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Canada
ILLINOIS SPORTSBOOKS HIT RECORD $840 MILLION IN BETS IN OCTOBER Football, basketball betting spurs records for handle, revenue, and tax revenue as end of in-person registration requirements approaches, according to PlayIllinois
Illinois sportsbooks reached a new monthly record for wagering and revenue for the first time since the reinstatement of in-person registration. With more than $840 million in wagers, Illinois joined the top 18 legal sports betting markets in the U.S. that — using five weekends of football, the opening of the NBA season, and baseball’s postseason — set a market wagering record in October, according to PlayIllinois, which tracks the state’s regulated sports betting market.
“A calendar with an extra weekend of NFL and college football, the opening of the NBA and NHL seasons, and baseball’s postseason was always going to bring more action than a quieter month,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIllinois.com. “Regardless, a new high highlights the continued strength of Illinois’ market, and it should grow even stronger in the coming months.”
Retail and online sportsbooks combined to handle $840.4 million in wagers in October, shattering the record of $633.6 million set in March, according to official data released Tuesday. Wagers were up 40.9% from $596.5 million in September and up 93.4% from $434.6 million in October 2020, as betting in October hastened to $27.1 million per day from $19.9 million per day in the previous month.
Gross revenue rose 2.9% to $48.3 million in October from $47.0 million in October 2020 and up 8.4% from $44.6 million in September. October’s revenue still fell short of the record $49.9 million in gross revenue set in March. Taxable revenue did reach an all-time high, though, to $52.6 million in adjusted gross revenue, yielding $8.5 million in state and local taxes.
The record handle and revenue was good news for Illinois’ sportsbooks, which after the return of in-person online registration in April had not reached the highs seen in the months before. Illinois ranked No. 3 in March among all U.S. markets with $633.6 million in wagers, behind only New Jersey ($859.6 million) and Nevada ($640.8 million). Illinois still ranked No. 3 in October, but has lost ground to New Jersey ($1.3 billion) and Nevada ($1.1 billion) — the first two states to surpass $1 billion in wagers in a month.
But with HB 3136 awaiting signature, which would do away with in-person registration early next year, perhaps a $1 billion month could soon come to Illinois.
“The Illinois sports betting market is thriving in spite of the current online registration rules, so it’s exciting to imagine what it will look like when sportsbooks are untethered,” said Joe Boozell, lead analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “A surge of new operators will certainly come. And there are an untold number of Illinoisans sitting on the sidelines interested in making a bet through an online sportsbook, but not enough to make a trip to a retail sportsbook to register.”
October’s growth was a direct result of the month’s busy sports calendar. Five weekends of football, including a Chicago Bears game each weekend, attracted $330.1 million in wagers on the sport. That is up from $230.6 million in September. The opening of the NBA season, including a hot start by the Chicago Bulls, drove $93.3 million in action. Meanwhile, baseball attracted $77.6 million in bets, followed by tennis ($53.4 million), and soccer ($36.2 million).
“The Bears’ struggles are dampening bettor enthusiasm somewhat, but NFL wagering isn’t dictated as much by the success of local teams as other sports,” Ramsey said. “The early success of the Bulls, however, and the short playoff run by the White Sox, were a definite help.”
Online betting accounted for $803.4 million of the wagers in October, or 95.6% of the state’s total handle. DraftKings/Casino Queen led the state with $315.3 million in combined online and retail handle, including $308.8 million in online wagers. The combined handle was up from $236.5 million in September and produced $11.7 million in gross revenue.
FanDuel was next with $236.7 million in online and retail wagers, including $235.4 million in online wagering. The combined handle was up from $156.2 million in September and created a market-best $22.3 million in gross revenue.
The leaders were followed by:
- BetRivers/Rivers Casino ($135.7 million in wagers, including $119.0 million online; $8.0 million in revenue)
- Barstool/Hollywood Aurora ($69.8 million in wagers, including $67.9 million online; $2.4 million in revenue)
- PointsBet/Hawthorne Race Course ($62.4 million in wagers, including $59.6 million online; $2.8 million in revenue)
- Caesars by William Hill/Grand Victoria ($14.0 million in wagers, including $12.7 million online; $593,941 in revenue)
- Argosy ($4.0 million in retail wagers; $391,897 in revenue)
- Hollywood Joliet ($1.8 million in retail wagers; $120,418 in revenue)
- Par-A-Dice ($751,089 million in wagers; $43,120 in revenue)
“With only six in the state, Illinois is home to far fewer online sportsbook operators than any other major U.S. market,” Boozell said. “By next year, the number of online operators should grow well into the double-digits. An increase in competition would be hugely beneficial for bettors.”
BCLC
BCLC Reminds Public to be Cautious of Illegal Online Casino Scams
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BCLC has reminded the public to be cautious of a series of social media scams that imitate B.C. casinos and trick individuals into providing their financial details on illegitimate websites.
Highly deceptive, these scams share fraudulent posts and advertisements exploiting the logos, names, and exterior images of local B.C. casinos, and may claim to offer players exclusive bonuses and promotions if they register with their website or mobile application. BCLC warns that none of these sites are associated with casinos in B.C. or BCLC.
PlayNow.com is the only online gambling website permitted to operate in B.C. BCLC’s official apps are BCLC Lotto!, PlayNow Poker BC, and PlayNow BC Sportsbook. All BCLC-operated social media accounts, such as BCLC, PlayNow BC, PlayNow Sports, Lotto BC and Casinos BC, are verified with a checkmark.
While BCLC and its casino partners continue to work on having the posts removed, British Columbians should stay vigilant when it comes to these predatory and sophisticated scams.
To protect themselves, individuals are encouraged to:
• Be on alert when a website or app asks for personal or financial information. BCLC’s verified websites and apps will never ask for your social insurance number (SIN), banking information or credit card details online to claim a prize from a B.C. casino.
• Carefully check the URL and domain of the website to verify its legitimacy. Often, scammers will use a similar URL and domain to legitimate websites with a minor spelling difference.
• Always verify the company and its services are real before providing any personal information.
• Look out for other red flags, such as the suggestion of fees or taxes to be paid on a prize. There are no fees or taxes on prizes won in Canada.
If individuals feel unsure about an account, post or advertisement claiming to represent a B.C. casino, they can contact BCLC directly by calling the Customer Support Centre at 1-866-815-0222, or using the live chat resource on corporate.bclc.com or PlayNow.com.
The post BCLC Reminds Public to be Cautious of Illegal Online Casino Scams appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Betty
Wyzia Renews Canadian Partnership With Betty
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Wyzia, the pioneering Canadian online payment solutions provider for regulated markets, is celebrating the renewal of its highly successful ongoing partnership with Betty, Ontario’s premier online slots casino.
This partnership, which began in 2023, is key to Wyzia’s expansion across North America. It supports players of Betty, an online casino catering to female players whose business is supported by Wyzia’s innovative, secure, and robust payment management solutions.
Wyzia is at the forefront of Canada’s fintech landscape, pioneering seamless online payment solutions for regulated markets. Its innovative platform connects merchants directly to all Canadian financial institutions, simplifying transactions and empowering businesses with reliable, efficient financial tools.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate a year of working with Betty with the renewal of our agreement,” said Guy Fietz, Group CEO at Wyzia. “Our collaboration has not only expanded our reach but enhanced the payment experience for Betty’s growing community of players.
“We look forward to continuing this successful collaboration and driving further innovation in the online gaming industry.”
Betty is the only platform created specifically for Ontario slot players. In 2024, Betty has enjoyed unprecedented growth, with a tenfold increase in net revenue since January and over 1000% growth in active players across Ontario.
By fostering a fun, safe, and supportive environment, Betty has harnessed the power of the female gaming audience to create a unique online casino experience. Betty focuses on transparency, community-based play, and gamification of the traditional slot experience.
This player-focused model has allowed Betty to stand out from other services, resulting in phenomenal growth and the ability to retain female players at a rate three times higher than their male counterparts.
Additionally, Betty automatically processes 99% of withdrawals, so players quickly receive their funds, a crucial benefit for online slot players.
“Our partnership with Wyzia has been instrumental in providing our players with a seamless, fast, and secure payment experience,” said Chavdar Dimitrov, Founder and CEO at Betty. “We are excited about the growth we’ve achieved together and are committed to delivering even better services to our community in the future.”
The post Wyzia Renews Canadian Partnership With Betty appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Bragg Gaming Group
Bragg Gaming Enters into Online Casino Content Agreement with Canadian Operator Loto-Québec
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Bragg Gaming Group has announced that it has entered into an online casino content agreement with Canadian operator Loto-Québec, the only 100% legal and local casino site in the province of Québec. The agreement marks the expansion of Bragg into its second Canadian province, following Bragg’s prior entry into Ontario in March 2022.
Pursuant to the agreement, Loto-Québec will benefit from access to exclusive content, including titles from Bragg’s in-house proprietary content development studios, a roster which includes Atomic Slot Lab and Indigo Magic, through Bragg Gaming’s Remote Games Server (RGS) technology, delivered via the Bragg HUB platform.
In addition, Loto-Québec players will also be able to access on lotoquebec.com titles from multiple content partners under the Powered By Bragg program, including King Show Games, Bluberi, Incredible Technologies and Sega Sammy Creation.
All content delivered on the Bragg HUB comes with the company’s Fuze promotional tools as standard which offer player engagement features on games such as free rounds, jackpots, tournaments, and quests.
The agreement with Loto-Québec’s online casino supports Bragg Gaming’s strategic goals by accelerating the growth of utilization of Bragg’s exclusive and proprietary content, and the diversification of revenue through expansion into North American markets.
Garrick Morris, Senior Vice President, Commercial, US and Canada at Bragg Gaming Group said: “It’s fantastic to see Bragg’s content expand into our second Canadian province. Loto-Québec is a strategic partner, and we are excited to see our proprietary games as well as exclusive content from our partners live and available to Loto-Québec players. We look forward to developing our relationship as a key supplier to Loto-Québec as we continue the roll-out with regular new game releases planned.
“We’ve enjoyed strong growth in North America over the past 12 months and I am pleased to further support this momentum with this successful launch in Québec. I would like to thank the Loto-Québec and Bragg teams for making this happen.”
François Hardy, Senior Director of Product and Innovation at Loto-Québec, said: “At Loto-Québec, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to entertain our players. Bragg perfectly aligns with this vision, enabling us to provide a refreshing and dynamic experience to our players.”
The post Bragg Gaming Enters into Online Casino Content Agreement with Canadian Operator Loto-Québec appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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