Betting sites offer software blocks for compulsive gamblers
(AP Photo/Wayne Parry)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Some sports betting companies are offering tools that allow compulsive gamblers to block themselves from most online sites. Unibet last week announced it was making software from U.K.-based Gamban available to customers in the U.S. The software blocks thousands of licensed and unlicensed gambling sites and is constantly updated to add new ones as they appear. And states including New Jersey offer state-administered self-exclusion lists where gamblers can prohibit themselves from gambling for differing periods, or permanently. “We strongly support the ability of gamblers to self-exclude through both the operator and on their own personal devices,” he said.
Fewer brackets but same number plan bets on March Madness
But 8% fewer plan to fill out brackets pools because many offices remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Fewer Americans expect to fill out brackets for the NCAA's college basketball tournament this year, but the overall number of people making bets on March Madness should remain about the same as the last time the tournament was held, according to the gambling industry's national trade association. The American Gaming Association released figures Sunday predicting that more than 47 million Americans plan to make a bet — legal or otherwise — on March Madness this year. That's about the same number that said they planned to bet on the 2019 tournament. “The sports betting landscape has changed dramatically since 2019, and as a result, tournament betting has transformed,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said.
Virus aid, no new taxes top US gambling industry 2021 goals
(AP Photo/Wayne Parry)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The U.S. gambling industry wants additional financial aid from the next round of coronavirus stimulus legislation, and promises to fight new or higher taxes on its operations as it works to recover from the pandemic. In an online speech outlining the industry's goals for 2021, Miller predicted the gambling industry's fortunes will improve this year, particularly in the second half, as more people become immunized and economic activity picks up. That’s an environment where gaming will thrive.”Like most other industries, the gambling industry was hit hard by the pandemic. Last year, for the first time, the U.S. gambling industry was included in a federal relief package. Internet gambling, while available in only four states, generated nearly $1.4 billion in revenue and $340 million in taxes over the first 11 months of 2020.
US casinos recovering from virus, but challenges remain
(AP Photo/Wayne Parry)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – America's casinos are recovering from months of closures necessitated by the coronavirus outbreak, having regained 81% of the gambling revenue they saw in the third quarter of last year, the casinos' trade association said Monday. But that recovery is threatened in places as the virus continues to surge throughout the country. It found that the industry won over $9 billion in the third quarter of this year, which is 81% of the amount it won during the same period a year earlier, when there was no virus and casinos were operating normally. “While these quarterly results are promising, the reality is a full recovery is dependent on continued public health measures to control prevalence rates” of the virus. Revenue from slot machines was $5.87 billion for the quarter, down 19.3%, and table games revenue was $1.57 billion, down 31.2%.