Betting News Archives

March 24, 2023

ARC acquires Arabian Racing Organisation, signs Ascot rights deal

Arena Racing Company (ARC) has completed its acquisition of the Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) and signed a four-year rights agreement with At The Races (ATR) and Ascot racecourse.

ARO is the only Arabian Racing Authority in Britain, and operates with the support of the British Horseracing Authority.

As part of the acquisition, ARO CEO Genny Haynes, racing operations manager Willie McFarland and ARO official photographer, media and PR Debbie Burt, will remain in charge of delivering the published 2023 fixture list. The fixtures will cover a programme of Arabian races that will take place on British racecourses.

“We are delighted to confirm this deal with ARC, who have been fantastic supporters of ARO for a number of years, with the majority of our races run on ARC racecourses,” said Haynes. “ARO is now in a position to develop new commercial revenue streams, with the aim of developing the sport’s profile within the UK.

“The future of our Arabian Group races is now secure, and ou..

March 23, 2023

Taking the industry by storm: Delasport puts personalisation first

Oren Cohen Shwartz, chief executive officer, talks to iGB about the power of harnessing personalisation in the igaming industry and how he sees it as a gamechanger for Delasport with the new release of My Sportsbook.

March 23, 2023

Portuguese online gambling revenue reaches record €195.3m in Q4

Online gambling revenue hit an all-time high of €195.3m (£173.0m/$213.0m) in Portugal during the fourth quarter of 2022, with record performances across both the sports betting and casino sectors.

Gross revenue for the three months to 31 December 2022 was 39.7% higher than €139.8m in the corresponding period of the previous year and also 23.4% more than the previous quarterly record of €158.2m set in Q3 of 2022.

Online casino

Casino was the primary source of revenue during the quarter, generating €109.8m in total revenue, up 48.3% year-on-year and 23.8% quarter-on-quarter, according to regulator the Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ).

Consumers spent €2.98bn playing online casino in Q4, up 42.1% from the previous year’s total and also a new record for the country’s market.

Slot machines were by far the most popular form of online casino, attracting 79.8% of all bets, with French roulette a distant second with 8.5% of bets and blackjack 5.5%.

Sports betting

Turning ..

March 22, 2023

Oklahoma tribal sports betting bill clears House

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted through a bill that would allow tribes in the US state to add legal sports betting to their existing gaming compacts.

House Bill 1027 passed yesterday (21 March) by a vote of 66-26 and will now move forward to the Senate for a further committee progress, where it could face additional amendments.

The final version of the bill would need approval from both the House and Senate before it could be passed to the governor for final sign-off.

Read the full story on iGB North America

March 22, 2023

GiG banks on the power of two

Richard Brown’s tenure as Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) chief executive began with a major change of direction, with the sale of its B2C assets to Betsson. Almost four years on, and with business booming for the B2B supplier, he’s poised to make another huge call with plans to split the business into media and platform suppliers.

When he was confirmed as permanent CEO of Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) in November 2019, Richard Brown pledged a focus “on delivery, execution and optimisation, putting us on a path for great focus and renewed growth”.

The business reported revenue of €43.0m for 2019, at a time it encompassed B2C operations, a platform business and affiliate marketing operations under the GiG Media banner. Brown then divested the B2C operations to Betsson early in 2020.

This, he has explained previously, created a focused business, with staff putting all efforts into the B2B platform and media operations.

In 2022, Brown’s third full year as GiG CEO, revenue hit €90.1m,..

March 21, 2023

Missouri House votes to approve sports betting bill

The Missouri House of Representatives has voted to approve a bill that would legalise sports betting in the US state.

While the vote is a step forward in the authorisation of sports betting in the Show-Me State, a formal roll call vote is required in the House before the bill is sent to the state Senate for final confirmation.

House Bill 556, which would allow for retail and online sports wagering in Missouri, is being co-sponsored by Republicans Dave Hinman and Adam Schwadron, as well as Democrats Keri Ingle and Ashley Bland Manlove.

The bill was introduced to the House at the start of the year and approved last night (20 March). Following a formal roll call, which is expected to take place later this week, the bill will then progress to the Senate for further discussion.

Read the full story on iGB North America

March 21, 2023

Michigan online gambling revenue reaches $170.8m in February

Online gambling revenue in Michigan increased 17.6% year-on-year in February, although the US state experienced a month-on-month decline.

Total gross receipts from commercial and tribal operators across igaming and online sports betting for the month amounted to $170.8m, which was up from $145.3m in February 2022 but 8.8% behind $187.3m in January this year.

Some $148.2m of this came from online casino activities, up 2.3% on the previous year but 3.6% lower than January.

Read the full story on iGB North America

March 21, 2023

Are US sportsbooks ready for the age of the influencer?

The US sports betting market has erupted since the 2018 repeal of PASPA, but high marketing spend means it is not yet sustainable. However Troy Paul, founder and CEO of SGG Media, has a way to reduce costs and ramp up retention, as he tells Lillian Walker.

Troy Paul founded influencer marketing specialist SGG Media with his father after graduating from university during the Covid-19 pandemic. The sports betting industry had long appealed to him, leading him to dive in.

“I knew that once PASPA had been repealed, there was a huge industry being created – I wanted to be a part of it,” he explains.

Troy paul, ceo and co-founder

The idea for SGG Media came to life after Troy noticed sports betting marketing was dominated by cost-heavy traditional media forms, such as television and billboard advertising, that offer little way to track results.

He realised social media could provide a less costly alternative to traditional advertising and saw a bright future for influencer marketing.
..

March 20, 2023

Massachusetts sports betting revenue reaches $2.0m in opening month

Sports betting revenue in Massachusetts amounted to $2.0m during the first full month of regulation in February.

The US state opened its legal sports betting market on 31 January with an initial three land-based operators going live: Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino.

Plainridge Park proved the most successful of the three operators with $890,555 in revenue for the opening month, just ahead or Encore Boston Harbor on $857,602. MGM Springfield generated $262,066 in sports betting revenue.

Read the full story on iGB North America