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 16 #ICENorthAmerica 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.