Canada
Pennsylvania Sportsbooks Join Elite Club with $462.8 Million in September, According to PlayPennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks took advantage of a perfect storm of major U.S. sports in September to easily generate a record $462.8 million in bets. By doing so, Pennsylvania entered an exclusive club of gaming markets, joining New Jersey and Nevada, that have surpassed $450 million in wagers in a single month, according to PlayPennsylvania.
“With the beginning of the NFL season, a full schedule of baseball, and the NBA and NHL playoffs, there may never be such a confluence of sporting events again,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Like New Jersey, Pennsylvania has created a well-rounded market that can drive significant action on every major sport. That market dynamic was able to bear fruit in September in a way that may never be fully possible again.”
September’s handle, which was released Friday, was up 137.9% from $194.5 million in September 2019 and easily surpassed the previous record of $365 million set just last month. But the record wagers produced just $6.3 million in taxable revenue, down from $18.3 million in August and $14.9 million in September 2019, a result of heavy promotion and some unlucky results for sportsbooks. September revenue yielded $2.1 million in state taxes and another $125,398 in local share assessments.
“The question now becomes whether Pennsylvania can sustain this level once the sports calendar returns to normal,” said Valerie Cross, analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Pennsylvania has etched a place in the top tier of gaming markets and could possibly pass Nevada as the nation’s No. 2 market before the end of the year.”
Online wagering accounted for 89.5%, or $414.1 million, of September’s handle. FanDuel Sportsbook/Valley Forge Casino extended its online supremacy with $168 million in online bets, up 16.2% from $144.6 million wagered in August. Those bets produced $2.4 million in taxable revenue. Also, Penn National’s Barstool Sports-branded sportsbook on Hollywood Casino’s license generated $29.9 million in bets, losing $2.8 million on those bets, in just two weeks of operation.
“Barstool adds a brand name with a uniquely loyal following, and its launch comes with high hopes,” Gouker said. “On the surface it seems like it has the potential to eat into the dominant market shares of FanDuel and DraftKings. But that is no easy task considering how entrenched both have become in the Pennsylvania market.”
In-person betting reached $48.7 million in September bets, winning $5.1 million on those bets. Rivers-Philadelphia claimed the top retail spot with $11.4 million in bets and gross revenue of $1.2 million.
Online gambling
Online casino games and poker continued their hot streak in September, combining to produce a record $57 million in gross operator revenue, or $1.9 million per day over the 30 days of September. That is up from August, when online gambling generated $55.9 million, or $1.8 million per day for the 31 days of August.
September’s revenue yielded $16 million in state taxes and another $3.8 million in local share assessments.
“Pennsylvania’s online casinos generate nearly five times as much in bets as sports betting, and revenue doesn’t fluctuate nearly as much,” Cross said. “That has quickly made online gambling a dependable and significant tax revenue driver for the state, accomplishing the main goal of regulation.”
Rivers-Philadelphia’s brands topped online casinos with $16.1 million in revenue on $578.8 million in wagers.
SOURCE PlayPennsylvania.com
Canada
Greo and CCSA Release New Report Named “Gambling Availability and Advertising in Canada: A Call to Action”
Recent gambling policy changes in Canada have led to increased opportunities to legally bet on sports and gamble online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The report “Gambling Availability and Advertising in Canada: A Call to Action” looks at the impacts of legal gambling in Canada since the approval of the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act in 2021. The report recommends developing a pan-Canadian strategy to address gambling-related harms. This is a new report by Greo Evidence Insights (Greo) and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA).
This call to action is in response to the significant increase in gambling advertising on billboards, social media, at commercial breaks during sports broadcasts and during sporting events. Increased gambling availability and advertising are expected to contribute to increased gambling in Canada, thereby posing a significant risk of harms among the general population, particularly for youth, young adults and other vulnerable populations.
The report also describes how the increased availability of gambling and in gambling advertising are of great concern because:
- The types of gambling being made available and promoted (single-event sports betting and live or in-play betting) are associated with a greater risk of harm. For example, single-event sports betting increases gambling intensity and gives an illusion of control over the outcome as people believe their knowledge of the game gives them a competitive edge.
- The volume of gambling advertisements repeatedly pairing sports with betting normalizes gambling, leading people to think of betting as an integral part of being a sports fan.
- Increased availability of gambling and in gambling advertising are happening at a time when many people in Canada are more vulnerable to problematic gambling and gambling-related harms because of the lingering health impacts of COVID-19 and a rise in the cost of living.
“Over the last few years, we have witnessed some of the most significant changes in gambling policy since the 1970s. We have seen a massive increase in gambling advertising and opportunities to gamble. We can no longer watch sports with our kids or go online without being subjected to an overwhelming amount of gambling advertising. Canada is at a critical moment in how it manages gambling. A national strategy or framework — similar to what we have for alcohol, tobacco and cannabis — is critical to manage the expected increase in gambling harm, especially among youth and other vulnerable people,” explained Dr. Matthew Young, Chief Research Officer at Greo, Senior Research Associate at the CCSA and Adjunct Professor at Carleton University.
The report recommends developing a national strategy that will:
- Develop national standards governing the promotion and availability of gambling;
- Manage conflicts of interest among gambling stakeholders;
- Address inadequate funding for gambling harm prevention and reduction initiatives and research;
- Monitor systematic changes in gambling-related harm, including any assessments of the social and economic costs of gambling; and
- Increase awareness of gambling-related harms among health and social service professionals and the public.
“Increased gambling among people living in Canada will undoubtebly result in increased harms and therefore increased societal costs. These include healthcare costs, criminal-justice costs, child welfare costs, increased unemployment and lost productivity costs because of gambling-related suicide. We need to think about our approach and ensure that it considers not only short-term government revenue and economic activity but also the longer-term societal costs. That’s why we need a national strategy,” Dr. Pam Kent, Director of Research and Emerging Trends at CCSA, said.
Canada
Call for a National Strategy to Address Gambling-Related Harms in Wake of Sports Betting Boom
Recent gambling policy changes in Canada have led to increased opportunities to legally bet on sports and gamble online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Released today, Gambling Availability and Advertising in Canada: A Call to Action looks at the impacts of legal gambling in Canada since the approval of the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act in 2021. The report recommends developing a pan-Canadian strategy to address gambling-related harms. This is a new report by Greo Evidence Insights (Greo) and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA).
This call to action is in response to the significant increase in gambling advertising on billboards, social media, at commercial breaks during sports broadcasts and during sporting events. Increased gambling availability and advertising are expected to contribute to increased gambling in Canada, thereby posing a significant risk of harms among the general population, particularly for youth, young adults and other vulnerable populations.
The report also describes how the increased availability of gambling and in gambling advertising are of great concern because:
- The types of gambling being made available and promoted (single-event sports betting and live or in-play betting) are associated with a greater risk of harm. For example, single-event sports betting increases gambling intensity and gives an illusion of control over the outcome as people believe their knowledge of the game gives them a competitive edge.
- The volume of gambling advertisements repeatedly pairing sports with betting normalizes gambling, leading people to think of betting as an integral part of being a sports fan.
- Increased availability of gambling and in gambling advertising are happening at a time when many people in Canada are more vulnerable to problematic gambling and gambling-related harms because of the lingering health impacts of COVID-19 and a rise in the cost of living.
“Over the last few years, we have witnessed some of the most significant changes in gambling policy since the 1970s,” explained Dr. Matthew Young, Chief Research Officer at Greo, Senior Research Associate at the CCSA and Adjunct Professor at Carleton University. “We have seen a massive increase in gambling advertising and opportunities to gamble. We can no longer watch sports with our kids or go online without being subjected to an overwhelming amount of gambling advertising. Canada is at a critical moment in how it manages gambling. A national strategy or framework — similar to what we have for alcohol, tobacco and cannabis — is critical to manage the expected increased in gambling harm, especially among youth and other vulnerable people.”
The report recommends developing a national strategy that will:
- Develop national standards governing the promotion and availability of gambling;
- Manage conflicts of interest among gambling stakeholders;
- Address inadequate funding for gambling harm prevention and reduction initiatives and research;
- Monitor systematic changes in gambling-related harm, including any assessments of the social and economic costs of gambling; and
- Increase awareness of gambling-related harms among health and social service professionals and the public.
“Increased gambling among people living in Canada will undoubtebly result in increased harms and therefore increased societal costs. These include healthcare costs, criminal-justice costs, child welfare costs, increased unemployment and lost productivity costs because of gambling-related suicide,” says Dr. Pam Kent, Director of Research and Emerging Trends at CCSA. “We need to think about our approach and ensure that it considers not only short-term government revenue and economic activity but also the longer-term societal costs. That’s why we need a national strategy.”
AGCO
Edict Egaming Secures Approval for Ontario Licence
Edict egaming has received approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to provide its games for the online casino market in the Canadian province. This applies to both the German edict egaming GmbH and Edict Malta Limited. From now on, the Merkur Group subsidiary will be able to offer its popular Merkur slots in one of the largest North American markets.
“We are delighted to have received AGCO approval for our Merkur games in Ontario. This is definitely a big step for edict and we are very excited to showcase ourselves to new audiences on the global stage in this dynamic market,” Dominic-Daniel Liénard, CEO of edict egaming GmbH, said.
The AGCO is working with the Government of Ontario and iGaming Ontario (iGO) to establish a new online gaming market that helps protect consumers gambling through private gaming companies. This license certifies that edict operates within the framework of strict laws and meets the requirements for responsible gaming.
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