Betting News Archives

January 22, 2024

ATG CEO Skarplöth calls for differentiated tax following 4% rise proposal

Hasse Lord Skarplöth, the chief executive of Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG), has called for differentiated tax in response to the government announcing proposals to increase gambling tax by 4%.

In September, Sweden’s government (Regeringen) outlined plans to hike the gambling tax rate in the country from 18% to 22% of gross gaming revenue (GGR). If approved, the tax rise will come into effect in Sweden from 1 July 2024.

While Regeringen believes the move could bring in an additional SEK540.0m (£39.3m/€45.5m/$48.4m) in tax revenue each year, the proposals met with strong opposition from the industry, including the ATG.

In a blog, Skarplöth labelled Regeringen’s plans a “shock”, and called for taxes on horse and other sports betting to remain the same, while increasing those on igaming. Skarplöth cited examples of other European countries with differentiated gambling taxes as reasons for the Regeringen to rethink its proposals.

Skarplöth said: “It came as a shock, the proposal fo..

January 22, 2024

Michigan online gambling revenue hits record $2.30bn in 2023

Gross online sports betting and igaming revenue in Michigan hit $2.30bn (£1.81bn/€2.11bn) in 2023, the highest annual total since the Great Lakes State opened its legal market.

Revenue for 2023 was 18.3% higher than the $1.98bn generated in Michigan in 2022. It also far exceeds the $1.40bn from the first year of legal betting in 2021.

Reported figures include licensed commercial and tribal igaming operators in Michigan.

Breaking this down, $1.90bn of total revenue came from igaming and $420.4m gross sports betting receipts. Both of these figures were also new annual records, despite total annual sports betting handle remaining steady at $4.60bn.

After accounting for promotional deductions, adjusted gross receipts (AGR) from igaming and sports betting was $1.96bn. This was up 18.8% from the previous year’s total.

TOTAL revenue for 2023 was 18.3% higher than the $1.98bn generated in 2022

AGR from igaming amounted to $1.73bn, with adjusted gross sports betting receipts hitting $223..

January 19, 2024

Intralot extends contract with Morocco’s MDJS until 2025

Intralot has announced a two-year extension to its games operator contract with La Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports (MDJS).

The fresh deal is set to run out in December 2025. The agreement will see Intralot continue to operate MDJS’ lottery, while also offering sports betting and other games of chance.

Intralot has had a long-term partnership with MDJS, powering its offering since 2010. The Greek operator will continue to operate MDJS’ lottery games, which include Tifo and Chrono.

In March 2021, Intralot announced it had agreed to reduce the term of an eight-year deal with MDJS, signed in 2019, to end in December 2022.

However, despite MDJS launching a tender in January 2022 for a new supplier, a new one-year extension was agreed with Intralot in March 2022. This most recent extension, announced on Friday, prolongs the relationship between the pair.

Intralot at risk of not meeting 2024 bond obligations

In November 2023, Intralot announced a return to net profit for Q3. Gross gam..

January 19, 2024

Mississippi sports betting market shrinks in December

Sports betting revenue and handle in Mississippi both fell year-on-year in December, while the Magnolia State also reported a month-on-month decline.

Handle amounted to $48.9m (£38.6m/€44.9m), down 34.3% from $74.4m in Mississippi in December of 2022. This was also 21.6% lower than the $62.4m spent in November 2023.

monthly spend was 21.6% lower than november 2023

As for revenue, this reached $4.9m. While this was 56.6% lower than $11.3m in December of the previous year, it was not all bad news for the state.

The December total was some 58.1% ahead of November’s $3.1m haul.

Beach betting: Mississippi coastal casinos take $31.6m in bets

In terms of where players in Mississippi in December preferred to bet, coastal casinos remain the venue of choice.

For December, coastal casinos processed $31.6m in bets and posed $2.4m in revenue. Of all wagers placed here, $14.5m were on American football and $7.7m basketball, while $4.9m was spent on parlay bets.

Elsewhere, central casinos to..

January 19, 2024

Waterhouse VC: A year in review

In his first column of the year, Tom Waterhouse of Waterhouse VC looks back at the ups and downs of 2023 – and discusses what lies ahead in 2024.

While company valuations broadly increased in 2023, there was significant divergence across geographies and sectors. With the increase in interest rates globally, investors have grown more selective, preferring to invest in profitable businesses.

Waterhouse VC’s gross performance, as at 31 December 2023

Performance of various asset classes and sectors in 2023. Source: Topdown Charts, Refinitiv Datastream

In 2023, there were two stand out contributors to the fund’s +39.5% performance:

Project Tennis – a professional betting syndicate founded by Tom Dry focused on tennis. It was first discussed in December 2022 and invested in on 1 July 2023.Saintly – a crypto wagering operator and B2B platform. Position exited in August 2023.

Beating the house

We are very pleased with the operational performance of Tom Dry’s betting syndicate going into..

January 19, 2024

Oregon sets sports betting revenue and handle records in December

Players in Oregon spent a record $73.2m (£57.7m/€67.3m) betting on sports in December, while revenue in the Beaver State also hit an all-time high.

The December handle surpassed the previous record of $71.9m, set in October of 2023. It was also 38.1% higher than the $53.8m wagered in Oregon in December 2022.

American football was the biggest draw for bettors, attracting $23.1m in wagers. Basketball bets hit $16.5m, football $3.3m and ice hockey $2.0m.

As for bet type, $48.1m of total wagers were single bets, with the remaining $25.1m parlay wagers.

December revenue hits $9.7m

As for gross gaming revenue from betting, this amounted to $9.7m in December, another new record for Oregon.

The monthly figure beat the existing record of $8.5m in October 2023 by 14.1%. It is also up 70.2% from $5.7m in December 2022.

Breaking this down, $3.5m of revenue came from American football bets, $2.9m basketball and $605,891 football. Parlay bets generated $5.7m in revenue and single wagers $4.0..

January 19, 2024

Pennsylvania gambling revenue hits record $5.70bn in 2023

Record figures from igaming and sports betting drove gambling revenue in Pennsylvania to an all-time high of $5.70bn (£3.50bn/€5.24bn) in 2023.

The 2023 figure was 9.3% higher than the existing record of $5.21bn, which was set during 2022. Combined revenue in Pennsylvania includes slot machines, table games, sports wagering, igaming, video gaming terminals (VGTs) and fantasy contests.

Physical slots continued to lead the way in terms of revenue in Pennsylvania, with revenue here rising 3.1% to $2.46bn. However, land-based table games revenue slipped 1.9% to $971.7m.

Is igaming closing the gap on land-based gambling in Pennsylvania?

Elsewhere, revenue from igaming in 2023 hit $1.74bn, beating the previous record set in 2022 by 27.7%. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) did not publish a full breakdown of revenue per game type for this market.

However, the PGCB did reveal data on individual igaming operators. As was the case in 2022, Hollywood Casino at Penn National led t..

January 18, 2024

Flutter earnings call: FanDuel ready to “get ahead” in igaming

Peter Jackson, chief executive of Flutter Entertainment said FanDuel plans to “get ahead” in igaming during a post-close trading update for the company's full-year 2023 results.

Flutter’s Q4 financial results saw growth in the US push revenue 25% to £9.51bn (€11.08bn/$12.07bn). Looking at FanDuel first, Jackson outlined the operator’s three-year strategy for success. He said Flutter plans for FanDuel to complete a race to the finish line in the final year.

“From an igaming perspective, we’re following the strategy we laid out at the capital markets day,” he explained.

FanDuel IS NEARING THE END OF A THREE-YEAR PERFORMANCE STRATEGY, SAID JACKSON

“We said in the first year there were things that were broken that we were going to fix. We said in the second year we’d get to product parity and in the third year we’re going to get ahead of the market.”

Using M&A as a driver for success

The chief executive said that Flutter has been focused on organic growth, “and that’s something..

January 18, 2024

Gamma Intermediate completes sale of 6.4% stake in Lottomatica

Gamma Intermediate has completed the sale of 16 million Lottomatica shares, representing a 6.4% stake in the Italian company.

Despite the sale, worth €152m (£130.5m/$165.5m), Gamma Intermediate retains a majority stake of 65.4% in Lottomatica.

Gamma Intermediate completed the deal at €9.50 per share, with the sale conducted through an accelerated bookbuilding process. The placement was made to institutional investors, with no public offering in any country.

Lottomatica expects the final settlement to be on or around 22 January. Gamma Intermediate has agreed to a 90-day lock-up for its remaining shares in Lottomatica.

Lottomatica plotting growth trajectory with SKS365 purchase

In November, Lottomatica agreed a deal to acquire 100% of the share capital in the Italian-facing operator SKS365. Lottomatica stated the purchase will strengthen its position in the Italian market, while also expanding its brand portfolio.

In november, lottomatica acquired 100% of the italian-facing operato..

January 17, 2024

Arizona to accept new event wagering licence applications in February

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) will begin accepting new event wagering licences in February, it announced on Tuesday.

Arizona tribes will have one licence reserved. Additionally, the state will reserve no less than one for sports franchises in the state.

Applicants must submit their applications between 16 February and 4 March. A qualification determination will be announced to selected applicants later in March.

Should there be more qualified applicants than available licences, the ADG will review each application and provide written notification to those selected for allocation.

Arizona’s sports betting surge in 2023

The ADG’s announcement comes after a rise in Arizona’s sports betting handle in the back end of 2023.

arizona’s sports betting handle reached nearly $650m in october 2023

Almost $650m (£513.1m/€598.4m) was wagered on sports in October 2023, a 4.8% increase on the same month in 2022. The figure also hiked 6.2% compared to September 2023.

Only March 2022, i..

January 17, 2024

Massachusetts sets $658.7m sports betting handle record in December

Massachusetts reported a record sports betting handle for the second consecutive month in December, with players wagering a total of $658.7m (£519.3m/€605.6m).

Combined sports betting and casino revenue in Massachusetts in December amounted to $163.6m, up 14.4% from November.

Starting with sports betting, the December handle narrowly beat the existing record of $654.4m set in November. The Bay State launched legal betting in March 2023.

massachusetts launched legal betting in march 2023

Players spent $643.2m betting online during December and $15.5m at retail sportsbooks.

Revenue falls just short of Massachusetts record

Turning to taxable revenue from sports betting, this reached $60.6m in December. This was 23.9% ahead of $48.9m in November and just 0.7% behind May’s $61.0m monthly record.

Online betting accounted for $59.3m of all sports betting revenue in December, with retail’s share at $1.3m.

DraftKings the clear leader in online market

Looking at individual operators, Dr..

January 17, 2024

The analyst’s take: Bet365’s 2022-23 financial results

A key theme of Bet365’s revenue report for FY2022-23 was its investment into the US market. Ed Birkin, senior analyst at H2 Gambling Capital, believes this outlay could end up paying dividends.

While the most prominent figure in the operator’s report was its £61.2m (€71.0m/$77.6m) loss, Bet365 also recorded significant revenue growth.

Birkin believes Bet365’s growing interest in the US market, as well as its hugely successful Ontario launch, could lead to future growth in regions such as North America and the soon-to-be regulated Brazil.

bet365 is currently the market leader in ontario

“Although the company has a reputation for operating in a number of unlicensed markets, it has been clear for a long time that it will seek a licence in any market where it is available and commercially viable to do so,” says Birkin. “Therefore, it’s no surprise to see continued international expansion.

“Their transition to the onshore market in Ontario appears to have gone smoothly, where they’re t..

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