This week’s were talking about sports betting news with the Super Bowl just two weeks away. Our gambling news focuses on sports betting advertising and marketing, and the growing concerns that bonuses, free bets, and credit card use will lead to more gambling addiction.
Hello friends, and welcome to This Week in Gambling. our last show before I take a week off and head to London for the International Casino Expo! So, this show had better be good! While I’m away, the Super Bowl will play! And FanDuel has seized this opportunity to put their name right in the middle of the game… literally! The Kick of Destiny Super Bowl promotion will feature Rob Gronkowski trying to kick a 25-yard field goal! And if he does, FanDuel is going to give their players a share of $10 million in free bets! Of course, for weeks I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that these sorts of promotions could end up backfiring on our industry as concerns over problem gambling continued to grow. And don’t look now, but here they come.
Back in September I warned that U.S sports betting could be headed for trouble due to the relentless, aggressive barrage of gambling advertisements we’ve seen from the biggest U.S sports betting operators. And now, the biggest sports betting state in the country is taking action. Lawmakers in New York are pushing a bill forward that would place restrictions on all forms of promotions, advertising, and marketing for gambling… including bonuses and free bet offers… just like the ones we’re seeing FanDuel run at this year’s Super Bowl.
Of course, it was just last week that I told you all how regulators in Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Kansas were starting to have concerns over the growth of problem gambling and their states. And how some media outlets had already begun to attack gambling operators on this issue. Well, at least one U.S sports betting company is trying to get out in front of this issue… as Betr has made the decision to ban credit cards for gambling transactions on their site. Not only that, but the company is also placing deposit limits on players accounts if they’re aged 25 or less. That’s another practice that’s quite common with gambling operators across the UK and Europe.
This week we have two new game reviews to share with you… and they’re all about the ladies! First up, it’s the Queen of the Gods online slot from High 5 Games. It comes with six tumbling reels, wild and Scattered symbols, three different jackpots, and up to an incredible 1 million paylines! Next, it’s Mighty Medusa from Habanero, a six reel game that has 466 paylines! This slot comes with scatters, wilds, a bonus round, and a free games feature! Both of these reviews, along with hundreds more, are available on our YouTube channel right now!
