Placing a sports bet or joining an online casino game has never been easier. The evolution of smartphones and mobile app technologies allows you to place bets and play games from any location, even the comfort of your own home. Currently, mobile sports betting is legal in 25 states and the District of Columbia, while iGaming is available in six states. The numbers will grow as several states have legislation pending on mobile sports betting and iGaming.
NEW JERSEY GAMBLING REVENUE UP BY 15% YEAR-ON-YEAR
The latest monthly revenue report from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has revealed that total gambling revenue for the month came to $430.6 million during the month of May. iGaming revenue up by 25.7% year-on-year The latest figures represent a jump of 1.9% on the $422.5 million reported during April and a 15.1% increase on the same period in 2021. Land-based casinos remained the major source of revenue in New Jersey as casino operators reported combined revenues of $233 million during May, an increase of 9.3% year-on-year. Slots revenue jumped by 10.5% and amounted to $174.3m. Meanwhile table gaming revenue increased by 6.1% to $58.7 million.
Online gambling showed the biggest growth year-on-year as revenue jumped by 25.7% to $136. million. This was mostly driven by a a 26.4% jump in internet slots revenue to $133.7 million. However, online poker revenue fell by 4% to $2.3 million. Borgata once again remains the runaway leader in the NJ online gambling sector. The company reported $42.6 million in revenue for the month while its nearest competitor Resorts Digital reported $29.8 million slightly ahead of ahead of Golden Nugget with $29.7 million in revenue. Continue reading NEW JERSEY GAMBLING REVENUE UP BY 15% YEAR-ON-YEAR
BELGIUMFAVOURITES FORDUTCH CLASH
The Netherlands are slight underdogs ahead of their UEFA Nations League clash with hosts Belgium on Friday according to the soccer betting odds from soccer betting sites worldwide. The two teams will get their 2022/23 Nations League campaign underway by facing each other at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels later this week.
Both Belgium and the Netherlands have already booked their place at this year’s World Cup tournament in Qatar. The two teams qualified from the European section automatically. Belgium won their group ahead of Wales to secure their place in Qatar, while the Netherlands won their group ahead of Turkey for a place in Qatar. The Belgians were at the last World Cup tournament in Russia four years ago, while the Dutch team will return to the World Cup stage in Qatar later this year after missing out on the Russia 2018 World Cup.
The Netherlands and Belgium are in Group A4 of the current UEFA Nations Le Continue reading BELGIUMFAVOURITES FORDUTCH CLASH
LIVERPOOL FIRM FAVOURITES FOR WOLVES CLASH
Merseyside giants Liverpool are firm favourites ahead of their home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day of the current Premier League. This is according to the soccer betting odds from soccer betting sites. The Reds are still in the Premier League title race as the quest to win all the four major trophies available to them this season continues.
Liverpool are on a two-match winning run in the Premier League ahead of the Wolves game after their comeback win over Southampton on Tuesday night. The Reds suffered a big dent in their title push after they were forced to a 1-1 draw at home by North London giants Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month. Since the draw with Spurs, Liverpool have won two league games on the bounce at the expense ofAston Villa and Southampton. Continue reading LIVERPOOL FIRM FAVOURITES FOR WOLVES CLASH
SILGO ROVERS BACK CAMPAIGN TO END FOOTBALL-BACKED GAMBLING
Sligo Rovers says the club is happy to back The Big Step’s campaign to end all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football. The Bit O’ Red are the 25th club to back in the campaign in the UK and Ireland, and the second club that play in the League of Ireland Premier Division to back the campaign, joining Drogheda United – meaning 20% of the league are now advocating for a ban on gambling ads in the sport.
The announcement adds to the growing resistance against gambling advertising in football in Ireland. Last year Ireland’s President, Michael D. Higgins, described gambling adverts accompanying sporting events as “dangerous” and said they were causing “so much damage to families”.
Last week, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced that celebrities are to be banned from appearing in gambling adverts in the UK from October. Also last week, it was revealed that a piece of research submitted by the English Football League to the UK Government as part of the Gambling Act review was “flawed”, “misleading” and “undertaken to draw a pre-determined conclusion”.
This came after 20 football clubs, including Drogheda United, signed an open letter to the UK Government calling on them to ban all gambling adverts and sponsorship in football. In the letter, the clubs stressed they were not reliant on gambling revenue, in stark contrast to the gambling industry narrative. Earlier this year the club pledged not to take gambling sponsorship money and issued the following statement: “Sligo Rovers have taken the decision not to accept sponsorship from gambling companies.
A 2021 Gambling Awareness Trust study estimates there are up to 50,000 people addicted to gambling in Ireland which has a population of almost 5 million. Those addicted to gambling are up to 15 times more likely to take their own lives than members of the general population.
ARSENAL MUST BOUNCE BACK AGAINST BRIGHTON
North London giants Arsenal must bounce back to winning Premier League games starting with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday if they are to secure one of the four Champions League slots available to Premier League teams at the end of this season. The Gunners had suffered a big dent in their top-four chase when they were convincingly beaten by Crystal Palace on Monday. The 3-0 defeat to hosts Crystal Palace was a significant one for Arsenal as it meant that they were unable to regain fourth spot from North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Ahead of the Brighton game at home this weekend, Arsenal are overwhelming favourites according to the soccer betting odds from different soccer betting sites. The Gunners were favourites for the Palace game according to soccer betting odds via various soccer betting sites, but they were unable to live up to that status on the pitch after the Eagles established a two-goal lead over Arsenal at the end of the first half through goals from French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ghanaian star Jordan Ayew. England-born Ivorian international Wilfred Zaha sealed the three-goal result for Crystal Palace in the second half from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Martin Odegaard in the Arsenal box. Continue reading ARSENAL MUST BOUNCE BACK AGAINST BRIGHTON
CHELSEA IN DRIVING SEAT AGAINST LILLE
Embattled Chelsea are in the driving seat against French champions Lille ahead of their second leg clash at the round of 16 stage when it comes to this season’s Champions League campaign. The Premier League giants are still the favourites to win the tie according to the soccer betting odds from popular soccer betting sites despite the ongoing problems involving club owner Roman Abramovich on the back of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich has been hit with sanctions by the United Kingdom (UK) Government thus affecting Chelsea in the process.
Chelsea were the favourites to win the first leg against Lille at home according to the soccer betting odds from soccer betting sites and they lived up to that status with a 2-0 victory thanks to the goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic either side of the half-time interval. At the time, Chelsea had not been a victim of the sanctions against their Russian owner. Continue reading CHELSEA IN DRIVING SEAT AGAINST LILLE
EVERTON UNDERDOGS AHEAD OF SPURS TRIP
Merseyside team Everton are underdogs ahead of the Premier League trip to face Tottenham Hotspur. This is according to the soccer betting odds from soccer betting sites.
Ahead of the game billed for the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night,hosts Spurs and Everton have different targets ahead of the rest of the season. For Everton, the target is for new manager Frank Lampard to lead the club away from the relegation zone as far as the Premier League table is concerned. On their part, Spurs’ target is to qualify for Europe next season mainly the UEFA Champions League. Continue reading EVERTON UNDERDOGS AHEAD OF SPURS TRIP
OVERVIEW OF THE NORTH AMERICAN GAMBLING MARKET
In a recent article released regarding the north American gambling market projection for the next couple of years, there were a couple of takeaways. Here are the key highlights:
• Casino gambling has been one of the rapidly growing gambling categories, owing to the convenience of usage and optimal user experience. With the advent of technology, there has been widespread implementation of virtual reality, blockchain, and mobile platforms in the gambling industry across the region.
• The current legislation framework for online betting in the United States allows only bookmakers licensed in Nevada, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey to operate legally, as these are the four states where online betting is regulated.
• Custom slot types are trending the most in the market, owing to the scope of innovation and personalization by consumers. Moreover, live casinos have gained popularity over the recent past, as they involve a wide deal of live dealers and real-time feedback that help improve the real-world casino experience.
Key Market Trends
• Online Sports Betting Holds a Prominent Share among the Online Gambling
The online betting segment is predominantly applied in the sports category, especially in events, such as FIFA World Cup and European Championships.
• Some of the popular online sport betting includes football, horse racing, e-sports and other sports bettings. With an aim to gain competitive advantage in sports betting, players are entering into long-term partnerships and agreements. For instance, in June 2019, the National Basketball Players Association and gaming supplier Highlight Games entered into a partnership for a simulated, real-money sports gambling product using NBA highlights and footage.
• The product is expected to be called “NBA Last 90.” The product is set to debut in the US and European gaming and lottery markets during the 2019-20 NBA season. Costa Rica has long been a major hub for sports betting.
ALGERIA, SENEGAL FAVOURITES FOR AFCON 2021
The 33rd edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament known as AFCON 2021 gets underway across five cities in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 next year with theFennecs of Algeria as defending champions. The Algerians are the defending champions after they defeated Senegal 1-0 in the final of the last edition in Egypt thanks to the early goal from striker Baghdad Bounedjah. The second minute strike from Bounedjahsaw off Senegal and handed Algeria their second AFCON title.
Reigning champions Algeria are favouritesfor the 2021 AFCON tournament as they bid to win a second successive AFCON title and a third AFCON title overall. TheAlgerians were unbeaten on their way to winning the competition two years ago and they are on a 39-game unbeaten run which is a record on the international football scene. Manchester City attacker RiyadMahrez remains their star player and he would spearhead the bid for another AFCON title.
The Teranga Lions of Senegal are second favourites behind Algeria and they would be hoping to go one better than the last edition which ended in a final defeat to the Algerians. Senegal have never won the AFCON tournament and they can change that when hostilities begin in Cameroon next month. Their ammunitions include Sadio Mane (Liverpool), IsmailaSarr (Watford), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) and KalidouKoulibaly (Napoli).
Egypt are always on the list of favourites ahead of any AFCON tournament with their status as the record winners with seven titles. The Pharaohs were stunned out of the last AFCON tournament at the round of 16 stage on home soil and they would be looking to make amends in Cameroon. They Egyptians exited the last AFCON tournament at the last 16 stage courtesy the 1-0 loss to South Africa.
Hosts Cameroon are also one of the favourites. The penultimate winners of the AFCON tournament have a young and vibrant squad in addition to their status as the host country. They don’t have the best team in their history but the Cameroonians can’t be overlooked when the tournament starts in two week’s time.
Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Tunisia and Mali are outsiders for the 2021 AFCON tournament.