Betting News Archives

October 19, 2023

Record igaming revenue drives Pennsylvania market growth in September

Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania increased 6.2% year-on-year in September to $476.3m, partly due to record igaming revenue during the month.

Total revenue in September was ahead of $448.5m in the same month last year. The figure was also 4.2% ahead of the $457.2m generated in Pennsylvania in August this year.

Retail slots remain some way out in front in terms of revenue share generating $199.9m, up 0.7% on last year. A further $75.2m came from physical table games, although this was 7.8% lower than September 2022.

The igaming segment reported the most significant growth in September. Revenue jumped 41.5% to $159.5m, an all-time high for the state, surpassing the previous record of $148.2m set in March.

Online slots revenue hiked 47.3% to $114.7m and internet table games revenue increased 31.7% to $42.4m. However, revenue from online poker slipped 10.4% to $2.4m.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National remains the clear market leader with $64.9m in igaming revenue in September. Valley Fo..

October 19, 2023

Mississippi sports betting handle surpasses $50m in September

Players in Mississippi spent more than $50.0m betting on sports in September, with the state reporting a year-on-year increase in handle.

Total sports betting handle in September reached $51.6m, up 19.7% from $43.1m in Mississippi last year. The monthly figure was also 141.1% ahead of $21.4m in August this year.

As for revenue, this amounted to $8.1m, a decline of 8.0% from $8.8m in September 2022. However, the total was 200.0% higher than the $2.7m generated in August.

Coastal casinos the place to be for sports betting in Mississippi

Consumers again favoured sports betting at coastal casinos in Mississippi. These venues took a total of $33.5m in sports wagers and posted $5.8m in revenue.

Meanwhile, central casinos processed $12.3m in sports bets and reported revenue of $1.7m. In addition, players spent $5.8m betting on sports at northern casinos, with revenue at these venues reaching $698,827.

In terms of what players were betting on in September, football was the sport of choic..

October 19, 2023

ESPN Bet unveils brand

Penn Entertainment and Disney’s ESPN have unveiled the brand for their upcoming mobile sports betting offering, ESPN Bet.

ESPN Bet’s mint green and navy logo is to feature across the multiple ESPN channels, including in-app, on social media and in television programming.

The sports media company added the logo will give prominence to the “ESPN” brand. However, the mobile sportsbook application itself will be branded as the letter “E” within a “B”.

the espn mobile application brand

ESPN, which is the largest sports media brand in the US, said this “creatively expresses the idea that ESPN, in partnership with Penn Entertainment, is launching a sportsbook for fans, but at its core is still ESPN, the most trusted brand in sports.”

According to Penn president and CEO Jay Snowden, the app is set to launch in November after a five-month development period.

This followed the August announcement that Penn would be launching an ESPN-branded online sports betting offering through a $1.5bn ..

October 19, 2023

North Carolina sports betting rules outline pick’em ban

The North Carolina State Lottery Commission's (NCSLC) Sports Betting Committee has published its proposed sports betting rules – which would include a ban on pick'em-style daily fantasy sports (DFS) games.

The state’s Sports Betting Committee instigated the rulemaking process on the proposed rules on 17 October. It also opened up a process to accept public comments on the rules, which will close on 1 November.

Sports betting was officially legalised in North Carolina after its governor, Roy Cooper, signed House Bill 347 into law in June. This came after a number of attempts to bring sports betting to the Tar Heel State, which had increased in the months leading up to the June signing.

The bill stipulated that North Carolina had to publish its sports betting regulations before 8 January 2024. The state must also authorise all sports betting operators to start taking wagers by 14 June 2024.

Now, North Carolina joins a number of recent states – including New York – in turnin..

October 18, 2023

IBIA reports 50 suspicious betting alerts in Q3

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported 50 suspicious betting alerts in the third quarter, with football and tennis accounting for more than half of these.

The figure is level with the 50 alerts sent by the IBIA during Q2 of 2023. It was also lower than the 148 alerts reported in Q3 last year.

Football and tennis collectively accounted for 56% of all alerts sent in Q3. Tennis drew a total of 15 during the quarter and football 13.

Some eight alerts in Q3 related to table tennis, seven for darts and three for esports. The IBIA also saw two alerts for betting on bowls and one each for basketball and greyhound racing.

Of all alerts, 43 related to male-only events, three for women’s events, three for mixed gender and one for an animal sporting event – greyhound racing.

Europe draws 30 IBIA alerts in Q3

As for the location of alerts, Europe led the way with a total of 30 alerts during Q3. Of these, 11 came from the UK: seven in relation to darts, two for bowls..

October 17, 2023

Italian footballer suspended for seven months amid illegal betting scandal

The Italian Federal Prosecutor's Office has handed Juventus footballer Nicolò Fagioli a seven-month suspension for betting on football events.

Reports about Fagioli emerged last week, claiming he placed bets with an unlicensed gambling site. Italian Football Federation (FIGC) rules state athletes found betting on the sport can face bans of up to three years.

Two more Italian national team players, Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali and Aston Villa player Nicolo Zaniolo were later revealed to be under investigation and withdrawn from selection.

According to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Fagioli has reached an agreement with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. This is in line with article 126 of the CGS, which allows the subject of an investigation to apply for a reduced sanction. Fagioli will also be fined €12,500 (£10,849/$13,239)

Further reports today (17 October) say that Guiseppe Riso, Tonali’s agent, confirmed that he had a gambling addiction. Henry Winter, chief fo..

October 17, 2023

G2E 2023: Like Covid never happened

The dog days of the pandemic feel long in the past and the gaming industry was in a bullish mood at G2E 2023, Buck Wargo writes. Despite potential economic headwinds, international expansion and high hopes for igaming mean many left Las Vegas with the sense the industry is in good health.

It was like the pandemic never happened.

The Global Gaming Expo returned to Las Vegas last week, upbeat and optimistic about igaming’s future.

The industry faces headwinds in the coming months from the US economy and a potential Culinary Union strike in Las Vegas, but attendees at the show remained positive.

G2E attracted more than 25,000 people over its four days, just shy of 2019’s record 27,000 turnout. Attendance continued to bounce back after 2020’s cancelled event and a 2021 edition that drew only 13,000 delegates.

A greater return of international visitors and exhibitors – more than 125 countries were represented – helped boost attendance numbers. There were 368 exhibitors, up from 350 a y..

October 17, 2023

New Jersey gambling revenue up 7.5% in September despite land-based dip

Gambling revenue in New Jersey increased by 7.5% year-on-year, to $521.5m in September, despite a fall in land-based casino revenue.

Total revenue was comfortably higher than $485.0m in September 2022. However, the figure was slightly lower than the $531.6m generated in New Jersey in August this year.

Land-based casino gambling remains the main source of revenue in New Jersey despite the yearly decline. Revenue for this segment hit $246.5m, down 2.1% from $251.7m last year.

Some $182.7m of all land-based gambling revenue came from slot machine games, a drop of 2.0%. Table games generated 63.8%, down 2.2% from September last year.

Igaming revenue tops $164m in September

Turning to igaming, this area of the market experienced the most growth in September. For the month, revenue amounted to $163.8m, an increase of 21.1% from last year’s $135.2m.

Online slots drew $161.4m in revenue, up 21.4% from the previous year. The other $2.4m was generated from peer-to-peer poker games in New J..

October 17, 2023

Massachusetts: DraftKings takes record $290m sports bets in September

DraftKings processed a record $290.1m in online sports bets in Massachusetts during September, while the state reported a month-on-month rise in total betting handle.

Overall sports betting hit $512.2m in September, up 62.7% from $314.9m in August. It is also the second highest monthly total since Massachusetts launched legal online wagering in March.

Online betting accounted for $499.7m of total wagering, while a further $12.4m was spent at retail sportsbooks.

Sports betting revenue just shy of $50m

An increase in spending in September also led to a rise in taxable sports betting revenue.

During the month, operators generated a total of $49.8m in wagering revenue, up 119.4% from $22.7m in August. Of this total, $49.0m came from online betting and $783,017 retail wagering.

Again, this was the second highest amount since the legal online betting market opened. Only May’s $59.4m is higher than the total generated in September.

DraftKings running away with Massachusetts online spor..