Press Releases
PlayTenn.com: Sportsbooks continue roll with $180 million in December
Tennessee’s online sportsbooks continued to gain momentum, reaching $180 million in wagers in December to close 2020 with the best two-month debut in U.S. sports betting history. An untested market before launching in November, Tennessee is off to the kind of start that almost no one could have predicted, according to analysts from PlayTenn, which offers news and analysis of the fledgling Tennessee gaming market.
“Tennessee launched with what many thought were a lot of question marks, but it is proving to be The Little Engine that Could,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayTenn.com. “It seemed operators were slow to get to the state, many were concerned the 10% hold mandate would tamp down demand, and there were questions on whether or not the Tennessee Education Lottery was up to the task of regulating the industry. Those concerns seem like a distant memory now as Tennessee has catapulted itself into becoming a major player in the U.S. industry in just two months.”
In a December that featured four NFL Sundays, down from five in November, bettors placed $180.9 million in wagers, according to official data released Tuesday evening by The Tennessee Education Lottery. That topped November’s $131.4 million handle by 37.6%. December’s wagers produced a “win” of $13.9 million for the operators, up from $13.2 million in November. And the month’s win injected $3.1 million into state coffers.
Through the market’s first two months, Tennessee has:
- Generated $312.3 million in bets, by far the most of any legal sports betting jurisdiction in U.S. history. The next closest was Indiana, which produced $126.9 million in its first two months in 2019.
- Shattered the records for the best first month and the best second month. Indiana held both records, hitting $35.2 million in September 2019 before reaching $91.7 million in October 2019.
- Set a new standard for operator revenue with $27.1 million. Indiana generated $20.1 million in its first two months, including $11.5 million in its second month.
Tennessee’s hot start can be attributed to several major factors. First, the state launched its sports betting industry with online sports betting, which attracts vastly more in bets than retail sports betting in every state that has both. Secondly, with no retail component in the state, there was no in-person registration requirement for online sports betting, which can artificially depress a market. None of Tennessee’s seven neighboring states offered online sports betting during the Volunteer State’s first two months, and only two, Arkansas and Mississippi, are home to any retail betting. And the Tennessee Titans’ playoff run undeniably spurred local interest.
“Tennessee launched under near-perfect conditions and that can be seen in the early results,” said Dustin Gouker, analyst for PlayTenn.com. “Even with added competition from Virginia now going live, Tennessee’s start has established the state as a significant player in the U.S. And I don’t see anything that will stop the market’s momentum in the short-term.”
As it stands, Tennessee is now the nation’s seventh-largest sports betting market with plenty of growth still to come.
Only four sportsbooks are in operation so far. But more are expected to come in the coming months. That includes the imminent launch of TwinSpires as well as WynnBET and William Hill.
“Having FanDuel and DraftKings, the nation’s two largest operators, in place at launch has helped fuel Tennessee’s surge,” Welman said. “But more high-quality operators will help mature the market. As good as Tennessee’s start has been, the best days are still to come.”
For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Tennessee, visit PlayTenn.com/news.
Internet Vikings, a licensed in-state hosting provider for the U.S. iGaming and online sports betting industry, is announcing that it’s supporting Plannatech, a large B2B Provider, now stepping into the B2C space, in its expansion within the United States through an agreement to provide VMware cloud hosting solutions in Arizona.
Plannatech, leveraging the well-established Betcris brand from the America’s sports betting industry, has selected Internet Vikings for its structured setup processes, stable hosting environment, and technical expertise. This agreement ensures that the B2C iGaming and sportsbook operator benefits from a highly secure and reliable infrastructure, with Internet Vikings’ responsive support playing a crucial role in maintaining smooth operations.
“This is our 2nd state with Internet Vikings, who has been an absolute pleasure working with in providing the solid hosting infrastructure we need as we now expand into Arizona this time as the Operator,” said Adam Bjorn, CEO at Plannatech.
“We value our partnership with Plannatech and extending our VMware cloud hosting solutions to Arizona was the perfect next step as they bring new strategic offerings to the U.S. market,” said Rickard Vikström, CEO and Founder of Internet Vikings.
The Arizona sports betting market has seen impressive growth rates, with total handle reaching $791.2M in October 2024. While several operators have struggled to gain traction, Plannatech, utilizing the Betcris brand, is taking a strategic approach and leveraging its extensive experience in competitive markets. By choosing Internet Vikings as their hosting partner, Plannatech ensures a strong, compliant, and resilient digital presence as they expand their U.S. operations.
Paysecure is strengthening its presence across Latin America, addressing the region’s complex payment landscape with advanced payment orchestration solutions. As part of this strategic plan, Paysecure will showcase its cutting-edge platform at SIGMA Americas, taking place April 7-10, at booth N115.
Expanding into new LATAM markets presents businesses with significant challenges, including navigating diverse local payment methods, multi-currency processing, managing multiple Payment Service Providers (PSPs), or ensuring compliance with varying regulations and reducing fraud (Brazil experiences a chargeback rate of approximately 3.48%, while Mexico’s rate stands at about 2.81%).
Already operational in key LATAM markets such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica and more, Paysecure is poised to address these payment barriers by offering a single, streamlined API integration and a fully customizable dashboard that allow merchants to gain access to advanced capabilities including:
- Smart transaction routing – The company optimizes payment flows, managing to achieve up to a 15% decrease in payment processing costs by finding the lowest-cost routing options through dynamic selection.
- Comprehensive merchant controls: Paysecure’s intelligent engine allows transaction limits settings, applies cascading logic, and enables 10+ types of real-time reports that analyze trends and customer behavior.
- Dynamic fraud prevention: Its User Trust Score system and adaptive fraud detection tailored to each market ensure an over 10% decrease in fraud-related losses.
- Global payment network: With access to 500+ PSPs and acquirers, Paysecure enables businesses to offer customers their preferred payment methods in any country or currency.
In addition, the company has been shortlisted for ‘Best Online Payments Service 2025’ at the SIGMA Americas Awards Ceremony. The company will also exhibit at the event and attendees can visit Paysecure’s booth (N115) to explore how its solutions can enhance payment security and efficiency in the LATAM market.
The National Football League and WePlay Studios are teaming up to launch NFL Offsides, a first-of-its-kind weekly game show where NFL players, Legends, and well-known gaming creators compete in high-energy, video game-inspired challenges. Packed with larger-than-life personalities in a first-of-a-kind format, this is where content meets the gridiron in the most unexpected ways. NFL Offsides will debut on April 15, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and stream live on Tuesdays during the 2025 offseason on the NFL’s official YouTube channel, with co-streams on featured creators’ channels.
The series will be hosted by Cameron Dicker, nicknamed “Dicker the Kicker,” the Los Angeles Chargers Placekicker and the first NFL player born in Hong Kong, and popular streamer, Ovilee May. She is known for her prominent hosting for esports teams, major game publishers, and professional sports league productions. The premiere will feature NFL player, Daiyan Henley of the Los Angeles Chargers and Todd Gurley, NFL Legend and 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, teaming up with top gaming creators Xaryu and Pikaboo for an exciting episode inspired by classic “Brawl” games.
“NFL Offsides promises to deliver a dynamic mix of sports and gaming content that will strengthen our connection to Gen-Z fan communities,” said Ed Kiang, vice president of video gaming at the NFL. “We’re excited to partner with WePlay Studios to bring this game show to life with NFL players and Legends alongside top gaming creators.”
Each episode of NFL Offsides will be divided into three segments, with unique opportunities for viewers to engage with the talent throughout the show:
- Physical Challenge: A real-life recreation of video game-inspired sets and challenges that will test participants’ physical and strategic skills.
- Mystery Segment: An unpredictable twist where participants could face puzzles, quizzes, or surprise challenges led by the production team or their community in chat.
- Gaming Showdown: The ultimate test of reflexes and teamwork as participants go head-to-head in a leading video game title, pushing their competitive skills to the limit.
The show will be produced by WePlay Studios, a content production team specializing in creating entertainment shows and gaming formats worldwide.
“Sports and video games are united by passion. Inspired by iconic ‘90s game shows, we wanted to bring that nostalgic energy into a fresh format for today’s generation,” said Maksym Bilonogov, chief visionary officer and executive producer at WePlay Studios. “After a decade of refining audience engagement, we’re applying that expertise to NFL Offsides. Partnering with the biggest sports league in America, the NFL is an incredible opportunity.”
Future episodes will feature NFL players, Legends, and top gaming creators, including Terrell Owens, Jeffery Simmons, the Botez sisters, MMG, Repullze, Esfand, and more.
This new series is part of the broader NFL strategy aiming to attract the next generation of fans.
NexTide Media, a creator-first media agency and ad tech solutions partner of WePlay Studios, is driving brand integrations for NFL Offsides – connecting advertisers with this one-of-a-kind gaming-meets-sports experience.
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