Jerry Milani is a freelance writer and public relations executive living in Bloomfield, N.J. He has worked in P.R. for more than 30 years in college and conference sports media relations, two agencies and for the International Fight League, a team-based mixed martial arts league, and variouis sports and entertainment properties. Milani is a proud graduate of Fordham University and when not attending a Yankees or Rams game can be reached at Jerry (at) JerryMilani (dot) com.
With the NFL Draft days away, marking just about the only live sports-related event going on these days, all eyes will be on the virtual selections by the 32 franchises beginning Thursday night.
BetMGM is making it a little more interesting, launching the free-to-play $2,000 Pro Football Draft Contest, a series of 20 questions predicting certain outcomes of the draft, and the player who guesses the most questions correctly will win a grand prize of $2,000 cash. In the event of a tie, the prize earnings will be split evenly.
Questions include:
· Which team will draft the first QB? · How many teams will trade down (trade back) in the first round of the draft? · Will the New England Patriots draft a quarterback in the first two rounds? · Which running back will be drafted first? · Which conference will Jake Fromm (UGA) get drafted to? · How many players from the University of Alabama will get drafted? · What position will Mr. Irrelevant be? (Last player to be drafted in the 2020 Draft)
Diehard sports fans may not have action on the tube to check out, but they can still show off their expertise thanks to BetMGM. Its all new Free to Play Quiz is live for BetMGM NJ and BetMGM Indiana users. Players can compete for daily prizes up to $500 by answering sports and pop culture questions correctly. We’re working closely with state regulators in West Virginia and are hoping to be live in the state in the coming days.
How it works: Every day BetMGM will feature a new category consisting of 10 questions, with a 10 second clock. As long as they answer the question right, users will be able to keep playing for the day. One incorrect answer and your game ends. Answer every question correct and compete for a daily prize of up to $500 (prize to be split amongst all trivia winners). The quiz is available daily between 9am and 11:59pm ET. Players can only participate once per day, with the quiz leaderboard changing each week. Your total amount of correct questions answered throughout the week (Monday to Sunday) will automatically qualify you for the weekly leaderboard. Earn 1 point for every question you’ve answered correctly. The Top five (5) each week will receive an additional cash prize.
Leaderboard Structure
· One week leaderboard (Monday-Sunday)
· Players receive one leaderboard point per question they answer correctly
· Leaderboard Prize Payout (split amongst all top scoring users)
In the absence of regular season games, the NBA is staging a HORSE competition between current and former NBA stars, as well as a couple of WNBA stars. The NBA’s Horse Challenge is set-up as a single-elimination bracket where Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young will face off against former NBA Champion Chauncey Billups. The winner of that match-up will face the winner of the battle between former WNBA star from the Indiana Fever, Tamika Catchings, vs. Utah Jazz’s Mike Conley Jr. On the other side of the bracket, current Chicago Bull, Zach LaVine, will play against former Boston Celtics great, Paul Pierce, and current Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star, Chris Paul, is facing WNBA Chicago Sky star, Allie Quigley.
PlaySugarHouse.com in NJ and PA and BetRivers.com in PA are offering all their players a free to play bracket with a $1000 pool on each site for the winners. Players can make their picks starting Saturday morning, April 11, until 7 P.M. Sunday evening April 12th. It works much like a March Madness bracket but with only 8 participants. Players will earn a point for each correct pick in the quarterfinal round, 2 points for each correct pick in the semifinal round and 3 points for picking the correct winner. The winners of the bracket will receive a share of $1000 bonus money.
“We are happy to offer our NBA bettors an alternative while the season is suspended,” said Mattias Stetz, C.O.O of Rush Street Interactive, which operates PlaySugarHouse.com and BetRivers.com. “The NBA has been very creative with this HORSE Challenge and we think our bracket will add some additional excitement for our bettors.”
Quarterfinals will be aired on ESPN on Sunday April 12 between 7 and 9pm ET. The semifinals and Championship game will be aired on ESPN (and streamed on the ESPN app) on Thursday April 16 at 9pm ET.
Indiana’s retail and online sportsbooks were hit hard in the first weeks of the coronavirus shutdown, costing the state an estimated $125 million in wagers in March, according to PlayIndiana. And with no immediate end in sight, the industry will continue to navigate treacherous waters in the months ahead.
“This is an unprecedented stoppage for legal sportsbooks, and there is no playbook for them to follow to help manage the crisis,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “Obviously, the sports betting industry is just one facet in a crisis that is affecting us all, too often tragically. But it is a business that employs hundreds in Indiana and generates millions in state taxes. And the bottom line is that there will be no significant relief until the sports world begins to open back up.”
Indiana appeared to be headed for its first month of more than $200 million in bets. Instead, the state’s retail and online sportsbooks collected just $74.8 million in March wagers, down 60% from the record $187.2 million in February, according to official reporting released Thursday. Almost all of the handle was generated before March 11, when the sports world began to shut down.
March’s bets produced $5.5 million in adjusted gross revenue, down 50.5% from $11.9 million in February, and yielded $522,0825 in tax revenue for the state.
The loss of the NCAA Tournament proved particularly damaging. Indiana sportsbooks could have generated more than $50 million in tournament-related wagers, PlayIndiana estimates.
“There is no way to replace the revenue that would have been generated from the NCAA Tournament, which in legal jurisdictions generates more action than the Super Bowl,” said Jessica Welman, an analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “The NCAA Tournament can’t be rescheduled, but professional leagues are beginning to draw plans to begin games again. We still don’t know what that looks like or when it will happen. Whether spectators are there to watch in-person or not, though, online sportsbooks should again be able to attract bettors, which will be welcome news for the industry.”
The silence of sportsbooks could change in a minor way. Sportsbooks are now accepting bets on the WNBA and NFL drafts.
“We don’t expect a lot of betting on the WNBA and NFL drafts, but we suspect that each will draw more interest than either would under ordinary circumstances,” Welman said. “People are looking for some sense of normalcy while they practice social distancing, and the drafts and futures betting is providing at least some outlet for bettors.”
In March, online sportsbooks generated 81.3%, or $60.8 million, of the state’s handle. DraftKings/Ameristar Casino led the market with $33.1 million in bets, down from $74.1 million in February, and generated $2.4 million in gross receipts. Horseshoe Hammond led the retail market with $3.4 million in bets, down from $12.4 million in February. That generated $211,475 in gross receipts.
“Online sportsbooks will bounce back more quickly than their retail counterparts, which face a much more uncertain future as the coronavirus pandemic continues,” Gouker said. “In states where online casino games and poker are legal, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, casino operators have had a bit softer landing. But Indiana has really borne the brunt of this crisis, unfortunately.”
For more revenue information, visit PlayIndiana.com/revenue.
PlaySugarHouse.com is among the first sportsbooks in the U.S. to drop the flag on virtual NASCAR races. The sportsbook has been approved by New Jersey regulators to offer betting on the 2020 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. New Jersey players will now be able to place bets on a virtual auto race and the first race in the series they can bet on is the Toyota Owners 400 in Richmond on April 19.
The Cup Series races are as realistic as can be, featuring real stars of past and present including Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The series of races, which started March 22, are being broadcast on FOX Sports during typical NASCAR broadcast times and have been huge hits drawing over a million viewers to the fierce iRacing competition.
“We are happy to be able to offer such an exciting and competitive entertainment event,” said Mattias Stetz, C.O.O of Rush Street Interactive, which operates PlaySugarHouse.com. “It’s also fun to see how these talented drivers will compare in the virtual world of competitive racing.”
The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is offering exclusive entertainment on the premier motorsports racing simulation; the same one used for years by NASCAR’s biggest stars to prepare for real world race events. This form of virtual sports is different than others because the simulator offers a full NASCAR experience down to the dynamics of the car and the real-life differences between track surfaces being raced on. Ultimately, the eNASCAR iRacing Series offers a competitive edge that traditional console videogames just can’t match.
The virtual racing schedule is designed to follow the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, which had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with the Toyota Owners 400, the virtual NASCAR series includes the Geico 500 at Talledega and the Cup Series race at Dover and looks to make virtual stops at fan-favorite tracks from coast to coast.
Colorado’s sports betting industry will eventually generate billions of dollars in bets annually, hundreds of millions in operator revenue, and millions in tax revenue, according to estimates by PlayColorado.com, which analyzes the state’s newly regulated sports betting market.
Despite the sports world being indefinitely shuttered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, regulators are preparing for a May 1 launch of online and retail sports betting. When it does, Colorado will become the 18th state to have some form of legal sports betting. And the Centennial State has a bright future, capable at maturity of annually generating as much as $6 billion in bets, $400 million in gross operator revenue, and $40 million in tax revenue, according to PlayColorado projections.
“With a significant base of existing land-based casinos, a regulatory framework that will be attractive to operators, and one of the largest metropolitan markets in the country to draw from, Colorado is well-positioned to capitalize on sports betting,” said Dustin Gouker, chief analyst for PlayColorado.com. “But assuming the industry does launch on May 1, it will be doing so in unprecedented circumstances with almost no sports to wager on. There are some advantages to a forced soft opening, but it also means that it will be some time before we learn with confidence just how Colorado’s bettors will respond to legal sports betting.”
Colorado regulators have been deliberate, opting for a later start date to ensure it gets its regulatory framework right. Its 10% tax on net revenue is comparable to some of the most successful sports betting markets. New Jersey, which is neck and neck with Nevada as the nation’s largest sports betting market, levies a 9.75% tax on revenue from retail sportsbooks and 13% on online sports betting revenue. Indiana, the No. 4 sports betting market in the U.S., taxes sports betting at 9.5%.
In addition, Colorado has avoided some of the pitfalls of earlier adopters, such as imposing maximum bet limits, a decision regulators left to operators.
“Colorado legislators and regulators have made many smart, measured decisions based on input from casinos, operators, and bettors, and that has led to the adoption of an excellent collection of rules and restrictions,” Gouker said. “They have also had the undeniable benefit of seeing what has worked in other states. Colorado’s methodical approach might have been frustrating to bettors by slowing the launch, but there is plenty to be encouraged about. Sports betting operators have inked partnerships and regulators are listening to stakeholders. That will serve Colorado well.”
Until the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, bettors will be limited to futures bets on pro sports and some international sports.
In other states, legal online casino and poker wagering has meant millions in additional revenue for operators and states, helping to bolster bottom lines during a difficult time in the gaming industry.
“There is no question that the revenue from online casinos and poker rooms has helped operators in states such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania weather the shutdowns of land-based casinos and essentially all sports,” Gouker said. “Coloradoans will likely someday decide if and when the time is right to legalize online casino wagering. In the meantime, it has put the right framework in place for its sports betting industry to thrive once sports are played again.”
We continue in unchartered waters in sports as many enter week four of the pandemic, and the college landscape remains as fluid as any. There is no shortage of opinion and conjecture, from spring sports eligibility to moving football to the 2022 are all on the table and the angst and viability of student athletes remains in flux.
Against all of that backdrop is the ongoing and vital debate about Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and how that will factor into the business of college athletics going forward. How have things changed or adapted, and what would the opportunities be for athletes today if NIL as in place? One of the key advocates in NIL remains Zach Segal, who founded StudentPlayer.com last year as a platform to assist and recognize college athletes for their achievements on the field while tying them to brand opportunities, or in some cases, causes.
We had some time to connect with Segal on how NIL is evolving, and how Student Player’s business platform has changed and adapted as well.
Does the opportunity for spring sports to add eligibility positively or negatively affect the NIL debate?
Any steps taken to promote fairness given these unprecedented times are good for the NIL debate. Afterall, allowing student athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness is not about giving student athletes an advantage relative to other students it is about treating them the equally! We hope that the longstanding inequity will be remedied soon!
How does a platform like student player impact a player prepping for the NFL Draft? once his eligibility end could he access funds if the system was up and running in say a year from now?
Student Player will offer sponsorship deals to student athletes when they are student athletes, but only after it is legal/permissible to do so. In our view, fans must have a voice and we give them the chance to be heard. Prospective athletes will want to know what kind of opportunities are available at each school, fans can make a difference by contributing! A player prepping for the NFL draft would still benefit from fan contributions while they are in college.
If NIL is in effect now how do you think athletes currently sidelined could use their rights for something like social good?
Yes, 100%. And we bet that many would! Today’s restrictions are essentially prohibiting that which is sad. Particularly so in a time when huge numbers of Americans (and others) are struggling to cope with Covid-19. This is just one reason why we hope school/legislatures/the NCAA won’t pause the momentum that NIL is having.
Without NIL in place this spring, have those athletes who missed March Madness suffered a loss of opportunity to capitalize on brand value? Can you think of a specific example?
Yes, March Madness shines a big spotlight on the athletes that play in it and the schools that they play for. There are missed opportunities across the board. Who would have hit a buzzer beater to help a double digit seed advance to the final four? We will never know, but that individual would have become a nationally recognized star. Who knows what would have happened next!
How do you see the debate moving in the fall when some normalcy returns; should we be looking for next steps?
We hope that it will pick up with as much momentum as it previously had. NIL is a bipartisan issue and a simple one. In our view, the next step is for the NCAA to adopt California’s Fair Pay To Play Act. The NCAA and its member schools have long held that student athletes are “students first.” We agree! Given that, the solution is simple: treat student athletes like students. There are often mentions of “guardrails” and other safeguards, but we see all of those things as unnecessary. The goal should be to afford student athletes the same opportunities that every other student already has. Guardrails and safeguards should only be included if they are applied equally to all students (athlete or not).
The Drone Racing League (DRL), the global, professional drone racing circuit, and FanDuel today announced a fantasy partnership for the 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts Finals, the world’s only player-to-pilot esports tournament. As DRL’s first-ever partnership with a fantasy sports provider, FanDuel will have access to official DRL SIM data, along with league marks and logos to create official daily fantasy contests for the 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts Finals.
The virtual drone racing showdown live-streams tonight at 9pm ET on DRL’sTwitter,Twitch andYouTube. Thousands of FPV (First Person View) pilot hopefuls from 75 countries entered the fourth annual DRL SIM Tryouts, battling it out across more than 136,000 heats during twelve qualifying tournaments on the DRL Simulator, the true-to-life drone racing sim on Steam — all for the chance to compete tonight and go pro. Tryouts participation skyrocketed by 90% since last year and nearly 2 million fans have already watched the online competitions.
Fans tuning into the 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts Finals can enter a free contest on FanDuel for the chance to win a share of $3,000 in FanDuel site credit. The contest follows FanDuel’s standard daily fantasy format, and racers will earn points for winning, finishing second or finishing third in each heat as they navigate virtual DRL drones on a supercharged, 3D track. The champion will earn a professional contract in the league and fly as the DRL SIM Pilot in the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship Season, as watched by tens of millions of fans on NBC, Twitter, Sky and other leading sports networks around the world.
“At a time when fans want access to sports competition more than ever, we’re thrilled to live stream the 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts, a unique esport that transforms gamers into pro drone pilots overnight, and reward fans with prizes through our exciting new partnership with FanDuel,” said DRL CEO and Founder, Nicholas Horbaczewski.
“We remain as committed as ever to our fans and we’re currently working to develop new and entertaining games for them to engage with,” said Kip Levin, President, FanDuel. “Partnering up with The Drone Racing League allows us to collaborate with an innovative league as we give our fantasy customers more ways to play.”
Merging the virtual with the real, the Tryouts winner will race against the most elite pilots on earth during the 2020 Season, flying custom-built DRL Racer4 drones at 90 MPH through complex courses in iconic venues around the world. Last year, Minnesota native, Christopher “Phluxy” Spangler, was crowned the Tryouts winner and flew in DRL; he made podium three times and even won a level event, showcasing how DRL bridges the digital with the real.
BetMGM is hosting a free to play NBA 2K Players Tournament bracket on BetMGM NJ, available to all verified New Jersey users. Prizing is $20,000 for a perfect bracket, which will be split in cash amongst all winners. In addition, BetMGM will also be matching the grand prize with a $20K donation to New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF), which will raise funds and organize and coordinate resources to fight the medical, social and economic impact of COVID-19 on New Jersey’s most vulnerable.
The NBA 2K Players Tournament, an NBA 2K20 gameplay tournament, will pit 16 of the league’s best in a single-elimination, player-only tournament on Xbox One beginning Friday, April 3 on ESPN and ESPN2. NBA players include: Andre Drummond, Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Hassan Whiteside, Demarcus Cousins, Patrick Beverly, Zach LaVine, Derrick Jones Jr, Devin Booker, Rui Hachimura, Montrezl Harrell, Domantas Sabonis, DeAndre Ayton, Harrison Barnes and Michael Porter Jr.
Inspired Entertainment, Inc. (“Inspired”) (NASDAQ: INSE), a world-leading Virtual Sports provider, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking new V-Play Basketball on bet365.com. The leading online operator with more than 45 million customers launched V-Play Basketball earlier this week and is one of the first operators to host two dedicated streams, a U.S. Basketball and a separate European Basketball variant, with a new event every two minutes. Since its inaugural launch in 2019, V-Play Basketball achieved immediate success, becoming one of the best performing Virtual Sports online and delivering significant incremental revenue for Inspired customers.
Speaking on the launch, Inspired Chief Commercial Officer Steven Rogers said, “bet365 is a long-time customer and we’ve enjoyed many highly successful product launches with them over the years. The launch of V-Play Basketball follows a string of popular games that have gone live with bet365.com since the new year, including Virtual Football, Cricket and Virtual Grand National.”
bet365.com will be the first operator to feature the new NFLA Legends Football, an officially licensed product with the NFL Alumni (“NFLA”), which brings all-time favorite NFL legends back to the field. V-Play NFLA Legends Football features 11 teams of alumni legends from some of the biggest teams going head-to-head in a single game format. Fast-paced action completes each series of plays in less than 90 seconds. Ultra-realistic player simulations use the latest animation and motion capture techniques and offer “play-by-play” action as the game progresses. NFLA Legends Football will be added to the two existing football channels on bet365.com, available via the Virtual Sports section of their sportsbook.
bet365 said, “We haven’t seen any Virtual Sports quite like V-Play Basketball and V-Play NFLA Legends Football. They are great products, both visually and in the betting opportunities they offer the players. We are very excited to be launching these products and we have no doubt they will be successful additions to our current Virtual Sports offerings. Inspired has impressed us with their innovation once again.”
The season never ends online with Inspired Virtual Sports, supporting online and mobile betting 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please see the Inspired website for trailers and demos of the latest Virtual Sports offerings at www.inseinc.com/virtuals/.
The Topps Company and its fast-growing on-demand platform TOPPS NOW™ today announced one of the most unique, transformative and eclectic offerings in company history: “Project 2020,” a first of its kind effort that combines some of the most iconic cross-generational cards in the company’s nearly 70 year history with baseball, re-imagined by some of the world’s most influential, creative and eclectic artists, cartooners and pop culture influencers.
Some
of the notable artists on the list include celebrity jewelry designer
Ben Yang…aka Ben Baller; Chicago based designed Just Don,
who has worked with Kanye West and Nike on major projects; Mexican
American tattoo and graffiti artist Mark Machado, known as Mister
Cartoon; Australian Tyson Beck, whose recent resign of the
NBA logo in the image of Kobe Bryant became an international cause
célèbre; New York native and design artist Sophia Chang and
L.A. Based streetwear artist Joshua Vides.
The
first two cards, issuing today, include Ben Baller’s Ichiro (2001)
and Jacob Rochester’s Sandy Koufax (1955).
Each
of the 20 artists will reinterpret 20 cards, representing
baseball’s greatest stars from the 1950s to
the present day. The cards will only be available for a 48-hour
period from the time each is introduced.
“When
we think of the collectible world and where it has evolved today,
sports and pop culture continue to collide,” said Jeff
Heckman,
Global Director of Ecommerce. “We could
not think of a better way to expose trading cards to a new audience
than working to reinvent some of the classic baseball cards and
personalities of the game of baseball through the eyes and hands of
many of the world’s greatest pop culture figures of today. ‘Project
2020’ will be a must have for core and casual baseball fans, and
will more importantly showcase the names and stories of the artists
and the players on the cards to a global audience whose interests lie
well beyond the sport. It is a transformative move we are very
excited about.”
“Roberto
Clemente and his story have always been inspirational to me,” said
Mister Cartoon, whose hometown high school mascot was the Pirates,
adding to his longtime connection to the Pittsburgh slugger and made
working on the Clemente card extra special. “I want to take each of
these classic cards and supercharge them!”
As
professional and amateur sports organizations continue to do their
part in maintaining best practices to combat the spread of the
COVID-19 virus, postponing competitions and events worldwide, there
is a void of original live sports programming on TV. Enter the
Its Pickleball Mania World Pickleball Championship,
set for Thursday at noon ET, streaming exclusively on ESPN3 as the
only live TV sporting event currently available to viewers.
Four
of the world’s top professional pickleball players will vie for the
first Pickleball Mania crown. They will battle it out in semifinals
and finals action at a private residence under strict quarantine
guidelines. The four competitors will be joined by a small production
and event crew of no more than six people as the event complies fully
with present restrictions and social distancing practices.
Fans
can tune in for all three matches live on ESPN3 via their streaming
players, computers and mobile devices. The final match will also be
presented on tape delay on a variety of national and international
networks at a later date.
The
Its
Pickleball Mania World Pickleball Championship
was co-founded by former tennis professional
Ryan Sherry,
NFL
veteran
Brandon Siler
and former professional football player
Peter
“P.J.” Jensen. They
will also serve as Tournament Directors. Harry
Cicma serves
as the event’s executive TV producer through Harry
Cicma Productions LLC, in partnership with ESPN.
“This
is a very special event, as one of the only professional sports being
televised live worldwide during this difficult pandemic,” said
Cicma. “The most important thing is that the event and broadcast
are intimate, in a private secluded residence, and promoting staying
at home in quarantine and social distancing. It’s been a difficult
few weeks for the community and we are grateful to finally bring live
professional world championship excitement to the sports world in a
safe way as we all try to beat COVID-19.”
“Pickleball
is sweeping the world by storm and is currently the fastest growing
sport in the world,” said Jensen. “I promise you this, if you
ever pick up a pickleball paddle and play a game of singles or
doubles you will be hooked! Pickleball is a combination of tennis,
ping pong and requires speed, power, finesse and strategy. If you
think for a second this is an old people’s game, you will be sadly
mistaken and proven wrong! Tune in and watch live for yourself!”
“With
everything that is going on in the world right now, we’re glad to
be able to bring entertainment with safe health practices and the
showcase of a little known sport to the world,” said
Sherry. “Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America for a
reason. It’s easy to learn, easy to improve, any age can play, it’s
social, and incredibly fun and addictive. Pickleball combines sport
and racquet backgrounds in a way no other sport does. Anyone with a
sports background can find parallels between their background and
pickleball.”
“Pickleball
appeals to the old, the young, celebrities, former professionals in
others sports. It has something
for
everyone,”
said
Siler. “And
we’re just happy to be able to showcase this to the world at a time
when people are yearning for something to root for.”
Pickleball
is a paddle sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton
and ping-pong. The fast-growing, fast-paced game is played with a
paddle and plastic ball with holes, as doubles or singles, on a
badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net.
Despite how anyone feels about sports betting at this juncture, the process of legalization has begun – and there’s likely no chance of stopping it. In May 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), only Oregon, Nevada, Montana, and Delaware allowed legalized betting on sports. Now, in 2020, the number of states has grown from four to 21, with a promise of more to come.
Once upon a time, this was a topic people remained hushed about, but now, even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has recognized that legalized sports betting is making its way “out of the underground and into the sunlight.”
This has paved the way for partnerships between the usual suspects: sports leagues, broadcasters, teams, casinos, and sportsbooks, which are being contracted almost as quickly as the legislation is being passed. Just to name a few, the MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, and UFC have deals with MGM Resorts, FanDuel, DraftKings, FoxBet, William Hill, and Caesars. These lucrative deals entail profits, real-time data sharing, and branding in the form of logos and social media platform exposure.
But what does this mean for bettors?
First, sportsbooks will have immediate access to official league data in real-time. Amongst other benefits, this means better set lines/odds both before and during games, including in-play betting. Sportsbooks can also be more creative with the types of wagers they offer, providing bettors with a multitude of betting choices.
However, because of how quickly the legalization process is occurring, one can easily be overwhelmed by the ideas of partnerships and changes. What’s more, the heightened involvement of data can be daunting for those who want to bet, despite whether they are old pros or newbies.
There is a light in this confusing, data-driven world of sports betting, though.
One of the first companies to arrive on the scene is Sidelines, who knew right away that users needed an easy way to learn the market. Therefore, with the idea of providing users with a distinct advantage and an excellent value, Sidelines launched an odds comparison platform, bringing together market research and analysis for real-time odds comparisons across all legal U.S. sportsbooks.
This is only a small example of what legalized sports betting will bring.
The countless advantages to legalization and the process will only continue to gain traction within the community as this is further realized. As a result, both bettors and sports fans should keep themselves well informed on any changes and be prepared for the exciting prospects that will accompany it.
Despite how anyone feels about sports betting at this juncture, the process of legalization has begun – and there’s likely no chance of stopping it. In May 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), only Oregon, Nevada, Montana, and Delaware allowed legalized betting on sports. Now, in 2020, the number of states has grown from four to 21, with a promise of more to come.
Once upon a time, this was a topic people remained hushed about, but now, even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has recognized that legalized sports betting is making its way “out of the underground and into the sunlight.”
This has paved the way for partnerships between the usual suspects: sports leagues, broadcasters, teams, casinos, and sportsbooks, which are being contracted almost as quickly as the legislation is being passed. Just to name a few, the MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, and UFC have deals with MGM Resorts, FanDuel, DraftKings, FoxBet, William Hill, and Caesars. These lucrative deals entail profits, real-time data sharing, and branding in the form of logos and social media platform exposure.
But what does this mean for bettors?
First, sportsbooks will have immediate access to official league data in real-time. Amongst other benefits, this means better set lines/odds both before and during games, including in-play betting. Sportsbooks can also be more creative with the types of wagers they offer, providing bettors with a multitude of betting choices.
However, because of how quickly the legalization process is occurring, one can easily be overwhelmed by the ideas of partnerships and changes. What’s more, the heightened involvement of data can be daunting for those who want to bet, despite whether they are old pros or newbies.
There is a light in this confusing, data-driven world of sports betting, though.
One of the first companies to arrive on the scene is Sidelines, who knew right away that users needed an easy way to learn the market. Therefore, with the idea of providing users with a distinct advantage and an excellent value, Sidelines launched an odds comparison platform, bringing together market research and analysis for real-time odds comparisons across all legal U.S. sportsbooks.
This is only a small example of what legalized sports betting will bring.
The countless advantages to legalization and the process will only continue to gain traction within the community as this is further realized. As a result, both bettors and sports fans should keep themselves well informed on any changes and be prepared for the exciting prospects that will accompany it.
Super Bowl betting pushed New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks to a strong February, though the monthly handle fell short of $500 million for the first time since October. But the concern for New Jersey’s sportsbooks is what lies ahead, according to PlayNJ analysts, after the NBA suspended its season, the NCAA Tournament limited spectators, and other leagues mull suspensions.
“New Jersey’s year-over-year gains remained impressive in February, but we are in uncharted territory now,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayNJ.com. “Obviously there are bigger concerns with coronavirus, but the NBA is a major revenue driver for New Jersey’s sportsbooks. So the suspension of the season, in addition to suspensions of other sports, will undoubtedly have a significant effect.”
New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks made a giant year-over-year leap in handle to $494.8 million, up 54.4% from $320.4 million in February 2019, according to official reporting released Thursday.
New Jersey generated $54.2 million in Super Bowl bets, but that was No. 2 to Nevada’s $156.8 million. Still, the Garden State could surpass Nevada, which posted a $458.6 million in handle in February 2019.
Despite losing $4.3 million on the big game, New Jersey sportsbooks managed to produce $17 million in gross revenue, resulting in $2.2 million in tax revenue for the state. Basketball, which produced a $6.6 million win on $219.3 million in wagers, helped sportsbooks overcome the Super Bowl loss.
“New Jersey bettors continue to show heavy interest in basketball,” Gouker said. “March Madness appears as of now as if it will be played, and it is one of the largest betting holidays in the U.S. But it is impossible to gauge just how much interest there will be if it is played at all.”
Online betting generated $436.5 million in wagers, 88.2% of the state’s handle in February. FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet led the way with $9.6 million in gross revenue from online betting, down from $22.2 million in January.
FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands again capitalized on the New York market. The retail market leader posted $1.4 million in gross revenue, up from $4.3 million in January.
ONLINE CASINOS
New Jersey’s online and poker industry set a revenue-per-day record in February, generating $52 million in revenue during the short month. February’s total was up 64% from $31.7 million in February 2019 and just shy of the record $55.1 million set last month.
Online casinos and poker generated $1.79 million per day during the 29 days in February, up from $1.78 million per day in January. March, which has historically been a big month for online casinos, could bring even more revenue in, as Atlantic City casinos brace for any impact from the coronavirus outbreak.
“Online casinos and sportsbooks should help buoy their land-based casino counterparts in Atlantic City should the coronavirus impact casino operations,” said Eric Ramsey, an analyst for PlayNJ.com. “The Golden Nugget’s online casino already generates more revenue than its retail casino, and others have been closing the gap. That online revenue stream could prove vitally important in the coming months.”
SBG Sports Software is excited to announce the opening of its new North American operation based out of Chicago, IL. headed up by recently appointed VP of Sales and Business Development, Joe Schrimpl.
SBG Sports Software Incorporated will strengthen SBG’s growth in Major League Soccer and US motorsports series whilst offering enhanced local support for existing customers. This investment comes as a direct result of increasing demand for SBG’s next generation sports analytics applications RaceWatch, MatchTracker and Focus.
The appointment of Joe Schrimpl represents a strategic move to expand the SBG product suite to support additional elite sports across North America. Schrimpl is joining with over 20 years of award-winning success in sales and operations throughout the sports technology space. Schrimpl served in various capacities for over 7 years at XOS Digital Inc, serving as Account Manager to numerous professional and collegiate football, basketball and hockey teams for video and data analysis and instant replay. Schrimpl was also a part of National Championship Football staffs, directing the Video and Operations Department at the University of Southern California for nearly 7 years. Schrimpl began his career in sports technology assisting Football, Basketball and Soccer staffs at the University of Miami, Fl and Drake University respectively.
SBG’s global leadership position in professional sports is reflected by customers in 40 countries across 4 continents, with local partners in Spain, Germany, Japan and Australia. A new base in Chicago gives SBG access to elite sports throughout the US and Canada, perfectly located to further enable customer support and new market development across 3 time zones.
Gareth Griffith, CEO of SBG Sports Software comments on the expansion into the US: “Over the last few years we have been applying SBG technology with great success in elite level sports including Formula 1, Premier League football and Six Nations rugby. It has been a long-held ambition to expand into North American sports, which I have personally followed enthusiastically for many years. We are delighted that Joe Schrimpl is joining us to lead our US organisation. His appointment reflects our continued commitment to industry expertise, and we look forward to making significant impact in the US market.”
Joe Schrimpl: “I’ve been in the sports technology industry for many years and SBG’s reputation and position within the market is second to none. Coaching and analysis staff are in constant pursuit of that competitive edge and they deserve a technology partner that is equally competitive, dependable and innovative. SBG brings a unique and unparalleled approach to elite sports data and visualization applications to the US sports industry. I’m thrilled to be joining the SBG Team.”
Roar Digital, LLC – the joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings – announced today that BetMGM, a leading mobile sports betting app, is now accepting wagers throughout Indiana. BetMGM is entering Indiana through a market-access agreement with Boyd Gaming.
“Introducing BetMGM in Indiana is a significant development for Roar Digital and MGM Resorts,” said Scott Butera, President of Interactive Gaming for MGM Resorts. “Indiana has a rich history in professional and amateur sports and a strong fan base. We believe that the sports betting opportunities offered by BetMGM, and access to MGM’s world-class entertainment offerings and resorts, will be well-received.”
BetMGM offers unique product features, such as in-app, livestreamed sports events from around the world. In conjunction with today’s launch, Indiana bettors will enjoy promotions only available within Indiana, affording ample opportunity to bet on professional as well as collegiate sports through a variety of pre-match, in-play and player proposition wagers.
“We’re excited to launch BetMGM in a state as passionate about sports as Indiana is and look forward to seeing fans in the state take advantage of our unique in-app offers,” said Adam Greenblatt, Chief Executive Officer, Roar Digital. “Indiana marks an incredibly important expansion for us as we look to solidify our presence in the Midwest and continue to bring BetMGM to new states in the US.”
Indiana is BetMGM’s third U.S. market entry, following New Jersey and West Virginia. Available for download on both iOS and Android and accessible via desktop, BetMGM leverages an exclusive betting engine that allows fans to place bets quickly and with ease. Sports bettors have access to a wide assortment of betting markets on BetMGM, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, soccer, tennis and combat sports.
It’s been a busy 12 months for ZenSports, the mobile peer-to-peer sports betting marketplace where anyone can create and accept sports bets with anyone else in the world without the need for a centralized bookmaker.
After launching its sports betting app in March 2019, the fast-growing startup closed $675K in October 2019 as part of a broader $1M+ Seed Round. With its continued rapid growth, the startup started receiving inbound interest from additional angel investors in December 2019, and decided to open up a new round of funding to accommodate those interested investors. In just 10 weeks since then, the company syndicated and closed an additional $770K+ in funding across multiple angel investors.
Here’s how this new funding round played out according to ZenSports Co-Founder & CEO, Mark Thomas, “After officially closing our $1M+ Seed Round in October 2019, we felt more than comfortable that we had enough funding to execute on our growth strategy for 2020. However, we had numerous angel investors who approached us about putting more money into our company. We decided to offer a time-boxed raise without a target amount for these investors who approached us and shared our vision of how decentralized, peer-to-peer sports betting using cryptocurrencies was the future. We were fortunate to have a lot of choices in the investors we decided to ultimately bring on board, and we’re thrilled to be working with them as we continue to grow and scale ZenSports.”
ZenSports
The new funding will be heavily invested into paid customer acquisition channels. According to Thomas, “Up to this point, we haven’t spent any money on paid marketing to acquire new customers. Instead, we’ve focused on optimizing the post-customer acquisition and retention funnel through constant product iteration and via our SPORTS Rewards Program. We’ve got incredibly loyal customers who are very active on a daily basis in placing bets in our app. It’s now time to get very aggressive in growing our overall customer base via paid marketing.”
To help accomplish this, the company recently hired an experienced marketer, Mark Saldana, to become the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer. Mark brings a wealth of digital marketing experience to technology and consumer brands and will be an integral piece to the company’s revenue and growth plans.
Scientific Games Corporation and Golden Nugget, LLC, a leading US casino operator, have agreed to expand their iGaming partnerships in a new multi-state, multi-product, multi-channel agreement. Building on a long-term partnership, Scientific Games will provide its solutions to Golden Nugget across multiple states through 2024 and potentially beyond.
Scientific Games will supply Golden Nugget with its OpenGaming™ in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and, as regulations allow, potentially other states that legalize iGaming in the future. Golden Nugget will benefit from the Open Gaming System™ content aggregation platform, portal, and player account management solution to enhance its iGaming presence.
Golden Nugget has also selected to utilize the full OpenSports™ product suite and world-class managed trading services from Don Best Sports. The deployment of OpenSports™ will start with mobile sports betting in New Jersey with additional states included as new states launch. There is also an option to roll out OpenSports™ in retail locations across multiple states including New Jersey, Mississippi and Nevada.
Thomas Winter, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Online Gaming for Golden Nugget, said, “We have a long history with Scientific Games, and their technology is a cornerstone of our sports betting and iGaming strategy. We’re thrilled to continue working with them to bring a consistent and best-in-class experience to our players across multiple products, nationwide.”
Jordan Levin, Group Chief Executive, Digital for Scientific Games, said, “Following Golden Nugget’s transition to our solutions, we look forward to launching Sports on top of our long-standing player account and iGaming relationship. Golden Nugget has a wide player base across the U.S., having pioneered the iGaming space in New Jersey from its earliest days, and we’re excited to power their sports betting and iGaming presence, providing a seamless and reliable end-to-end betting experience.”
Scientific Games has provided sports betting solutions since the late 1990s and currently serves a total of 35 sports betting customers in 16 countries. Scientific Games is among the first to be certified by the World Lottery Association as a responsible gaming supplier and is the first sports betting supplier to join the Global Lottery Monitoring System, which ensures the integrity of sports betting worldwide.
A record-setting January pushed Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks to the brink of $100 million in lifetime revenue. But even with a strong start to the New Year, Pennsylvania still has much ground to gain to catch New Jersey and Nevada, according to PlayPennsylvania.com.
“Pennsylvania’s momentum is growing, and January shows that the state’s sportsbooks can sustain it even as the NFL season winds down,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Pennsylvania will likely remain the nation’s No. 3 market for the foreseeable future. But it is becoming clearer that it will one day challenge Nevada and New Jersey as the largest legal sports betting market in the U.S.”
Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks accepted a record $348.4 million in wagers in January, breaking the $342.6 million record set in December up dramatically from $32 million in January 2019, according to official data released Wednesday. $308.6 million, or 88.6%, of the state’s January handle came online.
January’s bets produced a record $31.6 million in gross revenue — up from $17.5 million in December. That produced $7.78 million in state taxes. With January’s gains, Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks have now generated $116.4 million in gross revenue since launching in November 2018.
“The opportunities for growth are abundant for Pennsylvania,” Gouker said. “It’s population base is a huge advantage. Infrastructure issues have slowed the state’s development. But the industry is unquestionably getting past its growing pains.”
FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge Casino remains the market leader with $153.1 million January bets, down from $154.5 million in December. That yielded $8.1 million in taxable revenue, up from $7 million. But DraftKings at The Meadows grew to $58.7 million in January from $35.9 million in December. That produced $2.8 million in taxable revenue, up from $732,883.
The online market could soon get a shakeup. Penn National Gaming is acquiring a stake in Barstool Sports and with it, a recognizable brand for its online casino and sportsbook, which will presumably launch later this year.
“DraftKings has been aggressively marketing itself in Pennsylvania, and it is making some headway in its attempt to catch up with FanDuel. But it still has a long way to go,” Gouker said. “Meanwhile, the expected launch later this year of the Barstool-branded online casino and sportsbook will add intrigue to a market that has been predictably controlled by the two most recognizable brands in online sports betting.”
The retail market was led by Rivers Philadelphia’s $7.4 million handle, down from $7.7 million in December. That yielded $1.1 million in revenue, up from $590,177.
Online casinos The retail market was led by Rivers Philadelphia’s $7.4 million handle, down from $7.7 million in December. That yielded $1.1 million in revenue, up from $590,177. Rivers-Philadelphia led the way with $3.5 million in revenue on $146.4 million in wagers.
The roster of online casinos grew to seven in January. FanDuel Casino debuted on Jan. 24, generating $2.1 million. FanDuel was followed by the launch of BetAmerica less than a week later.
“The online casino market should get a real jolt from FanDuel’s entrance,” Gouker said. “Integrated within FanDuel’s market-leading sportsbook app, the FanDuel Casino is ideally positioned to leverage its success as a sportsbook into success as an online casino.”
