Betting News – Page 20

September 10, 2024

Waterhouse VC: Why betting can’t survive without sports data

In his latest column, Tom Waterhouse of Waterhouse VC considers the role of sports data and data providers in revolutionising sports betting.
Eighteen years ago, mathematician Clive Humby coined the phrase “data is the new oil”, underscoring the vital role data would play in driving business and innovation. If not as scarce, high-quality data is just as valuable for sports and wagering.

Access depends on securing rights, with rising costs creating natural barriers to entry. AI and machine learning is now being applied to premium sports data to unlock new opportunities for fan engagement, especially in the wagering industry.

Data hasn’t always been as central to sport and wagering as it is today. Before televisions, attending a sporting event was the only way of knowing what really happened. Radio helped, but listeners were still reliant on the commentator’s account. In betting shops, trying to gauge how your bet was faring over shouting and excitement would have been a real challeng..

September 9, 2024

North Carolina operators in August record lowest hold since launch

In August North Carolina operators had single-digit hold for the first time since platforms launched in March. The Tar Heel State's eight operators took $370.5m in bets in August and had a win rate of 9.1%.
Operators paid a total of $6.1m (£4.7m/€5.5m) to the state in taxes, according to the report released on Monday (9 September) by the North Carolina Education Lottery.

North Carolina operators took less money in bets – $340.4m – in July, but had a 12.4% hold, the second-highest in six months since launch. In July, operators paid the state $7.6m in taxes. North Carolina charges online operators an 18% tax on digital sports betting.

In August, the gross wagering revenue was $33,751,015. NC law defines gross wagering revenue as handle minus winnings. Gross wagering revenue is derived before deductions for expenses, fees or taxes. According to the report, North Carolina operators had $13.6m in promotional play and cancelled or voided $3m in bets.

Nearly $3bn in bets in first ..

September 9, 2024

Impressive August for New York sports betting as handle increases 29%

New York saw mobile sports betting handle and gross gaming revenue (GGR) each grow by more than 20% in an impressive August for the state.
In a traditionally quiet month for US sport, handle for New York betting grew by 28.8% year-on-year to $1.44bn, with GGR up 26.5% to $125.0m. However, handle was still the lowest monthly total recorded for 2024 so far.

FanDuel and DraftKings accounted for around two-thirds of total GGR. The former saw GGR up 25.1% to $52.6m on the back of $511.6m handle, which was up 25.0%. DraftKings remained New York’s top operator in terms of handle, bringing in $526.7m, up 17.9% year-on-year. However, it was behind FanDuel in GGR terms, with its $43.4m up 22.9%.

August is one of the quietest months for sports betting because only Major League Baseball (MLB), among the major sports, is in full flow. The NFL season starts in early September so typically operators are preparing for any football season product launches during August.

BetMGM and Caesars were the ..

September 9, 2024

Weekend Report: Brazil names betting chief, Bet365 fined in NJ

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB covers the news that you may have missed over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week, we look at a letter calling for Austrian gambling reform and Bet365 getting fined in New Jersey.
New secretary of sports betting named in Brazil
In this week’s Weekend Report, Giovanni Rocco Neto, previously a counsellor in Brazil’s ministry of sport, will oversee the promulgation of rules and wagering launch in Brazil, reports Insider Sport. Legal, live sports betting is set to launch in January and 114 operators have applied for licences. Neto will report to sports minister André Fufuca and will be independent of the secretariat of prizes and betting. His new title is national secretary of sports betting for the economic development of sport.

In his last role, he was the chair of the committee of integrity, rights and duties in betting and gaming.

NJ regulator fines Bet365
The New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) last week fined UK-based Bet3..

September 9, 2024

Brazil government preparing heavy crackdown on illegal betting payments

Pay4Fun director Ari Celia tells iGB Brazil's ministry of finance has established a new department to target black market operators. He expects Pix blocking efforts to be successful.
Brazil’s government is implementing hefty measures to prevent illegal operators from processing payments ahead of the legal betting market’s launch on 1 January 2025.

The government’s ministry of finance is setting up a team of eight civil servants who will specifically work on preventing illegal sites from taking and receiving payments, according to Celia.

The team will process complaints from the sector and seek to punish unlicensed payment providers and illegal sites.

Blocking Pix payments will be successful
One measure the government has publicly announced is blocking payments involving illegal operators made via Pix, an instant payment service controlled by the Central Bank of Brazil which the majority of the betting market uses.

Regulators in other markets like Germany and across Europe..

September 8, 2024

Judge rules Missouri wagering initiative will be on November ballot

One day after a seven-hour hearing, a Missouri judge on Friday (6 September) ruled that a ballot initiative that would allow for statewide mobile sports betting will stay on the ballot.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel R Green issued his decision Friday afternoon, hours after lawyers submitted proposed judgements. The decision came less than 24 hours after the hearing.

After more than five years of failed attempts at legalising sports betting in the state legislature, voters now get a shot.

The initiative case was one of two ruled on in Cole County Circuit Court on Friday. Amendment 3, which would make abortion legal in the state, was deemed invalid. Judge Christopher Limbaugh made the ruling, which proponents say they will appeal. There is a Tuesday deadline for a decision – which is when ballots are scheduled to be printed.

The wagering initiative, Amendment 2, is one of two gambling proposals Missourians will vote on. Amendment 5, if passed, would allow the state gaming commi..

September 6, 2024

Judge promises swift decision on fate of Missouri digital wagering initiative

An all-day hearing on Thursday (5 September) in a Missouri federal court did not yield a decision about whether or not a sports betting ballot initiative could move forward. But it was good theatre.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel R Green did not rule Thursday in Jacqueline Wood et al vs John Ashcroft, but did say to expect a quick decision.

In the lawsuit, Wood and fellow political consultant Blake Lawrence claim the voting districts used by the secretary of state to certify the Missouri wagering initiative are incorrect. In Missouri, a proposal needs verified signatures from 8% of voters in six of the state’s eight voting districts. Lawmakers redrew the congressional districts in 2020.

According to the lawsuit, the secretary of state’s office used old districts to determine if enough verified signatures were collected. It then used the new districts to determine where voters live.

Essentially that means that even if a signature came from a person who remains at the same address..

September 5, 2024

FanCash links Fanatics Sportsbook to merch business and gives it a leg up

If you log onto the Fanatics merchandise website, you won't find any mention of a sportsbook. If you search the site for 'Fanatics Sportsbook' you'll land on a page full of gift cards and gear. Why? Because just like how legacy casino companies consider their sportsbooks to be amenities – ways to draw in customers – so does Fanatics.
The difference is Fanatics isn’t so much using sports betting to bring customers to its brick-and-mortar locations. Instead, sports betting can drive consumers to buy more gear.

The company’s core digital business is – and has been since the current iteration was founded in 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida – sports merchandise. Founder Michael Rubin has been capitalising on the fan experience for close to 15 years. And that phrase, “the fan experience”, is as critical to the company’s sportsbook mission as it is to any of its other businesses, whether that be team jerseys, trading cards or collectibles.

“The goal is, I think you have ..

September 5, 2024

Ohio: FanDuel continues to hold off DraftKings in wagering revenue in July

FanDuel retained the top spot in the Ohio online sports betting market in July, while the state saw revenue increase month-on-month despite handle falling to a year-low for the second consecutive month.
Players wagered $476.9m (£362.2m/€429.6m) across online and retail sports betting in July. This is 44.0% more than in Ohio last year but 10.0% lower than the previous 2024 low of $529.8m in June.

Figures reported by the Ohio Casino Control Commission show $466.6m was bet online and $10.2m at retail sportsbooks. Operators recorded a double-digit hold approaching 12%, marking the fourth time this year that operators had hold above 10%.

As for total taxable revenue, this totalled $55.3m, up 48.7% from June and also 8.0% higher than July last year. Operators paid the state about $11.1m in taxes on a 20% tax rate. Online revenue for the month topped $53.5m and retail revenue was $1.6m.

July’s total means total revenue year-to-date – covering the seven months to the end of July – is $49..