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PlayIllinois.com: Sports betting hits 10-month low in July

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The volume of sports betting in Illinois further slowed in July, slumping to the lowest level in the state since September 2020 with $369 million in online and retail wagering. July typically marks the end of the seasonal slowdown that affects every major U.S. sports betting market, but in-person registration requirements in Illinois could dampen the football-fueled ramp up that other states will enjoy, according to PlayIllinois, which tracks the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market.

“Illinois sportsbooks will not be able to take full advantage of the customer acquisition phase that comes with the beginning of every football season, which is vital for the growth of the industry,” said Joe Boozell, lead analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “Because in-person registration was reinstated in April at the beginning of the slow season in sports betting, the industry has skirted the most severe effects of the state rule. But there will be no hiding from it during football season.”

Bettors made $369.1 million in wagers at Illinois’ retail and online sportsbooks in July, down 22.5% from $476.5 million in June, according to official data released Thursday. The day-by-day pace of betting fell to $11.9 million over the 31 days of July from $15.9 million over the 30 days of June.

Year over year, handle was up 603% from $52.5 million in July 2020, a month that marked the relaunch of sports betting in the state after the pandemic-related shutdown of major U.S. sports. July is typically the slowest betting month of the year in the U.S., marking the low point in U.S. betting in 2018, 2019, and now in 2021. Despite the slowdown, Illinois remained No. 3 in July in terms of betting volume, surpassed only by New Jersey ($578.7 million) and Nevada ($409.9 million).

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Accordingly, gross gaming revenue fell 22.6% to $37.3 million from $48.2 million in June. That produced $37.6 million in adjusted gross revenue, yielding $6.1 million in state and local taxes. At 10.1%, the market’s hold, which is the percentage sportsbooks keep after paying out winning bets, remains relatively high.

“July features fewer prime betting opportunities and casual bettors are more occupied with vacations and other activities, and there isn’t much sportsbooks can do about that,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayIllinois.com. “Illinois sportsbooks have done well by increasing their hold over the summer months, which puts operators in a good position as casual bettors return.”

Baseball was the most bet-on sport for the first time this year, drawing $124.0 million of action in July. That was down from $126.7 million in June, even with the excitement over the success of the Chicago White Sox. The NBA Finals fueled $42.5 million in basketball betting, down from $126.9 million in June. Parlay betting ($79.7 million), tennis ($43.9 million), and soccer ($34.1 million) all contributed significantly to July’s handle, too.

July also marked the first time Olympics betting was made possible, not just in Illinois but in most legal markets in the U.S. Although Illinois does not report bets specific to the Olympics, anecdotally, it appears that the events in Japan did not draw widespread interest.

“With events held in the middle of the night in many cases and sports that are a bit unfamiliar to bettors, the Olympics did not appear to draw a lot of wagering,” Ramsey said. “In the end, the traditional team sports are still by far the largest draw for bettors, which is why football is so important for sportsbooks.”

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July’s wagering included $351.4 million in online bets, or 95.2% of the wagers made during the month. DraftKings/Casino Queen topped Illinois again with $122.7 million in combined online and retail handle, down from $160.2 million in June, and $120.5 million of July’s bets came online. In all, DraftKings generated $9.5 million in gross gaming revenue.

FanDuel was not far behind with $118.5 million in online and retail wagers, down from $156.3 million in bets in June. $118.0 million of July’s betting came online. It all resulted in a market-topping $15.5 million in gross gaming revenue.

The leaders were followed by:

  • BetRivers/Rivers Casino ($68.0 million in wagers, including $58.7 million online; $6.1 million in revenue)
  • PointsBet/Hawthorne Race Course ($28.5 million in wagers, including $26.9 million online; $2.7 million in revenue)
  • Barstool/Hollywood Aurora ($23.5 million in wagers, including $22.7 million online; $2.2 million in revenue)
  • Caesars by William Hill/Grand Victoria ($5.3 million in wagers, including $4.6 million online; $853,946 in revenue)
  • Argosy ($1.7 million in retail wagers; $334,226 in revenue)
  • Hollywood Joliet ($638,683 in wagers; $107,897 in revenue)
  • Par-A-Dice ($287,446 in wagers; -$16,491 in revenue)

“FanDuel continues to wring out an impressive amount of revenue from the bets it takes in,” Boozell said. “DraftKings answered with Same Game Parlays, which could help bridge the revenue gap with FanDuel. That fierce competition between the two market leaders will only grow during football season, with younger operators limited in their ability to make significant gains on the leaders with in-person registration in place.”

For more revenue information, visit PlayIllinois.com/revenue.

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BetVictor

BetVictor Canada launches Tracy McGrady Safer Gambling campaign

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BetVictor Canada has launched its new out-of-home advertising campaign across the streets of Toronto to promote NBA legend Tracy McGrady as its Safer Gambling Ambassador.

Two mobile digital trucks strategically targeting high-traffic areas near Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, and major sporting events will provide prime audience exposure for the campaign, scheduled around Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto Blue Jays home games.

To further enhance the campaign’s reach, BetVictor Canada has partnered with Clear Media Group to leverage digital taxi tops across Toronto, providing city-wide exposure with 100 taxis displaying key brand messaging. These digital taxi tops will run during peak evening hours (5:00pm – 9:00pm) on select dates until April 5th, 2025.

The campaign coincides with Problem Gambling Awareness Month, a nationwide grassroots campaign held each March that seeks to increase public awareness of problem gambling and promote prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

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BetVictor Canada offers an array of tools and services to help its Canadian customers bet and play safely and responsibly, across a host of sports betting markets and online casino games.

Mark Harper, Head of Emerging Markets at BV Group, said: BetVictor is delighted to be participating in the National Council of Problem Gambling campaign in March, to help increase public awareness of problem gambling and the need to promote prevention, treatment and recovery services.

“In using our Safer Gambling Ambassador, Tracy McGrady, to raise awareness about BetVictor’s safer gambling tools such as loss limits, time alerts and product restrictions we are dedicated to ensuring all players have a safe gambling experience. #PGAM2025.”

The post BetVictor Canada launches Tracy McGrady Safer Gambling campaign appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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AGCO

AGCO issues $110,000 in penalties to BetMGM Canada for offering cash to induce new gambling customers

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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has served BetMGM Canada Inc. with an Order of Monetary Penalty (OMP) of $110,000 for violations of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

In two separate incidents in 2024, BetMGM engaged marketing companies who offered cash to members of the public in return for opening new BetMGM accounts. The marketing activities occurred in public forums, such as a major national trade conference. Under AGCO’s Standards, operators are responsible for the conduct of their third-party suppliers who are contracted to support the operator’s Ontario gaming business, and must require their third-parties to meet Ontario laws, regulations and standards (Standard 1.19).

Ontario is one of the first jurisdictions in the world to establish and enforce rules that strictly limit high-risk inducement advertising and marketing in the online gambling industry. Registered iGaming operators are prohibited from offering gambling inducements, bonuses and credits as part of their broad public advertising and marketing activities (Standard 2.05). These Standards exist to protect Ontarians from predatory advertising and promotional marketing practices in order to limit the risk of gambling-related harm.

A registered operator served with an OMP by the AGCO has the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.

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QUOTE

“Responsible gambling safeguards and the protection of Ontarians on registered gaming sites is among our key priorities. The AGCO monitors the activities of all registered operators and their third-party suppliers to ensure they are meeting our high standards and we continue to take strong action to ensure they operate within the public interest.”

Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar – AGCO

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

BetMGM Canada Inc. failed to comply with the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. Specifically, the licensee failed to comply with the following provisions of the Standards:

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  • 1.19 Operators are responsible for the actions of third parties with whom they contract for the provision of any aspect of the Operator’s business related to gaming in Ontario and must require the third party to conduct themselves in so far as they carry out activities on behalf of the operator as if they were bound by the same laws, regulations, and standards.
  • 2.05 Advertising and marketing materials that communicate gambling inducements, bonuses and credits are prohibited, except on an operator’s gaming site and through direct advertising and marketing, after receiving active player consent.

Contrary to the Standards, BetMGM Canada Inc. and/or their affiliates allegedly engaged in the following activities:

a) On or about January 13 and 14, 2024, BetMGM representatives were alleged to have attended the National Franchise Show and were offering $100 in cash to new players for opening a new account and depositing $15.
b) On or about March 11, 2024, BetMGM acknowledged that its marketing affiliate “Above the Street” had engaged in prohibited inducement marketing. The conduct resulted in 377 player sign-ups and $127,180.00 in commissions to “Above the Street”.
c) On or about April 13, 2024, another BetMGM marketing affiliate “Maple Leaf Marketing” engaged in prohibited inducements and marketing to induce on-site activations and acquire new players. The conduct resulted in 94 player sign-ups and about $34,000.00 in commissions paid to “Maple Leaf Marketing”.

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BCLC

BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign

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BCLC’s new “What’s played here stays here” campaign is issuing an important reminder to British Columbians who choose to gamble – specifically that all net profit its operations generate stays in B.C. to help fund critical services like education, health care and community programs.

The campaign also reinforces that all other gambling websites operating in B.C. are illegal and take away funds from critical community programs and services.

“Across B.C. and Canada, we’ve seen incredible groundswell around the importance of buying and supporting local, and that’s no different for British Columbians who choose gambling for their entertainment. We want our B.C. players to know they can find a world-class gambling experience in their own backyard, whether it’s at one of our 33 casinos, 3,400 lottery retailers, or online at PlayNow.com, and that the proceeds from their play with BCLC make a positive impact at home in their community,” Pat Davis, President and CEO of BCLC, said.

Along with illegal online gambling websites, BCLC also competes with Washington State and Las Vegas casinos, all of which aggressively market to B.C. residents.

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“BCLC continues to raise awareness that these gambling options do not support B.C.’s economy and take away funds from vital provincial and community-based programs and services. In a time when British Columbians are standing united, we want to reinforce that playing together with BCLC helps make B.C. even better,” Pat Davis added.

The post BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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