Betting News Archives

January 16, 2024

ITIA bans tennis official for 16 years over corruption charges

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned Bulgarian official Stefan Milanov for 16 years after he was found guilty of a series of corruption offences.

Milanov was charged with 17 breaches of the ITIA Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). His ban will run from the date of the decision (28 December 2023) until 27 December 2039.

All charges are regarding five tennis matches that Milanov umpired in 2021.

Specific breaches identified by the ITIA include five related to Section D.1.b of the 2021 TACP. This covers directly or indirectly facilitating any other person to wager on the outcome or other aspect of an event.

Five breaches were also noted of Section D.1.m of the TACP – delaying or manipulating entry of scoring data from any event. A further five breaches related to Section D.1.n – directly or indirectly attempting, agreeing or conspiring to commit corruption offences.

The ITIA said the remaining two breaches regarded Section F.2.b of the 2023 TACP. This cov..

January 16, 2024

Delaware: Sports betting revenue up in December as igaming remains steady

The Delaware Lottery reported a year-on-year increase in sports betting revenue during December after a rise in handle, while igaming revenue remained steady despite lower spending.

Beginning with sports betting, revenue for the sector in December 2023 amounted to $2.1m (£1.7m/€1.9m). This was 50.0% higher than in the state in the previous year and also 264.1% ahead of $576,800 in November 2023.

Delaware players in December spent $5.8m betting on sports during the month. Again, this was higher than December 2022, surpassing the previous year’s total by 7.3%. It also beat the $8.1m wagered in November by 8.6%.

delaware’s first online sportsbook was launched in december 2023

Delaware Park led the way in the sports wagering market with $302,801 in revenue from a $2.1m handle. Bally’s Dover was second with $161,432 off $1.1m, then Harrington Raceway on $65,701 from $448,031.

December also saw the launch of Delaware’s first online sportsbook. Powered by Rush Street Interactive (RSI) an..

January 15, 2024

Macau Jockey Club to cease operating horse racing from April

The Macau Horse Racing Company has agreed to cease offering horse racing from 1 April 2024.

Today (15 January), the Macau Horse Racing Company – which operates the Macau Jockey Club – signed an agreement with the special administrative region’s government. This agreement terminated the concession awarded to the Club to exclusively operate horse racing in Macau.

Lei Wai Nong, secretary for economy and finance, signed the agreement on behalf of the government.

Request to cease concession

The Macau Horse Racing Company submitted a request to the government to terminate the concession last year. The company cited difficulties in operations and a lacklustre horse racing environment as reasons for the termination request.

“Macau Horse Racing Company Limited has been operating at a loss, accumulated in excess of MOP2.5bn,” read a statement from the company.

“Moreover, there has been limited room for development and growth of the horse racing industry in Macau over the years and, includi..

January 15, 2024

Tennessee: Betting handle tops $493.3m in December

Players in Tennessee spent $493.3m (£387.9m/€450.5m) in December, an increase on last year but a month-on-month decline from November’s record.

Gross handle in Tennessee in December was 12.0% higher than in the same month in 2023. However, it was 4.3% behind the record $515.5m wagered in November 2023.

Incidentally, November was the first month in which player spend on betting in Tennessee surpassed $500.0m. The state’s legal wagering market opened in November 2020.

The gross handle figure accounted for $1.7m in adjustments which, when included, meant $495.1m in gross wagers.

Gross handle for Tennessee in December was up by 12.4% year-on-year but 4.3% behind the $517.1m posted in November.

Leading operators active in Tennessee

Tennessee was able to generate $9.1m in privilege tax from sports wagering during the month. Figures were published by the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council but did not include data on revenue.

Tennessee was one of four states in which fanatics launched in..

January 15, 2024

Kansas smashes sports betting revenue record in December

Kansas set a new monthly sports wagering revenue record of $20.1m (£15.8m/€18.4m) in December, while handle fell just short of November’s all-time high.

The December revenue haul beat the existing Kansas record of $14.4m in October by 39.6%. It was also 95.2% ahead of $10.3m in December 2022 and 125.8% higher than $8.9m in November of 2023.

Online betting generated $19.2m of all revenue in December, with retail wagering bringing in the other $808,961.

kansas’ previous record was $14.4m in october 2023

As for handle, players spent a total of $259.7m during the month. This was just short of the record $260.9m bet in November but 40.4% higher year on year.

Consumers bet $249.1m online in December and a further $10.6m at retail sportsbooks across Kansas.

Boot Hill leads online in Kansas

Looking at individual operators, Boot Hill Casino and DraftKings remained out in front in the online market. Revenue from the partnership totalled $8.5m from a $103.8m handle.

Kansas Star and FanDu..

January 15, 2024

UK affordability checks to be debated in February after successful petition

Affordability checks will be debated in the UK's parliament on 26 February, following a successful petition calling to stop their implementation.

The petition opposed the widespread introduction of financial checks outlined in the Gambling Act review white paper. Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale registered the petition in early November.

By the end of November, the petition had passed 100,000 signatures, the number required for parliament discussion. A debate has now been scheduled for 26 February after it was discussed in Westminster Hall last Tuesday.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), responded: “The fact that our survey reached the required 100,000 signatures threshold in just 27 days is powerful testament to the strength of feeling shared by bettors over the proposed checks.

“While we support the need to protect individuals from the risk of gambling-related harm it remains the case that millions of people enjoy betting..

January 15, 2024

Indiana sets $55.6m sports betting revenue record in December

Indiana reported $50.6m (£39.8m/€46.2m) in adjusted gross revenue for December, a new monthly record, while the Hoosier State’s handle fell just short of an all-time high.

Taxable adjusted gross revenue in December narrowly beat the existing record in Indiana of $50.5m, set in September 2022.

The December amount was also 18.5% ahead of $42.7m in December of 2022. In addition, it surpassed the $30.7m posted in November 2023 by 64.8%.

Indiana narrowly misses out on handle record

Turning to handle and Indiana came close to a month of two new state records. Consumers spent $503.1m during December, the second highest monthly amount since the state opened its legal market in September 2019.

The December total was 16.6% ahead of the $431.4m bet in Indiana in the same month in 2022. It was also just 2.1% behind November 2023’s all-time high of $513.7m.

Basketball remained the sport of choice among Indiana consumers, drawing $133.1m in bets. The state is home to the NBA’s Indiana Pacers..

January 15, 2024

ITIA bans French tennis player for match fixing

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned French player Leny Mitjana for 10 years after finding him guilty of corruption and match-fixing offences.

Mitjana was ruled to have breached the ITIA Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) 11 times. His ban from tennis runs until December 2033.

The Frenchman, who held a career-high world singles ranking of 458 in 2018, denied all the charges. All charges related to the fixing of matches and the offences took place in 2017 and 2018.

Mitjana was found in breach of sections D.1.b, D.1.d, D.1.e and D.2.a.i of the TACP. These include facilitating wagering, contriving the outcome of matches, influencing other players not to use their best efforts and failing to report corrupt approaches.

The ban is effective from the actual date of the decision (22 December 2023). This means Mitjana cannot play in, coach at or attend any professional tennis event until 21 December 2033.

This covers all events authorised or sanctioned by the me..

January 12, 2024

Sportradar and Asian Football Confederation renew integrity partnership

Sportradar has signed an extension to its long-term integrity partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The renewed integrity deal runs from 2024 to 2027. This will take the partnership between Sportradar and the AFC, which began in 2013, to 14 years.

Sportradar will continue to work with the AFC on a wide range of integrity matters. This will include a joint effort to tackle issues, such as match-fixing, in Asian football.

In addition, Sportradar said it will utilise new technologies to further improve integrity in Asian football. This will include artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The renewal was agreed last night (11 January), in the eve of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

AFC hails “strategic” evolution of Sportradar relationship

The AFC president, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, welcomed the extended deal. He said the partnership has already helped clamp down on match-fixing in football across Asia.

“For the past 10 years, Sportradar has be..