A condensed version of the Rugby is set to be played in November, with Australia winning the rights to host the 2020 Rugby Championship. The annual southern hemisphere tournament is set to include Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in a six-week, 12-match tournament. All the sides are expected to be based in hub style environments for the duration of the tournament in Australia.

New Zealand were initially considered the front runners to host the tournament, but strict biosecurity measures put in place by the New Zealand government made this impossible. Australia was viewed by tournament organisers as a more commercially favourable option.

SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos was delighted to end the speculation over the tournament’s format and location. 

“Traditionally TRC is played as an international, cross-border series of home and away matches between Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa but due to the pandemic this is not possible this year,” Marinos said.

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin company may have faced a challenging year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he has to be motivated by the pending launch of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas property. Virgin bought the former Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sin City early in 2018 and has been diligently working at giving it a complete makeover, complete with a giant V in place of the iconic Hard Rock guitar, in preparation of its debut. Construction and renovations had to slow down a little last year (not uncommon for any massive project), but never lost sight of the end zone. Now, the property is close to the goal line and is expected to be ready to welcome its first visitors sometime early next year. To build enthusiasm and interest, Virgin released a few teasers (pdf) a couple of days ago so everyone can see what to expect once the doors are open.

Virgin is working with the Curio Collection by Hilton for the hotel and accommodations side of the house. Guests will be able to select from a total of 1,500 rooms and suites, all of which have been completely modernized and upgraded to include innovative solutions that hotels wish they had been able to use for decades. For example, in-room lighting can turn on and off based on guests’ movements, and Virgin is incorporating its mobile app Lucy to the property, which will give customers the ability to open the door to their rooms, order room service, control lighting, thermostats and TVs, and even check out using nothing more than the app.

The rooms, according to the announcement, are designed to “celebrate the property’s modern desert ambiance, pairing a playful feel with the luxury and comfort that has made Las Vegas a tourist mecca” and will be “bright, featuring a neutral color [palette] with pops of whimsical touches, as well as warm and modern finishes.” Adam Goldstein, the design director and partner at Studio Collective, which was brought in to design the new rooms, adds, “We drew inspiration from the surrounding desert landscape, which is reflected in our designs for the chambers. Our vision combined with the Virgin Hotels and Curio Collection by Hilton’s signature amenities and hospitality will make the property a much sought-after destination in Las Vegas.”

The 1,500 rooms are going to spread across three different towers, Opal, Canyon and Ruby. Ruby is the all-suite option, and includes a dedicated valet and exclusive check-in. Opal is the best one for those in Vegas conventions, since it’s closest to the property’s large conference and meeting areas, while Canyon provides views of the Vegas skyline and pool area. It’s the best for gamblers, as its located closer to the casino floor.

One of the most-used arguments in trying to prevent sports gambling from being legalized in the US is the impact it could have on sports integrity. That argument, however, continues to fall flat, especially when countered by the response that sports gambling has been legal elsewhere in the world for decades and this hasn’t resulted in a complete decimation of the sports industry. No one can deny that match-fixing has taken place, but there are good and bad players in every single activity, from religion to finance to law enforcement. Still, things are being done to help ensure integrity remains at the forefront in sports, and sports gambling data firm Sportradar has continued to be at the forefront of the topic. It is constantly entering new partnerships to supply data to leagues everywhere, including all four major sports organizations in the US, and has just announced another one. Its Sportradar Integrity Services (SIS) non-profit arm is now working with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ensure integrity in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

Sportradar already had a foot in the door in India through similar agreements with the Indian Super League and the Pro Kabaddi League. The latest partnership will introduce measures by both Sportradar and the BCCI to support the latter’s anti-corruption division in order to monitor the IPL and identify any questionable activity that might be the result of attempted match-fixing. This is similar to the firm’s efforts everywhere it has started to support, and should prove beneficial to keeping athletic competitions clean and transparent. 

Andreas Krannich, the managing director of SIS, states, “It is an honour to partner with the BCCI for the 2020 IPL season. As the global leader in sporting integrity, we hope to provide our expertise and help protect the tournament against integrity related issues. We know that the BCCI takes integrity seriously, and we look forward to working alongside them throughout the tournament and providing our support to their integrity programme.”

The BCCI will also receive regular updates on risk assessments produced by SIS. These will be developed using intelligence gathered during cricket matches, as well as specific data points drawn from moves, match outcomes and other aspects of the games. If needed, the BCCI can also hit the panic button and bring in Sportradar’s Intelligence and Investigation Services to investigate any questionable results that might pop up. 

Denmark-licensed gambling operators and sports bodies have shown a red card to the country’s new marketing rules, prompting the government to examine the limits of said rules.

Earlier this month, Denmark’s Consumer Ombudsman attempted to clarify the country’s new Marketing Act, which took effect on July 1. The notice referred to section 11b, subsection 1 of the Marketing Act, which forbids “any marketing of consumer loan companies and consumer credit agreements in connection with the marketing of games and game providers.”

The Ombudsman said it had been contacted by an unspecified sports league that had signed a title sponsorship with a gaming operator. This is a reference to the NordicBet Liga, aka the Danish 1st Division, the second-tier of Danish football, which was recently compelled to drop its affiliation with NordicBet (a brand of Sweden’s Betsson AB).

Since the league’s name would appear on all club jerseys, match balls, in-stadia boards, websites and TV broadcasts, the gaming operator’s name would also appear.

The second week of the Premier League features all 20 teams as both Manchester clubs, Aston Villa and Burnley join the party. Which teams will continue their good form from pre-season and which others will struggle as they adjust to the new campaign? Let’s look at finding some value.

Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace (Saturday, 5.30pm GMT kick-off)

United’s first game of the season is a lot more difficult that it looks at first glance. Last season, United toiled in vain against Roy Hodgson’s stubborn Eagles side for over 90 minutes. Trailing early, the Red Devils eventually equalized, only for a late Patrick van Aanholt winner to stun Old Trafford into silence.

This time around, of course, United come into the game looking a little different in the middle of the pitch, with newcomers since the start of the year Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek adding a lot to the midfield. Crystal Palace are a little more match-fit, however, and in Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew, have dangerous players who can hurt the Red Devils and while we think the home side will improve on the result of last season’s corresponding clash, we can’t see Palace going quietly.

The second week of the Premier League features all 20 teams as both Manchester clubs, Aston Villa and Burnley join the party. Which teams will continue their good form from pre-season and which others will struggle as they adjust to the new campaign? Let’s look at finding some value.

Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace (Saturday, 5.30pm GMT kick-off)

United’s first game of the season is a lot more difficult that it looks at first glance. Last season, United toiled in vain against Roy Hodgson’s stubborn Eagles side for over 90 minutes. Trailing early, the Red Devils eventually equalized, only for a late Patrick van Aanholt winner to stun Old Trafford into silence.

This time around, of course, United come into the game looking a little different in the middle of the pitch, with newcomers since the start of the year Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek adding a lot to the midfield. Crystal Palace are a little more match-fit, however, and in Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew, have dangerous players who can hurt the Red Devils and while we think the home side will improve on the result of last season’s corresponding clash, we can’t see Palace going quietly.

Illinois sports bettors have been rushing to register online betting accounts before their governor slams the mobile registration window shut again.

On Thursday, the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) held its monthly meeting, at which board members expressed satisfaction with the state’s first monthly wagering stats issued the day before. That data showed betting handle of $52.5m for the month of July, all but $4m of which was wagered with the state’s then-only mobile betting operator, Rush Street Gaming’s BetRivers brand.

The state has since welcomed four other mobile betting operators: DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet and William Hill. While all mobile operators must have a land-based casino or racetrack partner, they have been enjoying a respite from the state’s legislated requirement for bettors to register at those land-based venues.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter said the state’s mobile betting operators had registered over 230k online accounts as of Tuesday (15). Some of those accounts will obviously reflect bettors signing up with more than one operator, but it’s impressive all the same.

Sports betting in the District of Columbia is upending the traditional narrative in which retail betting languishes when online options are available.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the DC Lottery’s GamBetDC digital gambling platform had generated revenue of around $263k for the city of Washington by the end of August. That gives the product just one month to hit the $17m the DC Council originally claimed the city would reap by the end of its current fiscal year.

The Intralot-powered product had its soft launch in May and suffered from the same pandemic disruptions to the sports calendar as any other bookmaker. But GamBetDC was heavily criticized for offering unattractive odds that any discerning bettor would know to avoid like the plague.

A DC Lottery spokesperson told the Post that GamBetDC’s betting handle had nearly tripled from July to August as major leagues resumed play. But that didn’t stop DC officials from reducing the app’s expected contributions to next year’s budget from the previous forecast of $28m all the way down to $12m.

China’s anti-online gambling campaign has disrupted an illegal ‘fourth-party’ payment processing operation based around the Tether cryptocurrency.

This week, Chinese media reported that the Public Security Bureau in Huizhou City in Guangdong province had arrested 76 suspects involved in a payment processing service funneling funds to and from 120 online gambling sites as well as some fraudulent investment platforms.

The payment platform, which had reportedly been in operation for 15 months before authorities pounced in June, represented a first in China’s long-running gambling payments crackdown in that it conducted transactions in the Tether (USDT) crypto token.

The Chinese platform recruited around 3,000 ‘runners’ to open accounts on the platform and deposit a sum of cash. The accounts would then be used as conduits for payments labeled as legitimate products, but allowed gamblers to make deposits to and withdrawals from gambling sites based outside China.

Sports betting technology consolidation continues apace as online gambling operator Aspire Global has acquired sportsbook tech provider BtoBet.

On Thursday, Malta-based Aspire Global announced that it had reached a deal to acquire 100% of the shares in Gibraltar-based iGaming and sportsbook platform provider BtoBet Ltd. The transaction is expected to close in the final quarter of 2020 and won’t have any material impact on Aspire’s 2020 results.

Aspire Global has agreed to pay €20m in cash, of which €15m is payable when the deal closes and the remainder 12 months after closing. The deal also calls for a top-up payment two years after closing equal to 7x BtoBet’s EBIT in the second year post-close minus the €20m purchase price.

BtoBet’s Neuron 3 platform currently boasts 32 clients spread across Europe, Latin America and Africa. The company reported revenue of €4.4m and earnings of €1.5m last year, while revenue and earnings over the first half of 2020 totaled €3.1m and €1.2m, respectively.

After an epic final day British poker pro Phil Mighall became the latest player to have their name inscribed on the WPT Mike Sexton Champions Cup.

Winning over $1.5 million by taking down the WPT World Online Championship Main Event, Mighall carved his name into history by defeating Teun Mulder heads-up to claim the title.

Play began tentatively at the final table, but that didn’t last long as the big stacks applied pressure and those without big numbers of chips had to make their moves.

It was Laszlo Molnar who left proceedings earliest, with an all-in move with ace-jack doomed to failure when Victor Simionato’s cards were revealed as pocket jacks. No ace came to help Molnar and he was followed from the felt by Finnish player Akseli Paalanen when Simionato again did the damage, pocket queens doing for Paalenen’s ace-king shove in a coinflip.

It’s the season for sports betting, with the launch of the new English Premier League season, the return of the National Football League and heaps more huge sporting occasions now back to bet on.

With the return of popular sports to bet on comes a swathe of new and existing betting hubs, but one that stands out as being different to the usual is Bet Vigtory. Just two days ago, Bet Vigtory partnered with The Action Network, who are a major source for sportsbetting news and the latest data analytics.

So how does betting on Bet Vigtory differ from your previous favourite betting app? Well, The Action Network partnership promises to grow the Bet Vigtory portfolio from October when it is launched, with a range of new premium betting products available to investors. There’s also the promise of the lowest price on the market, something that bettors always love.

With an absence of big margins on investments and hidden fees, it’s down to betting, just the way sports fans like it. Plus, there are a lot more data streams to analyse these days. Sam Rattner, founder and Co-CEO of Vigtory, is looking forward to the partnership.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

One great thing about the UFC from a betting standpoint is that it rarely takes a weekend off. There’s another Fight Night card from the organization’s Apex facility in Las Vegas this Saturday that is headlined by a welterweight bout between Americans Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley. The main card will start at 8 p.m. ET and is available on ESPN+.

An argument can be made the welterweight division is the deepest in the UFC. Kamaru Usman is the champion with Covington ranked second and Woodley fifth. Perhaps Saturday’s winner would be closer to a potential title shot next year – but probably only if it’s Covington.

The 32-year-old Covington (15-2), who was an excellent collegiate wrestler at a few stops in the United States, won the UFC’s interim welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos in June 2018. Covington was then linked to a bout with the then-overall champion Woodley in September of that year but Covington had to pull out for health reasons.

After moderating the “Understanding and Reaching LatAm Players” panel last week at SBC’s Barcelona Digital Summit and with SiGMA LatAm coming up next week, the exciting LatAm iGaming market is predictably on my mind.

The current COVID situation has nudged gambling companies around the world who have yet to jump on the digital bandwagon and jurisdictions that have yet to regulate and bring in much those needed tax dollars. While devastating in so many regards, perhaps 2020 will be recognized as the year when the Latin America gambling industry truly took off. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTh9QX8Gpj4?feature=oembed]

“Its not a miracle that Latin America is pushing hard during these times. Its because the Latin American region has been run a lot by the land based business, a lot of the evolution to the digital business has been unfortunately but also fortunately pushed by the COVID reality”, BetGames.TV LatAm Sales Director Eddie Morales shared with me.

Online gambling heavyweight Playtech saw its profit plunge 85% in the first half of 2020 due to Asian black market restrictions and Italian pandemic shutdowns.

Figures released Thursday by the UK-listed Playtech show revenue of €564m in the six months ending June 30, down 22% from the same period last year. Adjusted (heavily) earnings were down only 15% to €162.3m but profit (the real kind, not adjusted) fell to just €4.6m from €24.8m in H1 2019.

Playtech’s business-to-business (B2B) operations reported revenue falling 13% to €229.7m, largely due to pandemic-related retail shutdowns. The halt of major sports activity led to a ‘significant’ betting revenue decline, ruining a ‘strong’ showing by online casino, bingo and poker (the latter added 19 new brands to its iPoker network in H1 following the demise of the Microgaming network).

So-called ‘Core B2B’ operations – aka not counting Asian black market ops – reported revenue falling 6%. The UK drove this Core decline, falling 30%, while regulated markets outside the UK grew 8%.