This Week's Sports Betting Update

Hello, we’ve taken a look at what’s new, trending and being talked about in the sports betting world this week. Grab a coffee, take five minutes and we’ll fill you in on everything you need to know.

One big story?

Safer Gambling Week 2022 drives record levels of engagement in the UK

Engagement in this year’s Safer Gambling Week campaign has generated record levels of impressions, with a 21% year-on-year rise across social media channels, totalling almost 30 million impressions.

The official campaign website for Safer Gambling Week received tens of thousands of visits throughout the week, thanks largely to its promotion by MPs, operators and well-known sporting figures.

Gambling Minister Damian Collins MP,?as well as former football manager Harry Redknapp,?played key roles in promoting safer sports betting.

The campaign is designed to highlight the tools that are available to help people control their betting behaviours.

Click here to get the thoughts of Michael Dugher, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), on the value of Safer Gambling Week.

What you need to know

Commercial

• ???? Betsson Group has announced record-high revenues of €200m for Q3 2022, representing a year-on-year rise of 18%. This increase was driven largely by a surge in B2B revenues, which totalled €45m, up from €28m in the previous year. In terms of its B2C income, sportsbook revenues had risen considerably year-on-year, posting a 45% rise to €62m. More
• ?? PointsBet posted an 18% year-on-year rise in global betting turnover for the first quarter of its 2023 trading year, totalling AUS$1 billion. The increase comes as PointsBet announced a pivot in its US sports betting strategy, shifting its focus away from recreational punters to serious, high-volume bettors. More
• ?? BetMakers Technology Group has announced it will be purchasing Punting Form, the trading name of ABettorEdge, in a deal worth AUS$20m. Punting Form specialises in AI to establish sectional times and benchmarks that enable time-focused ratings systems to be developed by horse racing bettors. More
• ???? Kindred Group’s Unibet sportsbook is set to expand its US reach by entering a licensing agreement with the Swinomish Tribe in Washington state. The partnership will allow Unibet to serve the citizens of Washington state for six years, with Unibet’s branding to be used at a Swinomish?retail sportsbook until online sportsbooks are permitted in the state. More

Regulation

A group of politicians and peers has penned a collective letter to the English Football League (EFL), calling on it to cease its longstanding sponsorship arrangement with Sky Bet. This latest protest is based on the revelation that clubs in the EFL have been taking a cut of the losing sports bets placed by their supporters with Sky Bet. The letter claims the most recent disclosure is symptomatic of a partnership that “has clearly gone too far”. More

Technology

bet365 has extended its official data relationship with Genius Sports, giving the Stoke-on-Trent-based brand access to a new suite of data-led products from Genius subsidiary Second Spectrum. Under the terms of the deal, the Second Spectrum betting products will offer a “first-of-its-kind betting experience” to bet365 customers, delivering “immersive and real-time betting markets”, according to Genius Sports CEO, Mark Locke. More

People news

Michelle Donelan retains position as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Michelle Donelan has been named Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). This is a reappointment for Donelan. She was handed the ministerial role under former Prime Minister Liz Truss and?has been given the same position by incoming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Prior to her role in the DCMS, Donelan was Secretary of State for Education and the Minister of State for Higher and Further Education.

Donelan’s primary role with the DCMS is to lead the UK government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act. There is still hope that the government will publish its whitepaper into futureproofing the UK’s regulatory framework for gambling before the end of the year.

Click here to get more on Donelan’s reappointment as the ministerial lead for gambling in the UK.

This week's talking point

Nygaard-Andersen throws focus on Entain's player protection

Entain recently hosted its second Entain:Sustain conference, with chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen as one of the speakers.

As part of a discussion into player protections and the issue of sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) for its investors, Nygaard-Andersen detailed the success of its Advanced Responsibility and Care (ARC) player protection infrastructure, launched in November 2020.

The proprietary software is driven by 26 player protection ‘markers’, which have since been used across all 22 of Entain’s operators in the global betting market. The latest phase of ARC has been the integration of real-time interactions with customers.

It’s since provided more than a million customer interventions in real-time, supporting those deemed at risk of gambling harm with suggestions for gambling safeguarding tools.

Click here to see why Nygaard-Andersen believes the ARC’s “invisible safety net” is something that all operators should embrace in the coming months.

This week's insight

Is women’s sport finally getting the recognition it deserves from sportsbooks?

Broadcaster interest in women’s sport has reached unprecedented levels. In 2021, Sports Innovation Lab found there was a 476% year-on-year rise in viewership when the National Women’s Soccer League secured a broadcast deal with CBS and Twitch.

However, Harry von Behr, managing director of sport and US CEO of Spotlight Sports Group, believes women’s sport is still in the infancy of its full potential as a sports betting product.

Von Behr notes there is something of an “oversaturation of content” when it comes to the “big four male sports leagues” in the US. However, publishers that specialise in the women’s game may have an opportunity to develop a “loyal audience” that delivers long-term value.

While competition for sports betting content conversion is less fierce in the women’s game, publishers and operators have a unique window of opportunity to cement themselves in this burgeoning corner of the sports betting ecosystem.

Click here to discover what von Behr believes to be the quickest route for publishers to enter the women’s sports betting scene in his Sports Business Journal op-ed article.

Enjoy this email? If so, let us know what you would like to hear more (or less) about here. We value your feedback to provide the most informative weekly newsletter in the industry.

Was this forwarded to you by a friend or colleague? Sign up here to get your own copy of the news that matters sent to your inbox every week.?