Maryland’s online sports betting market is officially live, with seven operators now active in the state as of today (23 November).
Barstool, BetRivers, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet can now accept wagers in the state.
Caesars and DraftKings launched before the regulated market officially opened, in preparation for the imminent commencement.
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Genius Sports and the National Football League (NFL) have entered into a Canadian video streaming licensing agreement with three sportsbook operators – Bet365, Canada-facing Bet99 and esports-focused Rivalry.
Bet365, Bet99 and Rivalry will be permitted to provide their customers with video streams of all regular and post-season NFL matches through Genius’ Watch & Bet solution.
Genius became the exclusive distributor of NFL data and live video feeds in April 2021. In return, Genius issued 22.5m warrants to the NFL.
Genius said that it will use machine learning-powered live streaming technologies to facilitate video streaming and bet tracking for players in Canada.
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The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has completed the application process for new sports betting licences in the state, with 15 operators having put forward submissions.
The deadline to apply for a licence passed at 2pm local time on 21 November, with the MGC receiving three applications for Category 1 licences, five for a Category 3 licence tethered to a Category 1 licence, and six were received for stand-alone Category 3 licences.
An additional Category 3 licence application to be tethered to a Category 2 licence was also submitted, while the MGC noted that Category 2 licences, which only current horse tracks or simulcast facilities are eligible for, will be accepted on a rolling basis after the deadline.
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In the second part of Daniel O’Boyle’s deep dive into the changing role of Sweden’s gambling monopolies, ATG CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth and Svenska Spel CEO Patrik Hofbauer discuss how their businesses have evolved since re-regulation.
When the new Gambling Act came into force in 2019, Svenska Spel and AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) face licensed competition online for the first time. They underwent many changes themselves.
2019: a new era for Swedish gambling regulation
For Svenska Spel the changes were mostly aimed at preventing the business from using its former monopoly status to gain an unfair leg-up in online betting and gaming.
Sweden launched its regulated gambling market in January 2019
This necessitated major changes, Hofbauer recalls.
“The biggest change was to adjust the whole organisation and operations to be in line with the re-regulated gambling legislation. Today Svenska Spel operates as a group with three separate business areas.
“And an important factor in that was c..
Players in Louisiana spent a record $219.0m (£184.1m/€213.2m) betting on sports online during October, while the state also reported a nine-month high for retail wagering.
October’s online handle was 3.8% higher than the previous record of $211.0m, which was set in February of this year – the first full month of legal online betting in the state – and also 24.4% above the $176.0m spent by consumers in September.
However, despite higher player spending, revenue from online wagering was 4.1% lower month-on-month at $26.0m, compared to $27.1m in September.
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Rush Street Interactive-operated BetRivers and affiliate business Gambling.com Group have both announced they will fully launch in Maryland when the state’s legal sports betting market opens tomorrow (23 November).
BetRivers commenced a short soft launch yesterday (21 November), with this to also run for a period today, prior to the operator launching in full tomorrow subject to final regulatory approvals.
The online launch will support the operator’s retail sportsbook, which opened in Baltimore in August following the legalisation of in-person betting in December last year.
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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..
DraftKings’ co-founder and president of global technology and product, Paul Liberman, has released a statement confirming that a mass hacking has taken place on a number of customer accounts affecting $300,000 (£252,745/€291,742) in funds.
The hack was first reported by sports betting insights site Action Network. In the article, customers said that hundreds of dollars had been withdrawn from bank accounts that had been linked to their DraftKings accounts.
In addition, customers’ two-factor authentication had been rendered useless as the hack had allowed their phone numbers to be changed.
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The senior team at PressEnter Group, the igaming operator formerly known as BetPoint, is to take charge of the business through a management buyout.
Terms for the buyout have been agreed with PressEnter’s existing investors.
Chief executive Lahcene Merzoug and a team of senior executives will then take control, with Merzoug named the operator’s executive chairman once the deal completes.
Management said PressEnter, who operate online casino brands such as 21.com, JustSpin, NeonVegas Casino, NitroCasino, UltraCasino and RapidCasino, in addition to the XLBet sportsbook, offers “significant growth potential”.
New chapter for PressEnter
“The management team sees this as a new chapter for the business and will be reviewing existing strategies and processes to maximise new opportunities, grow the business and focus on the company’s core strengths,” PressEnter said.
Lahcene Merzoug will become executive chair of PressEnter following the buyout
“The management team has worked hard fo..
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 ..
Sports betting revenue and handle in October reached new monthly highs during October, according to the latest figures published by the Oregon Lottery.
Player spending in October amounted to $55.6m (£47.1m/€54.3m), which was 29.6% higher than the existing record of $42.9m set in April this year.
The figure was also 47.9% ahead of $37.6m in October last year and 41.5% up from $39.3m in September this year.
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Consumers in Mississippi wagered $56.2m (£47.6m/€54.8m) on sports during October, a 32.7% drop on last year but an improvement on the amount bet in September this year.
The monthly handle was some way behind the $83.5m bet during October 2021, but 30.4% higher than $43.1m in September 2022.
Lower spending year-on-year also meant revenue fell 15.4% from $9.1m last year to $7.7m, while this figure was also 12.5% lower than $8.8m in September this year.
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