Canada
INDIANA SPORTSBOOKS STAY HOT WITH FRESH ROUND OF RECORDS IN NOVEMBER Basketball’s popularity in Indiana spurs $463 million in betting as revenue shatters record with nearly $50 million, according to PlayIndiana
Indiana sportsbooks narrowly set a third consecutive monthly betting record with more than $463 million in wagers, producing a surge in revenue of nearly $50 million. The good times for sportsbooks won’t end anytime soon with college basketball joining football and the NBA in the winter sports mix, according to PlayIndiana, which tracks the state’s gaming industry.
“Basketball betting, both college and professional, is more important in Indiana than almost every other legal sports betting market in the U.S.,” said Jake Garza, an analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “Indiana’s best months are typically when college basketball and the NBA are in full stride, and the NFL is still in play. And with Purdue among the nation’s best and Indiana off to a good start, bettors are particularly incentivized this year to bet on college basketball.”
In November, online and retail sportsbooks generated $463.7 million in wagers, up 84.4% from $251.4 million in November 2020, according to official reporting released Friday. The month’s handle even topped October’s $461.1 million handle, which was buoyed by five full weekends of college football and the NFL. Bettors hastened the pace of betting to $15.5 million per day over the 30 days of November from $14.9 million per day over the 31 days in October.
November’s gross revenue surged to $47.1 million, obliterating the former record $33.3 million set in September. Revenue was up 86.7% from $25.3 million in November 2020 and up 71.2% from $27.8 million in October. November’s win created a record $47.7 million in taxable revenue, too. And that yielded $4.5 million in state taxes, also a new highwater mark for the state.
Indiana’s sportsbooks have now generated $419.2 million in revenue on $3.4 billion wagers so far this year, crossing the $3 billion wagering mark for the first time. In fact, this year sportsbooks are on pace to more than double the $1.8 billion in wagers and $137.4 million in revenue sportsbooks generated in all of 2020.
A significant portion of 2021’s wagering has come over the last three months, which has produced $92.9 million in revenue on $1.3 billion in wagers.
“Obviously, 2020 was an unusual year, but Indiana’s year-over-year growth has been staggering so far,” said Eric Ramsey, an analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIndiana.com. “Historically, December and January have been the highest-volume months of the football season in the state. So, the best months are likely still ahead, too.”
Online betting accounted for $422.9 million, or 91.2%, of November’s handle. Retail betting accounted for the remaining $40.8 million.
DraftKings topped all online operators in the state by handling $166.2 million in bets, up from $150.7 million in October. The month’s wagers produced $12.6 million in gross receipts, up from $7.8 million in October. FanDuel was second in the state with $109.8 million in online wagering, down from $113.3 million in October. Those bets still led to a state-best $15.6 million in gross receipts, up from $9.2 million in October.
The online leaders were followed by:
- BetMGM ($46.3 million handle, down from $47.7 million in September; $4.5 million win, up from $3.5 million).
- Caesars ($43.9 million handle, up from $40.2 million; $3.0 million win, up from $435,658)
- Barstool ($17.2 million handle, down from $21.7 million; $962,701 win, up from $689,883)
- BetRivers ($13.6 million handle, even with October; $1.0 million win, up from $767,393)
- PointsBet ($12.4 million handle, up from $12.2 million; $962,701 win, up from $819,702)
- Unibet ($4.3 million handle, up from $2.1 million; $325,267 win, up from $22,781 loss)
- WynnBet ($3.9 million handle, up from $4.1 million; $281,620 win, up from $278,764)
- TheScore Bet ($2.3 million handle, down from $3.2 million; $281,641 win, down from $622,447)
- Betway ($1.5 million handle, up from $1.3 million; $32,990 loss, down from $37,035)
- TwinSpires ($1.4 million handle, down from $1.9 million; $197,330 win, up from $180,188)
Hollywood Lawrenceburg led Indiana’s retail books with $12.7 million in wagers. That was down from $15.6 million in October. Ameristar East Chicago was second with a $6.3 million handle, ahead of Indiana Grand ($5.1 million), Harrah’s Hoosier Park ($4.8 million), and Horseshoe Hammond ($4.1 million).
Hollywood Lawrenceburg has become one of the top-grossing retail sportsbooks in the U.S. in large part because of its proximity to Cincinnati. But as Ohio nears legalization, Indiana’s online and retail casinos may soon not be able to count on their eastern neighbors to boost wagering.
“The state’s sportsbooks have weathered this before when Illinois and Michigan launched sports betting,” Garza said. “Every time, Indiana has managed to thrive in spite of the loss of out-of-state bettors. Indiana’s market is more than capable of standing on its own.”
For more revenue information on Indiana sportsbooks, visit PlayIndiana.com/revenue.
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Canada
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
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