Canada

PlayTenn.com: Sportsbooks continue roll with $180 million in December

Published

3 years ago

January 27, 2021

Tennessee’s online sportsbooks continued to gain momentum, reaching $180 million in wagers in December to close 2020 with the best two-month debut in U.S. sports betting history. An untested market before launching in November, Tennessee is off to the kind of start that almost no one could have predicted, according to analysts from PlayTenn, which offers news and analysis of the fledgling Tennessee gaming market.

“Tennessee launched with what many thought were a lot of question marks, but it is proving to be The Little Engine that Could,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayTenn.com. “It seemed operators were slow to get to the state, many were concerned the 10% hold mandate would tamp down demand, and there were questions on whether or not the Tennessee Education Lottery was up to the task of regulating the industry. Those concerns seem like a distant memory now as Tennessee has catapulted itself into becoming a major player in the U.S. industry in just two months.”

In a December that featured four NFL Sundays, down from five in November, bettors placed $180.9 million in wagers, according to official data released Tuesday evening by The Tennessee Education Lottery. That topped November’s $131.4 million handle by 37.6%. December’s wagers produced a “win” of $13.9 million for the operators, up from $13.2 million in November. And the month’s win injected $3.1 million into state coffers.

Through the market’s first two months, Tennessee has:

Generated $312.3 million in bets, by far the most of any legal sports betting jurisdiction in U.S. history. The next closest was Indiana, which produced $126.9 million in its first two months in 2019.
Shattered the records for the best first month and the best second month. Indiana held both records, hitting $35.2 million in September 2019 before reaching $91.7 million in October 2019.
Set a new standard for operator revenue with $27.1 million. Indiana generated $20.1 million in its first two months, including $11.5 million in its second month.

Tennessee’s hot start can be attributed to several major factors. First, the state launched its sports betting industry with online sports betting, which attracts vastly more in bets than retail sports betting in every state that has both. Secondly, with no retail component in the state, there was no in-person registration requirement for online sports betting, which can artificially depress a market. None of Tennessee’s seven neighboring states offered online sports betting during the Volunteer State’s first two months, and only two, Arkansas and Mississippi, are home to any retail betting. And the Tennessee Titans’ playoff run undeniably spurred local interest.

“Tennessee launched under near-perfect conditions and that can be seen in the early results,” said Dustin Gouker, analyst for PlayTenn.com. “Even with added competition from Virginia now going live, Tennessee’s start has established the state as a significant player in the U.S. And I don’t see anything that will stop the market’s momentum in the short-term.”

As it stands, Tennessee is now the nation’s seventh-largest sports betting market with plenty of growth still to come.

Only four sportsbooks are in operation so far. But more are expected to come in the coming months. That includes the imminent launch of TwinSpires as well as WynnBET and William Hill.

“Having FanDuel and DraftKings, the nation’s two largest operators, in place at launch has helped fuel Tennessee’s surge,” Welman said. “But more high-quality operators will help mature the market. As good as Tennessee’s start has been, the best days are still to come.”

For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Tennessee, visit PlayTenn.com/news.

Canada

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

Published

16 hours 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

2 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

7 days 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.”