The only form of legal gambling on the Chinese mainland is back in business following an unprecedented 49-day shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
On March 11, China’s National Sports Lottery Center issued an “Announcement on the Resumption of Sports Lottery Issuance and Sales in Eligible Areas.” A similar announcement was made regarding the country’s welfare lottery, formally okaying provincial lottery administration centers to restart operations that were suspended on January 22.
The “orderly restoration” of lottery sales is rolling out on a piecemeal basis — for example, Shanxi province didn’t restart sales until Monday — based in part on a region’s ‘eligibility.’ This appears to be a reference to the ongoing quarantine in Hubei province, the ‘ground zero’ of the coronavirus outbreak.
For the time being, the Ministry is also preserving the suspension of lottery ticket redemption, apparently to avoid a surge in traffic by players who were holding winning tickets throughout the shutdown from a draw that predated January 22.
The California Horse Racing Board has filed 10 complaints against eight licensed individuals associated with equine fatalities at Santa Anita Park last winter. None of the complaints alleges the use of illegal medications.
While he still opposes federal legislation to pave the way for the United States Anti-Doping Agency to oversee the racing’s medication and drug testing, Monmouth Park head Dennis Drazin now favors having USADA taking on that role in New Jersey.
Owner Isaac Schachtel and trainer Alfredo Lichoa are among five defendants facing federal charges for using Lichoa’s horseman’s account to launder cash they were told was money from briberies in Brazil.
On a balmy morning the day before the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, the action on the grounds had picked up as buyers spread out to take their last looks before horses head through the ring March 17.
UK gambling operator Betfred has reportedly ridden to the rescue of UK and Irish customers of defunct online gambling operator MoPlay.
On Monday, Moplay customers in the UK and Ireland reported receiving emails indicating that the balances in their accounts on the now defunct site would be honoured by rival Betfred, which appears to have won the auction for Moplay’s customer database that was held last week.
Moplay was forced to suspend its operations last month after gambling regulators in both the UK and Gibraltar suspended the license of its parent company Addison Global due to doubts over the company’s financial resources. The site initially allowed customers to log on to withdraw their account balances but then halted all withdrawal requests due to “financial difficulties.”
Earlier this month, Gibraltar courts appointed a liquidator to handle Addison Global’s assets, including its player database. Betfred’s parent company Petfre (Gibraltar) Ltd reportedly emerged from this scrum with the UK and Ireland database firmly clutched in founder Fred Done’s teeth, while MoPlay’s German customer info was reportedly awarded to EagleBet.
Ireland’s bookmakers are closing their retail operations until at least the end of the month in a bid to reduce the further spread of the coronavirus.
On Monday, the Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) announced that “most” of its members had agreed to “cease trading … until at least March 29th.” The IBA said the voluntary decision had been made “in the absence of specific guidance for their sector.”
The IBA conducted a call with its membership on Monday morning, in which they discussed “the clear Irish government guidance that has been issued around social distancing.” Ireland’s government has urged individuals to keep a two-meter distance between themselves, a benchmark that would be hard to achieve in the traditionally cramped confines of a betting shop.
IBA chairperson Sharon Byrne said it was “very important that the retail betting sector acts responsibly and plays its part” in limiting the spread of the virus in Ireland. Byrne said “the vast majority” of IBA members would “look to close their doors in the next couple of days once staff and customers have been informed” but noted that decisions on if and when to close “lies with each retailer.”
The New York Racing Association announced March 16 its intentions to continue to offer live racing as scheduled at Aqueduct Racetrack, though the track will remain closed to the public.
Keeneland officials announced March 16 the cancellation of the track’s upcoming spring meet, which was scheduled for April 2-24, due to health and safety concerns surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19.
Some major online gambling operators saw their share prices tumble on Monday after revealing the projected impact of the coronavirus crisis on their operations.
On Monday, online gambling operators Flutter Entertainment, GVC Holdings, The Stars Group (TSG) and William Hill all issued statements regarding the expected impact of the virus-related sports event interruptions on the companies’ operations.
Flutter got the ball rolling by noting that it generated 78% of 2019 revenue via sports betting, and thus any prolonged shutdown of sporting competitions will have “a material impact” on revenue and earnings. Flutter shares were down nearly 12% at the close of Monday’s trading.
Flutter estimated that should the current suspensions remain in place through August, which would necessitate the cancellation of the Euro 2020 football tournament, its earnings would fall between £90m and £110m. A further £30m hit would come if UK, Irish and Australian racing fixtures are cancelled and Flutter’s UK/Irish retail betting shops were ordered to close. Flutter’s underlying earnings totalled £385m in 2019.
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.”
John Joseph Greely, IV, a fourth generation Kentucky Thoroughbred horseman, gentleman, beloved son, and friend to all, passed away on March 15. He was 54.
In the fast moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.
Slotegrator has announced a new partnership with game developer BGaming
The innovative online slots portfolio of BGaming is coming to Slotgregator’s platform. With striking visual effects and provable fairness, BGaming’s slots will now prove to Europe, Asia, Scandinavia, Latina America, Africa, and the CIS.
GrooveGaming expands global footprint with WeAreCasino
In the fast moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.
Slotegrator has announced a new partnership with game developer BGaming
The innovative online slots portfolio of BGaming is coming to Slotgregator’s platform. With striking visual effects and provable fairness, BGaming’s slots will now prove to Europe, Asia, Scandinavia, Latina America, Africa, and the CIS.
GrooveGaming expands global footprint with WeAreCasino
A man is accused of exploiting a flaw in the Arizona Lottery vending machines to get over $55,000 worth of lottery tickets.Arizona, Systems Problem, Technology, Law Enforcement, Fraud, Crime, Vending Machine
Amazon held talks about bidding to run the United Kingdom National Lottery, The Mail on Sunday revealed.UK National Lottery, Vendors, Operations, Camelot Group
With the unfortunate announcement the afternoon of March 15 that two people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Garland County, Oaklawn has made the decision to voluntarily close the casino for two weeks effective Monday at 8 am through March 30.
