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Indiana sportsbooks Make Huge Leap to $460M in October
Indiana sportsbooks shattered the state record for betting volume for the second consecutive month by handling more than $460 million in October.
The surge in betting brought on in part by the year’s first full month of football also made Indiana just the fifth state to reach $5 billion in lifetime sports wagers, according to PlayIndiana, which tracks the state’s gaming industry.
“Five full weekends of the NFL and college football, the opening of the NBA season, and baseball’s postseason gave sportsbooks a rare convergence of betting inventory in October. To surpass the previous record by so much shows an increasing base of bettors, too. It’s hard to imagine a better start to the football season than what has happened in the last two months,” Jake Garza, an analyst for PlayIndiana.com, said.
Online and retail sportsbooks drew $461.1 million in October, easily surpassing September’s record handle of $355.4 million by 29.7%, according to official reporting released Friday. October’s handle was also up 99.7% from $230.9 million in October 2020. Bettors increased the pace of betting to $14.9 million per day over the 31 days of October from $11.8 million per day in September and $7.4 million in October 2020.
Despite the surge in betting, gross revenue fell 16.4% to $27.8 million from the record of $33.3 million set in September. Year-over-year, revenue was up 10.9% from $25.1 million in October 2020. October’s win created $27.6 million in taxable revenue, yielding $2.6 million in state taxes.
With five weekends of games, football betting jumped 18.4% to $175.8 million in October from $148.6 million in September. The opening of the NBA season led to significant action, too, jumping to $53.5 million in basketball betting from just $5.2 million in September. Parlay betting also rose to $127.6 million from $92.0 million.
The record month pushed Indiana into some rarified air among legal sports jurisdictions, joining New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Illinois as the only states to generate a handle of more than $450 million in a month, more than $5 billion in lifetime legal sports betting, and more than $400 million in lifetime gross revenue.
Since launching in 2019, Indiana sportsbooks have generated $5.1 billion in wagering, $412.5 million in gross revenue and $78.3 million in tax revenue.
“No state has capitalized on its potential as a sports betting market better than Indiana. As impressive as some of these records have been, it is also important to remember that Indiana as a market still hasn’t fully matured,” said Eric Ramsey, an analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIndiana.com.
Online betting drew $411.9 million in wagers, or 89.3% of October’s total handle. DraftKings led online operators in October with a $150.7 million handle, up from $130.4 million handle in September. Last month’s bets created $7.8 million in gross receipts, up from $7.2 million in September. FanDuel was next with $113.3 million in online wagering, up from $77.2 million in September. Those bets produced a state-best $9.2 million in gross receipts.
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Africa
BetConstruct AI to present World Cup 2026 sportsbook offer at iGaming Afrika
Supplier takes Stand A05 in Nairobi on May 4–5, pitching pre-built tournament betting tools and discounted onboarding for new partners.
BetConstruct AI said it will exhibit at iGaming Afrika on May 4–5 in Nairobi, Kenya, at Stand A05.
The company said its main focus at the event will be a “Best Sportsbook for the World Cup 2026” package, supported by “Special Bets, Powerfull and Bet on League.” BetConstruct AI said the tools are designed to help operators run World Cup activations “with zero additional development required.”
For the World Cup activation, the supplier is also advertising commercial incentives for new partners. BetConstruct AI said new partners receive a 65% platform setup discount “applied immediately,” plus “100% Core Suite Access” for the first three months, followed by “65% off for 4-12 months.” It added that third-party tools are “51% off for 3 months.”
Beyond the tournament pitch, BetConstruct AI said it will present its wider iGaming ecosystem, including Sportsbook Platform, Casino Platform, Affiliate Ecosystem, Retail Solutions, and its AI suite. The company said its Sportsbook Platform provides “over 140,000 pre-match events and 12,000+ monthly esports live events,” and that its Casino Platform integrates “350+ providers via a unified aggregation API.”
BetConstruct AI said its AI suite includes CRM AI, Umbrella AI, AI Game Recommendation System, and Betting Mate AI, covering functions such as churn prediction, risk management, real-time personalisation, and conversational betting. It also said its Retail Solutions show how operators can connect land-based and digital channels for an omnichannel setup.
- BetConstruct (official website); https://www.betconstruct.com/ Company reference page for product portfolio and event announcements.
- iGaming Afrika (event information); https://igamingafrika.com/ Confirms dates, location, and exhibitor details for the conference.
- FIFA World Cup 2026 (official site); https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026 Authoritative background on the tournament referenced in the supplier’s activation pitch.
The post BetConstruct AI to present World Cup 2026 sportsbook offer at iGaming Afrika appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Blokotech
Blokotech completes Malta stop of Bloko Padel Tour 2026 with 35 teams
Second leg of the networking-focused iGaming padel series ran in Malta with SiGMA World; next stop is Miami on 9 June.
Blokotech has completed the Malta stage of the Bloko Padel Tour 2026, the company said on Thursday 30th April 2026. The second leg of the series was held in partnership with SiGMA World and hosted at IK Padel Village.
Blokotech said 35 teams competed across Pro and Beginners categories, following the tour’s opening event in Buenos Aires.
Blokotech Co-Founder and CEO Salvatore Messina said: “The response to the Malta stop has been brilliant. Each stage is gathering more interest as we build towards our Grand Linale in Rome. Once again we set the platform for networking and competition that our players loved. We’d like to thank all partners involved in making Malta a success – roll on Miami!”
In the Pro category, Andrea Zammit and Borja Jimenez won, with Peter Curmi and Salvatore Fasciana finishing second. In the Beginners category, Gabriele Sarti and Marco Pozzoli took first place, followed by Viki Vitanyi and Davide Dorato. Craig Luke was named Best Player and received a signed Francesco Totti shirt.
Blokotech said the next event will take place in Miami on 9 June at Ultra Padel Club, ahead of the Grand Finale in Rome.
- Blokotech; https://blokotech.com/ Company reference for Blokotech and background on its products and leadership.
- SiGMA World; https://sigmagroup.com/ Confirms the event partner and provides context on SiGMA’s industry events platform.
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA); https://www.mga.org.mt/ Adds regulatory context for Malta as a hub for iGaming businesses mentioned in the event setting.
The post Blokotech completes Malta stop of Bloko Padel Tour 2026 with 35 teams appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI
SoftConstruct unveils RecSys AI game recommendation system at AIBC Eurasia
In an iGaming Real Talk interview in Dubai, the firm says the tool reads player emotion and context to guide operator actions.
SoftConstruct AI has unveiled RecSys, an AI Game Recommendation System, during an exclusive iGaming Real Talk interview recorded at AIBC Eurasia in Dubai on Thursday 30th April.
Mushegh Khachatryan, Chief AI Officer at SoftConstruct AI, said RecSys is designed to move beyond traditional recommendation models by interpreting player emotions in real time and accounting for context, with the goal of suggesting “the next best action” for operators. “You can understand your customer’s emotions in real time and suggest the next best action. We are building intelligent systems which can reason and act.”
Khachatryan said SoftConstruct built an AI Center of Excellence by hiring talent from outside the iGaming sector, and described RecSys as part of “production-ready agentic AI” intended to support personalised campaigns and decision automation. Surya Palli, host of iGaming Real Talk, said: “SoftConstruct is essentially building a Netflix-style personalised experience for the iGaming industry, where every player gets a lobby made just for them.”
Responsible gaming was also discussed, with the company claiming AI can detect risky behaviour faster and more consistently than human teams, and recommend timely breaks while balancing player protection with sustainable growth.
Khachatryan also stressed the need for explainable, controlled deployment. “AI should help teams perform five times better rather than replace them… Without proper boundaries, short-term momentum boosts with AI can actually hurt your company in the long term.” The company said operators can manage campaigns, personalisation and risk through chat interfaces, with at least 85% accuracy “from the first interactions,” and directed viewers to the full interview on the iGaming Real Talk YouTube channel.
- SoftConstruct; https://softconstruct.com/ Company background and official information on SoftConstruct and its business units.
- iGaming Real Talk YouTube channel; https://www.youtube.com/ Source location for the full interview referenced in the announcement (editor can add the specific video URL once identified).
- AIBC Eurasia; https://aibc.world/ Event organiser site to corroborate the conference setting and provide context on AIBC Eurasia.
The post SoftConstruct unveils RecSys AI game recommendation system at AIBC Eurasia appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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