Gambling in the USA

FanDuel Announces Initiatives and Donations to Support Responsible Gaming

Published

2 years ago

March 23, 2023

To promote the importance of safer play during Problem Gambling Awareness Month, FanDuel has announced a series of initiatives and donations to further support a culture of Responsible Gaming.

FanDuel will donate $100,000 to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) that will further support the NCPG’s Agility Grants program, in partnership with the NFL Foundation. This program provides funding to nonprofit organizations across the country for problem gambling prevention in areas that currently have no such services.

“FanDuel’s commitment to supporting a spectrum of services from problem gambling prevention to responsible gambling education is a reflection of their dedication to building a safe and sustainable gambling ecosystem. We are excited to continue to partner with FanDuel on our Agility Grants program, the first-ever national grants for problem gambling prevention. Together, we are taking an important step forward in mitigating gambling-related harm,” Keith Whyte, Executive Director of NCPG, said.

Additionally, FanDuel will expand its support of the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) to fund ground-breaking research designed to understand gambling behavior in the US. With this research, ICRG and FanDuel aim to enhance the industry’s tools to identify potential harm, mitigate risk, and improve responsible gambling programs.

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“FanDuel’s substantial support plays a crucial role in promoting important research. We commend the company for its unwavering dedication towards advocating responsible gaming and increasing awareness about it,” Arthur Paikowsky, President of ICRG, said.

FanDuel also will expand efforts to raise responsible gaming awareness through its RG ambassador program. RG ambassador Craig Carton, host of “The Carton Show” on FS1 and “Carton and Roberts” on WFAN 101.9/660 AM radio in New York, recently kicked off a “Responsible Gaming College Tour” with stops at college campuses across the northeast to raise awareness and educate young adults around the risks of problem gambling. In March, the tour will continue with a stop at Sacred Heart University.

“March is an important month to highlight advocacy for responsible gaming. Whether it’s connecting with young adults about my story on campus or promoting safer play among sports fans on social media, I look forward to continuing to promote a culture of responsible gaming with FanDuel,” Carton said.

Seven-division boxing champion and FanDuel RG ambassador Amanda Serrano and Carton also will share video content on their respective social channels reminding sports fans of the importance of playing within limits and encouraging those choosing to wager on sporting events to use FanDuel’s “Play Well” tools including wager, deposit, and time limit technology, to help manage their play.

“As a FanDuel Responsible Gaming Ambassador, I’m proud to work with the team at FanDuel to promote education around responsible play. During Problem Gambling Awareness Month, it’s even more important to remind those who choose to wager of the tools and resources available to them to help stay in control of the way they play,” Serrano said.

FanDuel works closely with its professional league and team partners to promote responsible gaming to sports fans and applauds the efforts of those who are working to raise awareness of safer play this March. Building off FanDuel’s partnership with the NBA, at games this spring, FanDuel and team partners are sharing critical responsible gaming messaging and raising calls to action at arenas throughout the country, furthering the reach of efforts to promote RG education and tool usage, enabling fans stay in control of their play.

“Prioritizing responsible gambling efforts has been integral to our relationship with FanDuel from day one. Responsible gambling is a key pillar of our approach to legal sports betting and we are grateful that FanDuel shares that vision,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures, NBA.

Throughout the month, FanDuel will support the PGA TOUR’s newly launched campaign for Problem Gambling Awareness Month on FanDuel TV and through FanDuel social media channels.

“When the PGA TOUR made the decision five years ago to enter this space, we did it fully understanding that integrity programs and responsible gaming initiatives would lead the way. Because of that, we’ve developed deep relationships with operators such as FanDuel that also have that mindset and see responsible gaming as a shared priority and collective responsibility,” Scott Warfield, VP of Gaming for the PGA TOUR, said.

“This March marks the 20th anniversary of Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and we will once again use this as a moment to demonstrate how FanDuel aims to set the standard for what it means to be a responsible operator. Through collaboration with our valued partners, we can continue to raise Responsible Gaming awareness and encourage our customers to incorporate our Play Well tools into their experience,” Amy Howe, CEO of FanDuel Group, said.

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Gambling in the USA

Zula Casino Kicks Off its Spectacular 1-Year “Zula-versary” with a Month of Events and Promotions

Published

3 days ago

October 2, 2024

Niji Narayan

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”.

Gambling in the USA

NCPG Welcomes Diana Goode to the Board of Directors

Published

3 days ago

October 2, 2024

Niji Narayan

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

Published

4 days ago

October 1, 2024

Peter Tolan

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).