With tech giants like Amazon emerging as players in NFL broadcasting, ESPN is staking its reputation on streaming this weekend with its first-ever NFL “MegaCast.†The idea is to broadcast the Ravens vs. Titans wild-card game at 1:O5 p.m. ET across six Disney-owned networks with different viewer experiences on each. […]
Gambling Industry
Watch Out for Scams When Buying Sports Card Packs Online
With their popularity at perhaps an all-time high, it’s becoming increasingly harder to find sports card packs or boxes on retail shelves. And, hobby shops that sell online now jack up new product prices because the demand allows them to increase profits. In short, it’s tough out there for a […]
Rhode Island Online Sports Betting Revenues Boosted by Relaxed Registration
The Rhode Island Lottery reported a strong end to the year with online sportsbooks and the state setting revenue records in November. In total, online sportsbooks won $6.3 million during 2020’s penultimate month, some 43% higher than the previous record of $4.4 million set in October. The take from sportsbooks […]
Puerto Rico Starts New Year by Easing Restrictions on Online Sports Betting
As one of her final acts in office, Puerto Rico’s outgoing Governor, Wanda Vázquez Garced, signed Senate Bill 1534, which amended the country’s existing gambling laws to clear the way for online sports betting. Though the new law’s language isn’t specific, it seeks to allow job creation in the gaming […]
Disney Bets on ESPN Plus Subscribers Paying More for UFC Pay-Per-View
UFC regulars will pay more to watch premiere fights starting Friday, as ESPN Plus will up its pay-per-view rates on select matches. The price increase coincides with parent company Disney’s focus on streaming services and partnerships with sports betting operations. ESPN’s streaming service is the exclusive broadcast home of the […]
Entain Shares Soar as British Gambling Giant Rejects MGM’s $11 Billion Takeover Bid
Betting giant Entain, the Isle of Man-headquartered parent company of Ladbrokes, rejected an £8.1 billion ($11b) buyout offer from US partner MGM Resorts Monday, sparking a rally in its stock as MGM shares took a dip. Entain officials said the offer from MGM, owner of several high-end resorts and casinos […]
Kansas City Chiefs Consensus Favorites to Win Super Bowl 55 at Postseason Start
Fourteen teams qualified for the postseason this year, but it’s the defending Super Boal champions who are the team to beat. The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the co-favorites to win Super Bowl 55 since before the start of the preseason and now that the regular season is complete, […]
Steph Curry Explodes for Career-High 62 Points (Video)
After a slow start to the season, Steph Curry woke up, posting an explosive performance by dropping a career-high 62 points in a 15-point victory for the Golden State Warriors over the Portland Trail Blazers. Curry busted out of his long-range slump, knocking down eight 3-pointers on 8-for-16 shooting from […]
Here’s Where You Can Buy a $50,000 Box of Basketball Cards Tomorrow
What could you do with $50,000? Buy a nice sedan? Put a healthy down payment on your forever home? Maybe go on the blowout vacation of a lifetime across the globe? Or, you can use it to buy a box of basketball cards. Panini Eminence Starts at $5,000 Per Card […]
MGM and Digital Media Giant IAC Team Up to Acquire Ladbrokes’ Parent Company
MGM Resorts International, the parent company of BetMGM, is looking to start the new year big as it’s reportedly on the cusp of acquiring Entain, the parent of one of the biggest and oldest sportsbooks in the world, London-based Ladbrokes. With the backing of billionaire Barry Diller’s IAC Group, Entain, […]
Despite Topsy-Turvy Year, Horseracing’s 2020 Handle Falls Only 1.3%
Tracks closed, spectators were absent, and schedules were changed beyond recognition. Yet, amid a year unlike any other in Thoroughbred racing, the total 2020 US handle dipped only 1.3% from its 2019 totals. What was remarkable about that modest dip — from $10.871 billion in 2019 to $10.727 billion in […]
Online Sportsbook Gives Dogged Trump Bettors A Break From Losing
With President Donald Trump and his bettors apparent losers at the ballot box and at the betting window, the 2020 US Presidential election was as big a dream for bookmakers as the 2016 election was a nightmare. Yet one overseas bookmaker bucked the trend and got off the gravy train. […]
NHL Takes Center Stage in Lake Tahoe Six Decades After ‘Forgotten Miracle’
1960 was a very good year for Lake Tahoe. In January, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin purchased the Cal-Neva Lodge & Casino on the North Shore. In February, the 1960 Winter Games found their way to the granite-cliffed scar that would become known as Olympic Valley. And in the summer, […]
Can Life Is Good Duplicate His Electric Debut In Sham Stakes?
Yes, Saturday’s Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park is only a Grade 3. And yes, only five horses are entered. But no. These facts scare away exactly nobody interested in New Year Kentucky Derby reconnaissance. That’s because one of those five is Life Is Good. The same Life Is Good […]
Four Online Sports Gambling Startups to Watch in 2021
The online gambling world took away a lot of lessons last year. Big mergers happened in 2020 and will continue to happen this year as corporations keep pushing for monolithic hegemony. In the US, states will continue to regulate and open for business to become the next New Jersey, Pennsylvania, […]
Iowa Online Sports Betting Gets in the Game New Year’s Day as In-Person Registration Restriction Expires
Iowa was the first to legalize and spin up online sports gambling in the Midwest, but after almost a year and a half, the Hawkeye State is finally poised for exponential growth starting New Year’s Day. Online sports betting went live in Iowa in August 2019, well before neighboring states […]
Reebok For Sale: Can Master P and Baron Davis Save the Iconic Brand?
After 15 years, Adidas is throwing in the towel and putting Reebok up for sale. Hip-hop entrepreneur Perry “Master P” Miller and former NBA star Baron Davis think they can turn the iconic company around. Success won’t be a slam dunk, however, given Reebok’s hefty $2.4 billion price tag. Reebok […]
Into Mischief Takes Top Stallion Honors for Second Consecutive Year
That Into Mischief became North America’s leading stallion for the second consecutive year is borne out by facts that carry weight, heft and meaning beyond the breeding shed. Yes, there’s the $225,000 stud fee he commands. That hasn’t stopped would-be filly and mare owners from beating a path to his […]
Tiz the Law Prematurely Retired After Injury During Workout
Reigning Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law was retired to stud Wednesday, ending one of 2020’s most storied campaigns due to a veterinarian’s diagnosis. That diagnosis revealed bone bruises to his front leg bone. Those bruises were discovered when assistant trainer Robin Smullen noticed Tiz the Law […]
ESPN’s Herbstreit Tests Positive for COVID-19, will Work from Home New Year’s Day
Fire up the Zoom, crank up the Keurig, and make sure the mute button’s off. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit will broadcast from home after testing positive for COVID-19 on the eve of college football’s biggest weekend. The network’s college GameDay analyst tweeted Tuesday night that he was diagnosed with the virus […]