Betting News Archives

October 26, 2023

Louisiana sportsbooks take record $43.1m in revenue during September

Sports betting revenue in Louisiana reached an all-time high of $43.1m in September, while the state fell just short of its monthly handle record.

Combined online and retail gross revenue was 37.7% ahead of $31.3m in September of last year. The figure also comfortably surpassed the previous Louisiana record of $37.2m set in December 2022.

Of this total, $36.0m came from online betting and $5.7m from retail wagering in Louisiana.

In terms of adjusted revenue, which discounted promotional betting, revenue was $41.8m. This was 34.0% ahead of September 2022.

Louisiana September handle narrowly misses record

Turning to consumer spending, total handle for September stood at $280.1m. This was 37.4% ahead of $203.8m in 2022 and only just behind the record $282.3m wagered in January this year.

Players bet $248.8m on sports online and a further $31.4m at retail sportsbooks across the state of Louisiana.

Breaking down performance by sport, football was the most lucrative for operators, dra..

October 26, 2023

US Supreme Court denies West Flagler’s motion to stay

The US Supreme Court has denied West Flagler Associates' motion for a stay, giving hope to Florida's Seminole tribe for a sports betting relaunch in the Sunshine State.

Chief Justice John Roberts denied the motion to stay yesterday (25 October), which was described by the official Supreme Court blog as an “emergency application for stay”.

Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, said in a statement that he agreed with the court’s decision.

“I agree that the stay application should be denied in light of the DC Circuit’s pronouncement that the compact between Florida and the Seminole tribe authorises the tribe to conduct only on-reservation gaming operations and not off-reservation gaming operations,” he said.

“If the compact authorised the tribe to conduct off-reservation gaming operations, either directly or by deeming off-reservation gaming operations to somehow be on-reservation, then the compact would likely violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, as..

October 25, 2023

BetMGM seals Sportradar NBA tracking data deal

BetMGM will have access to products and services supported by NBA optical tracking data under an expanded partnership with Sportradar.

BetMGM will use the products to expand its in-play betting markets and its prop and parlay offerings.

Sportradar’s partnership with the NBA gives it access to player tracking data from the start of the 2023-24 season. The new NBA campaign got underway yesterday (24 October). Sportradar also exclusively provides NBA data worldwide and distributes live coverage of the league to sports betting operators globally .

Sportradar chief commercial officer Eduard Blonk said the BetMGM deal will support “the return-on-investment of our partnership with the NBA”.

“We’re pleased our value-add products and services will unlock the potential of NBA optical tracking data for BetMGM,” he said.

The NBA’s agreement with Sportradar was initially announced in 2021. As part of the deal, the league secured an equity stake in the data provider.

Jarrod Schwarz, chief prod..

October 25, 2023

ATG bucks the Swedish market with big rise in profits

Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG) has welcomed a double-digit rise in operating profit despite challenging conditions that have caused the Swedish market to stall.

In a trading update for the three months to 30 September 2023, the state-owned betting business said net gaming revenue was up 4.5% to SEK1.35bn from SEK1.29bn last year. The second highest figure for a third quarter in ATG’s history came despite the Swedish market stalling in H1.

Total revenue for the three-month period was at SEK1.53bn, which was up 3.0% year-on-year. Net gaming revenue for racing was up by just over 1.8% to SEK1.02bn. Sports betting was also up slightly from SEK151m to SEK159m.

The group made an operating profit of SEK497m, which was up 13.7% year-on-year. The increase was in part down to a 3% reduction in operating expenses to SEK761m. ATG said the savings came from cutbacks in marketing and consultancy costs.

Economic concerns

“We’re growing revenue – net gaming revenue in the third quarter is his..

October 25, 2023

A force to be reckoned with

There’s an element of fun to the niche sports Pro League Network (PLN) presented to regulators. But don’t doubt its impact, or PLN’s ability to harvest player attention, writes Cole Rush.

“It’s okay to laugh.”

That’s what Bill Yucatonis, co-founder of PLN tells regulators when he presents niche sports for potential wagering.

“We’re going to talk about mini golf today,” Yucatonis tells them. “It’s okay to laugh.”

With PLN, it’s all fun and games. There’s a serious side, sure – we’re talking about carefully constructed alternative sporting leagues, after all. But Yucatonis and his team don’t shy away from the lightheartedness that permeates PLN sports.

Yucatonis and his partner and co-founder Mike Salvaris concocted PLN almost two years ago. With backgrounds in the gaming and sports industry, they set out to bring “alternative sports” into the mainstream.

“We’ve got 16 leagues in our network and we’re growing,” says Yucatonis. “We look for sports that have some viral components and..

October 25, 2023

Arizona sports betting spend surpasses $358m in August

Consumers in Arizona spent more than $358.0m betting on sports in August, while operators in the state posted more than $30.0m in total revenue.

Total spend in Arizona amounted to $358.9m. This was marginally lower than the $361.0m bet in August 2022 but 11.1% ahead of $323.2m in July this year.

Arizona bettors wagered $354.6m betting on sports online and a further $3.4m at retail locations across the state.

Player winnings stood at $327.2m, resulting in $30.9m in adjusted gross event wagering receipts before free bets. The latter is 10.7% lower than in August last year and includes $30.2m from online betting and $606,731 retail.

Free bets exceed $9.4m in Arizona in August

Reporting the figure, the Arizona Department of Gaming also noted the impact of free bets and promotional credits. These hit $9.5m in August, compared to $8.5m in the same month last year, with almost all coming from online betting.

When taking these free bets off, adjusted gross event wagering receipts reached..

October 25, 2023

Michigan: online casino jump offsets sports betting dip in September

Online gambling revenue in Michigan increased year-on-year during September, with growth in internet casino offsetting a decline in the sports betting segment.

Gross internet gaming and sports betting receipts from commercial and tribal operators hit $210.4m in September. This is 19.2% higher than $176.5m in Michigan last year and also 20.0% ahead of $175.4m in August this year.

Online casino remains the primary source of igaming revenue in Michigan. Gross receipts in this segment amounted to $166.4m, up 29.3% on last year.

In contrast, sports betting gross receipts slipped 8.0% to $44.0m for the month. This is despite handle increasing by 25.6% to $457.7m.

Michigan adjusted gross gaming receipts exceed $168m in September

When accounting for promotional spending, adjusted gross receipts from igaming and sports betting combined was $168.5m. This is 17.8% more than September 2022 and 10.1% ahead of August this year.

Online casino adjusted gross receipts in Michigan in September rea..

October 25, 2023

LiveScore Group’s Sam Sadi builds his media empire

LiveScore Group aims to become the world's leading sports media operator, and sports betting is just the start. Chief executive Sam Sadi explains the masterplan.

“I remember the days when we used to press F5 to refresh the LiveScore.com website. That’s how long back it was,” says LiveScore Group chief executive Sam Sadi.

LiveScore launched in 1998, offering visitors football scores. Gamesys acquired the business in 2017 and, following that operator’s £490m sale to Jackpotjoy Group and then the £2.0bn merger with Bally’s Corporation, LiveScore Group stands alone as an independent business led by Sadi.

LiveScore turns 25 today, starting out providing live match data to players in 1998

The LiveScore Bet sportsbook launched in 2020, complementing the affiliate arm, not to mention its second brand, Virgin Bet. But Sadi isn’t only interested in building a sports betting business.

“We have a plan we’re implementing,” he explains. “You could call it a ten-to twenty-year plan. We i..

October 24, 2023

HKJC aims to expand World Pool after strong 2023

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) said it is looking to further expand its World Pool offering for UK and Ireland races after generating HK$4.7bn ($600m/€566m/£490m) in turnover during 2023.

Some 19 races featured this year in this year’s World Pool UK and Ireland offering, including the Lockinge, the Irish Derby and the Sun Chariot for the first time.

The overall total was marginally down on 2022’s figure of HK$4.9bn, but still significantly up on the 2021 figure of HK3.9bn.

Meanwhile, prize money won across the 131 World Pool races in the UK and Ireland this year was at a record high of £32m. In the UK and Ireland, the international pari-mutuel pool is accessed via the Tote, at racecourses, online and via the Tote App.

Michael Fitzsimons, executive director of wagering products at the HKJC,  said: “We are really pleased with how World Pool has been received in the UK and Ireland again this year and the turnover figures look strong against a challenging economic backdrop.

“There a..