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

Published

2 years ago

December 13, 2021

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.

Canada

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

Published

2 days 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

3 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

1 week 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.”