Sports betting – Page 17

June 26, 2024

Coyotes owner to unwind team; SaharaBets likely to exit Arizona

Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has given up hanging onto what remains of his NHL team, and will dissolve the team. Muruelo had been planning to build a new Phoenix-area arena and the NHL gave him five years to recreate his team.

But days after a land deal fell through, Meruelo decided to move on, PHNX Sports reported Tuesday (25 June). And with that decision, it seems clear that SaharaBets will also exit Arizona. The digital sports betting platform is tethered to the franchise, as required by Arizona law. It launched in January 2022.

In April Meruelo sold the players and game operations to a Utah-based group. He retains the rights to the name, team IP, records and the AHL (American Hockey League) Roadrunners affiliate franchise. At that time, the NHL classified the Coyotes as an “inactive” team. Meruelo now says he will unwind team operations within 30 days.

More on Meruelo and his NHL ownership demise!
NHL Faces a Reset After Meruelo’s Missteps and Coyotes Collapse ⁦⁦@Arizo..

June 25, 2024

DC Council creates open, competitive wagering marketplace

On Tuesday (25 June) the DC Council gave final approval to its FY2025 budget that includes a provision to open the digital sports betting market. Currently, FanDuel is the sole platform available citywide but, under the new budget, that will change.

The new budget required an emergency act to avoid having to send the budget to congress for approval. The DC Council passed the Budget Support Act via voice vote. The budget is set to go into effect on 15 July.

The new budget will allow for commercial operators to enter the market. BetMGM (Nationals Park) and Caesars Sportsbook (Capital One Arena) should quickly be able to expand their current digital offerings. Through existing partnerships, the operators have brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and offer digital betting within an exclusion zone. Under the new plan, they will be able to offer their platforms across the District.

FanDuel in April launched its platform in partnership with the DC Lottery. The company currently has a monopoly. ..

June 25, 2024

Arizona Coyotes lose chance at new arena site. Does this affect wagering licence?

The Arizona Coyotes – currently an NHL team in name only – announced late on Friday that the state cancelled a land auction on property targeted for a new arena. Without players or a place to play, can the Coyotes keep their event wagering licence?

There does not currently appear to be a clear answer to that question. The Coyotes are among eight professional sports franchises that are licensed to offer legal digital event wagering in Arizona.

Owner Alex Meruelo in April sold the players and game operations to a Utah-based group. He retains the rights to the name, team IP, records and the AHL (American Hockey League) Roadrunners affiliate franchise. At that time, the NHL classified the Coyotes as an “inactive” team.

That designation does not appear to have changed. But the Coyotes’ plans to acquire new land on which to build a new arena have been stymied.

“Today, after a year of planning and meeting every obligation required under Arizona law, the Arizona State Land Department un..

June 24, 2024

Christopher Hebert appointed new Louisiana gaming chief

On Monday (24 June) Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry appointed Christopher Hebert as the state's new gaming chief. Former head regulator Ronnie Johns announced his retirement earlier this year and 30 June will be his last day.

Hebert was a director handling gaming in the attorney-general’s office. In that role, he worked closely with Johns, who retires as one of the most influential figures in Louisiana gaming. Herbert is the first black man to be named chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB), according to a press release from Landry’s office.

“Proper regulation of the gaming industry is crucial at a time in which gaming revenue continues to be a substantial part of our state’s economy,” Herbert said via press release. “I am both humbled and honored that Governor Landry has tapped me as the first African-American chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control board and I vow to continue the hard work of previous chairmen in ensuring that gaming is free from criminal and c..

June 24, 2024

US May round-up: Louisiana revenue grows while handle dips in New Hampshire

Casting an eye over the latest monthly US state results, iGB analyses further sports betting growth in Louisiana and an ongoing spending decline in New Hampshire.

Louisiana saw handle and revenue rise year-on-year during May. New Hampshire, however, reported lower revenue despite an increase in player spending.

Overall spend on sports betting in the state in May hit $256.7m (£203.1m/€240.1m), 31.6% higher than the same month last year. Of this total, $238.3m was bet online, with the other $18.4m wagered at retail sportsbooks.

Former Louisiana State University (LSU) national basketball champion Angel Reese signed to the WNBA team Chicago Sky in May at the start of the league’s four month season – this likely encouraged increased betting activity in the state during the month.

Revenue growth in Louisiana

As for gross gaming revenue from sports betting, this totalled $33.5m. The figure is 18.8% up on the previous year and marginally ahead of $33.0m in April.

Online betting account..

June 24, 2024

Weekend Report: MGM hacker arrested, Colorado tribes still shut out

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB updates you with the stories you may have missed over the last few days.

Suspected MGM hacker arrested in Spain

In 2022, MGM confirmed that its loyalty programme had been hacked. On 14 June, the Spanish national police arrested a man they believe to be involved in the hack at Palma Airport. He was boarding a flight to Italy, reported Murcia Today.

The FBI’s Los Angeles field office issued the arrest warrant for the 22-year-old UK national, per CyberNews.

The group responsible for the cyberattack, Scattered Spider, allegedly hacked multiple major corporations. The man arrested is accused of hacking corporate accounts and allegedly controlled $27m worth of BitCoin. Caesars Entertainment was also hacked last autumn.

Colorado tribes still shut out of digital wagering

Nearly five years after Coloradans legalised digital sports betting and four-plus years after launch, the state’s tribes still aren’t live. Per the Colorado Sun, the state has ..

June 24, 2024

Fifa president says “there will be sanctions” for violating wagering rules

With the Olympics on the horizon and two major international soccer tournaments underway, Fifa president Gianni Infantino used an event to honour Pele as a time to remind players to also honour the game.

On 15 June, in Paris, Infantino said his organisation wouldn’t abide players betting on the world’s most popular sport. He made the comments a day after UEFA’s Euro 2024 tournament opened and less than a week before Copa America kicked off.

“The players know: obviously, they should not bet,” he said, reported Games Magazine Brasil. “In football, in rugby, in any sport. When something happens, there are obviously investigations and very serious, very stringent decisions are made regarding betting. And football, at all levels, including amateur.”

Infantino’s comments were in response to questions about Brazilian national team and West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá. England’s Football Association (FA) is investigating Paquetá for potential wagering violations. In question are multiple..

June 21, 2024

State of the Union: MGCB busts illegal slot parlor, Caesars completes Wynn MI deal

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.

MGCB busts illegal gambling site

Michigan Gaming Control Board agents along with the state police raided an illegal gambling site on 5 June, the agency announced on Thursday (20 June). The agents confiscated six slot-style gaming machines, $2,820 in gift cards and $5,161 in cash from the Red Horse Bar in Saginaw. Following a tip, the MGCB issued a cease-and-desist letter to bar owners Christopher and Nicholas Adams. They did not comply, resulting in the raid.

“The Michigan Gaming Control Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring compliance with all state gambling regulations,” MGCB executive director Henry Williams said via press release. “We will continue to work diligently to identify and eliminate any illegal gambling activities that pose a threat to the integrity of the industry and the welf..

June 21, 2024

Maryland: Betfred to exit, Bally’s and VSC to enter wagering market

Digital wagering operator Betfred Sportsbook revealed that it will be exiting the state of Maryland at Thursday's (20 June) Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency meeting.

Betfred’s US business, partnered with Long Shot’s (off track betting) OTB in Frederick, has struggled to gain traction and will shutter its retail and digital sportsbooks over the summer. Betfred will close its brick-and-mortar location on 30 June and take down its digital platform on July.

Maryland’s wagering law allows for more than 15 “Class B” licences, which are for OTBs, bingo halls and similar businesses. The idea was to spread the opportunity to participate in sports betting beyond the professional sports teams and casinos.

Long Shot’s was vocal during the legislative process, which also included using what lawmakers called a “lens of inclusion”. This was designed to help small businesses and women- and minority-owned businesses to enter the market.

Maryland Lottery & Gaming director John ..

June 20, 2024

Ontario police open Jontay Porter criminal investigation

On Tuesday (18 June) a representative for Ontario's Provincial Police told ESPN that it has opened a criminal investigation into former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver in April issued Jontay Porter a lifetime ban from the league for betting on his own team and sharing personal information with bettors.

According to ESPN, the OPP Investigation and Enforcement Bureau will coordinate with US federal authorities, who are also investigating wrongdoing surrounding two NBA games. Porter took himself out of games on 26 January and 22 March. According to a federal affidavit, Porter allegedly left the games early at the behest of of Ammar Awawdeh.

“Screenshot this … Me ammar awawdeh born 7/23/91 is forcing [Player 1] to do this,” reads a text in the affidavit. Porter allegedly replied with: “If I don’t do a special with your terms. Then it’s up. And u hate me and if I don’t get you 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”

Porter is not identifie..

June 20, 2024

Yield Sec projections: Illegal market still has strong hold on US gamblers

Using predictive analytics, Yield Sec earlier this month released a special report projecting that, even as legal sports betting proliferates across the US, the black market still dominates. According to the report, the black market made up 65% of all wagering GGR in the US.

In 2023, according to the report, of the predicted total $29.5bn GGR in the US, $10.4bn was from legal operators.

Yield Sec further broke down the numbers and determined that 15% of all legal US GGR came from basketball, 10% from football and 6% from baseball.

Parlays ruled US betting in 2023, making up 54% ($15.9bn) of GGR. A company spokesperson said that while operator data may show that football is the most-bet sport in the US, many of those bets are parlays, which show up as “parlays” rather than “football” in Yield Sec data.

The report is titled “How America Bets Online” and only includes data related to online or digital gambling.

Yield Sec, a market intelligence platform, uses AI to trawl the web f..

June 19, 2024

Michigan online gambling revenue tops $239.5m in May

Online gambling revenue in Michigan hit $239.5m (£188.3m/€223.0m) in May, a year-on-year increase of 28.9%, with growth across both the online casino and sports betting markets.

According to the latest Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) figures, the state’s revenue total cleared the $185.8m posted in May last year.

It was also 2.0% ahead of the $234.8m generated in Michigan in April this year.

Gross receipts from online casino activity amounted to $198.6m, up 31.9% year-on-year. As for sports betting, gross receipts here hiked 15.2% to $40.9m, with handle also rising 19.2% to $343.7m.

Adjusted gross receipts up 31.2%

In terms of adjusted gross receipts, taking into account promotional spending, there was also growth. Total adjusted gross receipts for the igaming market were 31.2% higher at $206.8m.

Adjusted online casinos receipts jumped 31.9% to $178.7m, with adjusted sports betting receipts up 27.7% to $28.1m.

The figures cover igaming activity across both commercial and ..

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Tag: Sports betting