Canada
Colorado Sportsbooks Impressive Again With $128.6 Million in August
The Colorado sports betting market’s first real test was met with overwhelming success, using a busy slate of major U.S. sports in August to more than double the state’s handle from July. In doing so, Colorado has continued its rapid ascent for a market that launched in May amid a worldwide pandemic, said PlayColorado analysts.
“Considering the obstacles Colorado’s market has had to face since it launched in May, the results so far have surpassed the expectations of all but the most optimistic,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for the PlayColorado.com. “Colorado is already in a small group of major U.S. sports betting markets, and it has reached that level long before the market has matured.”
With a busy schedule of baseball, NBA, and NHL games throughout August, online and retail sportsbooks combined to generate $128.6 million in wagers, up 117% from $59.2 million in July, according to official data released Wednesday. The wagers over the 31 days of August netted $1.9 million in betting proceeds, down 22% from $2.4 million in July. The drop in net proceeds came in spite of a rise in gross revenue to $7.5 million from $5.2 million, the result of increased marketing.
August’s wagers produced $189,462 in state taxes and topped the $122.9 million in bets that sportsbooks generated over the industry’s first three months combined.
Colorado sports fans had plenty of motivation in August. Fueled by the Denver Nuggets, basketball was the main driver in August, attracting $38 million in bets. And baseball generated another $22.8 million in bets. With the Colorado Avalanche enjoying a playoff run of their own through August, hockey drew another $13.6 million in wagers.
With the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and the Denver Broncos season under way, Colorado’s monthly record will likely be short-lived.
“As impressive as August was, September will almost certainly be even better with the Nuggets and Broncos in play,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayColorado.com. “With table tennis as the state’s top draw in the first few months, it was impossible to get a reliable read on Colorado’s market. We now know it’s a market that responds well to its home teams. After September, though, we will find out how much interest in sports betting is driven locally as the Nuggets season wanes and if the Broncos continue to struggle.”
Perhaps most surprising is Colorado’s push toward the nation’s fourth largest market, Indiana, which attracted $169 million in bets in August. The Hoosier State has a more mature market, a larger population than Colorado, and is boosted by relatively large markets — including Chicago, Cincinnati, and Louisville — just across its borders.
The Centennial State has its own advantages, though, including its ability to entice sportsbook operators with an attractive regulatory framework and heavy interest in Denver-area professional sports teams. Just recently, TheScore Bet and the first U.S. sportsbook from European bookmaker SportsBetting.com have launched in Colorado, with even more to follow.
“Colorado started as a relatively open market for sportsbook operators and a well-conceived regulatory framework have made the state especially appealing,” Gouker said. “With multiple bookmakers who have never operated in the U.S. before, Colorado is beginning to look like no other market in the U.S.”
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NorthStar Gaming Holdings Inc. announced a series of enhancements to its NorthStar Bets online betting platform. The latest product innovations are crafted to elevate and consistently surpass the expectations of NorthStar Bets customers, reinforcing the Company’s position as the definitive premium choice in the gaming industry.
“We are excited to roll out a broad range of product enhancements to our customers. Innovation has always been a core value for NorthStar as we seek to maintain a best-of-breed platform that evolves alongside changing preferences and emerging technologies. We focus on upgrades that will differentiate us in the marketplace, simplify the customer experience, and reinforce our premium positioning,” said Michael Moskowitz, Chair and CEO of NorthStar.
NorthStar’s product innovation strategy can be summarized by two complementary propositions. “Incrementally Better” refers to ongoing, often small-scale improvements aimed at optimizing such attributes as reliability, trust, speed, simplicity, and performance. “Fundamentally Different” means targeting efforts on features or offerings that are highly valued, drive customer loyalty, and set NorthStar apart from competitors.
Product enhancements recently introduced by NorthStar include the following:
• Strengthened Casino section. A new streamlined navigation simplifies the user experience, while NorthStar’s selection of games and titles has doubled since the start of 2024.
• NorthStar Elite Blackjack. A bespoke branded table crafted to exceed the exacting standards of VIP players, embodying the premium experience that defines NorthStar Bets.
• Sports Insights 2.0. Overhaul of industry-leading sports content vertical with new features, statistics, design, and user experience, launched on NorthStarBets.ca.
• Enhanced Sportsbook.
a. Dynamic Navigation: The latest innovation introduces a feature that streamlines navigation, quickly guiding users to top sports and events, minimizing the steps required to place a bet.
b. Personalized Prop Bets: An advanced AI-driven algorithm analyzes individual betting patterns to generate customized prop bets that are tailored to each customer’s betting history.
c. Intelligent Parlay Suggestions: This intuitive functionality also appears on the bet slip, where companion bets are offered to enhance single bets, enabling customers to effortlessly create logical parlays at the point of the bet decision.
“Today’s announcement offers a preview of the innovation fueling our 2024 strategy. Our product team is executing an ambitious roadmap that balances incremental advancements with groundbreaking features, all meticulously crafted to elevate the attributes our customers value most-reliability, performance, and simplicity,” said Dean MacNeil, VP of Product & Managed Services at NorthStar.
“As a premium brand, we strategically harness innovation to amplify our appeal to high-value customers, solidifying our distinct advantage in the industry. By consistently enhancing the customer experience, we reaffirm our commitment to delivering a premium service that drives strong customer satisfaction and earns their loyalty.”
British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)
IGT Launches its Second Omnichannel Wide Area Progressive Game in Canada, Money Mania Slots
International Game Technology PLC announced that it recently launched its second omnichannel Wide Area Progressive (WAP) game for Canada, Money Mania slots. The game is currently available on British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s (BCLC) PlayNow.com site and at 22 BCLC-governed casinos throughout British Columbia. IGT is the only supplier in the world to offer omnichannel jackpot games with shared jackpot liquidity across the land-based, online and mobile versions of the games.
“We know our players love the excitement that the Powerbucks games offer, so BCLC is thrilled to launch IGT’s Money Mania – another title that draws upon the same opportunity for cross-channel jackpots. Both BCLC and IGT are passionate about bringing innovative games to players and fueling responsible growth in the industry. We also recognize that BCLC is in a unique position with our ability to offer cross-channel experiences for players. Whether players choose to play Money Mania at the casino or online, we’re confident this is another game they’ll love,” said Dan Beebe, BCLC Chief Operating Officer.
IGT’s Money Mania is a proven multi-level progressive (MLP) game that features player-favorite game mechanics and multiple base-game themes. The game includes a $100,000 top-level “Money Jackpot” and a fast-growing, fast-hitting second-level WAP jackpot – “Mania Jackpot”. With a jackpot-reset value of $4000, the game’s “Mania Jackpot” is designed to hit frequently, especially with land-based, online and mobile gameplay all simultaneously feeding the jackpot meter.
“IGT’s Money Mania omnichannel WAP game is designed to frequently deliver mid-to-large-size jackpots, drive cross-channel gameplay and engage BCLC players online and in casinos. Like Powerbucks, IGT’s Money Mania is at the forefront of jackpot innovation and supports IGT’s commitment to and leadership in omnichannel content and innovation,” said David Flinn, IGT SVP Sales, Canada, South and Central America.
BCLC was the first gaming operator in the world to offer an omnichannel jackpot game when it partnered with IGT for the 2016 launch of Powerbucks slots. Since then, IGT’s Powerbucks has remained one of the top-performing games in Canada and has minted more than 50 millionaires across the country.
BCLC has launched PROLINE – a first-of-its-kind digital retail sportsbook – across all B.C. lottery terminals.
PROLINE offers the most popular sports-betting options previously available on BCLC’s Sports Action, as well as other new offerings. In addition to Toto, Oddset 2-outcome, Oddset 3-outcome, money line, point spread, totals and props, single-event betting and dynamic odds will be offered for the first time at retail locations.
“This is an exciting evolution for BCLC and for sports bettors across the province. PROLINE offers an updated and innovative sports betting experience and is the pivotal next step for BCLC in offering exciting new sports products to our valued players,” Dan Beebe, Chief Operating Officer at BCLC, said.
To play, players will have to download the new BCLC PROLINE app on their phone, create their digital bet slips in the app and receive an app-generated QR code, which they can bring to any lottery retail location to scan and receive a printed ticket. As added flexibility, players can also create their PROLINE bets on their laptops or tablets through the PROLINE website.
BCLC is also planning for other new sports-betting experiences in the months ahead, which will include enhanced betting experiences at B.C. bars and pubs and exciting new offerings at B.C. casinos around the province.
BCLC is the official sports betting partner of the Vancouver Canucks, Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, BC Lions and the 11th Grey Cup, which takes place at Vancouver’s BC Place on November 17.
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