Tag: Sports betting

Episode 24: Victor Rocha on California’s betting ballot measure

The industry was shocked when a new California sports betting ballot measure landed after last year’s bruising fight, but Pechanga.net's Victor Rocha tells the World Series of Politics that tribes are up for the next battle.

Rocha, one of the most eloquent and influential voices in the Indian Gaming Association and host of The New Normal, tells Brendan Bussmann and Robin Harrison how any California sports betting debate will shake out.

“Smoke and mirrors”

“It’s insulting,” Rocha says of the new ballot measure, arguing it looks to drive a wedge between Californian gaming and non-gaming tribes. A set of amendments doesn’t make it any more palatable. “It’s all smoke and mirrors.

“These guys are not listening, because they don’t care. They want to go forward and they are shocked they don’t see Indians running towards them throwing flowers at their feet.”

California sports betting: All roads lead to the tribes

Gaming tribes aren’t trying to be obstructionist, he explains, in fig..

Read more

Spain gambling revenue jumps 23.6% to €304.2m in Q3

Gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Spain increased by 23.6% year-on-year to €304.3m (£261.2m/€332.3m) in Q3, although this was lower than the second quarter.

The figure was comfortably ahead of €240.8m in Q3 last year. However, the total fell 2.7% short of the €312.6m generated in revenue in Spain during Q2 of this year.

Breaking down the Q3 figures, casino was again the primary source of GGR in Spain. For Q3, casino revenue amounted to €160.3m, up 25.3% on last year representing 52.7% of the whole market.

The highest amount of growth came in the live roulette sector, with GGR up 27.8%. There was also significant growth in the slots segment, with GGR jumping 25.9%.

In terms of quarter-on-quarter performance, blackjack GGR jumped 11.5%, slots 8.1% and live roulette 5.4%. However, conventional roulette GGR fell 2.2% from Q2.

Q3 sports betting revenue exceeds €113.0m

Elsewhere, sports betting revenue increased 22.7% year-on-year to €113.5m, accounting for 37.3% of all GGR on Q3.

Pre-..

Read more

ACMA flags gambling giants for breaching in-play betting rules

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has revealed four leading online gambling brands have breached in-play betting rules in the country, with Ladbrokes and Bet365 among those flagged.

ACMA said the operators breached interactive gambling rules through the use of “Fast/Quick codes” to facilitate in-play betting on sports. Entain-owned Ladbrokes and Neds, as well as Hillside’s Bet365 and Sportsbet, were the four guilty parties named by ACMA.

Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits in-play betting on sports matches, with only limited exceptions. These include placing the bet over the phone, whereby the player must make an actual phone call to make the wager.

Players must first gain a Fast/Quick code from an operator’s website or app to build an in-play wager. This code embeds the event, bet selection and bet type of the in-play bet. The player then quotes this code when making the call to finalise the bet.

However, ACMA said this was not the case with..

Read more

Kansas smashes sports betting handle record in November

Kansas set a new sports betting handle record for the third consecutive month in November, with players wagering a total of $260.9m (£204.5m/€237.5m) across online and retail.

The November total surpassed the existing record of $249.7m in October by 4.5%. This was also 40.0% higher than the $186.4m wagered in Kansas in November last year.

Of this total, $251.7m was spent betting online, with the remaining $9.2m wagered at retail sportsbooks across Kansas.

However, record handle was not enough to also push revenue to a record high. In November, sports betting revenue in Kansas hit $8.9m. This was 38.2% behind October’s $14.4m record but 11.3% ahead of $8.0m in November 2022.

Online sports wagering accounted for $8.2m of total revenue in Kansas. A further $753,778 came from betting at retail sportsbooks.

Boot Hill and Kansas handle surpasses $100.0m

Breaking down the market, Boot Hill Casino and DraftKings remained the clear leaders in the online sector in Kansas. The partnership h..

Read more

Road to ICE 2024: A fascinating year for US sports betting

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

The launch of ESPN Bet earlier this year has thrown the proverbial cat among the pigeons in the US sports betting world, setting us up for an intriguing 2024.

ESPN Bet, the newly branded online sportsbook operated by Penn Entertainment, went live across 17 US states in November.

Its app was downloaded over a million times within six days of its launch. This was also aided by the busy sports calendar of Thanksgiving week.

The combination of the largest sports media brand in the US and the expertise of Penn Entertainment could threaten to topple the giants of FanDuel and DraftKings.

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins says he is “keeping a close eye” on the ESPN Bet launch. As we also saw in a recent interview with iGB, Mike Morrison, vice-president of ESPN’s sports-betting arm, was delighted with the “really smooth” launch.

“We’re thrilled,” Morr..

Read more

Indiana sports betting handle hits record $513.7m in November

Players in Indiana spent $513.7m (£406.6m/€471.8m) betting on sports in November, a new monthly record for the Hoosier State.

The November total edged out the existing Indiana record of $500.1m set in January 2022 by 2.7%. This was also up 13.6% from $452.3m in November 2022 and 19.6% higher than $429.7m in October this year.

Basketball drew the most wagers at $145.7m, helped by the start of the new NBA season in late October.

American football bets hit $136.9m and baseball $1.1m. A further $169.8m was spent on parlay bets and $59.8m betting on other sports.

In terms of taxable adjusted gross revenue, this reached $30.7m in Indiana in November. This was 23.3% behind $40.0m in the same month last year and 32.1% behind October’s $45.2m haul.

Blue Chip Casino and FanDuel regain the lead in Indiana

Breaking down operator performance, Blue Chip Casino and FanDuel returned to the front of the pack. The partnerships heralded $12.4m in revenue from $176.3m in bets in November.

Amerista..

Read more

Vermont to launch online mobile sports betting on 11 January 2024

Vermont governor, Phil Scott, and department of liquor and lottery commissioner, Wendy Knight, have announced legal online sports betting will launch in the Green Mountain State on 11 January 2024.

Players in Vermont can download apps from licensed operators and place legal bets online from this date. Consumers will soon be able to pre-register with operators ahead of next month’s launch.

The launch has been made possible after Scott signed House Bill 127 into law in June this year. The bill permits up to six online sportsbooks to operate in Vermont.

Through a competitive bid process, the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery selected DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Sportsbook to operate mobile sports wagering platforms in the state.

Operators will pay tax at rate of 20% of adjusted gross sports betting revenue. It is hoped betting will generate an additional $7.0m in revenue for Vermont during the first year of legalisation.

The bill also provides more resources to improve r..

Read more

Tennessee passes $500m handle for first time in November

Tennessee reported $515.5m (£412.0m/€477.8m) in gross handle for November, the state’s Sports Wagering Advisory Council announced on Monday (11 December).

It is the first time handle has passed $500m in a month since sports betting went live in Tennessee in November 2020.

The 16.2% increase was a marked improvement from the 6.2% rise recorded in October. It fell short of the 72.9% month-to-month growth seen in September, although that coincided with the NFL and college football seasons getting underway.

Gross wagers also surpassed $500m for the first time, receiving $517.1m for the month. This is up 17.7% from November last year, while it is a 41.4% increase on November 2021.

The state collected $9.5m in privilege tax, again the highest amount since sports wagering was launched there.

Continued growth in Tennessee

A challenging start to sports betting in Tennessee saw revenue fall to a record low of $10.1m in August 2021.

The state has rebounded impressively since then, however,..

Read more

Strikes hit Detroit casino revenue again in November

Worker strikes across the Detroit land-based gambling sector hit casinos again in November, with revenue in the Michigan city falling 22.3% year-on-year to $79.1m (£63.1m/€73.3m).

Revenue from the city’s three land-based commercial casinos was down from $101.8m in the same month last year. The November figure was also down 4.5% from the $82.8m that Detroit posted in October this year.

The decline came against a background of strikes in Detroit. Some workers went on strike on 17 October and did not reach an agreement on pay until mid-November. This meant the MGM Grand, Greektown and MotorCity casinos were short of staff for most of the month.

Of all revenue generated by the three casinos, $76.0m came from tables games and slots. This was 23.9% behind last year’s total and 7.0% less than October 2023.

The remaining $3.1m in revenue was attributed to sports betting qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR). This was 63.2% higher than November 2022 and 181.8% ahead of October this year…

Read more

Bill Hornbuckle on MGM Resorts’ global growth ambitions

MGM Resorts’ home town of Las Vegas evolved beyond all recognition during Bill Hornbuckle’s time in gaming, but it’s not the only show in town. He’s eyeing up expansion across a range of global markets and expanding into new channels.

Things are booming in MGM Resorts’ home town, but it’s much more than a Vegas-based business. Hornbuckle leads global development efforts and having taken MGM into Macau he’s still looking east.

MGM Resorts looks east

Japan’s ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism certified plans for a $10bn integrated resort in Osaka in April. After finalising agreements with Osaka Prefecture and City, construction can begin on the property.

Marginally closer, opportunities are emerging in the United Arab Emirates. First Wynn sealed an agreement for a resort in Ras al-Khaimah. Then a federal regulator, the General Commercial Gambling Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) emerged paving the way for resorts in other Emirates.

MGM is focused on Dubai, Hornbu..

Read more

Fanatics soft launches sports betting in Connecticut

The Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) subsidiary of Fanatics has announced the soft launch of online and retail sports wagering in Connecticut.

This week, the Fanatics Sportsbook will accept 2,000 online players in the state. A full launch will follow in Connecticut from 18 December.

Players in Connecticut can download the Fanatics Sportsbook to wager online. Consumers can also visit any of 10 retail sports betting locations to bet in person.

The soft launch comes less than two weeks after FBG was named as the new sports betting partner of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC).

This agreement designates Fanatics Sportsbook as the Connecticut Lottery’s exclusive sports betting partner across mobile and retail betting. The transition had been expected to occur in mid-December.

Fanatics replaces Rush Street Interactive in Connecticut

FBG takes the place of Rush Street Interactive (RSI), the Connecticut Lottery’s former sports betting partner. The two parties announced that they..

Read more

Colorado sports betting handle tops $554m in October

Players in Colorado spent $554.9m (£442.9m/€514.5m) betting on sports in October, with online wagering accounting for more than $500.0m of this total.

Sports wagering handle in Colorado was 5.4% ahead of $526.6m in October of 2022. The monthly total was also 8.2% more than $512.8m in September this year.

Of the total amount wagered, $550.4m was spent online and $4.4m at retail sportsbooks across the Centennial State.

Turning to gross gaming revenue, Colorado operators generated $46.9m in October. This was 28.5% higher than $36.5m last year and also 3.5% ahead of September’s $45.3m total.

Online betting generated $47.0m in revenue but a $90,005 loss from retail pushed the total figure down slightly.

American football drew the most bets, with players wagering $185.2m across online and retail. Basketball followed with a handle of $63.4m, then college football on $51.8m.

Other stand-out sports in Colorado included baseball with $38.3m in bets and tennis with $32.9m. Meanwhile, parla..

Read more

Want To Keep Up To date with our latest news and information? Please enter your email address below to be added to our mailing list

Bookielink.com is operated by Intraseculink Ltd, Registration Number: HE356617, 176 Athalassas Avenue, Office 401, 2025, Strovolos, Nicosia, Cyprus. BLUEINIC B.V. with Registration number 140279 and registered address at Abraham Mendez Chumaceiro , Boulevard 50, is licensed under Antillephone N.V. ,holder of Gaming License #8048/JAZ of the Central Government of the Netherlands Antilles. BLUEINIC B.V. is licensed and regulated in virtue of license number #8048/JAZ2016-030 granted by the Government of Curaçao to BLUEINIC B.V. The license was issued on ‎08-06-2016.

Bookielink.com © 2024 All rights reserved.