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City Bet Club records most bookie-friendly World Cup in history

Published

4 years ago

December 19, 2022

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Tournament of record margins – but early punter wipe-outs have likely impacted overall turnover

City Bet Club, the expert tipster service founded by leading betting industry veterans, has announced that it expects this year’s World Cup to have been the most bookmaker-friendly in recent history.

In what will no doubt prove to be a standout event for years to come, the tournament has likely been the best ever in terms of margin for bookies, with not a single day during the group stages seeing all favourites winning their games.

With early shocks including Saudi Arabia beating Argentina, Germany’s defeat to Japan and Tunisia overcoming France, the bookies saw significant revenue netted far earlier than usual in the tournament.

As well as significant losses in the group stages, higher than expected revenue for bookmakers was compounded further with multiple 90-minute draws during the knockout stages.

As a result, this year’s World Cup is likely to point towards a significant margin-win for betting operators, and early-stage wipe-outs for many punters.

However, with a finite spend for punters, City Bet Club predicts that turnover levels will have been significantly impacted during the knockout stages of the tournament, with publicly listed operators’ January 2023’s earnings reports likely to downgrade many financial analysts’ expectations.

Commenting, David Brown, Co-founder of City Bet Club, said: “In reflecting on this year’s World Cup, and taking my personal industry experience of every tournament since Argentina 1978 into account, this is by far the most bookie-friendly competition in terms of results that I’ve ever known.

“I’m also picking up whispers from around the industry that ‘like for like’ turnover is down significantly on Russia 2018 levels. Now, part of this could be down to the results and timing, but it is also likely to be an effect of the compliance hoops both bookmakers and punters must go through now.

“All eyes are now on the return of the Premier League. City Bet Club can really help to empower recreational punters with pro punter insight. We complete this research so that our members don’t have to, and we can’t wait to keep fuelling a high level of sports betting engagement in the new year.”

Founded in 2022, City Bet Club is led by industry veteran David Brown – who set out to create a member’s club that provides the shrewdest sports betting selections on the market.

By utilising the trading expertise and bookmaking insights of its founding members, its ethos is to provide consistently high-quality insight that is exclusive to City Bet Club members at an affordable subscription price.

Staffed with an expert team of industry insiders who research daily betting opportunities in great depth, the company offers a potent combination of high-quality people, technology, and contacts to put the odds in the punter’s favour.

Latest News

Tony Bellew signs as PartyPoker brand ambassador through 2026

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

Former WBC cruiserweight champion to appear at PartyPoker Tour UK stops and take part in online activations.

PartyPoker has appointed former WBC Cruiserweight World Champion Tony Bellew as a brand ambassador for the remainder of 2026, with appearances tied to the operator’s live PartyPoker Tour and online poker offering.

The company said Bellew will be “a regular face” at its remaining UK tour stops this season following an earlier appearance at the PartyPoker Tour Birmingham. Bellew will also take part in online activity linked to the PartyPoker schedule.

“I had such a great time at the PartyPoker Tour Birmingham. The atmosphere, the people and the passion for the game were incredible. I’m really excited to be joining the PartyPoker team for the rest of the year, getting involved at the live events, meeting players and seeing where the cards take me,” Bellew said.

PartyPoker said Bellew is scheduled to attend each remaining UK stop on the 2026 PartyPoker Tour: London in July, Glasgow in August, Cork in November, and London in December. The operator also referenced a series of exclusive online events running alongside the live calendar.

The post Tony Bellew signs as PartyPoker brand ambassador through 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Arizona

Arizona regulator orders five operators to stop alleged illegal gambling activity

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

arizona-regulator-orders-five-operators-to-stop-alleged-illegal-gambling-activity

Cease-and-desist letters cite alleged felonies and underage access tied to BetOpenly, Bookmaker, Club WPT Online Poker, Kutt Inc., and Raffle Creator.

The Arizona Department of Gaming said it has issued cease-and-desist orders to five online platforms—BetOpenly, Bookmaker, Club WPT Online Poker, Kutt Inc., and Raffle Creator—after investigations that the Department says involved alleged illegal gambling activity and underage access in Arizona.

In its announcement, the Department said each enforcement action alleges conduct giving rise to three felonies under Arizona law: promotion of gambling, illegal control of an enterprise, and money laundering. The agency cited Arizona’s prohibition on gambling unless specifically authorized (Ariz. Rev. Stat. Tit. 13, Ch. 33) and said the legal gambling age in the state is 21.

“Arizona is taking decisive action against illegal gambling operators that put Arizonans at risk,” said Jackie Johnson, Department Director. “Our top priority is protecting Arizonans and I’m grateful for the efforts of our intelligence unit led by Chief Law Enforcement Officer Doug Jensen to do just that. Through these cease-and-desist orders we are putting operators on notice: their conduct runs contrary to Arizona law and they must stop promoting illegal gambling.”

The Department’s letters describe different alleged violations by operator. For BetOpenly, the Department said peer-to-peer gambling rules prohibit third-party benefit, and alleged the platform benefited via a commission structure while enabling event wagering and daily fantasy sports contests without the required state licenses, including availability to underage Arizonans. For Bookmaker, the Department said its investigation found wagering on horse racing, casino games, and sports betting without an event wagering license or an advanced deposit wagering provider license, adding that online casino games are not legal in Arizona.

For Club WPT Online Poker, the Department alleged the platform enabled individuals under 21 in Arizona to enter pay-to-play online poker tournaments for prizes while using deceptive “no purchase necessary” language; the Department said online poker is illegal in Arizona. For Kutt Inc., the Department said Arizona “social” gambling prohibits third-party benefit and directed the operator to stop allowing Arizona users to deposit money and wager on sports, politics, pop culture, and casino-style games. For Raffle Creator, the Department said the operator did not meet requirements that allow Arizona nonprofits to conduct lawful raffles and alleged it allowed people under 21 to purchase tickets for prize chances.

The Department said the notified entities are directed to immediately stop all gambling operations and activities in Arizona “whether through mobile applications, online, or otherwise,” and to cease any future illegal gambling in the state. It added that future actions may include criminal charges or civil action against entities, principals, and employees, and that operators “may be subject to a potential award of restitution” and forfeiture of monies acquired due to the alleged conduct.

The post Arizona regulator orders five operators to stop alleged illegal gambling activity appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Latest News

Former WBC World Champion Tony Bellew Joins PartyPoker as Brand Ambassador

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

Tony Bellew has officially joined the PartyPoker Brand Ambassador team for the remainder of 2026, strengthening the brand’s growing roster of ambassadors and reinforcing its commitment to bringing poker to a wider audience.

A former WBC Cruiserweight World Champion and one of Britain’s most recognisable sporting personalities, Bellew will play an active role across both PartyPoker’s live tour and online offering throughout the rest of the year.

Speaking about joining the team, Tony Bellew said: “I had such a great time at the PartyPoker Tour Birmingham. The atmosphere, the people and the passion for the game were incredible. I’m really excited to be joining the PartyPoker team for the rest of the year, getting involved at the live events, meeting players and seeing where the cards take me.”

His return follows a hugely successful appearance at the PartyPoker Tour Birmingham earlier this year, where he embraced the atmosphere, spent time with players and immersed himself in the event. After thoroughly enjoying the experience, Bellew will now become a regular face at the remaining UK stops on the PartyPoker Tour throughout the rest of the 2026 season.

As part of his ambassadorial role, Bellew will attend every remaining UK stop PartyPoker Tour in 2026:

London – July
Glasgow – August
Cork – November
London – December

With four live festival stops and a series of exclusive online events still to come, players will have plenty of opportunities to meet Bellew at the tables throughout the remainder of the 2026 PartyPoker calendar. Look out for opportunities to take him on online, and at the PartyPoker Tour in Glasgow, Cork and London.

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