ICE North America Digital - Day 2 ICE NA Digital Event Guide - Day 2-v6 | Page 16

REPLACING THE ACTION
With almost all land-based venues shuttered and sporting action suspended,
Robin Harrison looks at the options available for US operators as they
attempt to retain and monetize their sportsbook customers
The US sports betting industry has been stopped
dead in its tracks by the novel coroavirus pandemic.
While the National Football League (NFL) is in its
off-season, all other major US leagues have been
suspended as a result of Covid-19.
Early on in the outbreak, Rush Street Interactive
tried to put a brave slant on proceedings, claiming
a significant uptick in betting on sports such as
table tennis, Australian rules football and Belarusian
soccer.
“With major events being postponed, we can really
showcase our broad offering of sports around the
world,” Rush Street Interactive operations chief
Mattias Stetz said. “We have rugby, soccer in Hong
Kong and basketball in Turkey, along with others.
“For any sports going on anywhere in the world, we
try our best to have it.”
Within days, all of Australia’s major sports leagues
followed their European counterparts in suspending
fixtures until further notice. Fixture information
provided to iGB North America by sports data
specialist Abelson Info reveals that beyond soccer
in diverse countries such as Belarus, Burundi
and Tajikistan, as well as some semi-professional
basketball in Asia, betting is largely restricted to
Australian racing. Not that there are many places to
bet on these sports today.
With all commercial casinos shuttered, and only
small tribal gaming venues still open, it is almost
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impossible to place an over-the-counter bet. For
states with online wagering, the range of markets
available aren’t the sort that can drive customer
activity.
“It’s obviously a very difficult time for all businesses
associated with the sports betting industry,” Keith
O’Loughlin, senior vice president of sportsbook
and platforms for Scientific Games’ SG Digital
subsidiary, says. “There’s a very limited number
of live events available for bettors to get involved
with, which is having a significant impact on
engagement.”
O’Loughlin says it’s “paramount” for the supplier to
support its partners during the crisis.
“We’re sourcing and adding further content to our
OpenSports offering during this time to provide
operators with the relevant tools to keep engaging
with their customer base.”
These measures appear to have had a limited
impact on shoring up sports betting revenue.
New Jersey saw sports revenue drop 58.4%
in March, and Indiana’s monthly total declined
50.5%. While Pennsylvania benefitted from a high
hold percentage to post a month-on-month revenue
increase, handle was down 60.2%. Iowa also
reported a month-on-month increase in revenue,
though handle dropped 66.5%. The worst decline
was seen in Mississippi, which saw sports betting
revenue for March plummet 86.8% year-over-year.