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PlayPennsylvania.com: Sportsbooks cool with $500 million in February

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Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks slowed in February but still surpassed $500 million in wagers for the third consecutive month, while online casinos tallied nearly $80 million in revenue in February. Though February brought largely good news to Pennsylvania, it was still the state’s lowest handle since November while online casino revenue fell behind Michigan, according to PlayPennsylvania.com, which provides news and analysis of the state’s gaming industry.

“With just 28 days and a schedule with one NFL game, even if that game is the Super Bowl, a pullback from January to February is expected,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Pennsylvania remains one of the strongest markets in the U.S., and March Madness will almost certainly put the state back on the upswing.”

In total, Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks collected $509.5 million in bets, according to official data released Tuesday. That was up 54.5% from $329.8 million in February 2020, though off from the record $615.3 million in bets in January.

February’s bets produced $16.4 million in taxable revenue, up 246.9% from $4.7 million in February 2020, yielding $5.6 million in state taxes and $327,596 in local share assessments.

The Super Bowl generated $53.6 million in wagers alone, but even the largest single game in terms of wagering of the year is not enough to replace a robust NFL schedule. The expected month-over-month dip from January to February will likely keep Pennsylvania from surpassing Nevada as the nation’s No. 2 market, something the Keystone State nearly did in January.

“Pennsylvania continues to post strong results month after month, but Nevada is a more event-driven market so the Super Bowl handle there is typically the nation’s highest,” Gouker said. “But at the current trajectory of both markets, it seems it’s not if but when Pennsylvania will become the nation’s No. 2 market.”

Online sports betting produced 92.2%, or $469.7 million, of February’s handle, down from 94.3% in January as retail sportsbooks continued to slowly rebound.

FanDuel Sportsbook/Valley Forge Casino led the market with $176.3 million in online bets, down from $220.7 million in January. Those bets produced $7.3 million in taxable revenue. DraftKings/The Meadows was second with $111.7 million in bets, down from $143.5 million in January, yielding $3 million in taxable revenue.

The Barstool-branded Penn National/Hollywood Casino app continues to be a major player, finishing February in third with $65.6 million, up from $65 million in January. It managed to gross $5.1 million in revenue, but heavy promotion led to a $726,040 loss in taxable revenue.

The leaders were followed by:

  • BetMGM/Hollywood Morgantown ($33.7 million handle, down from $39.3 million; $2 million, down from $33,148)
  • BetRivers/Rivers-Pittsburgh ($20.4 million handle, down from $26.8 million; $1.4 million revenue, up from $1.3 million)
  • Fox Bet/Mount Airy ($18 million handle, down from $26.6 million; $1.3 million, down from $2.5 million)
  • Parx Casino ($17.7 million handle, down from $22.8 million; $1.6 million revenue, down from $1.8 million)
  • PlaySugarHouse/Rivers-Philadelphia ($14.6 million handle, down from $20.8 million; $957,245 in revenue, down from $1.4 million)
  • Unibet/Mohegan Sun Pocono ($7.5 million handle, down from $10 million; $416,533 revenue, up from $377,770)
  • Betfred/Wind Creek ($1.7 million handle, up from $1.5 million; $50,386 revenue, down from $208,275)
  • BetAmerica/Presque Isle Downs ($1.3 million handle, down from $1.7 million; $5,496 revenue, up from -$81,367)
  • Caesars/Harrah’s ($1.1 million handle, down from $1.3 million; $3,541 revenue, down from $36,506)

Retail sportsbooks generated a $39.8 million handle, up from $35.4 million in January. Sportsbooks won $3 million on February’s bets. The top retail sportsbook was Rivers-Philadelphia with $7.7 million in bets.

“Retail sportsbooks still have some time to go before they are back to normal, but with COVID infections dropping as vaccination levels rise, better days are hopefully not far away,” said Valerie Cross, analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “In the online market, though, Barstool continues to make progress, keeping handle steady, but it took a huge promotional spend to do it.”

Online casinos and poker

Online casinos and poker rooms generated $77.8 million in gross revenue in February, which was down slightly from $80.4 million in January revenue. But that is mostly good news, as online casinos and poker rooms actually raised revenue to $2.8 million per day over the 28 days in February from $2.6 million per day in January.

The revenue yielded $21 million in state taxes and another $10.7 million in local share assessments and county grants.

Despite a record for per-day revenue, Pennsylvania is now the third-largest online casino market in the U.S. after Michigan tallied $79.7 million in its first full month of online casinos and poker.

“Pennsylvania’s online casinos are in a very good place,” Cross said. “Pennsylvania’s fall to No. 3 says more about Michigan’s rapid ascent than it does about anything in the Keystone State. Online casinos will continue to be a most reliable revenue generator for the state for the foreseeable future.”

For more information on the revenue generated by Pennsylvania, visit www.playpennsylvania.com/revenue.

 

 

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BetVictor Canada launches Tracy McGrady Safer Gambling campaign

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BetVictor Canada has launched its new out-of-home advertising campaign across the streets of Toronto to promote NBA legend Tracy McGrady as its Safer Gambling Ambassador.

Two mobile digital trucks strategically targeting high-traffic areas near Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, and major sporting events will provide prime audience exposure for the campaign, scheduled around Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto Blue Jays home games.

To further enhance the campaign’s reach, BetVictor Canada has partnered with Clear Media Group to leverage digital taxi tops across Toronto, providing city-wide exposure with 100 taxis displaying key brand messaging. These digital taxi tops will run during peak evening hours (5:00pm – 9:00pm) on select dates until April 5th, 2025.

The campaign coincides with Problem Gambling Awareness Month, a nationwide grassroots campaign held each March that seeks to increase public awareness of problem gambling and promote prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

BetVictor Canada offers an array of tools and services to help its Canadian customers bet and play safely and responsibly, across a host of sports betting markets and online casino games.

Mark Harper, Head of Emerging Markets at BV Group, said: BetVictor is delighted to be participating in the National Council of Problem Gambling campaign in March, to help increase public awareness of problem gambling and the need to promote prevention, treatment and recovery services.

“In using our Safer Gambling Ambassador, Tracy McGrady, to raise awareness about BetVictor’s safer gambling tools such as loss limits, time alerts and product restrictions we are dedicated to ensuring all players have a safe gambling experience. #PGAM2025.”

The post BetVictor Canada launches Tracy McGrady Safer Gambling campaign appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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AGCO issues $110,000 in penalties to BetMGM Canada for offering cash to induce new gambling customers

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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has served BetMGM Canada Inc. with an Order of Monetary Penalty (OMP) of $110,000 for violations of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

In two separate incidents in 2024, BetMGM engaged marketing companies who offered cash to members of the public in return for opening new BetMGM accounts. The marketing activities occurred in public forums, such as a major national trade conference. Under AGCO’s Standards, operators are responsible for the conduct of their third-party suppliers who are contracted to support the operator’s Ontario gaming business, and must require their third-parties to meet Ontario laws, regulations and standards (Standard 1.19).

Ontario is one of the first jurisdictions in the world to establish and enforce rules that strictly limit high-risk inducement advertising and marketing in the online gambling industry. Registered iGaming operators are prohibited from offering gambling inducements, bonuses and credits as part of their broad public advertising and marketing activities (Standard 2.05). These Standards exist to protect Ontarians from predatory advertising and promotional marketing practices in order to limit the risk of gambling-related harm.

A registered operator served with an OMP by the AGCO has the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.

QUOTE

“Responsible gambling safeguards and the protection of Ontarians on registered gaming sites is among our key priorities. The AGCO monitors the activities of all registered operators and their third-party suppliers to ensure they are meeting our high standards and we continue to take strong action to ensure they operate within the public interest.”

Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar – AGCO

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

BetMGM Canada Inc. failed to comply with the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. Specifically, the licensee failed to comply with the following provisions of the Standards:

  • 1.19 Operators are responsible for the actions of third parties with whom they contract for the provision of any aspect of the Operator’s business related to gaming in Ontario and must require the third party to conduct themselves in so far as they carry out activities on behalf of the operator as if they were bound by the same laws, regulations, and standards.
  • 2.05 Advertising and marketing materials that communicate gambling inducements, bonuses and credits are prohibited, except on an operator’s gaming site and through direct advertising and marketing, after receiving active player consent.

Contrary to the Standards, BetMGM Canada Inc. and/or their affiliates allegedly engaged in the following activities:

a) On or about January 13 and 14, 2024, BetMGM representatives were alleged to have attended the National Franchise Show and were offering $100 in cash to new players for opening a new account and depositing $15.
b) On or about March 11, 2024, BetMGM acknowledged that its marketing affiliate “Above the Street” had engaged in prohibited inducement marketing. The conduct resulted in 377 player sign-ups and $127,180.00 in commissions to “Above the Street”.
c) On or about April 13, 2024, another BetMGM marketing affiliate “Maple Leaf Marketing” engaged in prohibited inducements and marketing to induce on-site activations and acquire new players. The conduct resulted in 94 player sign-ups and about $34,000.00 in commissions paid to “Maple Leaf Marketing”.

The post AGCO issues $110,000 in penalties to BetMGM Canada for offering cash to induce new gambling customers appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign

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BCLC’s new “What’s played here stays here” campaign is issuing an important reminder to British Columbians who choose to gamble – specifically that all net profit its operations generate stays in B.C. to help fund critical services like education, health care and community programs.

The campaign also reinforces that all other gambling websites operating in B.C. are illegal and take away funds from critical community programs and services.

“Across B.C. and Canada, we’ve seen incredible groundswell around the importance of buying and supporting local, and that’s no different for British Columbians who choose gambling for their entertainment. We want our B.C. players to know they can find a world-class gambling experience in their own backyard, whether it’s at one of our 33 casinos, 3,400 lottery retailers, or online at PlayNow.com, and that the proceeds from their play with BCLC make a positive impact at home in their community,” Pat Davis, President and CEO of BCLC, said.

Along with illegal online gambling websites, BCLC also competes with Washington State and Las Vegas casinos, all of which aggressively market to B.C. residents.

“BCLC continues to raise awareness that these gambling options do not support B.C.’s economy and take away funds from vital provincial and community-based programs and services. In a time when British Columbians are standing united, we want to reinforce that playing together with BCLC helps make B.C. even better,” Pat Davis added.

The post BCLC Launches “What’s played here stays here” Campaign appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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