This week’s State of the Union, in partnership with Segev LLP, includes the announcement of FanDuel’s permanent chief executive, as well as completion of Bally’s merger with Gamesys and the launch of sports betting in both Connecticut and Louisiana.
FanDuel appoints Howe as full-time chief executive
Flutter Entertainment has appointed Amy Howe as chief executive of its FanDuel business on a full-time basis, following an interim spell in the role.
Howe became interim CEO in July this year following the departure of Matt King, and after an extensive selection process to appoint a replacement, Howe will now take on the roll full-time.
Bally’s completes $2.7bn merger with Gamesys Group
Bally’s has completed its merger with online gambling operator and content developer Gamesys Group following final court approval.
The boards of the two businesses agreed terms on the £2.0bn (€2.32bn/$2.69bn) merger in March of this year, with the deal finalised in April and approved by shareholders in June.
Mohegan, Foxwoods launch Connecticut betting with FanDuel and DraftKings
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment and Foxwoods Resort – with their partners FanDuel and DraftKings, respectively – have launched sports betting services in Connecticut.
The Mohegan-FanDuel partnership went live with the opening of Mohegan Sun Casino’s Bow & Arrow Sports Bar with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:30am EST yesterday (30 September).
Louisiana sports betting begins with Betfred-Paragon partnership
Sports betting operator Betfred Sports has announced a partnership with Paragon Casino Resort to bring retail sports betting to the state of Louisiana from today (6 October).
Betfred will operate a sportsbook in Paragon Casino’s Draft Room, comprised of traditional betting counters and kiosks.
DraftKings, FanDuel combine for 59% of September US betting app downloads
Sports betting app downloads in the US experienced a year on year increase of 183% in September, according to research conducted by Morgan Stanley, with the market dominated by a small number of major operators.
Data provided by mobile app Sensor Tower showed that DraftKings and Fanduel had the largest market share of app downloads with 32% and 27% respectively during the first month of the NFL and college football seasons. BetMGM and Caesars Entertainment both held a 12% share each.
Penn reaches settlement with Indiana regulator over Barstool RG failings
The Indiana Gaming Commission have agreed to a settlement with Penn Sports Interactive’s (PSI) Barstool Sportsbook following two disciplinary proceedings regarding sportsbook conduct.
The first count outlines that on May 14 2021, the vice president of compliance for the PSI sportsbook notified the Commission to state that PSI was planning to open its mobile sportsbook in Indiana on May 18 2021.
Canadian government approves Penn-theScore deal
The Minister of Canadian Heritage has given Penn National Gaming approval under the Investment Canada Act to acquire Toronto-based operator theScore.
Penn agreed to acquire theScore in a $2.0bn cash-and-stock deal in August, with chief executive Jay Snowden suggesting at the time that he plans to migrate Penn’s betting products to a platform currently being built by theScore.
Scientific Games to acquire ACS PlayOn cashless table game solution PlayOn
Scientific Games has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the PlayOn cashless gaming solution from ACS.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Scientific Games did confirm that if the acquisition were to complete, the ACS PlayOn product line would join its portfolio and be renamed AToM – Access To On Demand Money
Evolution launches dedicated online casino studio for Penn Interactive
Evolution has announced the launch of a dedicated live online casino studio in New Jersey for Penn Interactive, the igaming subsidiary of Penn National Gaming.
The new area, located inside Evolution’s existing live casino production studio in the state, will be branded ‘Barstool Sportsbook & Casino’ to link in with Penn National’s other Barstool products.
Sword Media purchases 50% stake in affiliate business Apps4 Web Media
Online gambling lead generation business Sword Media has purchased a 50% stake in organic acquisition company Apps4 Web Media for $620,000.
Based in the UK, Apps4 Web Media has a number of predominantly sports betting assets in the UK, US and Italy, including US-facing affiliate website gamble-usa.com.
Grand Central to open Elys-powered sportsbook in DC on October 4
Grand Central has announced it will launch the new Elys Game Technology-powered retail sportsbook at its Grand Central Restaurant & Bar in Washington DC on October 4.
The sportsbook will be the first offering at a bar that is not operated by the state lottery’s brand.
AGA CEO survey finds 48% of industry bosses expect rebound before year-end
The first edition of the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Gaming CEO Outlook has suggested industry leaders are optimistic about the remainder of 2021, but do have concerns about supply and employment issues.
The Gaming CEO Outlook, which was created for the AGA by Oxford Economics, takes into consideration economic indicators such as gaming revenue and casino visitation – as well as CEO responses – to make projections about the future of the industry.
Penn reaches settlement with Indiana regulator over Barstool RG failings
The Indiana Gaming Commission have agreed to a settlement with Penn Sports Interactive’s (PSI) Barstool Sportsbook following two disciplinary proceedings regarding sportsbook conduct.
The first count outlines that on May 14 2021, the vice president of compliance for the PSI sportsbook notified the Commission to state that PSI was planning to open its mobile sportsbook in Indiana on May 18 2021.
Bettor Capital completes initial investment fund
Bettor Capital, an investment platform focused on the real-money online gambling market, has announced the initial closing of its investment fund, the proceeds of which will be used to support its growth plans in North America.
Funds will be put towards early-stage investment opportunities in software and technology facilitating real-money online gambling operations.
Fubo Gaming signs Cleveland Cavaliers as first NBA partner
Fubo Gaming, the betting subsidiary of streaming service FuboTV, has entered into a new partnership with National Basketball association (NBA) franchise the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Under the deal, which marks Fubo Gaming’s first agreement with an NBA team, the Fubo Gaming brand will be prominently featured inside the team’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse home arena.
Intema raises $10m to fund Loot.Bet deal
Gaming technology company Intema has announced the completion of a second tranche of its non-brokered private placement of subscription receipts, totaling $4.2m, in order to fund its deal to acquire the owner of Loot.bet.
This brings the total gross proceeds to $10.0m, out of a maximum of $15.0m. The second tranche involved the issuance of 8.5 million subscription receipts at $0.50 each.#
Genius Sports expands sports betting partnership with PointsBet
Genius Sports has extended its partnership with online gambling operator PointsBet to include its full range of official sportsbook data, content and fan engagement solutions.
The deal, which builds on PointsBet and Genius Sports’ existing content and streaming partnership, will cover data, pre-game and in-play content and engagement solutions for major US sports properties such as the National Football League (NFL) and Nascar.
EveryMatrix partners Nuvei to support US expansion plans
Igaming solutions provider EveryMatrix has agreed a strategic partnership with payment technology business Nuvei Corporation to support its expansion plans in the US.
Under the agreement, EveryMatrix will work with Nuvei to create a compliant, secure and seamless payment experience for US players.