Industry News
World Pool: UK and Irish racing hits £475 million
Turnover on World Pool bet types on British Champions Day totalled HK$202.7 million (£21.4 million), bringing the figure for all races commingled during the 19 World Pool days in the UK and Ireland to HK$4.7 billion (£475 million).
King George Day at Ascot saw the biggest jump in turnover, rising from HK$253m to a new record of HK$287m, an increase of over 13%, while 2,000 Guineas Day as well as days one and three of Royal Ascot also posted year-on-year increases.
The overall total is only marginally down on 2022’s figure of HK$4.9bn, but still significantly up on 2021 (HK3.9 billion).
Prize money won across the 131 World Pool races in the UK and Ireland this year has hit a record high of £32 million, while the World Pool Moment of the Day initiative has seen £68,000 given out – £4,000 for each of the 17 World Pool Moment of the Day winners.
Ebbe Verhestraeten, groom of Big Rock, was awarded Moment of the Day on Saturday and he will have a chance of winning a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year if he is to win World Pool Moment of the Year.
Outside of the UK and Ireland, World Pool meetings in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Australia have all posted record turnover numbers, while World Pool will be active for two further meetings in Australia: Cox Plate Day and Victoria Derby Day.
Earlier on Saturday, the Caulfield Cup broke the record for the highest turnover on a World Pool race in Australia with HK$54.24 million (AUD$10.98 million) bet into the pool, eclipsing the HKD$51.54 million (AUD$10.43 million) bet on the previous weekend’s Everest. Only two World Pool races this year – the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and the Dubai World Cup – have had bigger pools.
In the UK and Ireland, World Pool is accessed via the Tote, at racecourses, online and via the Tote App. All customers betting directly with the Tote benefit from Tote Guarantee which ensures all Win bets will always exceed or match the industry Starting Price.
Tote value for UK and Irish customers betting into World Pool on British Champions Day:
· Tote Win beat the Industry Starting Price in 5 out of the 6 races and matched on the remaining occasions
· Tote Win overround was 112% versus an industry Starting Price of 120%
· Tote Exacta beat Forecast in 6 out of the 6 races
· Tote Trifecta beat Tricast in 5 out of the 6 races
Tote value for customers betting on the 19 British and Irish World Pool days 2023:
· Tote Win beat the Industry Starting Price in 66% of races and matched on the remaining occasions
· A £1 bet with the Tote on every winner on British and Irish World Pool days in 2023 paid £263 more than the industry Starting Price
· Tote Win overround was 109% versus an industry Starting Price of 122%
· Tote Exacta beat Forecast in 78% of races
· Tote Trifecta beat Tricast in 84% of races races where the Tricast operated
Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products of the HKJC, said: “We are really pleased with how World Pool has been received in the UK and Ireland again this year and the turnover figures look strong against a challenging economic backdrop.
“There are many more opportunities for growth in the UK and Ireland and we look forward to being able to roll out World Pool at even more of the season’s flagship race days. Having the Lockinge, the Irish Derby and the Sun Chariot as World Pool events for the first time this year worked really well, and we look forward to adding more days in the future.
“We’d like to thank all of our partners, including the UK Tote, Racecourse Media Group and Ascot Racecourse – who have all been with us since World Pool was first created in 2019 – for all their hard work in making it another highly successful season.”
Alex Frost, Chief Executive of the UK Tote, said: “We are delighted that British and Irish racing has enjoyed such a successful World Pool season in 2023. It is incredibly positive to see revenues from World Pool supporting racecourses’ investment in prize money which was at a new record of £32 million for World Pool races this year. This highlights the increasingly important role pool betting is playing the in the future sustainability of the sport.
“Following our new five-year agreement with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, making the UK Tote the exclusive partner for World Pool in the UK and Ireland, we look forward to collaborating on exciting developments, including new bet types and further improvements to the customer experience for the 2024 season.”
Martin Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer of Racecourse Media Group (RMG), which represents the media interests of The Jockey Club, Newbury, Goodwood, York, The Curragh and Leopardstown racecourses, said: “World Pool has been a hugely important initiative for British and Irish racing to grow revenues and prize money, and it’s been great to see such strong performance again in 2023.
“We’ve added three new race days to the calendar this year with the Lockinge, Irish Derby and Sun Chariot, and hopefully we’ll be able to add some more in 2024.
“It’s been a pleasure working with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, UK Tote and all of our racecourses on World Pool this season and we are already looking forward to 2014.
New data from Flashscore, the world’s leading platform for live scores and sports content, reveals that almost 34,000,000 users tuned in yesterday for one of the most dramatic nights in UEFA Champions League history.
The intensity of the matches generated a massive wave of digital engagement, with 18 matches all taking place at the same time on the final day of the league format.
From the football-mad streets of Brazil to the frozen research stations of Antarctica, fans across 239 countries and territories checked their phones as Benfica’s goalkeeper scored a 98th-minute header and Real Madrid crashed into the playoffs.
Martin Matejka, Marketing Director of Flashscore, said: “Yesterday wasn’t just a matchday; it was a global event and we were well prepared. When game-changing moments decide matches – from a goalkeeper’s stoppage-time header against Real Madrid to last-minute winners across Europe – the world doesn’t just watch, it reacts. Flashscore sent out over 700 million push notifications to our users as drama unfolded across the continent.
“Our data shows unprecedented engagement from all over the world, and I am glad we could bring these extraordinary moments to fans from Brazil to Antarctica.”
TOP MATCHES ranked by number of users
The drama at the Estádio da Luz dominated the global conversation, with nearly 10 million users following the Benfica-Madrid clash alone.
1 Benfica vs. Real Madrid (9,7M users): The undisputed main event. Fans flocked to the match detail as Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a historic 98th-minute header to seal a 4-2 win, sending Real Madrid to the playoffs.
2 Barcelona vs. FC Copenhagen (8,3M users): Massive interest as Barcelona thrashed the Danes 4-1 to secure direct qualification to the Round of 16.
3 Napoli vs. Chelsea (5,9M users): A rollercoaster in Naples. Chelsea fought back to win 3-2, eliminating Napoli despite a stunning “Maradona-esque” pirouette goal from Antonio Vergara.
TOP PLAYERS ranked by number of users
1. Jorginho (995K users): The Kairat Almaty midfielder trended globally after scoring a penalty against his former club, Arsenal, at the Emirates Stadium—a major talking point that drove nearly 1 million profile views.
2. Anatoliy Trubin (725K users): The unlikeliest hero. The Benfica goalkeeper’s stoppage-time header against Real Madrid sent his profile traffic into the stratosphere.
3. Andreas Schjelderup (368K users): The 21-year-old Norwegian announced himself to the world with a brace against Real Madrid.
4. Kylian Mbappé (317K users): Even in defeat, the superstar commanded attention and ranked 4th. He scored twice for Madrid, but his team’s collapse was the bigger story.
TOP TEAMS ranking by users:
1. Real Madrid (1,6M users): The “Kings of Europe” falling into the playoff round after a chaotic 4-2 loss drove massive traffic.
2. Benfica (1,1M users): The victors of the night. Their miraculous comeback and “goalkeeper goal” made them the second most-clicked team worldwide.
3. Barcelona (930K users): Solid interest as they cruised to victory and the next round.
Flashscore Global Reach
While Brazil was the single most active nation, the traffic was evenly split across continents: In Europe the huge engagement was driven by fans in Italy, France, Poland, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, and Germany.
Africa’s continent showed massive interest, led by Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. Football fever also swept across Asia, with significant user numbers from Indonesia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
The obsession reached the most remote corners of the Earth. Flashscore recorded active users from Antarctica and Christmas Island, proving that even in the most isolated locations, fans refused to miss the drama.
The post Flashscore reveals data behind thrilling night of Champions League action appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Hunter Hunstock
Playersoft Announces Remote Enrollment to Enable Hardware-Agnostic, Cloud-Driven Player Signups Anywhere
Playersoft has announced Remote Enrollment, a progressive web app that allows casino teams to enroll guests from virtually any location using any mobile hardware. By leveraging a cloud-driven architecture, Remote Enrollment supports true off-site capability for prospecting and remote sign-up.
Why it matters
Traditional enrollment workflows often depend on specific hardware, on-property connectivity, or fixed stations that can create bottlenecks and limit enrollment opportunities outside the property. Remote Enrollment removes those constraints with a hardware-agnostic progressive web app and cloud-driven architecture—while retaining the consistent, intuitive user experience Playersoft is known for.
What Remote Enrollment delivers
• A progressive web app that runs on virtually any mobile hardware—no special devices required.
• Cloud-driven operations to support off-site prospecting and remote signups.
• A dedicated prospecting feature that enables customer communication and information capture without creating accounts or introducing incomplete data into the player system.
• Conversion tracking from prospect to enrolled player to support measurable outreach efforts.
• Configurable security and policy controls aligned to property requirements.
• Integration with Playersoft ONE for operational oversight and reporting.
“Remote Enrollment is about making it easy for our clients to capture new players wherever the opportunity arises—without sacrificing control, data quality, or usability,” said Hunter Hunstock, President at Playersoft.
Availability:
Remote Enrollment is available now as part of the Playersoft ONE ecosystem.
The post Playersoft Announces Remote Enrollment to Enable Hardware-Agnostic, Cloud-Driven Player Signups Anywhere appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
As Mississippi lawmakers again debate legislation that would expand gambling beyond existing casino properties, new statewide polling and a formal letter from the casino industry deliver a unified message to state leaders: Mississippi voters and casino operators alike oppose the legalization of Online Sports Betting (OSB) and iGaming.
Polling commissioned by the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) in January finds broad resistance to online gambling expansion among Mississippi voters. Nearly three-quarters of voters (74.2%) oppose legalizing mobile sports betting after learning it would allow wagering statewide on smartphones and other devices, an increase from an already negative baseline once voters understand how the proposal would work. Opposition to iGaming is even stronger, rising from 74.1% at baseline to 80.8% after voters learn it would allow 24/7 remote access to casino-style games.
That opposition is echoed in a formal letter issued to state leadership by a coalition of prominent Mississippi casino operators, joined by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ Pearl River Resorts. In the January 21 letter, the coalition warns that legalizing OSB and iGaming would undermine the multi-billion-dollar capital investments made by Mississippi’s traditional gaming industry since 1992 and threaten long-term local jobs.
“This data proves that online gambling is a product Mississippi simply does not want. When residents envision what this policy means in practice—the ‘casino in your pocket’ at all hours—they move decisively away from legalization,” said Oliver Barie, Government Relations Director for the National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG).
Polling by the Bradley Research Group for NAAiG also shows majority opposition to both proposals across every congressional district and major demographic group, before and after voters receive additional information.
Economic Siphoning and Job Protection
In their letter, the casino coalition highlighted a significant divide within the gaming industry itself. Operators opposing expansion have a substantially greater long-term stake in Mississippi, owning an average of 55% of their total properties in the state, compared with just 22% for operators supporting online expansion.
The coalition identified several key economic risks associated with legalizing OSB and iGaming:
• Revenue Loss: Unlike retail casinos, where revenue stays in-state, OSB allows out-of-state operators to cover corporate overhead first, leaving only minimal fees for in-state partners.
• Job Cannibalization: “In-play” mobile betting threatens to reduce physical foot traffic, leading to weakened casino operations and a reduction in the hospitality workforce.
• Minimal State Benefit: Estimated incremental tax revenue is projected at only $11 million—a figure the coalition deems “not a material amount” against a $7 billion state budget.
A Public Health Crisis
Coalition members also raised serious public health concerns, citing a 67% increase in gambling addiction-related search interest in states with legalized online sports betting and a 30% rise in bankruptcies among low-savings households. Research indicates legalization has led to a 372% increase in irresponsible gambling behavior.
“The people of Mississippi are speaking clearly: they value their communities, their local jobs, and their families more than the minimal tax revenue promised by out-of-state tech companies,” the coalition said.
Letter Signatories
The letter opposing online gambling expansion was signed by representatives from:
Churchill Downs (Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa, River Walk Casino Hotel)
Foundation Gaming & Entertainment (Fitz Casino Hotel, WaterView Casino Hotel)
Full House Resorts (Silver Slipper Casino Hotel)
Gulfside Casino Partnership (Island View Casino Resort)
Palace Casino Resort
Pearl River Resorts (Golden Moon Hotel and Casino)
Saratoga Gaming (Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel)
Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel.
The post Poll: Mississippians Deliver Resounding “No” to Mobile Sports Betting and iGaming appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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