Around the Betting Planet: Iannone ban extended to four years

US sports betting news

Saints looking to bolster lead in NFC South

The New Orleans Saints find themselves at the top of the NFC South after dispatching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-3 in their NFL clash last Sunday. With six wins and two losses so far this season, the Saints look like a good bet with NFL betting sites.

However, this big win followed three very tight games in which New Orleans won three consecutive games by just three points. Indeed, their last win against the Chicago Bears came courtesy of extra time, with the Saints finding it very tough to outdo an average-looking opponent.

Bookies holding out on $1.4m US election payout

The person who bet $1.4 million (£1m) on Joe Biden winning the election still hasn’t been paid. Online bookmakers are quite busy with it. Some of the most accurate predictions on the US presidential election came from online gambling sources.

UK sports betting news

COVID restrictions could hurt England’s Nations League campaign

Due to new health regulations, the England national football team may be forced to forfeit their final UEFA Nations League group game against Iceland on November 18th.

With Iceland meeting Denmark before they travel to take on England, Gareth Southgate’s men may be forced to forfeit their game after the UK government designated Denmark as off-limits due to coronavirus related issues.

This development comes after the discovery of a new strain of COVID-19, found in Denmark’s mink farming community.

Clark steps down as FA chairman

Greg Clark has stepped down from his position as FA chairman after using politically incorrect terminology when referring to black players. He also referred to people of different sexual orientation and racial backgrounds when addressing parliament.

Caesars completes William Hill buyout

US gaming giant Caesars Entertainment has acquired the William Hill sportsbook brand. Following a £2.9 billion deal, the 56-year-old British entity has handed over the reins to all its property.

After the successful acquisition, Caesars is now looking to sell all European and British William Hill retail outlets. Reports indicate 888 and Betfred are in line to purchase these outlets.

The former owners of Sky Betting and Gaming, CVC Capital Partners, are competing with Apollo Global Management for the retail assets, valued at upwards of £1.5 billion.

Africa sports betting news

Nigeria on track to top Group L in AFCON qualifying

Nigeria are the favored team to win Group L in African Cup of Nations qualifying. Later this week, they will meet Sierra Leone at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. With six points to their name from their two opening matches, Nigeria are steaming ahead and sit at the top of the table. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, have a draw and a defeat so far, meaning they have taken a single point from a possible six.

A fair amount of the credit for their wins against Lesotho and Benin must go to Victor Osimhen’s reliable left boot, with the player boasting three goals in two matches so far.

With Nigeria looking to maintain their 100% winning record, many African Cup of Nations betting sites will be backing them to make it three from three. Indeed, few soccer sportsbooks will really fancy Sierra Leone’s chance of taking three points from this one.

Europe sports betting news

CAS extends Iannone’s Moto GP ban to four years

In April this year, MotoGP star Andrea Iannone was given an 18-month ban after testing positive for an anabolic steroid. Due to the small percentage of the substance in his system, he suggested that he may have consumed contaminated meat.

The original ban now extends to four years since he can’t prove that the traces are from a standard diet, and not a steroid. The Court of Arbitration for Sport handed down the ruling earlier this week.

Planning for monopoly in online gaming

Europe’s online gambling Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2020 to 2025 is forecasted to grow by 9.20%. The emerging software and hardware innovations and a spike in online casino awareness will power the expansion.

Some of the key players on the scene are creating mergers to attain market dominance. An example of the latter is the merging of Paddy Power PLC and Betfair PLC to form Paddy Power Betfair PLC.

The 888 brand has also realized the need to stand out from the crowd, partnering with casino and gaming software development company Microgaming. The goal of the collaboration is to work on innovations.

South America sports betting news

Martinelli likened to Brazil great Ronaldo

Gabriel Martinelli has been likened to Brazilian football legend Ronaldo. Speaking of the young forward, former Gunners strikers Kevin Campbell says that Arsenal have a great talent on their hands.

Campbell added that while Martinelli is a rough diamond in need of polishing, he is excited to see what teenager can produce once he recovers from his knee injury.

Room for huge growth in South American gambling sector

Juliet Adelstein, COO of Ganapati, reckons that there is room for a vast amount of growth in the South American sports betting market. With over 427 million people populating the continent and 75% of them eligible to gamble, it is a huge market waiting to be tapped.

However, the market is not entirely open to the concept, although this is not because the citizens do not gamble. Restrictive legislature makes it difficult for international online casinos to operate legally in most South American countries, forcing gamblers to use offshore bookmakers and gaming sites instead.

New Zealand sports betting news

Venus out of quarantine and into ATP World Tour Finals

Micheal Venus’s quarantine quandary is finally resolved. The doubles tennis player and his Aussie partner, John Peers, reached the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters, qualifying sixth in the race to the ATP World Tour Finals.

If he had failed to appear in London, the Kiwi might have slipped out of the top 20 in the world rankings and consequently missed selection for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Venus is currently ranked eighth in the world.