Gaming – Page 3 – Bookielink

October 7, 2024

Weekend Report: Betfred to exit AZ and VA, Canada betting ad bill framework advances, Sorare pleads not guilty

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: Betfred confirms closure dates in Arizona and Virginia; Canada sports betting advertising bill framework advances and Sorare pleads not guilty over unlicensed gambling charges.
Betfred stepping back from sports betting in several states
First, Betfred has confirmed it is exiting two more US states by announcing closure dates for its sports betting services in both Arizona and Virginia.

Betfred will cease online operations in Virginia first, with a date of 21 October confirmed by the bookmaker. This will be followed by a shutdown in Arizona a couple of weeks later on 4 November. Customers in both states will have until 10pm local time in each state to access their account and make withdrawal requests.

This confirmation follows Betfred’s exit from several other US states during recent months. It ceased online and retail operations in Colorado on 31 August, ..

October 3, 2024

Gambling advertising laws tightened in New York

The bill ensures all forms of wagering, including online, will carry responsible gambling messaging.
In a move aimed at addressing the growing concerns over gambling addiction, New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, signed into law new legislation that mandates stronger warnings in gambling and sports betting advertisements. The legislation, S1550/A1118, requires all gambling-related advertisements, including those for mobile sports wagering, to include clear warnings about the potentially harmful and addictive effects of gambling.

This move expands on previous regulations. New York previously required only the display of a problem gambling hotline number and didn’t cover online gambling.

The legislation also mandates that the New York State Gaming Commission collaborate with the Commissioner of Addiction Services and Supports to ensure that all gaming-related advertisements prominently display a hotline for problem-gambling assistance.

“I want New Yorkers to be able to safely enjoy the..

October 2, 2024

Sweden channelisation rate at 86% according to Spelinspektionen report

Sweden gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has placed the country’s online channelisation rate at 86%; higher than operator estimates and some way above the previous year’s figure.
Detailed in a new report, the Sweden channelisation rate applies to the online gambling market in 2023.

The latest rate surpasses the 77% Spelinspektionen reported for 2022. It is also above forecasts from several operators local including Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp, which in March estimated a rate of between 69% and 82%.

Unlicensed turnover hits SEK2.5bn
The regulator estimates black market sites generated SEK2.5bn (£183.5m/€220.2m/$243.3m) in turnover in 2023, compared to SEK17.3bn for licensed operators.

However, estimates are based on the assumption that players are wagering the same amount per visit across both unlicensed and licensed operators, which the regulator itself said may not be the case.

The regulator used several methods to come up with the channelisation rate, with 86% representing t..

October 1, 2024

Episode 34: Football returns, DC gets in the game and more

Welcome back to the World Series of Politics! This week Brandt Iden and Brendan Bussmann guide you through the early weeks of the NFL’s $35bn season and Washington DC sports betting finally getting competitive.

If that’s not enough we’ve also got Missouri sports betting confirming its place on the ballot and some rumblings about Arkansas igaming. Arkansas sports betting – limited to one casino and two racinos – hasn’t quite hit the numbers so will replicating that model work for online casino?

Listen to the World Series of Politics on Apple Podcasts

We’ve got all the latest regulatory wranglings in this episode. Brendan even finds time to solve a Rubik’s cube live on air.

October 1, 2024

Influx of Brazil betting licence applications as enforcement deadline passes

With the deadline for licence applications from operators wishing to be active in Brazil during the transition period closing at 11.59pm yesterday (30 September), a late flurry has taken the total of requests to 182.
In mid-September, the Brazil government published Normative Ordinance No 1,475. This set out plans to launch enforcement action against operators that failed to submit a licence application by 1 October.

Only companies that were both already active and that had applied for a licence would be allowed to continue operating in the transition period between 1 October and 31 December. This counts down to the legal online market launch on 1 January 2025.

This is the second key licensing deadline in Brazil. The first passed on 20 August when the initial 90-day window of preference shut. The 113 operators that applied during that period ensured their applications will be processed by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) ahead of the legal market’s launch date.

The announcem..

September 27, 2024

Brazil’s IBJR members agree to expedite credit card ban to October

The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) and the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) have both advised their members to bring forward their ban on gambling with credit cards. All of the IBJR's members have agreed to expedite the ban.
Published in April, Normative Ordinance No 615 banned the use of credit cards, crypto, cash, payment slips or cheques for betting when the legal Brazil online betting market goes live on 1 January 2025.

However only companies already active in Brazil that have applied for a betting licence will be able to continue operating from 1 October.

Both the ANJL and IBJR have urged their respective members to voluntarily bring forward the prohibition of credit cards after discussions with the ministry of finance. For the IBJR, which claims its members account for around 70% of the betting market in Brazil, the move is aligned with its wider objective to secure a safe betting market in the country.

Notably, the ANJL said almost a..

September 26, 2024

Flutter claims 11% Brazil market share following NSX acquisition

Flutter is among the top three betting companies in Brazil with an 11% market share, thanks to its acquisition of a 56% stake in Betnacional parent NSX Group. Its position in Brazil was outlined in some detail during the group's Capital Markets Day presentation.
Flutter said the NSX Group acquisition would provide the group with necessary local expertise in the Brazilian market. The deal is expected to close by Q2 2025 and will help establish a new ‘Flutter Brazil’ business, which will include its existing Betfair brand. NSX Group’s Pagbet, MrJack.bet and Betpix brands will also fall under the new business arm.

According to Regulus Partners and internal estimates, NSX holds 9% of the total online market in Brazil. It estimates Brazil’s net gaming revenue (NGR) for 2023 was $2.8bn. Of that figure, Flutter claims its Betfair brands, alongside those it acquired in the NSX deal, came third in revenue terms with over a tenth of the market.

Flutter’s revenue from Betfair and NSX comb..

September 26, 2024

Study suggests Canadian regulators should pace themselves when crafting RG rules

Within a year of launching legal online gambling in Canada, complaints about frequency and content of advertising were common. A new study suggests regulators are moving too quickly to appropriately address the issue.
The Canadian Gaming Association on Wednesday (25 September) released an academic and policy study. It posits that new gambling regulations in Canada are “evolving at a faster rate than the accompanying evidence base”. This could ultimately mean that regulations don’t tackle targeted issues and could be “insufficiently nuanced”.

The study – a “rapid review” – is designed to be informational for regulators and other stakeholders. GP Consulting conducted the study using a US-based team. The team included policy specialists from from Eilers & Krejcik and academics from UNLV’s International Gaming Institute and Washington State University.

The authors studied academic literature related to online sports betting and casino advertising and how it might inform responsible gamb..

September 25, 2024

Dutch operators face player losses lawsuit dating back to 2021

Dutch advocacy organisation Gokverliesterug has initiated a class action lawsuit against a group of licensed online gambling operators in relation to their activities before being licensed in the country.
The Gokverliesterug lawsuit is seeking reimbursement on behalf of Dutch consumers for losses made prior to October 2021. The Netherlands launched its legal online gambling market on 1 October 2021 but several operators – which are now licensed – were active prior to this.

Specifically, the lawsuit names major operators such as Unibet, Bwin, PokerStars and Bet365. However, Bet365 has contacted iGB to clarify it was not active in the Netherlands prior to regulation.

Gokverliesterug states operators allowed hundreds of thousands of Dutch people to gamble prior to the legal market opening, which left many consumers without sufficient supervision and protection against problem gambling behaviours.

Gokverliesterug said it has chosen to act now following several recent rulings from Dutc..

September 23, 2024

Grupo Silvio Santos partners OpenBet for new betting brand in Brazil

Grupo Silvio Santos has announced it will partner with OpenBet for the launch of its Todos Querem Jogar (TQJ) venture in Brazil, deploying the provider’s end-to-end betting ecosystem.
The new long-term agreement will see Grupo Silvio Santos, a conglomerate that includes the Brazilian Television Network (SBT), offer OpenBet’s responsible gambling technology, its player account management (PAM) system and its managed trading services.

Grupo Silvio Santos applied for a licence on 19 August, the day before the 20 August deadline for the initial 90-day window of preference. Operators that applied for a licence during that period will be guaranteed to have their applications processed by the legal market launch date of 1 January 2025.

The TQJ platform will aim to leverage Grupo Silvio Santos’ extensive media reach, with the conglomerate claiming its shows on SBT reach over 113 million Brazilians every month with an average per day viewership exceeding 29 million.

José Roberto Maciel, Grup..

September 23, 2024

Spain online gambling revenue up 11% in Q2

Online gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Spain amounted to €346.3m (£290.1m/$386.4m) in Q2, an increase on the previous year but slightly lower than the opening quarter of this year, despite the opening of UEFA's Euro 2024 in June.
The Q2 total is 10.8% higher than €312.6m in Q2 of last year, according to Spain’s regulator Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ). However, the figure – covering the April-June period, is 1.2% behind the $350.7m revenue reported in Q1 this year.

Casino was again the main source of online GGR in Spain, generating €171.7m, or 49.6%, of all Q2 revenue. This is 14.6% more than last year and also a 2.3% increase from Q1’s total.

Within online casino, slots GGR increased by 19.5% from last year, while live roulette revenue was also up 9.6%. Slots and blackjack revenue also improved quarter-on-quarter but both conventional and live roulette revenue were down.

Mixed results for sports betting in Q2
Looking elsewhere in the market, sports bettin..

September 19, 2024

US sports betting round-up: Kansas, Connecticut and Delaware in August

Rounding up some of the latest monthly sports betting results, iGB analyses how Kansas, Connecticut and Delaware performed during August.
Handle growth drives revenue up in Kansas
Starting in Kansas, total revenue from online and retail sports betting in August hit $6.6m (£5.0m/€5.9m). This is 37.5% ahead of August last year, but 28.3% less than in July.

Online betting drew $6.5m of all revenue in August, with retail’s share at just $123,489.

Spending-wise, total handle for August topped $147.0m. This is some 55.7% ahead of last year and 20.5% higher than July.

As for hold, total hold for the Kansas market in August was 4.5%. Online hold also hit 4.5%, with retail at 3.0%.

DraftKings remains the one to beat in Kansas
Looking to operators in Kansas, DraftKings continues to lead the online market. Partnered with Boot Hill Casino, DraftKings posted $3.0m in revenue off $67.7m in bets, a 4.4% hold.

FanDuel again placed second with $2.6m off $43.8m in handle via its partnership with Ka..

December 2024
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31

Tag: Gaming