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Sports-Betting Boost Expected With Texas, Oklahoma In SEC

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2024

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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.

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Related Topics:latest-news norss Oklahoma SEC sports betting Texas

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Scientific Games CFO Nick Negro to depart May 15; Ray Anderson named interim

Published

4 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

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Anderson has served as interim CFO since May 4 as Scientific Games begins a search for a permanent finance chief.

Scientific Games said May 12 that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will leave the company on May 15, ending a three-year tenure. The company said Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago to be closer to family.

Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, while it searches for a permanent CFO.

“Nick has been a strong member of our leadership team and an advocate for the potential of Scientific Games,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer for Scientific Games. “During his time with the company, he significantly strengthened our financial and procurement organizations and helped position Scientific Games for continued growth. We thank Nick for his contributions and wish him all the best.”

Anderson is a CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and previously led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.

“Ray is a highly respected finance leader with extensive global experience advising large, complex organizations,” said McHugh. “We are confident in his ability to support the business and our Finance organization during this transition.”

The post Scientific Games CFO Nick Negro to depart May 15; Ray Anderson named interim appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Latest News

Scientific Games Announces CFO Transition

Published

4 hours ago

May 13, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

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Scientific Games announced today that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will be leaving the company on May 15 after three years of success in the role leading the company through three years of growth.

Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago that allows him to be closer to family.

To ensure continuity during the transition, Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, as the company begins the search for a permanent CFO.

Anderson is a seasoned finance leader and CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior leadership roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner, advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and working closely with boards and executive teams. Immediately prior to this role, he led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.

Serving 150 lotteries in 50 countries, Scientific Games is the world’s largest lottery games company, fastest growing lottery systems provider and a leading provider of digital lottery solutions.

The post Scientific Games Announces CFO Transition appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Scientific Games completes systems conversion for New Mexico Lottery

Published

5 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

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Modernization adds Momentum ecosystem tools and rolls out new terminals and self-service machines to 1,000+ retailers statewide.

Scientific Games has completed a technology systems conversion for the New Mexico Lottery, modernizing lottery operations with a new gaming system and rolling out retail technology to more than 1,000 locations across the state. The update went live May 11, 2026, according to the company.

Scientific Games said the new system now powers the Lottery’s draw-based and Scratchers’ sales and is designed to simplify product management for retailers. The conversion also includes the launch of the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership (SGEP) instant game management program, which the company said combines analytics, logistics, retail optimization and product strategy.

“The New Mexico Lottery is officially live with new, modern technology systems that work together to enhance all aspects of our operations and ensure we are well-positioned for our next era of growth,” said David Barden, CEO of the New Mexico Lottery. “We’ve strategically planned every step of this holistic modernization effort with Scientific Games to intelligently operate our retail network, making our Scratchers games easier for retailers to manage in their stores and easily accessible to our valued players.”

Scientific Games said the conversion was developed over the past year and is built on its Momentum ecosystem. Components cited include an advanced central gaming system, the SciTrak instant game distribution system, the gem | intelligence retailer licensing and management portal and the INFUSE business intelligence platform. The company said WAVE clerk-operated terminals and PlayCentral self-service machines will be deployed to retailers in planned phases.

“Congratulations to the New Mexico Lottery for building upon our long-standing instant scratch game partnership, embracing innovation for the future,” said John Schulz, President of Americas & Global Instant Products for Scientific Games. “We are proud to serve as the Lottery’s full-line partner and help drive maximum proceeds for New Mexico college students.”

The post Scientific Games completes systems conversion for New Mexico Lottery appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.