of deepening existing fan relationships, attracting and engaging new supporters and increasing oppo..

August 23, 2023

Kentucky approves online and retail sports betting licences

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has voted to approve sports betting licences for a number of online and retail operators, ahead of the state opening its legal market next month.

Temporary licences cover up to one year of operation in Kentucky, with holders to be continuously reviewed during the period. Licences were approved for sports wagering operators and service providers at a meeting yesterday (22 August).

Kentucky is due to launch regulated retail sports wagering on 7 September, with online to follow on 28 September. Pre-registration for online accounts will open next week.

The initial seven online operators that applied earlier this month all secured a service provider licence. Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings, FanDuel and Penn Sports Interactive all picked up licences.

Fanatics, which did not appear on the original list, was also approved to launch online sports betting in Kentucky. In addition, the KHRC issued a service provider licence to Kambi, alt..

August 22, 2023

CDI closes deal for historical racing specialist Exacta

Horse racing operator Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has closed its acquisition of historical horse racing provider Exacta Systems.

The $250m deal allows Churchill Downs to realise significant and immediate synergies, the operator explained.

Its tracks in Virginia, Colonial Downs and Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, already house Exacta historical racing machines. This means it takes charge of the full value chain.

More historical horse racing machines (HHRMs) will be rolled out across its other properties.

Churchill Downs flexes B2B muscle through acquisition

Exacta will fold into CDI’s B2B subsidiary TwinSpires, providing content to its current third-party clients in Kentucky, Wyoming and New Hampshire.

This arm, formerly CDI’s operating business repurposed as a B2B proposition, already powers DraftKings’ horse racing app DK Horse.

August 22, 2023

Commission-free exchange Novig raises $6.4m in pre-seed round

Commission-free sports betting exchange Novig has raised $6.4m (£5.0m/€5.9m) in a pre-seed funding round from a number of well-known tech investors.

New York-based firm Lux Capital led the investment round into Novig, with participation from several prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

These include famous start-up accelerator Y Combinator, the inventor of the Lisp programming language Paul Graham and Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi. Also investing is former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.

Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said the business was “honoured” to have the support of the tech investors.

novig ceo jacob fortinsky

“Our vision is clear: to reshape the sports betting landscape that has long favoured exploitation over innovation and to usher in an era of integrity, transparency and empowerment,” he added. “Together, we’re rewriting the rules and putting the power back in the hands of bettors.”

Novig plans October launch date

Novig completed the investment r..

August 22, 2023

Delaware igaming wagers continue to decline in July

Delaware reported year-on-year declines across online casino and sports betting spend in July, while player wagers on igaming in the state fell to a calendar-year low of $36.4m.

The total amount wagered in July was 7.6% lower than wagers in July 2022 and also 4.0% less than in June this year.

Players spent $24.6m playing online video lottery games and a further $11.8m on internet table games.

Online casino revenue amounted to $1.2m in July. This was 5.6% behind July last year but 7.3% higher than June 2023.

Video lottery games generated $915,640 in revenue and table games $221,187. The other $44,861 came from poker rake and fees.

Delaware Park took top spot in the igaming market with $475,192 in revenue from $16.9m in bets. Bally’s Dover was second on $363,047 from $9.8m, then Harrington Raceway with $343,449 from $9.7m.

Sports betting revenue and wagers down

Looking at sports betting, monthly handle for the market reached $2.3m. This was down 14.8% from $2.7m last year and 23.3..

August 22, 2023

College betting lands Fox Bet with $80,000 New Jersey penalty

New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has ordered Fox Bet to pay an $80,000 fine (£62,592/€73,371) for accepting bets on college basketball games taking place in the state.

The DGE filed several complaints against Fox Bet, the sports betting joint venture between Flutter Entertainment and Fox Corporation, for violating the ban on betting on college teams based in the state.

Offences stretch back to 2021, starting with the NCAA basketball game between New Jersey’s Rutgers University and Northwestern University on 13 February 2021. Markets on another game featuring Monmouth University in November that year were also spotted by the regulator.

Fox Bet then admitted two further breaches, for games involving Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall University, in December 2021 and January 2022 respectively.

This amounts to a breach of the New Jersey Casino Control Act, DGE executive director David Rebuck said, ordering the business to pay $80,000 to settle the case.

News of the..

August 22, 2023

How will ESPN Bet carve out its place in the industry?

The stakes are high for ESPN's long-awaited foray into sports betting. Vice president of sports betting Mike Morrison believes the broadcasting behemoth will upend the established industry order.

“There was an inevitability about this,” ESPN’s Mike Morrison says of the sports giant’s move into betting.

Partnering Penn Entertainment to launch ESPN Bet brought years of speculation – and the operator’s partnership with Barstool Sports – to a close. This was momentous at every level.

First, the announcement came as a surprise. Penn’s sportsbook now connects with a vast audience, potentially catapulting the operator’s interactive business to the top tier of operators.

To the general news connoisseur, beloved multimedia behemoth the Walt Disney Company – owner of ESPN – entered the sports betting race.

ESPN Bet: A deal five years in the making

Sports betting is a natural extension for ESPN and speculation over deals with DraftKings and Caesars Entertainment was rife.

Morrison say..

August 22, 2023

Kentucky opens online betting pre-registration as launch nears

Players in Kentucky can pre-register for online sports wagering from 28 August, ahead of the regulated market launching next month.

Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, announced the initiative in his approved timetable for the rollout of legal betting.

Retail betting is going live on 7 September, with online following on 28 September. Next week’s pre-registration launch means players can sign up for an account a month ahead of the online market opening.

“The countdown is on; we are just three weeks away from sports wagering in Kentucky,” Beshear said. “We are ready to deliver the quality entertainment experience Kentuckians asked for. We’ll also bring in money to support pensions and free up funds to build a better Kentucky.”

Vote due on Kentucky licence applications

The announcement comes as the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) meets later today (22 August) to vote on licence applications.

Earlier this month, Bet365, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings and Penn Spo..

August 21, 2023

Fanatics partners Guardians to open first MLB ballpark sportsbook

Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) has opened a new retail sportsbook at the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field, its first facility at a Major League Baseball (MLB) ballpark.

The Fanatics sportsbook features two betting windows, four self-service betting kiosks and seven TV monitors. Consumers can bet on MLB games as well as other major sports such as hockey, basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer and golf.

Progressive Field is located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and has a capacity of more than 38,000.

“We’re very excited to partner with FBG to bring a retail sportsbook location outside Progressive Field,” Guardians’ vice-president of corporate and premium partnerships, Ted Baugh, said. “This will provide our fans a very convenient in-person option to place bets.”

Fanatics retail sportsbook complements online

The retail facility comes after FBG last week launched its online sportsbook in a number of states.

Fanatics’ online sportsbook is live in Maryland, Massachusetts and Tenn..

August 21, 2023

Australia launches national self-exclusion register BetStop

The Australian government has today (21 August) announced the launch of the country’s new national self-exclusion register, BetStop.

Players can self-exclude from gambling for a minimum of three months and for as long as their lifetime. BetStop covers all licensed interactive wagering service providers in Australia, including online and telephone-based operators.

Operators must block self-excluded players from opening account and cannot accept any bets from these customers. Licensees must also ensure they do not send any marketing materials to those on the register.

In addition, operators are required to promote BetStop including on their websites and apps, as well as in marketing material sent to customers.

BetStop completes National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering

The launch of BetStop has been a long time coming, with plans to launch a register announced in June 2022. Today’s launch is in line with a timetable set out by the government last month.

BetStop m..

August 18, 2023

Mississippi sports betting revenue level at $2.5m in July

Sports betting revenue in Mississippi remained level year-on-year at $2.5m in July, despite a slight dip in player spending.

Revenue was in line with the $2.5m posted in July 2022 and 38.9% ahead of $2.5m in June this year.

In terms of handle, players wagered a total of $17.7m. This was down 3.3% from $18.3m last year but 13.2% behind $20.4m in June.

Coastal casinos drew $11.5m in bets during the month and posted $1.2m in total revenue.

A further $3.9m was spent at central casinos, with revenue at $896,790, while handle for northern casinos hit $2.3m and revenue $403,005.

Baseball remained the most popular sports among players in the state, drawing $9.6m in bets. Of this total, $6.8m was wagered at coastal casinos in Mississippi.

August 18, 2023

Pennsylvania gambling revenue up 8.9% to $467m in July

Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania increased 8.9% year-on-year to $467.0m in July, driven by growth across the igaming and sports betting segments.

Monthly revenue in Pennsylvania was ahead of $429.1m in July 2022 and 6.0% higher than $440.5m in June this year.

Retail slots remained the primary source of revenue by some margin, generating a total of $214.7m during the month. This was 0.4% higher than in the previous month. In contrast, retail table games revenue slipped 3.8% to $83.4m.

Turning to igaming and revenue in this market increased by 34.8% year-on-year to $132.9m. This included $94.9m in online slots revenue, up 31.9%, and $35.4m in internet table games revenue, a rise of 48.0%.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National continued to lead this segment with $54.4m in igaming revenue. Valley Forge Casino Resort placed a distant second on $29.2m, then Rivers Casino Philadelphia with $26.8m.

Pennsylvania July sports betting revenue hits $32.1m

Elsewhere, there was also an increase in ..

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Monthly Archives: August 2023