Retail sports betting Archives

November 28, 2022

The man who revitalised Fremont Street

Downtown Las Vegas was once associated with Sin City’s Rat Pack era, but the Fremont Street experience is – quite literally – very different today. Enter Circa Sports’ Derek Stevens, an industry outsider who is playing a huge role revitalising the area by bringing a brand new casino and sports betting experience.

Derek Stevens of Circa Sports is a gambling industry outsider. He built up a successful auto parts business in his native Michigan before moving into the casino business, purchasing the Golden Gate in 2008. He’s honest about what attracted him to the city.

“The key thing that brought me to Vegas was the fact there’s no income tax in the state of Nevada,” he says, bluntly. “I run an investment portfolio, so that was helpful.”

Derek Stevens poses next to Vegas Vickie, an iconic symbol of ‘Old Vegas’

“But,” he adds, “I’m more of an operator.” He’s also someone who likes a challenge, acquiring a casino on the cusp of the Great Recession. Stevens “really fell in love with downt..

November 25, 2022

GB gross gambling yield recovers to almost £10bn in 2021-22

Great Britain’s gross gambling yield (GGY), excluding lotteries, increased 16.5% to £9.93bn ($12.0bn/€11.53bn)
from April 2021 to March 2022.

The figures were supplied through industry research from the Gambling Commission.

While this is a significant rise, the total is 0.8% below the 2019-20 numbers, which mostly occurred pre-pandemic. Despite the increase in the headline numbers since this, the Commission reports that the number of bettors in the sector have fallen.

“Since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in 2021 and products and opportunities to gamble are available to consumers again, the overall percentage of the adult population who gamble remains lower than it was pre-Covid (28%),” said the Commission.

This can be explained by gaming spend increasing to a proportionally larger extent than the number of consumers. However, as the Commission outlines, there are strong signs of increased participation in gambling activities from younger demographics.

“There are signs of a r..

November 24, 2022

New Hampshire sports handle reaches 10-month high in October

Players in New Hampshire bet $91.3m (£75.3m/€87.8m) on sports during October, a 7.0% drop from last year but the highest monthly total since January 2022.

Spending was down from $98.2m in October 2021 but 16.8% ahead of the $78.2m wagered by consumers in September this year.

Of the $91.3m spent in October, $68.2m was bet online with the remaining $23.1m at retail sportsbooks.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 22, 2022

Industry slams NYT sports betting coverage

On Sunday, the New York Times (NYT) published an article on sports betting lobbying efforts, which has been criticised by industry trade groups and individuals as including “several mischaracterisations”.

Titled “Cigars, Booze, Money: How a Lobbying Blitz Made Sports Betting Ubiquitous”, the article makes the argument that the gambling sector “got their way with lawmakers after showering them with donations, gifts and dubious arguments”.

This assertion has been criticised by a number of US-based trade organisations, who pointed to the already stringent regulatory environment and the industry-wide commitments to responsible gaming.

Criticised by trade bodies

In a statement published on LinkedIn, the American Gaming Association (AGA) said that the NYT had made “several mischaracterisations” in the article, and emphasised that there is a high standard for obtaining gaming licences in the US.

“As unapologetic advocates for our industry, the AGA engages with the New York Times and any..

November 21, 2022

Industry gears up for record betting volumes as World Cup begins

The industry expects a record number of bets to be placed during the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

The 2018 tournament saw high betting levels and is widely considered to be the most bet-on sports event in history. For many sports betting operators, 2022’s controversial tournament will be the most significant betting event of the year.

Looking across the industry, Flutter has predicted that its UK and Ireland brands will see £300m staked during the World Cup.

In particular, Flutter noted that its FanDuel and Sportbet brands may see greater engagement due to both the USA and Australia qualifying for the competition.

Flutter cited a study from Fifa, conducted in conjunction with Sportradar, which estimated that $136bn was staked globally on various teams during the 2018 event. Whether betting levels will surpass the previous record will depend on many factors, not least which teams are able to proceed the furthest.

Elsewhere, Ladbrokes, Coral and Bwin agreed with Sportingbet brand operator ..

November 18, 2022

Betfred and DraftKings launch sportsbook products in Maryland

DraftKings and Betfred have become the latest operators to announce their entry into the Maryland sports betting market.

Betfred’s physical sportsbook will go live from today (18 November), while DraftKings’ sportsbook app is set to launch on 23 November.

Both operators completed the mandatory early access test period, a measure implemented by the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency and paid the $500,000 application fee.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 18, 2022

New Jersey betting revenue down as challengers struggle in October

Sports betting revenue in New Jersey declined by 7.4% year-on-year to $77.9m, as revenue for its leading brands increased but challengers in the market struggled.

This figure came as players bet $1.06bn on sports, down by 18.1% from October 2021’s record-high $1.30bn. Of this total, $987.6m was placed online, with the remaining $72.6m placed in person.

The Meadowlands, with a FanDuel betting skin, continued to easily lead the market with $45.4m in sports betting revenue, up 3.0%. In second place was Resorts Digital, which has partnered with DraftKings and brought in $17.2m, up 8.0%

BetMGM partner the Borgata was the only other operator to crack even a 3% market share, bringing in $9.5m, up by 18.7%.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 18, 2022

What will it take to create a US challenger that’s actually viable?

iGB op-ed: Following MaximBet’s exit from the US sports betting market, Daniel O’Boyle asks what it will take for a lower-tier US brand to succeed.

This week’s column comes to you as I prepare to board a flight for a week off in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, so what better to focus on than the idea of retreating from costly US battles?

Maximbet became the latest US operation to shut down, hot on the heels of the Fubo Sportsbook. If it wasn’t clear already, it’s fair to say now that it’s tough for second-tier and below operators to make much money, and other exits are likely coming soon.

In August, I wrote that the podium of top US sports betting operators had effectively been set, with no path for challengers to compete with the likes of FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM.

The chances of anyone coming close to FanDuel’s market share disappeared a long time ago

Recent events have only reinforced that there simply isn’t a path into the top tier for the also-rans. So the question..

November 17, 2022

Codere Online losses widen despite revenue growth

Online gaming operator Codere Online has announced that losses increased 73% quarter-on-quarter from €6.7m (£5.8m/ $7.0m) to €11.6m in Q3 despite revenue growth on both a sequential and annual basis.

Much of the increased losses can be explained by increased marketing spend. Codere spent €5m more on marketing in Q3 than it did in Q2, with an increase from €19.3m to €24.3m. Other costs remained largely static quarter-on-quarter.

Total revenue increased to €28.9m in Q3 2022, a 51% year-on-year increase, while net gaming revenue increased 54% to €30.6m. This compares with the €27.4m in total revenue and €29.2m in net revenue the company received in the preceding quarter. The increased losses can be explained by revenue not increasing at the same speed as marketing spend.

Moshe Edree, CEO of Codere Online, said this growth was driven primarily by the company’s continued expansion in its critical markets of Mexico and Spain, which make up the majority of the business’ total revenue.

November 16, 2022

Codere Q3 revenue hits pre-pandemic levels thanks to strong LatAm growth

Spain, Italy and Latin America-facing gaming business Nueva Codere’s Q3 revenue increased 47.2% year-on-year to €343.4m (£300.7m/$357.8m), recovering to pre-pandemic levels.

The robust revenue growth is mainly due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in venues, ensuring a rebound for Codere in almost all markets.

Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 74.8% to €57.4m from €24.6m in the same period the previous year. Codere’s potent performance in Argentina and other Latin American countries is one important factor in this result.

The company’s adjusted EBITDA margin also rose 2.6% to 16.7% in the three months leading to 30 September compared to the same period of 2021.

Codere country totals

Revenue jumped for Codere in all Latin American markets – most dramatically in Argentina where it increased 146% year-on-year to €98.6m, 122% of the pre-pandemic total. One important factor is that average player spend per visit has incre..

November 16, 2022

Detroit casino revenue continues to decline in October

The Michigan Gaming Control Board reported a further year-on-year and month-on-month decline in revenue from Detroit’s three land-based commercial casinos in October.

Combined revenue for the month from the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown was $102.8m (£86.6m/€98.9m), which was 10.0% lower than $114.1m in October 2021 and also 0.7% down from $103.4m in September this year.

Slots and table games revenue in October amounted to $100.7m, a year-on-year drop of 9.7% from $111.5m last year but only marginally lower than $100.8m in September this year.

Qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR) from retail sports betting from casinos accounted for the remaining $2.1m in revenue, down 19.2% from $2.6m in both October 2021 and September this year.

Sports wagering handle for the month reached $34.2m, a drop of 31.3% on last year but a 27.1% increase from $18.5m in September.

MGM remained the market leader with 46% share, ahead of MotorCity on 32% and the H..

November 15, 2022

AGA: 20.5 million Americans will wager combined $1.8bn on World Cup

A survey commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA) has found that 8.0% of American adults – equating to 20.5 million people – plan on betting a total of $1.8bn (£1.51bn/€1.57bn) on this year’s Fifa World Cup.

The World Cup is set to take place in Qatar and will begin on 20 November.

The survey was conducted by market research company Morning Consult between 3-5 November. A national sample of 2,213 adults took part.

Read the full story on iGB North America

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Tag: Retail sports betting