Casino & games – Page 7

April 5, 2024

CNIGA’s Siva loves a good compromise; wants to expand role as tribal leader to IGA

James Siva just wants everyone to get along.

As the man who held together the disparate group of tribes that make up California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) when not one, but two commercial groups tried to take the lead on wagering in California, it seems he has a knack for negotiation.

“I think James has a unique ability for being in a leadership position and listening to the different sides of everything, giving tribal leadership a chance to hear both sides and come to a compromise,” Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians tribal council member Dennis Hendricks said.

Siva said Hendricks was a mentor when he first joined the CNIGA executive committee.

Siva, the current CNIGA chairman, is hoping that is the kind of leadership that the Indian Gaming Association (IGA), which meets beginning Monday (8 April) in Anaheim, is looking for. Siva announced his intent to run for vice-chairman at the Western Indian Gaming Conference in February. He’ll be running against incumbent Dav..

April 2, 2024

Ohio sports betting revenue down by 41.4% despite Super Bowl

Sports betting revenue in Ohio fell by over 40% in February, despite the Super Bowl early in the month.

Sports betting revenue dropped 41.4% to $66.3m (£52.8m/€61.5m) in February from January’s figure of $113.1m. February’s revenue was also 18.5% down year-on-year, with Ohio accumulating $81.3m in the same month last year, which was the second month of its sports betting market launching.

Ohio also saw a 17.2% decrease in handle, from $810.4m in January to $671.1m in February. However, February’s handle amount was 5% more than the $639m in bets received in the same month last year.

$599.7m was paid out in winnings during February, while $28.3m was written off as promotions. Taxable revenue amounted to $67.6m.

Ohio’s online sports betting sector continues to dominate the market. It was responsible for $66.4m in revenue and $657.7m in handle, the latter of which accounts for 98% of the monthly total. Retail actually finished in the red for the month, losing $122,288 during February.
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April 2, 2024

Nevada gambling revenue climbs again to $1.34bn in February

Gambling revenue in Nevada increased 8.5% year-on-year to $1.34bn (£1.07bn/€1.25bn) in February, driven by growth within the baccarat segment.

Revenue was clear of $1.24bn in February last year. It was also 4.7% higher than $1.28bn in January this year – the strongest opening month to a calendar year in Nevada history.

Slots drew the most revenue at $827.6m for the month, an increase of 0.6% from 2023. Of this total, $536.6m came from multi-denomination slot games and $207.6m penny slot machines.

However, only multi-denomination slot games reported growth in February. Revenue was lower across all other game types within this segment.

Baccarat was the highest area of growth during February. Revenue here was 75.5% higher at $180.1m. Blackjack revenue was also up 15.6% to $132.5m with craps revenue rising 22.0% to $44.7m.

Other areas of growth include Ultimate Texas Hold’em, where revenue edged up 4.4% to $18.0m, and pai gow poker 4.7% to $10.4m.

Sportsbook revenue rises as Nevada ..

March 28, 2024

PGAM 2024: How is the industry raising RG standards?

This year’s US Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) comes amid the first concerted backlash against gaming expansion, so how has that changed the way operators are leveraging the initiative? iGB speaks to executives from DraftKings, Betr and OpenBet to find out what these companies are doing to raise standards.

Following the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, gambling fever has swept large sections of the US, with 40 jurisdictions since taking up the option to offer legal wagering.

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) launched PGAM in 2003 with the aim of raising awareness on the issue. Since its inception, and particularly post-PASPA, the event has marked an important month in the calendar in the fight for responsible gambling (RG).

Chrissy Thurmond, head of RG relations at DraftKings, hails the influence of PGAM in helping the gambling industry to combat irresponsible play.

“One of the things that has been really benefic..

March 28, 2024

IGA executive director confident of California sports betting with tribal help

Jason Giles, executive director of the Indian Gaming Association (IGA), believes there could yet be online sports betting in California, although he also believes the help of tribes is vital to any legalisation.

Another attempt to legalise sports betting in California failed in January after two ballots aiming to grant tribes exclusive rights were scrapped following fierce tribal opposition in the state.

Eagle1 Acquisitions Corp, the group of backers for a proposition to legalise sports betting in California, had made several amendments to its ballot initiative in December in a bid to gain increased tribal support, however the efforts ultimately failed.

In response, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) stated the failure should serve as a warning against future attempts to legalise sports betting in the state without tribal involvement.

Jason Giles, Executive director of the indian gaming association, sees operator engagement with the tribes as a positive

Howev..

March 28, 2024

Slovaks place €21.4bn in bets over 2023 as online market surges

Slovaks placed €21.4bn (£18.3bn/$23.1bn) in bets during 2023, revealed during a press conference held at the office of the country’s Regulation of Gambling Games.

Martin Bohoš, director general of the regulator, stated players in Slovakia were paid €20.4bn in winnings. Contributions to the state rose by over €50m year-on-year to more than €301m.

In state contributions, the online levy accounted for €93m of the total, while fixed-odds bets were responsible for €80.48m. Land-based casinos, meanwhile, contributed €61.9m to the state.

The online market continues to dominate, with 90% of Slovaks preferring to bet online. For number lotteries, however, online betting accounts for just 14% of bets with Slovaks still preferring to play the lottery at land-based venues.

The tax rate for fixed-odds betting in Slovakia is 22% of gross gaming revenue (GGR) for online operators and 6% of turnover for land-based companies. For casino, meanwhile, the rate is again 22% for online operators. For la..

March 20, 2024

Pennsylvania igaming revenue reaches record $184.9m in February

Online gambling revenue in Pennsylvania hit a record $184.9m (£145.3m/€170.1m) during February, although the state reported year-on-year declines across almost all other markets.

Total gambling revenue in February amounted to $499.1m. This was 9.3% ahead of $456.8m in Pennsylvania last year but 1.6% behind $464.4m in January this year.

Retail slots remain the largest source of revenue in the Keystone State, generating $202.7m, only marginally lower year-on-year. This was despite a decline in the total number of slot machines from 25,708 to 24,962.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, revenue from land-based table games increased by 2.9% to $76.6m.

Online slots and table games growth in February

Turning to the Pennsylvania online market and total igaming revenue was 40.5% higher at $184.9m, compared to $131.6m in 2023.

Online slots revenue jumped 35.6% to $125.9m, while internet table games revenue hiked 56.7% to $56.6m. There was, however, a slight decline in online poker revenue, wi..

March 15, 2024

ATG calls on banks to help combat “worrying” Sweden channelisation rates

Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp’s (ATG) channelisation report for Q4 has shown a continuation of worsening channelisation rates in Sweden.

ATG’s report estimated channelisation rates for gaming to be between 69%-82% in Sweden during Q4. This falls well behind the Swedish’s government’s target of 90% channelisation to legal operators.

The channelisation rate has fallen since the third quarter of 2023. ATG believes there is little sign of the trend being halted.

ATG found visitor traffic to unlicensed operators has increased tenfold since 2019. The research also highlights that out of 20 unlicensed sites with the highest Q4 visitor traffic, 19 shared the same platform providers as licensed operators.

Additionally, of the 20 black-market sites included in the report, none were on the Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen’s banned list.

“It is a very worrying development and our investigation shows that more still needs to be done to keep the unlicensed companies away,” ATG chief executive ..

March 14, 2024

Genius Sports announces move into free-to-play games vertical

Genius Sports has announced the launch of interactive free-to-play games for its operators, which include the likes of Betway and Bet365.

Genius’ free-to-play offering will include weekly and matchday games, tournament games and daily retention games. These are intended to meet purposes such as activating a sportsbook brand and delivering segmented daily player interaction.

Genius will also offer bespoke free-to-play solutions to meet operators’ objectives, including gamification strategy design, as well as custom game development.

Additionally, Genius is integrating its advertising solutions, helping operators to drive players from free-to-play games into their sportsbook. Genius will use advanced analytics and reporting in its advertising sector to assist operators in measuring paid media impact.

Genius aims to enable operators to boost customer acquisition and loyalty.

The provider’s launch aims to enable operators to boost customer acquisition and loyalty. Josh Linforth, Geniu..

March 12, 2024

Maryland second state with lower February sports betting handle

Player spending on sports wagering in Maryland reached $442.6m (£345.7m/€404.7m), an increase on the previous year but lower than January’s total.

Handle was up 30.4% from $339.4m in February 2023. However, it was 18.8% behind the $545.0m bet in Maryland during January this year.

The drop in handle follows the same trend as New York, with the Empire State announcing a reduction in February handle despite the Super Bowl. However, this could also be attributed to the shorter month of February and the NBA All-Star break that ran between 16-21 February.

Of the total in Maryland, $428.4m was wagered online, including $13.4m in free bets, and $14.1m at retail sportsbooks.

Sports betting handle was 18.8% behind the $545.0m bet in January

Taxable win – the amount remaining after deducting prizes, promotional wagers and other amounts – reached $28.1m. This was 51.2% ahead of $18.6m last year but 48.9% short of January’s $55.0m.

Mobile taxable win amounted to $27.1m, while retail wagering..

March 11, 2024

Entain, Betfred and Flutter join GC Industry Forum led by Nick Rust OBE

Directors of Flutter, Betfred, Entain and The Rank Group have been named among the nine appointed members of the Gambling Commission’s (GC) new Industry Forum, which will be chaired by Nick Rust, OBE.

Rust, who previously spent six years as British Horseracing Authority chief executive, was appointed as Industry Forum chair in November 2023.

Over a two-year term, Rust will oversee a forum that includes Ashley Padgett, director of compliance and anti-money laundering at Flutter’s UK and Ireland (UK&I) division, as well as Entain’s customer operations director for UK&I Leo Walker.

As well as Entain and Flutter, other UK gambling industry leaders will be represented. Betfred’s head of media Mark Pearson has been appointed to the forum, as well as David Williams, director of public affairs at Rank Group.

Merkur UK’s director of public and political relations, Tony Boulton, and Betsmart Consulting founder and director, Kirsty Caldwell, will also be joined on the forum by Charles Cohen,..

March 7, 2024

Montenegro’s electronic payments ban raises industry concerns

Amendments to Montenegro’s gambling laws that would ban the use of electronic payment methods are leading to concerns among the country’s gambling sector, with Montenegro Bet representative Jovana Klisić saying the industry is “at a crossroads”.

The amendment to Article 68f of Montenegro’s gambling law will see a variety of electronic payment methods, such as ebanking and mobile payments, disabled when it comes to depositing into betting accounts.

The changes now mean bettors in Montenegro have two options should they wish to bet online. Players can enter a betting shop and place a monetary cash wager which then transfers online funds into their accounts. Alternatively, players can pay via card, but only on a terminal in a betting shop.

The provisions have caused agitation in the Montenegrin industry, with gambling companies concerned over the amendment’s impact on business. A petition calling to halt the change received 25,000 signatures, around 8% of the country’s electorate, in j..

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Tag: Casino & games