Online sports betting – FairOdds Network

July 3, 2026

Esports betting insights: Key takeaways from latest report

iGB looks at the key takeaways from Oddin.gg's latest esports betting report and the emerging narratives within the vertical.

Key learnings from Oddin.gg’s State of Esports Betting report:

Esports average bettor stake 7x higher than traditional sports

Betting volume grew a median of 31% YoY

€77 average stake at esports’ most important event

Live betting dominated vast majority of betting activity

Sophisticated betting markets are growing

Esports betting is a valuable but comparatively poorly understood vertical of the wider sports betting sector.

The phenomenon of watching esports events has long been popular but it accelerated in popularity significantly around the Covid-19 pandemic. It continues to attract a highly-engaged global audience both online and within physical arenas across the world. Top tournaments regularly manage to attract millions of concurrent viewers, according to data from Esports Charts.

However, tracking esports betting can be harder. One of the ma..

June 26, 2026

From player protection to channelisation: Why Europe’s World Cup gambling warnings have changed

As regulators warn of a surge in illegal betting during the World Cup, a deeper shift is taking place in how they think about consumer protection.

Every major football tournament brings a familiar set of anxieties. A decade ago, regulators approaching a World Cup or European Championship would typically focus their messaging on gambling-related harm, excessive advertising and the risk of vulnerable consumers being swept up in a month-long betting frenzy.

This summer, the tone sounds noticeably different.

Across Europe, regulators and industry bodies have spent much of the build-up to the FIFA World Cup warning consumers about illegal gambling operators. The French regulator, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has highlighted the threat posed by prediction markets, illegal affiliates and influencers. The Dutch regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has increased supervision of both legal and illegal advertising. In Britain, industry attention has focused heavily on black market acti..

June 26, 2026

SPA considers regulation of betting in Brazil a success

The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) points out that the regulated betting environment in Brazil is positive compared to the period without control of the activity. This assessment was made by the deputy secretary of monitoring and supervision of betting at SPA, Carlos Renato Xavier.

While participating in the “Future of Betting in Brazil” panel, Carlos Renato Xavier took stock of the first full year of betting regulation.

In his view, this period demonstrated the measure’s complete success.

“Regulating the betting sector in Brazil is already proving to be a successful solution when compared to the long period without rules,” the undersecretary said.

“The existence of a regulated environment, characterised by ongoing state involvement and the SPA’s focus on consumer protection regulations, the preservation of the public interest and the industry’s health, reduces conflicts and prevents problems from escalating due to a lack of oversight.”

He further noted that since regula..

June 24, 2026

Brazilian organisations support federal government crackdown on illegal betting

The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) and the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) expressed their support for the government's decision to combat illegal betting by suffocating payment institutions.

On Friday, President Lula signed a decree adopting a series of measures to combat illegal betting and strengthen the regulated market in Brazil.

For the ANJL, the measures represent another step forward in protecting the regulated market. They are the result of an ongoing process of institutional cooperation between the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), representatives of the regulated sector and other actors involved in the regulation of the sector.

According to data released by the minister of justice, Wellington César Lima, at a press conference on the subject, 25.2 million Brazilians bet on illegal websites. For the president of the ANJL, Plínio Lemos Jorge, the number shows the scale of the challenge and justifies the strengthening of the anno..

June 23, 2026

Major national operation exposes billion-dollar illegal betting scheme in Brazil

Operation Conto da Sorte is the government's first serious initiative to combat illegal betting and will be intensified to ensure the sustainability of the legal iGaming market in Brazil.

On Thursday, the Federal Revenue Service launched Operation Conto da Sorte, a joint action with state Public Prosecutors’ offices that revealed an illegal betting scheme involving 37 companies and an estimated financial movement of BRL50 billion ($9.7 billion).

The information was confirmed by the Minister of Finance Dario Durigan and by official statements from the federal government. He stated that there is zero tolerance for illegal bets.

The operation executed 14 search and seizure warrants in Pernambuco, Ceará and São Paulo. The focus was on collecting documents and media, and verifying the actual structure of the companies under investigation. In addition, the court ordered the freezing of up to BRL145 million in assets. This amount may be used to compensate for damages resulting from th..

August 12, 2024

New York sports betting revenue rises despite handle falling to 2024-25 low

An improved hold helped New York’s mobile sports betting market grow revenue year-on-year despite handle falling to its lowest total for the current fiscal year.
New York sports betting spend amounted to $1.26bn (£988.8m/€1.16bn) in July, according to the New York State Gaming Commission figures. This is 31.2% ahead of August 2023 but 14.3% behind the $1.47bn bet in June.

It is the lowest monthly handle since $1.11bn was wagered in August 2023.

July is traditionally one of the quieter months for US sports, with MLB the only league in action. This year, however, the final week of July did benefit from the start of the Olympic Games, while the US hosted football’s Copa América in the first half of the month, contributing to the year-on-year growth.

The growth in revenue was down to a stronger hold. Revenue hit $140.3m, up 33.5% year-on-year and 4.8% up month-on-month. Across all operators hold improved to 11.1%, compared to 9.1% for June 2024.

FanDuel continues New York sports bett..

August 12, 2024

Report: DC attorney-general prepping investigation into Intralot’s mismanagement of wagering platform

According to the Washington City Paper, DC attorney-general Brian Schwalb has requested documents from lottery contractor Intralot. The request may mean the AG's office is looking into whether or not the company violated the city's “false claims” law.
What Schwalb’s office learns from the request will determine next steps, according to the City Paper report on Thursday (8 August). But if the AG’s office finds Intralot broke the law, it could fine the company.

It would also seem that likely that Schwalb’s office could create a compliance plan for Intralot or prohibit it from doing business with the city.

Intralot’s most recent lottery and sports betting contract expired on 15 July. The lottery did not renew the wagering contract. It did request and get approval from the DC Council for a one-year $39m contract extension for “lottery gaming systems and related services”. The Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG) initially asked the council for a two-year extension, that include..

August 9, 2024

Bowyer pleads guilty; sentencing for US illegal bookie set for February

Mathew Bowyer, who ran an illegal bookmaking business for at least five years in California, pleaded guilty on Friday (9 August) to three federal charges. Bowyer had more than 700 customers, including former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
Bowyer told Judge John W Holcomb, “I was running an illegal gambling operation, laundering money through other people’s bank accounts.” The hearing was held at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and US Courthouse in Santa Ana, California.

That is the same location at which Mizuhara pleaded guilty to stealing $17m from Ohtani to bet with Bowyer. Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison and is set to be sentenced in October.

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison. Photo by Jill R Dorson
Holcomb set Bowyer’s sentencing for 7 February 2025. He faces a maximum of 18 years in prison and three years of probation. He could be fined $750,000 or two times the “gross gain or gross loss resulting from the of..

August 9, 2024

State of the Union: Nebraska slow down, Penn eyes Alberta, FanDuel sued

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.
Legal digital wagering stalled in Nebraska
Nebraska lawmakers don’t seem ready to introduce digital sports betting, although the state’s traditionally anti-gambling governor is now supportive. Gambling proceeds are earmarked for property tax relief, which is a priority for lawmakers.

Legal digital sports betting is stalled in Nebraska. The state legislature has been in special session since 25 July. The General Affairs Committee held a hearing on the subject last week. But since then, lawmakers appear divided.

One source said that Governor Jim Pillen, traditionally anti-gaming, now supports an expansion. Pillen previously said that he plans to introduce legislation in January. He appears open to any gambling expansion to increase state tax revenue. Friday is day 10 of the special session, which does not have ..

August 9, 2024

Online slots growth pushes Lithuania gambling revenue to €116m in H1

Gambling revenue in Lithuania increased 12.6% year-on-year to €116.0m (£99.3m/$126.7m) in H1 with a strong online performance mitigating a decline in land-based revenue.
Figures from the Lithuania Gaming Control Authority show H1 revenue was clear of the €108.5m reported in the same period last year.

Starting with the online market, revenue for the channel climbed 12.5% year-on-year to €72.2m. Player spending increased by 8.7% to €1.05bn, winning $973.1m in the process.

Slots reign supreme in Lithuania online gambling market
Category A online slots – games with unlimited winnings – were undoubtedly the star of the show in H1. These slots generated €53.5m in revenue, more than any other segment across both the online and land-based market in Lithuania. Player spending on these machines also hit a market-high of €627.7m, up 6.2%.

For Category B online slots, with maximum stakes of LTL1 (€0.3) and wins limited to 200 times customer bets, revenue was flat at €1.8m in H1. In addition, o..

August 9, 2024

FanDuel took $78.5m in handle during its three-month run as DC’s sole digital platform

FanDuel finished out its short-lived run as the sole city-wide digital sports betting provider with $23.2m in handle for June and nearly $10m for two weeks in July. The DC Lottery released the revenue reports for the operator this week.
FanDuel earlier this year took over digital sports betting for the lottery, which previously used the much-maligned GamBetDC app provided by contractor Intralot. More than four years after launching GamBetDC, the lottery announced in March that it had subcontracted with FanDuel to take over online wagering. FanDuel went live in April.

Between then and now, the DC Council approved a more competitive market and the lottery allowed Intralot’s sports betting contract to expire on 15 July. Because Intralot was no longer providing digital sports betting services to the lottery, FanDuel temporarily shuttered before relaunching through a partnership with Audi Field days later.

DC sports betting revenue is currently reported by two agencies. The DC Lottery ..

August 8, 2024

Penn CEO Snowden: “Don’t believe everything you read” on M&A, points to late August NY launch

Penn Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden refused to comment on speculation of competitors teaming up to acquire the operator during Thursday's quarterly earnings call. Instead, he talked up deeper and deeper integrations with partner ESPN.
On Thursday’s (8 August) earnings call, Snowden said the company will be live in the biggest legal market in the US – New York – by the start of the college football season. He also addressed the controversial winners’ surcharge that DraftKings is floating. But his main focus was acquisition rumours.

The ESPN Bet launch last November brought the premier sports media brand into the betting sector. Snowden said it was a milestone moment. But it hasn’t yet translated into a podium position for Penn Entertainment.

Blended market share across six states averaged 6% for March, and investors have started to question Penn’s digital strategy. This led to rumours of a sale, suggesting Boyd Gaming would bite. Those rumours evolved into a joint approach with ..

August 2026
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

Tag: Online sports betting