Monthly Archives: February 2020

UK online gambling showed a spike in participation both at home and at the office in 2019, while online in-play sports betting continues to fall.

On Wednesday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) released its latest gambling participation survey for 2019, which found that 47% of respondents had engaged in some form of gambling in the past four weeks, up one point from the 2018 survey. That number falls to 32% (unchanged) when you exclude those whose only gambling was on National Lottery draws.

Online gambling participation was up three points to 21% in 2019, but this figure shrinks to 16.6% (+2.2 points) excluding online lottery-only participants. Those who gamble online are significantly more likely to do so via their mobile devices (50%, +6) than their laptops (38%, -6) or desktop computers (26%, -2).

Most online gamblers choose to play at home (95%), although those who sneak in a little play at work was up three points to 15% (largely driven by those in the 45-54 age demo). A slightly smaller number (12%) gamble during their daily commute to work.

Among sports bettors, online participation was up nine points to 81% while retail betting fell 13% to 27%. Similarly, far more racing bettors are choosing to do so online (61%) than in-person (49%, -15).

Among online gamblers, in-play betting participation fell two points to 21% in 2019 (down five points from 2017), with the most dramatic decline in bettors aged 25-34 (30%, -8). The only age demo to post an in-play increase was the 35-44 group (29%, +2).

The frequency of overall gambling was either flat or down in all categories except those who gamble once a month, less than once a week, which rose two points to 33%.

Those who gambled on a machine in a betting shop fell by nearly half to just 0.8% in 2019, likely due to the government-imposed reduction in maximum betting stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBT) from 100 to just 2 in April 2019.

SELF-EXCLUSION, T&CSThe industrys efforts to promote self-exclusion policies appear to be paying off, as awareness of such programs has risen 12 points to 47% since 2015. Only 5% of gamblers have ever registered for self-exclusion, while around 9% of gamblers have used financial limit options, unchanged from 2018.

(The survey contains some problem gambling data but this relies on previously released information from the Health Survey England 2018.)

Interestingly, while the number of online gamblers who bother to read operators terms and conditions remains small (21%), a clear majority (65%, +4) of those who did said they found them to be helpful, while 26% found the terms to be unfair.

SOCIAL MEDIA, ADVERTISINGThe percentage of online gamblers who follow a gambling firms social media accounts slipped three points to 23%, with most of the decline coming via older age demos.

Statistics on weekly viewing of gambling advertising and sponsorships were down nearly 3% across the board, with online gamblers more likely to be exposed to such marketing (and mostly through sports merchandise sponsorship) than those who dont gamble online.

GENERAL PERCEPTIONThe number of respondents who felt gambling is fair and can be trusted fell one point to 29% while those who think gambling is associated with crime jumped five points to 43%. Respondents were most likely to base their opinions on gambling from television news reports (40%) than via personal experience (31%) or newspapers (26%).

While overwhelming majorities of respondents think theres too many gambling opportunities (82%, +3) and gambling threatens families (73%, +2), three-fifths of respondents believe it should be up to the individual to decide if and when to gamble, although that latter stat was down two points from 2018.

See the original post:

UK online gambling on the rise, in-play betting continues to fall - CalvinAyre.com

British betting giant William Hill announced its intentions to enter the Michigan market on Monday. Its partner in the state will be the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB).

Under the terms of the deal, the British betting giant will operate the retail sportsbook at GTBs Turtle Creek Casinonear Traverse City.

Mobile betting will follow, along with an online casino, which figures to be the first in the US for William Hill.

The Stars Group and PointsBet both announced their Michigan partnerships in the first week of January. Scientific Games joined them later in the month. All of these confirmed partnerships involve the states tribes, while the three commercial casinos in Detroit havent yet revealed their plans.

William Hill is one of the worlds largest gambling operators, with 16,000 employees worldwide and global annual revenues of more than $2 billion. It also became the largest retail sports betting operator in the US in 2012 after merging three Nevada-based businesses. It now has over 70 full-service sportsbooks across the state, plus over 100 kiosk locations.

GTB is one of 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan. Turtle Creek is the larger of the two casinos it owns in the northern part of the lower peninsula. With 56,000 square feet of gaming space and 1,200 slot machines, it is significantly smaller than the states largest casinos.

The new William Hill sportsbook will be located inside Onyx, the propertys on-site sports bar. It will also have a satellite location at the tribes second casino, Leelanau Sands, located about 25 miles away.

William Hill and GTB both say they expect to launch sometime over the summer in order to be ready for the start of the NFL season in August.

In a press release, William Hill US CEO Joe Asher described Michigan as a key state in William Hills US expansion due to its large population and deep-rooted sports culture.

Although sports betting is the focus of this partnership and William Hills entire operation the deal also includes provisions for an online casino.

Online gambling in Michigan is, however, expected to take longer to get off the ground than retail sports betting. Neither online casinos nor mobile sports betting will likely be available before early next year.

William Hill currently operates online sportsbooks in three states: Nevada, New Jersey and Iowa. It also manages risk for the Rhode Island Lottery and plans to launch in Indiana and Pennsylvania in the near future.

West Virginia and Illinois also remain possibilities once online betting goes live there.

That said, William Hill does not yet have an online casino product anywhere in the US. It is so far unknown which platform it plans to use to supply online casino/poker to GTB in Michigan.

Although Michigan partnership announcements have been coming fast and furious this year, some big question marks remain.

Most notably, twin sports gambling giants DraftKings and FanDuel havent tipped their hands.

FanDuel will end up under the same roof as Fox Bet later this year once The Stars Groups merger with Flutter is completed. However, the FanDuel brand is important enough in the US that it would be surprising not to see a FanDuel Sportsbook in the Michigan market as well.

Unibet and Caesars are two other names we havent heard from yet.

Any of these could be potential partners for the independently owned MotorCity Casino or any of the states remaining tribes.

As far as tribal casinos go, its somewhat surprising that Four Winds hasnt yet announced an alliance. Along with Soaring Eagle, it is one of the largest tribal partnerships up for grabs.

Though Soaring Eagle remains a mystery, the reason for Four Winds silence may lie outside of the state. It is owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (PBPI), Michigans only multi-state tribe.

PBPI also has a Four Winds property in Indiana and is currently negotiating with the state to offer sports betting there. It and its potential partners are presumably waiting to see how that pans out before finalizing any agreements.

Photo: Turtle Creek Casino

Read more here:

William Hill Strikes Online Gambling Deal With Michigan Tribe - OnlinePokerReport.com

The Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson is making another push to ban online gambling after it nose-dived the previous year. If the bill is approved, the expansion of the US States will be at stake because Adelson aims at scaring banks into cutting their ties with gambling operators.

Similarly, Sen.Tom Cotton had introduced a bill in 2016that sought to undo the2011 Department of Justice opinionon the scope of the Wire Act that led to the current crop of states that had legalized online gambling and online lotteries. That bill, which was introduced just days after Adelsoncut a Senate super PAC a $20m check, became somewhat moot after the current DOJ leadershipissued a fresh opinion in 2018that said precisely what Cottons bill was trying to accomplish.

That 2018 opinion was widely viewed as a thank you to Adelson for his GOP campaign contributions and is currently thesubject of a federal lawsuitafter courts found that the DOJs current arguments did not withstand scrutiny.

The previous week, Sen.Tom Cotton(R-AR) filedS.3322, the Prevention of Deceptive or Child-Targeted Advertising in Violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The objective of the bill t is to prevent the unlawful use of financial instruments that are deceptively designed or marketed to attract children, and for other purposes.

The bill calls for the Treasury Department to produce a report on games that feature kid-friendly content allegedly. The report would also have to detail how these sites process transactions with their customers and whether current mechanisms to uphold UIGEAs edicts can be strengthened.

The Federal Trade Commission is expected to make a report on how to prevent online operators from marketing their insidious kiddie-crack, including details of how ads are displayed within apps and games. The FTC must also report on efforts by operators to present gambling products as part of non-gambling gameplay or application use within websites and mobile apps offered to US consumers.

Source: https://calvinayre.com/2020/02/25/business/adelson-congressional-lapdog-anti-online-gambling-bill/

Read the original:

Online Gambling Expansion in the US States is Once Again Under Threat - Tunf.com News

An earlier starting time and reduced handle for some exotic bets have been reaping strong returns at the Meadowlands this winter.

The first post is now 6:55 p.m., or 20 minutes earlier than last year.

And for Pick-4, Pick-5, and Pick-6 betting, the takeout by the track has been reduced to 15%, compared to the usual industry take of roughly 25%.

Whether you are here for start of the card or cant get here until later on in the night, there is now a plethora of multi-race bets spaced out throughout the evening, said Meadowlands Racetrack General Manager Jason Settlemoir.

One multi-leg bet now flows right into another on a typical 13-race card, Settlemoir notes, as the 20-cent Pick-5 covers races one through five, the signature Early 50-cent Pick-4 spans races six through nine, and the new Late 50-cent Pick-4 covers races 10 through 13.

The idea is to put more money into the gamblers pocket, which creates what in the industry we call churn,' Settlemoir toldNJ Online Gambling. We had been tinkering about the idea for a couple of years, and I have done it at Tioga Downs, though on a much smaller scale.

Tioga Downs is an upstate New York track also owned by Meadowlands Racetrack owner Jeff Gural.

With both Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania and Hawthorne Race Course in Illinois now competing with the Meadowlands for winter racing simulcast dollars, the time change and reduced takeout have helped the Meadowlands still consistently clear a robust $2.5 million under the new setup.

The Pick-6 also is a 20-cent play, and on Feb. 15 one bettor cashed out for $20,797. There also is a late 50-cent Pick-4 available.

The math says that with the added money now going to the players, small losers can now become small winners and small winners can become big winners, Settlemoir said. Of course, we are counting on the support of price-conscious players regardless of the size of their bankrolls to make these multi-race wagers a must-play.

The reduced takeout has industry experts intrigued.

I was surprised, in a way, but it shows that the track at least is trying and so far results are encouraging, Mark Ford, president of the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, told NJ Online Gambling.

Dennis Drazin, who operates Monmouth Park for the states thoroughbred horsemen, also is on board.

Its a good idea, and its good for the industry, Drazin said.

Drazin added that some tracks that offer simulcast betting at his track didnt like the reduced share they would receive, and that many casual bettors dont pay attention to the tracks takeout.

Everybody who picks a winner is happy, no matter the takeout, Drazin said.

Still, Drazin said he will keep an eye on the Meadowlands results ahead of his thoroughbred racing meet at that track this fall, to determine if he finds it worth reviving the lower takeout plan.

Im not planning on it now, but if this is successful well take another look, Drazin said.

This weekend, there is a rare Pick-6 carryoverof $14,376 as part of a partnership with the United States Trotting Associations Strategic Wagering initiative.

After a long layoff, we are excited to see a Pick-6 carryover at the Meadowlands, Settlemoir said. The 20-cent minimum has given life to the Pick-6. In 2012, when the Pick-6 had a higher minimum, our Opening Night carryover was $1,975, and it took us four nights to get that number past the $8,000 mark.

Without the help of a carryover, the 20-cent version has an average pool this year of over $20,000 a night with 20-cent payoffs that have been excellent. With plenty of time between cards for handicappers all over the world to get ready to put money into this big pool, we obviously are expecting an enormous response to the one-day carryover of $14,376 on Friday.

Another factor boosting Meadowlands numbers is the fact that while some harness tracks have favorites winning 45% of the time or higher that has not been the case at the Big Ms full-mile oval. Favorites are only winning roughly one-third of the time, a rate more comparable to many thoroughbred tracks.

The percentage of winning favorites at the Meadowlands shows that the racing office is doing a great job carding ultra-competitive races to wager on, Settlemoir said.

The reduced takeout comes at a time when the Meadowlands Racetrack has become home to the FanDuel Sportsbook, a place where the hold tends to be a mere 5-10%.

But track operator Gural told NJ Online Gamblingthat the sportsbook has nothing to do with the reduced takeout plan.

Photo by Richard Mackson / USA Today Sports

Get NJ Online Casino And Sports Betting Updates

Subscribe to get the latest NJ online casino and sports betting news to your inbox.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

See original here:

Meadowlands Racetrack Reduces Takeout On Exotic Wagers And Gamblers Have Taken Notice - NJ Online Gambling

Growing Online Casino Industry in India: Reasons and Consequences

(Here we take a close look at the online casino gaming industry in India, its current trends and future expectations as well as the reasons for the uptick in iGaming market traffic.)

The iGaming industry has been rapidly growing worldwide over the last decade and India is not an exception. In fact, Indians seem to be quite into online gaming, with the market expanding at a highly unexpected pace. In 2019, the Indian gaming industry stood valued at 62 Billion Indian Rupees and the number is expected to nearly quadruple within the next decade.

Among the various iGaming activities, online casinos have been among those with the largest numbers of players and the biggest revenue. The growing youth population and their increasing access to modern technology has made online casino games extremely popular.

Various websites have also helped the spread of online gambling by providing valuable and useful information. A concise online casino list and other reliable resources is something every new player should consider before diving into casino games.

We take a look at some of the biggest reasons for the growth of online casino industry in India and how they impacted the market.

The Increasing Access to Technology

Access to technology is one of the main prerequisites for online gaming. The rapid development of technology in our country has allowed more citizens to gain access to mobile devices that make it easy to access the world wide web and iGaming content.

With more people than ever able to access online gaming sites, it is no surprise that there has been a significant uptick in the amount of real money players and deposits made with online casinos and other gaming sites.

As technology access continues to expand and more devices are introduced into the population, further growth of iGaming is expected as well, which is one of the leading reasons for the expected 250 Billion Rupees market value for 2030.

A Huge Population

India is a big player in many major markets thanks to the massive population we have. It does not take much for Indians to overtake other countries in terms of revenue. Considering that hundreds of millions of Indians now have access to the internet, our capacity to make an impact on the online casino industry is clear.

This exact same reason has made India one of the leading countries in many other industries as our fast development in recent years is taking the country in the right direction.

Support from the Authorities

Even though the Indian government is not actively endorsing online gambling as such, recent government programs have surely made internet available for a growing number of potential players. The programs were designed to help Indian youth gain access to the internet and have them competing in various eSports, but online gambling sites have also seen some use from this.

More Available Casinos

India used to not be a very attractive market for online casinos, so many of them did not even accept Indian players or did not actively market in the country. This has all changed more recently, as a growing number of casino sites launched campaigns aimed at India specifically and increased access to Indian players. These campaigns have made a number of online casino games very popular among local players.

While it used to be hard for players to get onto online casinos from India in the past, today players can easily join a growing number of sites and play games in both English and Hindu. All of this is available via mobile devices as well, making extremely easy for young Indians to enjoy this type of entertainment.

What the Future Holds

Considering the fact that we have never had as many people with access to the internet than we do in recent months and the fact that mobile technology is so easily available, there is no doubt that the iGaming industry has a lot to look forward to from India.

As long as current trends continue without significant interference, we can expect the uptick in online casino gaming within India to also continue. Just how large the Indian iGaming market can eventually become remains to be seen, and years ahead will likely demonstrate it.

Read more here:

The Rapid Growth of Online Casino Industry in India - India West

NEW YORK, N.Y. New York lawmakers are hell bent on legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

They want to wrap it inside the state budget so that reluctant lawmakers can approve a weed program without actually standing up and voting in favor of it as a stand-alone bill. This even though poll after poll show state residents widely supporting legal weed.

The fact that lawmakers are looking for cover on the issue tells you theres still a powerful stigma about weed out there. Not every area of New York State is as liberal as New York City.

So why take on such a thorny issue? Simple: Money. Legal weed could pour millions upon millions of dollars into state coffers.

Just think of all that we could do with that cash. Improve education. Build more parks. Save the subways!

At least thats what were told.

But if lawmakers want to generate revenue, why arent they pushing just as hard for legalized sports gambling here? In fact, they should shelve their weed dreams and devote their energies to legalizing sports gambling.

According to a new study, New York residents bet $837 million in New Jersey on sporting events last year, as reported by CBS New York.

New Yorkers got in their cars in order to do it. They took mass transit. They placed bets through family members and friends in the Garden State.

Clearly the demand is already there. Can we say the same about weed?

Think of the tax revenue that New York could generate on that kind of betting action. You could slap a tax on every transaction. Why should we lose all that money to New Jersey? Legalizing sports gambling, including online gambling, might be controversial, but shouldnt we take for a real test drive?

Could legalized sports betting could cause people to develop gambling problems or could it make an existing addiction worse? Sure. Safeguards can be built in for that, just like the state plans to build a governing infrastructure for weed.

Will legal sports betting drive organized crime and the corner bookie out of business? No, but legal weed hasnt eliminated the marijuana black market in the various states that have legalized. And weed hasnt provided the predicted revenue windfall everywhere its been legalized either. Everything is a crapshoot.

Cities like Las Vegas, Atlantic City and others around the world have managed lucrative legalized gambling for years upon years. It can be done.

It wouldnt solve all of New Yorks problems, because simply throwing more money at our problems isnt always the solution.

Frankly, I could live without legal weed and legal sports gambling. Im not convinced that the state couldnt spend its money more wisely. But if youre giving me a choice, Id take gambling. At least wed be spared the smell of weed everywhere.

Its still mind-boggling to me that after we spent decades getting people to quit smoking, New York lawmakers want to encourage people to smoke weed. And that includes underage kids who will no doubt get their hands on weed just as easily as they can buy alcohol or cigarettes today.

And does the state really have to legalize weed anyway? Its already been decriminalized to the point where you can smoke weed without fear, at least in New York City. If social justice is truly the goal, that should suffice. Fewer people of color are being arrested for weed. Let each city or country decide for itself if it wants to decriminalize.

But then again, the state doesnt make money off mere decriminalization. And thats the bottom line. Its a big reason why the state wants to legalize. That and the creation of a weed bureaucracy that would generate more jobs, including patronage slots and those benefitting public employee unions.

Lets see where sports betting takes us. Maybe then New York can turn back to weed if we still need money.

See original here:

Forget legal weed. Sports gambling is a better bet for New York (opinion) - SILive.com

Published February 26, 2020 by Elana K

In the first month of the new year, NJ online gambling shattered the previous months record with total revenue of over $55 million. As usual, online casinos brought in the lions share with $53.25 million and online poker brought in only $1.83 million.

New Jersey online gambling hit its stride in 2019 - nearly every month, the total online gambling revenue reached a new high. The consistent pattern was that online casino revenue continued to climb, while online poker struggled. It seems that 2020 is continuing with the same pattern. In the first month of the new year, NJ online gambling shattered the previous months record with total revenue of over $55 million. As usual, online casinos brought in the lions share with $53.25 million and online poker brought in only $1.83 million.

Market Leaders

The Golden Nugget has retained its spot at number 1, generating $21.2 million in revenue, upapproximately $9 million from January 2019. It also beat its previous record of $18.9 million, set in November 2019.

Resorts Digital Gaming came in a far second with $11.9 million in revenue, down from its December 2019 record of $19.5 million. Its online poker operation brought in only $635K.

The Borgata family of casinos came in third with its own personal record of nearly $10.4 million, up over a million dollars from its previous record of $9.23 million, which was set in December 2019. Its online poker operations contributed nearly $479K to the total.

Tropicana, which operates only online casinos, came in fourth with $4.36 million, beating out Caesars Interactive Entertainment, which came in fifth with $4.23. CIE, however, does offer poker, which generated nearly $720K of its total revenue. CIE poker continues to be the market leader.

Rounding out the last places are Hard Rock Atlantic City with $2.46 million and Ocean Casino Resort with nearly $531K. While Ocean usually comes in at the last place, Januarys total was 5 times the amount it earned in December 2019, giving the casinos owners reason to hope.

While its only the beginning of 2020, if January is any indication, its going to be a good year for New Jersey online gambling.

See original here:

New Jersey Online Gambling Revenue Hits New High in January 2020 - Online Casino Reports

The Houston Astros have seen their heavy AL West division odds take a hit in recent days as spring training games have begun and public backlash remains strong. Photo via @barstoolsports (Twitter).

To the surprise of Houston Astros owner Jim Crane (and pretty much nobody else), the firestorm of public scrutiny and backlash in the wake of the Astros sign-stealing scandal has continued to swell through the first week of spring training games.

Fans are taunting and bringing signs to games, opposing players are plunking Astros batters, and social media remains ablaze with thousands of trolls re-opening the wound of the 2017 season every day.

As a result, the three-time defending AL West champions have seen their odds of a four-peat take a bit of a hit. Houston opened at -275 in the 2020 MLB division odds. Now, they are -215 on average, and just -208 at BookMaker.eu.

Odds taken Feb. 26.

Still, Houston remains the heavy favorite, and for good reason, as explained below.

To put it bluntly, fans are not happy.

Heres a look at Jose Altuves first at-bat of the spring, against the Tigers (a team that finished dead-last in the standings and hasnt really been impacted by the sign-stealing).

Altuve was hit by a pitch during that game, one of seven Astros to be hit this spring in their first five games. Thats the most in baseball.

Heres another instance of a fan heckling Altuve, requesting to see his tattoo (an alleged bad tattoo was part of Altuves alibi for not taking his jersey off during a playoff celebration in 2018, though some believe he was hiding a buzzer under his jersey to learn what pitches were coming).

Last year, the Astros won the AL West by 10 games. In 2018, they won it by six games and, in 2017, they won it by a whopping 21 games. It is really their division to lose at this point.

And it really, really doesnt seem like theyre going to lose it. Baseball Prospectus PECOTA projections give Houston a 90.6-percent chance to win the AL West again, with a projected 98-64 record.

Fangraphs also has the Astros winning their division in its projections, with the Athletics coming up nine games short in second place.

More than fan jeers and beanballs, the greatest threat to the Astros division chances is probably the loss of ace Gerrit Cole, who signed with the New York Yankees this offseason after racking up an MLB-best 326 strikeouts and AL-best 2.50 ERA last year.

Cole is a bulldog of a player that instantly makes any team he joins significantly better. With that said, Houston still has Justin Verlander (last years Cy Young winner) and Zack Greinke (a combined 2.90 ERA over the past seven seasons).

In other words, theyre doing OK.

Look, if youre going to bet on a team other than the Astros to win the AL West, make sure you arent betting much, because you are going to lose.

The backlash theyre facing, as annoying as it is, will not stop a great team from being great, especially in a division filled with mediocre competition.

Pick: Houston Astros (-208)

NFL MLB NHL NCAAF Sports Writer

Jordan Horrobin is a sports journalist whose MLB, NHL, NFL and NCAA work has appeared in outlets such as The Athletic, MLB.com, the Detroit Free Press and more. He is currently based in Toronto, also working as a contributor for Forbes.com and a freelance editor for Sportsnet.

NFL MLB NHL NCAAF

Jordan Horrobin is a sports journalist whose MLB, NHL, NFL and NCAA work has appeared in outlets such as The Athletic, MLB.com, the Detroit Free Press and more. He is currently based in Toronto, also working as a contributor for Forbes.com and a freelance editor for Sportsnet.

See the original post:

Astros Odds to Win AL West Dropping Fast; Angels, Athletics Improve - Sports Betting Dime