US Casinos

NFL Announce New Deal with USA Betting Companies

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

The National Football League Nfl Professional American Football

The National Football League has agreed to deals with three huge USA gambling companies to become sports betting partners. The league announced that it has signed three-year deals with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, and FanDuel, allowing the companies access to all NFL trademarks.

They will also be able to create their betting content and integrate them into media properties such as the NFL website and official app. The announcement stated that the partnership deal will run for three years, with the NFL holding the option to add a couple of one-year extensions.

According to Renie Anderson, the chief revenue officer and executive vice president of NFL Partnerships, “As the sports betting landscape has continued to evolve in the United States, we have been thoughtful with our strategy and are excited to announce three partners who share the NFL’s vision and goals. Working closely with Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel, we will provide fans new and different ways of interacting and engaging with the sport they love.”

Details of the Newly Announced Deal

The fine print of the deal was not announced, but it is understood that the three companies involved will have exclusive access to the use of the NFL logo and team insignia on their websites. The NFL has also announced that it will permit gambling advertisements to be broadcast this season.

Apart from the common terms that each company will have shared access to, the three companies involved in the new deal will have individual rights allotted to them exclusively. Caesars will be allowed to create activations at two major 2022 NFL events set to be held in Las Vegas – the Pro Bowl and the Draft.

FanDuel will get access to video footage as well as work with the league on pregame integration on the seven regular-season games that will be shown on the NFL Network in 2021. DraftKings will see its rights as the NFL’s official daily fantasy partner renewed.

Excitement Around the New Deal

The CEOs of FanDuel, Caesars, and DraftKings all offered glowing optimism about the future of the deal their respective companies have reached with the NFL. “Football season will be more exciting than ever now that fans can enjoy an enhanced experience at our casinos, in our sportsbooks, and online,” Tom Reeg, Caesars CEO said.

His counterpart at FanDuel, Matt King, speaking in reference to DraftKings’ Super Bowl advert, said “On Super Bowl Sunday, we got a glimpse at how powerful the combination of the NFL’s excitement and our platform can be in delivering an enhanced fan experience.”

Jason Robins also offered similar views. The CEO, chairman, and co-founder of DraftKings stated that “The way fans consume sports years from now will look drastically different, and it will be due in part to forward-thinking collaborations like our expanded relationship with the NFL.”

The league has also announced that it has plans to partner with operators at the low-tier level soon. The new deal includes a massive $1 billion in earnings for the NFL if the terms are completed, and it is certainly a big deal for all the parties involved. But it is perhaps an even bigger deal for football fans and sports bettors who are now seeing two of their favorite organizations combine on such massive scales.

Sources:

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/nfl-sports-betting-sponsor-draftkings-fanduel-caesars-fox-bet
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Sports/wireStory/nfl-inks-sports-bet-deals-caesars-fanduel-draftkings-77107749

How the Gambling Industry & Biggest Brands are Expanding in the US

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

The Supreme Court in 2018 ruled that states could now legalize sports betting. And with this ruling, we have seen a rapid increase in revenue from the sports betting industry in the United States. Three years now down the line, how are betting companies strategizing to conquer the growing sports betting market in the United States?

By October 2020, the betting industry revenue had hit the $3 billion mark in a single month – something that has never happened before. Additionally, this ruling has seen the general sports revenue shoot by 53.5 percent year-after-year to $237.5 million. New Jersey has seen its sports betting revenue by 31 percent – that’s $398.5 million in 2020 from $299.3 in 2019.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at different sports betting companies and how they are expanding to conquer the growing United States market.

1. Golden Nugget Sports

The Michigan Gaming Control Board authorized Golden Nugget Sports to begin offering sportsbook and online casino services from January 22nd, 2021. Michigan residents will now be able to place their bets via goldennuggetcasino.com or their mobile apps, available in Android and iOS versions.

Besides, Golden Nugget Sports announced that it managed to secure one of the most coveted online sports licenses in Virginia and even given the go-ahead to begin operations in Virginia. This is a huge boost, as the company now boasts of up to 10 states, permitted by the legislation and regulatory approvals.

2. Wynnbet

Tennessee becomes the eighth state for Wynnbet, the online sports betting provider in its quest for expanding in the US market. The Director of the Sports Wagering Committee of the Tennessee Education lottery confirmed Wynbett’s legalization to start offering sports betting services in Tennessee as soon as the legislative process is complete.

Due to the rapid expansion of the US betting industry, Wynnbet is looking to expand its online betting services to many jurisdictions. Wynnbet recently agreed with Elite Casino Resorts, one of the best resort companies. With this partnership, Hawkeye State residents will now be able to access the services of Wynnbet.

3. 888 Sports

888 Sports has also been growing despite starting its operations in only three states – New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. The online gaming company announced in December 2020 that it would be setting foot into three more states – Lowa, Colorado, and Indiana by the start of 2021. With the three additional states, 888 sports will now be serving punters in six states. The new locations for the three new states are as follows:

Colorado – Grande Casino, Cripple Creek
Indiana – Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson
Iowa – Catfish Bend Casino, Burlington

Though 888 sports hasn’t made it official despite the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) issuing a gaming manufacturer license to the online gaming company, Pennsylvania should follow suit.

4. Betway

Betway, one of the leading sports betting companies in the United Kingdom, is looking forward to conquering more states in the United States. The online sports betting company recently announced that it has agreed with the Digital Gaming Corporation to begin its operations in the US. Betway will begin its operations with the content company in 10 states for now.

The US sports betting revenue is forecasted to hit $2.5 billion and this is why you can see those sports betting companies are busy extending their services in various states. With the Supreme Court ruling in 2018, the sports betting industry has experienced massive growth, and it will be interesting to see how things shape up by the end of 2021.

How Flutter Entertainment Company is Penetrating Through the US Market

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Flutter, the gambling and entertainment provider that owns some of the best international online casino brands, such as Skybet, Paddy Power, Betfair, etc., was happy to announce a record customers acquisition in the United States than they did in the entire 2019.

In a report on 2nd March 2021, The Dublin-based company said that it expects more from its US brands, such as FOXBet, to surpass $20 billion by 2025. This is twice its forecast at the same time last year. With more states jumping on the bandwagon and allowing gambling, we can expect that Flutter’s brands in the US will hit the $20 billion mark by 2025.

The average number of active monthly players in the US is 62 percent up and increasing the United States revenues by up to 81 percent – that’s £695m in 2020. This is an excellent sign to Flutter and at least, they can have some relief that their efforts are bearing fruits.

4.2 Billion Investment

While Flutter has had a massive expansion in the US market, the gambling and entertainment company also had some losses due to the rapid growth with lots of investment to conquer the United States market. For example, Flutter had to spend $4.2 billion to increase control of FanDuel as it seeks to reach a broader customer base in the US market.

The Supreme Court in 2018 ruled that betting will be legalized even in states outside Nevada. We anticipate that there will be a more rapid growth of Flutter into the US market than ever.

We have seen more states legalizing betting after the Supreme Court ruling. Up to five states had passed the betting legislation bill by 2020 and fourteen more are expected to jump into the bandwagon. If this happens, gambling and entertainment companies will record even higher profits and the tax revenues will shoot.

Forecasts on the US Gambling Industry

While Flutter forecasts what they expect by 2025, GamblingCompliance also has a very conservative forecast, pointing out that the US gambling industry will reach $12.9bn by 2025. No matter the forecast, this is still an indication that US betting marketing is expanding year after year.

Flutter chief executive officer Peter Jackson stated that Futter was still the best in the US market even after spending so much on advertising and the stiff competition between different gambling and entertainment companies. He also noted that their customer acquisition cost has been low despite spending hundreds of millions on advertising its brands.

According to Paul Leyland, the Regulus Partners analyst, the $20 billion forecasts of 2025 needs to be convincing to account for its investment levels.

Flutter & Stars Group Merge

2020 saw Flutter increase its revenues by 28 percent – that is £5.3bn, adjusted to its acquisition of Stars Group in May last year. With this merger between Flutter and Stars Group, the two companies will generate up to $4 billion, with more than 13 million active customers in over a hundred markets.

Flutter is growing steadily because of the excellent strategy they have developed, targeting the low-stake gamblers, and targeting those who now prefer online gambling. While Flutter closed its betting firms in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it has made it clear that it has no intentions of shutting any of its betting shops. On the contrary, it plans to gain more when its competitors decide to close their betting shops.

Gambling Revenue Sees Record Growth in Illinois

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

While there’s been an increase in gambling revenue in the United States, Illinois hit a record $581.5 million in January 2021.

Gambling operators managed to bag $49.4 million in revenue for an approximate 8.5 percent hold. Illinois was able to collect up to $7.2 million in taxes, according to a report.

The state has been fairing on we’ll, recording $481.7 in stakes up from December and $23.9 million in proceeds.

Illinois is now the fourth state to pass the $500 million in bets in the same month. The state is now holding the fourth spot in state handle after Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New Jersey.

Pennsylvania finished with $615.3 in bets, securing the third spot. Nevada came second with $4.3 billion, while New Jersey was the new king with a whopping $6 billion in their handle.

Betting operators in Illinois reported an 8.24 percent win rate, generating nearly $48 million in proceeds more than December’s $23.9 million. Illinois’ state coffers managed to collect up to $7.2 million while Cook county only managed $480,000.

Illinois was the last state to avail its revenue, breaking a record in the national sports betting industry. Among the other 18 states, more than $4.36 billion stakes in January.

Betting operators bagged up to $361 million in returns to start things in 2021. The Illinois state government managed to gather more than $54.3 million in levies from the proceeds.

DraftKings is the Better Mobile Option for Punters in Illinois

Sure, Barstool will be launching its first mobile sportsbook in Illinois since last September, but Draftkings is still preferred by the majority of punters who use their smartphones to bet.

DraftKings came top with $244.2 million in bets – which is equivalent to 42 percent. FanDuel and BetRivers came close with 30 and 19 percent in state handle.

And while DraftKings is still the most preferred for mobile betting, Fanuel generated more revenue – $16.9 million against $16.4 million for DraftKings.

William Hill and PointsBet didn’t do badly either – William Hill with two percent in-state handle while PointsBet with seven percent. This was a 26 percent increase in handle compared to December. On the other hand, William Hill was happy to maintain a double-digit percentage, recording $8.8 in accepted stakes.

FanDuel Secure the Monthly Revenue Top Honors

The largest mobile operators contributed most of the revenues collected. FanDuel overtook DraftKings to clinch the top spot with $16.7, DraftKings managing to secure $16.4.

This time around, BetRivers hit eight figures, generating more than $10.1 million. PointsBet also had a good month, generating approximately $4.2 million in proceeds. William might not have done poorly either – with $500,000 in earnings; football and basketball contributing the largest portion of that revenue – 97 percent.

Parlays managed to secure about $19 million in revenue from the $110 million staked by punters. This translates to a 17.29 percent win rate for the company and twice the all-inclusive percentage. Fanuel collected $9.2 million of the total in $50.3 wagered.

Basketball and football are the most popular sports punters are staking heavily, with basketball generating $14.3 million and $11.2 million in revenue, respectively. Besides, the two categories – basketball and football emerged top for handle – basketball generating $230 while football $158.3 million.

BetMGM & Topgolf Now in Partnership for 2021

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

BetMGM remains one of the biggest names in sports betting in the United States. On the 19th of February, 2021, they announced a partnership with Topgolf entertainment group. The multi-year agreement between both companies is expected to improve their respective customer bases. More importantly, it would also allow both of the partner companies to interact with customers outside of their individual customer bases.

About The Partners

BetMGM was formed from a partnership between MGM resorts international and Entain Plc. in 2018. The company has exclusive sports betting rights to MGM Resorts across the United States, both online and in MGM’s physical casinos. They are also a leader in online casino gaming and poker, along with sister brands Borgata Online, Party Casino, and Party Poker. BetMGM is one of the biggest online sportsbooks in the US, and its headquarters is in New Jersey.

Topgolf Entertainment Group is a global sports and entertainment company which is headquartered in Dallas. The company has grown to become one of the most popular in the sports entertainment industry. According to their official website, “What started as a simple idea to enhance the game of golf has grown into a movement where people from all walks of life connect at the intersection of technology and sports entertainment.” The company has multiple platforms which include Topgolf Media, Topgolf Venues, Topgolf Swing Suite, and Toptracer.

What Will the Partnership Entail?

The deal between these companies focuses on marketing and promotional offers in both digital and physical properties. This includes Topgolf’s physical properties and the World Golf Tour (WGT) game which has been part of the Topgolf group since 2016. With this partnership, you should expect to see BetMGM branding in Topgolf venues in locations where BetMGM is licensed to operate. These include:

Las Vegas, Nevada
Indianapolis, Indiana
Nashville, Tennessee
Detroit, Michigan
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Denver, Colorado

This branding is expected to extend to Topgolf’s WGT game which has over 15 million users around the world. As sports betting becomes legal in other states across the US with Topgolf locations, BetMGM will activate branding and promotional integrations in these locations. Topgolf will also begin to offer BetMGM promotions.

Speaking on the deal, Matt Prevost, the Chief Revenue Officer of MGM, said “We look forward to introducing Topgolf guests to the immersive sports betting experience that only BetMGM can provide. Topgolf is known for offering unique and interactive entertainment options, which our loyal BetMGM users can now access through a variety of exclusive and customized packages.”

Topgolf’s Chief operating officer, JF Prata also had this to say, “We are thrilled to partner with BetMGM as we continue to energize and grow our entertainment communities. Topgolf has always been committed to providing new and exciting experiences to our guests, and this partnership delivers on that while providing our longtime fans, as well as those less familiar with Topgolf, an introduction to a complementary experience with BetMGM.”

The financial details of the partnership were not included in the statement put out by the companies.

How Do Both Companies Benefit From the Deal

The BetMGM branding in Topgolf locations across the country and during the WGT game will help to advertise the company to the community of sports fans that Topgolf has. This focused advertisement is likely to be more effective than advertising to the general population because the majority of Topgolf customers are sports fans. It makes sense, seeing as sports fans are the group of people most likely to take on sports betting.

Also, in states where sports betting is currently illegal and Topgolf entertainment is already present, BetMGM now has a system in place to begin advertising as soon as it is made legal. This is expected to be important going forward as the US gambling market is expected to grow massively in the next few years as a result of the landmark 2018 court ruling in favor of New Jersey’s law permitting betting on sports that now allows states to legalize online betting whenever they choose to.

For Topgolf entertainment, the partnership lets them into BetMGM’s large customer base. And the BetMGM themed promos could help to attract betting fans to their locations around the country. This partnership is one that sports fans and bettors across the country can look forward to with excitement. It will most certainly allow fans and customers to experience the best of what sports betting and sports entertainment have to offer.

Illinois Online Gambling Legislation – Will they be the next to legal online gambling?

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

The State of Illinois is set on the path to becoming another US state where online gambling activities will be completely legal for residents. Sports betting was ticked off the list in June 2019 when it was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker. Up next is an online casino gaming and the process has begun with State Rep, Bob Rita proposing an addition to the Internet Gaming Act, HB3142.

Bob Rita was instrumental in the legalization of sports betting in the state back in 2019. The new piece of legislation he proposed for online casino gaming is expected to allow “a casino or racetrack to offer Internet gaming or contract with a platform to offer Internet gaming.”

One reason why Lincoln State would consider this bill is to make up for the revenue lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sports betting alone has generated a revenue of over $125 million for operators and $19 million in taxes. iGaming is a more profitable industry and if this legalization goes through, it will speed up the state’s recovery from the global health crisis. However, the State of Illinois is not the only one who stands to gain something from this move, residents get to have their piece of the pie too.

Gambling in Illinois

Illinois is popular for its riverboat casinos which have carried on legal casino operations since 1990. With these being able to provide gambling activities, other proper licensed brick-and-mortar casinos popped up in no time.

Next came video gaming terminals, which were permitted to operate in specific licensed locations. They have a lot in common with online casino games and are seen by many as a sign that casino games will follow shortly. It’s been over ten years since then and it looks like it’s finally happening.

Top Illinois Online Casino Games

Many sportsbooks that joined the sports betting industry in Illinois provide online casino services as well. In other states where full-fledged online gambling is permitted, the brands offer a variety of casino games to their customers. Seeing as they are already gathering a vast customer base with sports betting, once casino gaming is launched, players are expected to flood them as well.

Some of the top bookies from which online casinos can be expected in Illinois are:

FanDuel
Betfair
DraftKings
Caesars

As an online gaming enthusiast, there are a plethora of games that you can expect to find at these online gambling platforms once they are granted entry into the casino gaming market in Illinois. They feature games from top developers such as Microgaming, Playtech, NetEnt, BigTime Gaming, IGT, and so on. Some of these games and their variants include:

Slots
Classic slots
Video slots
Progressive jackpot slots
Megaways slots.
Blackjack
American blackjack
Multihand blackjack.
Roulette
American roulette
European roulette
French roulette
Black and Yellow roulette.

Many of them also come with live dealer games and a mobile gaming option that you can look forward to for the best online gaming experience.

Requirements for Online Casino Gaming in Illinois

If this new piece of legislation for HB3142 is successfully signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker, the casino operators will be required to pay a $500,000 license application fee to the Illinois Gaming Control Board. If the license is approved, it will be renewed with a $250,000 fee. A tax rate of 12% on profits will also be required and according to the proposal, “no local government of this State, including home rule municipalities, may impose or levy taxes on adjusted gross gaming revenue.”

For players, in-person registration will be required during the first six months and they can combine their sports betting account with an online gaming account. All players will also be required to be 21 years old or more and must only bet within the borders of the state.

The Best Online Casinos in Illinois

If you’re an online casino lover living in Illinois, you can now keep your fingers crossed to have a great time playing legally within the state. To find the best online casinos in Illinois, check out our casino reviews and use the CompareAssistant feature to rank them.