Underdog Fantasy, a fantasy sports platform describing itself as “the best place to play fantasy sports,” has secured Xpoint’s backing. Under the agreement, the geolocation technology specialist will become the Mark Cuban-backed platform’s official geolocation partner.

Xpoint to Supply Underdog Fantasy with Geolocation

Xpoint, which provides geolocation solutions to sportsbooks and gambling operators all over the world, has agreed to power Underdog Fantasy with geolocation tech. The company announced that the daily fantasy sports specialist has already adopted Xpoint Lite, a geolocation solution tailored to the needs of fantasy sports operators. With Xpoint Lite integrated into Underdog Fantasy’s platform, the latter company will be able to provide its customers with experiences that are safer, securer and fraud-free.

Xpoint Lite is designed especially for daily fantasy sports operators and is compatible with web and app platforms. It is also compatible with Xpoint’s Xpoint Verify solution, the company’s famed real-money sports wagering and online gambling tech.

Underdog Fantasy, meanwhile, is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sports companies in the USA. The platform is backed by an experienced team of decorated industry veterans and is ambitious on becoming a leading force in American fantasy sports. Underdog Fantasy’s objective is to engage sports enthusiasts with exciting contests and fantasy sports games while driving innovation in the sector with fresh ideas.

Xpoint Is Well-Positioned to Help Its New Partner

Matt Garrigan, Underdog Fantasy’s senior director of sports betting, spoke about the new agreement. He expressed his company’s excitement to join forces with Xpoint and provide players with safe and fun experiences while complying with local rule sets. Garrigan lauded Xpoint as a “believer in innovation,” praising the company for thinking outside the box, just like Underdog Fantasy.

Xpoint’s chief executive officer, Marvin Sanderson, also commented on the agreement. He said that he couldn’t be happier to add Underdog Fantasy to Xpoint’s list of live partners. The CEO said that he is happy to see so many new companies seek Xpoint’s solutions.

This is a critical time for Xpoint, as we grow and expand our North American footprint. Now we have multiple partners live across the USA and Canada, with millions of location checks taking place, ahead of our targeted growth position by this point in 2022, and with a very bright 2023 ahead.

Marvin Sanderson, CEO, Xpoint

Sanderson concluded that Xpoint is well-positioned to help Underdog Fantasy differentiate itself from its competitors and rise as a leading force in US fantasy sports.

A few weeks ago, Xpoint also agreed to supply the sports betting operator Rivalry with geolocation solutions.

International casino and entertainment company offering online sports betting and iGaming solutions Bally’s Corporation has sealed a labor neutrality deal with the 10th largest union in the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO), the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). The latter counts around 400,000 active members spread across 123 local unions in the US and Canada.

The agreement concerns Bally’s Tropicana property in Las Vegas, and it would allow both parties to adopt a neutral approach when organizing campaigns that will allow all Tropicana Las Vegas staff members to make informed decisions when choosing their union representatives.

Bally’s, Eager to Keep Fostering Its Relationship with IUOE

Bally’s chairman Soo Kim spoke about its employees as its “most valuable asset,” explaining the corporation’s effort to make sure that they maintain their rights to select who should represent them legally. Kim also spoke about their “established track record of building positive relationships with organized labor” while expressing their interest in fostering their ties with IUOE in the future.

At the same time, IUOE Local 501’s organizing director Jose Soto spoke about the way Bally’s and IUOE were “aligned” in their joint efforts to promote employee representation at a local level locally as well as at a national level. This relationship, Soto explained, was based on the proof of integrity and commitment shown by Kim and his crew.

More Growth at the Horizon

At the moment, Bally’s is the owner and manager of 15 casinos located in 10 US states, a horse racetrack in Colorado, global online gaming operator Bally’s Interactive International, first-in-class sports betting platform Bally Bet, and promising iCasino platform Bally Casino. Bally’s also has access to OSB licenses in 18 different states and a total of 10,500 employees responsible for managing and overseeing 500 table games, 15,000 slot machines, and 5,300 hotel rooms.

Bally’s also sealed a multi-project labor deal with the Chicago & Cook County Building & Construction Trades Council as well as the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department. The new agreement would allow the New York Stock Exchange-listed company to build a temporary flagship casino in Chicago, raising the number of total casinos owned by the company to 16. At the start of the month, Bally’s representatives met with a number of local business representatives and locals in Chicago to discuss concerns regarding parking spaces and future job opportunities.

Bally’s also expressed its intention to build a brick-and-mortar casino next to the Nittany Mall in State College, Pennsylvania, turning the number of casinos up to 17. At the end of March, Bally’s Corporation announced plans to build an integrated resort in Fukuoka, Japan.

November marks another strong month for regulated mobile betting operators in New York, data released by the gambling regulator in the state reveals. The New York State Gaming Commission, the body tasked with the regulation of sports betting in the state, released its latest report, outlining that both betting handle and mobile sports betting gross gaming revenue (GGR) increased last month.

Mobile Betting GGR Hits Record in November

The new report reveals that the betting handle in November hit a new record for the last six months. Overall, the mobile sports wagering handle in November was $1.55 billion, marking an increase from the $1.54 billion reported a month earlier, in October. Not unexpectedly, with the increase in the betting handle, the GGR for mobile sports betting soared as well.

In total, mobile sports betting GGR last month was $148,221,832, marking the highest result since the launch of the activity back in January. Moreover, the result from November marked the third consecutive month with an increase in sports wagering GGR after, in October, GGR was $145.7 million, while in September, it hit $143.3 million.

A breakdown provided by the gambling watchdog reveals that the net revenue for the operators in November was $72.6 million. When compared to the $71.4 million in revenue reported a month earlier, in October, this result marked another increase. Similarly, the net revenue for the state, based on the 51% tax rate for online sportsbooks, increased as well, hitting $75.6 million, up from $74.3 million reported in October.

FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars Lead in Betting Handle and GGR

According to a further breakdown released by the New York State Gaming Commission, FanDuel was the leader in terms of betting handle and mobile betting GGR in November. The operator reported a total of $646.2 million in betting handle which resulted in int $78.3 million in betting GGR. This result translated to $38.4 million in net revenue FanDuel and $39.9 million for the state.

DraftKings was another operator at the helm of sports betting in New York last month. Overall, the operator reported a betting handle of $498.7 million in November, marking a decrease when compared to the $534.6 million reported in October. Despite the lower handle, mobile GGR in October was $41.1 million, while in November, it soared to $42.3 million, bringing $20.7 million in net revenue for DraftKings and $21.6 million in revenue for the state.

In November, Caesars Entertainment was the operator with the third-highest revenue and GGR in New York, judging by the gambling regulator’s latest report. The betting handle reported by Caesars hit $200.3 million, delivering $14,923,067 in mobile betting GGR. This result came significantly close to the $14,923,209 reported in GGR for October but fell short of the $18.6 million reported in September.

Tabcorp is firmly committed to its long-term sustainability and positive environmental impact. These are the conclusions that one can draw from reading through the company’s FY22 sustainability report, which covers the company’s sustainability and environmental-centric activities both before and after the demerger with The Lottery Corporation. The report spans the period from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, which is the financial year for Tabcorp.

Charting a Course for Responsible Gambling Future

A big focus of the year has been the company’s dedication to maintaining a sustainable industry through responsible gambling. Tabcorp has focused on helping its customers and introduced a number of measures designed to better allow players to get in control of their gaming habits. Tabcorp has worked on the introduction of a range of tools that help customers set deposit and spending limits, self-exclusion options and more.

The company has been on top of consumer behavior that points to problem gambling and has been able to conduct reviews of at-risk players to help them not go too far with their gambling or be connected with responsible gambling tools, leading to early prevention in what could have been a serious problem otherwise. Tabcorp commented:

Where a customer acknowledges having a gambling problem or we believe the customer is no longer able to hold an account responsibly, we may close the account temporarily or permanently.

Tabcorp sustainability report

Tabcorp took its responsible gambling efforts a notch further also implementing systems that allow it to establish whether players who have self-excluded are trying to set up new accounts and participate in gambling.

Protecting Vulnerable Consumers Becomes the Focal Point of Company Sustainability

The lessons learned during the FY22 will be reapplied over the next years, the report confirmed. The company’s commitment to sustainability and responsible gambling has been clear from the very start. Tabcorp chairman Bruce Akhurst and Group CEO Adam Rytenskild both welcome the opportunity to make sure that all business operations are focusing on the well-being of participants and customers.

Both executives admitted that Tabcorp had to face some challenging times, especially with COVID-19 suppressing results and diminishing spending power, but at the same time, the company has made good progress toward achieving a status of a leader when it comes to sustainability in the industry.

Similarly, Tabcorp is also keen to reduce its dependence on revenue that is generated from problem gambling or vulnerable gamblers.

Lottery.com has been struggling with a myriad of difficulties. Adding to the company’s woes, Amer Rustom, one of its directors, announced his departure after less than two months with the company.

Rustom Left the Company Five Days Ago

Amer Rustom, a member of Lottery.com’s board of directors, handed in his resignation five days ago, announcing his leave with an immediate effect. His exit comes less than two months after he was appointed as a director. For reference, Rustom joined the lottery giant in October, alongside Vladimir Klechtchev.

Rustom and Klechtchev joined the company because the Nasdaq required the lottery firm to have at least three members on its board. Prior to these appointments, the company had lost a bunch of experienced individuals, including its chief executive, Lawrence DiMatteo.

While Lottery.com refrained from providing further insight into what prompted Rustom’s departure, it is possible that it was prompted by the recent turmoil within the company. While this cannot be certain, it should be kept in mind that Richard Kivel, ex-chair of the company, cited the aforementioned problems as the reason for his personal resignation a month ago.

As of the time of this writing, Lottery.com is yet to announce who will succeed Rustom as a director.

Lottery.com has experienced a lot of setbacks. At the beginning of November, Kivel resigned from his position as chairman of the company, providing insights into what prompted his departure. He cited the postponed arrival of the money from Woodford Eurasia and the federal investigation into Lottery.com’s chief compliance officer, Dennis Ruggeri, as the main reasons for his decision.

Kivel accused the company’s higher-ups of jeopardizing its business and continuously hurting Lottery.com’s ability to recover. He claimed that he did his best to perform as a fiduciary and support the company’s business but noted that all of his efforts were obstructed by people aligned with problematic investors.

It should also be mentioned that when the investigations began, it was found out that Lottery.com had overestimated its cash holdings by $30 million, which hurt the company’s ability to pay wages. It also prevented the lottery operator from sending its Q2 report to the Securities and Exchange Commission, despite the risks of getting delisted from the Nasdaq.

When the trouble started, Lawrence DiMatteo, the company’s ex-chief executive, was quick to leave the company, marking the start of continued internal turmoil that saw the resignation of other notable personnel.

Online security experts met last week to discuss the worrying trend of increasing cyberattacks against casinos and other leisure operators, a new report reveals. The recent discussion comes ahead of planned changes to the cyber regulations in Nevada.

Cyberattacks Impact Gambling Operators

During the conference, experts from the cyber security industry warned that casinos and other entertainment industries may be impacted by cyberattacks, a new report released by CDC Gaming reveals. The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States gathered cyber security experts that discussed some recent cases of cyberattacks and flagged the importance of mechanisms and solutions that protect customer and company data.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board’s senior policy Administrative Division counsel, Michael Morton, reminded that Las Vegas has been impacted multiple times via different cyberattacks which resulted in leaks of personal information. At the start of the pandemic, around March 2020, the gambling regulator in the state acknowledged that two Las Vegas operators were victims of a cyberattack.

“It shut down the casinos’ websites and affected hotel check-in procedures to the point where guests had to pay cash to get into their rooms, because none of the computer systems was working.“

Michael Morton, senior policy counsel of the Administration Division at the Nevada Gaming Control Board

The cyberattack impacted Binion’s and Four Queens, Morton reminded, saying that the two venues had issues with their operations for nearly a week. He explained that the cyberattack impacted the operation of slots as well as hotel check-ins, bringing difficulties for the two downtown casinos.

Cyberattacks can negatively impact businesses and result in thousands or even millions in losses. Morton added that one such cyberattack impacted Las Vegas Sands. It is believed that the attack originated from Iran and resulted in some $40 million in losses for the operator to remedy the impact.

Operators Need to Defend Themselves from Cyberattacks

Michael Tobin, Continent 8 Technologies’ founder and CEO, who was also present at the conference added that cyberattacks, in particular denial-of-service attacks, have seen an uptick of 400% in the last year. Moreover, he warned that other attacks have increased by 300% in the last year and a half.

Tobin warned that amid the growing AI technologies and the development of supercomputers, those attacks are likely to get even worse. This is one of the prime reasons, he added, why companies need to be prepared with a complex framework to protect their business data and the data of their customers.

“There will always be bad guys and you have to be one step ahead of them.“

Michael Tobin, founder and CEO of Continent 8 Technologies

Continent 8 Technologies’ boss told the story of a gaming operator that runs a sports betting platform that suffered from a cyberattack back in October. Tobin did not reveal the name of the company but said that the attack lasted for five days and the operator asked for help. Acknowledging that the company was able to handle the attack, Tobin pointed out that this was likely one of the biggest cyberattacks this year on a global scale.