Betting News – Page 169

October 18, 2022

How is safer gambling promoted at retail betting shops?

Safer gambling week special: Online gambling has got much of the attention, but preventing harm in retail betting can be a difficult problem where technological solutions can be harder to implement. iGB looks at what safer gambling tools are available at betting shops.

To the average person in the UK, the most notable sign every year that it’s Safer Gambling Week would be from betting shops.

The industry’s initiatives during the week are wide-reaching, across both physical and online spaces.

But betting shops, despite a decline in numbers in recent years, are still on almost every high street in the country. And almost every one is plastered with signs encouraging people to think more about their gambling activity.

But inside those retail betting shops, what can be done to protect customers?

As pressure from the media and government around harmful gambling grows, the industry has attempted to show that it can deal with potential harm without needing strict interventions that could..

October 18, 2022

FuboTV to immediately shut down sportsbook

Streaming provider FuboTV has announced it is to close its Fubo Gaming subsidiary and cease operations of its owned-and-operated Fubo Sportsbook with immediate effect.

The decision was made following a strategic review of the business, which was launched in August after FuboTV said it could not operate its sports betting division alone in the current economic environment.

FuboTV said while multiple parties expressed interest in the betting business, the provider also said that none of these opportunities would have allowed FuboTV to “lower its funding requirements and generate sufficient returns to shareholders”.

As a result, FuboTV will close Fubo Gaming and cease all operations of the Fubo Sportsbook immediately.

“Following our previously announced strategic review, we have concluded that continuing with Fubo Gaming and Fubo Sportsbook in this challenging macroeconomic environment would impact our ability to reach our longer-term profitability goals,” FuboTV co-founder and chief ..

October 17, 2022

Scout scores sportsbook deal with Apple iSports

Scout Gaming Group has agreed a deal to provide sportsbook and fantasy sports solutions to Australian gaming business Apple iSports.

Under the deal, Apple iSports will roll out Scout’s sports betting and fantasy sports products during the first quarter of 2023.

Apple iSports primarily focuses on the Australian market, but the business also has a sports betting licence in the US state of North Dakota

“To get the opportunity to delivery our whole product offering on to a partner in a market which we have not delivered to before is very positive,” Scout’s acting chief executive Niklas Jönsson said. “And to make a first delivery of a sportsbook according to the partner’s requests will be very valuable in customer discussion going forward.”

The deal comes after Scout last month announced the results of its share issue process, raising SEK101m (£7.9m/€9.2m/$9.0m) in the scheme.

The process diluted existing shares by 90%. The process was instigated as an attempt to save the business, fol..

October 14, 2022

Detroit casino revenue declines in September

Revenue from the three commercial casinos in Detroit, Michigan declined month-on-month and year-on-year in September.

Total revenue for the month amounted to $103.4m (£92.1m/€106.2m), which was 2.5% lower than $106.1m in August this year and also 6.3% down from $110.4m in September of 2021.

Slots and table games accounted for $100.8m of revenue in September, down 5.7% from $106.9m in the same month last year and also 3.5% lower than $104.4m in August of this year.

The remaining $2.6m in revenue came from qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR) from retail sports betting at the casinos, a 24.9% decline on $3.5m in September 2021, but 56.3% higher than $1.7m in August.

It was also noted that sports betting handle for the month reached $18.5m, down 42.8% on last year but 69.1% up from $11.0m in August 2022.

The MGM casino remained the market leader with 48% share of the Detroit market, ahead of MotorCity on 31% and the Hollywood Casino at Greektown on 21%.

MGM’s revenue comprised $..

October 14, 2022

Playing the long game

Last week, sports betting solutions provider Kambi and Penn Entertainment finalised the terms of their long-awaited migration deal, wherein Penn’s online and retail sportsbooks will migrate to its proprietary technology. Marese O’Hagan speaks to Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén about the future of the deal and the rise of vertical integration.

In August 2021, Penn Entertainment – then known as Penn National Gaming – announced that it would acquire Canadian sportsbook theScore for $2.0bn (£2.79bn/€2.05bn). The plan was to migrate Penn’s betting products onto a platform created by theScore, which did not yet exist at the time of the deal.

Having worked with Penn since 2019, this deal came as a disappointment to Kambi. From Kambi’s perspective, it was losing a vital client to a platform that had not yet been created. And it certainly didn’t help that the announcement came on the back of the migration of another high-profile client in DraftKings.

The finalisation of Kambi and Penn’s migration a..

October 13, 2022

Indiana sports betting handle continues to climb in September

Consumer spending on sports betting in Indiana increased month-on-month for the second month in a row in September, while the state also experienced year-on-year growth across handle and revenue.

Total handle for the month was $382.5m (£342.8m/€393.4m), up 60.7% from $238.0m in August of this year and 7.6% higher than $355.4m in September 2021.

Football overtook baseball to become the most popular sport to wager on in Indiana, with the start of the new NFL season helping draw $148.6m in bets. Baseball ranked second with $52.9m in wagers, then basketball on $5.2m, while $92.0m was bet on parlay betting and a further $52.2m on other sports.

Turning to taxable adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for the month and this reached $51.2m, which was more than double the $25.4m posted in August and also 51.0% higher than $33.9m in September last year.

Blue Chip Casino and partner FanDuel once again claimed top spot for the month in terms of revenue, posting $16.7m in AGR from $108.5m in bets.

Amer..

October 13, 2022

Nygaard-Andersen: Interest rates won’t stop Entain from acquiring

Entain chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen has said high interest rates will not stop the business from making new acquisitions, and may even “open up new doors”.

Nygaard-Andersen spoke on an earnings call after Entain published a third-quarter earnings update. Revenue was up 2% year-on-year for the group, thanks to both record customer numbers and a favourable impact from currency movements.

When asked whether the new macroeconomic environment and high interest rates would make acquisitions difficult due to the costs of borrowing money, Nygaard-Andersen said that this was not necessarily the case.

“We of course remain vigilant and very prudent,” she said. “But the health of the business remains good. We still have a strong pipeline on M&A and we have opportunities that we will continue to pursue.”

The results came after a busy period of acquiring for the business, with Nygaard-Anderson noting the business agreed nine acquisitions in the past 18 months, including those of Unikrn..

October 12, 2022

Sportradar to provide data for XLMedia affiliate sites

Sportradar has entered into a multi-year sports betting data partnership with affiliate giant XLMedia.

Under the deal, Sportradar will serve as the official sports data provider to XLMedia through the delivery of a range of digital products and services.

XLMedia will leverage Sportradar’s real-time sports data products for North American and international sports properties across its owned and operated digital properties including SportsBettingDime, SaturdayTradition, SaturdayDownSouth, CrossingBroad, EliteSportsNY and Canadian Sports Betting.

Sportradar will also provide a selection of visualisation tools such as widgets and live match trackers to help enhance XLMedia’s editorial content.

In addition, Sportradar will supply betting odds and insights to support XLMedia with a rising demand for sports betting across its network of websites.

“This partnership highlights Sportradar’s ability to be a one-stop shop for exclusive betting data and sports content for XLMedia’s high quali..

October 11, 2022

Metric Gaming to launch B2C sportsbook Bhet

Sports betting supplier Metric Gaming has announced it will launch a B2C sportsbook offering through its wholly owned Bhet subsidiary.

The sportsbook will build on Metric’s previously announced partnership with Lacerta Sports. Lacerta was founded by a team from London-based data betting syndicate and consultancy Starlizard, whose data solution will power the sportsbook’s pricing, risk management and player profiling.

“The pricing will be among the most player-friendly in the industry, and the scope and availability of live in-game wagering will be significantly more innovative and engaging than competitor brands,” said Metric CEO Keith Hayes.

The new venture will be funded through Metric’s latest debt financing round, during which it had raised $15m. Metric said it has received strong “indication of interest” from an unnamed “high-net worth” strategic investor who is seeking to increase the size of the round to $30m and close it out entirely.

“Metric has made significant progress ..