NFL Season Off to a Fast Start
Plus: Caesars and MGM hacked, Underdog sued, PrizePicks pushes back against NY.
Welcome to your weekly roundup! Hope you enjoyed the first week of the NFL. This week: more on the NFL’s big first week, two major cybersecurity attacks hit Caesars and MGM Resorts, and how to uncover betting scandals. If you liked reading this, please subscribe or share it with a friend. Have a great week!
Market Movers
Record NFL opening week: GeoComply said 242.3 million geolocation transactions occurred during the NFL’s first week, a 56% jump from last year. New player accounts increased 40% to 1.1 million. And downloads of sportsbook apps was up 15% from a year ago. FanDuel (34%) and DraftKings (33%) led, but Fanatics and its PointsBet unit came in third at 12%, topping BetMGM at 11%.
Caesars pays about $15 million to hackers: Caesars paid a ransom to hackers after a cyberattack this summer, according to the WSJ. MGM Resorts also had a cybersecurity problem that caused the shut-down of slot machines, sports betting machines, card keys for hotel rooms and online reservations.
Underdog sued: Underdog Fantasy is facing a lawsuit accusing the company of unlicensed sports betting. But the judge in the Illinois case has ruled that the plaintiff Mark Lavery must make a stronger case by Sept. 29 or the case will be dismissed. Lavery has filed a number of other lawsuits against Underdog, DraftKings and others.
PrizePicks, Underdog, others push back against NY, Michigan: Some daily fantasy sports operators are enlisting their customers to try to keep their pick’em games in New York and Michigan. New potential rules in these states would define their games as sports betting.
What are the prospects for Prohibet? The company, which launched in April, detects gambling activities by athletes for regulators, operators and leagues.
What we’re reading
SI profiled Henderson, Nevada-based U.S. Integrity, which sniffs out “irregularities” in sports betting for clients such as NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, SEC and sportsbooks.
Are NFL long passes going the way of the dinosaur? “There were 3,416 attempts at least 15 yards downfield during the 2022 regular season, the fewest in any season since 2006.”
Vista Equity is reportedly shopping AI sports data outfit Stats Perform.
How it’s going with the Washington Commanders’ in-stadium Fanatics sportsbook—the first in the NFL.
BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, and PENN have bid to offer sports betting in Vermont.
DraftKings says its 18-month product pipeline of parlay leg tracking, dynamic odds, NBA same game parlay and more MLB offerings will put it “at parity, if not above” FanDuel.
Overheard
“In the early days, there was a view that maybe you shouldn’t be able to bet at a sports book inside the stadium. But I think as sports betting has matured, and you realize, well, people are doing it on their phones anyway.” Ari Borod, chief business officer for Fanatics’ betting arm, on the sportsbook at FedEx Field.
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