Online sports betting Archives

August 11, 2023

FanDuel and DraftKings neck-and-neck in New York during July

Rival operators FanDuel and DraftKings posted almost identical online sports betting revenue in New York during July, while the state reported its lowest monthly handle in 11 months.

Players spent $962.1m (£758.6m/€875.7m) betting on sports online in July. This was the first time New York’s monthly handle has fallen below $1.00bn since August last year.

The total was 20.1% ahead of $800.8m in July last year but 17.5% behind June’s $1.17bn handle.

Gross gaming revenue (GGR) from online betting during the month reached $105.1m. This was up 43.4% from $73.3m last year and 1.3% ahead of $103.8m in June.

FanDuel versus DraftKings – the battle for New York crown

In revenue terms, there was very little between FanDuel and DraftKings. FanDuel has been the frontrunner in New York for some time but DraftKings has steadily closed the gap over recent months.

Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel remained marginally ahead with $40.9m in revenue for July. The operator also took $384.6m in online..

August 10, 2023

Entain hails record online players after revenue hits £2.40bn in H1

Entain reported a 14% year-on-year increase in net gaming revenue (NGR) to £2.40bn (€2.78bn/$3.06bn) during the first half, helped by a record number of active online players in Q2.

The group revealed growth in all business areas for the six months to 30 June. Both online and retail revenue, excluding US operations, was up year-on-year at Entain.

When including $944.0m in revenue contributions from its BetMGM joint venture with MGM Resorts, NGR was up 19%. That business, Entain added, BetMGM posted its first positive EBITDA figures in the second quarter.

Higher revenue also meant an increase in pre-tax profit for Entain. However, its bottom-line was hit by the £585m provision set aside as part of deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) negotiations with the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over historic activities in Turkey.

Entain makes ‘clear strides’ towards strategic goals

CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen was pleased with H1. She said the operator made “clear strides” towards deli..

August 10, 2023

Wynn talks up “substantial” UAE growth potential as Q2 revenue rises

Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings said the operator is edging closer to securing a licence for its new integrated resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the business posted a 75.8% rise in Q2 revenue to $1.60bn (£1.26bn/€2.46bn).

The business first announced plans to open Wynn Al Marjan Island in early 2022. The Wynn Resorts facility will be located on the man-made Al Marjan Island in the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah and will cost approximately $3.90bn.

The venue is not due to open until early 2027 but Wynn is already busy making plans for the casino. Construction partners were appointed in March, initial designs were revealed shortly after and Thomas Schoen was recently named project president.

“We have everything we need to operate gaming in Al Marjan”

Wynn released renderings of its property in Ras al-Khaimah earlier this year

In addition, the operator is pushing to secure early approval ahead of the planned opening. Speaking on its earnings call, he said Wynn expects to re..

August 9, 2023

ESPN Bet to launch in November

Jay Snowden, president and CEO of Penn Entertainment, confirmed that ESPN Bet will go live in November this year.

Penn and sports broadcaster ESPN’s transformative $1.5bn deal will consist of Penn relaunching its existing Barstool Sportsbook as ESPN Bet.

Off the back of the deal Penn is divesting its Barstool Sports sportsbook brand and selling it back to Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool.

Snowden confirmed the month for launch on Penn’s earnings call today, following the publication of its second quarter results.

When the deal was announced yesterday, Penn said the launch had been set for “the fall”, with no specific details as to when.

On the earnings call, Snowden skipped around the month with “sometime this fall” and “certainly before Thanksgiving” before landing on November.

Snowden defended the timing of the launch amid claims it would come too late in the NFL season.

“I think our launch in November is good, because it won’t get lost at the beginning of football season,”..

August 9, 2023

Online growth drives Lithuania H1 gambling revenue up 21.5%

Gambling revenue in Lithuania increased 21.5% during the first six months of 2023, driven by growth within the country’s online gaming sector.

Gross gaming revenue for the first half in Lithuania was €108.5m (£93.5m/$119.2m), up from €89.3m in the same period last year.

Of this total, €72.2m was attributed to online gambling, a year-on-year rise of 31.5%. The remaining €36.3m came from land-based activities, up 4.6% on the previous year.

Online slots lead the way in Lithuania H1

Breaking down this performance, €45.5m of all online gambling revenue came from category A slot machines. This was 37.5% higher year-on-year.

A further €1.8m in Lithuania was generated from online category B slot machines, up 28.6% on 2022.

Internet sports betting revenue climbed 12.4% to reach €19.0m in the first half. In addition, remote table games revenue was 71.4% higher at €6.0m.

Slower growth in land-based sector

Turning to Lithuania H1 land-based gambling, category B slot machines were the main ..

August 9, 2023

Flutter’s US business reaches “profitability inflection point” in H1

Flutter Entertainment has revealed its US business reached a “profitability inflection point” during the first half, with CEO Peter Jackson describing the period as “pivotal”.

Group revenue was up 41.9% in the six months to 30 June, while net loss also flipped to a profit. Much of this, Flutter said, was down to the performance of its US segment, namely the FanDuel Group brand.

Since taking ownership of FanDuel in May 2018, the brand has gone from strength to strength. FanDuel has moved far from an initial daily fantasy sports offering to now deliver sports betting and online casino in states across the US.

FanDuel investment coming in H2

US is Flutter’s star performer in H1

A strong six months for European operations

Australia disappoints

Working down the balance sheet

FanDuel US listing nears

Flutter CEO: Profits will fuel H2 investment for FanDuel

With CEO Jackson revealing that the US business took on more than two million new players in the first half, there is little ch..

August 8, 2023

ESPN makes its betting move as Penn lets go of Barstool

Disney-owned sports broadcaster ESPN is moving into sports betting in partnership with Penn Entertainment, which will sell the Barstool brand back to founder Dave Portnoy.

Penn’s Barstool Sportsbook is relaunching as ESPN Bet this autumn through the $1.5bn deal. This immediately provides the brand with a footprint across 16 legal betting states, covering its mobile website and app and desktop site.

Penn says its partnership with the largest sports brand in the US increases the long-term adjusted EBITDA potential for its interactive segment by between $500m and $1.0bn.

Penn is divesting Barstool Sports, its sportsbook brand since 2020, as a result. Barstool founder Dave Portnoy buys back 100% of its share capital “in exchange for certain non-compete and other restrictive covenants”.

The terms of the deal

ESPN and Snowden comment

What about theScore and icasino?

Barstool back with Portnoy

Disney’s history with betting

Exclusive access to ESPN assets

ESPN Bet leverages ESPN’s m..

August 8, 2023

FanDuel expands golf betting with IMG Arena integration

Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel Group has expanded its range of golf betting options with the integration of IMG Arena’s Golf Event Centre.

The addition of the Golf Event Centre opens up a number of new betting markets for users. These include closest-to-the-pin, longest drive and other stroke-by-stroke bets.

The Golf Event Centre also allows users to track each shot in real-time, view hole profiles and see course maps. In addition, FanDuel customers will have access to a customisable live leaderboard.

The golf betting tool will be available to FanDuel users from the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which begins on 10 August.

Read the full story on iGB North America

August 7, 2023

BetMGM clinches Kentucky market access agreement

BetMGM and Revolutionary Racing Kentucky (RRKY) have partnered for a new market access agreement.

The agreement will see BetMGM offer its online and retail sports betting platform to Kentucky’s market, once sports betting becomes legalised in the state.

Retail sports betting will go live on 7 September, followed by online betting on 28 September.

Read the full story on iGB North America

August 7, 2023

Amelco secures gaming related supplier licence in Ontario

Gambling technology provider Amelco has secured a new gaming related supplier licence in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the permit allows Amelco to launch its solutions in Ontario.

The licence covers both sports betting and igaming activities. Amelco offers a range of sports wagering, casino, lottery and financial products to the market.

“This represents a significant milestone for us,” Amelco USA head Brandon Walker said. “We are thrilled to be finally entering Ontario.”

Read the full story on iGB North America

August 7, 2023

Victoria bans sports betting on minors

Australia's Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has announced a blanket ban on betting on all under-19 sports competitions.

The VGCCC’s ban applies to sporting events where all participants are minors. It also prohibits betting in Victoria on the individual performance of athletes aged under 18 who are playing in senior or junior events.

This includes wagering on outcomes such as first goal scorer or first wicket taken, when the player is a minor. However, bets can still be made on team outcomes in senior sports when minors are playing.

Sports controlling bodies have been directed to amend agreements with betting providers to ensure they prohibit offering markets involving minors. The VGCCC said the ban also applies to other sports not governed by an approved sports controlling body.

Sporting bodies and betting operators will have 60 days from 3 August to comply with the new rules. After this period, offering bets on minors could lead to regulatory acti..

August 4, 2023

IBIA welcomes Galera.bet as latest member

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has announced sports betting brand Galera.bet as its latest member.

Match Time Solutions-owned online operator Galera.bet is focused on the Brazil market.

Galera.bet joins almost 50 companies and more than sports betting brands within the IBIA network of members.

“We are honoured to work with IBIA and to be able to reinforce our purpose of developing business with integrity as our priority.,” Galera.bet CEO Marcos Sabiá said. “We believe that collaboration between partners is extremely important to protecting the integrity of sport and betting markets from corruption.”

IBIA CEO Khalid Ali added: “We welcome Galera.bet’s decision to join IBIA. It recognises the unique benefits of IBIA’s operator-run integrity monitoring network and its ability to track members’ individual consumer transactional activity, rather than just analysing simple odds movements.

Brazil regulates sports betting

The decision to join IBIA coincides with ..

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Tag: Online sports betting