Latest News
Betting on the Super Bowl LX Winner: Events Contracts vs Sports Betting
The NFL regular season is about to start in early September, but all eyes are on Super Bowl LX, the end of the journey. It will kick off on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the San Francisco 49ers play their home games. And that’s pretty much all we know about it, for now. Who’s going to play at the halftime show? (Taylor Swift?) What epic TV commercials will be aired (and how much will 30 seconds of airtime cost?) are all unknown.
Another Super Bowl question that has sparked debate as the NFL season is about to kick off is how millions of US fans who want a piece of the action will back their favorite to win. Will they do it through sports betting, which is now legal in most US states, or will they buy event contracts, a new product that is exploding on the internet nowadays, with regulation and legality causing heated debates in courts across the country?
The partnership US betting powerhouse FanDuel announced with event-contract giant CME shows how the industry is trying to navigate an entirely different regulatory universe. The Super Bowl, being one of the largest betting events on the planet, will also determine how these two universes will collide or coexist.
Although many people think sports betting and events contracts are similar, they are two very different beasts.
A traditional sports bet is speculative and meant for entertainment, based on a zero-sum wager between the sportsbook and bettor. Although some bettors apply knowledge and strategy, it is considered gambling, with results being purely up to chance. At the same time, event contracts companies argue that their product has a legitimate hedging function that, although it bears risk, is considered investment risk undertaken for economic purposes.
When placing a bet with a sportsbook, the bettor’s relationship and risk are solely with the sportsbook, which manages the risks, sets up the betting lines, adjusts the odds, and pays out large wins or collects losses. Event contracts are traded between members of a community, facilitated by a centralized exchange platform that doesn’t take part in the trade but rather facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers. Whereas a bookmaker determines odds in traditional betting, event contracts on an exchange platform are priced by market demand.
A bet will typically be binary and held until it expires (or cashed out early). For example, you can bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers to win against the New York Jets in the first gameday of these two teams this season. You will then win or lose based on the odds that were offered when you locked the bet. Event contracts are tradable, and their pricing will fluctuate depending on market conditions. For example, you can buy a contract for “Joe Burrow to win season MVP” and sell it months later at a profit if his odds improve, or alternatively, offload it at a loss if Burrow gets injured and his odds diminish.
Another huge difference is how event contracts are regulated compared to traditional NFL betting. Since the US Supreme Court annulled PASPA (the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992), each US state can regulate its own sports betting market. The regulators’ primary focus is to ensure operator integrity, protect customers from fraud, and put in place mechanisms to prevent and treat problem gambling.
Event contracts are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a federal agency that is more focused on ensuring market integrity, preventing market manipulation, and protecting investors from a seismic market shift. It is rarely concerned with protecting individual investors from addiction and the prevention of loss from excessive trading.
The introduction of event contracts isn’t an evolution of sports betting. It is a big bang, representing the creation of an entirely new marketplace that operates under a different legal framework and a different set of values. Traditional betting lives in the sphere of entertainment and individual player protection, whereas event contracts exist in the world of investment and financial-market transparency and integrity.
The outcome of this regulatory debate will determine whether betting on the NFL and other major league sports will stay within the sportsbook space or expand into financial trading markets.
The post Betting on the Super Bowl LX Winner: Events Contracts vs Sports Betting appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Compliance Updates
New channelization assessment from the Gambling Authority confirms Sweden’s problem
BOS – the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling – comments the assessment of the channelization rate for 2024 in Sweden that the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) presented today: https://www.spelinspektionen.se/nyhetsarkiv/kanaliseringsgrad-pa-den-svenska-spelmarknaden-2024/
The assessment in summary:
The Gambling Authority estimates that channelization in the Swedish competitive gambling market is 85%.
This is a decrease of 1 percentage point from last year’s estimate of 86%.
Fewer sources have been used for this year’s assessment. H2 Gambling Capital is now excluded and therefore does not contribute to the estimate of 85%. H2GC recently adjusted its estimate for Sweden down from 91% to 72%.
The estimate of 85% should be compared with the state’s channelization target for a long-term sustainable gambling market: at least 90%.
Gambling verticals such as betting and online casino have also been measured individually. They show large differences. Betting, including the popular betting on horse racing in Sweden, is estimated to have a channelization rate of between 92-96%. Online casino is estimated to have a channelization rate of between 72-82%.
Five main reasons are given as motivations for gambling unlicensed, including a better selection of games on the unlicensed gambling market and having disconnected oneself from licensed gambling on Spelpaus.se.
The SGA will present an estimate of the channelization rate on the Swedish gambling market once a year.
BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt comments: “With this assessment, the SGA confirms that Sweden’s major problem in the gambling market is online casino. It is unacceptable that around a quarter of all online casino gambling is leaking out of the licensed market. It is equally unacceptable that this has been accepted by political decision-makers for half a decade, since the channelization has also been low in previous assessments, without effective regulatory measures being taken.
Later this month, gambling investigator Marcus Isgren’s proposal to change the scope of the Gambling Act will be presented. It is a welcome change in the law that will criminalise almost all unlicensed gambling in Sweden. But anyone who understands the gambling market knows that the elephant in the room is that the licensed market is so tightly regulated that it does not appear attractive enough in the eyes of the consumer. Without a review of, for example, the total ban on bonuses and other loyalty programs, next year’s channelization assessment from the SGA will also be a disappointment.”
The post New channelization assessment from the Gambling Authority confirms Sweden’s problem appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
SPRIBE adds yet another superstar MMA athlete to its growing roster of Aviator brand ambassadors as number of monthly players surpasses 60 million
SPRIBE, the company behind the world’s number one crash game, Aviator, has signed yet another knock-out brand ambassador deal, this time with Armenian UFC lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan.
Under the deal, Arman will promote Aviator to his fans around the world, taking part in several high-profile campaigns over the coming 12 months.
Arman is one of the most feared athletes in the UFC’s lightweight division, where he’s ranked number two, but with aspirations to dethrone current champion Ilia Topuria.
Arman is the perfect Aviator brand ambassador with his explosive fighting style matching the thrill ride the game offers to the more than 60 million people who play it every month. These players place more than 400,000 bets per minute across more than 5,500 online casino sites worldwide.
Arman joins a growing roster of Aviator brand ambassadors, including fellow UFC athletes Alex Pereira, Johnny Walker and Merab Dvalishvili.
These partnerships have been signed as part of a wider deal with the UFC, which created a brand ambassador fund as well as putting the Aviator logo inside the world-famous Octagon at Fight Night and Pay Per View events.
Giorgi Tsutskiridze, Chief Commercial Officer at SPRIBE, said: “Our partnership with the UFC is proving to be hugely successful, allowing us to join forces with its superstar athletes and prize fighters such as Arman Tsarukyan.
“Arman is one of the hottest talents in the UFC pool right now, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets his shot at the lightweight division title.
“This is what makes him such a great ambassador for Aviator, and we look forward to working closely with Arman on some knock-out campaigns over the next 12 months.”
Arman Tsarukyan, UFC athlete and Aviator brand ambassador, added: “I am very selective about the products I partner with, but when it came to being an ambassador for Aviator, I couldn’t refuse.
“Nothing beats the thrill of stepping into the Octagon on Fight Night, but strapping in a taking flight with Aviator comes close.
“The SPRIBE team has some great campaigns in the works, and I’m looking forward to spreading the word about Aviator to my fans across the world.”
The post UFC lightweight, Arman Tsarukyan, becomes Aviator ambassador appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
At the Peru Gaming Show in June, strategic partners Merkur Gaming and Spintec entered a new chapter in their partnership in Latin America. The two companies signed a distribution agreement for Colombia and Peru, marking an important milestone in their collaboration. Their united presence at the show highlighted the strength of this alliance, which continues to deliver considerable advantages to their already winning cooperation across the region.
Spintec’s debut appearance this year was a highlight of Merkur Gaming stand at Jockey Plaza in Lima. The Slovenian specialist in Electronic Table Games (ETGs) featured an impressive range of products that combined innovation, reliability, and performance. Their Karma and Charisma product lines were the big showstoppers with their unbeatable combination of innovation and reliability. These products are gaining traction and popularity all over the world for a very good reason: they are fully engaging and attractive to look at, while also being extremely dependable.
And the quality of Spintec’s portfolio is already delivering measurable results in the region. The renowned research company Eilers & Krejcik recognized Spintec as the top-performing ETG supplier in South America in their April 2025 Latin America Game Performance Report. This achievement propels the partnership in Peru and Colombia even further. It not only underlines the seamless integration of Merkur’s powerful regional presence with Spintec’s technological leadership in ETGs but also serves as a testament to the importance of companies’ growing strategic alliance.
“ETGs are a valuable and strategic addition to Merkur’s already robust product portfolio,” said Dominik Raasch, Management Board Member, Merkur Games. “Our partnership with Spintec is built on a shared vision of delivering excellence, innovation, and value to our customers. The joint market presence we are creating in Latin America is only the beginning.”
Goran Sovilj, Global Sales Director at Spintec, echoed the sentiment: “Our collaboration with Merkur Gaming continues to deepen, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved together. With their strong local teams, infrastructure, and sales support, we are perfectly positioned to take the leading role in the ETG market in Latin America, and beyond.”
As the companies continue to strengthen and widen their strategic alliances in the region, their commitment to joint innovation, market leadership and next-level gaming experiences grows even further. The optimism is based on past achievements, but also on a very positive outlook towards future growth.
The post Spintec Strengthens its Partnership with Merkur in Colombia and Peru appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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