Industry News
US iGaming: Three predictions for 2024

Paddy Casey, Co-Founder at sports betting and iGaming developer The Unit, lists what we can expect from US iGaming in the coming year, covering regulation, the battle for market share and the importance of martech.
- iGaming continues to flex its muscles
Internet gaming continues to generate extraordinary revenue in the states that have legalized and embraced it. In October, for example, Pennsylvaniaâs iGaming revenue was up 24% month-on-month to $154.8m; a record month for the state where the total equates to a whopping 3x the sports-betting take. Pennsylvania is by no means a standout state, as New Jersey reported a 13% year-on-year increase in iGaming revenue for September, to $166.8million.
Where iGaming is fully regulated (as weâve seen in the six states where it is live currently, with Rhode Island expected to launch fully in Q1 or early Q2 in 2024), it drives significant revenue for the state and offers a safe and protected environment for entertainment versus offshore, unregulated casinos. As states look to plug holes in the post-pandemic era, we anticipate at least two or three states will legalize igaming in 2024, with Indiana and New York being the obvious contenders to begin that process early in the year.
As has been the case since the birth of online gaming in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there are obvious fears about problem gaming and revenue streams moving away from bricks-and mortar casinos. Legislators will drive tough, and hopefully innovative, legislation to protect land-based casinos while paving the way for iGaming, which should in fact complement the land-based casinos. Players, much like music fans, will demand access to âlive entertainmentâ; whether thatâs in Madison Square Garden cheering on Billy Joel, or listening to Piano Man at home while watching the NFL.
The omni-channel experience with iGaming will become more important as BetMGM for example, can deepen its relationship with players through innovations such as its New Jersey Dual Play Roulette, which offers a truly immersive omni-channel experience. Add this to possibilities around loyalty schemes for resort stays, and this will prove super crucial in the CRM and LTV lifecycles.
Aside from the obvious heavyweights, brands which put players first, treat them like the central stakeholder they ought to be, and personalize the user experience through unique and engaging product and gaming content will be the winners.
- Competition creates cash
This year has been a rollercoaster, in terms of acquisitions and market exits. Kindred recently announced it will be leaving its North American experience behind as quickly as possible. Fanatics can now access every key sports betting state via its PointsBet USA acquisition and Penn Entertainment is planning to shoot for the stars by rebranding its sportsbook as ESPN Bet. Add DraftKings, FanDuel, Bet365 and BetMGM into the ring, and that is one hell of a battle for a share of playersâ wallets.
Fanatics and ESPN Bet will most likely use their huge marketing budgets to attract the Gen Z bettors and casual sports fans. Winning the battle to attract, and more importantly retain, this key cohort of players will be significant. Marketing dollars will not be enough; product innovation will be crucial in the attempt to give players the experience they demand. They will demand to be entertained in ways they experience elsewhere.
Outside the âbig threeâ of FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM, in terms of US gaming market share, it will only be companies who continue to evolve and innovate their own offering that can close the gap. The likes of Entain and Angstrom, who are well known and have large wallets, can buy the maturity and experience needed. They can make inroads with the quality of their product and people, as well as via the acquisition of operators and challenger brands (particularly when more states go live with iGaming).
- Marketing tech and needle-like focus on ROI
With the big three effectively owning the sports-betting market and making gains in the iGaming space, the chasing pack will need to innovate with needle-like focus on ROI.
Martech is crucial for success in an industry that is seeing shifts in CPAs and one that has historically not merged fragmented data very well. As there is no real single view of acquiring through to retention, and almost zero real data, technology is holding operators back in the battle to retain Gen Z bettors and give them the experiences they demand; i.e. personalization.
Therefore, a holistic 360-view of customer data which is then deployed across multiple marketing channels is the key to being competitive in this landscape. As biddable platforms rely more and more on AI, it is essential that data which is representative of quality customers is used. As experienced industry veterans know, standard first-time depositor data is not enough. In fact, relying on incomplete customer insights can be detrimental to revenue.
As we all know, customer acquisition is only the starting point. Retention and cross-sell is essential to delivering the return on ad spend required to sustain campaigns in this competitive market.
The front-of-mind game is where the winners and losers will ultimately be determined. There is no personalization without sufficient marketing technology integration. Personalization is a key cog in the retention machine you must be leveraging.
As a result, a full martech stack is needed to operate an effective marketing department. The gap between the haves and have-nots in this space will widen not just year-on-year, but also month-on-month.
Industry News
SharpLink Gaming Announces $425,000,000 Private Placement to Initiate Ethereum Treasury Strategy

SharpLink Gaming Inc. announced that it has entered into securities purchase agreements for a private investment in public equity (PIPE) for the purchase and sale of 69,100,313 shares of common stock (or common stock equivalents in lieu thereof) at a price of $6.15 per share ($6.72 per share for certain members of the Company’s management team), for expected aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $425,000,000, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses.
Consensys Software Inc. acted as the lead investor, and the offering included participation by prominent crypto venture capital firms and infrastructure providers such as ParaFi Capital, Electric Capital, Pantera Capital, Arrington Capital, Galaxy Digital, Ondo, White Star Capital, GSR, Hivemind Capital, Hypersphere, Primitive Ventures, and Republic Digital among others including Rob Phythian, SharpLinkâs CEO, and Robert DeLucia, SharpLinkâs CFO.
The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about May 29, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Company intends to use the funds to acquire the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain commonly referred to as âETHâ pending identification of working capital needs and other general corporate purposes. ETH will serve as the Companyâs primary treasury reserve asset.
A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners is acting as the sole placement agent in connection with the offering.
âThis is a significant milestone in SharpLinkâs journey and marks an expansion beyond our core business. On closing, we look forward to working with Consensys and welcoming Joseph to the Board,â said Rob Phythian, Founder and CEO of SharpLink.
âOn close, Consensys looks forward to partnering with SharpLink to explore and develop an Ethereum Treasury Strategy and to work with them in their core business as a strategic advisor. This is an exciting time for the Ethereum community, and I am delighted to work with Rob and the team to bring the Ethereum opportunity to public markets,â said Joseph Lubin, Founder and CEO of Consensys and Co-Founder of Ethereum.
Industry News
Double win for Kaizen Gaming at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024

Kaizen Gaming, one of the biggest GameTech companies in the world, had an impressive double-win at the SBC Awards LatinoamĂ©rica 2024 on the 31st October in Miami, Florida. Awarded âBrazilian Market Entrant of the Yearâ, and âMarketing Campaign of the Yearâ, the two wins follow an impressive year of growth and exposure for Kaizen Gaming, as well as its premium brand Betano, across Latin America and globally.
Betano is rapidly growing its user base and presence in Brazil, serving as the main and title sponsor of BrasileirĂŁo Betano and Copa Betano do Brasil. As a founding member of the ANJL and IBJR regulatory bodies, Betano is recognised for its dedication to upholding the highest standards of responsible gaming and integrity. Furthermore, the Betano brand has launched multiple CSR initiatives across the country in partnership with sponsored team, Clube AtlĂ©tico Mineiro. It also recently launched the âJuntos em Campoâ long-term program in cooperation with CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) to promote initiatives focused on gender equality.
Awarded for the results and creativity of its innovative âFootball in Americaâ marketing campaign, Betano successfully introduced Latin America to its âConfiaâ brand platform by leveraging on its CONMEBOL Copa Americaâąïž 2024 sponsorship. The campaign chimed with the spirit of fans across the continent by celebrating Latin Americaâs rich football heritage, playfully responding to Kylian Mbappeâs 2022 comments questioning the regionâs football quality.
Vangelis Skarkalis, Kaizen Gaming Senior Commercial Director LATAM, said: “Latin America is one of the worldâs most dynamic and exciting regions for i-gaming. Being recognised as a leading player in this important market with two wins at the prestigious SBC Awards LatinoamĂ©rica is a great honour – especially on the heels of our recent double-win as âOperator of the Yearâ at both the EGR Operator Awards and SBC Awards. Achieving this success requires an exceptional team of dedicated, ambitious professionals. This award honours everyoneâs hard work and commitment to always going above and beyond in delivering the best experiences for our customers not only in Latin America, but worldwide too.â
Industry News
SOFTSWISS Wins SBC Latinoamérica Award for Help Brazil Initiative

SOFTSWISS has won the Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year nomination at the SBC Awards LatinoamĂ©rica 2024 for its impactful âHelp Brazilâ initiative. This recognition underscores the companyâs support for Brazilian communities affected by severe flooding earlier this year and its dedication to implementing meaningful social responsibility projects.
The SBC Awards LatinoamĂ©rica celebrates excellence in the Latin American gaming industry, gathering leading experts to acknowledge the achievements of operators, platform providers, affiliates, and suppliers across various sectors. SOFTSWISS’ âHelp Brazilâ initiative distinguished itself among the top entries, with judges marking its focus on community sustainability and industry engagement.
Launched in May 2024, âHelp Brazilâ provided immediate relief by delivering food, clothing, and clean water to flood-affected areas in Rio Grande do Sul in coordination with Movimento UniĂŁo BR. Further committed to sustainable recovery, SOFTSWISS partnered with PWTech, funding water purification installations in affected schools to guarantee long-term access to clean water.
Ivan Montik, Founder of SOFTSWISS, noted: âThis prestigious award affirms our commitment to making a real difference. As we expand our business in Latin America, we build lasting relationships with people and partners in this region and see ourselves as part of the local communities. When action was needed, we could not remain on the sidelines. We are grateful that the Latin American industry recognised and supported our initiative and immensely thankful to everyone who joined us in this effort, both locally and internationally.â
Rubens Barrichello, Non-Executive Director in Latin America, who helped raise awareness for the initiative, added: âI am incredibly proud of SOFTSWISS’ commitment to a sustained and compassionate approach. This recognition underscores our dedication to supporting communities in Brazil, where we focus on making a meaningful impact. Together, with such comprehensive projects, we are demonstrating how our industry can step up when it matters most.â
Continuing its commitment to local communities, this September, SOFTSWISS and its employees provided financial aid and essential supplies to flood-affected regions in Poland, where the company operates two offices. The aid campaigns in Poland and Brazil reflect SOFTSWISS’ commitment to being a responsible partner for local communities and its broader focus on ESG principles through long-term health, environmental, and social initiatives, including World Environment Day, Pink October, and Movember.
SOFTSWISS welcomes its partners and clients to visit stand 2145 at the SiGMA Europe Summit to explore future collaboration opportunities.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The companyâs product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
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