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Are Americans spending their stimulus checks on online casino gambling?

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PlayPennsylvania.com: Sportsbooks, online casinos post near-record September

 

The IRS has now sent out more than 130 million stimulus checks as part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. The payments are designed to stimulate spending and help kick-start the US economy, and when the plan was first announced, most Americans said the money would go towards essential expenses like groceries, bills and housing costs. However, there are indications that at least some are using the windfall to speculate with casino games and sports betting.  

A booming sector 

Some could argue that the gambling sector is one of the few American industries that is not in need of extra stimulation. True, gambling hubs like Las Vegas and Atlantic City felt the pinch harder than most, but evolving legislation has seen a dramatic upsurge in online casino activity across the US that has more than compensated for the revenue drops at land-based facilities over the past year. 

It’s a pattern that has been repeated time and again, and not just in the US. Chief Editor Mark Pilarski of Casino Senpai said that they have observed a clear spike in interest worldwide on the topic of online casinos since last March.  

Of course, the online gambling market is still in its infancy in the US compared to places like the UK and even Canada. Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are still the only states that are fully open to online casino gambling, although Nevada also has online poker rooms. Still, in those states, gamblers have been making hay, and all have seen online gambling revenue increase dramatically since the first lockdown took effect 12 months ago. 

Sports betting surge 

Even if you include Nevada, that still accounts for only eight percent of the population, however, and while there has almost certainly been a certain amount of illicit online gambling activity across state lines, geofencing technology keeps that to a minimum.  

The result has seen many would-be casino gamblers turn to the world of sports betting instead. Here, 25 states have now legalized, and more than half of them permit online betting. At the height of lockdown, when the major sports leagues were inactive, this led to the somewhat surreal sight of American sports fans betting on everything from soccer in Belarus to baseball in South Korea. eSport betting also saw a spike in interest. 

However, it was when the major franchises got back underway that the full force of sport betting became obvious. Wagers placed on the NBA and NHL have been higher than previous years, and then, of course, at the beginning of February, we had the greatest sports betting barometer of them all in the shape of Super Bowl LV.  

In the run up to the game, Bill Miller, the CEO and President of the American Gaming Committee, said: “This year’s Super Bowl is expected to draw the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history. With a robust legal market, Americans are abandoning illegal bookies and taking their action into the regulated marketplace in record numbers. 

Miller went on to predict that 7.6 million Americans would place their bets online, Some states have still to release their final numbers, but from the data available so far, it seems that Miller was right on the money. In New Jersey, Super Bowl betting more than doubled over the previous year, while in Pennsylvania it was up by more than 75 percent. Results like these more than make up for the 13 percent drop reported by Nevada due to lower numbers turning up for in-person betting on The Strip.  

 

Recovery offline, too 

Having said that, the news from Vegas and Atlantic City is not all bad – indeed, it is positively brimming with optimism compared with this time last year, and it all comes back around to those stimulus checks. Let’s be honest, if you are going to blow a thousand dollars or more at the casino, you’re more likely to want to do that in person than via a phone app.  

Vegas is buzzing again since it reopened, and aside from the reduced numbers and the regular sight of people wearing masks, it almost feels like the Sin City of old. And after everything we have gone through, why not – surely there are few better places to celebrate spring break and spend a $1,400 windfall.  

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Scientific Games Partnership Wins 2024 Gutenberg Award for Sustainability

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Scientific Games, in partnership with Loto-Québec, Sustana Papers and Recyc-Québec, won the 2024 Gutenberg Award for sustainability at the 42nd Gala Gutenberg. The Gutenberg Awards are the Québec printing industry’s premier event, highlighting the talent, creativity and expertise of printing artisans.

The partnership’s winning entry was the Le Billet Vert (The Green Ticket) lottery instant scratch game launched by Loto-Québec in April 2024. The game was printed on 100% recycled board provided by Sustana Papers, with 100% water-based inks. Scientific Games enhanced the sustainability of the production process by packing completed games in boxes containing 60% recycled fiber and delivering them on reused European Pallet Association pallets.

The game promotes the recycling of lottery tickets, inviting players to download Recyc-Québec’s Ça va où? (Where Does It Go?) mobile app. The app teaches users to correctly sort recyclables and shows them drop-off locations for various types of household waste.

Isabelle Jean, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Lottery Games for Loto-Québec, said, “Since our first scratch game printed on 100% recycled paper stock debuted in 2021, our sustainability efforts have only increased. Congratulations to our team members from Loto-Québec, Scientific Games, Sustana Papers and Recyc-Québec for their vision. Together, we are reducing the environmental footprint of our games.”

The sustainable materials and game production techniques used for Le Billet Vert saved 110 mature trees, the equivalent of 326 10-minute showers, and the electrical power of 882,587 60-watt lightbulbs in one hour (Sustana Solutions eco calculator).

Marc-Andre Doyon, Vice President Canada for Scientific Games, said, “Through this collaboration, Scientific Games and our partners lead the global lottery industry in instant game sustainability. It’s truly an honor to win the Gutenberg Award for our efforts.”

Le Billet Vert is the thirteenth 100% recyclable game created for Loto-Québec since 2021 when Scientific Games and the Lottery began collaborating on a project to bring sustainable instant games to the lottery industry. Another game from this collection, Folie des plantes (Plant Madness), won the Gutenberg Award for sustainability in 2022. Other 100% recyclable Loto-Québec games produced by Scientific Games include Evasion (Escape), Code secret (Secret Code), SLINGO 10X and C’est quoi ton signe? (What’s Your Sign?).

Scientific Games is Loto-Québec’s primary instant game partner, producing the Lottery’s first instant game more than 50 years ago. The company has employed generations of Québécois professionals from their Montréal production facility, which produces instant games for Canadian and European lotteries.

With products that generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales, Scientific Games is the world’s largest instant games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world (La Fleur’s 2024 World Lottery Almanac).

 

 

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Betmotion leads campaign to aid victims of the Rio Grande do Sul floods

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In response to the recent and devastating floods in Rio Grande do Sul, which have displaced over 100,000 people and severely affected 70% of the state’s municipalities, Betmotion, through its Corporate Social Responsibility project, BetSocial, is mobilising efforts to assist the victims of this catastrophe.

BetSocial has launched an initiative to support the actions of the NGOs Ação da Cidadania and CUFA, which are leading the charge in providing immediate aid to the impacted communities. At this critical moment, BetSocial is reinforcing the call for everyone to unite in solidarity and make donations that will be crucial for reconstructing affected lives.

“The tragedy that has struck Rio Grande do Sul requires a swift and coordinated response. At Betmotion, we believe in the power of solidarity and in our community’s ability to make a difference in times of need,” states Bianca Passos, founding member of BetSocial. “Every contribution, no matter how small, has a significant impact on the lives of those facing such difficult days.”

To facilitate donations, BetSocial has provided information on how to make contributions via PIX to the two partner organisations:

Betmotion and BetSocial thank you in advance for your support and solidarity. They reiterate their commitment to work to alleviate the hardships faced by this catastrophe’s victims and continue promoting significant social impact actions.

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NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Extend Historic Partnership

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NBC Sports will continue to present the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock through 2032, as Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) and NBC Sports announced a multi-year extension of their partnership.

The extension of the NBC Sports-Churchill Downs relationship – which began with the 2001 “Run for the Roses” – will make NBC the longest running home of the Kentucky Derby, as NBCUniversal will become the first media company to present the most prestigious event in horse racing for three decades (32 editions of the Kentucky Derby from 2001-32).

“As we celebrate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is proud to extend the relationship with NBC Sports. As our media partner for the last 23 years, NBC has artfully captured the most exciting two minutes in sports and the spectacle of the senses that surrounds it,” said Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen.

“Telling the rich stories surrounding the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May is part of the fabric of NBC Sports, and we are thrilled to continue that tradition with Churchill Downs. We look forward to surrounding the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby with wall-to-wall coverage and extensive promotion on the platforms of NBCUniversal,” said Rick Cordella, President of NBC Sports.

The extension includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and Derby and Oaks Day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and additional NBCU platforms.

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