Casino Cabbie: Letter From America 10
A wealth of exciting and essential news from our top US partner Casino Cabbie in their latest unmissable Letter From America. It just gets better and better.
Touchdown! NFL Kicks-off With A Betting Bang
There were 242.3 million betting transactions geolocated across US-regulated sportsbooks by data crunchers GeoComply in Week One of the new NFL season – an all-time high, representing a 56 percent year-on-year increase.
And 1.1 million new player accounts were created, some 40 percent more than last year.
When the Detroit Lions, playing last season’s Super Bowl winners the Kansas City Chiefs, scored the season’s first touchdown, GeoComply recorded a massive increase in traffic, totalling 4,200 transactions-per-second immediately following the score.
This, again, is the highest rate of volume ever recorded in the first week of NFL games.
The vast majority of bets, 97 percent, were played via a mobile phone, with 75 percent of these transactions placed on an iOS device.
The Medium And The Punters Get The Message
In great news for the US gambling industry and the millions of folks who enjoy a flutter, the Responsible Gambling message is getting through.
So says the American Gaming Association (AGA) after mulling the results of a new YouGov survey they commissioned.
Consumers reported high levels of Responsible Gaming engagement, with 84 percent of past-year bettors–91 percent for sports bettors–aware of at least one responsible gambling tool, said the Consumer Trends In Responsible Gaming Awareness Report, which questioned a sample base of 2,018 Americans aged over 21-years.
Respondents also reported high confidence in the effectiveness of the tools: 85 percent for deposit limits, 78 percent for time limits, and 77 percent for wager limits.
Over half of the punters, 53 percent, acknowledged they were aware of increased gambling advertising across the last year.
“Our industry’s success is based on earning customer trust, providing safeguards for responsible gaming, and implementing tools that our customers engage to bet responsibly,” affirmed AGA Vice President for Responsibility Cait DeBaun.
“Today’s data shows our united effort to elevate responsible gaming is clearly resonating with players and shaping a safer gaming landscape.”
New Jersey Reminds Bettors Against Laying Illegal NFL Bets
And in a perfect segue to combine the thrilling start of the NFL season and illicit lure of gambling on off-shore sites, the regulatory New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DJDGE) has issued a simple directive: Don’t!
“We know that the start of football season brings with it an uptick in sports betting and fantasy sports participation, and we want everyone to enjoy these activities safely and securely,” said First Assistant State Attorney General Lyndsay Ruotolo.
“Sportsbooks and daily fantasy sites licensed and authorized to operate in New Jersey are subject to nation-leading consumer safeguards against fraud, identity theft, and unscrupulous actors. [But] illegal sites have none of these protections.
“This season, we urge fans to stick with regulated websites to avoid scams and bogus offers.
And for those who may need help with a gambling problem, know that help is available.”
Added NJDGE Director David Rebuck: “The problems with illegal sportsbooks are numerous.
“They lack oversight to ensure customers are actually paid what they won as well as security protocols to safeguard sensitive personal and financial information, like social security numbers and bank data.”
NJ and PA Revenue Reports
The New Jersey DGE has reported that US$531.6 million of revenue was generated by the Garden State’s casinos, racetrack, and their partners, during August – a year-on-year increase of almost 13 percent.
The total breaks down to US$280.3 million generated by physical casinos, US$155.3 million from NJ online casinos, and US$96 million from sports wagering.
The most popular online casinos by revenue were Resorts, followed by Golden Nugget and Borgata Casino in third place.
In neighbouring Pennsylvania the picture was less rosy.
While overall total revenue hit US$457.2 million, a 7.5 percent rise on August, 2022, revenue fell 2.1 percent compared to the previous month, July. And sports revenue fell by 35.1 percent, year-on-year.
The most popular online casinos in Pennsylvania by revenue were Hollywood Casino in first place, then FanDuel, and in third place Barstool.
Red Rake Enters Pennsylvania
The so-so stats didn’t prevent Red Rake Gaming from launching an online casino in the Keystone State.
It’s the studio’s first foray into the US digital gambling market, although it has provided games for years as a social gaming operator.
“We could not be more thrilled [and delighted] to have been approved for operating in PA and already have seen a huge demand from operators for our content across the state,” said Red Rake Gaming’s Managing Director Nick Barr.
“We are now able to offer the players who have enjoyed our social games over the years the ability to play with real money in Pennsylvania.
“We are extremely confident about the US and the integral part it will play in Red Rake Gaming’s continued growth.”
Fanatics Gets To Work Rebranding PointsBet
With the Fanatics Inc.’s US$225 million acquisition of PointsBet sealed, rebranding has started as Fanatics has now secured market access in multiple new states.
Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Maryland will remain under the straightforward Fanatics Sportsbook umbrella; while Maryland, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia transition to “PointsBet, a Fanatics Experience.”
And just to further clarify the shuffle, PointsBet-operated online casinos in New Jersey, West Virginia and Pennsylvania will remain just that – PointsBet Casinos.
Missouri Breaks
Four new petitions to change the state constitution–2024-135, 2024-136, 2024-137, and 2024-138–have been filed in Missouri, once again triggering the yes-no sports betting debate in the Show-Me State.
All four proposals have been submitted by attorney Alixandra Cossette.
Alix posits legalizing retail and online sports betting at a license cost of US$250,000 to US$500,000, a tax rate of 10 percent on gross gambling revenue, and making provisions for one license per operator.
The proposed launch date would be before December 31, 2025.
Good luck Alix!
While many of Missouri’s neighboring states have already permitted legal betting, the last attempt to bring legal, regulated sports betting to the state failed in April this year – despite widespread support from casinos and the professional sports sector.
