Polymarket on its way back in the US, boom in problem gambling has been averted

Another week brought us fresh regulatory and business updates in the gambling industry, with a lot happening on the ground level. Let’s take a look.

Polymarket has grabbed headlines this week with the confirmed acquisition of a rival prediction market platform, QCX, LLC, for $112m. The deal was confirmed on Monday, July 21, by Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, who hailed this as an opportunity for his company to make its return to the United States.

The deal comes shortly after the US government dropped probes into the platform, essentially leaving Polymarket in the clear.

Resorts World New York City (RWNYC), the leading hotel and casino that is among the bidders for one out of the available three new downstate New York casino licenses, presented its vision to build the largest fully integrated resort in the state this week.

The multi-billion-dollar entertainment hub would house 6,000 slot machines,800 gaming tables, as well as 2,000 hotel rooms.

Business and finance

CVC Capital Partners grabbed headlines this week with an announcement that it would seek to acquire a 100% stake in Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), one of the foremost authorities in testing the fairness of games and products in the gambling industry.

The acquisition will go ahead through a recently-incorporated subsidiary, Avalon Buyer LLC, which is seeking to acquire sole ownership of GLI and several of its associated companies, including GLI affiliates Worldwide Laboratories LLC, and Kobetron LLC.

PointsBet’s ongoing saga involving Australian betting giant Betr and Japanese tech and gaming company MIXI continues as the company’s Board of Directors has, once again, rejected an unsolicited takeover bid by the betting operator.

Betr has been trying to buy out PointsBet and has been engaged in a bidding war against MIXI, which the company has generally considered to be the better option. The latest offer amounted to 3.81 Betr shares for every PointsBet share.

"The PointsBet Directors unanimously recommend that PointsBet shareholders accept the MIXI Takeover Offer, in the absence of a superior proposal," the statement released by the Board of Directors concluded.

The Nederlandse Loterij, the Dutch Lottery, will be searching for a new chairman after announcing the upcoming departure of its existing chair. Alexander Pechtold has confirmed his exit, as the lottery has startedlooking for a replacement.

Koin, a cashless gaming expert, has announced a newly-created Head of AI and Data Strategy position that has been filled by Hemash Bhatti, a tech veteran with more than 15 years of experience under his belt who has cut his teeth across Fortune 500 brands, helping them build and scale high-impact data and analytics products and best practices.

Evolution has opened its first dedicated live casino studio in Brazil, making an important stride forward in not just the recently-regulated market, but also the entire iGaming market in Brazil. The new studio will host Portuguese-speaking live dealers and bring a series of localized and popular Evolution games locally.

Among the titles that are coming are Blackjack Clássico, Blackjack Illimitado, and Brazilian Blackjack, all blackjack games, with the company also planning to localize XXXTreme Lightning Roulette as well as Crazy Time, one of its best-known and most innovative game shows, along with other popular titles.

BetParx has teamed up with IC360, securing enhanced monitoring capabilities, allowing the sportsbook to benefit from its new partner’s cutting-edge solutions, among which are IntegrityMonitoringDashboard, ProhiBet, and Playbook AI.

These tools are designed to flag suspicious betting activity and notify operators, which can, in turn, send an alert to relevant authorities who can further examine the legitimacy of the flagged contests that may involve all levels of play – from tier-one leagues and games to secondary events and feeder competitions.

Responsible gambling

The latest survey conducted by the National Council on Problem Gambling has indicated that there have been several key trends in gambling behavior across the United States. First, the number of problem gamblers has remained fairly unchanged since 2018, when 7% of the population reported suffering from at least one market of gambling-related harm.

In 2024, the number was 8%, but the NCPG noted that 38 states and the District of Columbia had regulated their gambling industries by that time. Conversely, the number of gamblers in sports betting dropped to 23% from 26% in 2021, when the NCPF conducted another similar survey.

Another report, by US News, has weighed in on the debate about problem gambling and gambling-related harm in the United States. According to the survey, 30% of the people who participated said that they now carry debt because they participate in gambling activities.

One in four people also confirmed that they have skipped on a bill as they chose to fund their gambling habit instead. The survey seeks to shed light on gambling behavior and add to the body of evidence that analyzes real-world gambling behavior by consumers.

The voice of the industry

Casino Guru News published a video interview with Matej Novota, Head of Casino Research at Casino Guru, with whom correspondent Daniela Vydumova discussed the success of the company’s Fair Gambling Codex and Complaint Resolution Center.

These initiatives, and others, have helped Casino Guru convince more than 700 casinos to change their terms and conditions for the better, offering stronger consumer protections in the process. The video interview is well worth watching in its entirety.

Casino Guru News also caught up with Ralitsa Georgieva, Octoplay’s Director of Business Development, with whom the publication discussed the studio’s strategy and development of solid, standalone products that transcend brand affinity and are powerful messages to players worldwide. You can find out more about the conversation with Georgieva here.

Not least, Casino Guru News also had the opportunity to catch up with beBettor Chief Insights Officer, Sonny Cott, who explained why assessing the wealth profile of affiliate traffic is a missing piece in the puzzle for iGaming operators. You can read the full interview with Cott here.

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