Canada
PlayPennsylvania.com: Sports wagering falls to lowest level since July 2020
Pennsylvania’s sports betting volume slipped in July to the lowest level since July 2020, falling to $304 million and continuing a slowing trend in July that has affected nearly every major U.S. market, according to PlayPennsylvania, which tracks regulated online gaming and sports betting in the state.
“Even with the NBA Finals and the Olympics to help boost the schedule this year, bettors in Pennsylvania and beyond just don’t engage sportsbooks as much during July,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayPennsylania.com. “This year in particular saw a surge in nationwide travel, which means people were occupied with family vacations and other summer activities. That said, sportsbooks cannot wait for football season to ramp up.”
Bettors placed $304.4 million in wagers at Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks in July, down 27.6% from $420.2 million in June, according to official data released Monday. July’s handle was up 84.7% from $164.8 million in July 2020, which was the last month with a handle of less than $364 million and featured the relaunch of baseball and the NBA after a months-long hiatus.
Lower volume sapped gross gaming revenue, which fell 35.3% to $27.5 million from $42.5 million in June, but up 101.3% from $13.7 million in July 2020. The month’s gross receipts led to $19.9 million in taxable revenue, which yielded $6.8 million in state taxes and $397,124 in local share assessments.
The drop in wagering has historical context. July was the lowest volume month in the U.S. in both 2018 and 2019, before the pandemic permuted sports betting data in 2020.
“The time zone difference dampened interest in the Olympics, but they were likely never going to move the needle significantly anyway,” said Valerie Cross, analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “The Phillies playing better almost certainly helped. But seasonal dips this time of year are nothing to be concerned about.”
Online betting accounted for $275.4 million in wagers, making up 90.5% of the state’s total handle in July. Once again, FanDuel topped the online market with $106.7 million in online wagering — down 34.3% from $162.5 million in June but capturing 38.7% of all online wagers in July. FanDuel’s gross gaming revenue from online betting fell to $12.3 million from $19.7 million in June, yielding $9.5 million in taxable revenue.
DraftKings followed with a $66.2 million handle, down from $86.0 million in June. July’s handle produced $4.0 million in gross revenue, down from $6.4 million in June, and $2.8 million in taxable revenue.
Penn National’s Barstool-branded app finished fourth in the state, behind BetMGM, with a $24.5 million handle in July, down from $31.9 million in June. Those bets led to $2.3 million in gross revenue and $1.7 million in taxable revenue.
The online leaders were followed by:
- BetMGM ($29.0 million handle, down from $37.4 million in June; $2.3 million in gross gaming revenue, up from $2.2 million)
- BetRivers ($14.5 million handle, down from $18.5 million; $1.3 million GGR, down from $1.4 million)
- Fox Bet ($10.0 million handle, down from $12.6 million; $709,376 GGR, down from $934,728)
- SugarHouse ($9.0 million handle, down from $11.3 million; $680,099 in GGR, down from $918,873)
- Parx Casino ($7.9 million handle, down from $9.8 million; $745,087 GGR, down from $1.1 million)
- Unibet ($4.5 million handle, down from $4.7 million; $316,936 GGR, down from $376,848)
- TwinSpires ($2.1 million handle, down from $2.2 million; $179,276 GGR, down from $194,104)
- Caesars ($947,532 handle, down from $1.5 million; -$126,967 GGR, down from $56,986)
- Wind Creek ($406,259 handle, down from $771,648; $6,284 GGR, down from $33,801)
- Betway ($563,481 handle; up from $14,883; -$32,239 GGR, down from $3,655)
Meanwhile, retail sportsbooks took in $29.0 million in wagers in June, down from $40.9 million in June. Those bets yielded $2.7 million in gross gaming revenue, down 45.4% from $4.9 million in June. Rivers Philadelphia topped the retail market with $5.9 million in bets, ahead of Parx Casino’s $4.0 million handle.
“The pandemic will continue to be the most important factor for the retail market for the foreseeable future,” Gouker said. “As the latest surge shows, the hope that retail sports betting would return to normal by football season seems overly optimistic.”
Online casinos and poker
Gross gaming revenue from online casinos and poker rooms rose 3.6% to $104.5 million from $100.8 million in June. Year-over-year, iGaming gross revenue is up 52.9% from $68.4 million in July 2020. July marks the fifth straight month surpassing $100 million in gross revenue.
July’s gross revenue was whittled to $88.7 million in taxable revenue, down from $88.9 million in June. That still produced $38.2 million in state and local taxes.
Online casinos and poker rooms have now produced $508.1 million in state and local taxes over the more than two years since launching in July 2019. Only New Jersey has wrung more tax revenue from online casinos and poker with $662.6 million — but that market launched in November 2013, nearly six years before Pennsylvania.
“As closely as it now tracks with New Jersey, no state benefits more from online gambling than Pennsylvania,” Cross said. “There was a lot of concern in the industry that regulators had initially set tax rates too high, and a slow start to the industry seemed to back that up. Now it seems that Pennsylvania’s aggressive taxing has been a clear win for the state.”
Other highlights from July:
- Wagering on online casino games reached $3.2 billion in July, down from $1.8 billion in July 2020.
- Online casino and poker rooms generated $3.4 million in gross gaming revenue per day over the 31 days of July, even with June.
- Penn National, which includes the DraftKings, BetMGM, Barstool, and Hollywood casinos, topped the market with $36.9 million in revenue. Rivers Philadelphia, which includes SugarHouse, Borgata, and BetRivers casinos, was second with $30.9 million.
- Poker generated $2.6 million in revenue, down from $3.0 million in July 2020. Mount Airy/PokerStars topped operators with $2.0 million.
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AGCO
AGCO Fines Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto $350,000 for Serious Regulatory Violations Linked to Impromptu After-Party on Gaming Floor
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued monetary penalties totaling $350,000 against Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto for multiple violations of provincial gaming standards. The penalties follow an impromptu after-party that was permitted to take place in the pre-dawn hours directly on the casino’s gaming floor.
On September 27, 2024, an electronic dance music event attended by thousands of people was hosted in the theatre adjacent to the casino at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto. The event was marked by widespread intoxication, disorderly behavior, and numerous criminal and medical incidents – both inside and outside the venue – including alleged assaults, drug overdoses, and acts of public indecency. Although paid duty officers were present, additional police and emergency services were required to manage the situation.
In the midst of this high-risk environment, casino management approved an unscheduled request by the performing artist to host an after-party on the active gaming floor. The artist and more than 400 guests were permitted onto the gaming floor where the artist was allowed to perform amidst operational table games and gaming machines – without any prior risk assessment or planning.
As a result, security personnel were unable to effectively control the casino floor, including witness reports that an attendee was seen climbing onto slot machines. Failure to maintain appropriate control compromises the security, safety, and integrity of the casino floor. Following the conclusion of the event, the operator failed to promptly report these incidents to the AGCO as required.
Based on the findings of its review, the AGCO’s Registrar has issued an Order of Monetary Penalty (OMP) totaling $350,000 against Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto. These penalties address critical failures in their operations, incident reporting, employee training, and the management of disturbances.
A gaming operator served with an OMP has 15 days to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative tribunal that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.
“Casino operators have a fundamental duty to control their gaming environment. Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto’s lapses in this incident compromised the safety of patrons and the security and integrity of the gaming floor,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of AGCO, said.
The post AGCO Fines Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto $350,000 for Serious Regulatory Violations Linked to Impromptu After-Party on Gaming Floor appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Canada Solutions ULC (hereinafter “IGT”), signed an eight-year agreement with Atlantic Lottery to supply its IntelligenEVO video lottery central system technology across Atlantic Canada. The agreement includes the option for multiple extensions and positions the Atlantic Lottery to become the first World Lottery Association (WLA)-affiliated lottery operator to deploy IGT’s next-generation central management system in a game-to-system (G2S) distributed market.
“By leveraging IGT’s IntelligenEVO technology, Atlantic Lottery will power its video lottery network with the industry’s best-in-class central system and position itself to maximize future contributions to good causes. As an organization that prioritizes system security and exceptional player experiences, Atlantic Lottery believes that IGT’s IntelliegnEVO solution will help generate high player satisfaction and optimal network performance,” said Michael MacKinnon, Atlantic Lottery VP, Product.
“As a long-time supplier to Atlantic Lottery, IGT looks forward to helping the Lottery achieve its growth and player engagement goals with our leading-edge IntelligenEVO video lottery central system. IGT’s IntelligenEVO is a scalable technology for the WLA market that is backed by decades of experience and operator feedback, and maximizes the benefits of real-time data, cloud-based technologies and in-depth analytics,” said David Flinn, IGT SVP Canada, EMEA and LATAM, Gaming Sales.
With peak system security, network availability and responsible gaming functionalities, IntelligenEVO is a reliable, scalable solution that can meet the needs of today and in the future. The solution will accelerate time-to-market and enables the Atlantic Lottery to benefit from the system’s suite of player-focused functionality. The technology’s G2S and open API design optimizes data collection and delivery and will enable Atlantic Lottery to customize their program for evolving player needs.
The post IGT and Atlantic Lottery Sign Eight-Year Video Lottery Central System Technology Agreement appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
NetGaming, a fast-growing online casino content supplier, is proud to announce its launch in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive, Inc., a leading online casino and sports betting company in the United States, Canada and Latin America. This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone for NetGaming as it continues to expand its footprint across regulated North American markets.
As part of the launch, Ontario players on BetRivers can now enjoy a diverse portfolio of NetGaming titles, known for their high-quality graphics, immersive gameplay, and unique themes. Standout games such as Zeus’s Thunderbolt, Bison Gold, and Fireball Inferno are among the first to go live, with additional titles set to follow soon.
This partnership is just the beginning. NetGaming plans to extend its collaboration with Rush Street Interactive into Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Mexico over the coming months.
Pallavi Deshmukh, CEO of NetGaming, commented: “We are thrilled to go live with Rush Street Interactive, a powerhouse operator with a strong presence and loyal player base. This launch marks a significant milestone in our
North American expansion strategy and underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional gaming experiences tailored to local player preferences across the region.”
Richard Schwartz, CEO of Rush Street Interactive, commented: “We are pleased to partner with NetGaming to bring innovative, premium games to our players in Ontario. This collaboration aligns with our strategy to offer world-class
entertainment through engaging, action-packed online casino games. We look forward to expanding this partnership into additional regulated markets in the months ahead.”
This strategic partnership highlights both companies’ dedication to providing high- quality, innovative, and responsible entertainment to players in regulated markets.
The post NetGaming Goes Live in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive via BetRivers Platform appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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