Tag: Online sports betting

Sun International acquires Peermont in ZAR7.3bn deal

South Africa's Sun International has agreed the purchase of Peermont, including its flagship Emperors Palace resort and online brand PalaceBet.

The deal, announced on Monday, is worth ZAR7.3bn (£313m/€363.2m/$396.6m). Sun International labelled the move a “unique opportunity”, acquiring a “world-class and highly cash generative” company in Peermont.

The agreement sees Sun International obtain Peermont’s 11 properties across South Africa and Botswana. The online sports betting site PalaceBet is also included.

Emperors Palace is a leading casino resort in Gauteng, with 1,695 slot machines, 69 gaming tables and 757 rooms. In Sun International’s announcement, it pointed to the resort’s “unique proximity” to the OR Tambo International Airport as an opportunity to attract “high net-worth customers”.

The move was backed by the group’s investors, with 62.54% of shareholders providing written support for the purchase. Sun International believes the transaction will “enhance the qualit..

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ACMA flags gambling giants for breaching in-play betting rules

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has revealed four leading online gambling brands have breached in-play betting rules in the country, with Ladbrokes and Bet365 among those flagged.

ACMA said the operators breached interactive gambling rules through the use of “Fast/Quick codes” to facilitate in-play betting on sports. Entain-owned Ladbrokes and Neds, as well as Hillside’s Bet365 and Sportsbet, were the four guilty parties named by ACMA.

Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits in-play betting on sports matches, with only limited exceptions. These include placing the bet over the phone, whereby the player must make an actual phone call to make the wager.

Players must first gain a Fast/Quick code from an operator’s website or app to build an in-play wager. This code embeds the event, bet selection and bet type of the in-play bet. The player then quotes this code when making the call to finalise the bet.

However, ACMA said this was not the case with..

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Kansas smashes sports betting handle record in November

Kansas set a new sports betting handle record for the third consecutive month in November, with players wagering a total of $260.9m (£204.5m/€237.5m) across online and retail.

The November total surpassed the existing record of $249.7m in October by 4.5%. This was also 40.0% higher than the $186.4m wagered in Kansas in November last year.

Of this total, $251.7m was spent betting online, with the remaining $9.2m wagered at retail sportsbooks across Kansas.

However, record handle was not enough to also push revenue to a record high. In November, sports betting revenue in Kansas hit $8.9m. This was 38.2% behind October’s $14.4m record but 11.3% ahead of $8.0m in November 2022.

Online sports wagering accounted for $8.2m of total revenue in Kansas. A further $753,778 came from betting at retail sportsbooks.

Boot Hill and Kansas handle surpasses $100.0m

Breaking down the market, Boot Hill Casino and DraftKings remained the clear leaders in the online sector in Kansas. The partnership h..

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Road to ICE 2024: A fascinating year for US sports betting

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.

The launch of ESPN Bet earlier this year has thrown the proverbial cat among the pigeons in the US sports betting world, setting us up for an intriguing 2024.

ESPN Bet, the newly branded online sportsbook operated by Penn Entertainment, went live across 17 US states in November.

Its app was downloaded over a million times within six days of its launch. This was also aided by the busy sports calendar of Thanksgiving week.

The combination of the largest sports media brand in the US and the expertise of Penn Entertainment could threaten to topple the giants of FanDuel and DraftKings.

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins says he is “keeping a close eye” on the ESPN Bet launch. As we also saw in a recent interview with iGB, Mike Morrison, vice-president of ESPN’s sports-betting arm, was delighted with the “really smooth” launch.

“We’re thrilled,” Morr..

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Indiana sports betting handle hits record $513.7m in November

Players in Indiana spent $513.7m (£406.6m/€471.8m) betting on sports in November, a new monthly record for the Hoosier State.

The November total edged out the existing Indiana record of $500.1m set in January 2022 by 2.7%. This was also up 13.6% from $452.3m in November 2022 and 19.6% higher than $429.7m in October this year.

Basketball drew the most wagers at $145.7m, helped by the start of the new NBA season in late October.

American football bets hit $136.9m and baseball $1.1m. A further $169.8m was spent on parlay bets and $59.8m betting on other sports.

In terms of taxable adjusted gross revenue, this reached $30.7m in Indiana in November. This was 23.3% behind $40.0m in the same month last year and 32.1% behind October’s $45.2m haul.

Blue Chip Casino and FanDuel regain the lead in Indiana

Breaking down operator performance, Blue Chip Casino and FanDuel returned to the front of the pack. The partnerships heralded $12.4m in revenue from $176.3m in bets in November.

Amerista..

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Vermont to launch online mobile sports betting on 11 January 2024

Vermont governor, Phil Scott, and department of liquor and lottery commissioner, Wendy Knight, have announced legal online sports betting will launch in the Green Mountain State on 11 January 2024.

Players in Vermont can download apps from licensed operators and place legal bets online from this date. Consumers will soon be able to pre-register with operators ahead of next month’s launch.

The launch has been made possible after Scott signed House Bill 127 into law in June this year. The bill permits up to six online sportsbooks to operate in Vermont.

Through a competitive bid process, the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery selected DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Sportsbook to operate mobile sports wagering platforms in the state.

Operators will pay tax at rate of 20% of adjusted gross sports betting revenue. It is hoped betting will generate an additional $7.0m in revenue for Vermont during the first year of legalisation.

The bill also provides more resources to improve r..

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Bill Hornbuckle on MGM Resorts’ global growth ambitions

MGM Resorts’ home town of Las Vegas evolved beyond all recognition during Bill Hornbuckle’s time in gaming, but it’s not the only show in town. He’s eyeing up expansion across a range of global markets and expanding into new channels.

Things are booming in MGM Resorts’ home town, but it’s much more than a Vegas-based business. Hornbuckle leads global development efforts and having taken MGM into Macau he’s still looking east.

MGM Resorts looks east

Japan’s ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism certified plans for a $10bn integrated resort in Osaka in April. After finalising agreements with Osaka Prefecture and City, construction can begin on the property.

Marginally closer, opportunities are emerging in the United Arab Emirates. First Wynn sealed an agreement for a resort in Ras al-Khaimah. Then a federal regulator, the General Commercial Gambling Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) emerged paving the way for resorts in other Emirates.

MGM is focused on Dubai, Hornbu..

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Fanatics soft launches sports betting in Connecticut

The Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) subsidiary of Fanatics has announced the soft launch of online and retail sports wagering in Connecticut.

This week, the Fanatics Sportsbook will accept 2,000 online players in the state. A full launch will follow in Connecticut from 18 December.

Players in Connecticut can download the Fanatics Sportsbook to wager online. Consumers can also visit any of 10 retail sports betting locations to bet in person.

The soft launch comes less than two weeks after FBG was named as the new sports betting partner of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC).

This agreement designates Fanatics Sportsbook as the Connecticut Lottery’s exclusive sports betting partner across mobile and retail betting. The transition had been expected to occur in mid-December.

Fanatics replaces Rush Street Interactive in Connecticut

FBG takes the place of Rush Street Interactive (RSI), the Connecticut Lottery’s former sports betting partner. The two parties announced that they..

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Colorado sports betting handle tops $554m in October

Players in Colorado spent $554.9m (£442.9m/€514.5m) betting on sports in October, with online wagering accounting for more than $500.0m of this total.

Sports wagering handle in Colorado was 5.4% ahead of $526.6m in October of 2022. The monthly total was also 8.2% more than $512.8m in September this year.

Of the total amount wagered, $550.4m was spent online and $4.4m at retail sportsbooks across the Centennial State.

Turning to gross gaming revenue, Colorado operators generated $46.9m in October. This was 28.5% higher than $36.5m last year and also 3.5% ahead of September’s $45.3m total.

Online betting generated $47.0m in revenue but a $90,005 loss from retail pushed the total figure down slightly.

American football drew the most bets, with players wagering $185.2m across online and retail. Basketball followed with a handle of $63.4m, then college football on $51.8m.

Other stand-out sports in Colorado included baseball with $38.3m in bets and tennis with $32.9m. Meanwhile, parla..

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Sportradar scores global tennis data and streaming deal with ATP

Sportradar has agreed a global data and streaming rights deal with Tennis Data Innovations (TDI), a joint venture vehicle of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and ATP Media.

The multi-year deal grants Sportradar data and streaming rights for betting, as well as media data rights. The agreement covers all tennis events on both the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour.

Sportradar said the partnership will focus on driving commercial growth for tennis and also improving fan engagement opportunities. This will include developing new betting and media products.

From this month, Sportradar will use its ATP Service+ suite of solutions to boost engagement with fans by providing value-added products and services. Features in ATP Service+ include augmented streaming, expanded in-play betting markets, video highlights and personalised and targeted betting products.

Sportradar will also work with TDI to create products for media. These, it said, will showcase more in-depth statistical..

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Iowa sports betting handle rises again in November

Players in Iowa wagered $289.7m (£230.5m/€268.8m) on sports during November, up 17.1% on last year and the highest monthly total since January 2022.

The monthly Iowa handle was higher than $247.5m in November 2022 and 13.5% ahead of $255.3m in October this year.

The total was also the most spent since a record $303.3m was wagered in January 2022, some 22 months ago.

Breaking this down, some $265.8m was spent betting with online operators and $23.9m at retail sportsbooks across Iowa.

As for revenue, operators generated a total of $14.1m in November. This was 143.1% higher than $5.8m last year, although the November 2022 figures were hit by multi-million-dollar winning bet payouts to US businessman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.

However, the November revenue figure in Iowa was 33.5% behind the $21.2m generated in October this year. This was due to consumers winning significantly more in November ($275.6m) compared to October ($225.3m).

Of the revenue total, $12.6m came from online ..

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Kentucky online sports wagers reach $323.6m in opening weeks

Consumers in Kentucky spent $323.6m (£257.2m/€300.2m) betting on sports online during the opening weeks of the Bluegrass State’s newly regulated market.

Kentucky launched legal online sports betting on 28 September. This followed the roll out of retail wagering on 7 September, with online delayed as part of a staggered launch.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has now published figures for the opening weeks of the market. This data covers the final three days of September and the whole of October.

During this period, online bets amounted to $323.6m. This included $36.8m across the three days of September and $286.8m in October.

Adjusted gross revenue from online betting for the period reached $54.2m. Some $1.5m was generated in the final days of September, while revenue in October hit $52.7m.

FanDuel edges out DraftKings in Kentucky

Looking at individual operators, FanDuel led the way in the opening period. Partnered with Churchill Downs, FanDuel took $20.3m in revenue ..

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