SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.
NY Trumps Rivals In Super Bowl Bets, Handling About 25% Of U.S. Transactions
After New York set numerous national records in its first month of mobile sports betting, the Empire State faced lofty expectations for last weekend’s Super Bowl, the marquee event on the annual U.S. sports calendar.
In the wake of Super Bowl LVI, the first Super Bowl ever for New York mobile sportsbooks, there are indications that the state may have shattered those expectations.
Vancouver-based geolocation security firm GeoComply identified 80.1 million Super Bowl-related transactions among U.S. sportsbook clients, well over double the amount from last year’s Super Bowl. In total, New York activity represented about one-quarter of the company’s U.S. sports betting traffic, ranking first in the market, GeoComply Managing Director of Gaming Lindsay Slader told Sports Handle.
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Record Super Bowl Betting Handle Of $143.7 Million For NJ Sportsbooks
Preliminary statistics reported by Atlantic City casinos and New Jersey racetracks released by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement on Tuesday showed that wagering on this year’s Super Bowl totaled approximately $143.7 million, with a projected total payout to bettors of $135.9 million. That means a win of $7.8 million for the sportsbooks.
These unaudited revenue figures include New Jersey’s 12 retail sportsbooks and 24 mobile books.
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Young Sports Bettors Are Eager To Cross Over Into Online Casinos
So far, only six states — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, and West Virginia — have legalized online casinos. And even boosters of the industry acknowledge it’s going to be a long while until many other states join the party.
Of course, offshore online casinos have been around for quite some time, and consumer protection is — and should be — the leading charge for the industry in its attempt to get other state legislatures to allow the ching-ching-cha-ching of digital slot machines and the like.
But while we wait, CivicScience — a consumer intelligence outfit — took a peek under the hood of the iCasino industry to see just who, exactly, is bellying up to the virtual table.
One key takeaway? If one is in the business of running a sportsbook, ponying up the dough for iCasino lobbying efforts would certainly seem to be a worthy investment.
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New York Near $2 Billion In Mobile Betting In Less Than Five Full Weeks
Though the pace of mobile wagering has slowed considerably in New York since its highly successful launch last month, operators in the Empire State continued to roll up handle and revenue numbers at a considerable clip through the first four-plus weeks of wagering.
The New York State Gaming Commission released numbers that dovetail with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statement Monday regarding the overall totals, which are now just shy of $2 billion handle and more than $138.5 million in gross gaming revenue. The 51% tax rate on that revenue has resulted in more than $70.6 million in receipts for the state.
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Latest Maine Proposal Would Cut Commercial Operators Out Of Sports Betting
New legislative language supported by Maine Gov. Janet Mills would give the state’s tribes exclusive access to legal mobile sports betting, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The state’s existing gaming venues, including two casinos owned and operated by Penn National Gaming and Churchill Downs, would not be eligible for mobile licenses. Four tribes would be eligible for digital licenses, and only OTBs in the state would be able to build retail sportsbooks.
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Industry Leaders Discuss Ontario’s ‘Kickass Model’ For Regulated Sports Betting
More details are emerging surrounding the launch of Ontario‘s regulated iGaming and sports betting market on April 4.
Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, hosted a virtual webinar Wednesday on the future of the sports betting landscape in the province. Dr. Michael Naraine, a sport management professor at the university, moderated a panel that included Amanda Brewer from Kindred Group and Nic Sulsky from PointsBet Canada.
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Billy Walters Criticizes Modern Sportsbooks In Interview With Brent Musburger
Famed sports bettor Billy Walters sat down with Brent Musburger on VSiN Sunday to give his second-ever interview — his only previous one, according to Walters, appeared more than a decade ago on 60 Minutes.
And while the half-hour interview didn’t exactly yield any earth-shattering news, there was still plenty to chew on, as Walters and Musburger — along with longtime bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro — touched on a variety of subjects. So with that in mind, here’s a half-dozen things we learned from Walters.
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