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Annamarie Phelps steps down as BHA chair

Annamarie Phelps CBE, the chair of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), has announced she will be stepping down when her term ends.

After a career in British rowing including an appearance at the Olympic Games, Phelps took on the role in June 2019 after working for a variety of governing bodies within the industry. The announcement comes on the eve of Cheltenham Festival.

Phelps said: “It has been a great privilege to lead the BHA during this challenging period for the sports sector, and to have recruited a fantastic CEO in Julie Harrington. I am immensely proud of what racing has achieved collectively in this time.”

She added that she was proud of the organisation for the way it handled a number of major challenges, including the COvid-19 pandemic, while she was chair.

“I want to thank the amazing BHA team for navigating the pandemic and for keeping the show on the road behind the scenes, a role that is rarely acknowledged,” she said. “It is a remarkable achievement that no fi..

March 9, 2022

Arizona falls just short of $500m sports betting handle in December

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Players in Arizona bet a record $499.2m (£379.4m/€455.1m) on sports in December 2021, though gross revenue fell 23.1% month-on-month.

Wagering was up 7.0% month-on-month from $466.7m in November, with the state’s handle split $494.5m for online bets and $4.7m at retail sportsbooks.

Consumers won a total of $454.9m from mobile betting and $4.5m from retail wagering.

As a result, despite this higher spending, gross revenue before free bets fell from $50.2m in November to $38.6m in December.

After accounting for $21.3m worth of free bets – almost all of which were distributed to online players – taxable revenue was $17.3m, down 45.6% month-on-month.

DraftKings led the way in December after taking $146.0m in total bets, followed by Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel Group on $128.5m, the BetMGM with $103.8m.

In terms of gross revenue, DraftKings also ranked first on $11.0m, ahead of FanDuel with $10.7m and BetMGM on $8.8m.

After taking away free bets, FanDuel was top with $7.2m in ..

March 8, 2022

Rhode Island sports betting handle hits $58.6m in January

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Consumers in Rhode Island spent $58.6m (£44.8m/€53.8m) on sports betting in January, the second-highest monthly total since legalisation in November 2018.

The January figure was 47.2% higher than the $39.8m wagered in the same month last year and 6.7% more than $58.6m in December 2021. The total was also just short of the $60.2m record set in October of last year.

Online betting accounted for $33.5m of all wagers placed in January, while the remaining $25.1m was bet at retail sportsbook facilities at the Twin River and Tiverton Casino sites.

Twin River was again the main venue of choice for players with $18.8m wagered during the month, compared to $6.3m at the Tiverton Casino.

Revenue for the month amounted to $5.2m, up 40.5% year-on-year and also 334.2% more than $1.2m in December last year.

Mobile revenue amounted to $2.9m in January, while retail revenue reached $2.3m, split $1.6m at Twin River and $756,664 at the Tiverton Casino.

Figures from the Rhode Island Lottery also rev..

March 8, 2022

Betfred expands US presence with sports betting launch in Arizona

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The Betfred USA Sports division of Betfred Group has launched mobile sports betting in the state of Arizona through a partnership with tribal facility the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort.

Players in Arizona can now download the Betfred Sports-branded app and place pre-event and in-play bets on a wide range of professional and college sports competitions.

The launch comes after Betfred agreed a market access deal with We-Ko-Pa in August of last year.

The app will support an existing retail sports betting offering at a temporary facility at the WKP Sports & Entertainment Sports Bar, with a permanent sportsbook scheduled to open at the We-Ko-Pa Casino later this year.

“Three months ago, the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort and Betfred Sports introduced sports betting kiosks at our beautiful desert gaming destination, and most recently opened a temporary full-service sportsbook,” We-Ko-Pa general manager Mary Ketterling said.

“Adding mobile apps is one more way we can offer Arizonans an easy, user-frien..

March 7, 2022

New Yorkers spend $1.54bn on internet sports betting in February

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Consumers in New York staked a total of $1.54bn (£1.17bn/€1.42bn) on internet sports betting in February, while gross gaming revenue from online wagering reached $91.7m.

The amount bet during the period from 31 January to 27 February, which included the Super Bowl, was 5.5% lower than the $1.63bn spent in the opening 23 days of the state’s legal market.

New York launched legal online sports betting on 8 January and the total wagered in the first 23 days of operation comfortably surpassed the US monthly handle record of $1.30bn set by New Jersey in October last year.

Gross gaming revenue from sports betting in February was also 18.9% lower than $113.0m in the opening period for the state’s legal market.

February included figures from Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel, DraftKings and Rush Street Interactive, all of which began operations on opening day in New York, as well as BetMGM, which went live on 17 January, PointsBet on 25 January and WynnBet on 2 February.

Flutter Entertainment-ow..

March 7, 2022

Genius Sports halts commercial operations in Russia and Belarus

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Genius Sports Group has become the latest gambling business to suspend operations in Russia and Belarus in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The sports data supplier and technology business said it will suspend commercial operations in both Russia and Belarus for the foreseeable future.

More than one million people have left Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country on 24 February.

“At all times our priority remains ensuring the safety and well-being of our colleagues, their

families and loved ones in the region,” Genius Sports said. “Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people.”

Last week, online gambling operator LeoVegas announced its was to suspend all betting on domestic Russian and Belarusian sports in response to the invasion.

Parimatch Tech also said that it would withdraw its franchise from Russia in response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Parimatch brand was founded in Ukraine in 1994 and the main development centre of Parimat..

March 4, 2022

Nairobi bill would only permit betting in five-star hotels

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The Nairobi County Assembly has approved at first reading a bill that would only allow gambling operators to be located five-star hotels, and would only allow them to operate between the hours of 8pm and 6am.

The Nairobi City County Betting, Lotteries and Gaming (Amendment) Bill, 2021 would amend the country’s Gaming Act, which only became law last year.

The bill was approved at its second reading last week, bringing it one step closer to becoming law.

It would add new provisions to the country’s gaming laws, including only allowing betting, lotteries and gaming facilities to be “domiciled in a five-star hotel”, as rated by Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority.

In addition, licenced premises would only be allowed to operate between the hours of 8pm and 6am.

Meanwhile, gambling advertisements may not be broadcast during the watershed period, which occurs from 10pm to 5am. Physical advertisements such as billboards would be banned entirely.

The law would also require all operators ..

March 4, 2022

PointsBet partners with NBC Sports for landmark dual-market telecast

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PointsBet has partnered with media broadcaster NBC Sports to debut its BetCast platform, a duel-market sports betting telecast to be split accros Chicago and Philadelphia.

The first ever BetCast will cover the NBA fixture between the Chicago Bulls and the Philadelphia 76ers, with the live game coverage spread across NBC Chicago and NBC Philadelphia.

PointsBet will supply live on-screen odds data in addition to future odds and player props. Viewers will also have access to PointsBet’s ‘Live Same Game Parlay’ options, giving them the opportunity to place bets while tracking odds, player performance, and team stats in-real time.

The BetCast will also feature alternate commentators to provide a sports betting focus. These include NBC Sports EDGE host Sara Perlman, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s 76ers analyst Jim Lynam, NBC Sports Chicago’s Bulls analyst Kendall Gill and PointsBet’s head oddsmaker Jay Croucher.

PointsBet first launched its sports betting product in Illinois in September 20..

March 4, 2022

Resorts World launches mobile sports betting app in New York

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Genting Group-owned Resorts World has become the latest operator to enter the New York mobile sports betting market, launching its new Resorts WorldBET app in the state.

Operated by the Resorts World New York City land-casino, the app will allow players in the state to place wagers across a wide range of sports.

New customers using the app will also have access to a risk-free bet of up to $500.

Resorts World already had a presence in the New York sports betting market via a retail sportsbook facility at its Resorts World Catskills site in the state.

“This is something our players and sports enthusiasts have wanted for a long time, and we’re excited to say Resorts World New York now has mobile sports betting,” Genting Americas president Robert DeSalvio said.

“From our experience in having a sportsbook in both our Catskills and Las Vegas properties, we were able to take feedback from our players and deliver what New Yorkers really want in a mobile sports betting app.

“By partnering..

March 4, 2022

Virginia smashes sports betting handle record in January

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Consumers in Virginia wagered a total of $485.5m (£365.4m/€442.4m) on sports during January, a new monthly record for the US state.

The January figure surpassed the previous record of $427.3m set in October of last year by 13.6% and was also 13.8% higher than $426.6m in December.

Virginia launched its legal sports betting market on January 21 last year, meaning full year-on-year comparisons were not possible.

Adjusted gross revenue increased 80.2% month-on-month from $10.1m in December to $18.2m but was some way behind the $31.0m record set in August.

Players won a total of $446.5m in January, while the state was able to collect $2.9m in tax from sports betting. Virginia has a 15% tax rate in place on each operator’s adjusted gross revenue.

Of the total tax collected during the month, 97.5%, or $2.8m, was allocated to the General Fund Allocation, while the remaining 2.5%, or $71,915, went to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund Allocation.

Since the market opened in Ja..

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