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Nearly Six out of 10 Consumers Betting $500 or More Per Month Online Are Millennials
The gambling industry has experienced explosive growth over the past six years, bringing sportsbooks and casinos into mainstream U.S. culture. As those online and land-based betting options become ubiquitous, it is increasingly important for operators to sort out the high-value from the high-risk bettors.
Millennials continue to drive the highest levels of participation across gaming channels. They account for 57% of high-value online bettors, those spending $500 or more per month. And while high-value bettors are disproportionately high-income earners with the best credit scores however, they are also more likely to be delinquent for paying bills, loans and child support.
These and several other insights about consumers’ engagement in betting were garnered from an online survey of 3,000 adults in late April to early May 2024, and reported in the latest TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) U.S. Betting Report.
“As we’ve found in prior reports, the majority of betting consumers can afford this form of entertainment,” said Declan Raines, head of TransUnion’s gaming business. “In fact, having a significant bump in income was the primary correlating factor to whether consumers bet, regardless of income level. This suggests most consumers only wager what they can well afford to lose.”
Differences between online and land-based bettors
Consumers who bet online and in land-based casinos appear to have a financial advantage, compared to non-bettors. For example, 20% of online bettors and 18% of land-based bettors indicated their incomes increased a lot within the past three months—compared to just 4% of non-bettors. Similarly, 55% of online bettors and 58% of land-based bettors have good or excellent credit scores, while only 50% of non-bettors said the same.
While income and credit scores were higher among bettors, patterns indicating poor financial management also emerged for this cohort. This was more pronounced among high-value bettors.
Heightened scrutiny ahead
As the market matures, operators can anticipate increased scrutiny from media, with questions focused on the perceived social drawbacks of widespread betting. Other gaming markets such as the UK and Australia have experienced similar cycles leading to increased regulatory requirements around responsible gaming.
In fact, US state regulators are already evaluating how best to improve consumer protections, while striking the difficult balance between state tax revenues and the risk of pushing consumers to unregulated and offshore providers.
Operators may likely face increased requirements to assess responsible gaming risk for their customers. To do this, additional data sources that provide insights into consumer financial health will need to be considered to ensure proactive identification.
“Operators are keenly aware of the need to balance commercial performance with player protections,” said Raines. “The crucial next step will be to demonstrate proactive measures that protect consumers to regulators and consumer advocates. This can be achieved by leveraging their vast first party data, combined with consumer insights, which together can help them proactively identify high risk players without introducing unnecessary friction to the majority of consumers who play within their means.”
GamblingSites.com
GamblingSites.com Launches “Jackpot Meter” for Ultimate Online Gambling Transparency
GamblingSites.com is shaking up the online gambling world with the launch of its brand-new “Jackpot Meter.” Think of it as the Rotten Tomatoes of online casinos and sportsbooks — delivering clear unbiased reviews.
The Jackpot Meter does the heavy lifting, gathering real insights from both everyday players and seasoned pros to deliver unbiased ratings across some of the most popular betting sites. Criteria used includes bonuses, banking options, game libraries, and the site’s overall impression from current reviewers.
It’s time for transparency
Gone are the days of questionable, biased reviews — GamblingSites.com’s data-driven “Jackpot Meter” sparks a new wave of transparency and trust within the industry, giving players the tools to be confident and secure in their betting options.
Powered by over 24,000 user comments and scores from 120+ gambling sites at launch (with more on the way!), the Jackpot Meter cuts through the noise.
So, how does the Jackpot Meter work?
Every casino and sportsbook site featured on GamblingSites.com gets its own badge of honor (or shame). Here’s how the scores stack up:
• All-In Jackpot Certified: The best of the best! Sites with an approval rating of 85% or higher earn the All-In status, the highest status of trust a gambling site can snag.
• Jackpot Certified: A solid win. Sites that earn the Jackpot status have an approval rating of 60% or higher, making them a high-quality betting option with minimal negative reviews.
• Bust: Womp womp. Sites that earn the Bust status hold a below-average satisfaction rating of 59% or lower, so players know to steer clear.
Las Vegas Grand Prix
Union Workers’ Strike Ongoing at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Casino
The strike at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is continuing as the standoff between management and laborers seeking higher pay and benefits showed no signs of resolution. With no new talks scheduled, the open-ended strike—Nevada’s first of its kind since 2002—continues to disrupt operations just a week before the high-profile Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Culinary Workers Union, representing roughly 60,000 members across Nevada, is pushing for wage increases and benefit improvements similar to those negotiated at other Las Vegas casinos last year. Approximately 700 workers, including guest room attendants, food servers, bartenders, and kitchen staff, joined the picket lines at Virgin Hotels.
The timing of the strike could have significant implications for Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, as the upcoming Formula 1 race is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of fans to the area. However, no new discussions are in sight, with both sides remaining firmly entrenched.
Virgin Hotels described the terms of union agreements reached by other casinos, which included 32% salary increases over five years, as “economically unsustainable.” The company said it is committed to achieving a “reasonable agreement” for its 1710 employees and accused union leadership of refusing to engage in “meaningful negotiations.”
Union spokesperson Bethany Khan confirmed that no negotiations were scheduled between the parties. To support striking workers, the union is offering $500 per week to those who participate in picketing shifts. The union previously staged a 48-hour job action at Virgin Hotels in May, urging management to agree to a new five-year contract.
Virgin Hotels recently reached a contract agreement with the Teamsters Union, covering 105 employees, including front desk, valet, and call center staff. The Culinary Workers Union’s strike, however, underscores a broader labor push in Nevada’s hotel and casino sector.
Betly
Delaware North selects Playtech as new platform provider for Betly mobile sportsbook and casino
Delaware North, a global hospitality and entertainment company with a portfolio of regional casinos and an interactive gaming division, has selected leading online gaming platform, content and services provider Playtech to power its Betly mobile sportsbook and casino.
Playtech is the new platform provider for the Betly sportsbooks, starting with Betly Ohio, which launched this month and replaces MVGBet in an affiliate license partnership with Miami Valley Gaming, a Delaware North joint-venture property located between Cincinnati and Dayton. The Betly sportsbooks in Arkansas, Tennessee and West Virginia, a state where Betly also offers an online casino in addition to sports betting, will be migrated to the Playtech platform in the coming months.
“We are very pleased to partner with Playtech to provide Betly customers with an enhanced mobile sports betting and online casino experience powered by an industry leader,” said Lee Terfloth, chief interactive gaming officer for Delaware North.
“Not only that, but our team can now offer players robust promotional features through the Playtech platform, which will allow Betly to offer customers an array of enticing and personalized offerings, including bonus bets, boosts, drawings and tournaments. As a result, customers will experience tailored content to engage them based on their historical betting activity,” Terfloth said.
Responsible Gaming
Betly is committed to promoting and encouraging responsible gaming and offering users informational resources to support and identify problem gambling, as well as promoting intelligent tools that allow players to set deposit, loss, session time and money-spent limits.
With the migration to the Playtech platform, Delaware North has access to the suite of Playtech’s responsible gaming solutions. This includes BetBuddy, which features best-in-class responsible gaming technology that provides enhanced insights into potential at-risk player behaviors and supports operators with the insights to enable early intervention and personalized messaging for those exhibiting at-risk behavior.
Delaware North has also partnered with Birches Health, a leading national behavioral addiction program providing online treatment for addictions to gambling, sports betting and other activities. Through this relationship, Delaware North will integrate customized behavioral health assessments into the Betly application. This will provide individuals on the platform a real digital resource to gauge their relationship with gaming and seek help from certified mental health counselors. Birches Health will provide all Delaware North staff with clinician-led responsible gaming training and access to curated responsible gaming content.
The Betly Sportsbook Ohio statewide mobile sports betting app is now live on Apple App Store for iOS, Google Play Storefor Android and on desktop at oh.betly.com.
Additional Features
Betly Sportsbook Ohio is expanding its customer support services with a larger team available via phone support for an optimized experience and reduced wait times for customers. Betly now also features an enhanced customer onboarding process, a variety of payment options, player journey automations, diverse bonusing capabilities and enhanced responsible gaming and customer intervention.
Wagering capabilities include same-game parlays, regional curated odds boosts, a variety of pre-match and in-play player props, minimized suspension times on in-play sporting events, teaser bets and automated promotional functionality on results-based outcomes. Betly Sportsbook Ohio will feature official National Football League data via Genius Sports.
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