This week’s casino news starts off with a gambling scandal in the eSports world. While the space is still nascent, they’re already dealing with a little bit of trouble.
NBA 2K League Suspends Players Over Gambling
Although betting on eSports is a growing element of the gambling space, having players themselves gamble is not something the leagues want to see.
The NBA 2K League isn’t messing as they just announced that they will be suspending six players after they violated the gambling rules. It’s not just the NBA 2K League that has cracked down on players gambling over the years as every other professional sports league hasn’t been afraid to suspend players.
The president of the NBA 2K League Brendan Donohue said, “The integrity of our game is, and always will be, the NBA 2k League’s top priority.” He continued by mentioning that they weren’t going to be taking these gambling issues lightly, which is where the suspension came from.
For those that aren’t fully aware, the NBA 2K League is an eSports organization that is connected to the NBA along with Take-Two Interactive. It was created back in 2017 and just completed their fifth full season.
Although it’s unclear exactly what the players did, it seems like they were simply betting on the games. Of course, the greater issue with gambling in sports is when players bet on or against their own teams since they impact the outcome of those games.
FanDuel Renews Deal For NBA Gambling Data
FanDuel and Sportradar will be sticking with their partnership as the two have announced an extension in relation to NBA data. The two sides announced that they will be extending the deal all the way through the 2030-31 season. The agreement allows Sportradar to provide NBA data to FanDuel for their betting services. FanDuel also re-upped their own partnership with Sportradar through that same time frame as well.
Every party involved wants to make this sportsbook the best that it can possibly be. That’s why they plan to, “enhance the sports betting experience through innovative products and offerings.” Both companies have also stated that their parlay and prop bet revenue is growing still. Sportsradar helps FanDuel allow more of these props and parlays, and that’s exactly what they want to see.
Sportradar still gets to be the main data rights partner of the NBA for the foreseeable future with all of these deals. In fact, they are the only data provider in the world for the NBA, NBA G-League and the WNBA.
Caesars Plans To Open Horseshoe Lake Charles Casino In Louisiana
The Isle of Capri Lake Charles casino has been shuttered ever since it got smashed by both Hurricane Laura and the COVID-19 pandemic. The property was forced to shut down for over two years but Caesars Entertainment has announced they have plans to revive it. The property is set to reopen soon with a new name and a new look. This time, it will be known as Horseshoe Laker Charles. The property has a listed reopening date of December 12th, 2022, which is just over a month away.
Caesars is still seeking approval from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board but the heavy expectations are that they will be open for the first time in years in December. It’s going to have roughly 1,000 slot machines and table games along with a sports book and 253 hotel rooms.
The now known Horseshoe Lake Charles is just one out of Louisiana’s 24 casinos at the moment. The state also just legalized retail sports betting about a year ago while this property was still closed due to difficult circumstances. Their reopening could provide a boost in revenue for Louisiana as well as Caesars.
