Category Archives: Sports Betting

Posted on: September 23, 2021, 03:57h.

Last updated on: September 23, 2021, 05:09h.

Red Rock Resorts is in hot water with Nevada regulators for accepting hundreds of sports bets after the events had finished.

In a complaint filed last week, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said a glitch in the companys Stadium Live mobile betting program caused it to accept 348 improper wagers. It accuses Station Casinos and parent Red Rock of having a redundant monitoring process in place.

According to the regulator, the transgressions were related to insufficient server memory on the Stadium Live platform.

The bad bets occurred over a period of three years, from June 2018 onward, and continued after the board served the company with a regulation violation letter in March 2019.

In March of this year, Red Rock reported another malfunction to the board that resulted in 167 improper bets.

The company took action to void the bets and return the stakes to customers. Nevertheless, its conduct has reflect[ed] poorly on the reputation of gaming in Nevada, the regulator wrote.

Respondents have had multiple opportunities to ensure their mobile sports wagering application operates in compliance with the Gaming Control Act. However, respondents have failed to do so, wrote the board.

This failure has repeatedly caused respondents to accept ostensible wagers from patrons on events whose outcomes had already been determined, the regulator added.

Respondents are responsible for any violation related to the Stadium Live program. Toleration of such repeated violations constitutes grounds for license revocation or other disciplinary action.

The Nevada Gaming Commission will decide the nature of that disciplinary action at a future hearing.

The regulator has come down hard on errant sports books in the past. CG Technology, formerly Cantor Gaming, used to be a visible sports betting brand at several major casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. These included the Venetian, the Palms, the Hard Rock Hotel, and the Tropicana.

But in November 2018, after issuing persistent fines and threatening license revocation for a litany of transgressions, the regulator told CG to scrap every component of its wagering technology and partner with a third-party provider within six months.

Over the years, CG had been hauled in front of the board on numerous occasions. Violations included facilitating illegal gambling and money laundering, accepting bets from outside the state on its Nevada-only mobile sports betting app, taking wagers after events had finished, and making incorrect payouts to 1,483 customers.

For this, CG paid three of the top ten fines ever issued to gaming companies by Nevada regulators.

It allowed itself to be acquired by William Hill in August 2020.

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Red Rock App Stadium Live in License Revocation Threat Over Improper Sports... - Casino.Org News

DraftKings is making a $20 billion push to acquire British online sports betting giant Entain PLC, a move that gaming analysts say could spur MGM Resorts International to revamp its bid to acquire all or part of its joint venture partner.

The proposal, first reported by CNBC, includes largely DraftKings stocks and some cash to acquire Entain, which jointly owns BetMGM with MGM in a 50/50 venture.

Earlier this year, MGM made its own pitch to acquire Entain and take full ownership of BetMGM, a sports betting and online gaming platform. But that proposal, valued at roughly $11 billion, was rejected by Entain, which said the proposal undervalued the company.

DraftKings bid comes as MGM pushes to expand its iGaming footprint across the country as U.S. operators maneuver for a share of the booming sports betting market since the federal ban was struck down in 2018.

In a statement Tuesday, MGM noted that as Entains exclusive partner in the U.S., any transaction that would cause Entain or its affiliates to own a competing business in the U.S. would need MGMs consent and reiterated the online betting platforms importance to MGMs goal of becoming a premier global gaming entertainment company.

MGM believes that having control of the BetMGM joint venture is an important step towards achieving its strategic objectives, the company said. MGM will engage with Entain and DraftKings, as appropriate, to find a solution to the exclusivity arrangements which meets all parties objectives.

Bid could change MGMs plans

Entain confirmed in a filing with the London Stock Exchange that it had received a proposal from DraftKings.

There can be no certainty that any offer will be made for the Company, nor as to the terms on which any such offer may be made, the companys board said in the filing. A further announcement will be made as and when appropriate. Shareholders are urged to take no action at this time.

After Entain rejected its proposal in January, MGM said it was backing out of plans to acquire the company. But DraftKings push could change those plans.

Barry Jonas, an analyst with Truist Securities, said in a note Tuesday that while MGM could make its own bid to fully acquire Entain, it makes more sense for it to simply buy Entains 50 percent share of BetMGM.

MGM owning all of its online business would be a clear long-term positive, in our view, though price would obviously be an important factor, Jonas said.

Chris Grove, managing director of sports and emerging verticals for research company Eilers & Krejcik, said that DraftKings bid forces MGM to confront their relationship with the joint venture and likely accelerates any desire they have to acquire full control over their destiny when it comes to sports betting and online gambling.

While MGM has been clear on BetMGMs role in the companys future growth, Grove said that the proposal from DraftKings makes things a bit more cloudy.

The path forward for BetMGM is to be determined. There are a number of ways that this could go, Grove said. The offer itself is so unprecedented that predicting the impacts of the offer is exceptionally tricky.

Vying to expand sports betting

Multiple gaming companies, including MGM, have pushed to expand their footprint in the sports betting and iGaming spaces since the Supreme Courts 2018 decision opened the door to allow sportsbooks across the country.

BetMGM currently operates in 16 markets (15 states plus Washington D.C), and MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle said earlier this year he expects it to be operational in 20 states by years end.

In April, Caesars Entertainment acquired U.K. sports betting giant William Hill for roughly $4 billion. The company has since rebranded those assets under its Caesars Sportsbook brand, and Caesars CEO Tom Reeg said in August that the company plans to invest more than $1 billion over the next 2 years to build its customer base within the sports betting market.

Overall, Grove said the proposal from DraftKings shows how transformative the U.S. sports betting and online gambling markets have become in recent years.

The idea that even three or four years ago of DraftKings even being in the position to absorb one of the largest online gambling operators in the world would have been farfetched at best, Grove said. Today the conversation is more around the strategic rationale for it as opposed to the fundamental viability.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.

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Draftkings offers $20B to buy UK sports betting firm partnered with MGM - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Another media giant is making a sports betting play. Global sports streaming platform DAZN is hiring a VP of product for betting and gaming, per a job description posted this week.

Within that job description, DAZN said it is planning to build a world class betting proposition.

The language of the description suggests the company plans to launch its own sportsbook. For example:

As the VP of this team, youll be responsible for the entire user journey flows from discovery to bet conversion.

DAZN did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The description read:

DAZN has been changing how the world consumes sports for the past five years and we are now embarking on an exciting new stage of our journey.

As our VP of Product [..] your goal will be to capitalise on the unique opportunity that DAZN has right now: to establish a truly world class betting proposition alongside premier sports rights in some of the most exciting markets in the world.

The company also hired Ian Turnbull as EVP of betting and gaming earlier this month. Turnbull previously held gaming roles at Entain and Amazon Web Services.

DAZN did not respond to questions about its target markets or technology plans.

The role would be based in London, though US sports betting is presumably a target given its value and DAZNs presence in the US.

The streaming site is a potentially big player in sports betting, with 15 million subscribers worldwide per the BBC.

In the US, the company is best-known for its combat sports content portfolio. It arguably has a stronger rights portfolio in markets like Italy and Germany.

The pivot to gambling is not entirely out of the blue. DAZN hired gambling exec Shay Segev as its co-CEO earlier this year.

And fellow co-CEO James Rushton told the BBC in August that DAZN would boost revenues by expanding to things like wagering, betting, fantasy and commerce.

The company is currently loss-making, having spent billions on global sports rights.

Indeed, the pivot to sports betting is reminiscent of another streaming company: FuboTV.

Fubo acquired a sportsbook platform last year and aims to launch its first Fubo Sportsbook by the end of the year.

As one example of the potential streaming/betting integration, Fubo recently unveiled a Live Sync function. Essentially thesports bettingapp is linked to a Fubo streaming account, meaning the app will display markets for whatever the user is watching.

However, some experts have questioned the practicalities of embedding a sportsbook within a streaming platform.

DAZN also has some gambling roots of its own. It used to be part of the same company as Perform, a key data provider for sportsbooks.

Perform was sold to STATS back in 2019 so DAZN could focus on streaming.

However, before that in 2017, the combined group launched a short-lived UK online sportsbook called DabbleBet. The product lasted around 18 months before being closed.

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Is DAZN The Next Streaming Giant With Sports Betting Plans? - Legal Sports Report

Social media sites, much like other aspects of the internet, are goldmines of information. About anything can be found on these sites. You just need to know where exactly to look. For sports bettors and gamblers in general, Reddit stands out for being one of the most useful resources.

Reddit is not only one of the leading social media sites, it is also among the most visited sites in the United States. It is as popular across the globe easily appearing among the top 20 sites by traffic. Lots of people love it because of its community-driven nature. This makes it feel like a forum where anyone can give their point of view on various topics. A lot of these perks apply to the sports betting community as well. There are some rather special perks that this group of users enjoys.

Why Reddit Is Great for Sports Bettors

Nothing quite appeals to human beings like the sense of community and belonging. Sports bettors can get that from several other platforms but Reddit leads the pack. The social net-work has lots of communities of sports betting enthusiasts. All these people relish in the fact that others share similar interests as them.

Beyond the feeling of being accepted, sports betting enthusiasts are also able to derive val-uable insights and tips from Reddit. Newbies, for instance, can learn about the best plat-forms for sports bettors. Finding the best online sports betting sites on Reddit is usually a breeze. Members of the sports betting subreddits are usually very open to sharing their ex-periences about the sites they have used. Some even have lists that detail which sites to avoid and which ones are worth your time.

Aside from just know about the best online sportsbooks, Reddit is also a great place to share actual betting tips. Some of the info shared in this regard include things like the best betting markets, the most favorable odds and even betting strategies. Redditors who love sports betting regularly post updates on matches and games. This is a great way to stay in the loop from wherever you may be.

The use of pseudonyms on Reddit also allows for anonymity which very many bettors love. If you do not want to publicly share your sports betting activities the site lets you. You can ask questions anonymously. In addition to that, there is a lot of autonomy on Reddit. What this means is that the sports betting subreddits get to define their terms. Sports bettors can thus freely get tips and engage without fear of being censored. This makes contributing to sports betting discussions very easy. It especially applies to places where online sports bet-ting is yet to be legalized or regulated.

Reddit for Sportsbook Operators

Given the sheer amount of traffic that the site enjoys, it is not only sports bettors who bene-fit from it. There are lots of sports betting communities on the site which opens opportuni-ties for the sportsbooks themselves. The popularity of Reddit among bettors makes it an amazing avenue for marketing and consumer engagement.

Reddit has been monumental in operator's efforts to increase traffic to their sites. Attract-ing followers becomes easy if you know where to find them. There are plenty of them in the sports betting subreddits. Besides that, the social network also allows the operators to find out more about what the customers want. This is monumental in their efforts to improve their services and sometimes even add features.

The Top Sports Betting Subreddits

If you are new to sports betting or Reddit and are wondering where to get started worry no more. Here are the top sports betting-related subreddits alongside the number of people who are their members:

Several others are dedicated to specific sporting activities. Even new and rapidly growing verticals such as esports have subreddits dedicated to them. The top esports subreddits in-clude r/csgobetting and r/Dota2Betting among others.

Conclusion

There is a lot that you can learn from Reddit. That we can agree on. This should not always come above doing your due diligence. It is still important to soberly analyze the information that you get from the site. As much as moderators and other responsible parties try to en-sure only useful info makes it past their watchful eyes, it would not be surprising if some manage to slip through. It is not perfect.

Reddit can be a little daunting to figure out at first. This should not affect the experience too much as the learning curve is very reasonable. Once you settle down and find your sports betting community, you will be good to go. Thereafter you can dive right in and see what's going on. If you are up for it, you can also share your tips, tricks, strategies, or opinions.

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Reddit and Sports Betting - The African Exponent

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David Purdum

Greg Wyshynski

The Washington Capitals are the first NHL team to sell advertising on its jerseys.

Washington announced a multi-year partnership with Caesars Entertainment that will place a Caesars Sportsbook logo on Capitals home and third jerseys beginning in the 2022-23 season. It is a 3-x-3.5-inch patch positioned on the upper right chest area of the jersey.

The NHL allowed teams to begin selling ad space on jerseys during the summer, but they won't begin showing up on uniforms until the 2022-23 season.

The Capitals are believed to be the first franchise in the four major U.S. sports leagues -- NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL -- to sell jersey sponsorship to a gambling venture. Major League Soccer incorporated sports gambling sponsors on its jerseys in 2019.

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Gambling advertisements on uniforms have been commonplace in leagues overseas, but that could be changing. In the United Kingdom's more mature betting market, regulators are looking for ways to reduce gambling's presence in sports. A review of gambling laws by the U.K. Gambling Commission is expected to be released later this year, and will reportedly include a ban on gambling ads on jerseys.

Nine of the 20 EPL teams have gambling ads on the front of their jerseys.

NHL teams were restricted to one ad on their jerseys, to go along with one on the helmet, which is a program that began in the 2019-20 season. While teams were prohibited from selling sportsbook ads during the first two seasons of the helmet sponsorship program, the NHL said that gambling ads would be allowed on helmets and jerseys beginning in the 2022-23 season.

The Capitals' partnership with Caesars falls within the NHL's regulation guidelines for gambling ads on jerseys. The ads can only be sold in markets where single-game sports betting is legal, and cannot appear on away uniforms.

"We don't want that jersey going to away markets where it's not legal," Keith Wachtel, the NHL's chief business officer and senior executive vice president, told ESPN last month.

The jersey ad patch extends a historic partnership between Caesars and the Capitals. Caesars Sportsbook at Capital One Arena opened in May 2021, becoming the first sports betting venue to open within a U.S. professional sports facility. The two-story, 18,000 square-foot venue features 17 betting windows and 12 self-service betting kiosks.

The NHL has been aggressively making deals with gambling ventures after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision nullified the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2019, ushering in unprecedented levels of legalized sports wagering around the nation.

Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have launched legal sports betting markets. Several more are gearing up to enter the bookmaking business, and marketing of the once-taboo industry is intensifying.

The NHL has forged partnerships with several sportsbooks. Its first deal was with MGM Resorts, followed by partnerships with DraftKings, FanDuel, William Hill, PointsBet and Bally's, among others.

Hockey's foray into the sports gambling space is expected to expand dramatically thanks to puck- and player-tracking technology that's being rolled out in the 2021-22 season. The data generated by the tracking sensors -- and licensed to bookmakers like MGM -- is expected to create an entirely new subset of prop bets on NHL games.

"I think sports gambling is the future of our business. I think it's here and it's only going to continue to get bigger. There's no stopping that freight train now," Brad Alberts, Dallas Stars president, told ESPN last month.

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Washington Capitals become first NHL team to sell advertising on jerseys, announce partnership with Caesars Entertainment - ESPN

Record numbers of gamblers are placing wagers this NFL season as more states ease into legal sports betting.

The sports betting boom, which proponents tout as a major positive for the sports industry and critics deride as having the potential to undermine the ethos of sporting contests, is intensifying at a breakneck pace and is no more evident than this years football season.

The transition toward legal sports betting began in 2018, when the Supreme Court ruled that a 1992 law prohibiting sports betting was unconstitutional. That landmark decision paved the way for states to legalize sports betting and, in turn, opened the wallets of new gamblers across the country.

At the start of this years NFL season, the first one that has featured full stadiums since the pandemic began, more than two dozen states, plus the District of Columbia, allowed fans to place bets. That number is up from 18 jurisdictions that allowed legal wagers at the start of last years season.

SPORTS BETTING COULD BE AVAILABLE IN MARYLAND BY END OF NFL SEASON

Additionally, the American Gaming Association anticipates that people in as many as five more states will be able to gamble before the NFL season is up.

The explosion in legal wagering is already being felt just two weeks into the NFLs regular season.

Casey Clark, the senior vice president with the AGA, told the Washington Examiner his group is seeing a significant uptick in excitement with betting. He said that the AGA estimates that 45.2 million people plan to wager on the NFL this year a 32% increase from last year.

GeoComply Solutions is a Canada-based company that provides geolocation, fraud, and cybersecurity services for the U.S. gaming industry. Because different states have different laws relating to sports betting, the companys technology is used by sportsbooks mobile apps and websites to verify the user is who they say they are and where they say they are.

The company said the first week NFL games tallied record numbers. GeoComply said it counted 58.2 million geolocation transactions from the first games that Thursday to Sunday evening, a 126% increase from the same time last season.

The data tells a remarkable story about the growth of the industry in a short period of time, said Lindsay Slader, GeoComplys managing director of gaming. This success is a credit to all our clients and state regulators, who have worked tirelessly to prepare for the start of the new NFL season.

Slader told the Washington Examiner that her company is seeing year-on-year growth in the states that had sports betting prior to the start of this years season, but she also noted the new additions and those expected in the coming season.

There is growth happening in a number of different ways, existing markets are growing, new markets are being introduced, and there are some places that are experiencing NFL for the very first time, she said during a phone call.

Not only is the growth of legal wagering being felt by the industry, but it is also being seen.

Declan Hill, an associate professor in the University of New Haven's investigations program, said that proof of the growth of legal sports betting could be observed in the media, which is also profiting from the boom.

I dare any of your readers to switch on a television, be it ESPN or any of the other sports networks, and have to wait for more than 30 seconds before theyll see gambling odds being floated across the screen, he said.

The NFL now permits seven sports betting companies to advertise their books during games despite once fighting against legal gambling. ESPN is also reportedly in talks with major sportsbooks about licensing its brand for at least a $3 billion deal, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Furthermore, prior to the 2021 NFL season, the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens both entered partnerships with Sportradar, a provider of sports betting and sports entertainment products.

NFL UNION TO INVESTIGATE COACHS STATEMENT ABOUT CONSIDERING VACCINATION STATUS DURING ROSTER CUTS

Clark thinks all the growth in the sports betting industry is a good thing because he said wagering on games yields greater fan engagement. He said having skin in the game gets people watching more sports and for longer.

Some arent quite as enthusiastic about the seeming deluge of gambling in the sports arena.

Hill, who is an expert in sports integrity and betting, knocked the current state of sports media during an interview with the Washington Examiner.

He called many pundits basically gambling industry shills and asserted that those who appear on TV often dont talk about the game as much anymore but rather put emphasis on the odds and the spread a sign of how big the legal gambling market has become in the United States.

The professor worries about what he called the gamblization of sports, a gradual shift in sports fans from watching a sporting event such as an NFL game into seeing sporting as a vehicle to meet their gambling desires.

Very few people go to a horse race because they love horses. Theyre there because those horses are vehicles for their gambling, Hill remarked.

Comparing it to the cigarette industry of decades past, Hill said that there are concerns that younger people will become more exposed to gambling through exposure to attractive ads about sports wagering from a young age.

Clark pointed out that even before sports betting was legal in a majority of states, people used offshore books and corner bookies to wager on NFL games. He said that the growth of the industry is exciting because there is now a form of regulatory environment with protections in place.

There is some historical reticence with sports betting in the U.S. as well. The "Black Sox" scandal rocked the American sporting world when some of the biggest names in baseball, including "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. Former Cincinnati Reds player Pete Rose also bet on his team while playing.

Hall predicts a massive series of match-fixing scandals coming in the next few years. Hill doesnt think the challenges to integrity will come from leagues such as the NFL, but rather from more minor leagues that betting companies allow people to wager money on.

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It is unclear what the exact impact that increased sports betting is having on NFL viewership this season, although it was up 7% during the opening week compared to last year and averaged 17.4 million viewers per game, according to the NFL.

CBSs two Sunday games that week jumped 21% from 2020, and NBC saw an 11% rise in viewership.

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NFL and gambling companies cash in on football season betting boom - Washington Examiner

Theres a first time for everything and the sports betting industry now has another one. Last Thursday, two NFL wagers were placed, but these werent just simple bets. They were the first two ever to be placed from outer space. Jared Isaacmans name will be forever remembered for not only commanding the Inspiration4 civilian space shuttle, but for making the first sports bets from beyond the limits of our atmosphere.

When they said that the number of NFL wagers is skyrocketing, Isaacman, the CEO of Shift4 Payments, took it literally. The tech billionaire was commanding SpaceXs civilian shuttle Inspiration4 last week, a mission he paid for, and, as the craft was making its trek, he made his call. Connecting with BetMGM, through Darren Rovell of The Action Network, Isaacman placed a $4,000 bet on the Over of the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team (WFT) and a $4,000 futures bet that the Philadelphia Eagles would take the Super Bowl. The call was obviously pre-arranged, but that doesnt lessen the notoriety of the bets.

After the bets were placed, BetMGM Director of Trading Jeff Stoneback said in a statement, History was made today. Ive been in the business for 35 years, and we never even took bets from outside the state of Nevada until four years ago. Now, BetMGM is taking bets from the entire galaxy. Its a great moment and an even greater cause, supporting St. Jude. Any winnings will be donated to the St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and BetMGM and SpaceX will donate $25,000 each, as well.

Its way too early to say if the Eagles will be able to pull through for Isaacman. They just lost to the San Francisco 49ers yesterday, 17-11, taking them to 1-1 on the year. The odds of them winning the Super Bowl, according to BetMGM, are currently +6600, putting them in the lower half of the rankings. They share the spot with the WFT and the Carolina Panthers, both of which won their games yesterday. The Kansas City Chiefs still lead the charts, with odds of +475, but they lost yesterday to the Baltimore Ravens.

The WFT has already paid off for St. Jude. BetMGM had the Over/Under listed as 40.5 and Isaacmans bet on the Over had odds of -110. The final score of the game was 30-29 Washington, easily scoring a win. The wager was worth $3,636.35, plus the original $4,000 investment. In addition to those winnings, Isaacman has stated that he will donate $100 million of his own money to the hospital.

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Sports Betting Reaches New Heights with Outer Space Bet - GamblingNews.com

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he Louisiana Gaming Control Board confirmed on Thursday that eight casinos have applied to offer sports betting in the state, after the approval of emergency rules in August that allowed Louisianas Big 20 casinos -on 15 riverboats and at four racetracks, as well as Harrahs in New Orleans- to file applications for licenses.

The permanent rules have to go through a process that allows for input from opponents and comment for the public. The Gaming Control Board approved on Thursday a set of permanent regulations that spell out the responsibilities and processes that sports betting gambling has to follow. The Board voted to initiate the rulemaking process, which could go on until January.

Industry officials had wanted to roll out in-person wagering at a few locations this month. Hurricane Ida slowed the process down, as police were deployed to disaster recovery, explained Ronnie Johns, chairperson of the board, as reported by KTBS.

The 20 casinos and their top executives have already been investigated for suitability and financial stability by the State Police. However, the kick off date for sports betting in the state has not yet been confirmed.

Major Chuck McNeal, command inspector for the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division, said his investigators are working on it, as the eight casinos placed their applications.

The procedure implies a double-checking process, such as accounting practices, security arrangements and other formalities the casinos have to adopt for wagering on sports betting, as explained by McNeal.

In addition, the properties have to build out an area with limited access to handle in-person sports betting. Several of the larger casinos are planning elaborate lounges, which multi-million dollar constructions will take place while getting set-up in temporary quarters.

Platform and software suppliers are also necessary in order to allow bettors to place their wagers remotely. Even though online betting is also contemplated to happen in the short term, the industry regulators aim to start with in-person wagering first.

Online vendors have to go through sustainability and through the licensing process themselves, explained Johns, which implies the repeated procedure of the current in-person wagering licensing process.

It is unclear which partner online and retail books will open in Louisiana but some of them have already announced market access deals or existing land-based partners, such as:

Other potential sportsbook entrants include BetRivers, FOX Bet and WynnBet.

Betting in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol are contemplated to be handled on about 1,000 kiosks which will be overseen by the Louisiana Lottery Corp. The lottery is autonomous and is making its own rules for sports betting, separated from the gaming commission.

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Louisiana: eight casinos have applied to offer sports betting - Yogonet International

Caesars and LSU announced a groundbreaking partnership Friday, the most significant deal yet between a sports betting operator and a major university athletic program since the Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban more than three years ago.

Caesars will become the exclusive gaming and sportsbook partner of the LSU athletic department, the company and school announced in a statement Friday. The deal includes naming rights and signage for Tiger Stadium (football), the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (mens and womens basketball) and Alex Box Stadium (baseball).

The deal also includes broadcast and digital sponsorship rights for all of LSUs 21 mens and womens sports programs. The casino operator will also have naming rights for the new Caesars Sportsbook Skyline Club at Tiger Stadium.

LSU Athletics programs have always exemplified excellence, and at Caesars, we couldnt be happier to partner with such an iconic brand in college athletics, Chris Holdren, Co-President of Caesars Digital, said in a statement. We have a proud legacy in Louisiana, and bringing LSU fans and alumni closer to the sports they love while also offering scholarship opportunities will help us build upon that.

LSUs deal with Caesars is the second between a Power Five conference school and a major sportsbook, following a similar partnership between the University of Colorado and PointsBet.

The deal is all the more remarkable just a few years after the NCAA spearheaded a lengthy court battle to prevent legal sports betting.

The deal reaffirms Caesars investment in Louisiana months after it secured naming rights to the Superdome in New Orleans.

The company is also spending millions upgrading its Harrahs New Orleans the states lone land-based casino and rebranding it under the Caesars name. Its also enhancing Isle of Capri Lake Charles one of the states 15 riverboat casinos as it rebrands as Horseshoe Lake Charles.

The company is expected to be among the first to offer retail and online sports betting in Louisiana. Caesars retail book at its casino blocks from Bourbon Street could open in the coming weeks, with online betting projected to begin sometime this fall.

Caesars announced in Fridays release it will create a scholarship fund for Louisiana-resident LSU students. The company said it would partner with the Louisiana Association of Compulsive Gambling and would not market to students or fans under age 21. Caesars also said it would not highlight gaming inside campus facilities beyond the on-campus sports venues.

LSU boasts one of the nations most successful and prominent athletic programs, which is estimated to be one of the nations highest revenue generators.

The Tigers won the 2019 football national championship, their baseball team is a six-time national champion and their mens basketball team has become a perennial NCAA tournament contender.

LSU is the first program with such a sports betting partnership in the SEC, the NCAAs most successful football conference, and a likely harbinger of similar deals at other major athletic programs.

Sports betting is legal in other SEC school member states Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas and is set to begin in Florida next month. Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama all considered sports betting bills last year.

LSU has always taken pride in providing fans with unique, innovative, and world-class experiences, and our new partnership with Caesars Entertainment will do just that, LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward said in a statement announcing the Caesars partnership. We share a clear vision of how athletics and entertainment can come together to enhance the fan experience, and we are excited to join with Caesars to make that vision a reality.

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Caesars, LSU Announce Groundbreaking Sports Betting Deal - The Action Network

Maryland residents may be able to bet on their favorite team before the NFL season ends, according to Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin.

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission (MLGCC) announced this week that the online licensing portal for the 17 companies approved to offer sports betting is open. The Sports Wagering Application Review Commission agreed last month to let the groups proceed with their licensing.

Maryland voters approved sports wagering in November 2020. Lawmakers passed a bill in April giving Maryland Lottery and Gaming the go-ahead to develop. Gov. Larry Hogan signed that bill into law on May 18.

The MLGCC is holding a public hearing on proposed regulations on Sept. 22 and is also accepting comments online until Sept. 27.

Applications cannot be accepted for the 30 Class B licenses for brick-and-mortar locations and as many as 60 licenses that will be awarded to mobile sports wagering licensees until those regulations are finalized, according to the MLGCC.

Part of the money raised will go toward the newly established Small, Minority-Owned, and Women-Owned Business Sports Wagering Assistance Fund with other funds going to public education.

The Class A licenses were awarded to 17 entities, according to the MLGCC.

They include Marylands six casinos, five off-track betting facilities, the states three professional sports locations, two bingo halls: and a license that would be shared with Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and Laurel Park Race Track in Laurel.

The Baltimore Ravens signed a five-year deal with Caesars Entertainment to offer sports wagering at M&T Bank Stadium, the team announced last week.

The MLGCC is hoping to have everything in place as soon as possible, Martin said in a news release.

We anticipate that some of the 17 specified locations may be able to start taking sports wagers late this fall or early this winter, in time for the NFL playoffs, Martin said.

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Sports betting could be available in Maryland by end of NFL season - Washington Examiner