October 2024 – Page 2

October 28, 2024

Jordan Maynard officially named Massachusetts gaming chair

On Monday (28 October) interim Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) chair Jordan Maynard was appointed to a permanent role by the state's governor.

Maynard has been serving as the interim chair since former MGC chief Cathy Judd-Stein retired from public service in March. Governor Maura Healy also appointed former Melrose mayor Paul Brodeur as the agency’s fifth commissioner, according to a press release. The MGC had been down a commissioner since Judd-Stein’s retirement.

“He has proven to be a consensus builder who has a deep understanding of the agency and strives to do what’s best for the people of Massachusetts,” Healy said via press release.

Maynard was first appointed to the MGC in August 2022 and was part of the MGC when it developed rules and launched digital and in-person sports betting in 2023. The state’s general assembly legalised wagering in August 2022.

“I wish to congratulate Jordan Maynard upon his designation by Governor Healey as chair of the Massachusetts ..

October 28, 2024

Weekend Report: Operators criticised for research tax credits in Australia, McGregor banks €7m in betting winnings

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: Australia treasurer blasts gambling operators over research tax credits, personnel changes at Aristocrat and SkyCity and Connor McGregor banks €7m in betting winnings.

Australia government mulls changes to research tax credits in gambling industry

Firstly this week, the Australian government could change the rules for gambling and betting operators that want to receive government research tax concessions. This comes after it emerged they claimed almost AU$90 million (£45.8 million/€54.9 million/US$59.5 million) in one year.

According to the Guardian, figures from the Australian tax office show four major gambling companies claimed $86.5 million in credits between them in 2021-22. These include Tabcorp, which received $39.5 million, Aristocrat with $22.2 million, Ainsworth Game Technology at $15 million and PointsBet $10 million.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers h..

October 28, 2024

EasyJet founder launches EasyBet online betting brand

EasyGroup, the conglomerate that counts budget airline EasyJet among its businesses, has announced the launch of new online sports betting brand EasyBet.

Developed in partnership with betting exchange Matchbook, the EasyBet.net website is now live and taking bets on a range of sports. Customers have access to various markets and bet types across a betting exchange model.

EasyBet.net is accessible in the UK but it is not clear where exactly the brand will be active. It is licenced by both the Great Britain Gambling Commission and Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

The launch comes after EasyGroup historically pursued several brand infringement cases around the ‘Easy’ brand. This includes taking action over websites EasyBet.com and South Africa-facing EasyBet.co.za.

By launching its official brand, EasyGroup said this will assure customers it is a legitimate member of the ‘Easy’ family.

This venture marks the first time an ‘Easy’ brand has entered the sports betting industry. Ho..

October 25, 2024

Ontario online total gambling handle continue growth in Q2, but sports betting dropped

Digital sports betting handle and online casino revenue grew again in Ontario, according to iGaming Ontario, which reported second-quarter results on Thursday (24 October).

Gamblers in Ontario wagered CA$18.7 billion ($13.5 billion/£10.4 billion/€12.5 billion) across all platforms, the highest amount bet during any quarter since digital sports betting and online gambling went live in April 2022. Handle in Q1 was CA$18.4 billion. Second-quarter handle for all forms of gambling was up 1.6% over the first quarter and 31.7% against the same period last year.

According to the report, handle does not include promotional deductions. iGaming Ontario does not report promotional deductions, hold or individual operator numbers. Fifty-three operators and 83 platforms were live in the province during the quarter.

Casino games = $16 billion in bets placed

On the online casino front, total bets placed were CA$16 billion, and gaming revenue was CA$738 million, up 35.4% against the same period in..

October 25, 2024

State of the Union: VA Tech player dismissed, Holt out at IC360, more

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

VA Tech drops player over Temple betting probe

Temple transfer Hysier Miller has been dismissed from the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team amid a sports betting investigation of Temple, Sports Illustrated reported on 23 October. Last spring, Temple’s game against UAB was flagged for “suspicious activity” by US Integrity. The line for the game opened with UAB as a 1.5-point favourite, but moved to as high as eight. Miller scored eight points and committed three turnovers. His season average was 16 points per game.

That game was the second in which Temple did not cover a point spread – UAB won, 100-72. Despite having a losing regular season, Temple advanced to the ACC championship game and Miller averaged 27.8 points per game during the conference tournament. He announced he was entering the transfer portal ..

October 24, 2024

NetX latest to receive KSA fine for illegal gambling in Netherlands

Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued NetX Betting with a fine of up to €675,000 (£561,748/$729,183) for offering online gambling without a licence on its Pferdewetten.de and Betbird.com domains. The penalty also covers a policy of NetX's to fine inactive players after a certain period of time.

This is the latest in a slew of financial penalties handed out by the KSA. Earlier this week Winbet, the operator of Galaxyspins.com, Winnercasino1.bet, Superb1.bet and Doctorspins.com, was warned that it may have to pay up to €840,000 for offering unlicensed gambling products. Last week, the regulator also sent a similar communication to BlokDance for offering gambling activities via its bc.game and bcgame.lu domains.

The NetX case dates back to December 2022 when KSA first investigated the operator for illegal activity in the Netherlands. KSA found Dutch players were able to access and gamble via its Pferdewetten.de website.

Website visitors could bet on horse ..

October 24, 2024

Sporttrade goes live in Virginia

Wagering platform Sporttrade, one of a handful of independently owned small digital sports betting sites, launched in its second state in two months on Thursday (24 October).

Sporttrade went live in Virginia this morning, marking the fifth state in which it is available. The platform launched in Arizona in September and is also live in Colorado, Iowa and New Jersey. Its first launch was in New Jersey in 2022.

The platform is the 16th available to bettors in Virginia where digital sports betting went live in January 2021.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Sporttrade refers to itself as a “differentiated experience”. The platform offers traditional sports betting and, in some states, exchange wagering. Where that model is available, bettors can buy and sell bets throughout a game, as a trader would when buying and selling stocks.

Founder Alex Kane has shepherded his company through myriad changes since the first launch in New Jersey. He ultimately opted to offer a more traditional e..

October 23, 2024

Latest bill calls for online betting ban in Brazil

A bill to ban online sports betting in Brazil has been proposed by senator Sérgio Petecão on concerns that betting impacts mental health and drives financial debt.

Bill 4.031/2024 was put to the senate on 21 October. It is the latest in a series of initiatives by politicians to restrict online betting in Brazil, months before the licensed market is scheduled to open on 1 January 2025.

Preparations to award licences are in motion but various senators and public figures have expressed concern. Key issues are the impact that online betting can have on vulnerable groups including the elderly and those receiving social benefits.

Concern stems from a controversial study that claimed regular bettors have sacrificed money meant for food and medicine to wager. Despite its small sample size (1,337 consumers polled) and controversial findings, the study received significant media coverage.

Industry awaiting President Lula betting update

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to..

October 23, 2024

Tribes, commercial operators aligned against sweepstakes

In a moment that seemed impossible in 2022, on Wednesday (23 October), Indian Country and the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) in the US had a meaningful conversation about how to fight – together – against sweepstakes.

Victor Rocha invited lobbyist Jeremy Kudon, who represents the SBA (comprised of BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel) to share his thoughts on the rise of sweepstakes. That is the latest “unregulated, unlicensed and untaxed” gambling to emerge in the last year.

Sweepstakes offer gaming without initially using real money. In legal sports betting and igaming, consumers stake accounts with cash or cash equivalents. In sweepstakes, the games start off free to play, but then consumers can purchase “coins” or “virtual cash” with which to wager.

Recently, the legal industry has not only taken notice of the rise of sweepstakes, but is starting to educate itself on what they say is already a multi-billion-dollar industry. The goal is to stop it from continuing to prolifer..

October 23, 2024

IBIA reports drop in Q3 suspicious betting activity as esports concerns ease

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has reported a year-on-year decline in the number of suspicious betting alerts it recorded in Q3, while fewer esports cases also led to a quarter-on-quarter drop.

The association’s technology detects and reports incidents of suspicious betting activity, to be shared with leading sports bodies including Fifa, UEFA, ITIA and the IOC, as well as global gambling regulators

In total, the IBIA reported 42 suspicious betting alerts during Q3. This is down from 50 in the last year and a sharp drop from 90 in Q2 this year.

Tennis and football attracted the highest number of suspicious activity in Q3, with each sport leading to 14 alerts in total. The IBIA said such levels are in line with numbers seen in recent years.

Esports was next with 12 alerts made during the period, up from three last year but far fewer than in Q2. A single esports case related to suspicious betting activity across 68 efootball matches played in Q1 and Q2.

The r..

October 23, 2024

BetMGM launches in Sweden as European expansion continues

LeoVegas has launched its BetMGM brand in Sweden, marking its third market launch outside North America.

BetMGM joins sister brands LeoVegas, GoGoCasino and the sports betting brand nya expekt in LeoVegas’ home market of Sweden.

The brand was initially developed for the US market via a joint venture between MGM Resorts and Entain. MGM snapped up LeoVegas in a $604 million deal in 2022 and subsequently bought Tipico’s US betting platform in June to support its entry into Brazil and bring LeoVegas’ sports betting tech in house.

LeoVegas CEO and founder Gustaf Hagman told iGB in September 2023 that MGM’s intention was to grow internationally in the digital space, with LeoVegas as the powerhouse.

Setting BetMGM live in the UK was its first point of call in September last year. This was followed by the Netherlands in April as the operator sought to replicate its initial success in the UK market elsewhere in Europe.

What BetMGM products are available in Sweden?

The same offering w..

October 23, 2024

Brazil senate won’t vote on land-based casino bill this month

Brazilian senator Irajá Silvestre (PSD-TO) said last week the time still isn't right for the senate to vote on land-based casinos this month.

This is at least the second time the vote to legalise land-based casinos, jogo de bicho and betting on horse racing in Brazil was postponed. An August date was missed and an October vote was predicted, after municipal elections concluded early in the month. But the bill has yet be moved over the line.

Silvestre, rapporteur of the land-based casinos bill, said: “We are waiting for things to cool down a bit, but I am convinced that this year we will pass the bill. We already have the necessary votes, we have convinced the senators, at least the majority,” according to Yogonet.

Irajá made the comments at a business event in Sao Paolo on 18 October. He said he has been in regular communication with senate president Rodrigo Pacheco and both believe the political climate is not ripe for a vote on land-based casinos

It has been estimated the..

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