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PointsBet Online and Mobile Sports Betting Live in State of Illinois; Flagship Hawthorne Race Course Retail Location and Three Premium Off-Track Betting Sites to Follow Soon

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PointsBet Online and Mobile Sports Betting Live in State of Illinois; Flagship Hawthorne Race Course Retail Location and Three Premium Off-Track Betting Sites to Follow Soon

 

PointsBet, a premier global sportsbook operator, announced that it is now providing its mobile app and digital sports betting product in Illinois. Illinois marks the fourth operational state for PointsBet’s premium sports betting product, following successful launches in New Jersey, Iowa, and Indiana.

In addition to launching the PointsBet mobile app and digital product, PointsBet’s convenient retail presence in Chicago will soon debut at four sites that flank every corner of Chicagoland. Hawthorne Race Course (Stickney, IL) represents the flagship retail location, and additional off-track betting (OTB) premium sportsbooks will debut in Prospect Heights, Oakbrook Terrace, and Crestwood.

“The PointsBet team is excited to share that we are now officially live in Illinois, our fourth state of operation in the US,” said Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA CEO. “The passionate sports fans in the state can now experience our leading online sports betting product and see for themselves why we’ve long stated that the best product experience will win. PointsBet possesses competitive advantages by owning our technology environment from end to end, such as unrivaled speed and ease of use on a personalized platform. We, together with our partner Hawthorne Race Course, are thrilled to provide the Illinois consumer with exactly what they’ve been craving.”

Hawthorne received approval from the Illinois Gaming Board in July to move forward with a $400 million redevelopment of “Chicago’s Hometown Track” to create a multi-dimensional gaming entertainment destination inclusive of a casino and sportsbook. The first-of-its-kind business in Illinois will feature slots, table games, enhanced parimutuel wagering, dining concepts created in partnership with well-known Chicago culinary leaders, and a connected multi-story parking garage. Hawthorne Casino & Race Course is expected to open in late 2021 pending final licensing approvals.

“There are a lot of good reasons why we chose to partner with PointsBet, but most importantly it’s their commitment to innovation and customer excitement,” said Tim Carey, President and CEO of Hawthorne. “They truly know the passion and needs of the player and that has always been our focus in horseracing, just as it will be in the casino that we’re developing. Illinois gamblers are going to quickly realize PointsBet provides the best sports betting experience by far.”

As a nod to Illinois sports fans, PointsBet USA CEO Johnny Aitken confirmed that PointsBet will offer the best price in market for all Chicago Bears games this season across both the pregame spreadline and moneyline bet types. Additionally, PointsBet will unveil their innovative “Crowd Booster” promotion for sports bettors in the state of Illinois for the Chicago Bears’ first three games of the 2020 NFL season. The Bears spread will be boosted five points for every 200 bets placed, resulting in an extremely favorable spread for clients. Best of all, all clients will be able to take advantage of the final spread number, regardless of where they got their bet down!

In conjunction with the official launch of PointsBet’s Illinois sports betting product, the operator also recently announced its partnership with future NFL Hall-of-Famer, Devin Hester. A symbiotic element to the partnership, a primary point of differentiation for the PointsBet mobile product is unmatched speed and ease of use. The fastest way to get down a bet in Chicago, PointsBet owns their technology end-to-end and places an emphasis on an in-house development approach, allowing PointsBet to offer clients a faster and more streamlined digital experience, exclusive product features, bet types that cannot be found anywhere else, deep Spanish language functionality, the ability to incorporate regulatory approved changes seamlessly, and so much more. In a recent interview on the partnership, Hester commented: “With the technology that these guys have, it just makes things so easy and fast. And that’s why I partnered up with PointsBet, just thinking about myself being fast, and then coming in and joining with these guys, it just makes life so easy when you want to get in bets.”

As the official, exclusive sports betting partner of NBC Sports, PointsBet will utilize the media giant’s premium television and digital assets to promote the PointsBet brand across Illinois. As part of the agreement, NBC Sports provides PointsBet with year-round, multi-platform media and marketing opportunities across its unmatched portfolio of events, including exclusive multiplatform gameday integrations across NBC Sports Chicago, regional broadcast home to the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox. PointsBet’s full Spanish-language functionality will reach Hispanic sports fans via Telemundo Deportes and Telemundo broadcast stations.

 

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About PointsBet
PointsBet is one of the fastest growing sportsbooks in the country and is rapidly expanding its U.S. footprint, now bringing its best-in-market proprietary technology, modernized and premium brand mentality, expert trading practices and proven growth marketing strategies to both the Illinois sports betting market and the notoriously passionate Chicago-area sports fans. Originally founded in Australia, PointsBet is a cutting-edge bookmaker that prides itself on having the quickest and most user-friendly app (iOS and Android) while also providing the best content and experience for sports bettors. PointsBet is the only U.S. online bookmaker to offer PointsBetting – a unique and innovative way to bet – and has also introduced a slew of well-received, bettor-first initiatives. PointsBet offers the most markets on all four major U.S. sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and PointsBetting in the world, including up to 1,000 markets per NBA game.

About Hawthorne Race Course
Founded in 1891, Hawthorne Race Course is the oldest sporting venue in Illinois for America’s original sport: horseracing. For more than a century, the 4th generation family-owned and operated business has hosted racing on the border of the City as “Chicago’s hometown track,” which features traditional dirt racing and the 2nd longest homestretch in North America. Currently, Hawthorne is the only race course in the nation to host both Thoroughbred (Spring, Fall, Winter) and Standardbred racing (Summer), and operates Illinois’ largest network of off-track betting parlors. On July 30, 2020, the Illinois Gaming Board approved Hawthorne to move forward with development of the State’s first race track casino and sportsbook. For more information visit HawthorneRaceCourse.com.

SOURCE PointsBet

Central America

21VIRAL Boosts Latin American Reach Through Strategic Partnership with Virtualsoft

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21VIRAL Boosts Latin American Reach Through Strategic Partnership with Virtualsoft

 

21VIRAL, a leading games aggregator for the Central and Latin American market, has strengthened its expansion by signing an agreement with platform provider Virtualsoft

21VIRAL, a leading games aggregator for the Central and Latin American market, today announced a strategic agreement with prominent platform provider Virtualsoft, significantly strengthening its expansion across the region.

This collaboration will integrate 21VIRAL’s extensive portfolio of games into Virtualsoft’s platform, providing enhanced content options for operators across key Central and Latin American nations. Virtualsoft is a key supplier with a strong presence in markets including Ecuador and Peru, delivering innovative gaming solutions to a diverse range of operators.

Christoph Härtel, CEO of 21VIRAL, commented: “Partnering with Virtualsoft is a pivotal moment for 21VIRAL as we deepen our engagement with one of the world’s most rapidly advancing online gaming markets. Virtualsoft underpins numerous leading brands in the region, and integrating our GameConnector solution will allow swift access to their operational brands. We look forward to working closely with Virtualsoft’s talented team to deliver innovative and revenue driving gaming experiences.”

Alejandro Velez, General Manager at Virtualsoft, stated: “21VIRAL has a strong reputation for seamless integrations and profound expertise in the Latin American gaming market, making them an ideal partner for us. Together, we are streamlining operations and elevating the gaming experience for players, aiming to set new benchmarks for the industry.”

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Compliance Updates

New Initiative from DI Council Aims to Enable Betting on Professional Sports

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New Initiative from DI Council Aims to Enable Betting on Professional Sports

 

The Division I Council introduced a proposal that, if adopted in October, would change sports betting rules to permit student-athletes and staff members to bet on professional sports and refocus the Association’s enforcement efforts on college sports betting and behaviors that directly impact game integrity. If adopted, the change will be implemented only if Divisions II and III also vote to allow betting on pro sports.

The council’s introduction of the proposal, which comes after a directive from the Division I Board of Directors in April that the council adopt changes to sports betting rules, is not an endorsement of sports betting behaviors, especially for college athletes. The NCAA’s prohibition against betting on college sports would remain in place, as would the prohibitions against sharing information about college events with bettors. The NCAA also would continue to maintain its prohibition for NCAA championships  against advertising and sponsorships associated with betting.

“NCAA rules prohibiting sports betting at all levels were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide,” said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the council. “As betting on sports has become more widely accepted across the country, Division I members have determined that further discussion of these sports betting rules is warranted, particularly as it relates to the potential distinctions between betting on professional versus collegiate sports. Throughout our discussions, the council has remained focused on student-athlete wellness and educating student-athletes about the risks and potentially harmful impacts of betting.”

Current NCAA rules do not allow student-athletes or institutional staff to engage in sports betting at any level (professional, college or amateur) for any sports that have NCAA championships, and NCAA members have continually maintained that any betting by a student-athlete on his or her own team or own sport in college should continue to result in a permanent loss of any remaining collegiate eligibility. However, in 2023, Division I changed the reinstatement guidelines for student-athletes who participate in sports betting on professional sports to focus on harm reduction for problematic betting behaviors.

“Deregulating professional sports betting may provide schools an additional opportunity to implement harm-reduction strategies, which can be more effective and have long-term benefits not seen with abstinence-only approaches. Harm-reduction strategies include education, stigma reduction and acknowledging actual behaviors,” said Dr. Deena Casiero, NCAA chief medical officer. “By meeting student-athletes where they are, schools may be more effective at preventing, identifying and supporting student-athletes with problematic gambling behaviors. Regardless of the change, schools are encouraged to use the many sports betting resources already available.”

The recently released Harm Reduction Considerations for Gambling & Sports Betting in Collegiate Sports references available sports betting resources, including the NCAA Mental Health Best Practices. Additionally, more than 100,000 student-athletes, coaches and administrators have been reached through the NCAA’s education efforts with EPIC Global Solutions, and the NCAA has launched an e-learning module to educate student-athletes on problem gambling harms and the integrity risks associated with sports betting.

Several sports betting-related violations by staff members at NCAA schools have been resolved through the infractions process in recent years, and the enforcement staff is working on issuing Notices of Allegations in several ongoing cases that involve allegations of betting on professional and college sports by student-athletes and/or athletics department staff members at a handful of NCAA schools.

The proposed rule change would not be retroactive. If it is adopted, it would apply only to sports betting activities that occur after the effective date of the proposal.

“The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff — including our new sports betting integrity unit — has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations,” said Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement.

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The Association prioritizes competition integrity, which is vital to college sports. The NCAA uses a layered strategy to respond responsibly to the rise in sports betting across the United States by monitoring over 22,000 contests per year, advocating for limits on  prop bets that pose heightened risks, reducing the potential for student-athlete abuse by aggrieved bettors, and creating greater transparency to assist with the timely investigation and resolution of integrity-related issues.

This layered approach includes the most recent agreement extension with Genius Sports to establish unprecedented betting restrictions on high-risk proposition bets. Sportsbooks licensing NCAA championship data must cooperate fully with NCAA investigations, including providing access to account data, financial history and geolocation records. This will allow the NCAA to work with the sportsbooks to gather detailed account information when harassers are identified to prevent repeat offenders from continuing to place bets across platforms, increasing safeguards to protect student-athlete mental health and well-being.

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Latest News

Optimove and EveryMatrix Launch Real-Time Integration to Power Smarter Marketing for iGaming Operators

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Optimove, the leader in Positionless Marketing, has announced a new integration with iGaming technology provider EveryMatrix.

EveryMatrix delivers modular and turnkey iGaming software, solutions, content and services across casino, sports betting, payments, and affiliate management to global tier-1 operators as well as newer brands. The integration enables shared operators to activate real-time marketing campaigns based on player behavior.

The collaboration introduces a custom integration allowing joint clients to stream real-time event data from EveryMatrix directly into Optimove. As part of Optimove’s platform, the integration empowers any marketer to launch personalized campaigns in real time, without dependency on technical teams. The result is faster execution, increased engagement, and higher player lifetime value.

“We are confident that with EveryMatrix’s powerful platform solutions, combined with our real-time capabilities, operators can realize a new level of speed and precision in marketing. This reflects the power of Positionless Marketing in action,” said Motti Colman, VP Revenue, Gaming at Optimove. “We’re giving operators the tools to act instantly on player behavior without waiting on analysts, engineers, or manual processes. It’s all about speed, personalization, and removing the bottlenecks that hold marketing teams back,” he concluded.

With the integration now live, operators can leverage Optimove’s real-time capabilities to trigger automated campaigns based on deposits, withdrawals, game behavior, and more. This helps deliver contextually relevant experiences at the exact moment players are most likely to engage.

Immediate marketing benefits iGaming operators can realize include:

  • Welcome offers following a first deposit
  • Instant reactivation messages after session abandonment
  • Real-time loyalty rewards based on gameplay milestones

“This integration adds tremendous value for our operator partners,” said Kevin Furlong, Group CPO, EveryMatrix. “Combining our robust gaming infrastructure with Optimove’s Positionless Marketing platform with its real-time marketing engine allows our clients to deliver deeply personalized player experiences, when they matter most.” 

The launch of real-time with EveryMatrix reflects the growing demand for agility and responsiveness in iGaming marketing. It also underscores the strength of the Optimove-EveryMatrix partnership and their shared commitment to helping operators deliver smarter, more dynamic campaigns.

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