August 2023

August 11, 2023

Bet365 and FanDuel among applicants for KY mobile betting licence

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has received applications for new mobile sports betting licences from seven operators including Bet365 and FanDuel.

Kentucky will open its legal online wagering market next month, as per a schedule agreed last month. This came after the governor, Andy Beshear, approved legal betting by signing off on House Bill 551 in April.

Retail wagering will go live on 7 September, with mobile following on 28 September.

Applications for licences in the state have been open for some time, with the KHRC receiving proposals from a number of major operators.

Joining Bet365 and FanDuel in applying for mobile licences are BetMGM, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings and Penn Sports Interactive.

Kentucky racetracks eye retail licences

In terms of retail permits, the KHRC said seven of the state’s licensed sportsbooks have put forward applications.

These include Churchill Downs in Louisville, Oak Grove Gaming and Racing in Oak Grove, Ellis Park in Henderson, The Re..

August 11, 2023

FanDuel and DraftKings neck-and-neck in New York during July

Rival operators FanDuel and DraftKings posted almost identical online sports betting revenue in New York during July, while the state reported its lowest monthly handle in 11 months.

Players spent $962.1m (£758.6m/€875.7m) betting on sports online in July. This was the first time New York’s monthly handle has fallen below $1.00bn since August last year.

The total was 20.1% ahead of $800.8m in July last year but 17.5% behind June’s $1.17bn handle.

Gross gaming revenue (GGR) from online betting during the month reached $105.1m. This was up 43.4% from $73.3m last year and 1.3% ahead of $103.8m in June.

FanDuel versus DraftKings – the battle for New York crown

In revenue terms, there was very little between FanDuel and DraftKings. FanDuel has been the frontrunner in New York for some time but DraftKings has steadily closed the gap over recent months.

Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel remained marginally ahead with $40.9m in revenue for July. The operator also took $384.6m in online..

August 10, 2023

Entain hails record online players after revenue hits £2.40bn in H1

Entain reported a 14% year-on-year increase in net gaming revenue (NGR) to £2.40bn (€2.78bn/$3.06bn) during the first half, helped by a record number of active online players in Q2.

The group revealed growth in all business areas for the six months to 30 June. Both online and retail revenue, excluding US operations, was up year-on-year at Entain.

When including $944.0m in revenue contributions from its BetMGM joint venture with MGM Resorts, NGR was up 19%. That business, Entain added, BetMGM posted its first positive EBITDA figures in the second quarter.

Higher revenue also meant an increase in pre-tax profit for Entain. However, its bottom-line was hit by the £585m provision set aside as part of deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) negotiations with the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over historic activities in Turkey.

Entain makes ‘clear strides’ towards strategic goals

CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen was pleased with H1. She said the operator made “clear strides” towards deli..

August 10, 2023

Wynn talks up “substantial” UAE growth potential as Q2 revenue rises

Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings said the operator is edging closer to securing a licence for its new integrated resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the business posted a 75.8% rise in Q2 revenue to $1.60bn (£1.26bn/€2.46bn).

The business first announced plans to open Wynn Al Marjan Island in early 2022. The Wynn Resorts facility will be located on the man-made Al Marjan Island in the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah and will cost approximately $3.90bn.

The venue is not due to open until early 2027 but Wynn is already busy making plans for the casino. Construction partners were appointed in March, initial designs were revealed shortly after and Thomas Schoen was recently named project president.

“We have everything we need to operate gaming in Al Marjan”

Wynn released renderings of its property in Ras al-Khaimah earlier this year

In addition, the operator is pushing to secure early approval ahead of the planned opening. Speaking on its earnings call, he said Wynn expects to re..

August 9, 2023

ESPN Bet to launch in November

Jay Snowden, president and CEO of Penn Entertainment, confirmed that ESPN Bet will go live in November this year.

Penn and sports broadcaster ESPN’s transformative $1.5bn deal will consist of Penn relaunching its existing Barstool Sportsbook as ESPN Bet.

Off the back of the deal Penn is divesting its Barstool Sports sportsbook brand and selling it back to Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool.

Snowden confirmed the month for launch on Penn’s earnings call today, following the publication of its second quarter results.

When the deal was announced yesterday, Penn said the launch had been set for “the fall”, with no specific details as to when.

On the earnings call, Snowden skipped around the month with “sometime this fall” and “certainly before Thanksgiving” before landing on November.

Snowden defended the timing of the launch amid claims it would come too late in the NFL season.

“I think our launch in November is good, because it won’t get lost at the beginning of football season,”..

August 9, 2023

Online growth drives Lithuania H1 gambling revenue up 21.5%

Gambling revenue in Lithuania increased 21.5% during the first six months of 2023, driven by growth within the country’s online gaming sector.

Gross gaming revenue for the first half in Lithuania was €108.5m (£93.5m/$119.2m), up from €89.3m in the same period last year.

Of this total, €72.2m was attributed to online gambling, a year-on-year rise of 31.5%. The remaining €36.3m came from land-based activities, up 4.6% on the previous year.

Online slots lead the way in Lithuania H1

Breaking down this performance, €45.5m of all online gambling revenue came from category A slot machines. This was 37.5% higher year-on-year.

A further €1.8m in Lithuania was generated from online category B slot machines, up 28.6% on 2022.

Internet sports betting revenue climbed 12.4% to reach €19.0m in the first half. In addition, remote table games revenue was 71.4% higher at €6.0m.

Slower growth in land-based sector

Turning to Lithuania H1 land-based gambling, category B slot machines were the main ..

August 9, 2023

Stats Perform scores extension to Premier League rights data deal

Stats Perform has secured an extension to its exclusive official rights deal with Football DataCo (FDC), which manages data for the English Premier League and other major British competitions.

Under the deal, Stats Perform will continue to collect detailed event data at all major English and Scottish football leagues. The agreement runs to the end of the 2024-25 season.

This includes England’s Premier League, Championship, League 1 and 2. The deal also covers all leagues overseen by the Scottish Professional Football Leagues, including the Scottish Premiership.

The deal covers player tracking data, AI-powered insight data and player market data. This will be collected and distributed through Stats Performs’ Opta brand.

Stats Perform will distribute data to media and broadcast outlets, sportsbooks and fantasy sports operators. The agreement also covers providing data to professional teams around the world.

“At Stats Perform we are committed owners of our large, deep Opta football ..

August 9, 2023

Jackson highlights scale, product as profit drivers for Flutter

Peter Jackson, CEO of leading online gaming conglomerate Flutter Entertainment, highlighted the business’ scale and subsequent ability to invest in its products as being behind its crossing of the profitability threshold.

In H1 2023, the Flutter reported profitability on both a US and group-wide basis. In the company’s earnings call, Jackson highlighted the business had previously expected 2023 to be the year in which the threshold was met.

“I think it’s important we remember the context a few years ago,” Jackson said. “We knew this year would be the tipping point, we reached that milestone earlier because the business is bigger than we anticipated.

“We knew this year would be profitable, we’ve proved the model works, we will continue to acquire and invest in as many companies as we possibly can.”

Jackson emphasises the importance of scale

The executive emphasised Flutter’s size, revenue and market share as the business retained its title as the largest online gaming business in t..

August 9, 2023

Flutter’s US business reaches “profitability inflection point” in H1

Flutter Entertainment has revealed its US business reached a “profitability inflection point” during the first half, with CEO Peter Jackson describing the period as “pivotal”.

Group revenue was up 41.9% in the six months to 30 June, while net loss also flipped to a profit. Much of this, Flutter said, was down to the performance of its US segment, namely the FanDuel Group brand.

Since taking ownership of FanDuel in May 2018, the brand has gone from strength to strength. FanDuel has moved far from an initial daily fantasy sports offering to now deliver sports betting and online casino in states across the US.

FanDuel investment coming in H2

US is Flutter’s star performer in H1

A strong six months for European operations

Australia disappoints

Working down the balance sheet

FanDuel US listing nears

Flutter CEO: Profits will fuel H2 investment for FanDuel

With CEO Jackson revealing that the US business took on more than two million new players in the first half, there is little ch..

August 8, 2023

ESPN makes its betting move as Penn lets go of Barstool

Disney-owned sports broadcaster ESPN is moving into sports betting in partnership with Penn Entertainment, which will sell the Barstool brand back to founder Dave Portnoy.

Penn’s Barstool Sportsbook is relaunching as ESPN Bet this autumn through the $1.5bn deal. This immediately provides the brand with a footprint across 16 legal betting states, covering its mobile website and app and desktop site.

Penn says its partnership with the largest sports brand in the US increases the long-term adjusted EBITDA potential for its interactive segment by between $500m and $1.0bn.

Penn is divesting Barstool Sports, its sportsbook brand since 2020, as a result. Barstool founder Dave Portnoy buys back 100% of its share capital “in exchange for certain non-compete and other restrictive covenants”.

The terms of the deal

ESPN and Snowden comment

What about theScore and icasino?

Barstool back with Portnoy

Disney’s history with betting

Exclusive access to ESPN assets

ESPN Bet leverages ESPN’s m..

August 8, 2023

IBIA expands Brazilian network with KTO

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has named KTO, the sports betting brand owned by the KTO Group, as its latest member.

Founded in 2018, KTO currently operates in both Brazil and Peru, with plans to also launch in Chile.

As part of new regulatory measures in Brazil, KTO is required to join an international body for monitoring sports integrity. Its membership of IBIA satisfies this demand and puts the brand in line with new Brazilian betting laws.

KTO joins nearly 50 businesses and over 125 sports betting brands in the IBIA network.

“We view this as a step that reinforces our dedication to upholding the highest standards of integrity in sports betting,” KTO managing director Jeff Tabone said. “Trust has always been a cornerstone of the KTO brand. Joining IBIA signifies our commitment to a safe and transparent environment for our customers and the wider industry.”

IBIA chief executive Khalid Ali added: “KTO is the latest operator to make IBIA its preferred integ..

August 8, 2023

FanDuel expands golf betting with IMG Arena integration

Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel Group has expanded its range of golf betting options with the integration of IMG Arena’s Golf Event Centre.

The addition of the Golf Event Centre opens up a number of new betting markets for users. These include closest-to-the-pin, longest drive and other stroke-by-stroke bets.

The Golf Event Centre also allows users to track each shot in real-time, view hole profiles and see course maps. In addition, FanDuel customers will have access to a customisable live leaderboard.

The golf betting tool will be available to FanDuel users from the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which begins on 10 August.

Read the full story on iGB North America

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