Month: March 2022

Coinciding with this year’s Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March, the multi-media ‘The System’ campaign will be spread across television, digital social and audio.

The campaign will be centred around a television advert that promotes the idea of keeping betting fun, whereby consumers will be encouraged to use FanDuel’s ‘Play Well’ responsible gambling tools such as deposit and time limits to keep in control of their gambling habits.

Other activity in the campaign will include a series of videos featuring FanDuel responsible gaming ambassador and sports media personality Craig Carton.

These videos include a responsible gaming training module for FanDuel employees, as well as a responsible gaming tutorial for FanDuel customers and social media videos highlighting FanDuel’s range of safer gambling tools.

Carton will also talk to FanDuel employees and customers about his personal experiences with gambling and how this can help others in managing their play.

“We’re fully committed at FanDuel to developing useful tools and programs that make a difference in responsible gaming,” FanDuel’s vice president of responsible gambling Adam Warrington said. 

“Our new ad campaign and Craig Carton’s content aim to bring an important spotlight to our player control tools that help customers keep sports betting fun and entertaining.”

As part of the initiative, FanDuel said it would also make a $100,000 donation to the NCPG in order to further support the organization’s work in providing for programs and services to assist people and families affected by problem gambling. 

“The Play Well tools offer a common-sense, non-stigmatizing approach to responsible play and problem gambling prevention,” NCPG executive director Keith Whyte said. “This critical initiative not only offers vital consumer protections but actively encourages customers to use these tools regularly.

“We applaud FanDuel Group for taking meaningful steps, during Problem Gambling Awareness Month and all year long, to promote responsible gambling and address problem gambling nationwide.”

Issued by Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the licence will enable 888 to offer online casino, sport betting and poker products to players in the province.

The licence means 888 now holds licenses in 19 locally regulated markets, including seven states in the US.

“As a group, our focus is on strengthening our presence and offer to customers across key regulated markets,” 888 chief executive Itai Pazner said. “To that end, Ontario represents an attractive long-term growth opportunity for 888 and this is an extremely strategically important milestone for us.

“As we prepare for launch in the coming weeks, we are excited to bring all of 888’s leading products and games to new audiences across the province, providing our unique and differentiated experiences to players.”

iGaming Ontario (iGO) the subsidiary of AGCO that will oversee the market, announced in January that the province’s legal igaming market would launch on April 4.

This will conclude a process that dates back to April 2019, when the province’s government announced plans to end Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s monopoly on igaming, opening up the market to private operators.

It then moved forward with these plans in November 2020, with legislation introduced and passed in 2021.

AGCO released its final igaming sports and event betting regulatory standards in September of last year, including changes to advertising standards and integrity rules.

Single-event sports betting officially launched in Canada on August 27, but is currently only offered by provincial lotteries.

Penn National Gaming and theScore Bet venture could also launch in Ontario next month, having secured the Responsible Gambling Check iGaming Accreditation from the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) ahead of the market opening.

The company recorded revenue of £3.83bn ($5.12bn/€4.63bn) for 2021, which represented a 7.6% increase on the previous year.

During the earnings call to discuss the financial results, Entain CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen gave an insight into the company’s plans to expand its territory in countries such as Canada and Brazil.

Entain recently completed the acquisition of Avid Gaming in Canada, while Brazil passed legislation to legalise land-based and online gambling in the country at the end of February.

Nygaard-Andersen said: “In Canada, you saw us do the acquisition of Avid. We also have Party and bwin there. So as we’ve said before, we will also apply for a license in Ontario for Party and we continue to invest into that market, which is a significant market, which we’re really excited about.

“Same thing in Brazil. We have Sportingbet there, which is a strong brand. So when that market opens up through regulation later this year, as far as we see we’re obviously going to continue to invest into that brand there when we can actually do investment into marketing.”

Nygaard-Andersen added that while Sportingbet already takes in a significant amount of revenue from Brazil, the opportunity to market directly to consumers could be a major impact.

Entain brand BetMGM maintained a 29% market share in igaming and an 18% market share in sports betting by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021. The company estimates that the US facing operator will reach positive earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by the end of 2023.

With regards to Entain’s presence in the UK, Nygaard-Andersen said the business had worked to create a more recreational base of players and mentioned the success of the company’s responsible gambling tools.

She added: “Our initial trials are extremely encouraging. We’re showing risk assessment accuracy of over 80%, 120% uplift in those that use the safer gambling tools, and then a 30% overall reduction in customers that have increased their risk levels. And right now, it’s rolled out to all our UK brands.

“The most important thing that we make sure that it’s available for all customers and then we drive the use of it. The next step for us is now rolling it out to our European brands and next rollout is, I think, taking place now or over the next couple of months.”

Introduced yesterday (March 3), House Bill 6937 has been passed to the House Committee on Ways and Means, with sponsors hoping to amend a law that has been in place since 1977.

Failure to adjust the threshold for inflation, sponsor said, has caused a significant increase in the number of slot jackpots casinos and customers that must report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

When adjusted for inflation, a $1,200 jackpot in 1977 would be equivalent to more than $5,000 today.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) voiced its support for the legislation, saying that if the bill were to pass into law, it would provide a mechanism for future increases based on inflation.

“Increasing the slot tax threshold to account for inflation is a long overdue change that will alleviate unnecessary administrative burdens on casino operators, their customers and an understaffed and overwhelmed IRS,” AGA president and chief executive Bill Miller said.

“The legislation provides Congress a direct path to modernise the slot reporting threshold. We look forward to continuing to work with these bipartisan leaders on Capitol Hill to address outdated regulations that impact our industry.”

HB 6937 is being sponsored by Representatives Mark Amodei, Anthony Brown, Steven Horsford, Dina Titus and Guy Reschenthaler.

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 January of last year, players wagered $3.71bn on sports, with adjusted gross revenue totalling $149.1m. Consumers won a total of $3.38bn and the state generated $23.2m in tax.

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 with an innovative product and technology focused company in PointsBet as our platform provider, we believe Resorts WorldBET will only add to our success.”

Resorts World becomes the eighth operator to launch in New York since the state opened its legal online sports betting market on January 8 this year.

Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel and Rush Street Interactive went live on opening day, while BetMGM was permitted to launch from January 17. PointsBetfollowed on January 25, then WynnBet in February.

Last month, it was also revealed that players in New York wagered just under $2.00bnin the first 30 days since the state launched its legal market. A total of $1.98bn was bet during the period between January 8 and February 6, according to the New York State Gaming Commission.

The payment comes after the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement filed a complaint to the state Attorney General’s office regarding proxy wagering by a DraftKings customer.

Media reports in 2020 alleged that a DraftKings customer based in Florida had an agreement with DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello that allowed him to use a proxy that would place bets for him in New Jersey.

At the time, DraftKings denied these media reports.

However, the Attorney General determined that the operator did violate the rules regarding proxy betting. As a result, DraftKings agreed a settlement with the Division of Gaming Enforcement, that includes a $150,000 penalty payment.

In addition to the payment,  the settlement stipulates that DraftKings will undertake “corrective actions” to ensure it does not allow similar events to occur again.

Last month, DraftKings published its financial results, revealing that it made a net loss of $1.52bn (£1.12bn/€1.34bn) for its 2021 financial year despite revenue more than doubling year-on-year.

Revenue for the 12 months to 31 December 2021 amounted to $1.30bn, up 110.9% from $614.5m in the previous financial year, but costs – mostly related to marketing – grew more rapidly.

The iGB Affiliate Conference series will include 13 streams and feature sessions dedicated to key areas such as the 2022 Fifa World Cup, social media branding and design, mobile marketing in the US, responsible gambling, casino live streaming and best compliance practice.

Other topics will include geo/vertical market segmentation, international digital marketing and localisation, App Store optimisation and SEO disasters, as well as a panel dedicated to the development of the affiliate sector in the US market.

Among the speakers scheduled to take part in the series are Erica Anderson, director of marketing at Income Access; Joshua Pizzie, director of commercial for Better Collective; Cristina Niculae, chief executive of Interactive Gaming Group; and James Kelly, search marketing director for Blueclaw.

Other speakers include Steve Lee, creative director of Digital Footprints; Kasper Szymanski, founder of SearchBrothers.com; Martin Calvert, marketing director at ics-digital LLP; Oscar Karlsten, chief operating office for Raketech; and Corey Padveen, a partner at t2 Marketing International.

Visitors will also hear from Ryan Henderson, head of affiliates at Kindred Group; Allan Stone, chief executive of Intelitics; and Dom Celica, search marketing director at Blueclaw.

“There are all business-centric issues and the content has been curated to leave delegates better equipped to maximise on the opportunities whether they be how to develop search focussed strategies to capitalise on the flurry of activity driven by major sporting events such as the 2022 Fifa World Cup or the rise of mobile betting in the United States and how to market to multiple states following guidelines and regulatory requirements across regional borders,” iGB brand portfolio director Naomi Barton said.

“We will also be exploring the new set of best practice standards developed by the industry for the industry with the aim of optimising business opportunities, reducing costs, improving transparency and building trust between affiliates and operators. 

“The stream, introduced by Oscar Karlsten, chief operating officer at Raketech, will provide an opportunity to hear from representatives of the affiliate companies behind the standard, the affiliate software providers that helped create it, and an operator which supports it.”

The iGB Affiliate Conference will form part of the wider iGB Affiliate London conference, which will return next month after a two-year absence due to the pandemic. This year’s show will by 28% than the most recent edition, with 160 exhibitors due to appear at the ExCeL in London from 13-14 April.

“The level of investment we are seeing for April’s iGB Affiliate London indicates that the sector is in a strong growth phase,” Barton said. 

“The shows that we ran last September in Amsterdam, were really well-received by the igaming and affiliate communities, and the success of those events and in particular, the business that they generated after what was a two-year absence for igaming events, has led to many of those new-to-market companies looking ahead to iGB Affiliate London as their next key event touchpoint, and signing up to participate. 

“What this means for attendees, is that they will meet and network with many new faces with new business and lead generation opportunities to explore.” 

iGB Affiliate London will take place from 13-14 April 2022, alongside ICE London, the world’s largest B2B gaming industry show, which runs from 12-14 April.

To register for iGB Affiliate London 2022, click here.

As part of its European expansion, the licence means that Stakelogic will be able to offer its live games to operators licensed anywhere an MGA supplier licence is accepted, including the recently regulated Netherlands market, which launched in October last year.

Stakelogic Live is streamed out of studios with the “latest broadcast and streaming technologies”, based across Birkirkara, Malta, and Eindhoven in The Netherlands.

All the games were designed and developed in- house and will be ran by a team of live casino specialists. According to Stakelogic, the team will be “pushing the boundaries and coming up with new live deal features and innovations”.

Stephan van den Oetelaar, Stakelogic CEO, said: “Securing a licence from the Malta Gaming Authority is a major step forward for Stakelogic Live and we are particularly pleased to now be able to offer our live dealer content in the Netherlands, a market where our slot games have performed incredibly well to date.

“Stakelogic Live is a premium live casino product and delivers unrivalled levels of engagement, authenticity and entertainment and we are looking forward to seeing our games land in the lobbies of our operator partners.”

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 2020, before launching its online sportsbook in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

NBC, which has partnered with PointsBet, created a new division within the company focusing on integrating betting with sports in August 2021.