NFL – Bookielink

November 11, 2024

Weekend Report: Ex-Tory leader warns over gambling political donations, WWE drops interest in sports betting

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: former Tory leader warns over gambling donations, WWE loses interest in US sports betting and Betway details responsible gambling initiative with South Africa’s Premier Soccer League.

Former Tory leader warns against donations from gambling sector

First, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former leader of the Conservative party, has told political parties in Great Britain to stop taking donations from gambling companies.

Smith urged colleagues dealing with “utterly rapacious” betting companies to “sup with a very long spoon”, the Telegraph reported on 8 November. The MP for Chingford & Woodford Green chairs the all-party parliamentary group on gambling reform.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Smith was asked if the gambling industry is a big political donor. He replied: “Yes, this is always a problem really. You have got to detach that sort of thing from ..

October 2, 2024

Jaguars’ ex-employee sues FanDuel, others in hopes of reversal of fortune

A former NFL Jacksonville Jaguars employee who embezzled $22m to bet on sports is now suing FanDuel, his platform of choice, for $250m (£188.4m/ €226.4m). Amit Patel claims the company took advantage of his blooming addiction.
Patel, who is serving a six-and-a-half-year term at the Williamsburg Federal Correctional Institute Satellite Camp in South Carolina, filed his lawsuit against Boyd Gaming, FanDuel, Flutter and Fox Corp in federal court in New York on Tuesday (1 October).

He contends that not only did FanDuel employees know he was an NFL employee and should be excluded from betting, but also that the company ignored its own internal controls. Sports betting companies have internal controls and house rules that should guide them in dealing with bettors who may display signs of problem gambling.

In the lawsuit, Patel’s lawyer argues that “defendants knew and/or took intentional steps to avoid knowing that the money gambled by the plaintiff was stolen or otherwise not from a leg..

September 3, 2024

Quickness, convenience key themes as US wagering platforms roll out upgrades for start of football season

Whether it's the ability to place a parlay bet faster or from anywhere on a site, US digital sportsbook platforms from Betr to ESPN Bet have new looks and improved user interfaces as the most lucrative season of the year is set to begin.
The NFL season kicks off on Thursday (5 September) when the Baltimore Ravens play at the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The first full Sunday of games is 8 September. College football season had its first full Saturday of games on 31 August.

The SEC on ABC debuted with three games and average viewership of 7.6 million. The triple-header was the second-highest rated college football kickoff Saturday in ABC history, according to AwfulAnnouncing. And Sunday’s USC-LSU game drew 9.2 million viewers, including 11.1 million at the peak.

Football season in the US is a key period for customer acquisition. Sportsbooks are running myriad promotions to draw new customers but, in addition, many are offering new features to keep customers..

August 26, 2024

With NFL kickoff approaching, US sportsbooks gear up for ‘No 1 acquisition” opportunity

Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel are the first major US sportsbooks to announce marketing offers ahead of the NFL season. Both are revisiting past successful campaigns in an effort to land new customers.
The lead-up to NFL kickoff is the biggest customer acquisition opportunity of the year for US sportsbooks.

“Football is always the most competitive season,” FanDuel CEO Amy Howe told Yahoo Finance ahead of the 2022 NFL season. “It is the number one acquisition moment for, candidly, all sports betting operators.”

Traditionally, the NFL season accounts for 35% of US sportsbook revenue, according to multiple sources. It is then, by definition, the time of year with the highest customer-acquisition spend. For the period of 1 September 2023-26 December 2023, the Public Gaming Research Institute reported that US sportsbooks spent $237.8m on television advertising. For the same time period, Pennsylvania’s wagering operators claimed about $117m in promotional credits.

Fanatics Sportsbook ..

August 23, 2024

State of the Union: CFB injury reporting, bye-bye Bovada (again), banned bets in Colorado

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.
MAC to require football injury reports
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) earlier this week became the second US college football conference to require injury reporting, the Associated Press reported on Thursday (22 August). The Big Ten was the first in 2023 and the SEC is considering the mandate.

BREAKING 🚨
The SEC continues to advance its player injury/availability reporting policy, but it has not yet been finalized, an SEC spokesperson says.
“The policy has been updated and is subject to further review. We will announce a final decision when it is complete.”
This… pic.twitter.com/y4aDvgPClj
— College Football Headlines (@CFBHeadlines) August 21, 2024

MAC teams will be required to provide an injury report three hours before kickoff. Reports will be available via the conference’s website and X social-media p..

July 16, 2024

Report: Louisiana regulator drops gambling charges against Patriots player

ESPN reported on Tuesday (16 July) morning that the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division had dropped gambling charges against Kayshon Boutte. The charges stemmed from actions when Boutte played for the Louisiana State college football team.

Boutte, now a wide receiver with the New England Patriots, was arrested on gambling charges in January, per ESPN. State investigators found that Boutte bet on sports between 6 April 2022 and 7 May 2023. He was 20 at the time. Under Louisiana law, only those over the age of 21 are permitted to wager.

The ESPN report did not indicate why the gambling charges were dropped.

Boutte allegedly created a betting account on a legal sportsbook using an alias. He allegedly placed more than 8,900 bets, including 17 on the NFL and six on LSU during a 13-month span. The betting continued for a week after he was drafted by the Patriots in 2023.

NFL suspended 10 last year

It is a violation of NFL rules to bet on football and a violation of NCA..

January 31, 2024

NFL: Super Bowl viewers will see three sports betting ads during game

Fans watching Super Bowl LVIII on 11 February will see a total of three sports betting ads during the game, said David Highhill, the NFL's general manager for sports betting.

As reported by the Associated Press, Highhill confirmed the move during a press conference yesterday (30 January).

Super Bowl LVIII will see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers on 11 February. The game will take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Highhill said that one sports betting ad will be shown just before kickoff, with two others shown during the game. He added that the NFL had already implemented restrictions on the number of sports betting ads broadcast during matches.

less than 5% of all in-game ads will be sports betting

“We’ve put some policies in place to limit the amount of advertising for sports betting that happens in our live games,” Highhill said. “It’s roughly one ad per quarter. All told, less than 5% of all in-game ads are sports betting ads.”

Also at ..

November 15, 2023

FanDuel and Genius Sports launch NFL BetVision streaming solution

FanDuel Group and Genius Sports have further expanded their existing partnership with the launch of a new streaming solution, NFL BetVision.

Focused on the National Football League (NFL), FanDuel and Genius say NFL BetVision is designed to improve the live betting experience.

Incorporating BetVision into the FanDuel Sportsbook will allow fans to watch select NFL games inside the app. FanDuel will also be able to add other features such as integrated odds, real-game stats and graphic overlays.

In addition, Genius will continue to provide FanDuel with access to NFL Next Gen Stats (NGS) and the league’s official sports betting data feed. Genius is the exclusive distributor of the NFL’s official league data.

Genius building on early BetVision success

The launch of NFL BetVision comes after Genius unveiled the original BetVision solution in September. BetVision was initially available on the Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks, with it now expanded to FanDuel as an NFL offering.

Since B..

October 20, 2023

Red card for double standards

The Guardian recently reported on the bizarre scenario of football club owners in the UK being allowed to place bets on football matches… while their employees are banned from doing likewise. This raises a ton of questions, writes Jon Bruford. Like how? Why? And who knew?

The story, which emerged in late September, has seen the governing body (the Football Association, or FA) accused of double standards after hanging Brentford player and diagnosed gambling addict, Ivan Toney, out to dry. This followed breaches of the player code of conduct.

Ironically, Matthew Benham, owner of Brentford FC, was named as one of the gamblers. The story states: “Benham is one of a select few multimillionaire club owners who enjoy an opaque arrangement with the FA that allows them to be involved in betting. The Guardian has seen evidence that appears to show that Benham has made money from bets on football placed in his own name, via a UK-based gambling syndicate called MSPP Admin. Benham said he abides ..

September 8, 2023

BetMGM rolls out revamped sports betting app as NFL season kicks off

BetMGM, the joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain, has launched an updated version of its sports betting app to coincide with the start of the new NFL season.

The 2023-24 NFL campaign kicked off yesterday (7 September), with the Detroit Lions seeing off the Kansas City Chiefs 21-20. The revamped BetMGM app went live ahead of the game, with users having access to a number of new features.

These include a free-to-enter Survivor Pool, where customers pick a team to win each week of the season. Once a team is selected, they cannot be picked again. The last player standing will win the $100,000 (£80,085/€93,352) jackpot.

Players can also access a Same-Game Parlay+ feature, allowing BetMGM sports betting app users to connect two different same-game parlays into a single bet.

Users travelling across different states where online sports betting is legal can access their BetMGM account. In addition, customers will have access to a range of special offers such as a 50% l..

September 7, 2023

Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity

The NFL is a difficult sport for oddsmakers and sportsbooks to navigate. But along with its headaches and complexities comes the promise of high rewards for operators, writes Simon Trim, launch consultant to 10star.

The weekend that follows the first Monday in September is always a red-letter event for US sportsbooks, as the NFL season makes its annual return.

The NFL season consists of 272 games, as opposed to the 2,430 that comprise the regular Major League Baseball season. But the impact on turnover, and potentially profit, that the NFL has in comparison is vast.

The NFL isn’t just America’s game either. It is a high-tariff sport throughout the global sports betting landscape. For UK sportsbooks, the NFL games held in London across three consecutive weekends in October are huge business drivers.

SIMON TRIM, LAUNCH CONSULTANT TO 10STAR

While the NFL is undoubtedly the main event in terms of generating turnover and revenue, the number of US sportsbooks that have translated this ..