This week’s State of the Union, in partnership with Segev LLP, includes efforts to introduce single-event wagering in Canada, January sports betting and igaming revenue numbers from across the US and another lawsuit against tech giant Apple.
Canada’s single-event sports betting bill passes second reading
Canada’s parliament has passed Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, at its second reading with 303 votes in favor and 15 against.
Bill C-218 will now enter into the last phase of hearings with the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights before moving to the senate and then to Governor-General for Royal Assent.
The Bill was re-introduced to parliament in November, sponsored by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, and would repeal paragraph 207(4)(b) of Canada’s Criminal Code, which states that sports betting is only legal if players bet simultaneously on at least three games or more.
NJ smashes sports betting and igaming revenue records in January
New Jersey set a new sports betting revenue record in January, while the state also became the first in the US to see monthly online casino revenue surpass $100m.
Figures published by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) show that total gaming revenue for the month stood at $346.4m, which was 15.3% more than January last year and also 10.7% higher than December 2020.
Sports betting revenue reached a record high of $82.6m, which was 54.3% up from $53.6m in January of last year, and also 24.4% higher than the previous record of $66.4m set in December 2020.
Michigan online market debuts with GGR of $42.7m in January
Online betting and gaming operators in Michigan brought in a combined $42.7m in revenue for their first 10 days of activity in the state, up to 31 January.
Online sports betting and gaming launched on 22 January, when nine operators were granted approval by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) to offer online products.
From that date until the end of the month, sports betting brought in $13.3m on handle of $115.2m. Online gaming revenue, meanwhile, came to $29.4m over nine days.
Pennsylvania sees seventh straight month of record igaming revenue
Pennsylvania operators recorded a seventh consecutive month of record online gaming revenue, with the total growing to $80.4, while state sportsbooks also set a record in handle.
The igaming revenue mark easily broke December 2020’s previous record of $71.6m and was up 476.1% from January 2020.
Lawsuit filed against Apple for ‘Wild West’ of free-to-play casino games
A class action lawsuit was filed on Tuesday (February 16) targeting Apple for hosting and profiting from casino-style apps through the App Store.
The case relates specifically to social game developer Zynga, and was lodged with the US District Court for the Northern District of Columbia.
Illinois betting revenue drops despite record handle in December
Illinois sports bettors set another new record for handle in December at $491.7m, up 9.0% from the prior month despite almost no retail activity, but revenue plummeted 41.3% from November to $23.9m.
With casinos across the state closed for much of the month, retail betting revenue came to just $97,915. Retail handle was just $182,701, with a large portion of revenue coming from bets placed in before casinos closed in November.
NY sports betting revenue up 75.7% in January
Commerical sports wagering revenue in New York jumped 75.7% year-on-year in January, according to new figures released by the New York State Gaming Commission.
Gross gaming revenue from sports betting amounted to $3.3m in January, up from $1.9m in the corresponding month last year and 43.4% higher than $2.3m, in the final month of 2020.
Illinois betting revenue drops despite record handle in December
Illinois sports bettors set another new record for handle in December at $491.7m, up 9.0% from the prior month despite almost no retail activity, but revenue plummeted 41.3% from November to $23.9m.
With casinos across the state closed for much of the month, retail betting revenue came to just $97,915. Retail handle was just $182,701, with a large portion of revenue coming from bets placed in before casinos closed in November.
theScore moves into Iowa market
Iowa has today (16 February) become the fourth state in which theScore Bet has launched, after New Jersey, Indiana and Colorado.
The operator and media business secured market access through its multi-state agreement with Penn National Gaming, struck in August 2019.
Indiana breaks betting revenue and handle records in January
Indiana set new sports betting revenue and handle records in January, according to the latest monthly results published by the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Adjusted gross revenue for January totalled $29.3m, up 127.1% from the same month last year, while the amount was also 15.8% higher than the previous record of $25.3m set in November 2020.
Boyd swings to 2020 loss as revenue drops 34.5%
Boyd Gaming Corporation saw revenue decline 34.5% year-on-year in 2020, as the fourth-quarter recovery of regional casinos wasn’t enough to prevent the operator slipping to a $134.7m loss.
While gaming continued to make up the vast majority of Boyd’s revenue, this was down 28.5% to $1.78bn.
BonusFinder receives Virginia affiliate license
Casino and sportsbook comparison site BonusFinder.com has been granted an affiliate license for the state of Virginia.
The approval adds to the affiliate’s existing US licenses in other states including New Jersey, West Virginia, Michigan and Illinois.
William Hill DC handle dips in January, but stays ahead of Gambet
William Hill saw its sportsbook handle in Washington DC fall month-over-month in January, despite the operator rolling out a limited mobile offering during the month.
Amounts wagered at the operator’s brick-and-mortar book at the city’s Capital One Arena, and via a mobile offering available in a two-block radius around the venue, fell 14.9% to $10.6m in January.
Genius Sports teams up with WynnBET
Genius Sports Group has signed a multi-state official data partnership with WynnBET, Wynn Resorts’ online US sportsbook brand.
Genius is now supplying WynnBET with its LiveData and LiveTrading services, powering in-game betting experiences across the three states in which the operator is licensed — New Jersey, Colorado and Michigan.
DraftKings selects Aguiar as new compliance chief
Jennifer Aguiar will become DraftKings’ new chief compliance officer as Tim Dent, one of DraftKings’ longest-serving executives, leaves the operator to pursue a consultant role.
Aguiar, previously vice president of compliance and risk, is to replace Dent as chief compliance officer and will report directly to Jason Robins, DraftKings’ co-founder, chief executive and chairman.
Delaware igaming continues recovery after strong January
Delaware igaming revenue continued to lift in January, with handle and revenue rising for the second straight month.
According to figures from Delaware Lottery, which regulates gambling in the state, the three licensed premises generated a combined $738,500 in the first month of 2021, which was up 5.7% on December.
Playtech to expand US presence into MI, IN and PA with Parx deal
Playtech has announced plans to expand its US presence into Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania, having signed a strategic agreement with Parx Casino operator Greenwood Racing.
Playtech had previously entered the US market through deals with Bet365 and MGM and Entain joint venture BetMGM in New Jersey, but this will be the first foray out of the Garden State for the technology giant’s US arm.
Inspired scores Caribbean virtual sports deal with Cage
Inspired Entertainment has agreed a deal with The Cage Companies to provide its virtual sports products across the Caribbean.
Under the agreement, Inspired will supply its virtual sports products in Cage’s retail outlets and its V-Play Plug & Play (VPP) online and mobile solution for Cage’s interactive channels throughout the region.
Boyd begins national roll-out of new digital wallet
Casino operator Boyd Gaming Corporation has begun to launch its new BoydPay digital wallet solution, developed in partnership with Aristocrat Technologies.
BoydPay is a cashless solution that can be linked to third-party funding sources via Sightline Payments.
Oregon Lottery Scoreboard revenue doubles in January
The Oregon Lottery’s sports betting brand, Scoreboard, brought in $3.87m in gross gaming revenue (GGR) for January 2021, up 119.4%, from total betting turnover of $34.9m, up 65.3%.
The month saw 26,171 unique active players place 1.1m bets, and 3,504 new customers register with the operator.
NeoPollard ilottery clients generate $2bn in sales for FY20
Online lottery solution provider NeoPollard Interactive (NPi) has announced that its US operator partners including the Michigan, Virginia, New Hampshire and North Carolina Education Lotteries, achieved top line sales totalling $2bn in the fiscal year 2020.
FY20 is the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2020 in each of the states except Michigan, which concluded the fiscal year on September 30.