Connect with us

Latest News

Sports-Betting Boost Expected With Texas, Oklahoma In SEC

Published

on

sports-betting-boost-expected-with-texas,-oklahoma-in-sec

 

With the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners now in the Southeastern Conference, legal sports betting soon could jump by double digits in the region, says one bookmaker.
Starting this season, Texas and Oklahoma are in position to challenge for the SEC football championship — and championships across all SEC sports — in a collegiate conference loaded with rich traditions and annual national title contenders.
The Longhorns and Sooners joined the SEC in July. Both moved over from the Big 12.
This new conference (alignment) leads to better games for the book and better opportunities for the player,” Casey Lewless, manager of two Louisiana sportsbooks, told Gambling.com.
Legal sportsbooks in Louisiana are popular with bettors from neighboring Texas and nearby Oklahoma. Sports wagering is illegal in Texas and Oklahoma.
Because of this, the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana, expects to see a bump of about 30% in college wagering, Lewless said. That sportsbook already was anticipating more action because of its recent expansion.
The Margaritaville sportsbook is one of two in Northwest Louisiana that Lewless manages for Penn Entertainment. The other is at the nearby Boomtown Casino Hotel.
Lewless pointed to Texas’ rivalry years ago with the Arkansas Razorbacks in the former Southwest Conference as a matchup that will stir interest now that both are in the SEC. Sports betting is legal in Arkansas.
Also, every clash between the two Texas SEC schools — the Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies — will stir emotions and boost sports betting in close-by states like Louisiana where wagering is legal, Lewless said.
Sports Betting Illegal In Half Of SEC States
The addition of Oklahoma into the SEC means six of the 12 states with schools in the conference do not have legal sports betting. Texas already had a school in the SEC — Texas A&M.
Those six SEC states make up the largest geographic region in the U.S. without legal sports betting. Combined, the six states have a population of more than 62 million, representing about 19% of the U.S. population.
Nationwide, sports betting is legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C.
The SEC states without legal sports betting are:
  • Texas (Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies)
  • Oklahoma (Oklahoma Sooners)
  • Missouri (Missouri Tigers)
  • Alabama (Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers)
  • Georgia (Georgia Bulldogs)
  • South Carolina (South Carolina Gamecocks)
  • The other six SEC states have either in-person or mobile sports betting — or both. Tennessee is a mobile-only state, while Mississippi has in-person sports betting at casinos but not off-site mobile wagering.
The SEC states with legal sports betting are:
  • Arkansas (Arkansas Razorbacks)
  • Louisiana (LSU Tigers)
  • Kentucky (Kentucky Wildcats)
  • Tennessee (Tennessee Volunteers, Vanderbilt Commodores)
  • Mississippi (Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs)
  • Florida (Florida Gators)
College Football Kicks Off In August
The overall college football schedule kicks off Aug. 24, including a matchup overseas between Florida State and Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
In the SEC, the Oklahoma Sooners, led by head coach Brent Venables, begin their season on Aug. 30 against Temple at OU’s Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium.
The SEC schedule gets fully underway over the Labor Day weekend, highlighted by an Aug. 31 contest between Clemson and Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
On that same day, the Steve Sarkisian-coached Texas Longhorns host Colorado State in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
The next day’s schedule, on Sept. 1, features another SEC school, LSU, in a matchup against Southern California in the Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
SEC Divisions Abandoned
The addition of Texas and Oklahoma brings the number of teams in the SEC to 16. This season, the conference football championship will be decided between the top two teams. The 2024 SEC title game is set for Dec. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
In previous years, the conference was split into two divisions, with the East and West winners battling it out for for the SEC title.
The 2024 arrangement with no divisions is a departure in the conference structure dating back more than three decades.

executive-moves

Paysecure hires Entain’s Ganesh Iyer as Head of Product

Published

on

paysecure-hires-entain’s-ganesh-iyer-as-head-of-product

The payment orchestration platform also appoints Lili Piper as Senior Partnership Manager and adds infrastructure and blockchain leads.

Paysecure has appointed Ganesh Iyer, formerly of Entain, as Head of Product, as the payment orchestration platform looks to scale internationally across iGaming and global ecommerce.

Paysecure said Iyer will lead the next stage of product design. At FTSE 100-listed Entain, he led Global Payments across 20+ regulated markets, managing a team of seven Product Managers and distributed engineering squads.

The company also named Lili Piper as Senior Partnership Manager. Piper previously worked as Business Development Director at Volt.io and Senior Business Development Manager at Paysafe, and will focus on growing revenue from Paysecure’s partner network and adding strategic partners to expand payment method choice for clients.

Paysecure added that it has made further hires over the last two months, including Head of Infrastructure and Head of Blockchain, as it expands its technical footprint.

Ganesh Iyer, Head of Product, Paysecure, commented, “After time at Entain, I am pleased to join the Paysecure team and having worked on the operator side of the orchestration space, I can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to refining our products to clearly address the deep needs of our client personas, and surface clear product and functionality feature sets that differentiate us in our market as a challenger brand.”

Amit Hooja, Co-Founder and CEO at Paysecure, said: “We’re excited to welcome Ganesh and our new colleagues to the Paysecure team. Ganesh will spearhead our product development, and there’s a shared sense of purpose towards the work we are doing, which we believe is game changing in the payment orchestration space. We look forward to bringing new products to the market and continue to lead the way in the sector”.

The post Paysecure hires Entain’s Ganesh Iyer as Head of Product appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

Affiliate Management

ReferOn shortlisted for Best Affiliate Management Platform at iGB Awards 2026

Published

on

referon-shortlisted-for-best-affiliate-management-platform-at-igb-awards-2026

Winners will be announced on July 2 during iGB L!VE week in London.

Affiliate management platform ReferOn has been shortlisted for “Best Affiliate Management Platform” at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026. The winners will be announced live on July 2 during iGB L!VE week in London.

ReferOn said the nomination reflects its recent growth and product development, positioning the platform for high-volume affiliate programmes. The company said it processes “millions of data points” across partner networks and automates operational workflows to reduce admin overhead for operators and affiliates.

Alex Bukin, CEO at ReferOn, commented on the shortlisting: “Being shortlisted for an iGB Affiliate Award is a significant milestone for our team. As affiliate programmes scale, complexity often becomes the biggest obstacle to growth. Our goal is to remove that complexity by giving operators clearer insights, stronger automation, and full control over their affiliate operations. This nomination reflects the direction in which we’re continuing to invest in.”

The company also pointed to a recent platform update, Refie, described as a new user experience layer aimed at simplifying navigation of complex workflows. ReferOn said Refie provides clearer visual guidance across onboarding screens and system state pages, with the goal of improving visibility across operational processes.

ReferOn said it will attend iGB L!VE London to meet partners, operators, and affiliates.

The post ReferOn shortlisted for Best Affiliate Management Platform at iGB Awards 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

GGPoker

GGPoker opens satellites for WSOP Circuit CDMX México 2026

Published

on

ggpoker-opens-satellites-for-wsop-circuit-cdmx-mexico-2026

Big Bola Casinos hosts the stop at Hotel Barceló Santa Fe in Mexico City from Aug. 31 to Sept. 11, with online qualifiers running June 28–Aug. 23.

GGPoker has launched online satellite tournaments for WSOP® Circuit CDMX México 2026, a live series scheduled for August 31 to September 11 at Big Bola Casinos in CDMX, México, hosted at Hotel Barceló Santa Fe.

According to the company, the WSOP Circuit stop will include 12 World Series of Poker® gold ring tournaments, alongside side events, VIP activities, and international media coverage.

“WSOP Circuit CDMX calls on the region’s top poker talent to chase glory in Mexico, combining high-stakes competition with the electric, legendary energy of a true global metropolis” said Juan Carreño, Head of Spanish Latam at GGPoker.

GGPoker’s posted satellite schedule runs from June 28, 2026 to August 23, 2026 (UTC +0), with weekday $5 daily satellites feeding $33 steps, weekday $33 steps into a $215 weekly final (2 seats guaranteed), a Saturday freebuy (4x $33 daily steps guaranteed), and Sunday “last chance” and weekly final events.

The company said each event champion in CDMX México will also receive a $5,000 package to this year’s WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, in addition to the prize pool payout and a WSOP Circuit gold ring.

The post GGPoker opens satellites for WSOP Circuit CDMX México 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

Trending

Get it on Google Play

Fresh slot games releases by the top brands of the industry. We provide you with the latest news straight from the entertainment industries.

The platform also hosts industry-relevant webinars, and provides detailed reports, making it a one-stop resource for anyone seeking information about operators, suppliers, regulators, and professional services in the European gaming market. The portal's primary goal is to keep its extensive reader base updated on the latest happenings, trends, and developments within the gaming and gambling sector, with an emphasis on the European market while also covering pertinent global news. It's an indispensable resource for gaming professionals, operators, and enthusiasts alike.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 - Recent Slot Releases is part of HIPTHER Agency. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania