Betting News – Page 15

September 26, 2024

Flutter claims 11% Brazil market share following NSX acquisition

Flutter is among the top three betting companies in Brazil with an 11% market share, thanks to its acquisition of a 56% stake in Betnacional parent NSX Group. Its position in Brazil was outlined in some detail during the group's Capital Markets Day presentation.
Flutter said the NSX Group acquisition would provide the group with necessary local expertise in the Brazilian market. The deal is expected to close by Q2 2025 and will help establish a new ‘Flutter Brazil’ business, which will include its existing Betfair brand. NSX Group’s Pagbet, MrJack.bet and Betpix brands will also fall under the new business arm.

According to Regulus Partners and internal estimates, NSX holds 9% of the total online market in Brazil. It estimates Brazil’s net gaming revenue (NGR) for 2023 was $2.8bn. Of that figure, Flutter claims its Betfair brands, alongside those it acquired in the NSX deal, came third in revenue terms with over a tenth of the market.

Flutter’s revenue from Betfair and NSX comb..

September 26, 2024

Former police officer jailed over £44m horse racing betting fraud

A former UK police officer has been sentenced to six years in jail for his role in a horse racing betting syndicate scam that defrauded thousands of people out of £44m (€53m/$59m).
Michael Stanley, 67, of Chatham in Kent pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to a series of fraud offences on 24 September. He admitted to operating the ‘Layzey Racing Syndicate’, a Ponzi-style scheme disguised as a horse racing betting syndicate.

The scam ran from 2013 to February 2019, claiming to be a lay betting horse racing gambling scheme. Members were invited to invest funds supposedly for collective gambling controlled by Stanley.

However, Stanley instead used new investments to pay earlier members, creating a Ponzi-type scheme. He also lied about the amount of successful gambling that took place, falsely inflated the value of investments and paid money from the scheme into his own accounts.

At its peak, the scheme had over 6,000 members, including friends and family of Stanley.

Estimated £10…

September 26, 2024

Flutter touts global success and future growth at annual investor conference

Wednesday (25 September) was a tour de force for global wagering giant Flutter, as the company's executives touted its worldwide success to investors and detailed plans for future growth.
The company held its annual investor day presentation in New York on Wednesday. Several executives presented details in an extensive breakdown about Flutter’s tentacles around the globe. Investors heard from group CEO Peter Jackson, FanDuel CEO Amy Howe, Flutter’s UK & Ireland and international CEOs Ian Brown and Dan Taylor and more.

Overall, the executives heralded the “Flutter Edge”. This, they said, is the formula that has vaulted the company into “gold-medal positions” in several large markets, such as the US, UK, Italy and Australia. It consists of four main tenets: product, technology, expertise and scale.

This quartet was referenced ubiquitously as the key driver for the company’s success. Throughout the presentation, the company’s widespread dominance of odds pricing and parlay produ..

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 ..