Online lottery sales have proven a godsend for many US state lotteries during COVID-19, which makes it all the more inexplicable when states pass up the opportunity to introduce an online option.
On Wednesday, the Kentucky Lottery reported record sales of $1.2b in the 12 months ending June 30, a 6.2% improvement over the previous record set in fiscal 2019. The state’s share of this sum rose 2.8% year-on-year to $278.5m, also a new record.
While scratch-off ticket sales ($741m, +10.7%) continued to be the dominant lottery product, the biggest percentage gain came via the online lottery, which shot up 68% year-on-year to $45m. That figure represents a more than eightfold increase since FY17, the first full year of the state’s online sales.
While the digital unit still accounts for only 3.7% of all sales, it was credited with helping the Lottery fill the void when COVID-19 forced many lottery retailers to shut. For instance, Keno sales were down 6.4% to $78.8m in FY20 thanks to the shutdown of all monitors for two months to minimize people clustering around them.
In a July 29 announcement, Keeneland president-elect Shannon Arvin informed patrons and horsemen that any party entering the grounds for the Keeneland September Yearling Sale will be required to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
Trainer Ralph Nicks has become a major Florida Sire Stakes player in recent years, saddling the winners of six races since 2016 in the series for 2-year-olds sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.
US casino and betting operator Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) leaned hard on its TwinSpires advance deposit wagering site after its land-based operations were shut by COVID-19.
Figures released Wednesday show CDI generated revenue of $185.1m in the three months ending June 30, a 61.2% decline from the same period last year. Earnings tumbled even harder, falling 86% to $30.1m while the company booked a net loss of $118.8m versus a $107.1m profit in Q2 2019.
While COVID-19 was obviously a factor in that red ink, the bulk of the loss came via discontinued operations, specifically, the $124m settlement ($95.4m after tax) in May with disgruntled customers of CDI’s former social casino unit Big Fish Games, which CDI sold to Australia’s Aristocrat Leisure in 2017.
As for continuing operations, CDI was forced to close its venues in March as the COVID-19 scythe swept across America. CDI has since reopened all its gaming venues save the Calder Casino in Florida, which reopened briefly only to be shut again earlier this month after Florida’s governor decided that COVID-19 could be handled merely by talking tough and kissing Donald Trump’s (presumably) orange posterior.
Despite a 3 3/4-length win in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) June 20 at Belmont Park, few were left running scared. Three foes immediately behind him in the Woody Stephens compete in the Allen Jerkens (G1), as do seven others.
Only time will tell if this year’s renewal of the $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) will be as thrilling as last year’s running, when Midnight Bisou and Elate left the field in their dust in a knockdown, drag out duel to the finish line.
Viddora will return to the state of her biggest success after the well-traveled dual group 1-winning mare capped a record-breaking Magic Millions National Sale July 29 with a AU$2.55 million (US$1,825,625) price tag.
Remington Park, set to begin a 67-date Thoroughbred season Aug. 21, released a stakes schedule July 29 that features 32 races and a reduced purse structure due to COVID-19.
Cambodia’s casino operators are pressing the government to approve their reopening following the lengthy state-ordered COVID-19 closure.
On Wednesday, Australian-listed casino operator Donaco International announced that it expected Cambodian government inspectors to visit its flagship Star Vegas casino in Poipet “within the next few weeks” to inspect the property’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Like all Cambodian casinos, Star Vegas was forced to close on April 1 as a pandemic precaution. Earlier this month, the government announced that casinos could reopen once they’d secured the approval of Ministry of Health (MOH) officials. To date, only NagaCorp’s massive NagaWorld property in Phnom Penh has actually welcomed gamblers to its casino floor.
Donaco said it would update the markets when the MOH had completed its inspections but the company cautioned that, with Thailand yet to open its border with Cambodia, customer traffic at Star Vegas “will remain low” until the Thai government was satisfied that its COVID-19 situation was under control.
John Gosden has been victorious over Aidan O’Brien in two group 1s in recent days and now it is the turn of another O’Brien, the legendary trainer’s son Donnacha O’Brien, to try to get the better of Britain’s champion trainer.
Judge Thomas Wingate said he will revisit a June 1 opinion that dismissed a Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association lawsuit seeking to block rules prohibiting race-day use of Lasix in 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs and Keeneland.
Alexis Prince, Khadijiah Cave, Martell Buie and Demario Fountain were among the standouts as Georgia Soul (women’s) and Crosstown (men’s) claimed the Elite Bracket championships at the inaugural 360 Hoops Invitational this past week at DME Sports Academy. Competitors from across all age groups from elementary school up to top collegiate and professional standouts vied for the titles in various brackets in the unique 360 Hoops format, three-on-three play on a three-basket, three-team circular court.
In the women’s final, Prince scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out six assists, and Cave pitched in 16 points and a game-best 10 boards as Georgia Soul defeated DMT, 54-25. The men’s final featured a strong comeback by Crosstown, which topped Top Shottas, 15-12, behind five points (one point per basket) from Blue and Fountain. Liam Davis had 10 of the squad’s 12 points and a game-high four rebounds in a losing effort for Top Shottas.
The fast-paced format meant non-stop action: the women’s contest saw 51 possessions in two 10-minute halves, and the men’s had 58 trips in 10:00.
The Women’s and Men’s Elite Bracket title games will be featured on a tape-delayed national TV broadcast with Emmy-Award winning producer Harry Cicma. Innovative camera angles and technology, including 360 VR, will be incorporated. Fans can view replays of games from the lower brackets at the 360 Hoops YouTube channel.
The format, in which three teams compete at a time on the 30-foot diameter circular court, featuring a single stanchion with three regulation baskets facing away in each direction and where players can score for their teams in any of the three baskets, produced some highlights not possible in standard basketball. Athleticism, moving without the ball and team play are paramount, readily apparent in this showcase for the nascent sport.
“We weren’t sure what to expect in our first tournament, but it exceeded everything we could have hoped for,” said Shane Brey, Co-Founder, 360 Hoops. “All of the elements of the game were on display, and we will look back at the tapes, learn which things worked well and which we can tweak to be even better.
Georgia Soul
“We are thankful to these tremendous athletes, from the youngest kids right up to the Elite men and women for their efforts all week,” he added. “Georgia Soul and Crosstown will forever be the FIRST 360 Hoops champions, and we can’t be prouder to award them the titles, along with the other bracket winners.”
Winners of the inaugural 360 Hoops Invitational in each bracket include:
Elite Men’s – Crosstown (Jon Thompson, Martell Buie, Demario Fountain, Eric Macintosh) d. Top Shottas (Romelo Bates, Dimitri Thompson, Liam Davis, Wilfredo Rodriguez), 15-12. Third place: Dunk Session (Raheem Watts, Dangelo Lee, Chris Watson)
High School Girls – National Basketball Academy/DME (Coach Jack Lutzeier, players Mariela Hooper, Isys Grady, Jhaid Westbrook) d. TNBA
High School Boys – Orlando Mets (Coach Edgar Santana, players Cris Santiago, Malik Moye, Dayron Horn, Waiter Ross) d. Go Riot
The event was followed by a lively and informative roundtable discussion with high-level basketball minds including Division I coaches, highlights of which will also air during the television broadcast. Featured panelists included Howard head coach Kenny Blakeney; Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey; Stetson assistant Brendan Ahearn Suhr; DME Sports Academy co-founder and owner Dan Panaggio; U.S. Army captain and former Augusta State Univ. star Ernesia Wright; Orlando Boom director of player development Mercedes Sirmons; and former Daytona State College and University of Central Florida standout Andrea Ayala.
360 Hoops Invitational event partners include Dynasty Hoops, DME Sports Academy, Orlando Boom, and Ace League.
King Guillermo, the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner owned by retired Major League Baseball All-Star Victor Martinez, arrived at Churchill July 27 and trained there July 29 under the gaze of Martinez and trainer Juan Carlos Avila.
Nevada casino gaming revenue rose significantly from May to June, although the year-on-year comparison is still downright fugly.
Figures released Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) show the state’s casinos generated gaming revenue of $566.8m in June, a 45.5% fall from the same month last year. However, it’s more than 100 times better than the sum reported in May 2020, the last month in which all venues were shut due to COVID-19.
While casinos may have been allowed to reopen on June 4, they were subject to capacity restrictions as well as being forced to rely on ‘drive-in’ customers from neighboring states as COVID-19 fears continued to deter many customers from further afield from getting on airplanes.
The reliance on customers closer to home was reflected in the regional breakdown, with Las Vegas Strip casino revenue falling 61.4% and Downtown Vegas falling 55.6%, while other Clark County regions suffered far more modest declines. The situation was even better in Washoe County, where Reno’s revenue was down only 8.5% and Sparks slipped only 2.3%.
The July 29 Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) at Glorious Goodwood, the race billed as the best of the 2020 flat season, produced a dream result for trainer Marcus Tregoning with Mohaather getting up late in a thriller.
Tom’s d’Etat retained the top spot in the latest 2020 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington on Nov. 7.
Greek lottery and betting technology supplier Intralot has struck a deal to bring sports betting to the Netherlands’ national lottery retail operations.
On Wednesday, Intralot announced that its Dutch subsidiary Intralot Benelux BV had inked a deal to supply its Intralot Orion sports betting platform to the Nederlandse Loterij’s TOTO retail betting brand, which currently holds a monopoly on betting in the country.
The four-year deal, with an option for a three-year extension, expands on the partnership the two companies have shared for 12 years now. Bas van de Bunt, the Dutch firm’s director of business transformation and strategic projects, said TOTO was one of the company’s fastest growing brands, and the Intralot product would please both TOTO customers and lottery retailers.
Nederlandse Loterij inked a similar deal for online betting with Intralot rival Scientific Games last October. The Netherlands is preparing for the liberalization of its online gambling market – currently scheduled to launch in mid-2021, but that’s something of a moving target – and Nederlandse Loterij is doing its best to prepare for the transition to a more competitive environment.
