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Sports-Betting Boost Expected With Texas, Oklahoma In SEC

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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.

2026 EGR Europe Awards

RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards

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RocketPlay Casino has been awarded European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards for its innovative community-led campaign, RocketWisdom: The Book. The EGR Europe Awards recognise trailblazers and leaders shaping the iGaming industry across Europe, with winners chosen through a rigorous judging process.

What the Award Recognises

The European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C category honours marketing initiatives that achieve significant commercial impact or enhance brand development. Judges evaluate originality, creativity, quality of execution, and measurable results.

About RocketWisdom: The Book

RocketPlay’s winning campaign began as a player research project. Over two months, the casino invited its community to share their gaming habits and “rituals,” gathering over 1,000 responses. These insights were transformed into a book featuring 100+ authentic player stories, curated but not rewritten by the brand.

The campaign gained rapid momentum after streamers discovered the book. Within just three days, RocketPlay received around 1,000 direct requests, turning a private research initiative into a fully-fledged public campaign. The project was amplified across owned channels, social media, creator content, media coverage, and in-product activations.

Campaign Highlights

  • 13,000+ downloads
  • ~100 streams showcasing the project (~200,000 viewers)
  • 50+ media outlets coverage

For RocketPlay, the award represents a major milestone and underscores the power of community-driven storytelling. The campaign demonstrates that authentic engagement can deliver measurable performance, not just visibility. RocketPlay continues to build its reputation in the community, maintaining top ratings across platforms including 9.8/10 on CasinoGuru, 9.1/10 on AskGamblers, 4.4/5 on Trustpilot, and 4.3/5 on LCB.

The post RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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2026 EGR Europe Awards

RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards

Published

on

rocketplay-won-european-marketing-campaign-of-the-year-–-b2c-at-the-2026-egr-europe-awards

RocketPlay Casino has won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the EGR Europe Awards 2026 for its community-led campaign RocketWisdom: The Book. The EGR Europe Awards acknowledges innovators and leaders shaping Europe’s iGaming sector, with winners selected through a structured judging process.

What this award recognises

European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C rewards marketing initiatives that deliver major commercial impact and/or brand development, with judges assessing originality, creativity, execution quality, and measurable outcomes

About RocketWisdom: The Book

RocketPlay won with RocketWisdom: The Book — a campaign that started as a player research project. Over 2 months, RocketPlay invited its community to share real-life gaming habits and “rituals,” collecting 1,000+ responses. Those voices became a book featuring 100+ authentic player stories — curated, not rewritten by the brand.

The release gained momentum organically: after streamers discovered the book, RocketPlay received about 1,000 direct requests within 3 days, turning a private research initiative into a full-scale public campaign supported across owned channels, social, creator content, media coverage, and in-product activations.

Highlights of the campaign

  • 13,000+ downloads
  • ~100 streams featuring the project (~200,000 viewers)
  • 50+ media outlets

For RocketPlay, the award is a major brand milestone — and a clear signal that community-led storytelling can drive real performance, not just attention. The brand continues to strengthen its reputation across the community, holding top ratings such as 9.8/10 on CasinoGuru, 9.1/10 on AskGamblers, 4.4/5 on Trustpilot, and 4.3/5 on LCB.

The post RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Latest News

RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards

Published

on

RocketPlay Casino has won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the EGR Europe Awards 2026 for its community-led campaign RocketWisdom: The Book. The EGR Europe Awards acknowledges innovators and leaders shaping Europe’s iGaming sector, with winners selected through a structured judging process.

What this award recognises

European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C rewards marketing initiatives that deliver major commercial impact and/or brand development, with judges assessing originality, creativity, execution quality, and measurable outcomes

About RocketWisdom: The Book

RocketPlay won with RocketWisdom: The Book — a campaign that started as a player research project. Over 2 months, RocketPlay invited its community to share real-life gaming habits and “rituals,” collecting 1,000+ responses. Those voices became a book featuring 100+ authentic player stories — curated, not rewritten by the brand.

The release gained momentum organically: after streamers discovered the book, RocketPlay received about 1,000 direct requests within 3 days, turning a private research initiative into a full-scale public campaign supported across owned channels, social, creator content, media coverage, and in-product activations.

Highlights of the campaign

  • 13,000+ downloads
  • ~100 streams featuring the project (~200,000 viewers)
  • 50+ media outlets

For RocketPlay, the award is a major brand milestone — and a clear signal that community-led storytelling can drive real performance, not just attention. The brand continues to strengthen its reputation across the community, holding top ratings such as 9.8/10 on CasinoGuru, 9.1/10 on AskGamblers, 4.4/5 on Trustpilot, and 4.3/5 on LCB.

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