Betting News – Page 49

May 17, 2024

Australian A-League footballers charged over alleged betting corruption

Police in New South Wales (NSW) have charged three footballers playing in the Australian A-League with alleged betting corruption linked to yellow card manipulation.

The A-League footballers, who have not been named, all play for a team located in south-west Sydney. The players have been bailed and will appear in court soon to hear more on the corruption charges.

In a statement confirming the news, the NSW police force says the arrests were made following an investigation by the organised crime squad. The investigation is into alleged betting corruption under Strike Force Beaconview.

Established in December, Strike Force Beaconview is focusing on yellow card manipulation. The State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad is being assisted by Great Britain’s Gambling Commission.

Investigators found a senior player was allegedly taking instructions from a man to organise for yellow cards to occur during certain games in exchange for profit. The man in question is believed to be locate..

May 17, 2024

New Jersey gambling revenue up in April despite land-based decline

Gambling revenue in New Jersey hiked 10.4% year-on-year to $510.9m (£403.7m/€470.6m) in April with increases across the igaming and sports betting segments more than offsetting a decline in the land-based market.

Total revenue was comfortably higher than $462.7m in April last year. However, the figure fell 3.0% short of the $526.6m reported in New Jersey in March this year.

Beginning with land-based casino, this remains the primary source of gambling revenue in the Garden State. However, the $216.8m generated in April is 6.3% behind $231.5m last year.

Physical slot machine revenue declined by 6.4% to $158.8m while land-based table games revenue also fell 6.1% to $58.1m.

Further igaming success for New Jersey

Turning to the igaming sector, the situation is very different. Revenue from all igaming in April hit $187.9m, up 18.2% year-on-year. This means igaming was only $28.9m behind the long-established land-based segment in April.

Some $185.6m of all igaming revenue was attributed..

May 16, 2024

AGA reports record quarterly US revenue with 13th straight quarter of growth

The American Gaming Association (AGA) reported a quarterly commercial gaming revenue record of $17.7bn (£14bn/€16.3bn) in the US for Q1.

March marked the 13th consecutive quarter of growth in US gaming revenue, according to the AGA’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. The tracker provides state-by-state and cumulative insights into the US industry’s performance, utilising state revenue reports.

Revenue in March alone was $6.1bn, the US industry’s second highest grossing month ever.

Q1 saw 11 states set new quarterly revenue records for gaming. These included New York and Pennsylvania, two of the US’ largest commercial gaming markets.

A record $14.7bn was paid to state and local governments in tax contributions deriving from direct gaming tax revenue across 2023. This was up 9.7% from 2022 and doesn’t include further contributions in income, sales or other taxes.

AGA president and chief executive Bill Miller believes 2024 will prove a crucial year for the US market.

“While gaming’..

May 16, 2024

Short on votes, Minnesota’s house punts legal sports betting to Friday

With a legal sports betting bill listed as the second item on the calendar, the Minnesota house met for more than 11 hours on Wednesday (15 May), but didn't broach the subject. Lawmakers will have another chance to move the bill on Friday (17 May).

Two sources told iGB that bill sponsor Zack Stephenson is short on votes to pass the bill. Earlier this month, Stephenson folded the wagering bill into one that would ban historical horse racing (HHR) machines. The betting bill is moving forward as HF 5274.

Minnesota’s 2024 regular session is set to adjourn on Monday (20 May). The legislature is running marathon sessions to get through bills about paid time off, taxes and other critical issues. Wednesday’s house session ended at midnight. It will reconvene at 11am local time on Friday.

Current bill: 20% tax, 21+, tribal exclusivity

Stephenson, a member of the state’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, has been carrying legal betting for four sessions. He’s been unable to get it t..

May 16, 2024

Massachusetts sports betting revenue down 16.6% in April

Sports wagering revenue in Massachusetts amounted to $49.1m (£38.7m/€45.1m) in April, down 16.6% year-on-year despite an increase in player spending.

Revenue was $9.8m lower than the $58.9m posted in the same month last year. Incidentally, April 2023 was the first full month of legal online sports betting in Massachusetts.

However, the April revenue total is 6.3% higher than $46.2m in March of this year.

As to where revenue came from, online betting generated $49.4m during April. Retail betting resulted in a $256,593 loss, pushing the overall revenue total down.

In terms of spending, players in Massachusetts wagered a total of $603.3m on sports. This is 4.1% higher than last year but 6.1% behind $642.3m in March.

Of this total, some $591.5m was spent wagering online, while the remaining $11.7m was bet at retail sportsbooks.

DraftKings’ handle tops $304.1m in April

Looking at individual operators, DraftKings continues to lead the way in Massachusetts by some distance. During Apr..

May 15, 2024

Sportradar reports Q1 loss despite revenue and EBITDA growth

Sportradar has reported a €649,000 (£557,099/$704,906) loss for Q1, despite revenue and EBITDA both increasing significantly year-on-year.

Sportradar posted Q1 revenues of €265.9m, up 28.1% on the €207.6m generated in the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, adjusted EBITDA reached €47.2m, a 28.6% increase on the €36.7m accumulated in Q1 2023. Sportradar attributed the adjusted EBITDA increase to revenue growth and enhanced operating efficiency, both of which offset increasing sports rights’ costs.

Sportradar pointed to “broad-based strength” across its product portfolio as the reasons for its revenue growth. Revenues from its betting technology and solutions sector shot up by 34.6% to €218.8m, accounting for 82.3% of Sportradar’s total revenue. Its sports content, technology and solutions segment accounted for the other 17.7%, also seeing its revenue increase 4.7% to €47.1m.

The company’s total liquidity of €494.6m was also 7.6% higher than the €459.6m it had at the end of Q1 2023.

May 15, 2024

Detroit casino revenue dips to $109.4m in April

Commercial casinos in Detroit reported a year-on-year decline in revenue during April, while the three venues in the Michigan city also posted a month-on-month drop.

Total Detroit casino revenue for April amounted to $109.4m (£86.8m/€101.0m). This is only marginally lower than $109.7m in April 2023 but 11.7% less than $123.9m in March this year.

Of this total, $107.9m came from table games and slots, down 1.6% year-on-year. This was also 11.8% behind March’s total.

The other $1.6m of revenue was generated in qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR) from sports betting. This is in contrast to a $14,489 loss in April 2023 and in line with the $1.6m posted in March.

MGM retains the lead in Detroit

Looking at each commercial casino in Detroit, MGM remains some way out in front in terms of total revenue. During April, MGM held a market share of 46.0%, compared to MotorCity on 30.0% and Hollywood Casino at Greektown with 24.0%.

MGM reported $49.9m in table games and slots revenue in A..

May 15, 2024

Maine sports betting revenue bounces back despite handle dip in April

Sports betting revenue in Maine climbed 51.9% month-on-month to $4.1m (£3.3m/€3.8m), halting three consecutive months of decline in the state, despite a fall in player spending.

Adjusted gross receipts from sports betting in April was comfortably higher than $2.7m in March. Incidentally, March’s total was the lowest monthly amount since Maine launched legal sports wagering in November last year.

Maine calculates adjusted gross receipts by subtracting voided and cancelled bets, federal excise tax and player winnings from handle. Void bets in April totalled $173,638, with federal excise tax at $93,326, and player winnings $33.9m.

The revenue increase came despite a 19.5% drop in total handle to $38.3m. Players in Maine wagered $47.6m in March, a monthly record for the state.

DraftKings out in front in Maine

At present, sports betting is only available through two licensed operators in Maine: Caesars and DraftKings. To date, DraftKings has eclipsed Caesars, drawing significantly more..

May 14, 2024

Ohtani’s ex-interpreter pleads not guilty as part of deal; plans to change plea as early as next week

News trucks lined Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday (14 May) where Ippei Mizuhara was surrounded by Japanese and English-language reporters as he walked into his arraignment in federal court. Mizuhara pleaded not guilty to fraud charges as a “procedural matter,” with the intent to change his plea as early as next week.

Mizuhara, the ex-interpreter for LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, faces up to 33 years in prison and $1.25m in fines. He agreed last week to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. Mizuhara’s theft and illegal gambling were first reported on 20 March and the translator turned himself in to authorities on 12 April.

The arraignment took place at the Edward R Roybal Center and Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.

As a testament to Ohtani’s popularity, an auxiliary courtroom was jammed with 46 reporters from media outlets, including CNN, Bloomberg and the Associated Press. Reporters signed a petition criticisi..