Betting News Archives

January 31, 2024

DraftKings partners with LeBron James

DraftKings has partnered with professional basketball player LeBron James, in a deal that will see James become a talent ambassador for the operator.

Announced today (31 January), the deal will see LeBron share insights on football, as well as a number of select events.

Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings said that partnering with LeBron was a privilege for the operator.

“Welcoming one of the most influential and greatest athletes of all time, LeBron James, to the DraftKings family is an absolute honour and privilege,” Robins wrote on LinkedIn.

The partnership will result in opportunities for sports fans and fans of LeBron to further engage with DraftKings’ product offering.

“We look forward to working with a passionate sports fan who shares the same competitive mindset that echoes throughout the walls at DraftKings, while delivering exciting engagement opportunities to our customers and his loyal fanbase for years to come,” he continued.

In a post on X – formerly known as Twitter –..

January 31, 2024

IBIA reports 35% decrease in suspicious activity for 2023

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has reported a 35% year-on-year decrease in suspicious alerts related to sporting corruption in 2023.

The IBIA, which identifies potential sports corruption through detecting suspicious betting activity, received 184 alerts in 2023. This was a significant decrease on 2022’s revised number of 285.

The IBIA accounts for over $137bn (£108bn/€126bn) of global betting turnover per annum, making it the largest operator-run integrity monitoring body.

Football and tennis were the sports most affected, with 63 and 54 alerts respectively. While tennis alerts have decreased over the last five years, football alerts have now risen for the last three years.

Europe was the area with the most alerts in 2023, accounting for 61% of reports. The UK had the most alerts with 31, while the Czech Republic was second with 18. Brazil and Spain tied for third with 11.

The IBIA’s work saw 74 matches proven to be corrupt, with 21 sanctions handed out. O..

January 31, 2024

Top horse racing live data companies merge

Live horse racing data companies Total Performance Data (TPD) and TripleSdata (TSD) have agreed to a merger.

As a result of the merger, the companies will become one merged entity. The combined company will go on to supply live horseracing data from more than 100 tracks across 11 countries.

The entity will supply viewers with live and post-race tracking data. TPD‘s in-play odds will also be made available to racecourses worldwide.

In addition to the merger, the companies announced a shake-up of their management team. TSD founders Carlos Santo and Sebastian Scholz will join TPD’s board. Here, they will assist with managing a global team comprising more than 40 people.

Brad Higgins, executive director at TSD, is set to lead APAC sales. John McBroom, commercial director at TPD, will lead global sales.

Total Performance Data and TripleSdata will merge to create a combined company

Horse racing competing for attention

Will Duff Gordon, CEO of TPD said the merger improves TPD’s existin..

January 31, 2024

Bet365 and BlueBet expand US presence with new launches

Bet365 has launched online sports betting in Indiana while BlueBet has also extended its reach in the US by rolling out its ClutchBet brand in Louisiana.

Indiana becomes the eighth US market for Bet365 while BlueBet and ClutchBet are active in three states across the US.

Bet365 launches in Indiana via a partnership with the French Lick Resort land-based casino. Players can register for a new Bet365 account and begin betting on a wide range of sports and competitions.

The operator is also active across Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa and Colorado.

“At Bet365 we don’t do ordinary and, as the home of the country’s first professional baseball game, ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ and a rich basketball history, neither does Indiana,” a Bet365 spokesperson said.

“New and eligible sports fans in the Hoosier State, renowned for their passion and loyalty, can enjoy the Bet365 experience featuring market leading offerings like amazing Bet Boosts, the fastest in-g..

January 31, 2024

NFL: Super Bowl viewers will see three sports betting ads during game

Fans watching Super Bowl LVIII on 11 February will see a total of three sports betting ads during the game, said David Highhill, the NFL's general manager for sports betting.

As reported by the Associated Press, Highhill confirmed the move during a press conference yesterday (30 January).

Super Bowl LVIII will see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers on 11 February. The game will take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Highhill said that one sports betting ad will be shown just before kickoff, with two others shown during the game. He added that the NFL had already implemented restrictions on the number of sports betting ads broadcast during matches.

less than 5% of all in-game ads will be sports betting

“We’ve put some policies in place to limit the amount of advertising for sports betting that happens in our live games,” Highhill said. “It’s roughly one ad per quarter. All told, less than 5% of all in-game ads are sports betting ads.”

Also at ..

January 31, 2024

Rhode Island posts further year-on-year sports betting declines in December

Sports betting handle and revenue in Rhode Island fell year-on-year again in December, although revenue in the Ocean State was higher month-on-month.

Player spending in December amounted to $47.9m (£37.8m/€44.1m). This was 19.1% less than December 2022 and 0.6% behind November 2023’s total in Rhode Island.

rhode island player spend was down 19.1% year-on-year

Some $39.1m of the total spent in December was wagered online. The other $8.8m was bet at retail sportsbooks, with $5.6m spent at Twin River and $3.3m Tiverton Casino.

Revenue recovers in December

As for revenue, this reached $4.1m during December. This was 33.9% less than $6.2m in the same month in 2022 but 20.6% ahead of November’s $3.4m.

Online betting generated $3.6m in revenue and retail wagering $591,275. Twin River posted $267,201 in revenue and Tiverton casino $324,074, despite the latter’s smaller handle.

Players won a total of $21.9m during the month including $15.8m from online betting and $8.2m retail.

H1 han..

January 30, 2024

Caesars agrees tribal deal to launch online sports betting in North Carolina

Caesars Entertainment has announced it will launch mobile sports betting in North Carolina after expanding its relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The operator is set to go live when North Carolina launches its online sports betting market on 11 March. Ahead of the launch, the Caesars Sportsbook app will start accepting sign-ups and deposits from 1 March.

On 24 January, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission approved the launch date of online sports betting. The market will be live for those aged 21 and over in time for March Madness. Charlotte in North Carolina is set to host some of the tournament’s early-round games.

Caesars already has two land-based locations with the tribe, with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy. As part of the expanded deal, Caesars will now hold exclusive rights to mobile sports wagering at those two casinos, as well as on Eastern Band of Cherokee tribal lands in w..

January 30, 2024

“It’s showtime!” – BetMGM bets big on the UK

In a heavily saturated UK market, BetMGM’s entry in 2023 certainly made a splash. Sam Behar, BetMGM’s UK director, believes the key to the operator’s early success is bringing that unique Las Vegas experience across the Atlantic.

BetMGM launched in the UK in August in partnership with MGM-owned LeoVegas to much fanfare and, five months on, the results have spoken for themselves.

With a series of flashy sponsorships that have well and truly put BetMGM on the map in the UK, its Las Vegas ties have been put on show for all to see. Despite the high expectations, BetMGM has still managed to surpass Behar’s initial lofty projections.

“It’s been an unbelievable first five months entering the UK – especially given the way we did,” Behar says. “We had a unique ambition to make things work and we’ve certainly made a big splash, which is excellent.

“Of course we always thought it would, but it’s made a much bigger impact than even we could have anticipated and, even though we had high hopes..

January 30, 2024

FairPlay Sports Media announces Quarter4 purchase

FairPlay Sports Media (FPSM) has announced the acquisition of deep-learning neural network Quarter4 (Q4), hoping to “unleash” the full potential of its proprietary data and technology platform.

FPSM underwent a rebrand from Oddschecker Media Group last week and has now announced its first purchase. The price of the deal for the Toronto-based Q4 remains undisclosed.

Q4, founded in 2019, specialises in predicting sports outcomes, as well as providing unique data and content opportunities.

FPSM says the move aligns with the company’s objective to “transform BetTech”, benefitting consumers, publishers and operators worldwide.

FPSM brands will leverage Q4’s prediction technology in combination with the group’s price movement data across “millions of sports events”.

Stuart Simms, FPSM’s group chief executive, declared: “The acquisition of Quarter4 is a significant milestone for our group, giving our various brands the ability to unleash our already market-leading data and tech platform ..