The number of cryptocurrency deals in sports continues to climb. Crypto.com recently made headlines with a record-breaking $700 million naming rights deal for LA’s Staples Center. Meanwhile, the NFL’s Tom Brady and MLB’s Shohei Ohtani are cashing in with cryptocurrency hookups. In 2021, the value of cryptocurrencies soared. As a […]
Business and Commerce
Real Boss Perez Insists with the Creation of the Super League, ‘The Only Way to Control State-Owned Clubs’
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez believes the creation of the Super League is the only way to control state-owned clubs. Talking at a club general assembly on Saturday, Perez defended his plans to form a breakaway league, saying it will only help the development of football as a whole. “The […]
Illinois HBPA Rejects CDI’s Bid to Operate its ADW in the State
The board of directors of the Illinois Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association rejected its consent for Churchill Downs Incorporated’s TwinSpires advance-deposit wagering (ADW) betting platform to operate in the state of Illinois. Under Illinois law, horsemen get consent rights for an ADW platform to operate in the state. State law […]
DraftKings and FanDuel Still Waiting for Nevada Approvals
DraftKings and FanDuel still don’t have licenses to operate in Nevada, but that’s not for lack of trying. Both sportsbook companies have submitted applications to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Their applications, however, have been “pending” for a considerable amount of time. It seems strange that two of the biggest […]
Bettors Give Keeneland an 85th Anniversary Gift: Record Meet Handle
Keeneland threw itself an 85th anniversary party and horseplayers responded with a wagering gift: a record $181 million in all-sources handle for its just-concluded Fall Meet. The 17-day Fall Meet, which ran from Oct. 8-30, brought an all-sources handle of $181,009,626. That destroyed the previous mark of $164,680,229, set during […]
Michael Jordan’s Sneakers Sell for $1.47 Million, Breaking Auction Record
A pair of sneakers worn by Michael Jordan in his early days with the Chicago Bulls broke the public auction record on Sunday. The sneakers sold for $1.472 million. Subsequently banned by the NBA, the notorious sneaker design ignited sales of Nike’s Air Jordan 1. Last year, Christie’s auctioned a […]
Milwaukee Bucks Owner Quits Ozy Board Amid Bizarre Fraud Allegations
Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry quit as Chairman of Ozy Media amid allegations of corporate fraud. Ozy Media recently came under fire after its COO impersonated a YouTube executive to secure funding. And that wasn’t Ozy’s first bizarre misstep. Ozy Media was an up-and-coming online media company with a charismatic […]
Chicago Bears Enter Agreement to Buy Arlington Park From CDI
Four days after the gate went up on Arlington Park’s final race, Churchill Downs Incorporated announced it signed an agreement to sell the storied race track to the Chicago Bears. The story was first reported Tuesday evening by The Athletic. Under the Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA), the Bears will […]
Merger Roundup: MGM Buys Cosmopolitan, Endeavor Grabs OpenBet
It was another busy week in gambling mergers. MGM Resorts will pay $1.63 billion to operate The Cosmopolitan. Meanwhile, Endeavor will buy sports betting platform OpenBet from Scientific Games for $1.2 billion. While most of the mergers in the gambling industry involve sports betting, there are still a handful of […]
UK May Ban Gambling Ads on Jerseys Just as US Introduces Them
The UK is considering a ban on gambling company ads on the front of Premier League soccer jerseys. Meanwhile, Caesars Entertainment just announced it would advertise its sportsbook on the front of the Washington Capital’s NHL jerseys. The news highlights the countries’ contrasting sports betting history. Bookmakers have been legal […]
Another Race Track Enters the History Books: Arlington Park (1927-2021)
Arlington Park will command a lion’s share of the horse racing world’s attention Saturday. It will command that attention without a stakes race on its nine-race card. And many paying attention will do so with tears in their eyes. Saturday is the final day of Thoroughbred racing at Arlington Park. […]
DraftKings Bids $20 Billion for Entain in Sports Betting Mega Merger
DraftKings offered to acquire the UK-based sports betting and gambling company Entain. Entain has a 50% stake in BetMGM and operates the Ladbrokes, PartyPoker, bwin, Sportingbet and Coral brands. CNBC’s sources report the offer is for $20 billion in DraftKings’ stock and cash. Investors quickly reacted to the news. Entain’s […]
LA Clippers Intuit Dome Sets Record for Naming Rights, Toilets
Software provider Intuit will pay $500 million for the naming rights to the LA Clippers new arena. That 23-year contract set a record in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Intuit Dome will set another record — one for the highest toilet ratio in the league. The LA Clippers currently play at […]
Sports Betting Boosts NFL Opening Week Ratings and Ad Spending
CBS and NBC both reported a double-digit ratings increase for last week’s NFL games. Meanwhile, the NFL’s sportsbook partners treated viewers to roughly 100 ads. In related news, sports betting activity was at an all time high during the NFL’s opening week. Last season, NFL ratings slumped for the first time […]
Kentucky Downs Wrap: Bettors, Rosario Make it a Record-Setting Meet
Whether it was riding or betting, records fell in bunches during Kentucky Downs’ recently completed six-day meet. The boutique, all-turf track located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border destroyed its previous handle record, both for a single day and for the overall meet. Kentucky Downs came in with a six-day, all-sources handle […]
NFL Opening Week Yields Record Sports Betting Transactions
Indicating a sports betting record, GeoComply tracked 58.2 million sportsbook transactions in the four-day period from Thursday through Sunday. That’s 126% more than the geolocation company tracked during last year’s NFL season opener. Meanwhile, the number of upsets this week should bode well for sportsbooks — and less well for […]
Caesars Sells William Hill International to 888 Holdings for $3 Billion
888 Holdings PLC will acquire William Hill PLC’s international’s assets for $3.03 billion. Caesars Entertainment bought William Hill in April, intending to sell off its non-US businesses. The deal is expected to close early next year. Caesars Entertainment will net roughly $1.2 billion from the sale. Meanwhile, the acquisition will […]
Del Mar Wrap: Nothing Average About Record Average Daily Handle
Del Mar closed its 82nd summer season with a track record for daily average handle, watching horseplayers wager an average of nearly $18.4 million each day of the 31-day meet. That surpassed last year’s daily average of $17.3 million, which came without fans in the stands thanks to the pandemic. […]
Saratoga Closes the Gates On a Record Handle, Memorable Moments
Saratoga cracked $800 million in all-sources wagering handle for the first time in its storied history, ending its most successful summer meet with $815,508,063 in all-sources handle. That represented a 15.6% increase over the track’s previous record of $705,343,949 set in 2019. Saratoga set its new record last Wednesday, with […]
Kentucky Downs, NYRA Reach Agreement, New York Wagering Welcome
One day before Kentucky Downs begins its six-day meet, the track reached an agreement with the New York Racing Association that opens up wagering to NYRA’s markets and platforms. The late agreement means NYRA, its racetracks and its NYRA Bets advance deposit wagering (ADW) platform can access the track’s races. […]