This Week's Sports Betting Update

Hello, this week's edition of our newsletter is sponsored by ICE 2024, which returns to ExCel London Tuesday-Thursday of next week. Grab a coffee, take five minutes and we’ll fill you in on everything you need to know from this week.

One big story 

UK’s online gross gambling yield rises 4% year-on-year in Q3 2023-24

The online gross gambling yield in the UK market reached £1.3 billion in Q3 2023-24, with overall spins and bets placed hitting record quarterly highs. The figures released by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) cover the three months to 31st December 2023.

Slot gameplay is still the key driver of this top-line figure, with £618 million of the £1.3bn total covered by slots. This figure is up 6% year-on-year. The number of total spins placed was also up 11% year-on-year, reaching almost 22bn spins.

Furthermore, betting on real-life sporting events was up 5% year-on-year, hitting £468m. That’s despite the total number of wagers and active accounts declining 3% year-on-year.

Click here to learn more about these figures and whether the online positivity translated to the offline gambling market too.

What you need to know

Commercial

• 🇬🇧 Spotlight Sports Group is to supply a Cheltenham Festival Content Hub to BoyleSports. The ‘Destination Cheltenham’ hub will feature exclusive analysis and video content, as well as live odds and functionality to allow users to add selections directly to bookmaker betslips. More

• 🇺🇸 bet365 has gone live in its eighth US market, partnering with the French Lick Resort to serve the citizens of Indiana. Meanwhile BlueBet’s CluchBet platform has also gone live in the Louisiana market, having already launched in Iowa and Colorado. ClutchBet is operating in partnership with Louisiana Downs. More

• 🇺🇸 NBA legend LeBron James has teamed up with DraftKings to become the brand’s latest ‘talent ambassador’. LeBron will share his own view on football and other select sporting events, as DraftKings aims to ramp up its engagement across its customer base. More

• 🇬🇧 One Twenty Group-owned Moneta Communications has enhanced its multi-year partnership with Spotlight Sports Group, with its Superfeed horseracing content engine delivering expert editorial from its staff of tipsters. The partnership will see content published on platforms such as GG.co.uk, Squawka.com and BettingOdds.com. More

• 🇺🇸 Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair and FanDuel officially began trading on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this week. Currently, Flutter has its primary listing on the London Stock Exchange but that is set to change at some point in 2024. More

Regulation

The National Gambling Helpline fielded record levels of calls in 2023, according to new data from GamCare. All-time-high levels of calls and live chats were made last year, totalling 52,370 communications. In addition, approximately 7,000 Gamban blocking software licences were registered, preventing users from accessing licensed sites. More

Technology

Genius Sports has released a new automated pricing tool, Edge, which is the first of its kind to hit the market. It will enable online sportsbooks to maximise profit margins on in-play sports events, with the ability to calculate real-time liabilities. More

People news

Marie Donoghue becomes chief business and growth officer at DraftKings

Marie Donoghue has been appointed as the new chief business and growth officer at DraftKings. The former ESPN executive will be tasked with seeking new growth opportunities for the online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports brand.

Before Donoghue’s move to DraftKings, she spent five-and-a-half years as vice president of Amazon’s US-based Sports Content & Partnerships division. Prior to Amazon US, Donoghue worked for almost two decades at ESPN, serving many senior roles across business and content strategy.

Click here to get the thoughts of Donoghue on her new role, as well as those of DraftKings’ CEO and co-founder Jason Robins.

This week's talking point

On-course bookies join forces to launch the United Council of Racecourse Bookmakers

After several years of being represented by multiple organisations and associations, on-course bookmakers have taken the decision to form their own representative body.

The new United Council of Racecourse Bookmakers (UCORB) was conceived in autumn 2023, with membership rising to 283 of the 320-plus licensed on-course bookmakers active across the UK today.

On-course bookmaker Graham Thorpe, a director of UCORB, said the new body is designed to give on-course bookmakers “one voice”. Thorpe was critical of the multiple bodies representing racecourse bookmakers in the past, suggesting their existence made it harder for them to negotiate and engage productively with other stakeholders in the industry.

Reportedly, UCORB has been attempting to bring the British Racecourse Bookmakers Association (BRBA) on board with them. However, that move appears to have been fruitless, as it plans to continue in its own guise.

Click here to get the thoughts of Richard Liles, the new president of the BRBA, on the rise of UCORB.

This week's insight

Understanding more about Oddschecker’s FairPlay Sports Media

Bruin Capital-owned Oddschecker Global Media has concluded a formal rebrand to FairPlay Sports Media. Its CEO, Stuart Simms, said the rebrand demonstrates the firm’s commitment to transparency and competitiveness in the sports betting industry.

FairPlay Sports Media’s new approach will utilise data, AI and technology to showcase sports betting insights and analysis, as well as bringing competitive pricing, bonuses and tips to an engaged global audience of sports bettors.

High on the firm’s priority list is growth in North and South America, according to Simms, who described the former as a “key place” for the brand. As for the latter, Simms believes FairPlay Sports Media will continue to jump on the back of the region’s love of football, using it as a powerful medium for engaging new sports betting audiences.

On the subject of the changing regulatory environment of the UK’s gambling industry, Simms believes a tech-led approach “makes a lot of sense”. The brand is still passionate about educating consumers across all aspects of sports betting, whether it’s tips, predictions or finding value odds in the market.

Click here for the full interview with Simms at SBC News.

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