Betting News – Page 84

January 10, 2024

Maryland breaks sports betting handle again in December

In December Maryland set a new sports betting handle record for the second consecutive month, with players spending a total of $559.9m (£439.6m/€510.6m).

The December total, including promotional bets, is 1.7% ahead of the previous Maryland record of $550.7m in November. It is also 17.1% ahead of the $478.3m bet in December 2022, the first full month of legal online betting.

Of this total, some $541.7m was bet online, representing 96.7% of all bets. This included $19.7m in free promotional wagers. The remaining $6.2m was spent by players betting at retail sportsbooks across Maryland, with $32,146 in free bets.

Turning to revenue, overall taxable win in the state was $62.3m in December. This was 49.8% up from $41.6m in November but 26.7% behind $85.2m in December 2022.

Mobile betting generated $60.1m in hold, with retail’s contribution at $2.3m.

After accounting for $19.8m in promotional wagers, monthly revenue stood at $43.2m. The December figure was more than double November’s $2..

January 10, 2024

Road to ICE 2024: Sports betting advertising coming under fire

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

2024 is set to be an intriguing year for sports betting, particularly when it comes to advertising, where operators’ marketing is set to come under more scrutiny than ever before.

This will be particularly prominent in the United Kingdom. The culture, media and sport (CMS) committee recently called for a reduction in sports betting advertising to protect children.

The white paper, published in April 2023, intended to outline how gambling should be regulated in the UK. However, it received criticism for its lack of measures on how to tackle advertising. The CMS committee is pushing for more to be done in 2024 than was outlined in the white paper.

Pressure to reduce sports betting advertising could also prove a common theme across Europe this year. France, Belgium and the Netherlands all took steps in 2023 to reduce the amount of visible gam..

January 10, 2024

Georgia sports betting bill returns to senate

A bill seeking to legalise sports betting in Georgia has been recommitted to the US state’s senate.

Senate Bill 172 was submitted in Georgia in February last year by State Senator Bill Cowsert. It went up against a rival bill, HB380, that also sought to regulate and legalise sports betting in the state.

The bill made it as far as a third reading in the senate. It was shelved in August but has now returned as sponsors seek to push through the bill and launch legal wagering.

The latest version of SB172 is very much unchanged in its core goal. Measures set out in the bill are near enough identical to last year’s version, with proposals covering matters such as licence fees and tax.

No limit on licences issued in Georgia

SB172 comprises several licence types, with each having different fees. The Georgia Sports Betting Commission would oversee the awarding of licences.

A type one sports betting licence covers wagering through an online sports betting provider. This would command an..

January 9, 2024

LiveScore FY23 sees revenue boost of 48.9%

LiveScore reported revenue of £129.6m ($165.0m/€150.8m) in its full year 2023 results, an increase of 48.9% yearly.

LiveScore’s full-year period ended 31 March 2023. Its full-year report focused on operations within its Virgin Bet, LiveScore Bet and sports media business.

Gambling made up £108.0m of the total revenue, up by 57.3% compared to full-year 2022. The remaining revenue came from advertising, which totalled £21.6m. This was an increase of 17.7%.

livescore’s sam sadi detailed the company’s future plans for the group to igb in october 2023

In October 2023, LiveScore chief executive Sam Sadi detailed future plans for the group to iGB. He explained that LiveScore intends to be the number one sports media operator globally, as opposed to the number one betting operator.

Looking at revenue by location, LiveScore saw a majority of its revenue made in the UK and Ireland, totalling at £100.3m – up by 40.0%.

However, the largest jump in revenue was seen in its Rest of Europe divi..

January 9, 2024

GiG powers Betway launch in Portugal

Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has partnered with Betway to support the online sports betting operator’s launch in Portugal.

Under the arrangement, GiG is providing its igaming platform and sportsbook to Betway in the country.

Plans for the Portugal-facing deal were first announced back in April 2022. Betway secured licences for sports betting and igaming in the country in February 2020.

plans for the launch were first announced in april 2022

Betway becomes the second B2B partner to launch with GiG in Portugal. GoldenPark also went live in the country last year, utilising GiG’s player account manager and sportsbook.

“As part of our ambitious growth strategy for Portugal in 2024, this GiG platform will help play a role in expediting our objectives to elevate the sports betting experience for existing Betway customers in Portugal and appealing to new ones,” Betway CEO Anthony Werkman said.

“This agreement will also allow our teams to work in synergy to reach our shared goals and as..

January 9, 2024

Maine sports betting handle exceeds $44.0m in December

Players in Maine spent $44.0m (£34.5m/€40.2m) betting on sports in December, while the Pine Tree State’s two licensed operators – DraftKings and Caesars – generated $4.4m in adjusted gross receipts.

Total handle for December amounted to $44.5m. This was 18.4% higher than the $37.6m spent in Maine during November, the state’s first month of legal betting.

Maine launched its regulated market on 3 November 2023, with December being the first full month of legal sports wagering.

maine launched its regulated market in november 2023

Bettors won $39.9m from betting in December. After discounting these winnings, $107,478 in federal excise and $132,376 worth of voided and cancelled bets, adjusted gross receipts of $4.4m were left. This was 4.4% lower than $4.6m in the opening month.

The State of Maine Gambling Control Unit added that legal betting generated $437,884 in tax. Both DraftKings and Caesars pay tax at a rate of 10% of adjusted gross receipts.

DraftKings the Maine player

So fa..

January 8, 2024

Corinthians signs record R$370m deal with VaideBet

Corinthians has announced a R$370m (£59.8m/€69.4m/$75.9m) deal with VaideBet, the biggest ever sponsorship in Brazilian football history.

One of the biggest clubs in Brazil, as well as South America, Corinthians will have VaideBet as its front-of-shirt sponsor for the next three years. The partnership is VaideBet’s first move into the football market.

The agreement comes in the wake of the approval of Bill 3,626/2023, with sports betting soon to be legal in the country.

Corinthians president Augusto Melo said: “We are very happy to bring Corinthians the biggest sponsorship in the history of Brazilian football. We have always stressed that Corinthians has the biggest brand in South American football and one of the biggest in world.”

Andre Murilo, chief financial officer of VaideBet, added: “Sponsoring Corinthians is sponsoring not only one of the main institutions in Brazil, but also a club with a very beautiful history and a fan base that is admittedly passionate, engaged and uniqu..

January 8, 2024

Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén announces resignation

CEO and co-founder of Kambi, Kristian Nylén, has notified the board of his intention to step down from his current position during the year, upon the appointment of a successor.

Nylén co-founded Kambi with Anders Strom in 2010. He has since built the company into one of the industry’s leading sportsbook suppliers.

It is understood that Nylén’s decision to resign is driven by his desire to spend more time with his family.

Commenting, Nylén said: “The decision to stand down from my position at Kambi after so many enjoyable years has been difficult, but one predominantly driven by my desire to spend more time with my young and growing family.”

Nylén plans to stand down from his current position during the year, upon the appointment of a successor.

The market has so far not reacted too heavily to the news. At the time of writing, Kambi’s share price was down 1.83%, to SEK160.50 (€14.79/ £12.29/ $15.69).

Timing of Nylén’s resignation

Nylén’s announcement follows a period of sustai..

January 8, 2024

DraftKings and BetMGM secure market access in North Carolina

DraftKings and BetMGM have struck market access agreements in North Carolina ahead of the Tarheel State launching its legal sports betting market.

Both arrangements cover sports wagering in North Carolina. DraftKings will partner with stock-car racing series Nascar and BetMGM the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the state.

Under DraftKings’ deal with Nascar, the operator becomes the series’ exclusive daily fantasy sports partner in the US and Canada. DraftKings will also be an authorised gaming operator of NASCAR and secure additional sponsorship benefits across Nascar.

Subject to regulatory and licence approvals, North Carolina will become the 27th US state in which DraftKings is active. This comes after it also secured approval in Vermont last month.

“DraftKings and Nascar have collaborated closely with each other over the years, sharing a like-minded commitment to enhancing the fan experience,” DraftKings’ North America president, Matt Kalish, said. “We look forward to the next chapt..