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ACMA report reveals one in ten Australians bet online

More than 10% of Australians bet online at least once during the six months to June 2021, according to a new study by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Looking at players’ online gambling habits in the period, the report found that overall player participation was up from 8% in 2020 as more consumers turned to online for gambling, excluding lottery.

Of those who gambled online, 44% said they did so less than monthly, 10% monthly, 10% every two weeks, 15% weekly and 14% several times a week. Some 4% of players gambled online once a day, while 2% said they played multiple times a day.

Focusing on changing player habits amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, the report found 16% of players gambled more online than before the pandemic, 6% said they played less, while 77% said their habits remained the same.

Sports betting was the most popular choice among players with 57% saying they had wagered on sport in the six months to June 2021, while 55% bet on ho..

February 17, 2022

Strong lottery showing helps Tabcorp revenue grow 2.2% in H1

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Australia’s Tabcorp Holdings reported an increase in revenue for the six months ended 31 December 2021, with its lottery division the standout performer ahead of its demerger from the group.

For the first half of the operator’s financial year, revenue was up 2.2% year-on-year to AU$2.93bn (£1.55bn/€1.86bn/$2.11bn).

The largest contributor to the group total was the Lotteries and Keno division, comprising The Lott and Keno brands. It saw revenue increase 10.9% to AU$1.78bn in spite of keno venues being impacted by Covid-19 trading restrictions. While keno revenue was down 9.8% to AU$119.0m, lottery was up 12.7% to AU$1.67bn across retail and digital channels.

A highly visible retail network – comprising newsagents, petrol stations, kiosks and pharmacies – helped turnover grow 5%, while digital’s share of lottery turnover was up from 32.1% in the prior year to 36.7%.

Game development helped keep jackpot games and Saturday Lotto turnover growing. However, other titles, such as scra..

February 17, 2022

Zebet becomes latest operator to secure Dutch licence

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Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has granted an online gambling licence to a 12th operator – Zebetting and Gaming, which operates the Zebet brand.

Zebetting and Gaming will be permitted to offer bets on sports and horse racing at the Zebet.nl and Zeturf.nl websites.

It becomes only the 12th operator to be permitted to launch online in the Netherlands. When the Dutch online market opened on 1 October – after a number of delays – only ten operators were permitted to launch.

These initial licensees included Bet365, Tombola, Play North, Dutch land-based operator Holland Casino and state lottery Nederlandse Loterij with its Toto Online brand.

The Janshen Hahnraths Group with FPO Nederland, Italy-based Betent, Belgian brand Bingoal, NSUS Malta, which runs the GGPoker.eu brand and sports media and betting business LiveScore Malta also secured licences.

Soon after the market launch, JOI Gaming, a division of Dutch land-based casino operator JVH Gaming & Entertainment Group, be..

February 16, 2022

GiG CEO on first year of B2B focus

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After refocusing on B2B in 2020, 2021 was the year when Gaming Innovation Group's new strategy showed return. For chief executive Richard Brown, it still only feels like the start.

Yesterday (15 February) Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) reported a 28.0% year-on-year rise in revenue for 2021. Following its divestment of its B2C assets in 2020, this marked its first full year as a purely B2B business, and while CEO Richard Brown says he is pleased with the performance he stresses that it’s still the beginning for the company.

Richard Brown, GiG CEO

“We made the shift in 2020, laid the initial groundwork, and in 2021 it started to come to fruition. We felt we had to work on a lot of stuff operationally, so as the results followed the strategic move in sequence, it really feels as if we’re gearing up.”

Revenue for the year was driven predominantly by GiG’s media business, which contributed €45.0m of the total, up 31.2% from the prior year. Brown has previously described that divi..

February 15, 2022

Resorts Digital to grant third NJ skin to “major global company”

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Resorts Digital Gaming, the online arm of DGMB Casinos, is in “advanced discussions” with an unnamed “major global sports betting company” to bring the business into New Jersey under Resorts’ licence.

Resorts Digital said the deal is set to be signed imminently, with the brand then able to launch once it receives approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

“I can’t wait to announce this exciting deal once it is finalised – it really will give RDG the most diverse stable of sports betting brands in the New Jersey market,” Resorts Digital Gaming chief executive Ed Andrewes said.

“This will also free up our third sports betting skin, allowing us to focus all our energy on our core casino customers.”

Because New Jersey licensees are only permitted three online sports betting skins.

As Resorts Digital already has deals in place with Flutter’s Fox Bet and DraftKings, the operator will stop offering sports betting on its ResortsCasino.com website.

All existing unsettle..

February 15, 2022

GiG revenue grows 28% as business prepares to acquire Sportnco

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Media services continued to power revenue growth at Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) in 2021, ahead of the business’s acquisition of betting supplier Sportnco.

Overall, revenue was up 28.0% year-on-year to €66.8m (£55.9m/$75.8m).

Media services continued to make up the vast majority of GiG’s overall revenue, bringing in €45.0m, up 31.2% from 2020.

The media services division continued to expand in the US, now having approval to do business in 19 states.

“GiG will continue to invest in the US market to carry out our long-term strategy to claim the US market through our premium assets, Wsn.com and Casinotopsonline.com,” the business said.

GiG CEO Richard Brown added that he was especially impressed by the continued growth of this segment.

“Media Services continues to go from strength to strength, expanding rapidly in new markets and taking further share of wallet in existing markets,” he said. “The team and strategy has delivered exceptionally well during 2021.”

Platform services mad..

February 15, 2022

NY mobile sports betting handle nears $2.0bn in opening 30 days

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Players in New York wagered just under $2.00bn (£1.48bn/€1.76bn) in the first 30 days since the state launched its legal online sports betting market.

A total of $1.98bn was bet in the period between January 8, when the market opened, and February 6, according to figures released by the New York State Gaming Commission.

Consumer spending included more than $600m on football, $540m on basketball and almost $80m on ice hockey.

The latest figures from the Commission also revealed that gross gaming revenue for the first 30 days of legal online sports betting in the state reached $138.5m. At a 51% tax rate for the state, this meant more than $70.6m in tax revenue was generated during the period.

GeoComply, which works with licensed sportsbooks in New York to ensure the geolocation requirements of players, also said more than 1.76 million unique player accounts were utilised for over 187 million transactions during the period.

Last week, it was revealed that New York already surpassed t..

February 14, 2022

Indiana breaks sports betting handle record in January

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The Indiana Gaming Commission has reported sports betting handle of $498.4m (£368.9m/€440.5m) across the state in January 2022, setting a new record.

January’s total eclipses the previous record of $463.7m set in November 2021, in addition to representing a 43.5% increase on the same month in 2021. January’s handle was also a 7.6% increase compared to the previous month.

Basketball proved to be the most popular sport to bet on, with customers wagering $192.4m. Parlay bets followed with $122.6m, while American football attracted $118.3m in wagers.

In terms of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), Indiana’s total came to $35.6m for January – up 21.5% from 2021, but below the record high set in November.

Blue Chip Casino and its FanDuel-operated sportsbook continued to have the highest AGR of $12.2m from a handle of $127.2m. The DraftKings-partnered Ameristar Casino came next with $11.2m despite bringing in a higher handle of $168.9m.

Belterra Casino, another user of FanDuel’s sportsbook, ..

February 11, 2022

Iowa sports betting handle doubles year-on-year in January

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Bettors in Iowa staked $303.3m in the first month of 2022, meaning handle more than doubled year-on-year.

Amounts wagered for January was up 102.9% from January 2021’s $149.5m total figures from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission show.

This was driven entirely by mobile betting, with customers staking $275.9m during the month, a 128.4% jump.

Retail, on the other hand, actually declined from January 2021, with stakes down 4.5% to $27.5m.

Caesars led the way in terms of handle, with customers staking $112.7m through its mobile sportsbook, setting it ahead of DraftKings which reported $68.9m in mobile stakes, and FanDuel on $44.1m.

For retail, it was the FanDuel sportsbook at the Diamond Jo Worth Casino that led the way, with $8.7m staked. Penn National’s Ameristar II in Council Bluffs followed with customers wagering $5.4m at its Barstool Sportsbook, and the Caesars Sportsbook at Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs on $3.9m.

From the statewide handle of $303.3m across all chan..

February 11, 2022

BetMGM launches inaugural regulated Puerto Rico sports betting platform

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BetMGM, in conjunction with Casino del Mar, has launched Puerto Rico's first regulated sports betting platform at the casino's La Concha resort.

As of today BetMGM is accepting wagers at the San Juan-based resort through 12 betting kiosks and five betting windows. BetMGM also plans to open a retail sportsbook in addition to launching a mobile app later in the year.

The operator first entered into its strategic partnership with Casino del Mar back in September 2021, with a view to executing today’s sports betting launch.

BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said: “This is a monumental day for BetMGM as it marks the launch of our first operation outside of the US mainland. Casino del Mar delivers exceptional guest experiences and is an ideal partner as we look to extend our brand in Puerto Rico.”

The sports betting launch forms the latest part of Puerto Rico’s expansion of its gaming industry.

Foxwoods recently partnered with the Mashantucket Pequot tribe to open the Foxwoods El ..

Author: Bookiecity