Canada

Indiana Sportsbooks Up, But Bets Still Off Nearly $160 Million

Published

4 years ago

June 10, 2020

Sports world slowly starting to reopen, giving some reason for optimism, according to PlayIndiana

LAS VEGAS — Indiana’s sportsbooks lost out on nearly $160 million in bets in May even as they produced a modest improvement over April, according to PlayIndiana estimates. And while the sports world moves closer to reopening, the shut down could have more long-ranging effects on Indiana as neighboring states rush to open up sports betting to shore their budgets.

“In the short-term, the path to recovery is relatively straightforward,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “Sports must return. The good news is that the PGA Tour expected to start this weekend and the NBA and other major sports are closer to a return. The bottom line is that there is now a light at the end of this tunnel.”

Indiana’s online sportsbooks — which again accounted for the state’s entire handle — accepted $37.3 million in bets in May, according to official reporting released Wednesday. That was up 41.9% from the record-low $26.3 million in April.

May’s wagers produced $3.2 million in adjusted gross revenue, doubling the $1.6 million in April, and yielded $302,097 in tax revenue for the state. But a more typical May would have attracted more than $200 million in bets, according to PlayIndiana estimates. Retail sportsbooks, which remain closed, would have alone generated nearly $45 million in bets.

Bettors did find a bit more to bet on in May, including NASCAR and European soccer. And that helped boost bets on “other” sports than football, basketball, and baseball to $30.5 million in May, up from $21 million in April.

“Online sportsbooks have proven to be resilient,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “Operators have been remarkably creative in keeping bettors engaged, even with fringe sports as the main attraction. There is no making up for what has been lost, but weathering the storm has always been the priority. And I think most, if not all, have been successful so far in doing that.”

When the market does normalize, Indiana will likely be facing some additional headwinds. When Indiana sports betting launched last fall, none of its neighbors had yet to legalize online or retail sports betting. But now Michigan has launched its industry, Illinois legalized sports betting and just eliminated its initial in-person registration requirement for online sportsbooks, and now a bill to legalize betting in Ohio is moving through the statehouse.

“Indiana’s main advantage when it launched was that it had such limited competition in the Midwest,” Gouker said. “That is obviously changing, which was inevitable. But Indiana still has one of the most solid regulatory infrastructures in the U.S. And that will help keep the state ahead of the curve.”

Market leader DraftKings/Ameristar Casino generated $20.1 million in bets, up from $13.6 million in April. That yielded $1.8 million in gross receipts, up from $908,322. FanDuel/Blue Chip Casino was second with a $12.3 million handle, up from $9.7 million, resulting in a $1.1 million win, up from $558,155.

The market leaders were followed by:

BetRivers/French Lick Resort ($2.4 million handle, up from $2.1 million; $168,721 win, up from $116,726)
BetMGM/Belterra ($1.5 million handle, up from $418,195; $123,467 win, up from $48,043)
PointsBet/Hollywood Lawrenceburg ($986,258 handle, up from $449,638 handle; $74,687 win, up from -$4,768)
BetAmerica/Rising Star Casino ($37,323 handle, up from $3,886; $10,042 win, up from $3,519)
Caesars/Horseshoe Hammond ($8,063 handle, $2,755)

While online sportsbooks struggled to attract bettors, the market did receive a new competitor with the launch of the Caesars Sportsbook app in late May. That adds a shot of confidence in the future of the market.

“Adding a heavyweight like Caesars to Indiana’s mix will only help the market once it returns to something more closely resembling normal, Welman said. “It shows that operators still believe in the potential of the Indiana market even as it remains quiet.”

For more revenue information on Indiana sportsbooks, visit PlayIndiana.com/revenue.

Canada

Play’n GO announces partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

play’n-go-announces-partnership-with-canadian-operator-loto-quebec

Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec, launching the Swedish gaming giant’s games into another Canadian province.

Already active in another Canadian province , this partnership sees Play’n GO’s content available in the province of Québec exclusively with Loto-Québec, a state-owned corporation, where online players now have access to titles such as Tome of Madness.

Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer, Play’n GO said: “At Play’n GO, we have always been clear in our vision to be active in every regulated market in the world, and this partnership with Loto-Québec is the next step on that journey.

“Our past success in Canada gives us confidence that players in Québec will enjoy the best Play’n GO content, and we look forward to many years of success with Loto-Québec in the province.”

Stéphane Martel, Head of Product and Innovation at Loto-Québec added: “As the sole iGaming operator in Québec, we pride ourselves on offering titles that truly add value to our platform, lotoquebec.com. We are happy to bring Play’n GO games to our players.”

Canada

Court Decision Upholds iGaming Ontario’s Model

Published

3 days ago

May 15, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

court-decision-upholds-igaming-ontario’s-model

iGaming Ontario has welcomed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court, which found that iGaming Ontario’s model is consistent with the Criminal Code and that iGaming Ontario is conducting and managing igaming in the province.

“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.

“Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario,” Otton added.

In dismissing the application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), the Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” behind Ontario’s competitive igaming market in accordance with the conduct and manage requirements of the Criminal Code.

iGaming Ontario will continue to conduct and manage igaming as it has since the launch of the regulated market on April 4, 2022.

Bragg Gaming Group

Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer

Published

1 week ago

May 10, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

bragg-gaming-appoints-renowned-igaming-executive-neill-whyte-as-chief-commercial-officer

Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.

Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.

Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.

In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.

Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.

“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”

Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.

“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”