Player spending on betting was 28.9% ahead of $402.6m in November 2021 but down 1.7% from $528.0m in October of 2022.
Adjusted gross gaming revenue for November – total wagers minus winnings, bonuses and promotions and other authorised deductions – hiked 76.6% year-on-year to $52.8m, while this total was also 16.0% ahead of October 2022 despite the lower handle.
Players wagered a total of $552.6m (£459.7m/€520.7m) during the month, an increase of 16.2% on November 2021 and 4.9% ahead of $526.9m in October of 2022.
Of this total, $548.0m was spent wagering on sports online, while a further $4.7m was bet at retail sportsbooks across Colorado.
House Bill 581 was sponsored and introduced on 4 January 2023. It was sponsored by representative Phil Christofanelli.
If passed, the bill would repeal three sections of the current law and enact seventeen new ones related to sports gambling.
The bill would enable land-based casinos to offer sports betting as well as to partner with suppliers to offer sports gambling online.
Each land-based casino can partner up with three online sports gambling brands , with a limit of six online partners for companies that own multiple casinos.
The proposed amendments would also allow Missouri-based sports teams to partner with a digital sports gambling provider to launch an online service. Sports teams to qualify must play in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, WNBA or NWSL.
The state has multiple sports teams that would meet the requirements, including Kansas City Chiefs, St Louis Blues, St Louis Cardinals and St Louis City SC.
Operators would need to gain a licence to offer sports gambling in the state and pay an application fee of $100,000 (£83,000/€94,000) as well as an annual renewal fee of $50,000. Upon applying for a licence, operators must submit a responsible gambling plan.
Suppliers will also need to apply for a licence for online sports gambling where they need to pay $150,000 and submit a responsible gambling plan. An annual renewal fee of $125,000 is also required from licensed suppliers.
A sports wagering supplier is defined as anyone that provides “goods, services, software, or any other components necessary for the creation of sports wagering markets and determination of wager outcomes, directly or indirectly, to any sports wagering operator”. The bill did not clarify whether affiliates would be required to apply for supplier licences.
Licensees will also face a tax of 10% on revenue minus exceptions for promotions.
Another $10,000 will have to be paid for the costs of a full reinvestigation of licensees in the fourth year after receiving a licence.
The Missouri Gaming Commission will provide $500,000 annually to a compulsive gamblers fund and will be re-assessed annually to potentially raise the figure.
This is not the first time that Missouri has tried to pass a sports betting law. In February 2022 a similar bill was introduced in the State House.
House Bill 2752, sponsored by representative Dave Griffith, suffered delays and was referred to the Special Committee on Public Policy on 13 May.
Ultimately, though, it was unable to be passed before the legislative session ended on the same day as no committee hearing was held.
From 8 January, Macau will drop most entry restrictions for foreign nationals, meaning that visitors will no longer require prior authorisation from the health authorities before entering the city.
However, oversees visitors will still be required to present a negative PCR or rapid-flow test or when departing for Macau by plane or ship. These conditions will not apply to individuals travelling from mainland China.
Macau International Airport will additionally resume its flight transfer business, which has been suspended as a pandemic protection measure. Once a visitor has entered Macau, they will no longer be required to quarantine. In general, all Covid-era post-entry health management measures are to be reversed.
Visitors who intend to travel to mainland China from Macau and are not residents of either must present a negative PCR test within 48 hours of departure. These restrictions only apply if a visitor has been in the special administrative region for seven days or less.
The Macau gaming trade has been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions. The city saw a more than 51.4% year-on-year decline in revenue in 2022, with takings declining to MOP42.20bn (£4.38bn/€4.97bn/$5.24bn).
This total was an 85.6% fall from 2019, the last year unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following major nationwide protests against the length and severity of the government’s “zero-Covid” policy, the Chinese authorities have dropped many restrictions against the virus.
The news could be a boon to the Macau gaming sector, which is now entering its fourth year grappling with the virus.
BetConstruct noted that this new decision by the MGA will allow the company “to grow their operation by targeting players that use cryptocurrencies and increase their satisfaction and engagement”.
It will offer cryptocurrency gambling through both its white-label product and its own Vbet brand.
Earlier in the year, BetConstruct announced it will accept Fasttoken (FTN) as a supported cryptocurrency.
The integration of cryptocurrencies, or VFAs (Virtual Financial Assets), has been part of the Maltese government’s temporary “Sandbox Framework” to examine the use of cryptocurrency by licensed gaming operators.
This framework was set to end on 30 December 2022; however, it has been extended to 28 February of this year.
Dedicated exclusively to licensed street gaming, the GBG High Street Hub will feature both contributions and insight from leading brands including Novomatic UK, Entain, Buzz Bingo, Merkur UK and GameNation.
The new hub will be situated adjacent to the Pillar Hall Casino, a networking space and bar for the land-based industry, and allow visitors to explore the latest developments in the street gaming sector.
ICE London 2023 will take place from 7-9 February at the ExCeL London,
“ICE London 2023 will be the biggest edition on record and I am delighted that this will include a section of the show floor dedicated to the street gaming sector of the business,” Clarion Gaming managing director Stuart Hunter said.
“Our strategy and remit is to work in partnership with the industry that we serve and our collaboration with the Gambling Business Group in delivering the Hub is an example of moving from theory to practice. I am confident that it will be another stand-out reason for industry professionals to be a part of the ICE London experience.”
Gambling Business Group chief executive and co-founder Peter Hannibal said: “Licensed street operators continue to make a huge contribution to local and regional economies throughout the world. The emphasis is firmly on the community with operators employing local people, providing socially responsible gambling entertainment to local populations and supporting local businesses through the supply chain.
“Our aim is to reflect these important credentials and stimulate lively, topical and informed debate surrounding a sector which contributes so much to the economic and social vitality of towns and cities where street-based gambling entertainment is regulated.
“In collaboration with GBG members we have created a programme of activities dealing with key issues including the far-reaching work that’s being undertaken by operators on the delivery of responsible gambling, the use of technology in street operations including digital payments and the deployment of facial recognition, recruitment, retention and staff development, the use of contemporary retailing disciplines to enhance the customer journey as well as practical issues relating to licensing and the law.
“The Hub also provides an invaluable opportunity to meet with the governmental agencies which engage with the industry, and we will be inviting the many international regulators who attend ICE London to spend some time with us and meet with business leaders active in the street sector.”
The announcement comes after earlier this week it was also announced that youth-orientated non-profit Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) will be the new official charity partner of ICE London 2023.
YGAM is a responsible gambling charity that works to educate and safeguard young people from experiencing gambling-related harms.
The organisation will also become the official charity partner at the iGB Affiliate London Awards.
Fanatics had long made its intentions to enter the world of sports betting known. The business was part of an application for a licence in New York back in 2021, while last year it created a betting and gaming arm and made a number of major hires within this division.
The business has also applied for a number of licences. Besides Massachusetts, it also received a retail betting licence in Maryland and is approved in Ohio.
However, the technology it intended to use had remained unknown. Reports claimed that Fanatics would use Amelco’s source code as far back as April 2022, but at the time the operator said that there was no deal in place with the supplier.
Later reports alleged that Fanatics would acquire German sportsbook operator Tipico and use its platform, but Fanatics opted not to comment on those claims.
During a presentation to state gaming commissioners over its application for a sports betting licence in Massachusetts, Fanatics chief product officer Scot McClintic revealed that Fanatics would be using a platform developed by Amelco.
“Our core platform is powered by Amelco, particularly the player account management system and sports wagering system,” he said.
Fanatics has purchased Amelco’s source code, allowing it to then modify the platform for its own needs.
“In the purchase of Amelco source code, we are ‘Fanaticising’ it, we are making it work with some specific use-cases that we have and we are bringing that version forward for GLI certification in the next few weeks,” McClintic added.
“We are creating a lot of custom middleware applications to make the Amelco system work with the user experience we want to bring to our customers.”
The board agreed to open a Request for Applications (RFA) by unanimous vote.
This decision by the board has been much anticipated. An amendment to the 2013 New York State Constitution permitted four upstate casinos in New York, while also allowing the state Gaming Commission to allow for three more casinos close to New York City at a later date.
Besides opening the process, the board also unanimously voted that the “minimum capital investment and licence fee for applicants seeking to build a commercial casino is $500 million each”.
Applicants will have to meet municipal zoning and land-use processes to ensure that only community-backed proposals are sent to the board for consideration.
A separate community advisory committee will review applications and there is no official deadline to the RFA.
State senator Joseph P Addabbo Jr, the chair of the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, said that he is “looking forward to a transparent, accurate and speedy process from the New York Gaming Facility Location Board”.
“The quicker the three licences are approved, the quicker we can begin to realise the major benefits to the state, such as thousands of construction and post-construction jobs, billions in revenue from the licences, an increase in problem gambling monies and programmes, as well as billions more in educational funding when the winning casinos go live,” he added.
Some companies have already announced their plans to bid for licences. Caesars Entertainment said it plans to build Caesars Palace Times Square by redeveloping 1515 Broadway.
Meanwhile, Thor Equities has proposed plans to build a $3bn casino in Brooklyn’s Coney Island. The company is to be supported in its bid by Saratoga Casino Holdings and Chickasaw Nation’s Global Gaming Solutions entity.
Stake.com customers will be able to watch each game live via the operator’s website and mobile app for the first time.
To support this offering, Stake.com will partner with three lower-league sides that are due to host top-tier Premier League clubs in the third round. These include Cardiff City of the Championship, set to play Leeds United, League Two’s Gillingham against Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday of League One against Newcastle United.
Stake.com branding will appear on the sleeves of each of the three lower league teams in their FA Cup third round matches, as well as on in-stadium LED advertising boards.
In addition, Stake.com will carry out a series of media activations, working with former players and ambassadors to produce editorial and social media content.
FA Cup third round matches will take place over the next three days, beginning tonight (6 Januaey) with the all-Premier League clash between Manchester United and Everton.
“The FA Cup is one of the world’s oldest and most famous club knockout competitions; as part of our investment in top quality sports and entertainment content we have added live streaming of every match to our platform for users globally to watch and enjoy,” Stake.com sponsorship manager Dominic Rae said.
“To support the live pictures, we have signed a series of commercial partnerships with lower league opponents of Premier League sides, backing them as they bid to deliver famous giant killings.
“The sponsorships won’t only consist of branding visible on kits and within stadia but will see us work with clubs to boost their profile and the tournament at large amongst our global audience of football fans, many of whom will be betting on and streaming the FA Cup on our platform for the first time.”
Under the agreement, which will cover the 2023 season and is the largest sponsorship deal in the team’s history, Esportes da Sorte branding will appear on the front of players’ shirts.
Esportes da Sorte will also benefit from exposure on interview backdrops and on the club’s official social media channels.
In addition, Esportes da Sorte will work with the club on a range of special activations that will take place throughout the year.
“All the reconstruction work that we have been doing at the club since we took over in 2021 has already yielded important results, and institutionally, the Goiás brand has once again gained value, prestige and being desired by major sponsors,” Goiás Esporte Clube marketing director Tiago Pinheiro said.
“The entry of Esportes da Sortes as a partner crowns this journey and inaugurates a new and historic chapter that will contribute a lot to the financial planning of the club in 2023.”
Esportes da Sortes chief executive Darwin Filho added: “We are expanding our activities in the world of sports and entertainment. Goiás is a traditional club, owner of a strong, recognised brand, with passionate supporters and that always represents the region very well.”
