Monthly Archives: March 2020

STS extends its stay with Futsal Ekstraklasa

STS, the largest bookmaker in Poland, has extended its sponsorship agreement with Futsal Ekstraklasa. The contract is valid until June 2022. Under this agreement, for the next two and a half years, STS will be an official bookmaker of top-class futsal competitions. The bookmaker thus significantly strengthens its presence in Polish sport and continues to sponsor national league competitions.

The agreement also provides for the STS brand to be displayed during the matches of top-class futsal competitions – the bookmaker’s logo will appear on things such as LED banners, video materials and live TV broadcasts. The contract also provides for the publication of common content on the website and on various social media platforms of the Ekstraklasa and its clubs.

“Extending the cooperation with Futsal Ekstraklasa is another stage of strengthening the position of STS as the preferred bookmaker among football fans. Apart from cooperation with the Polish national football team and top football clubs, we engage in activities in other fields related to this sport. The agreement with Futsal Ekstraklasa fits perfectly into our long-term sponsorship activity,” Mateusz Juroszek, President of STS.

STS is known as a committed sponsor. Currently, it is conducting measurements of the volume of fan cheering in all 14 PlusLiga teams. The bookmaker has carried out numerous unique projects together with fans and clubs from all over Poland, including the replacement of K. Hamalainen’s jerseys, kolorujeMY (colourINC), Koszulka na Basel (A T-shirt for Basel) or preparing a special tifo display for Artur Boruc’s last appearance in the Polish national team. Moreover, together with Jagiellonia and Pogoń Szczecin, the bookmaker organised a vote on the graphic design of new coaches for two clubs. STS also organised a number of activities for volleyball, handball and basketball fans.

Key Games on Tuesday CBB betting board

Hard as it may be to believe, this is the last Tuesday of college basketball’s regular season. In fact, there are several mid-major conference tournaments getting underway Tuesday.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Arguably the biggest NCAA Tournament bubble game of the night is from the SEC as Mississippi State (19-10) visits South Carolina (17-12) – by all accounts both are on the wrong side of the bubble currently. The winner here would seem to have the upper hand in terms of a potential bid with all other things being equal, and that’s definitely the Bulldogs if they prevail.

That’s because MSU beat visiting South Carolina 79-76 on February 19. Bulldogs star Reggie Perry had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. USC was down 11 with under four minutes left and got as close as a point but could never draw even. The Gamecocks are -3 this time, and both teams are 10-5 ATS in their past 15 this year.

F.A. Cup Preview – Chelsea Visit the Last Chance Saloon Against Liverpool

F.A. Cup Preview – Chelsea Visit the Last Chance Saloon Against Liverpool

The F.A. Cup returns this week, but while most rounds take place at the weekend – or either side of it – this time, all the action happens midweek. Will the experiment work or will audiences turn away? They’re unlikely to be able to take their eyes off Chelsea vs. Liverpool, but there are plenty of other eye-catching ties to take in.

Chelsea vs. Liverpool (Tuesday, 7.45pm GMT kick-off)

A huge showdown at Stamford Bridge will decide whether Chelsea still have a trophy to play for in Frank Lampard’s first season or not.

Danske Spil posts record profit despite falling gambling revenue

Denmark’s state-owned gambling business Danske Spil reported record results in 2019, while the nation’s gambling regulator continues to help fend off internationally licensed online competitors.

Danske Spil reported revenue of DKK5b (US$745.6m) in 2019, a decline of 1.6% from 2018’s result. The mainstay Danske Lotteri Spil lottery unit reported sales falling 3.8% to DKK2.56b, while the Danske Licens Spil online casino and sports betting business saw its sales rise 1.8% to just over DKK2b.

The online gambling business got a boost from last year’s acquisition of the online casino operations of land-based slots operator Tivoli A/S. However, online revenue slowed in the second half of the year following the imposition last July of new online deposit limits.

The Elite Gaming land-based slots unit saw its revenue slip 2.4% to DKK369m and Danske Spil said the expectation is that Elite’s revenue will continue to fall amid a shrinking market. The Swush fantasy sports division had a rough year, with revenue down 46% to just DKK8.8m.

Unibet Open Dublin won by Martin Olali for €64,110

With 294 overall entries, a four-hour bubble and an epic heads-up battle for the title, the Dublin leg of the Unibet Open proved extremely good value not only for the players who paid €1,100 to enter but also fans of tournament poker.

In the end, it was Martin Olali who came from behind heads-up to claim the win, but it was anything other than easy-going.

From the bubble taking four hours, the Unibet Open Main Event was thrilling stuff in Dublin, and by the time the action reached the final table, the eight remaining players all had their eyes on the €64,110 top prize.

First to be disappointed at missing out was Jamie Nixon, whose all-in move from the small blind was called by the original raiser from the under-the-gun position, Samuel Baneham. Nixon had pocket fours, but he was way behind Baneham’s pocket tens and the board of ack-six-eight-nine-seven eventually gave Baneham the straight and sent Nixon his way.

PGA Tour, Action Network to share sports betting affiliate revenue

Professional golf now has its first approved ‘betting content platform’ after the PGA TOUR decided to directly profit from legal US wagering.

On Monday, the PGA TOUR announced the launch of GolfBet, a golf-focused betting content platform powered by The Action Network, the sports analysis and media firm backed by the Chernin Group. The deal runs through the end of the 2021 PGA TOUR season.

Golfbet.com is currently redirecting visitors to a ‘golf’ page on the Action Network’s main site that features golf news, instructions on ‘how to bet on golf,’ golf betting terms, schedules, betting odds and reviews of sportsbooks in betting-friendly US states.

Action Network CEO Patrick Keane called GolfBet a “one-stop platform where fans can get all of the most relevant and up-to-date betting information.” The site, which the TOUR says will be “free for the foreseeable future,” will feature content from TOUR digital platforms, including video rights, as well as official TOUR data (via the TOUR’s deal with IMG Arena).

Russia legislation targets local bookmakers’ international sites

Russia’s online bookmakers could find themselves facing heat from local authorities if they run internationally licensed versions of their locally licensed betting brands.

On Saturday, Russia’s state Duma registered a new bill seeking to amend the country’s laws on lotteries and gambling to prohibit participation by any individual with an “unexpunged or outstanding criminal record for economic crimes or crimes against state power, or for intentional crimes of moderate gravity, serious crimes, especially serious crimes.”

The bill also stipulates that gambling organizers “cannot be legal entities registered in states or territories that are not providing for the disclosure and provision of information during financial transactions” that are overseen by Russia’s Ministry of Finance.

Russian-licensed gambling operators would be compelled to provide “information on their beneficial owners, individuals and legal entities” who have a “significant direct or indirect (through third parties) influence” on a gambling operator’s decision-making process.