Gambling in the USA
Sports Betting and I-Gaming Leaders: Penn National Gaming, FansUnite, Rush Street Interactive, and Genius Sports positioned for Explosive Revenue Growth
Wall Street Reporter, the trusted name in financial news since 1843, has published reports on the latest comments and insights from leaders at: Penn National Gaming (NASDAQ: PENN), FansUnite (OTC: FUNFF) (CSE: FANS), Rush Street Interactive (NYSE: RSI) and Genius Sports Limited (NYSE: GENI). Wall Street Reporter highlights the latest comments from industry thought leaders in the esports, digital entertainment, and gaming markets:
FansUnite “Positioned for Exponential Revenue Growth in iGaming, E-Sports, Online Sports Betting”
In his latest presentation at Wall Street Reporter’s NEXT SUPER STOCK livestream, FansUnite (OTC: FUNFF) (CSE: FANS) CEO Scott Burton shared the global i-gaming company’s latest progress and milestones in the multi-billion dollar i-gaming, and sports betting market. FUNFF was recently granted a UK gaming license, enabling the Company to serve as a Business-to-Business technology provider and Business-to-Consumer operator in the $20 billion+ UK online gambling market, which is one of the world’s largest online betting markets. FUNFF is also positioned to play a foundational role in Canadian sports betting as that market opens.
FUNFF has developed a one of a kind i-gaming platform, with a sports and esports focus geared for the next generation of online bettors and casino players. The platform includes products for pre-match betting, in-play betting, daily fantasy, content and a certified RNG to produce casino style chance games. Scott Burton shared that the RNG games are expected to be a major source of revenue, thanks to a distribution deal with a major online casino games aggregator which can license the games to thousands of online casinos – setting the stage for exponential revenue growth opportunities.
FUNFF recently appointed i-Gaming industry veteran Mike Lee, as VP of gaming to lead the development and growth of FUNFF casino operations, launching new i-Gaming products and expanding global distribution. Mike Lee was the CEO of Genesis Gaming, a prominent gaming provider, where he oversaw the company’s global business operations, leading the development of Genesis Gaming’s game delivery platform and overseeing an extensive portfolio of more than 100 gaming titles. Burton also shared that FUNFF, with a recently closed C$24.7 capital raise, is well positioned to take advantage of potential M&A opportunities in the online gaming industry in the coming months.
Penn National Gaming CEO, Jay Snowden: ”Creating North America’s Leading Digital Sports Content Gaming and Technology Company”
“…We’re preparing to launch the Barstool Sportsbook app in four or five more states by the start of NFL season next month. And by the end of this calendar year, we expect to be live in at least 10 states, while also introducing several new features to the app, such as same-game parlay and shareable bet slip, which we’re really excited about…With greater operating scale and leverage, improved products and unique value-creating marketing strategies, we believe we are extremely well positioned for a strong fall, as we roll into Barstool Sports’ favorite time of the year, football season, which provides a nice segue to our pending acquisition of theScore, which is the number one sports app and sports media name in Canada and the third most popular sports app and sports media name in North America.”
“When we add theScore’s unique integrated media and betting platform and modern state-of-the-art technology to the massive audience of Barstool Sports and its wildly popular personalities and content, we’ll be creating North America’s leading digital sports content gaming and technology company…We are uniquely positioned to seamlessly serve our customers with the most powerful ecosystem of sports, gaming and media in North America, ultimately creating a community that does not exist today…This transaction will allow us to provide state-of-the-art mobile sports betting and iCasino with highly customized bets and enhanced in-game wagering opportunities along with highly engaging personalized sports and media content and real-time scores stats and videos.
“…We believe this powerful new flywheel will result in best-in-class engagement, retention and loyalty and this larger cross-promotion ecosystem will provide us with multiple growth channels that transcend our current business verticals. In the near-term, we’ll just be scratching the surface of where we can ultimately take this company. The transaction also provides us with a path to full control of our own tech stack with a deep pool of engineering talent…”
Rush Street Interactive Richard Schwartz, CEO: ”Momentum Building for Sports Betting and Online Casino Games”
“…Revenue was $122.8 million during the quarter, representing a year-over-year increase of 89%. Not only did we grow casino revenue sequentially during the period, but also sportsbook revenues despite a lighter sports calendar. With this continued success and growth in our business, we are once again raising our guidance. We now expect our 2021 full-year guidance to be between $455 million and $495 million implying 72% year-over-year top-line growth at the midpoint.”
“We have continued to make significant progress in our market access initiative… We have been selected by the Connecticut Lottery to be a sports betting partner, making RSI one of only three sportsbook operators who will be authorized to operate in the state…New York has recently accepted bids… We formally submitted our bid as part of the process. We are excited about the opportunity to offer our online sportsbook in the state of New York…We have no shortage of near-term opportunities and expected state launches coming over the next couple of quarters. And our business development team is hard at work to continue the strong momentum to secure partnerships in many new jurisdictions.”
“We also continue to be very encouraged by the legislative momentum for online sports betting and the addition of online casinos in many states which already have approved sports betting. It has become very clear we are looking at the numbers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan that online casino is a greater generator of cash revenue, and many state legislators are recognizing this opportunity.”
Genius Sports Limited (NYSE: GENI) Mark Locke, CEO: ”At the Heart of sports, betting and media Ecosystem”
“…Genius is uniquely positioned at the heart of the sports ecosystem that connects sports, betting and media. Over our long history, we built a proprietary technology platform that our partners depend on to streamline data collection and distribution, engage audiences and ultimately monetize sports fans. By partnering with hundreds of sports leagues and federations, sportsbook operators and media brands across the globe, we are well positioned to capitalize on the growth in the sports betting market. While our fast growing sports betting market presents the best opportunity to monetize sports fans today, our vision stems far beyond the boundaries of sports betting alone. We are focused on building a tech platform that enables our partners to monetize their audience in a multitude of ways tomorrow, whether through betting, ticketing, merchandising or others…”
“The business model we have in place allows us to participate in the upside of the US market. As the US markets revenues from gaming grow, our revenue also grows, regardless of which B2C player wins share. We’re currently permitted to supply – in 13 US states and three tribal jurisdictions and have a proactive US license strategy, ensuring that there is no market in the US where we will not be able to operate…We are revising our full year 2021 revenue guidance to a range of $250 million to $260 million, up roughly 30% to 35% from where we guided the market to previously…”
Gambling in the USA
Zula Casino Kicks Off its Spectacular 1-Year “Zula-versary” with a Month of Events and Promotions
Zula Casino launched its online social casino in the US exactly a year ago delivering more. More games. More rewards. More free-to-play entertainment through a personalized experience. Zula Casino marked its one-year launch by crossing the 1000 casino-game threshold – a milestone that positions it among the top platforms nationwide.
The month-long birthday bash intends to go over the top to give back to its amazing player community that helped make this first year so incredible. With its advent calendar format, players can unlock a special surprise each day ranging from a “Win-a-Vacation” event, a carnival event, free spins and new exclusive games, and a prize pool of over 25 billion Gold Coins (GC) plus 150,000 Sweeps Coins (SC) to be given out throughout the month. Over this period, Zula Casino will run other special events, including surprise happy hours with special coupons, various social media contests, and special giveaways.
“We’re incredibly proud of the player experience we’ve built over the last 12 months. The platform has garnered a substantial and loyal pool of players, and it’s not just because we offer one of the largest game selections from leading global providers, but also the exclusive experiences we’re providing, and the platform’s continued evolution with enhanced promotions, personalization, and seamless user experience,” said Tamar Laypan, Program Manager of Zula Casino.
Zula Casino has added over 1000 games across all categories over the past 12 months, including slots, jackpots, fish, table, plinko, megaways, crash, hold and win, tumble games, and more. These additions include top games like Big Bass Vegas and Fire Stampede, as well as branded exclusives like Gold Gold Gold 5000, supplied by Booming Games, and Sweet Bonanza 1000 by Pragmatic Play. With recent additions, Zula Casino now boasts 25 game providers, including Relax Gaming, Habanero, Evoplay, Pragmatic Play, RubyPlay, Gamzix, Let Us Entertain You Inc., to name a few.
Zula Casino flourished in a tough and highly competitive market, launching its proprietary-integrated platform in September of last year. With an average TrustPilot score of 4.6 and almost 9K reviews, the online social casino is among the highest-rated free-to-play sites in the market.
Zula Casino was also previously shortlisted for the prestigious Global SBC Awards in the category of “Rising Star in Casino”.
NCPG has announced the appointment of Diana Goode to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Board of Directors. Diana, who has served as the Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) since May 2018, brings over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience to this role.
In her time with CCPG, Diana has championed initiatives that address problem gambling and promote responsible gaming across Connecticut. Additionally, she has played an active role on the NCPG Affiliates Committee, contributing valuable insights from her years of experience.
Before joining CCPG, Diana held executive roles in nonprofits focusing on poverty alleviation and financial literacy in Connecticut. Her academic credentials include a degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Connecticut. She resides in the Greater Hartford area, where she remains deeply engaged in her community.
Diana will serve an interim appointment in the Affiliates seat on the NCPG Board of Directors until Spring 2025.
Gambling in the USA
Gaming Executives Positive on Current Business Conditions, Cautious on Future Growth Expectations
Overall Balance Sheet Health, Access to Credit Continue to Improve
In the face of slowing revenue expansion, gaming industry leaders continue to hold an overall positive view of the current business situation, with a notable improvement in credit conditions, according to the latest American Gaming Association (AGA) Gaming Industry Outlook.
The majority of respondents (88%) view the current state of the gaming industry as either good or satisfactory. Meanwhile, executives have a more conservative outlook on future business conditions, with respondents split on whether they expect conditions to improve over the next three-to-six months (3% net positive) and many expecting a decrease in customer activity (28% net negative).
“After years of very strong consumer gaming spending growth, expectations around customer activity over the next three to six months have cooled considerably,” said AGA Vice President of Research David Forman. “Still, gaming businesses remain well positioned, with executives touting strong balance sheets and more viewing access to credit as easy than restrictive for the first time in two years.”
Gaming Executive Panel
Since Q1, gaming executives’ sentiment has shifted, with a greater number of respondents now expecting a decline in customer activity over the next three to six months (28% net negative, up from 4% net negative in Q1). Despite this, panelists foresee improvements in overall balance sheet health (34% net positive).
Additionally, more executives reported access to credit as easy (19%) rather than restrictive (3%) for the first time in two years, and fewer cite interest rates as a major limiting factor than in the spring.
Hotel (56%) and food and beverage facilities (56%) continue to be the main and growing focus of capital investment among operators, followed by live entertainment (28%) and casino floor slots (22%).
Meanwhile, gaming equipment suppliers now believe their pace of capital investment and game sales will decelerate (13% net negative).
These expectations are impacted by evolving macroeconomic challenges, with uncertainty of the economic environment vaulting to the top of executive concerns (56%, up from 34% in Q1), followed by state regulatory concerns (31%), and inflationary or interest rate concerns and geopolitical risk (both 34%).
The Current Conditions Index
The Current Conditions Index for Q3 2024 was 97.3, which is consistent with real annualized contraction of 2.7 percent. The Current Conditions Index measures real economic activity in the industry, as measured by gaming revenue, employment and employee wages and salaries.
The Future Conditions Index
The Future Conditions Index, a leading indicator of changes in industry conditions, measured 98.9 in Q3. This indicates an environment in which real economic activity in the gaming sector, after controlling for underlying inflation, is expected to moderately decrease over the next six months (1.1% annualized rate).
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