Global Sports Betting Roundup: Chelsea FC Sold, Flutter Entertainment’s Q1, and More

It has been another busy week in the global sports betting industry. Chelsea FC was sold, Flutter Entertainment released their Q1 earnings report, regulators in a host of countries managed to stay newsworthy, and a few sportsbooks grabbed headlines as well.

Let’s take a peek into some of the more eye-catching global sports betting stories and how they could affect the legal gambling landscape worldwide.

On The Field News

Premier League side Chelsea FC was sold last week to a consortium of investors, the biggest of which was Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers. The sale price was a cool $5.2 billion.

Of extra interest is the fact that Boehly has invested heavily in American sports betting heavyweight DraftKings, and also has significant stock in sports betting data company Sportradar.

What it all means for the global sports betting scene is anyone's guess. But one thing is sure, it should be interesting.

Flutter Entertainment Releases Q1 Earnings Report

Last week, Flutter Entertainment Plc reported its Q1 financial numbers and by all accounts, the company was happy with what they called a “positive start to year trading.” Quarter 1, which ended March 31 saw Flutter generate group revenues of £1.56 billion globally, a 6% jump from Q1 2021 earnings of £1.48 billion. The company reported 8.8 million active monthly players being added to its portfolio over the three-month period.

It was Flutter's U.S. gambling behemoth FanDuel that carried the way for the company with a quarterly revenue jump of 45% to $574 million. The company’s European entities on the other hand revealed a 20% dip in overall revenues.

FanDuel is now the number one sportsbook operating in the exploding U.S. legal scene with a whopping 37% market share. Hopes are that Flutter can get their European brands Betfair and Sky Bet specifically, on par with what Flutter’s American assets have been accomplishing.

Delasport Documents Potential Changes To German Gambling Market

Delasport, a sports betting and online casino solutions provider, released a report on May 5 detailing the changing landscape of the German market. The country is rolling out legal online poker and casino gaming such as slots in addition to their widely popular sports betting options.

According to Goldmedia, 12% of those polled partake in some form of casino activity online daily, and 32% play on a weekly basis. As far as sports betting, some 15% of respondents to their study said they bet daily and another 29% said they gamble weekly.

The new 2021 Interstate Treaty on Gambling has been laid out and is in the process of implementing a broad set of new rules for prospective operators in the country. Taxes on the gambling industry are about to be raised, bonuses that gambling providers offer are about to change, and gambling advertising is about to be more regulated and less frequent across Germany.

Global Lottery Monitoring System Reports 300 Alerts in Q1

A body that tracks nefarious activity on the global sports scene, the Global Lottery Monitoring System, is out with their quarterly number of "alerts" they received. According to their data, 300 alerts were reported in the first three months of this year — 14 were classified as "red alerts." Those involved suspicious odds changes, member information, and rumors of match-fixing from a named source.

Football accounted for 176 of the 300 alerts, basketball had 57, hockey 35, followed by eSports, tennis, and volleyball.

GLMS president Ludovico Calvi said: “Over the past three months, GLMS monitoring activities have increased, working on events this year, together with FIFA for the African Cup (AFCON) and the IOC for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games."

Australian Sportsbooks Influencing Government?

An interesting report out of Australia by ABC News has revealed just how much of an influence sportsbooks have on governments in that country. Thanks to a Freedom of Information request, investigators were able to identify proposed tax hikes in the country's Northern Territory being put on hold after blowback from gambling providers.

Sportsbooks do provide jobs and tax contributions across Australia and it's Northern Territory but there has always been a quiet effort to get those tax rates higher in order to benefit the jurisdictions a little more. Those efforts have gone nowhere thanks to sportsbook intervention.

Brazil Reinstates “Working Group” To Help With Gambling Laws

Brazilian authorities on May 5 showed their seriousness in getting their new laws implemented with the re-forming of a “working group” to oversee their revamping of the country’s casino, horseracing, bingo, and instant game industries. The group will ensure that casino operators fall in line with what the Chamber of Deputies laid out with Bill-442/1991, a bill that allows government interaction in gambling regulation.

Regulation of Brazil’s betting industry and the estimated 3000 wagering sites has been a battle but looks like things are about to get serious in Brazil.

Check out the latest comprehensive and most trusted Sportsbook Reviews by SBR here. 

Fines for Swedish Online Casinos Upheld

Three casino operators in the Swedish market — Casinostugan, ComeOn, and Snabbare — lost their appeal to overturn fines they received from Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling regulators for "duty of care failures."

The incidents surrounded the companies providing huge bonuses for big cash deposits, them engaging in "risky gambling," and making available free games, among other violations.

The courts ruled overwhelmingly in the regulator's favor and could function as a cautionary tale for gambling providers in the Swedish market.

Belgium To Limit Sportsbook Advertising

Belgium has become the latest country to signal its intention on limiting or even banning advertising for its betting providers. Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborn is proposing a huge slowdown of gambling advertising by the end of the year, with 2024 being identified as the year that all sports betting marketing will end across his country.

The proposed ban would include all forms of media, from TV, radio, internet-based site, social media, print publications, and even posters in public areas.

Belgium is just the latest European jurisdiction to go after betting providers' advertising campaigns. Italy and Spain already have a complete sport betting advertising ban in place. The UK and Netherlands are currently working on similar sportsbook advertising bans.

888SPORT Re-Signs With the NFL

This would be bigger news in the U.S. but 888Holdings has extended its official sports betting partnership with the NFL. The move provides a necessary boost to 888's exposure in the UK and Ireland markets.

Through the agreement, 888sport will get branding rights for Wembley Stadium during the NFL's stops in London plus huge branding opportunities with anything NFL in the UK. 888sports will also get their logo flying outside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the NFL's games there this upcoming season.

It could be a sneaky good move for the sports betting provider as they bet on one of the most bet on leagues in the world.

Betway and Rivalry Corp Expand Reach

Global sports betting provider Betway has announced market access into the Buenos Aires market thanks to a partnership with Bingo Pilar. Betway’s sports betting, casino, and esports offerings will go live for Buenos Aires’ three million residents and are expected to gain a fair amount of attention in the Latin American market, where Betway has enjoyed success so far.

Canadian sportsbook Rivalry Corp announced that they have secured market access in Australia, to add to their presence in the exploding Canadian market. It is the second market that Rivalry, which hopes to make a global splash, will be live in. Traditional sports and esports offerings will be coming to Australia thanks to Rivalry’s deal with the Northern Territory Racing Commission (NTRC).

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