Betting News Archives

December 22, 2023

Brazil’s chamber of deputies gives final approval to regulate gambling – igaming included

Brazil's chamber of deputies voted yesterday (21 December) to approve Bill 3,626/2023, which will regulate sports betting. Igaming has also been added back into the bill after removal by the senate.

Brazil’s chamber of deputies has now voted to approve online gambling, giving the final green light for the market to be regulated in 2024.

Yesterday evening’s vote on 21 December follows the senate plenary approving Bill 3,626/2023 on Tuesday 12 December last week.

Now that the Bill has been approved by the chamber of deputies, it will be passed onto the office of the president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, for final approval.

Brazil’s gambling regulation: the final process

While the bill for Brazil’s online gambling regulation was previously approved by the chamber of deputies in September, the chamber was required to vote again to agree on the changes made to the bill by the senate last week.

Bill 3,626/23 was APPROVED BY THE SENATE PLENARY LAST WEEK

Senator Angelo Corone..

December 21, 2023

National Thoroughbred League announces new Las Vegas headquarters

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) has promised to “redefine the landscape of sports entertainment” after announcing a new headquarters in Las Vegas.

The NTL launched earlier this year and pits racehorses against each other in teams as part of a league. This in turn simplifies the betting experience.

The move of headquarters has been made with the intention of taking advantage of Las Vegas’ growing role as a sports hub, as well as giving the NTL more opportunity to tap into strategic partnerships. The chance to grow its fan engagement also appealed to the NTL.

Tom Ludt, NTL president, stated: “We are thrilled to announce the relocation of NTL to the vibrant city of Las Vegas. This move represents a strategic decision to align our league with a community that shares our passion for sports and entertainment.

“Las Vegas provides an extraordinary platform for NTL to thrive, with a depth of talent in sports wagering and event management.”

Las Vegas’ growing importance in sport

Nov..

December 21, 2023

Arizona sees sports betting handle surge in October

Bettors in Arizona wagered almost $650m on sports in October 2023, according to figures released by the Arizona Department of Gaming.

The $648.2m (£512m/€590m) put down by bettors in Arizona was a 4.8% increase when compared to October of last year. The figure was also up 6.2% compared to September.

The October 2023 handle trails only the $691m worth of wagers accepted in March 2022.

Almost 99% of betting turnover in Arizona came from mobile betting with just $5.4m from retail. It was the seventh time this year that betting turnover has topped $600m.

DraftKings and FanDuel generated an almost identical amount of mobile gaming turnover, with each reporting around $220m in October. FanDuel was also the biggest retail bookmaker with revenue of $2.1m.

Arizona’s betting win down in October

Players won a total of $591.3m during October, leaving adjusted gross event wagering receipts before free bets of $55.6m. This figure was down compared to the $59.7m generated in September.

Free b..

December 21, 2023

UK MPs call for reduction in football gambling adverts to protect children

UK MPs have called on the Premier League and other sports governing bodies to reduce the amount of gambling adverts visible in stadiums.

Thursday’s report from the culture, media and sport (CMS) committee states the decrease in visible gambling promotion would help to “minimise children’s exposure to gambling advertising”.

MPs have also recommended there should be a push to dedicate more space to safer gambling promotion.

However, the report did highlight that a different perspective should be taken with horse and greyhound racing. This is due to their intrinsic links with gambling.

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the CMS committee, stated: “More should be done to shield both children and people who have experienced problem gambling from what often seems like a bombardment of advertising branding at football and other sporting events.”

CMS committee wants to go further than white paper’s suggestions

The white paper, published in April, proposed a number of ways in which gambl..

December 21, 2023

Louisiana smashes sports betting handle record again in November

Louisiana players wagered $356.5m (£282.1m/€325.8m) on sports during November, a new monthly record for the Pelican State.

The November handle surpassed the existing record high of $308.6m set in October 2022 by 15.5%. It was also 32.7% up from $268.6m in Louisiana in November last year.

Consumers spent $322.9m betting online during November and a further $33.5m at retail sportsbooks.

Revenue falls some way short of Louisiana record

louisiana’s november revenue fell short of october’s record total

While spending was higher, this was not reflected in the state’s monthly revenue figure. For November, revenue from online and retail wagering amounted to $19.4m.

This was significantly better than last year’s loss of $25.6m in Louisiana. The November 2022 loss was due to US businessman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale winning several large bets on Major League Baseball’s World Series.

November’s revenue total was also 55.2% behind the October 2023 record of $43.3m.

Breaking down revenu..

December 21, 2023

Mississippi sports betting handle hits 11-month high in November

Players in Mississippi wagered $62.4m (£49.4m/€57.0m) on sports in November, the highest amount in the Magnolia State for 11 months, but still lower than the same month last year.

The monthly handle was 15.2% behind the $73.6m wagered in November 2022. However, it was 26.1% ahead of $49.5m in Mississippi in October this year and the highest total since $74.4m was bet in December 2022.

Turning to revenue, this reached $3.1m in Mississippi in November. This was 33.3% behind last year’s $5.1m total and also 53.4% less than $7.3m in October.

Mississippi November: Coastal casinos the venue of choice

mississippi’s sport betting market bounced back after shrinking in october

Breaking down the market, coastal casinos remained most popular for sports betting with consumers in Mississippi. Coastal casinos generated $1.4m in revenue from $43.1m in total bets in November.

Some $1.1m in revenue came from central casinos, which processed a total of $12.0m in bets.

In addition, northern casin..

December 20, 2023

Pennsylvania blames ESPN Bet for November betting revenue drop

Pennsylvania has reported a 1.7% drop in revenue despite sports betting handle reaching $900m for the first time.

The total revenue in Pennsylvania in November was $444.5m (£351.2m/€405.6m), down on the $452.4m reported the same month last year.

This was in spite of sports betting handle reaching $934.1m, smashing the previous record of $829m recorded in October of this year. Notably, November’s sports betting handle was 18.4% higher than the $789.2m accumulated in the same month last year.

ESPN Bet blamed for Pennsylvania’s sports betting revenue decrease

Despite the sizeable increase in handle, sports betting revenue fell to $12.9m in November from $52.9m in October, a 73% drop month-on-month.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board pointed to a low hold percentage, as well as the November launch of ESPN Bet, as reasons for the “steep drop in revenue”.

Operating under the Hollywood Casino at Penn National, ESPN Bet recorded a $7.8m loss, largely because of its “significant amount..

December 20, 2023

Michigan operators boosted by record monthly igaming receipts

Michigan’s commercial and tribal igaming operators generated record gross receipts of $175.3m (£138.5m/€160.2m) in November, according to the state’s regulator.

Michigan’s total gaming revenue beat the previous record of $171.8m in March and $160.3m in October, the Michigan Gaming Control Board stated. Total igaming handle was not reported.

November’s total online sports betting handle of $568.8m also set a new monthly record – up 6.7% from $533m in October. However, online sports betting receipts fell from $45m to $33.9m versus the previous month.

Accordingly, igaming and sports betting gross receipts totalled $209.2m in November. This represented a 1.9% increase on October’s total.

Sports betting falls in Michigan

Combined igaming and internet sports betting adjusted gross receipts (AGR) for Michigan in November totalled $158.1m. This included $157.8m from igaming and just $294,810 from online sports betting.

The November totals represented a month-on-month 9.4% increase and 9..

December 20, 2023

MGA publishes performance report for H1 2023

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) released its Interim Performance Report for H1 2023 on Tuesday 19 December.

The report studies the MGA’s achievements over the first half of the year, as well as the performance of the Maltese gaming industry as a whole.

The MGA conducted 14 compliance audits over H1, as well as 85 desktop reviews. The regulator handed out nine administrative penalties, with a total financial penalty of €124,400 (£107,697/$136,345).

The MGA also carried out 11 Compliance Examinations on behalf of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU). During the same period, the FIAU imposed administrative penalties on three licensees based on violations discovered during examinations carried out in previous years. In total, these amounted to €599,420.

The MGA gave their assistance to 2,216 players who requested help, while 40 responsible gambling website checks were carried out. It issued 16 observation letters to highlight potential areas for improvement.

The MGA issued..