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Promoting Responsible Gaming a Must for 2023
2022 has been another good year for American gambling companies. More states have made sports betting legal and several have also gone across the border to launch in Ontario. Will 2023 be as good?
The new year is guaranteed an exciting beginning for American gamblers. After a long wait, legal sports betting will be launched in Ohio on January 1.
With a tax rate of 10% (far lower than the 51% in New York), the top gambling businesses are all ready to enter the Ohio betting market. That includes DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel. The long awaited launch comes just in time for the NFL play-offs and of course the Super Bowl.
That should guarantee a busy start for legal sports betting in Ohio. It won’t quite mirror that seen in New York when they launched mobile sports betting at the start of 2022. The frustration of not being able to legally place bets in Ohio will be over.
It’s not just the gamblers who will be relieved. It has been a frustrating time for the state with neighbors Pennsylvania, Michigan and Indiana already having made sports betting legal and receiving millions in tax revenue.
Gamblers in the state will be eager to place bets on teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. There will also be plenty of wagers on college sports too. The estimates are that there will be around $90 million in taxes earned per year from sports betting, particularly online.
No longer will gamblers have to use offshore sports betting sites, again denying the state of Ohio tax revenue. That’s one of the most important factors in the sports betting revolution that has been taking place in the US.
When gamblers were unable to legally bet on sport, they registered with offshore sites. The problem with this was the lack of protection for customers. Now that an increasing number of US states have made sports betting legal, it is a different story.
Customer protection is important because sadly there are still some rogue sites out there. They have welcome bonuses that are nowhere near as good as they look. Wagering requirements or odds restrictions can be so strict that it’s hard to withdraw any cash from the bonus received.
With gambling companies having to be licensed they cannot get away with such behavior. If they do, then they are in serious danger of losing the license they have been waiting so long to receive.
Another important area is that of responsible gaming. It is a worry that this new world of sports betting will lead to an increase in the numbers that become addicted to gambling.
Recently the leading gambling companies in the US agreed a 12-point pledge that sets up an industry benchmark re responsible gaming standards.
It’s an important step with the aim of ensuring that players are treated well. The main aims of the pledges are to produce a situation where online gaming is seen as fun and entertainment not a way of making money. It is important also to recognize the fact some players will develop problems and they need to be given support, particularly those who opt for self-exclusion.
The prevention of underage gambling is at the top of their pledges list. Others include having rules to games that are actually understandable. Online slots players will know that isn’t always the case.
Hopefully the pledges will see a safe gambling industry created in the US. Showing that the members of the industry can work together is important. There are still many states that are yet to make sports betting legal.
More will go down that route in 2023 but there are still several that are resisting the idea of doing so. The lure of tax revenue from gambling sites may become too strong for some states. If the industry can show that they wish to promote responsible gaming, then that will help persuade some states to take the plunge.
One area is ensuring that customers are given the message to only gamble what they can afford to lose. Equally important is that the gambling sites themselves take swift action when they see customers spending and losing high amounts.
In the UK, there have been cases where betting companies haven’t been doing this. The UK Gambling Commission have issued fines worth millions of pounds to companies such as Entain (who are also active in the US market) and 888 who have been guilty of allowing customers to bet far too much and not always question where the funds are coming from.
2023 looks like being another successful year for the US gambling industry. Betting sites know that this is an opportunity they cannot blow. Ensuring that they are seen as an industry that cares for its customers is a New Year’s resolution that has to be kept.
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Kambi Group plc signs Turnkey Sportsbook partnership with Latin American operator RedCap
New agreement will see Kambi initially power the operator’s online Betpro and Starplay brands in El Salvador and Panama, with plans for retail and additional markets in the future
Kambi Group plc, the home of premium sports betting solutions, has agreed a long-term, omni-channel sportsbook partnership with Latin American operator RedCap, further strengthening Kambi’s position as the sportsbook provider of choice in the region.
Under the terms of the agreement, RedCap’s Betpro and Starplay brands will integrate Kambi’s high-performance Turnkey Sportsbook into its proprietary player account management (PAM) platform, enabling a seamless sports betting experience. The operator will replace its current supplier with Kambi’s powerful end-to-end sports betting solution, trusted by market leaders across Latin America and beyond.
The initial rollout will see Betpro and Starplay launch Kambi’s technology across its online sportsbooks in El Salvador and Panama, with the agreement also including scope for retail provision and market expansion. Operating under a multi-brand strategy led by its flagship Betpro brand, the operator aims to leverage the strengths of Kambi’s sportsbook with its in-house technical capability and experienced industry leadership team to achieve success in each market.
Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, said: “This partnership marks an important next step in Kambi’s Latin American growth strategy. By selecting Kambi to replace their existing provider, RedCap has shown clear confidence in our market-leading technology and ability to support scalable growth. We are excited to help them bring best-in-class sports betting experiences to players across the region.”
Oscar Henao, CEO of RedCap, added: “We are thrilled to join forces with Kambi. This agreement gives us the product and flexibility we need to compete at the highest level, offering our customers premium betting experience across all channels. With Kambi’s support, we look forward to launching in Panama and El Salvador and expanding into new markets as we execute our multi-brand strategy.”
Chicago City Council members are reviving plans to legalize video gambling in the city, introducing two ordinances that could bring hundreds of terminals to O’Hare and Midway airports and allow machines citywide for the first time.
One ordinance, introduced by Alderman Gilbert Villegas (36th), targets the city’s airports, where he sees both political feasibility and high revenue potential.
“The General Assembly has provided this opportunity through the casino bill. Yet, we’re not taking advantage of capturing dollars from one of the busiest airports in the country,” Villegas said.
“People are there, in some cases, one or two hours before. If their flight is delayed or they’re making a connection and there is a delay, there’s an opportunity to capture an audience that may not even be going to the city.”
Villegas’ proposal includes a $10,000 license fee per location, plus $500 per terminal. A separate terminal license would cost $1000, with an additional $500 per unit. If 400 machines each generated $800 daily, Villegas estimates annual revenue could reach $116.8 million, with the city taking a share through licensing and taxes.
Alderman Anthony Beale (9th) is pushing for a broader citywide expansion. His ordinance would legalize video gambling throughout Chicago, including in neighborhood bars and restaurants.
“We need to do it citywide and at the airports. We need the revenue and this administration has not shown a willingness to find new revenue that’s not gonna hit the taxpayers in every household,” Beale said.
Beale’s ordinance proposes a $500 license fee per location and a $1000-per-terminal charge for both the site and the machine itself. He has criticized the administration for dismissing the potential benefits, arguing that the current tax formula could be renegotiated with state lawmakers.
“That’s because they haven’t shown the willingness to go down to Springfield and change the formula. I’m hoping that submitting these ordinances will finally convince them to send a team down there,” he said.
Boyd Interactive is live with SlotMatrix Exclusive content in New Jersey, further bolstering EveryMatrix’s US presence.
Boyd Interactive’s tier-1 brands Resorts and Mohegan have access to EveryMatrix’s library of exclusive titles from its in-house studios, including Fantasma Games and Armadillo Studios, via integration with SlotMatrix.
SlotMatrix is the provider’s proprietary game aggregation platform and the industry’s largest content library, with more than 37,000 games from 350+ studios and its own in-house studios, enhanced by EveryMatrix’s gamification and player engagement features, including free spins, leaderboards, and tournaments.
This exciting step continues EveryMatrix’s momentum in the US market, after signing its first US content aggregation deal with betPARX and launching several games in North America this year such as Glorious Diamonds.
Bjorn Sjoberg, CCO of SlotMatrix, said: “Boyd Interactive is one of the largest US gambling operators, and by providing them with our exclusive content, we’re introducing their players to a range of best performing titles, opening a whole new world of entertainment.”
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