Industry News
US iGaming: Three predictions for 2024
Paddy Casey, Co-Founder at sports betting and iGaming developer The Unit, lists what we can expect from US iGaming in the coming year, covering regulation, the battle for market share and the importance of martech.
- iGaming continues to flex its muscles
Internet gaming continues to generate extraordinary revenue in the states that have legalized and embraced it. In October, for example, Pennsylvania’s iGaming revenue was up 24% month-on-month to $154.8m; a record month for the state where the total equates to a whopping 3x the sports-betting take. Pennsylvania is by no means a standout state, as New Jersey reported a 13% year-on-year increase in iGaming revenue for September, to $166.8million.
Where iGaming is fully regulated (as we’ve seen in the six states where it is live currently, with Rhode Island expected to launch fully in Q1 or early Q2 in 2024), it drives significant revenue for the state and offers a safe and protected environment for entertainment versus offshore, unregulated casinos. As states look to plug holes in the post-pandemic era, we anticipate at least two or three states will legalize igaming in 2024, with Indiana and New York being the obvious contenders to begin that process early in the year.
As has been the case since the birth of online gaming in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there are obvious fears about problem gaming and revenue streams moving away from bricks-and mortar casinos. Legislators will drive tough, and hopefully innovative, legislation to protect land-based casinos while paving the way for iGaming, which should in fact complement the land-based casinos. Players, much like music fans, will demand access to ‘live entertainment’; whether that’s in Madison Square Garden cheering on Billy Joel, or listening to Piano Man at home while watching the NFL.
The omni-channel experience with iGaming will become more important as BetMGM for example, can deepen its relationship with players through innovations such as its New Jersey Dual Play Roulette, which offers a truly immersive omni-channel experience. Add this to possibilities around loyalty schemes for resort stays, and this will prove super crucial in the CRM and LTV lifecycles.
Aside from the obvious heavyweights, brands which put players first, treat them like the central stakeholder they ought to be, and personalize the user experience through unique and engaging product and gaming content will be the winners.
- Competition creates cash
This year has been a rollercoaster, in terms of acquisitions and market exits. Kindred recently announced it will be leaving its North American experience behind as quickly as possible. Fanatics can now access every key sports betting state via its PointsBet USA acquisition and Penn Entertainment is planning to shoot for the stars by rebranding its sportsbook as ESPN Bet. Add DraftKings, FanDuel, Bet365 and BetMGM into the ring, and that is one hell of a battle for a share of players’ wallets.
Fanatics and ESPN Bet will most likely use their huge marketing budgets to attract the Gen Z bettors and casual sports fans. Winning the battle to attract, and more importantly retain, this key cohort of players will be significant. Marketing dollars will not be enough; product innovation will be crucial in the attempt to give players the experience they demand. They will demand to be entertained in ways they experience elsewhere.
Outside the ‘big three’ of FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM, in terms of US gaming market share, it will only be companies who continue to evolve and innovate their own offering that can close the gap. The likes of Entain and Angstrom, who are well known and have large wallets, can buy the maturity and experience needed. They can make inroads with the quality of their product and people, as well as via the acquisition of operators and challenger brands (particularly when more states go live with iGaming).
- Marketing tech and needle-like focus on ROI
With the big three effectively owning the sports-betting market and making gains in the iGaming space, the chasing pack will need to innovate with needle-like focus on ROI.
Martech is crucial for success in an industry that is seeing shifts in CPAs and one that has historically not merged fragmented data very well. As there is no real single view of acquiring through to retention, and almost zero real data, technology is holding operators back in the battle to retain Gen Z bettors and give them the experiences they demand; i.e. personalization.
Therefore, a holistic 360-view of customer data which is then deployed across multiple marketing channels is the key to being competitive in this landscape. As biddable platforms rely more and more on AI, it is essential that data which is representative of quality customers is used. As experienced industry veterans know, standard first-time depositor data is not enough. In fact, relying on incomplete customer insights can be detrimental to revenue.
As we all know, customer acquisition is only the starting point. Retention and cross-sell is essential to delivering the return on ad spend required to sustain campaigns in this competitive market.
The front-of-mind game is where the winners and losers will ultimately be determined. There is no personalization without sufficient marketing technology integration. Personalization is a key cog in the retention machine you must be leveraging.
As a result, a full martech stack is needed to operate an effective marketing department. The gap between the haves and have-nots in this space will widen not just year-on-year, but also month-on-month.
Industry News
StatRankings Launches with Aim to Deliver Faster, Cleaner, and Smarter Sports Data Experience
StatRankings, the ultimate data hub for sports fans, bettors, and fantasy players, announced the launch of its new website. Designed for speed, simplicity, and privacy, StatRankings helps users make smarter decisions by removing the clutter of outdated, stat sites. With more than 500 NFL data points organized on dedicated, ad-free pages, fans can instantly find the data they need to help set fantasy lineups or put together a betting slip without endless tables, pop-ups, or dashboards getting in the way.
“The sports stats industry has been stuck in the past for too long. These sites supposedly designed for bettors, fantasy players, and media are archaic, cumbersome, and confusing. We are committed to keeping the experience of finding stats as smooth and easy as possible, without all the noise. We want StatRankings to represent a new standard in how sports data can be delivered,” said Kevin Adams, Founder of StatRankings and fantasy sports industry veteran.
In addition to the launch of its website, StatRankings created a partnership with One Week Season, a premium DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) subscription service that offers content, tools, and community. StatRankings data will be used across shows and articles found on One Week Season’s site for the duration of the NFL season.
“One Week Season is all about teaching people the ‘how’ when it comes to becoming a better DFS player. StatRankings helps us in that mission by making sharper and deeper data more accessible and doing so in a manner that has previously been awkward and downright clumsy. By incorporating StatRankings into our content, we’re able to offer the most optimized insights to our users for their success,” said One Week Season’s CEO Jordan Tohline.
The post StatRankings Launches with Aim to Deliver Faster, Cleaner, and Smarter Sports Data Experience appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
AU10TIX announced the launch of a free Child Safety Age Assurance Risk and Readiness Assessment and Age Assurance Readiness Guide designed to help businesses better understand their risk and tailor their strategy to meet regulatory obligations. They support AU10TIX’s Selfie-based Age Estimation service, which delivers the industry’s most precise and unbiased age assessment in just two seconds. In the US, federal legislation such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires parental consent for users under 13, while the California Consumer Privacy Act mandates age verification for websites accessed by users under 16. Additionally, 19 U.S. states now enforce mandatory age checks for adult content and gambling platforms. Similar regulations are impacting social media and online services in the UK, EU and Australia.
Caesars Entertainment has launched its third fully in-house developed proprietary online casino title: Signature American Roulette. Now live in New Jersey, the game is available across Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino, bringing another standout addition to the Company’s Signature table game series. Developed by Empire Creative, Signature American Roulette reflects Caesars’ growing investment in building its own proprietary content, a cornerstone of its online casino strategy aimed at delivering a best-in-class player experience. Signature American Roulette follows the recent launches of fan-favourite Signature titles, Caesars Palace Signature Multihand Blackjack Surrender in May and Signature Blackjack Surrender in June, both also developed by Empire Creative.
Novig announced the successful close of an $18 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Forerunner, with participation from existing investors Y Combinator, NFX, Perceptive Ventures and Gaingels. Founded by Jacob Fortinsky and Kelechi Ukah, Novig is reimagining sports predictions as a transparent and fair marketplace. Unlike traditional sportsbooks, Novig allows users to trade directly with one another, rather than against the house, eliminating hidden fees, biased odds and the risk of being penalised for winning.
Partnerships
IGT announced that it has secured a multi-year sports betting technology and services agreement with Hipodromo de Agua Caliente SA de CV and Distribuidora Internacional de Equipos de Juego, S. De R.L. De C.V. that will significantly extend IGT PlaySports’ footprint to Mexico and Latin America via Corporación Caliente. Per the agreement, 42 Caliente sportsbooks in Mexico will leverage the IGT PlaySports platform and services from the Company’s Trading Advisory Services Team. Through a phased rollout, Caliente will also be able to provide select sportsbooks operators throughout Latin America access to IGT PlaySports’ technology, extending the technology’s reach to more than 100 additional venues across eight countries.
CT Interactive has announced a strategic partnership with Ondiss. Through this collaboration, CT Interactive’s top-performing titles are now integrated into the Ondiss platform, significantly expanding the company’s reach within the region’s regulated iGaming market. This integration adds value to the broad Argentine audience of Casino & Hotel Casino Magic S.A., which successfully uses the Ondiss platform. With CT Interactive’s certified and player-favourite content now available, operators on the platform are empowered to diversify their offerings and meet the increasing demand for engaging, high-quality games.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – August 11-17 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
PAGCOR, the Philippine gaming regulator, has opposed a proposed ban on online gambling, despite mounting nationwide calls to criminalise it over soaring numbers of addiction, debt and mental health cases.
The online gambling sector in the Philippines has been growing exponentially, with gross revenues jumping from $140M in 2022 to $2.4B in 2024, according to Senate Committee on Games and Amusement data.
The committee held a hearing last week, highlighting the human cost of the industry, with its members demanding to outlaw it, saying the country was facing a full-blown public health and social crisis.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who led the hearing on online gambling, warned that “as long as online gambling exists, we are breeding the next generation of addicts, debtors, and broken families.”
He called for a ban and to “prosecute not only the operators, but also the enablers — in the government and in the private sector — who profit from this misery.”
PAGCOR, which is both an operator and regulator, said it “is not in favor of a total ban and instead advocates for stricter regulation.”
The regulator said that illegal operators are the real problem.
“Unfortunately, many of these unregulated online operators are based overseas who target Filipinos, most of whom do not realize that the sites they are playing on are not licensed by PAGCOR. This is where problems arise, especially regarding age restrictions.”
But a survey cited by senators indicates that age was not the main issue. It indicated that 66% of Filipinos aged 18 to 40, and 57% of those aged 41 to 55 were engaged in online gambling. Nearly a third bet multiple times a week, some wagering up to $53 per session.
Majority Leader Joel Villanueva warned online gambling is a “growing national crisis” in the Philippines.
“People are not just risking their hard-earned money. They are putting their futures, families, and lives on the line. The lure of instant wealth has already led many down a path of addiction, debt, and despair,” he said.
“Online gambling is not just a matter of financial loss. It is strongly associated with serious mental and physical health issues, broken relationships, family conflict, increased cases of domestic violence and suicide, crime against persons and property, and ultimately, the erosion of opportunities and dignity in the lives of many Filipinos.”
The post PAGCOR Opposes Online Gambling Ban Amid Pressure to Criminalise the Industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
eSports3 days agoTEAM VITALITY AND HUMMEL LAUNCH ALTERNATE JERSEY AND EXCLUSIVE APPAREL COLLECTION
-
Conferences in Europe5 days agoEGT Digital and EGT to rock the show at SiGMA Euro-Med 2025
-
Africa5 days ago
QTech Games wins Best Innovation of the Year at the 2025 SBWA+ Eventus Awards
-
Colombia5 days ago
Spintec Strengthens its Partnership with Merkur in Colombia and Peru
-
Latest News4 days ago
Octoplay advances on its European growth strategy by partnering with Evoke Group in the UK and Denmark
-
Blanka Homor Sales Director at Playson4 days ago
Playson strengthens Ontario foothold with Casino Time integration
-
Baltics4 days ago
CT Interactive Expands its Certified Game Portfolio in Latvia
-
Balkans4 days ago
CT Gaming Secures Certification for its Latest Multigame – Diamond King 5
