September 2024 – Page 2

September 26, 2024

Study suggests Canadian regulators should pace themselves when crafting RG rules

Within a year of launching legal online gambling in Canada, complaints about frequency and content of advertising were common. A new study suggests regulators are moving too quickly to appropriately address the issue.
The Canadian Gaming Association on Wednesday (25 September) released an academic and policy study. It posits that new gambling regulations in Canada are “evolving at a faster rate than the accompanying evidence base”. This could ultimately mean that regulations don’t tackle targeted issues and could be “insufficiently nuanced”.

The study – a “rapid review” – is designed to be informational for regulators and other stakeholders. GP Consulting conducted the study using a US-based team. The team included policy specialists from from Eilers & Krejcik and academics from UNLV’s International Gaming Institute and Washington State University.

The authors studied academic literature related to online sports betting and casino advertising and how it might inform responsible gamb..

September 25, 2024

Dutch operators face player losses lawsuit dating back to 2021

Dutch advocacy organisation Gokverliesterug has initiated a class action lawsuit against a group of licensed online gambling operators in relation to their activities before being licensed in the country.
The Gokverliesterug lawsuit is seeking reimbursement on behalf of Dutch consumers for losses made prior to October 2021. The Netherlands launched its legal online gambling market on 1 October 2021 but several operators – which are now licensed – were active prior to this.

Specifically, the lawsuit names major operators such as Unibet, Bwin, PokerStars and Bet365. However, Bet365 has contacted iGB to clarify it was not active in the Netherlands prior to regulation.

Gokverliesterug states operators allowed hundreds of thousands of Dutch people to gamble prior to the legal market opening, which left many consumers without sufficient supervision and protection against problem gambling behaviours.

Gokverliesterug said it has chosen to act now following several recent rulings from Dutc..

September 25, 2024

Stats Perform snaps up betting video rights to Scottish football

Sports data and live streaming provider Stats Perform has secured exclusive betting video rights for the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL).
Under the long-term agreement, Stats Perform will distribute live video streams to licensed international sportsbooks outside the UK. The deal marks the first time the provider will offer Scottish football video content.

The partnership covers the top-tier men’s Premiership and Women’s Premier League. It also includes games across the Championship and League One, as well as the Scottish League Cup, SPFL Trust Trophy and the SWPL Cup.

Content will be available via the Stats Perform Bet LiveStreams video service. The provider did not disclose the length of the new deal.

“Innovative” step for Scottish football
SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster welcomed the partnership. He said it will allow fans to “tap into a wealth of innovation” within the sports betting sector.

“Stats Perform’s team..

September 24, 2024

NJ bill banning some partnerships between sportsbooks and universities moves

A New Jersey bill that would prohibit partnerships between sportsbooks and universities – with some exceptions – passed out of an assembly committee on Monday (23 September).
The NJ bill, A4113, was originally introduced last session, but did not gain traction. On Monday, the Assembly Higher Education Committee voted out an amended version. In general, the proposal would make it illegal for sportsbooks or “intermediaries” (think affiliates or booster clubs) to make deals with public institutions of higher learning.

This means that state universities, like Rutgers, could not partner with sportsbooks. But the bill does not address private universities or colleges, of which there are 13. Among them in Division I are Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, Princeton and St John’s.

The bill passed unanimously on Monday, with little discussion and few public comments.

The amended bill would allow university-gambling relationships that don’t involve direct marketing or advertising to students. ..

September 24, 2024

Svenska Spel targets high school athletes in latest match-fixing campaign

Svenska Spel is taking a hardline stance on match-fixing by joining forces with various local sports associations to launch a new awareness campaign.
The ‘My match’ campaign warns match-fixing is the biggest threat to sport today. It urges those involved in sport to “say no” to manipulation and report any incidences.

Sweden’s Basketball Association, E-sports Association, Ice Hockey Association, Tennis Association and Football Association are involved in the initiative.

It is largely targeting high school athletes hoping to influence them to speak up if they are aware of any manipulation taking place. Various campaign videos will be shown in schools and at referee meetings across the various sporting associations involved.

“Match-fixing goes against sport’s fundamental idea of fair play, which is a prerequisite for the sport’s credibility and survival,” the campaign’s question and answers page explains.

“The main aim is to counteract the culture of silence that can arise when peo..

September 23, 2024

ESPN Bet aiming to launch within days after getting NYSGC licence approval

On Monday (23 September) the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) voted to transfer the Wynn Resorts digital sports betting licence to Penn Entertainment. This means that ESPN Bet could be live in the state by the weekend.
Penn Entertainment and ESPN have been waiting for the vote and the go-ahead to launch. Executives from both companies had previously pointed to a launch by the end of August. But the NYSGC declined to call a special meeting to vote and the last meeting was in June.

The state of New York has a cap of nine digital wagering licences. All nine were accounted for at the beginning of 2024, but WynnBet decided to get out of the digital betting business and exited the state in July. In February, Penn made a deal to buy WynnBet’s NY licence for $25m (£18.7m/€22.5m).

At Monday’s meeting, Penn executive vice-president, chief strategy and legal officer and secretary Chris Rogers told the commission that his company still has “a couple of boxes to check” on technology. But ..

September 23, 2024

US August round-up: Louisiana, New Hampshire and Wyoming

Rounding up some of the latest monthly sports betting results in the US, iGB takes a look at how Louisiana, New Hampshire and Wyoming performed in August.
Handle and revenue growth in Louisiana
Starting in Louisiana, spending on sports betting in August hit $234.5m (£176.3m/€211m). This is 52.3% higher than in August last year and also 27.1% ahead of July this year.

Online handle jumped 57.1% year-on-year to $218.2m, while retail spend was 8.2% higher in August at $16.3m.

As for revenue, the market total in Louisiana was $25.4m, up 49.5% from last year and 5.9% more than July. Online revenue jumped 51.2% year-on-year to $22.7m, with retail rising by 36.4% to $2.7m.

Louisiana does not publish a breakdown of individual operators. It does, however, set out where revenue came from, with parlay betting the main source of revenue across online ($13m) and retail ($1.4m) In August.

This meant an overall hold of 10.8%, with online at 10.4% and retail 16.5%. As for tax, some $3.7m was colle..

September 23, 2024

Weekend Report: Labour MP urges Channel 4 to stop gambling ads, Caesars expands reach in Washington

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week, a Labour MP urges Channel 4 to lead the way in halting gambling adverts in the UK and Caesars extends its sports betting reach in Washington.
Labour MP calls on Channel 4 to drop gambling adverts
First, Labour MP Alex Sobel has written to UK broadcaster Channel 4 urging it to become the first channel to stop airing gambling adverts. Sobel has targeted Channel 4 as it is in public ownership, allowing it more freedom over such issues.

According to the Independent, Sobel referenced Channel 4 as a broadcaster that challenges “the status quo”. He also said he would be willing to work with Channel 4 on the initiative in the longer term.

“Removing gambling advertising from broadcast and on-demand television would provide another layer of protection for those vulnerable to gambling-related harms, and help [curb] the increase in gambling activity among new demograph..

September 23, 2024

SI Sportsbook’s Colorado exit another example of squeeze on the small guys

Colorado has long been the testing ground for small or alternative sports betting operators in the US. But SI Sportsbook is now the seventh platform in about a year to announce that it is exiting the state.
The last 12 to 18 months have seen more contraction than expansion in the wagering world. No US jurisdiction in 2024 has expanded gambling, whether that be sports betting or online casino. In November, Missouri voters could approve legal wagering. If they do, Missouri will be the only state this year to legalise. If they do not, 2024 will go down as the first year since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was overturned during which no US locales legalised.

Legislators from Georgia to Minnesota tried again in 2024 to legalise digital wagering, but ran into a variety of issues from moral objections to trying to tie legal wagering to other issues like video lottery terminals to managing charitable or tribal gaming.

Choices dwindling
Even in states where onl..

September 23, 2024

Grupo Silvio Santos partners OpenBet for new betting brand in Brazil

Grupo Silvio Santos has announced it will partner with OpenBet for the launch of its Todos Querem Jogar (TQJ) venture in Brazil, deploying the provider’s end-to-end betting ecosystem.
The new long-term agreement will see Grupo Silvio Santos, a conglomerate that includes the Brazilian Television Network (SBT), offer OpenBet’s responsible gambling technology, its player account management (PAM) system and its managed trading services.

Grupo Silvio Santos applied for a licence on 19 August, the day before the 20 August deadline for the initial 90-day window of preference. Operators that applied for a licence during that period will be guaranteed to have their applications processed by the legal market launch date of 1 January 2025.

The TQJ platform will aim to leverage Grupo Silvio Santos’ extensive media reach, with the conglomerate claiming its shows on SBT reach over 113 million Brazilians every month with an average per day viewership exceeding 29 million.

José Roberto Maciel, Grup..

September 23, 2024

Spain online gambling revenue up 11% in Q2

Online gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Spain amounted to €346.3m (£290.1m/$386.4m) in Q2, an increase on the previous year but slightly lower than the opening quarter of this year, despite the opening of UEFA's Euro 2024 in June.
The Q2 total is 10.8% higher than €312.6m in Q2 of last year, according to Spain’s regulator Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ). However, the figure – covering the April-June period, is 1.2% behind the $350.7m revenue reported in Q1 this year.

Casino was again the main source of online GGR in Spain, generating €171.7m, or 49.6%, of all Q2 revenue. This is 14.6% more than last year and also a 2.3% increase from Q1’s total.

Within online casino, slots GGR increased by 19.5% from last year, while live roulette revenue was also up 9.6%. Slots and blackjack revenue also improved quarter-on-quarter but both conventional and live roulette revenue were down.

Mixed results for sports betting in Q2
Looking elsewhere in the market, sports bettin..

September 20, 2024

NCPG says US states failing to meet online wagering safety standards

Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia lead, but still fall short of passing grade.
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) — a group that takes great pains to state its neutrality on the subject of gambling itself — Thursday (19 September) issued a report on the state of online responsible gambling. Specifically, the report addresses how states are managing player protection standards in the realm of online sports betting.

And if the findings were graded like a high school class, the states would be looking at some summer school.

The analysis — US States’ Online Sports Betting Regulations: An Evaluation Against National Council on Problem Gambling Standards — compared how 30 states and the District of Columbia were doing on the matter of player protection standards the NCPG created in 2012 (and continuously update).

The benchmarks — known as the Internet Responsible Gambling Standards (IRGS) — “reflects best practices in responsible gambling, emphasizing safeguards for indiv..

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Monthly Archives: September 2024