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A Swell of Support Helps Expand the Online Betting Industry
The sports betting market continues to gain popularity among people of all generations, especially as online betting is gradually becoming more mainstream. To illustrate the importance of this segment, data provided by a Zion Market Research report indicates that sports betting holds about 70% of the global gambling revenue, which is more than any other sectors, including those of lotteries, casinos, and poker, among other forms of gambling. As for which sports are the most popular, various games around the world are common among the sport betters, but European football attracts the greatest betting revenue, and is then closely followed by baseball. Of course, it has to be noted that numerous technological developments have helped propel the market to new highs. The stronger presence of online betting has completely transformed the process of sports betting, making it easier, faster and more convenient to place bets. On the other hand, the strict regulations by various governments are still an obstacle for the online market. Nevertheless, according to the report, the global sports betting market was valued at around USD 104.31 Billion in 2017 and is expected to reach approximately USD 155.49 Billion by 2024 while growing at a healthy CAGR of 8.83% between 2018 to 2024. FansUnite Entertainment Inc. (CSE: FANS), GAN Limited (NASDAQ: GAN), Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD), International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT), Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS)
Despite legal restrictions, regionally and country wise, in 2018 the market had already produced more than USD 48.9 Billion in worldwide revenue and is projected to expand past USD 134.5 Billion by 2027, according to data provided by Transparency Market Research. After the landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2018, in which the court struck down the ban on sports betting, all states got the option to pursue legalization. The state of New Jersey was the first to make sports betting legal. Other states followed, but California remains a legal battle ground for this gambling segment. However, a change might be possible this November. State Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and Assembly Member Adam Gray (D-Merced) have been working on an amendment to the state’s constitution that will go on the ballot in November, if it can get through both houses. “I think the leagues themselves are really the experts when it comes to keeping integrity of the games,” Assembly Member Gray explained in a report by NBC Sports Bay Area. “Obviously, in our proposal we’ve banned any high school sports betting and as we put the finishing details on this over the next few weeks it’s going to be important that those leagues engage with us on those final details to make sure that we have the highest quality product with the highest quality standards. And although they have been a little timid, I know that many out there in the sports world know that the future of the sports economy could be integrally tied to the success of sports wagering, fantasy sports and other activities.
FansUnite Entertainment Inc. (CSE: FANS) and Askott Entertainment Inc. just announced breaking news that two companies, “have entered into a definitive amalgamation agreement (the “Agreement”) to create one of Canada’s leading online gaming companies, focused on sports betting, esports wagering and casino games. Under the terms of the Agreement, FansUnite will acquire all of the outstanding securities of Askott by way of a three-cornered amalgamation (the “Transaction”) pursuant to which Askott and a newly incorporated subsidiary of FansUnite will amalgamate under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and continue as one corporation.
Combined Company Highlights
Expanded Consumer Base. The combined FansUnite and Askott will have four live business-to-consumer (“B2C”) platforms that have generated over CDN$350 million in wagers since inception and will have over 300,000 registered members;
Expanded Business Base. FansUnite and Askott will have four executed business-to-business (“B2B”) contracts, two of which are currently live and generating revenue with leading esports companies;
Expanded Betting Offerings. Two esports themed casino games which will be released on multiple casino games aggregators platforms this year with more games currently in development;
Increased Gaming Licenses: Applications have been completed for gaming licenses for B2C and B2B;
Established History of Operations: Askott has been in business since 2013, working closely with tier 1 partners around the world; and
Highly Accomplished and Experienced Team: The completion of the Transaction will add a team with decades of experience in esports, sports betting, casino, poker, licensing, government relationships and transactions to develop shareholder value.
According to a recent report by Grandview Research1, the global online gambling market size was valued at USD 53.7 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% from 2020 to 2027.
‘As the online gambling market continues to grow, the amalgamation with Askott is a significant milestone and transforms us into one of Canada’s premier iGaming companies,’ said Darius Eghdami, CEO of FansUnite Entertainment. ‘Combining with Askott provides us with a fully integrated gaming asset that offers multiple B2C platforms for users in a variety of betting offerings, B2B technology that can be licensed to all types of sportsbooks, and a seasoned team of executives that have led and grown multiple organizations on a global scale. This combination creates a leading online igaming company, and positions us strongly for significant growth with new offerings and market opportunities.’
‘We are recognized globally as a leader and pioneer in esports betting technology,’ said Scott Burton, CEO of Askott Entertainment. ‘As an early entrant in the sector we have already had a number of milestones, including, the launch of the first ever daily fantasy site dedicated to esports, the first esports betting site to receive an Isle of Man license gaming license in 2017 and more recently being shortlisted by EGR Magazine for the Esports Betting Supplier of the Year Award. This year, part of our growth strategy was to round out our offering with traditional sports and casinos to make us a complete iGaming solution. Merging with FansUnite accelerates our growth strategy and will bring us the scale and offerings to make our combined group the leading iGaming entity in the Canadian public markets.’…
GAN Limited (NASDAQ: GAN) is a business-to-business supplier of internet gambling software-as-a-service solutions to the U.S. land-based casino industry. The Company has developed a proprietary internet gambling enterprise software system, GameSTACK
Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) and FanDuel Group recently announced the debut of FanDuel Sportsbooks at four Boyd Gaming properties: Blue Chip Casino Hotel and Spa in Michigan City, Indiana; Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque, Iowa; Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa; and Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana. “Together, Boyd Gaming and FanDuel Group continue to successfully capitalize on the historic opportunity afforded by the legalization and expansion of sports betting in new states across the country,” said Keith Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming. “The FanDuel Sportsbook is off to a great start in Pennsylvania, contributing to solid growth in visitation and profitability at our Valley Forge Casino Resort near Philadelphia. We are confident our partners at FanDuel will deliver excellent results in Iowa and Indiana as well, further expanding Boyd Gaming’s customer base and enhancing our long-term competitive appeal.”
International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT) announced earlier this month that its PlaySports platform will power retail and mobile sports betting at Wild Card Saloon and Sasquatch Casino in Black Hawk, Colo. Owned and operated by privately held gaming company, Ed & Shirley’s Inc., both casinos will leverage IGT PlaySports kiosks, platform and mobile technologies to give their patrons choice and convenience for how, when and where they place sports bets. “Offering omni-channel sports betting via the IGT PlaySports solution will introduce an exciting new dimension of gaming to Wild Card Saloon and Sasquatch Casino that sports fans throughout Colorado are ready to embrace,” said Ed Smith, Ed & Shirley’s Inc. President.
“We’ve leveraged IGT’s expertise and trusted technology to create a sports betting program that gives players choice and convenience for wagering on their favorite teams.”
Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) announced earlier in March that it had partnered with Vaix.ai to offer sports bettors personalized recommendations and tailored betting choices through the OpenMarket product suite. Vaix.ai will offer an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model through OpenSports that enhances the sports betting experience. By providing sports, league, team, event, and market recommendations to bettors in real-time, the companies aim to further personalize sports betting through Scientific Games’ OpenMarket solution. OpenMarket is the industry’s first one-stop content marketplace, giving Scientific Games’ partners access to top-tier sports betting intelligence, data feeds and tools without the need for complex integrations and financial agreements.
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S8UL Esports has qualified for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Free Fire, adding a sixth title to its confirmed lineup for the event. The organisation said its Free Fire MAX roster secured the berth after finishing second at the Free Fire MAX India Cup (FFMIC) 2026 Spring.
S8UL’s recently acquired roster—Naitik Sharma (Troll), Prince Saini (Prinxz), Jay Verma (Bunny), Harshit Nain (Jack07), and Abhishek Gupta (Stiven)—earned one of three invitations allocated to Indian representatives at EWC 2026. Free Fire at EWC 2026 is scheduled for July 15 to 18 in Paris, France, featuring 24 teams and a USD 1 million prize pool (approximately INR 9.4 crore), according to the company.
FFMIC 2026 Spring ran a multi-stage format from City Qualifiers and In-Game Qualifiers through to Group Stage, Knockout Stage, Point Rush and Champion Rush. S8UL said the roster posted 186 points in Knockout Stage Week 1 to place sixth, then carried momentum into the final phase. In Champion Rush, the team entered with three Headstart Points from Point Rush and finished second overall after scoring 131 points and two Booyahs across eight matches. The result also delivered INR 17 lakh in prize money, S8UL said.
Prince Saini aka Prinxz, captain of S8UL’s Free Fire Max roster said, “What makes this team special is the chemistry we’ve developed over time. We have a shared understanding of how we want to approach the game, and that allows us to stay composed and adapt quickly in different situations. Qualifying for the Esports World Cup is an important milestone for us, and doing so as part of S8UL makes the opportunity even more exciting. We are looking forward to representing the organization on the global stage and showing what this roster can achieve against some of the best teams in the world.”
S8UL Co-founder and CEO Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug linked the qualification to the wider Indian mobile esports ecosystem, saying, “Free Fire MAX has been one of the driving forces behind the growth of mobile esports in India, helping create a highly competitive ecosystem and a pipeline of talented players. When those players get the opportunity to compete at an event like the Esports World Cup, it is not just a milestone for the team but also a reflection of how far the Indian scene has come. Facing the world’s best teams provides invaluable experience and helps raise the overall standard of competition back home. At S8UL, we remain committed to identifying and supporting Indian talent, and we are proud to see our Free Fire MAX roster earn the chance to represent both the organization and the country on one of esports’ biggest stages,”. The organisation added it is also confirmed for EWC 2026 in Apex Legends, Chess, Fortnite, Honor of Kings and Trackmania, and remains in contention in EA SPORTS FC, Fatal Fury, Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8. EWC 2026 runs July 6 to August 23 with a stated total prize pool of USD 75 million (~INR 714 crore).
The post S8UL qualifies for Esports World Cup 2026 Free Fire after FFMIC runner-up finish appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
EvenBet Gaming’s CEO, Dmitry Starostenkov, speaks to EEGaming about the company’s expansion into the casino vertical, what drove the decision, what it took to build, and what it means for operators looking to grow beyond a single product.
EvenBet has spent more than two decades building its reputation in poker. What told you the time was right to move into casino?
We kept having the same conversation with partners who trusted our poker infrastructure, asking whether we could support them on the casino side too. For a long time, our answer was to point them elsewhere but, with competition intensifying, that became harder to justify.
But there’s a wider shift happening too. Operators are under real pressure to extract more value from their existing player base. Acquisition costs are rising, regulated markets are tightening, and the days of building a sustainable business on a single vertical are gone. Operators who are growing have found more ways to extend player value across their full product offering, and that requires purpose-built infrastructure.
We have the technical foundation and understand the player behaviour. The question became when to make the move, and how to do it in a way that was genuinely an improvement on what was already out there.
Moving from the single poker vertical into a full casino platform is a significant undertaking. Where did the product challenges actually lie?
The single player account sounds simple until you’re actually building it. Shared balance, unified player profile, seamless movement between poker and casino all create complexity that compounds quickly. The other challenge was scope. A game aggregator covering 15,000 titles across 230-plus providers has the potential to create real infrastructure problems. We had to build something that could handle that scale without becoming unwieldy for operators to use. And we didn’t want to compromise the poker product to get there either – that was non-negotiable. Everything had to work as one system, not two products stapled together.
How does cross-vertical conversion work, and why does that matter so much to operators right now?
The friction in moving a player between verticals has always been the drop-off point. Separate logins, separate wallets and separate experiences are all different reasons for a player to disengage. When that’s removed, the conversion happens more naturally.
What makes the difference is having product mechanics that actively pull players across. One Click Poker removes the traditional lobby entirely, which has historically been the biggest barrier for casino players who find poker intimidating or unfamiliar. Spins Poker goes further by taking player-versus-player gameplay and wrapping it in slot-style mechanics, so the experience feels native to a casino player from the first session.
In the other direction, casino rewards sitting inside the poker environment give poker players a natural reason to explore. It becomes a two-way pipeline rather than a one-way push, and operators can see that working in the data. That’s what cross-vertical conversion looks like when the product architecture supports it properly.
What does EvenBet Gaming now offer an operator that they genuinely can’t get elsewhere?
Most casino platforms don’t come with a serious poker product attached, and most poker providers don’t have a credible casino offering. We’re in a fairly unique position in that we can genuinely deliver both, and the integration between the two is real and not just a partnership held together by an API. In terms of who this is for, it’s operators who want to grow. Whether that’s a new entrant who needs a clean, fast route to market, or an established operator who has a casino product but knows they’re missing a revenue stream without poker. We’re positioned to offer that market entry and scalability, without compromising quality.
The post Behind EvenBet Gaming’s strategic evolution into casino appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Plaza Hotel & Casino will host The Tony Bennett Experience for a one-night performance on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. in its classic Vegas showroom, the downtown Las Vegas operator said in a release.
The show features Las Vegas headliner and tribute artist Tom Stevens and his Jazz Ensemble, and is billed as a celebration of Tony Bennett’s 100th Anniversary. Plaza said Stevens will be backed by a four-piece band and perform songs including “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”
Tickets are on sale through the Plaza Hotel & Casino website.
The post Plaza Hotel & Casino books The Tony Bennett Experience for Aug. 8 in Las Vegas appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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