Canada
PlayIllinois.com: Sportsbooks finish 2020 with nearly $500 million in December
Illinois online sportsbooks ended 2020 on the highest note yet, pushing the statewide handle to nearly $500 million in monthly wagering and ending the industry’s inaugural year with nearly $2 billion in bets even as retail casinos remained closed in December. But even as the book on 2020 closes, brisk betting on February’s Super Bowl signals an even bigger year ahead, according to PlayIllinois, which offers news and analysis of the state’s gaming industry.
“No state has made a bigger splash in its first year of regulated sports betting than Illinois,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “But with growth that is expected of any fledgling market, combined with, hopefully, a return to more normal life for everyone, 2020 should be a prologue to a year that has the potential of being one of the most lucrative for any legal jurisdiction. The caveat is, though, that a lifting of the current suspension of the state’s in-person registration requirements would have a chilling effect throughout the market.”
With retail sportsbooks closed, Illinois online operators attracted $491.7 million in bets in December, according to official data released Monday. That is up 8.6% from $449.2 million in November and represents the fourth-largest handle in the U.S. for the month, behind New Jersey ($996.3 million), Nevada ($588 million), and Pennsylvania ($548.6 million).
December’s bets produced $28.4 million in operator revenue, down from $41.3 million in November. That yielded $3.6 million in taxes for the state.
Despite a pandemic that slowed the launch of sports betting until July and deeply impacted retail sportsbooks, Illinois’ retail and online sportsbooks for all of 2020 produced:
- $1.9 billion in wagers.
- $125.5 million in taxable revenue.
- $20.2 million in state and local taxes.
Despite the historic start, the best is likely yet to come. Bets on February’s Super Bowl, for instance, reached $45.6 million, fourth most among states that released data following the game.
“With results that have rivaled far more established markets, it might be easy to forget that Illinois is still nowhere near its maturity as a market,” said Joe Boozell, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “The state is still very much ramping up, but there is no question that Illinois will be an increasing force in the industry.”
December’s results were helped by the playoff run of the Chicago Bears, which spurred football betting to $204.4 million, or 41.6% of the state’s handle. College basketball and the opening of the NBA season vaulted basketball betting to No. 2 with $441.2 million, or 29.3% of Illinois’ handle.
Illinois’ sportsbooks are also getting more creative, which should help bolster their bottom line. Some sportsbooks are now offering odds on where major NFL free agents will eventually sign, the kind of unconventional bet that has made its way to only a handful of states.
“Unconventional bets, prop or otherwise, are more than a fun curiosity for sportsbooks,” Welman said. “They offer new ways for consumers to engage, especially during a sport’s offseason. That is especially true for football betting, which commands more action than any other sport.”
With a $195.4 million handle, DraftKings/Casino Queen accounted for 40% of the state’s overall handle. DraftKings’ month was up from $166 million overall and $164.1 million online in November. FanDuel/Par-A-Dice Casino moved to No. 2 with $144.5 million in December, up from $113.5 million overall and $113.3 million online in November. BetRivers/Rivers Casino slipped to No. 3 with $111.2 million, down from $133.2 million overall and $125 million online in November.
New brands, most notably Penn National’s Barstool-branded app, which is among the most popular in Pennsylvania, will reach new customers and open new sources of revenue, and that will raise expectations for the state.
“The more robust the roster of operators in the state, the better it is for customers,” Boozell said. “The Barstool app should be an important addition, capable of not only grabbing a significant share of the market, but also helping to grow the pie for all.”
For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Illinois, visit PlayIllinois.com/news.
Stats Perform, the global leader in sports AI, data and technology, has announced an official data partnership with the Northern Super League (NSL). The partnership will allow world-leading Opta data to be collected live from every NSL league game for the next three years.
Beginning this month, the Northern Super League (NSL) establishes a new era in Canadian sport as the country’s first professional domestic women’s soccer league — an ambitious and transformative initiative co-founded by former Canadian international and Olympic medallist Diana Matheson. Its inaugural season kicks off on April 16 and will feature six teams who have assembled multinational player rosters with extensive club and international experience, including 100-cap Canadian internationals Desiree Scott and Quinn.
Once the action begins, detailed data from every on-ball event, including advanced AI-powered Opta Analytics metrics such as Expected Goals (xG) and Expected Assists (xA), will be captured and distributed via feeds and Stats Perform products, including OptaAI Studio. This will enable various broadcasters, publishers and rights holders to generate stories and insights throughout the NSL season and provide them straight to the league’s fans in real time.
As part of the agreement, the NSL’s League Office and every NSL club will also have access to Opta Search, part of OptaAI Studio. This will allow their content creators to leverage all Opta data collected during the NSL season in the creation of data-led stories on the stand-out performers, and will help them generate key talking points for publication on official league and club platforms. Opta Search will also empower the NSL’s media team to create a range of data visualizations, including player shot maps and touch maps, to visually illustrate the impact of different players’ on-field performances.
Christina Litz, NSL President, said: “We are thrilled to have Stats Perform on board as our official data partner. When we talk about detailed performance data in soccer, Opta is the gold standard, so we are delighted to have it powering each of our official digital channels. As the season progresses, we want to put the spotlight on all the on-field heroes who emerge and having access to world-class data will help us tell their stories and inspire a new generation of Canadian soccer fans.”
Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform, said: “Stats Perform has been a huge supporter of expansion leagues around the world, so we are very pleased to be partnering with NSL in the lead-up to their first domestic campaign. Seeing a fully professional women’s soccer league launch in Canada is an incredibly exciting development for the sport in North America and we see considerable potential in working proactively with the League’s Head Office to help the competition grow, using the power of AI and data-led storytelling to build fan communities across the continent.”
The post Northern Super League Partners with Stats Perform appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Africa
INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER
Leading B2B games provider, Incentive Games, today announced its new agreement with premium gaming company and content provider Light & Wonder, Inc.
Through this agreement, Incentive Games will distribute its premium pay-to-play games – including new arcade-style titles – to key global regulated markets including the USA, Canada, South Africa, UK, and within Europe via Light & Wonder’s extensive operator network. Additionally, Incentive Games’ popular free-to-play content will be made available to a wider audience through Light & Wonder’s content marketplace.
The agreement brings together two industry leaders in iGaming and the strengths of both companies to deliver exceptional player experiences and elevate customer engagement.
Ahmed Baker, Chief Commercial Officer at Incentive Games said, “This agreement is a landmark moment in our company’s history. Previously, we’ve worked directly with major operators such as bet365, FanDuel, and Sky Bet. Now, we can distribute our games via Light & Wonder, an exceptional aggregator that we trust will handle our games with care.”
Steve Mayes, Senior Director of Partners at Light & Wonder, said: “We are excited to work with Incentive Games, a leader in gamification solutions. We look forward to leveraging their innovative platform and bringing their customisable crash and fast game content to all major regulated markets.”
The post INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
PENN Entertainment announced that it has launched theScore Casino, a new stand-alone iCasino app in Ontario. The dedicated online casino experience leverages the popular theScore brand, which has been a mainstay in the Ontario market for decades. Now available on Android, iOS, and desktop, customers can login using their existing theScore Bet credentials, allowing for a seamless experience across online gaming platforms.
theScore Casino operates on the same cutting-edge proprietary technology platform as PENN’s online Hollywood Casino, which launched as a standalone product in the US in December. The product was recently ranked by Eilers & Krejcik as the #2 overall iCasino product in the US.
theScore Casino, also available within theScore Bet app, offers a variety of online slots, table games, and live dealer content, including original titles from PENN Game Studios, the company’s in-house game development studio. theScore Casino also includes bespoke live dealer tables and exclusive games such as Blue Jays Blackjack, an original title leveraging theScore Bet’s partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We’re excited to introduce our dedicated iCasino product in Ontario under the well-known and trusted theScore brand. We’ve built a strong online gaming foothold in the Ontario market and are primed to deliver an even better casino experience with our proven stand-alone app. Our customer-friendly platform features more than 1200 games, dozens of original titles and intuitive game play that distinguishes our product and positions us for even greater success,” said Aaron LaBerge, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Interactive at PENN Entertainment.
The post PENN Entertainment Launches Stand-alone iCasino App, theScore Casino, in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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