Betting News Archives

March 5, 2024

New York confirms plans for $1bn Belmont Park racing makeover

New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, has confirmed plans for the $1bn transformation of the historic Belmont Park racecourse.

The project, which will include the construction of a completely new grandstand, will be complete in 2026. The majority of work will be concluded during the first quarter of 2026 with the building ready later that year.

Governor Hochul said the new 275,000 sq ft grandstand will offer “the modern amenities and hospitality offerings fans now expect”. New York Racing Association (NYRA), which will oversee construction, has now released a series of renderings ahead of commencement.

New renderings of the transformed belmont park have been released

The demolition of the current Belmont Park grandstand/clubhouse is slated to begin in March and will continue through early July. This summer’s Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga to allow for uninterrupted construction at Belmont Park.

New York authorities said the multi-year project will generate $1..

March 4, 2024

Caesars first to launch sports betting in North Carolina with tribal partnership

Caesars Entertainment has become the first operator to launch legal online sports betting in North Carolina, rolling out its sportsbook in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

North Carolina is not due to launch full-scale legal sports betting until 11 March. However, Caesars’ deal with the tribe and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act has made it possible for the operator to go live ahead of this date.

Players can place bets at two Cherokee-run casinos: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel. Betting is also permitted on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ tribal lands.

caesars’ tribal deal will see the operator first to go live

Caesars’ online sports betting offering will be extended across all North Carolina when the market fully launches next week. The operator has been running retail sportsbooks in the state for a number of years, with the online offering to complement these.

“We’re thankful to be able to offer wage..

March 1, 2024

Nevada gambling revenue hits $1.28bn in record-breaking January

Gambling revenue in Nevada edged up 0.8% year-on-year to $1.28bn (£1.01bn/€1.18bn) in January, the highest total on record for the opening month of the year.

Revenue was marginally higher than $1.27bn in January 2023 but 10.5% behind December’s $1.43bn haul.

Slots accounted for $885.9m of revenue in January, up 1.3% from last year. Some $567.2m of this came from multi-denomination slots, while penny slots drew $231.1m in revenue.

Table and card games decline hits Nevada

In contrast to this growth, table, counter and card games revenue dcelined 7.5% to $393.5m in January.

Blackjack was the primary source of revenue here, despite an 18.2% decline to $98.3m. Craps revenue slipped 19.4% to $32.0m and roulette 40.7% to $27.4m.

Baccarat was only one of four areas within this segment to post growth, with revenue up 8.0% to $98.0m. Pai Gow poker revenue jumped 125.5% to $11.2m, while “card games” revenue climbed 0.5% to $13.2m for the month.

American football betting drives sports wage..

March 1, 2024

Fanatics hits milestone with sportsbook launch in New York

Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) has announced the launch of its sportsbook in New York, marking the 15th state in which it offers online sports betting.

Players in New York can now download the Fanatics Sportsbook and begin placing bets on a range of events.

Fanatics replaces PointsBet in New York. Customers previously betting with PointsBet in the state will have their information automatically migrated to the Fanatics Sportsbook. This includes their username, password, account balance, rewards points and any responsible gaming settings.

The launch marks the latest phase of Fanatics’ acquisition of PointsBet US. FBG purchased the business in August 2023 and has been phasing out the PointsBet brand ever since.

the launch marks fanatics’ latest acquisition phase of pointsbet us

Earlier this week, Fanatics also rolled out its sportsbook product in Indiana. The New York launch means it is now active in 15 states including Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachuset..

March 1, 2024

North Carolina issues eight online sports betting licences ahead of launch

With less than two weeks to go until online sports betting goes live in the state, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission has awarded eight interactive sports wagering licences to operators.

Sports betting will launch in North Carolina on 11 March. This is after the state’s governor, Roy Cooper, signed House Bill 347 into law last year.

Among the approved licensees are heavy-hitters such as FanDuel and DraftKings. Fanatics, Bet365, BetMGM, ESPN Bet and Underdog are also set to launch in the state.

Operators who sought approval to offer sports betting in the state had to partner with a sports team, league or venue within North Carolina. That led to a flurry of deals as operators looked to secure entry into the state.

For instance, DraftKings partnered with stock-car racing series Nascar, while BetMGM teamed up with the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the state. ESPN Bet gained entry to North Carolina by signing a major PGA Tour deal to become the official betting operators of the W..

February 29, 2024

Analysing the data: Breaking down Spain’s 2023 in numbers

Spain is rapidly emerging as one of Europe’s most exciting markets for growth. We take a look inside the numbers – with a positive 2023 for the country’s online gambling market.

The headline number from Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) is the €1.24bn (£1.06bn/$1.35bn) in gross gambling revenue (GGR) for 2023, up year-on-year by well over a quarter at 28.4%.

Spain’s GGR has now increased every year since 2013 bar 2021. The 28.4% hike is the largest year-on-year rise since 2017.

Deposits and withdrawals rose by 15.5% and 10.1% respectively. The number of active gamblers also edged up by 2.7% to over 1.6 million.

Casino and betting on the rise in Spain

Of that €1.24bn in GGR, casino led the way with 50.5% of the total, accumulating €624.8m in revenue for 2023. Meanwhile, betting wasn’t far behind, accounting for 39.8% with €491.8m of GGR. Poker, bingo and contests then lagged behind with €115.3m, €14.4m and €480,000 respectively.

Looking at those num..

February 29, 2024

New Hampshire sports betting decline continues in January

The New Hampshire Lottery reported further declines in the state’s sports betting market in January, with both handle and gross gaming revenue falling year-on-year.

Player spending in January amounted to $73.3m (£57.9m/€67.7m). This was 24.6% behind $97.2m in New Hampshire last January and 7.0% lower than $78.8m in December. It was also the second consecutive month of handle decline in the state.

Of this total, $62.7m was spent betting on sports online, while players wagered $10.6m at retail sportsbooks.

revenue was 7.0% lower than $78.8m in December 2023

Looking to gross gaming revenue, there was mixed news in the state. Revenue was down 20.3% from the record $12.3m in January 2023 but 27.3% ahead of $7.7m in December.

Some $8.9m of all revenue in January came from online betting. A further $951,079 was generated from wagering at retail sportsbooks across New Hampshire.

DraftKings remains the exclusive operator in the state’s online sports betting market. This arrangement has be..

February 29, 2024

BlueBet nets record wagering turnover revenue in H1 – offsets US loss

BlueBet Holdings reported a 12.6% increase in revenue during the first half of 2024 on the back of record turnover, but higher costs led to a wider net loss.

Revenue for the six months to 31 December hit AU$27.8m (£14.3m/€16.7m/US$18.1m), up from $24.7m in H1 of 2023 at BlueBet. This, BlueBet said, was driven by record wagering turnover of $319.5m for the half.

The six-month period saw BlueBet further grow its Australian business, with revenue rising 13.0% to $27.9m. Active customers in the country were also up 13.0%, which in turn helped pushed turnover up 6.9% to $298.7m.

revenue of AU$27.8m was driven by record wagering turnover of $319.5m for h1 2024

However, against this background of growth in Australia was some bad news for BlueBet. In August, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission charged BlueBet for breaching state rules on advertising. If found guilty BlueBet could face a fine of up to AU$945,187.

US expansion continues for BlueBet

Over in North America,..

February 28, 2024

Rhode Island’s sports betting handle declines by 6.5% in January

Rhode Island’s January sports betting handle saw a 6.5% decline from December’s figures, although revenue was up by almost 22%.

Rhode Island recorded $44.8m in sports betting handle for January, a significant decrease on December’s number of $47.9m and the lowest since September. The handle also fell 28.1% behind the same month last year, which was a record.

$34.8m of the handle was wagered online, while the other $13.1m was bet at retail sportsbooks. Of the retail handle, Twin River and Tiverton Casino took $6.4m and $3.6m in bets respectively.

Despite the downturn in handle, it was a good month for sportsbooks, who accumulated a combined revenue of $5m, over a fifth higher than December’s $4.1m and the highest since Rhode Island started its new financial year.

Online accounted for $3.8m of that figure, which is 76% of the total. By facility, Twin River outperformed the Tiverton Casino, generating $845,340 to the latter’s $402,750.

Rhode Island into H2 of its financial year

spor..