Casino & games Archives

June 12, 2023

Sports betting apps: Why change is long overdue

Over the last several years, online sports betting has continued to grow in popularity. Russell Karp, senior vice-president at DataArt, explores what sportsbooks need to do to stay at the top of their game.

Following a wave of deregulation in the US, which has led to the legalisation of sports betting in more than 30 states, millions of users are increasingly able to place bets on sports through operator websites and mobile apps.

Major operators like FanDuel and DraftKings have claimed a significant share of the US sports betting market. But I would argue that the entire industry is overlooking some critical technological developments that could change the playing field for everyone.

Studying the playbook of extremely successful apps like Spotify, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon, no sports betting app – including those offered by DraftKings and FanDuel – has effectively utilised tools like in-app personalisation, performance analytics, AI, high-quality video streaming or a loyal commun..

May 31, 2023

FL highlights “solid” Betclic growth in stable Q1

FL Entertainment highlighted the “solid” 16% revenue growth of its gaming subsidiary Betclic in a stable Q1.

Overall FL’s online sports betting and gaming revenue rose to €244m in Q1, up 14.5% from the previous year.

Chief executive François Riahi said the business’ betting and gaming divisions continued to “perform well” during the quarter. He added that the business was carried by the positive impacts of the 2022 Fifa World Cup “which resulted in double-digit revenue growth across all activities”, he said.

the business said it was “carried” by the positive impact of the world cup

The company also pointed to the high level of new active players, which increased 55% year-on-year. FL said that this resulted from the football tournament, as well as “successful cross selling strategies” across the business’ other products.

FL Q1 segment growth

All of the verticals experienced growth during the period. The company’s sportsbook revenue rose 11.3% to €194.8. Casino increased 31.6% to ..

May 19, 2023

Lithuania gambling revenue jumps 26.1% in Q1

Gambling revenue in Lithuania increased 26.1% year-on-year during the first quarter, with growth across both the online and land-based segments.

Total revenue in Lithuania during the three months to 31 March amounted to €55.3m (£48.0m/$59.7m), up from €43.9m in the same period last year.

Some €36.6m came from online gambling, a 36.0% year-on-year rise. The majority of this came from Category A online slots, with these games generating €23.1m in revenue from €306.8m in player bets.

A further €979,987 came from Category B slots after consumers spent €6.3m betting.

Lithuania’s remote sports betting revenue reached €9.6m, after players wagered €151.2m, while online table games activity resulted in €2.9m in revenue from €31.3m in spend for the quarter.

Turning to land-based gambling and revenue was 10.0% higher at €18.7m. Category B slot machines were the primary source of revenue, generating €8.0m in revenue after players bet €50.7m.

Category A slot machine revenue reached €3.8m from..

May 18, 2023

PA gambling revenue reaches $476.7m in April

Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania climbed 3.3% year-on-year in April but fell short of the monthly record set in March.

Total market revenue for the month amounted to $476.7m, up from $461.6m in April 2022 but 7.5% lower than the record $515.3m in March of this year.

Land-based slots, the primary source of revenue for the state, declined 2.2% year-on-year to $213.0m. Retail table games also slipped 7.8% to $84.4m.

In contrast, online casino gaming revenue jumped 21.3% to $137.2m. Internet slots revenue was up 24.7% to $95.6m and igaming tables revenue climbed 16.1% to $38.9m, although ipoker revenue slipped 7.0% to $2.7m.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National retained top spot with $58.5m in total igaming revenue. Valley Forge Casino Resort was second with $31.2m, then Rivers Casino Philadelphia on $26.1m.

Read the full story on iGB North America

May 17, 2023

NJ gambling revenue up 9.5% in April despite slots decline

Gambling revenue in New Jersey increased 9.5% year-on-year in April despite a drop in slot machine win, the state’s primary source of gaming revenue.

Total revenue for the month reached $462.7m, up from $422.5m in April 2022 but 5.1% behind the $487.4m generated in March of this year.

All areas of the market experienced year-on-year growth, with the exception of land-based slots where revenue fell 3.2% to $169.7m. Retail table games revenue edged up 2.9% to $61.8m, but the slots decline meant total land-based revenue fell 1.6% to $231.5m.

Read the full story on iGB North America

April 27, 2023

What’s covered in the Gambling Act white paper?

After years of delays and speculation, the most transformative review of gambling in the United Kingdom in 18 years has finally been published.

The publication of the Gambling Act review white paper signifies a landmark upheaval of how gambling will be regulated in the UK going forward, in an age of smartphones and 24/7 internet access.

To say the review has been much anticipated would be an understatement. Industry trade bodies, operator groups and industry critics alike have waited eagerly for the white paper’s publication.

It has been an eventful two years and four months since the UK government announced the review – one that has encompassed the resignations and appointments of two prime ministers, the declaration of a cost of living crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While the white paper document outlines much of what the industry expected, it contains a few unexpected additions – including the addition of a gambling ombudsman, to give customers one point of contact for..

April 24, 2023

Waterhouse VC: Are you feeling lucky?

In his latest column for iGB, Tom Waterhouse of Waterhouse VC discusses the place of syndicate betting and artificial intelligence in the industry.

Business partners David Walsh and Zeljko Ranogajec are professional bettors, whose syndicate bets about $10bn per annum across horse racing, sports betting and lotteries. Walsh spent $75m to re-open Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in 2011.

In our December newsletter, we discussed the niche but highly lucrative field of professional betting. Betting successfully is incredibly challenging, with other market participants always trying to take your edge. This dynamic means that betting strategies must be adjusted all the time.

The Pharos wing at Australia’s MONA museum

Rebating their competition away

The large betting syndicates receive generous rebates from pari-mutuel or tote betting for providing liquidity. This gives them a significant edge, which varies depending on pool or jurisdiction, over other participants.

To receive ..

April 13, 2023

Beter to move distribution in-house

Content and data provider Beter will move its content distribution system in-house as part of a new strategy to strengthen and expand its operator partnerships.

The basketball, MMA, esports, table tennis and igaming content supplier said that it wants to have greater control over the distribution of its content among its network of operator partners.

Beter has enjoyed “incredible success” in recent months, it explained, and intends to strengthen its existing partnerships, as well as work with more tier-one brands globally.

“We have made the strategic decision to take more control over the distribution of our content,” said Beter CEO Gal Ehrlich. “This decision is not a reflection of the incredible work our partner has done on our behalf, but rather an opportunity to align our distribution strategies with our long-term goals.

“We are confident that by taking a more active role in the distribution of our content, we will be better positioned to deliver on our commitment to provide t..

April 11, 2023

US: Gaming “significantly” more diverse than workforce

A new report by the American Gaming Association (AGA) has revealed that the gaming sector is “significantly” more diverse than the US workforce as a whole.

According to the trade association, 61% of employees in the gaming sector are racial minorities compared to 52% of the broader hospitality industry and 42% of the total US workforce.

This comprises the 23% of those working in hospitality coming from Hispanic backgrounds, and the 19% who are black, both of which is above the total US workforce in general, and in line with the hospitality industry in specific. The 14% of employees who are of Asian descent means that the group is over-represented in the sector at around twice the national average.

The gaming sector is now “significantly” more diverse than both the hospitality sector and the US workforce as a whole

“Consumers, policymakers and investors are raising their expectations for all businesses on how they contribute to society beyond the bottom line,” said AGA president an..

March 29, 2023

Italy’s igaming revenue dominated by casino and slots in December

Italy's igaming revenue continued its slow decline, even with casino and slots experiencing a big increase at the end of 2022.

Italy’s igaming revenue experienced a subtle decline, with December’s revenue of €315.8m showing a 2% decrease compared to the previous month. Despite this, there was a 1.2% increase year-on-year, indicating a stable increase in the industry.

Both retail sports betting and online sports were reflected in this decline, but the remaining products picked up from the previous month.

The stand out of the sectors was casino & slots, which witnessed an impressive 17% increase by reaching €206.1m revenue in December, compared to its €176.1m revenue in November.

In terms of market share, casino & slots dominated with the largest increase in market share, and online sports betting lost almost a third of its market share from November. Meanwhile, Lottomatica/Goldbet maintained its position as the leader in the online casino industry with a 12.4% market share, wh..

March 13, 2023

Fredrik Elmqvist: Other side of the coin

Slots veteran Fredrik Elmqvist is turning his luck to the mad bad world of sports betting – but will it work?

Elmqvist is well-deserving of his reputation as the king of slots.

However, more than 10 years on from his epoch-making launch of Yggdrasil, the Stockholm native is turning his luck to the decidedly different proposition of sports betting in his latest project ParlayBay, which seeks to make its name as the new champions of micro betting.

The Swedish entrepreneur certainly has a nose for where the action is, describing it a “pretty interesting” time to be setting out on a venture such as this.

Elmqvist describes a US sports betting landscape that is shifting into a new, subtler gear following the marketing wars that characterised the earlier days of the PASPA repeal.

“For a few years there’s been a shift into sports betting and you see, in the United States rollout, both the need for new products and to keep the marketing costs down, as well as still [the need to] get new..

February 22, 2023

Michigan breaks igaming record for fourth consecutive month in January

Michigan reported $187.3m in internet gaming revenue for January, a decrease of 7.1% from December, while also reporting record online gaming gross receipts for the fourth consecutive month.

The internet gaming revenue consists of combined online gaming and sports betting revenues for the month.

December’s total revenue was $201.6m.

Read the full story on iGB North America

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Tag: Casino & games