Sports betting Archives

June 7, 2023

Rio’s Loterj issues first sports betting tender in Brazil

The Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj) has become the first state lottery in Brazil to issue a tender for sports betting.

Awarded to São Paulo-based Rede Loto, the five-year tender permits the operator to offer online sports wagering in the country.

Loterj said that the new tender is worth R$5.0m (£819,520/€952,405/US$1.0m).

“Since I took over the management in July last year, I had the objective of publishing the accreditation notice for sports betting; we achieved more than that,” municipality president Hazenclever Lopes Cançado said.

“We have the first company accredited and ready to operate in our country. I appreciate the unconditional support of the governor, Cláudio Castro, and the secretary of the civil house, Nicola Miccione, who believed in the project.”

Loterj added that the approval should encourage that other interested parties to register and also gain accreditation for sports betting.

Provisional measure

The tender comes ahead of the expected federal regulatio..

June 7, 2023

Adam Greenblatt outlines BetMGM’s path to profitability

The US sports betting and igaming market is maturing and at BetMGM Adam Greenblatt believes product is the battleground where the leaders will be decided for the market’s next phase.

Adam Greenblatt has led BetMGM, the joint venture between Entain and MGM Resorts since its formation in 2018. It is on track to achieve profitability in the second half of the year.

BetMGM is live in 20 states, as well as Washington DC and Puerto Rico and Ontario in Canada. Since 2018, it could be seen as the only business to consistently keep pace with DraftKings and FanDuel.

It didn’t have the database of the legacy daily fantasy giants. But thanks to the MGM Resorts connection (and without M&A along the way), it’s established as a top tier brand in the US.

Other brands with designs on a top tier position such as Caesars, Bally’s, Penn National and 888, have undergone significant change. They’ve acquired to grow, onboarded new tech or sought out new partners.

This may help each business close the..

June 6, 2023

Bet365 launches in Iowa

Bet365 has officially launched in Iowa through a multi-year partnership with Casino Queen Marquette.

This is the latest state launch for the operator, following its entries into Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey and Colorado.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome the Hawkeye State to Bet365,” said a spokesperson from Bet365. “From Sioux City to Marquette and everywhere in between, Iowans will now have access to our market-leading sportsbook product.”

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 6, 2023

Sorare: From pressure point to new regulations

Sorare has updated its operating model in France, and gambling regulator ANJ is yet to confirm whether it meets its regulatory criteria, writes Jake Pollard. However, news that the French government is working to pass new regulations for Web3 “pioneers” shows how important the sector is to the French authorities.

In a statement posted on Medium, Sorare said it had updated its product roadmap as a “temporary solution”.

This decision was taken in accordance with “the French National Gaming Authority [l’Autorité National des Jeux (ANJ)] that creates an optional alternative method of entry for users based in France only”.

Essentially, Sorare has increased free-play access to its fantasy sports leagues for players in France. Even if the French language version of the company’s statement, unlike the English text, mentioned that the new method of entry would be available to players “without blockchain cards”.

A marker of regulatory pressure

Overall, the move by Sorare is a marker of t..

June 5, 2023

Episode 17: More on Brazil plus US sports betting updates

Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden talk about the latest developments in US sports betting legislation, as well as more from Brazil, in episode 17 of the World Series of Politics.

We start by revisiting Brazil sports betting, the focus of our last episode, as the regulatory process undergoes yet more evolutions.

From a provisional measure to a bill in Brazil

Brazil sports betting looked set to pass through a provisional measure (PM) which Hugo Baumgartner outlined in episode 16.

However that PM is likely to be turned into a bill, which sets up even more legislative hurdles. Other forms of gambling such as integrated resorts may be incorporated into the process.

While this could expand the market, it could also result in the bill failing to pass. Brendan says “it’s clear as mud” as to what’s likely to happen now. There’s plenty more to discuss in a future episode of the World Series of Politics.

More pain for Missouri sports betting

Next we pivot to US sports betting, where Misso..

June 5, 2023

Churchill Downs suspends racing amid safety concerns

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has suspended all racing activity at its Churchill Downs Racetrack in Kentucky due to concerns over the safety of horses.

Racing will be halted on 7 June and remain suspended through the remainder of the Spring Meet until 3 July. The remainder of the meet will be relocated to Ellis Park from 10 June.

The suspension comes amid an unusual number of horse injuries over the previous month, resulting in 12 equine fatalities.

An internal review and investigations by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) failed to identify a single factor for this increase.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 5, 2023

Colorado players bet $12.10bn on sports in first three years

Consumers in Colorado wagered $12.10bn on sports during the first full three years of legal betting in the US state.

Colorado launched its regulated market in May 2020, with the total amount spent covering player bets through to the end of April this year.

Of this figure, $11.95bn was wagered online and $146.9m at retail sportsbooks.

Gross gaming revenue for the three-year period amounted to $817.0m. Some $808.9m of this came from online betting, while $8.1m was attributed to land-based wagering.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 5, 2023

BHA slams “reckless” protests at Epsom Derby

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has blasted the behaviour of protestors at the 2023 Epsom Derby, describing their actions as “reckless and dangerous”.

More than 30 individuals were arrested at the meeting on 3 June, with protest group Animal Rising having staged a series of protests over the event.

One protestor was able to gain access to the track but failed to stop the race, one of the key events on the UK racing calendar, after being tackled by police.

Last month, the Jockey Club, operator of Epsom Downs Racecourse, secured a High Court injunction to prevent protestors disrupting the Derby Festival. This came after protestors delayed the start of the Grand National in April.

The injunction banned people from entering or throwing objects on the track, entering the parade ring and any other action that could disrupt proceedings. Those who breached the injunction were subject to proceedings for contempt of court.

After several individuals still went ahead with protests, B..

June 2, 2023

Administrator appointed as Tipster insolvency ramps up

Insolvency proceedings at Tipster Ltd are progressing with the appointment of lawyer Dr Jörg Gollnick as the troubled operator's provisional insolvency administrator.

Gollnick works at Cologne law firm Heidland Werres Diederichs Rechtsanwälte. He is also the provisional insolvency administrator for Tipster Service GmbH, a company that is part of the Tipster group.

Gollnick said that the restructuring hinges on the sports betting operator’s value.

“With the insolvency application for Tipster Ltd in Germany, the course has been set for the restructuring of the entire Tipster group of companies,” said Gollnick. “The group is very valuable: the annual turnover of Tipster Ltd alone was more than €250m.”

“We have set up a structured investor process in order to use a strong partner to support the business operations for the Tipster Group including its franchisees in the long term.”

Alleged Tipster raid

In April, raids took place in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen, Berlin, Saxony an..

June 1, 2023

North Carolina edges closer to legalising sports betting

North Carolina has moved closer to legalising sports betting, after a bill that would do so was voted through by its state senate.

House Bill 347 was introduced on 13 March. It passed North Carolina’s House of Representatives on 30 March before being moved to the senate, where it passed on its second reading.

If passed into law, the bill would allow bets to be placed on sports and horse racing in North Carolina.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 1, 2023

Nevada gambling revenue edges up year-on-year in April

Gambling revenue in Nevada increased 2.7% year-on-year in April to $1.16bn, but the state also reported an 11.5% month-on-month decline.

Revenue was higher than $1.13bn in April 2022 but down from the $1.31bn posted in March of this year.

Slots were again by far the primary source of revenue for the state, generating $837.9m for the month, up 4.2% year-on-year. This included $464.5m from multi-denomination slots and $275.9m from penny slot games.

However, revenue from table, counter and card games, including sports betting activity, fell 0.8% to $321.8m.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 1, 2023

France to impose role model ban

French gambling regulator Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has said that it will prohibit the use of an athlete’s image in gambling communications.

ANJ released a number of new gambling sponsorship regulations for sports teams and non-binding recommendations for French gambling sponsorships to “strengthen the regulation of these commercial practices”, which includes a role model ban.

The new rules are the result of a gambling sponsorship working group launched in summer 2022.

France role model ban

Among the proposals is new regulation that prohibits the use of role models in gambling marketing communication. In order to assess whether an athlete could appeal to minors ANJ is to rely on a number of measures.

the regulations prevent the use of athletes in commercial communications

These are to include how favourably children might view the individual, as well as the audience makeup of an athlete on social media.

ANJ said that if 13-17-year-olds make up 16% of the audience, it wil..

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Tag: Sports betting