Betting News – Page 7

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..

October 23, 2024

What could the future hold for Kambi and OpenBet as platform consolidation slows?

Betting platform consolidation has slowed and as operators are turning to smaller, specialist technologies to bolster their sportsbooks, what does the M&A opportunity for incumbents like Kambi and OpenBet look like today?

In September a rumour that Genius Sports was eyeing a takeover of Kambi Group surfaced, resulting in both parties publicly dismissing the suggestion of ongoing talks. The chatter caused both share prices to dip briefly as the market considered what such a deal might look like.

One source at the time told iGB it wasn’t a good time for Kambi to get caught up in a buyout as it was navigating a transition period and ushering in new CEO Werner Becher. But analysts at Swedish investment bank ABG Sundal Collier have suggested that Kambi has been up for sale for a while.

When MGM announced on 24 June that it was acquiring Tipico’s US betting platform to help it move into Brazil and bring its LeoVegas European betting offering onto an in-house tech stack, ABG Sundal Coll..

October 23, 2024

What could the future hold for Kambi and OpenBet as platform consolidation slows?

Betting platform consolidation has slowed and as operators are turning to smaller, specialist technologies to bolster their sportsbooks, what does the M&A opportunity for incumbents like Kambi and OpenBet look like today?
In September a rumour that Genius Sports was eyeing a takeover of Kambi Group surfaced, resulting in both parties publicly dismissing the suggestion of ongoing talks. The chatter caused both share prices to dip briefly as the market considered what such a deal might look like.

One source at the time told iGB it wasn’t a good time for Kambi to get caught up in a buyout as it was navigating a transition period and ushering in new CEO Werner Becher. But analysts at Swedish investment bank ABG Sundal Collier have suggested that Kambi has been up for sale for a while.

When MGM announced on 24 June that it was acquiring Tipico’s US betting platform to help it move into Brazil and bring its LeoVegas European betting offering onto an in-house tech stack, ABG Sundal Colli..

October 22, 2024

US fantasy operators sued in Massachusetts

A lawsuit filed in Massachusetts calls out fantasy sports operators and the blurred lines between sports betting and fantasy sports.

Joseph Curran of Gloucester, a suburb of Boston, is suing PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. He claims that the companies “intentionally refrained from registering with Massachusetts” to offer the kinds of wagers he placed. Curran is asking that all his bets be refunded.

The lawsuit was filed on 17 October in Essex Superior Court.

Digital and retail sports betting are legal in Massachusetts after the state legislature approved it in August 2022. In-person sports betting went live in January 2023, and digital betting launched in March of that year. With sports betting, consumers can bet on game results or proposition bets. The operators are regulated and taxed by the state.

Nuance of sports betting, traditional fantasy, pick’em

In Massachusetts, traditional fantasy sports games are legal. In these games, players build a team of ..