Sports betting – Page 13

July 22, 2024

SuperBook shuts down in eight states

Late Friday (19 July) SuperBook Sports became the latest casualty in the digital sports betting world when it shut down in eight states. The company, which has its flagship retail sportsbook at the Westgate in Las Vegas, remains live online in Nevada.

In an 8.38pm ET tweet, the company announced that it had shuttered its platforms in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia at 8pm ET on Friday. SuperBook is the fourth platform to wind down operations this year.

Prophet Exchange, SaharaBets and Unibet all closed earlier in 2024. Like those three, SuperBook was unable to capture significant market share in any state outside of Nevada.

SuperBook is known for its massive retail location in Nevada and its NFL SuperContests. SuperBook had plans to offer the contests in other states. But it could not bring in players outside of Nevada without violating the Wire Act. However, plans to offer similar contests locally did not materialise.

SuperBook’s clos..

July 19, 2024

Bettor perspective? Walters, “Spanky” say US sportsbooks have much to learn

As legal sports betting in the US proceeds in its seventh year, many have expressed concerns about whether the current wagering model is sustainable for the long term.

A panel discussion on Friday (19 July) at the summer meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) in Pittsburgh featured views on the subject from legendary sports bettors Billy Walters and Gadoon “Spanky” Kyrollos. Both the legendary Walters, 78, and Kyrollos said sustainability depends on treating sports bettors fairly.

That, they said, means an equal playing field for all customers.

Richard Schuetz, a veteran casino executive, regulator and onetime Las Vegas sportsbook operator, moderated the panel. Schuetz hosted Walters when Schuetz ran the sportsbook at the Stardust.

Transparency, betting limits are concerns

One problem threatening the long-term sustainability of legal sports betting, panelists said, is a lack of knowledgeable operators. “The (legal) industry is new in this country..

July 19, 2024

State of the Union: ESPN Bet layoffs, SEC should be “vigilant” to protect athletes

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.

Penn lays off some ESPN Bet employees

Less than a year after launching its ESPN Bet platform, and about three years after buying Canadian-based theScore, Penn Entertainment announced layoffs.

Front Office Sports on Wednesday (17 July) tweeted a letter from Penn CEO Jay Snowden to employees. In the letter, Snowden says the company will be “implementing changes” to “streamline the reporting lines”. He also wrote that this process will “result in a limited number of team member separations”.

PENN Entertainment—the gambling company behind ESPN Bet—had a round of layoffs, including multiple employees who focused on ESPN Bet, a source tells @FOS. (Layoffs first reported by @DustinGouker)
Here's an email that was sent to employees this afternoon from the company's CEO: pic.twitter.com/zW7LKOVI9U
— A.J…

July 19, 2024

Pennsylvania gaming market shored up by record icasino performance in FY23-24

Pennsylvania reported year-on-year declines in slots, table games, sports betting, VGTs and fantasy sports in its fiscal year ended 30 June, yet a strong performance from online gaming was enough to push the state to record revenue and taxes.

Total gambling revenue for the 12 months to 30 June came to $5.89bn (£4.55bn/€5.41bn), 6.9% ahead of last year’s $5.51bn according to full-year figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

This generated $2.36bn in tax revenue for the Keystone state, a record breaking total. Of this total, $1.34bn came from casino slots and $157.6m table games. Sports betting generated $175.2m, video gaming terminals $21.4m and fantasy sports $2.9m.

However, it followed a year in which all verticals – bar one – declined year-over-year. The land-based casino market made the biggest contribution, with slots making up $2.44bn of FY23-24 revenue, down 0.6% from the prior year. A further $958m came from table games, with video gaming terminals (VGT) revenue ..

July 18, 2024

Evoke misses H1 EBITDA target, cites leadership change as H2 growth driver

Evoke Plc missed its H1 2024 adjusted EBITDA target by £35m to £40m due to high marketing costs and lower than expected revenue, it said in a trading update today.

The 888, William Hill and Mr Green parent company expects to mitigate its losses in H2 by employing up to £30m in cost savings and meeting its full-year earnings expectation.

A change in leadership and operational overhaul were cited as key drivers for cost efficiencies in the second half of the year. This includes 888’s new strategy and value creation plan, set out in March.

As a result, the firm expects H2 2024 revenue growth to be in line with its medium-term guidance of 5%-9%. It also hopes to deliver a 20% EBITDA margin in 2025. Marketing costs will be between £35m and £40m lower in H2 than in H1.

In an analyst note, Regulus Partners said the profit warning was “neither small nor unlucky”.

On the impact from marketing spend, Regulus said: “What is slightly alarming is that such poor tactics were allowed to unfol..

July 17, 2024

BetMGM, Caesars go live in Washington, DC after short delay

BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook went live across Washington, DC on Wednesday (17 July). Previously both operators could only offer their platforms in exclusion zones.

The launch is two days later than both operators planned. But they had to await the FY2025 budget being in force.

The budget includes provisions that open the market from a monopoly to a competitive landscape. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser did not sign or veto the budget. Her deadline to do so was 25 July. Instead, she sent it back to the DC Council. The move allows BetMGM and Caesars to begin offering their platforms throughout the city.

Bowser’s press secretary told Sports Handle that Bowser’s non-action “will still permit” the expansion. By sending it back, Bowser was demonstrating that she had “objections to several elements of the budget”. Given the contentious history of sports betting in DC, the expansion could be one of those objections.

Neverthelesss, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook announced on Wednesday that they had..

July 17, 2024

New Jersey: Sports betting decline fails to halt gambling revenue growth in June

A second consecutive month of year-on-year decline in sports betting revenue failed to halt overall growth in the New Jersey gambling market, with total revenue rising 7.4% in June.

Combined land-based casino, igaming and sports betting revenue in New Jersey hit $491.0m (£378.6m/€450.3m) for June. This is clear of $457.2m in the same month last year but 3.7% behind the $510.0m posted in May this year.

Land-based casino again generated the most gambling revenue for New Jersey during June. In total, revenue in this segment edged up by 1.0% to $244.1m. This includes $184.0m in slot machine revenue, a rise of 0.6%, and $60.1m table games, up 2.5%.

Igaming edges closer to New Jersey land-based casinos

By far the biggest area of growth in New Jersey in June was the igaming market. Here, total revenue was 25.2% higher year-on-year at $186.8m. This was $57.3m behind the long-established casino land-based sector.

‘Other authorised games’ drew $184.4m of all igaming revenue, up 25.6%. Howe..

July 17, 2024

Judge denies Jontay Porter’s request for his passport so he can play pro ball in Greece

On Tuesday (16 July), banned NBA player Jontay Porter filed a motion to get his passport back before sentencing in an NBA sports betting scandal, so he can play basketball in Greece. A district court judge denied the motion.

The motion, filed by Porter in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, included four requests:

1. for Jontay Porter to get his passport back;

2. to travel to and around Europe;

3. to live in Patras, Greece; and

4. to play pro basketball in Patras, Greece.

Porter last week pleaded guilty to felony charges and admitted to being part of a gambling scandal in which he removed himself from two NBA games so others could win their bets. Four others have been charged in the scandal.

Porter is set to be sentenced in December. Federal prosecutors are recommending that he serve 41-51 months in prison. He’ll also have to pay more than $450,000 in fines and fees.

Porter was released on $250,000 bond put up by his wife and mother.

Jontay Porte..

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..

July 16, 2024

Online wagering in US capitol on hold until mayor signs budget; platforms were ready to go Monday

Two sports betting platforms were ready to begin offering their products throughout Washington, DC on Monday (15 July). But Mayor Muriel Bowser still hasn't signed the budget bill that would allow BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook to go live.

Bowser has until 25 July to sign the budget. If she does not sign or veto it by then, it will automatically go into effect.

BetMGM and Caesars sportsbooks indicated on Monday that they are waiting for the mayor’s signature, but are unsure when it will come. BetMGM cancelled a planned celebration at Nationals Park, a company representative said. As of Monday night, FanDuel, partnered with the DC Lottery, remained the only platform available to those betting in DC.

But according to the Washington Examiner, FanDuel’s platform was unavailable Tuesday (16 May). For now, Washington, DC sports bettors can only place bets in person. FanDuel said in a statement to the Washington Post that it would re-launch once the budget was approved.

On 25 June th..

July 16, 2024

Illegal market outstrips licensed French gambling, AFJEL warns

French online gaming association AFJEL says Euro 2024 handle for its members fell far below pre-tournament estimates amid a rise in illegal gambling in the country.

The illegal gambling problem has reached a tipping point, l’Association Française des Jeux En Ligne (AFJEL) warned, with illegal players totalling four million in 2023, ahead of the regulated sector’s 3.6 million.

While French gambling regulator l’Autorite Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) predicted €1bn would be wagered on the tournament, AFJEL said around half of that figure was staked.

Instead, the association betting volumes were stagnant compared to the last European Championship in 2021. After that tournament, when France was eliminated in the second round, online punters wagered €343m. This would be increased to around €500m when La Francaise des Jeux’s retail network was included.

The amounts staked were also down 25% from the 2022 World Cup, AFJEL added, when €900m was bet as France reached the final.

AFJEL: Frenc..

July 16, 2024

Massachusetts reports sports betting growth despite retail loss in June

Massachusetts saw its sports betting handle and taxable gaming revenue both increase year-on-year in June despite reporting a loss within its retail market.

Total player spending on sports betting in Massachusetts during June amounted to $509.4m (£303.1m/€467.8m). This is 57.5% up from $323.5m last year but 13.3% behind $587.3m in May this year. It is also the lowest monthly total since $314.9m was bet in August 2023.

Online betting spending hit $500.7m in June, with retail drawing just $8.6m in comparison.

Revenue-wise, operators across online and retail reported $40.5m. This is up 25.8% from last year’s $32.2m haul but 29.0% short of $57.0m in May and the lowest monthly amount since $22.7m last August.

Online sports betting generated $41.0m in revenue during June. However, a $588,965 loss from the retail sector pushed the overall revenue total down for the month.

As for hold, across the Massachusetts market, this stood at 8.30% in June. Online hold hit 8.44% with retail at 0.01..

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Tag: Sports betting