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State of the Union: North Carolina, Caesars, Golden Nugget and more

Insight | Analysis

This week’s State of the Union, in partnership with Segev LLP, includes bill progress in North Carolina and revenue figures from operators such as Golden Nugget and Super Group.

 North Carolina sports betting bill passes first House reading

A bill that would legalize retail and online sports betting in North Carolina has passed its first reading in the state House of Representatives.

This comes days after the bill was voted through the state Senate following a third reading, having passed its second reading the previous day.

Caesars scores industry-first partnership with Fiesta Bowl

Caesars Entertainment, Inc. has entered a first-of-its-kind sports betting and fantasy gaming partnership with the Fiesta Bowl Organization, the organizing body of the Fiesta Bowl US college football game.

The multi-faceted deal will focus on fan engagement, the organization’s year-round events and expanding sports betting and education in the state of Arizona, where the Fiesta Bowl is hosted each year.

Betway owner Super Group expects revenue to reach $762.2m in first half

Super Group, the holding company of online sports betting and gambling operator Betway, said it remains on track to hit its full-year targets after revealing that net gaming revenue for the first half is expected to reach $762.6m.

The business, which also operates a multi-brand online casino offering Spin, did not publish its full results for the first half at this stage, but did confirm that estimated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the period will be “well within” management expectations.

Golden Nugget revenue up 49.6% in H1 2021

Land-based casino operator Golden Nugget, LLC, has released its financial results for the first half of 2021, showing a revenue increase of 49.6% over H1 2020.

Total revenue for the first half came to $1.58bn, compared to $1.05bn in H1 2020.

DraftKings launches “micro-betting” platform with Simplebet

DraftKings has entered into a multi-year deal with Simplebet, which will see real-money micro-betting implemented across its sportsbooks.

Through the new micro-betting feature, bettors will be able to place wagers as the action happens, in new throw-by-throw and pitch-by-pitch offerings.

Arizona’s Casino Del Sol to launch new sportsbook with Scientific Games

The Pascua Yaqui Tribe selected Scientific Games to power the launch of its first sportsbook at its Casino Del Sol land-based casino in Tucson, Arizona.

Scientific Games will deploy its full OpenSports platform solution at the casino, with visitors able to place bets at a retail sportsbook and at self-service sports betting kiosks throughout the venue and at its Casino of the Sun sister property.

theScore Bet lands new partnership with Golf Canada

Score Media and Gaming (theScore) has secured a deal for its theScore Bet subsidiary to become an official partner of Golf Canada, the governing body of golf in the country.

Under the multi-year deal, which begins in 2022, theScore Bet will serve as the first official gaming partner of Golf Canada and the organization’s National Open Golf Championships, CP Women’s Open and the RBC Canadian Open.

New York sports betting drops to $1.3m in July

Sports betting revenue in New York declined 31.6% month-on-month to $1.3m in July, the second-lowest monthly total so far this calendar year.

The state was not able to publish year-on-year comparisons for July, with casinos having been closed from mid-March in 2020 until September last year due to novel coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions.

White Hat Gaming launches new content division to target US market

Gaming platform provider White Hat Gaming has established a new casino content division to support its expansion into the US market.

White Hat Studios will operate as a standalone division and separate to White Hat’s player account management (PAM) business, offering slots, jackpots, RNG table and instant-win titles to operators in the US.

Bragg secures approval for Nasdaq listing

B2B gaming technology and content provider Bragg Gaming Group has secured approval to list on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, with its shares set to begin trading later this week.

Bragg, which will retain the ‘BRAG’ ticker symbol it listed under while trading the Toronto Stock Exchange, expects its shares to launch on Nasdaq on August 27. It will retain its listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada.

Tennessee sports betting revenue down in July as handle slips to eight-month low

The Tennessee Education Lottery reported a month-on-month decline in sports wagering revenue and handle for July, as consumer spending slipped to its lowest total since the state opened its regulated market in November last year.

Revenue for the month amounted to $13.4m, down 16.8% from $16.1m in June and the lowest monthly amount since $13.0m in February this year.

New Hampshire sees sports betting handle slip to 11-month low in July

The New Hampshire Lottery reported a year-on-year increase in revenue and handle for the state’s sports betting market in July, despite player spending falling to the lowest monthly total since August last year.

Gross gaming revenue for the month amounted to $3.1m, up 138.5% from $1.3m, but down 20.5% from $3.9m in June this year and the lowest monthly amount since February.

Mississippi sports betting revenue slips to 12-month low in July

Sports betting revenue in Mississippi for July amounted to $2.9m, the lowest monthly total since July last year, while the US state’s handle hit a 12-month low of $30.7m.

Revenue for the month was 123.1% higher than July last year, but 9.4% lower than $3.2m in June this year and also the fourth consecutive month of decline in the state.

Compliable brings in DraftKings’ licensing lead as new chief strategy officer

US gambling license platform provider Compliable has appointed Justin Stempeck, formerly director of licensing for DraftKings, as its new chief strategy officer.

Stempeck will work with the senior team at Compliable to drive the provider’s growth plans in the US, with the business having secured funding to continue developing a platform that helps US sportsbooks prepare applications and secure employee licences.

PointsBet scores sportsbook partnership with NFL

Gambling operator PointsBet Holdings has entered into a partnership with the National Football League (NFL), becoming an approved sportsbook operator of the competition.

The deal comes into effect from the 2021 season, with PointsBet to benefit from a range of sponsorship opportunities and brand visibility via integrations across television and digital assets.

Sports IQ and FansUnite launch player props partnership

Data analyst and odds maker Sports IQ has announced a partnership with sports betting and igaming provider FansUnite.

The multi-year agreement will see Sports IQ supply the FansUnite with pre-match and in-play player prop bets for B2B and B2C purposes.

Chalkline raises $2.7m in funding round

Sports betting customer retention and acquisition tool provider Chalkline has announced that it raised $2.7m (£1.9m/€2.3m) in Series A funding.

The funding round was spearheaded by Parlay Capital Holdings and Patrick Conroy, with a group of other investors providing support.

BetMGM and Liv Hospitality set to bring sports betting to South Dakota

Igaming operator BetMGM has partnered with Liv Hospitality’s resorts in South Dakota to bring retail and mobile sports betting to the state.

The exclusive deal will see BetMGM work with Liv Hospitality’s Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort and Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort in Deadwood, South Dakota. The Deadwood Sports Betting Legalization Amendment was approved by voters back in 2020, legalizing sports betting statewide.