The popularity of the US National Football League (NFL) is at an all-time high in German-speaking countries. Just recently, on 10 November, the NFL Munich Game took place in front of a completely sold-out crowd. Once again, there were far more ticket requests than seats. In this fitting setting, bwin made its debut as the league's new sponsor for Germany and Austria. With this partnership, the brand aims to further expand its presence in high-class sporting environments, but also to offer betting fans something special.
The case surrounding NBA professional Jontay Porter, who was involved in far-reaching betting manipulation, made headlines in the spring of this year. It quickly became clear that the matter was not closed with the lifetime ban of the Toronto Raptors' bench player. There was a network of several backers, of whom the one who made the tips has now pleaded guilty. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Following the controversy, major US betting providers have cancelled certain odds on potentially influential players.
Alongside the lottery, online casinos and sports betting are the two largest gambling segments in the digital space. So it's no wonder that many operators around the world have both areas in their programmes. LeoVegas.de is no exception, announcing at the end of November that it will now be offering a comprehensive sportsbook throughout Germany. The launch is to be accompanied by an ‘innovative campaign’.
The summer of 2024 truly had a lot to offer in terms of sporting events. In addition to the standard finals of the continent's major football leagues and the annual Champions League finals, there was the UEFA European Championship and the Summer Olympics to boot. This undoubtedly provided all kinds of turnover opportunities for the sports betting industry. Despite the events, however, the Belgian Gaming Authority recently announced a drop in the number of participants compared to previous top competitions. What could be the reason for this?
The documentary ‘Attack on amateur football - the greed of the betting industry’, which was shown on ARD on 19 August 2024 after the DFB Cup broadcast, has caused a considerable stir: both parts of the betting industry and the sport have drawn the consequences. Now the controversy has moved to a new level: the German Sports Betting Association accuses the report of misleading viewers.
The founder of the British airline easyJet recently launched a new sports betting brand on the market. The offer is initially only aimed at players from the UK. But what are the reasons that prompted the easyJet founder to enter the betting business and when will German betting customers be able to register with EasyBet?
Sports betting is a gigantic market, the international scale of which remains hidden from most people. A recent ARD documentary shows that the business is flourishing in Asia in particular - often under questionable conditions. Licenses are usually not available and betting fraud seems to be the order of the day. Experts estimate the turnover from illegal activities alone at well over 1 trillion euros - a figure with 13 digits! In the midst of this, Bundesliga clubs have partnerships with various dubious betting sites and presumably profit handsomely from the hustle and bustle.
There is a lot of unrest in German amateur football at the moment: almost every week there are new reports about illegal sports betting on matches, reprimands for data scouts who provide match statistics to bookmakers or even potential match-fixing for betting purposes. The controversy has now prompted DFB partner Interwetten to cancel betting on amateur matches - at least in the German leagues.
The Austrian sports betting provider Interwetten recently announced a new advertising deal with an NFL team. From now on, it will be working with none other than the record-breaking champions, the New England Patriots. What does this mean and can a partnership with a US football team be worthwhile for a German-speaking bookmaker?
In recent weeks, amateur football in Germany has increasingly become the focus of media attention. The attention was triggered by a documentary on public TV channels, which showed that sports betting on such games is widespread and that those responsible in Germany often have no idea about it. The judiciary has so far kept a low profile. In the latest case, however, the DFB called in the Federal Criminal Police Office: up to 17 matches are said to have been manipulated for betting purposes.
Betano is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the gambling industry in German-speaking countries. This was underpinned by its sponsorship of the European Football Championship 2024, among other things. Many of us know the company as an Austrian sports betting provider. But not everyone knows that: The bookie, together with its Greek parent company Kaizen Gaming, is getting involved in more and more markets worldwide. Just recently, partnerships were announced for two more international UEFA tournaments.
Sports betting on amateur soccer is prohibited in Germany. Internationally, however, they are offered on a large scale - including for matches in Germany. What is curious is that the topic seems to be uncharted territory for German clubs and even DFB officials. This was revealed in a recent TV documentary by public broadcasters. The report takes a comprehensive look at such betting, in which so-called data scouts play a central role. These information providers for the bookies are now receiving increased attention from the clubs and associations.
A joint documentary by various public broadcasters (ÖRR), which was originally broadcast as part of the “ARD Story” series, recently provided interesting insights into the business of betting on German amateur soccer. According to the report, the coverage of this betting market is indeed immense, but many clubs and even the DFB were previously unaware of this. We report on the key function of data scouts and the reaction at club level.
Football is still by far the most popular sport in Germany today. According to Statista, in 2023 there were more than 3.4 million people in Germany who play football themselves in their free time. In addition, there are millions of other sports fans who regularly watch the games at least on TV or in the stadium. The amateur leagues are also becoming increasingly popular. But is betting on amateur league matches even allowed?
The 2024 Summer Olympics are over after just under three weeks. A total of over 300 competitions took place, in which the 206 participating countries competed for medals. In the end, however, it was not only the athletes who were delighted with their medals, but also the betting providers who enjoyed impressive turnover during the Olympic Games.
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