DraftKings has introduced credit card deposit ban for US customers. This decision aligns them with other major gambling operators, such as Fanatics Betting & Gaming, Betr, and Sporttrade, which have already banned credit card funding for wagering accounts.

It also comes on the heels of another major announcement by DraftKings. Starting September 1, DraftKings will charge a 50-cent fee for every mobile and online bet placed in Illinois using its Sportsbook platform. This change follows a similar move by FanDuel.

DraftKings CEO, Jason Robins, expressed his disappointment with Illinois policymakers for significantly raising the tax rate. He is worried that this could hurt the legal sports betting industry, while the illegal market continues to operate without paying taxes or providing any consumer protections.

DraftKings has informed its users that any saved credit card information will be disabled.

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Moving forward, players will need to utilize alternative payment methods, including:

• Debit Cards

• ACH and wire transfers

• PayPal, Venmo

• Apple Pay

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• Gift Cards

Bettors can also use cash at physical locations to fund their accounts.

DraftKings describes this step as a “strategic business decision” aimed at shielding customers from the high interest rates and cash advance fees usually associated with credit card deposits in gambling. Unlike regulatory demands, this decision was internally driven but coincides with growing scrutiny from regulators.

DraftKings has decided to stop accepting credit cards for deposits in the US due to worries about customer safety and more scrutiny from regulators. Recently, the company faced a significant fine in Massachusetts, where it is based. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission fined DraftKings $450,000 for allowing credit card deposits, which goes against state laws.

Betr, a leading sports gaming and media company, announced the addition of viral internet sensation and social media superstar Haliey Welch, known as the face of the biggest meme in the history of the internet, “HawkTuah”, to its expanding roster of top-tier content creators in the Betr Media family. Welch will debut her new weekly podcast, “Talk Tuah”, under the Betr Media banner, with the first episode to premiere on Tuesday, September 10 across social, digital, and audio platforms. “Talk Tuah” marks the latest expansion of the company’s roster of premium original digital IP, joining viral shows BS w/ Jake Paul, Twin Talk with Hanna and Haley Cavinder, Nickals and Dimes with Bo Nickal and Caps Off with Adam Tabatchnick and Jack Parodi.

“Talk Tuah” is poised to become a standout addition to Betr Media’s longform content lineup, with Welch to welcome a number of A-list guests, anchored by her vibrant female perspective, to the show this season. The first episode will feature guest Whitney Cummings, followed by Josh Richards and Jake Paul. Each episode will blend insightful interviews with comedic elements, creating a compelling mix that aligns with Betr Media’s commitment to innovative and engaging sports media. Welch will bring her signature blend of southern values and comedic flair to the show and will also continue to diversify her platform and voice as a regular contributor to the company’s always-on, character-driven social content. Betr Media’s deal with Welch comes on the heels of the company’s latest strategic expansions to its monetized content portfolio, including the acquisition of the Caps Off and Hot Corner podcasts from The Game Day.

“This is a major addition to the Betr Media family as we continue to strategically differentiate ourselves in the market. Haliey Welch is a bona fide superstar, and her charisma, unique perspective, and innate connection with her audience make her the perfect fit for our platform. Talk Tuah will bring a fresh and dynamic voice to our content lineup, and we can’t wait for our audience and brand sponsors to connect with Haliey in an authentic way that embodies the ethos of Betr Media as a whole,” said Mike Denevi, Head of Media at Betr.

“Y’all kept asking ‘What’s next?’ Well this is it! I’m so thankful to have my own podcast where you’ll discover the real Haliey Welch. I’m delighted to join the team at Betr who fully gets me. Together, we’re going to introduce the world to Talk Tuah every Tuesday, starting September 10. My show will have a little of everything – great guests, laughs, chit chats about your pets, relationship pointers, sports and, of course, some down home southern charm,” said Haliey Welch.

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Betr Holdings, Inc. (“Betr”) announced it has closed $15 million in strategic equity financing from a premier group of investors at a $375 million valuation, bringing its total funding to date to $100 million. The round was co-led by Harmony Partners and 10x Capital, with participation from the company’s three largest existing investors: Fuel Venture Capital, Aliya Capital Partners, and Roger Ehrenberg/Eberg Capital, alongside others. This round of financing comes off a highly successful 2023 for Betr, where the company reached a significant level of scale – both with respect to paying users and revenue – while doing so efficiently and profitably.

Betr recently announced market access expansion plans for its Online Sportsbook product, having secured market access in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, and Kentucky, as well as the upcoming launch of its Casino product (pending regulatory approval), with the company also securing iGaming market access in Pennsylvania. Betr has also officially received its temporary Indiana sports wagering license from the Indiana Gaming Commission in recent weeks.

Betr also recently announced that it has fortified its senior leadership team, hiring Dan Maas as Head of Media Revenue, Partnerships, and Strategy and hiring Andrew Winchell as Head of Government Affairs. Dan joins Betr from Wave Sports & Entertainment, where he worked his way up from VP of Partnerships to EVP of Commercial and oversaw the development and monetization of highly successful premium franchises, including New Heights with Travis and Jason Kelce and Podcast P with Paul George, in addition to leading the monetization of their successful original short form video focused social media content strategy, which are both highly synergistic to the core pillars of Betr Media. Dan will lead monetization efforts for Betr Media, positioning Betr’s media arm to become a large bona fide revenue-generating business – in addition to the primary benefit Betr Media serves, which is to create unfair customer acquisition economics for Betr Gaming. Andrew joins Betr from FanDuel, where he served as their Directory of Regulatory Affairs. Andrew brings a breadth of experience working closely with state regulators and political leaders on key issues pertaining to sports gaming and will meaningfully strengthen Betr’s internal government and regulatory affairs capabilities as the company scales in size and launches in new jurisdictions.

“We are thrilled to announce our strategic equity financing, new members of our senior leadership team, and the approval of our temporary Indiana sports wagering license,” said Joey Levy, Founder and CEO of Betr. “Jake (Paul) and I co-founded Betr just over two years ago, so raising capital from leading growth stage investors at a $375 million valuation in the very early days of our business is a testament to the performance of the team and business to date, and the potential we have to build a category defining business with Betr. Finally, I want to thank the Indiana Gaming Commission for the honor and privilege of a sports wagering license in the Hoosier state. We are excited to launch our new V1 Sportsbook product in Indiana over the coming months, while bringing our best-in-class responsible gaming standards to the state.”

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Harmony Partners is a leading growth investor funding breakout emerging companies led by Mark Lotke, who led the software group at FTV Capital, led the pre-IPO group at Internet Capital Group, and prior to that was at General Atlantic. 10X Capital is a prolific venture capital firm led by co-founders Hans Thomas and David Weisburd having invested in companies including 23andMe, Palantir, Robinhood, and Udemy. 10X Capital was a significant investor in DraftKings going back to July 2018.

“We believe that Betr has the product, management and market opportunity that we saw in DraftKings in its early days with a significantly larger TAM and room for growth today,” said David Weisburd, Co-Founder and Head of Venture Capital at 10x Capital.