Welcome to our first weekly overview of the latest news from the iGaming sector! We at Nostrabet will make sure to provide you with some of the most intriguing iGaming news so far because we believe this is important.
The gambling and sports betting business grows rapidly, so there’s always something new and interesting that you probably don’t know about. Our team took the time to go through some of the more intriguing recent events, so let’s review them.
The Online Gambling Bill in Virginia is On Hold
Following the Supreme Court’s decision several years ago, online gambling in the US has been flourishing. Many states decided to change their legislation, and Virginia is one of them. Although the state should have legalized online gambling, the people who had to make the decision decided to postpone it because they needed more time to analyze its effects.
It all started with Senator Mamie Locke and the Senate Bill 827. Its goal was to allow the Virginia Lottery Board to provide licenses to iGaming operators. According to the Senator, the idea behind the Bill is to offer a safe and controlled gambling market in the state.
Everyone expected the Bill to pass, but the Senator delayed its review. She suggested that the Senate Subcommittee review it once again and decide whether it should be implemented.
According to our information, the Bill itself will require operators to pay a $1M fee to apply. Furthermore, there will be a 15% tax that they need to pay on their winnings. The funds generated from online gambling will go towards Virginia’s General Fund and the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund.
Keep in mind that sports betting is already legal in Virginia. The state legalized it in 2020, and it has had a significant effect on revenue. Needless to say, those who support the legalization of online gambling believe that the latter will boost the local economy even more. It will be interesting to see what’s going to happen.
NOVOMATIC May Acquire Vikings Casinos
Vikings Casinos is a French casino group that has fans from all over the country. The corporation has a solid presence in Europe, but it seems like it could grow even more because NOVOMATIC is interested in acquiring the company.
At the time of writing, Vikings Casinos have more than 10 venues in France. In fact, many people consider it one of the country’s leading gambling companies.
NOVOMATIC is interested in acquiring this brand, but it seems like the deal is on hold for now. Considering its size and potential impact, NOVOMATIC will need to wait for specific regulations and approvals before getting the green light.
Speaking of this gigantic corporation, NOVOMATIC has more than 25,000 employees. Founded in 1980, the brand operates in more than 50 countries, and the deal with Vikings Casinos would allow it to increase its presence in Europe.
Sir Tristan Thompson Becomes Sportsbet.io’s Brand Ambassador
Many big online bookmakers decide to work with famous people and make them their brand ambassadors. Sportsbet.io is no exception because the operator added Sir Tristan Thompson to its team.
For those of you who do not know, Tristan Thompson is a famous Canadian basketball player. He is a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Following the agreement between him and Sportsbet.io, the NBA player will try to help the brand grow. Thompson is a big cryptocurrency fan, which will make this task even more intriguing for him.
In addition to advertising Sportsbet.io, the NBA star will also share his sports betting tips. He will most likely share details about all popular sports, including soccer, the NFL, MLB, and more.
Since Sir Tristan Thompson is an NBA player, fans also expect Sportsbet.io to offer new bonuses. Most bookies that partner with famous people often create short-term propositions around them. Therefore, we wouldn’t be surprised if there are more options in the future.
The Yellow Card for Udinese’s Goalkeeper is Involved in Fraud Investigation
Club football in Italy has always been involved in some kind of controversy, and the most recent one includes Maduka Okoye, Udinese’s goalkeeper.
There is an ongoing investigation in Italy about bets placed on a football match between Udinese and Lazio. The game, which took place in March 2024, became interesting to the authorities because people placed suspicious bets on Udinese’s goalkeeper.
People who’ve watched the match may remember that Okoye received a yellow card in the second half of the game. The yellow card itself is not a problem because players get them all the time. However, this yellow card caused some people to win their bets, and the bookie found it suspicious.
Speaking of bookies, it all started after Snai reported the suspicious activity to the authorities. Like most other bookmakers, this one uses sophisticated algorithms, which means that detecting match-fixing is much easier than before.
Alongside Maduka Okoye, other people are also being investigated for their activities. Diego Giordano and Mario Bordon are among them. The investigation is still ongoing, so it will be interesting to see the results.
Bernard Tomic Was Involved In a Match-Fixing Investigation
While on the topic of match-fixing in sports betting, we have another investigation that ended a few days ago. This time, it focuses on tennis, and more specifically, it targets Bernard Tomic. The latter is a tennis player from Australia, and it seems like there were suspicious bets involving him.
The events took place in 2022 when Tomic played against Safiullin in the 2022 Australian Open qualifiers. The Australian player said he did not feel good and even said that he was positive for COVID-19. With that said, the regulators discovered that there were many suspicious bets on this match, and some people won hundreds of thousands of dollars.
With that said, the investigation that took place after these events did not find anything wrong. Tomic’s phone was seized and investigated, but nothing was found.
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