Tag: Online sports betting

How much do sportsbooks spend on marketing and will it lead them to profit?

Russell Karp of DataArt explores how leading US sportsbooks spend their marketing dollars, examines their strategy and results and looks for a path to profitability.

Fall and winter are intensely hot seasons for sports betting with NFL, NBA, college football and basketball, NHL and MLB post-season action. So it’s no surprise that the last three months of the year became the most expensive in terms of advertising.

BIA Advisory Services forecasted that up to $1.8bn would be spent in 2022 to promote gambling products online, with a sizeable chunk going towards sports betting. In the first week of the year alone, ad spending by the four biggest sportsbooks rocketed to a lofty $24m.

But how do these heavy marketing investments impact the sports betting business? And are sportsbooks getting a return on their investment?

Where does the money go?

To acquire as many users as possible, as early as possible, sportsbooks invest heavily in marketing. A larger share of voice, paired with attra..

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Bet365 revenue ticks up, but marketing costs lead to 88% profit decline

Bet365’s revenue ticked slightly up in 2021-22 as gaming growth offset a sports betting decline, but increased customer acquisition costs in new markets led to an almost 90% drop in profit.

Bet365 reported that revenue from sports and gaming for the year ended 27 March 2022 was up by 2.9% year-on-year to £2.85bn.

The increase was mostly due to the success of its gaming operations. Sports gaming revenue was down by 2% from 2020-21, while gaming revenue was up by 25%.

This would suggest sports betting revenue for 2021-22 of around £2.30bn, while gaming revenue would fall around £546m.

Bet365 revenue was up by 2.9% year-on-year to £2.85bn.

The operator said that the decline in sports betting revenue was margin-based, as the total amount that was wagered increased and the number of active customers was up by 48%.

Regulus Partners noted that Bet365’s margins in 2020-21 were “unusually high”, and that in 2021-22 they came back to more typical levels. It said that on an underlying bas..

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Stake.com agrees sponsorship deals, expands streaming options for FA Cup

Online gambling operator Stake.com has expanded its live streaming capabilities for the English FA Cup, and agreed partnerships with three lower-league clubs competing in the competition.

Stake.com customers will be able to watch each game live via the operator’s website and mobile app for the first time.

To support this offering, Stake.com will partner with three lower-league sides that are due to host top-tier Premier League clubs in the third round. These include Cardiff City of the Championship, set to play Leeds United, League Two’s Gillingham against Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday of League One against Newcastle United.

Stake.com branding will appear on the sleeves of each of the three lower league teams in their FA Cup third round matches, as well as on in-stadium LED advertising boards.

In addition, Stake.com will carry out a series of media activations, working with former players and ambassadors to produce editorial and social media content.

2022 FA Cup

FA Cup..

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Fanatics confirms Amelco will power its sportsbook

Sports apparel giant Fanatics will use Amelco’s source code to power its sports betting product, the business announced in a Massachusetts licensing meeting.

Fanatics had long made its intentions to enter the world of sports betting known. The business was part of an application for a licence in New York back in 2021, while last year it created a betting and gaming arm and made a number of major hires within this division.

The business has also applied for a number of licences. Besides Massachusetts, it also received a retail betting licence in Maryland and is approved in Ohio.

Amelco source code for Fanatics

However, the technology it intended to use had remained unknown. Reports claimed that Fanatics would use Amelco’s source code as far back as April 2022, but at the time the operator said that there was no deal in place with the supplier.

Later reports alleged that Fanatics would acquire German sportsbook operator Tipico and use its platform, but Fanatics opted not to comment ..

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Missouri sports betting bill introduced

A bill that would permit sports betting in Missouri has been introduced in the state house as the current legislative session begins.

House Bill 581 was sponsored and introduced on 4 January 2023. It was sponsored by representative Phil Christofanelli.

If passed, the bill would repeal three sections of the current law and enact seventeen new ones related to sports gambling.

The bill would enable land-based casinos to offer sports betting as well as to partner with suppliers to offer sports gambling online.

Number of sports betting operators in Missouri

Each land-based casino can partner up with three online sports gambling brands , with a limit of six online partners for companies that own multiple casinos.

The proposed amendments would also allow Missouri-based sports teams to partner with a digital sports gambling provider to launch an online service. Sports teams to qualify must play in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, WNBA or NWSL.

The state has multiple sports teams that would..

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Massachusetts approves Barstool betting license, but will also investigate brand

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has voted to approve Penn Sports Interactive and its Barstool brand for a sports betting license, but only under certain conditions, including cooperation with an investigation.

The decision followed multiple public meetings between Penn representatives and the MGC where the commissioners grilled the Barstool-operator on several items. Among the topics under discussion was concerns over the Barstool brand and its controversial founder David Portnoy.

In particular, there were questions over the connection between the Barstool Sports, a media organisation founded by Portnoy, and the Barstool Sportsbook, the Penn-owned betting platform.

[Read full story on iGB North America]

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New Hampshire sports betting handle continues to rise in November

Consumers in New Hampshire wagered $93.1m on sports during November, the highest monthly total for 11 months and 11.9% up from the same month in 2021.

Player spending was comfortably higher than the $83.2m wagered in November 2021 and also 2.0% more than $91.3m in October of 2022.

Of the total amount bet by consumers in November, some $69.1m was spent online, while the remaining $24.0m was wagered at retail sportsbooks in New Hampshire.

Read the full story on iGB North America

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Ohio leads US with 11.3 million geolocation transactions over New Year’s weekend

Ohio was the busiest regulated market in the US over the New Year’s holiday weekend, with the state recording 11.3 million geolocation transactions across January 1 and 2, according to GeoComply.

Legal sports wagering launched in Ohio at midnight on January 1, with FanDuel, BetMGM DraftKings, Bet365, Tipico, Betr and Prophet among the brands that went live on opening day.

Across the first two days of Ohio’s regulated market, GeoComply recorded 11.3 million geolocation transactions from 783,863 unique accounts, in a state with a population of 11.8 million people.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

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Ohio launches legal sports betting

Legal sports betting has launched in Ohio, with a number of major brands going live on 1 January.

Ohio set out a 1 January 2023 launch date for sports betting in a bill agreed by conference between both houses of its legislature.

Among the operators going live in the state on launch day were national market leaders, FanDuel, BetMGM and DraftKings, European businesses Bet365 and Tipico and startups Betr and Prophet.

Ohio is set to represent a major opportunity to operators and suppliers as the seventh-most populous US state, with 11.8 million residents.

“Today marks a monumental day of growth for both BetMGM and the sports betting industry,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Ohio is home to thousands of passionate sports fans, who now have the opportunity to enjoy first-hand the excitement and benefits of wagering with BetMGM.”

Read the full story on iGB North America

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PointsBet in talks to sell Australia arm to News Corp venture

PointsBet is in discussions to sell its Australian arm to NTD Limited, the News Corp-led business behind Australia’s Betr brand.

PointsBet revealed last week – following a report in The Australian – that it was in discussions to sell its Australian business to NTD Pty Limited.

NTD is a venture set up this year involving media conglomerate News Corp, investment fund Tekkorp Capital and long-time industry executive Matt Tripp and operates the Australia-facing Betr brand. Another operator named Betr launched in the US this year, but the two are unrelated.

PointsBet said “any potential transaction will be assessed in the context of PointsBet’s global strategy and opportunities”.

Murdoch family-owned News Corp are among the parties involved in Ntd Pty Limited

“Discussions between PointsBet and NTD are incomplete and preliminary in nature,” it said. “There is no certainty that these discussions will result in any binding transaction.

“PointsBet will keep the market updated in accordan..

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2022 World Cup breaks betting records, thanks in part to US growth

Betting across the 2022 Fifa World Cup increased by 13% from 2018’s tournament according to OpenBet, while GeoComply noted the final was surpassed only by the Super Bowl in the US.

OpenBet said its performance among European players broke a record, with an engagement level increase of 22%. Canada, a joint host for the 2026 World Cup, recorded a 21% increase for the same metric, also setting a record.

Canada will share hosting duties with the US and Mexico, where the tournament will return to being played over the summer. The Qatar World Cup was organised for November and December due to inhospitable temperatures in June and July.

In North America, OpenBet said World Cup betting was more than double the size of the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments.

It also found that more 12 million bets were placed on the US team during the World Cup, garnering more than $100m (£82.3m/€94.1m) in stakes.

“Alongside a strong performance in Europe, the growth we have seen in North Ameri..

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Industry insiders say New York Times series paints unfair picture

State lawmakers and stakeholders in the gaming industry have taken aim at the New York Times for its critical reporting on the expansion of US sports betting just as the industry met in Las Vegas to discuss best practices related to responsible and problem gaming. By Buck Wargo.

In late November, the New York Times, in a year-long investigation, outlined how the industry lobbied state officials with gifts and contributed millions in campaign donations to spur expansion after the repeal of PASPA in 2018.

The series depicted how ads on television and websites for making bets had become unavoidable and outlined the consequences to public health, taxpayers and the sports world.

The Times wrote that lawmakers gave out tax exemptions, which ultimately subsidised operators’ luring of patrons with free bets and other promotions, and found promises of tax revenue haven’t materialised.

When it comes to responsible gaming, the New York Times said the industry has been “creative in devising wa..

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