NFL fantasy leagues, others products driving sports betting
The popularity and accessibility of fantasy sports and the instant gratification delivered by new products like weekly National Football League fantasy leagues is propelling sports wagering to new heights, panelists addressing a session at the Global Gaming Expo said Wednesday.
It also doesn’t hurt that the NFL, which generally opposes gambling on its games, embraces fantasy sports contests as games of skill and not chance.
“The business is very, very healthy,” said panelist Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill.
Asher said the interest in sports wagering is growing and handles at Nevada’s legal sports books are increasing as mobile gaming — betting on contests from a smartphone or other personal computing devices — becomes more popular.
Asher said Nevada sports books made $200 million last year on a handle of $3.6 billion with 36 percent of the handle coming in to Nevada books on mobile devices.
And Nevada’s legal books are only a tiny percentage of the total wagered on sports. Experts estimate the legal handle is just 1 percent of what’s bet through bookmakers.
This is a developing news story. Check back here for updates.
Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
