Argentine football leagues threaten Buenos Aires government’s plans to introduce online betting reform unless they get ‘integrity fees’.

Though so-called ‘integrity feels’ have so far been rejected in North America, things may turn out differently in South America.

More specifically, it seems Argentine football is pushing to get a cut of sports wagering revenue arising from the reform of Buenos Aires province’s gambling laws (see BUENOS AIRES EYES ONLINE GAMBLING AS ECONOMIC CRISIS WORSENS).

President Mauricio Macri, the leader of the Cambiemos governing coalition, is under pressure from Argentina Superliga and AFA officials, who are demanding that he suspends the province’s approved  gambling reform – reform that provides Argentina’s first officially sanctioned online gambling legislative framework.

The argument presented by Superliga officials is a familiar one; i.e. that the online bookies will be exploiting the clubs’ identities to get customers, and that the Buenos Aires government had put together the legislation without adequately consulting them.

They also argue that the actions of the Buenos Aires authorities, in giving authority over the new gambling code to the IPYLC – the Argentine Provinces Board for Lotteries and Casinos – mean the new ADN will be left impotent and unable to govern Argentine sports.

All too predictably, President of Lanús FC and a member of the AFA’s executive committee, Nicolás Russo, has stated that the AFA would be willing to discuss alternative plans with the Buenos Aires executive, but only if they involve compensation for football, a.k.a. ‘integrity fees’, saying

“We do not rule out taking some measures of force. It is not serious or fair to use football matches to bet and that clubs do not charge a peso. Nobody consulted us anything…we should be allowed to make a presentation to those who are driving reforms.”

AYO.NEWS says:

We’ve heard the same old arguments for ‘integrity fees’ from sports leagues before, and they never get anymore convincing. When clubs are happy to build lucrative commercial businesses off the goodwill and passion of their supporters, but don’t want to let them indulge in betting unless they get a cut of the money, something stinks.

Many studies have shown that in markets where sports betting is allowed and there are no ‘integrity fees’ clubs still stand to financially benefit, massively, from things like betting sponsorships and partnerships. Argentine football would be wise to look at the most lucrative sports markets in the world, in places like the UK, Europe and US, and notice how sports betting is a major ally of the leagues.

Tech startup Mercurius has launched ‘Tradr’, its new AI-based application, in the Betfair App Directory.

Billed to make successful sports trading “as simple as pressing a button”, the company claims “consistently positive returns are possible” because of their proprietary Artificial Intelligence algorithms that power automated value betting strategies.

After two years in development, Mercurius says its new app enables pro traders and investors to invest in sports betting according to their specified risk profile.

Apparently, Betfair users simply have to connect their Betfair account to Mercurius’ App, select their initial investment and then activate their chosen strategy, leaving the AI to do the rest.

The technology, according to Mercurius, calculates its own fair odds instead of using sharps bookies and line movements as a reference. It says more accurate probabilities are calculated through “fundamental analysis” – that millions of data points regarding teams and players are automatically crunched by the AI.

Explaining how the AI system beats other strategies, the company points to the fact that it does not depend on market sentiment, but rather exploits it, and that clients do not need hundreds of soft book accounts and avoid restrictions.

Discussing the news Data Scientist and CRO at Mercurius, Lorenzo Malanga, said:

“It’s a great time for data science and betting, as the Big Data revolution has completely redefined how successfully you can analyse sports betting opportunities. Deep quantitative analysis allows Mercurius to forecast millions of outcomes and probabilities in seconds in order to uncover value bets: our AI crunches millions of data points describing matches second by second and creating a numeric picture of events and teams strength with much greater precision than was ever previously possible.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Rapid advances in technology are increasingly enabling both individuals and small businesses access to unprecedented Big Data and AI capabilities, leading to massive potential headaches for bookies everywhere. In the initial adoption period, many will undoubtably reap the rewards from more accurate and successful wagering, but in the long-term it does throw the very viability of the betting industry into question.

William Hill US announces strategic partnership with National Hockey League, making it an “Official Sports Betting Partner of the NHL.”

William Hill US has announced a strategic partnership with the National Hockey League, making the bookies an “Official Sports Betting Partner of the NHL.”

Discussing the news NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, said:

“This new partnership is yet another example of the innovative yet practical approach our League is taking with the emerging sports gaming industry,

“We continue to work directly with stakeholders to cultivate relationships across the sports betting landscape. Partnering with William Hill US, a leader in both the sportsbook and mobile betting marketplace, provides a tremendous opportunity to further fan engagement.”

While CEO of William Hill US, Joe Asher, added:

“We are thrilled to become an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League,

“Commissioner Bettman and his team at the NHL have been at the forefront of understanding the opportunities to engage fans through sports betting. Combined with our existing partnerships with the Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils, we are extremely excited to continue to build our relationship with the NHL.”

Such a partnership will give William Hill useful media exposure in relevant NHL markets and ample opportunities for branding at NHL events. Interestingly, according to a recent according to a recent Nielsen Sports report, NHL fans have been shown to be more likely to wager than other sports fans, not just on NHL, but on all of the ‘big 4’ US sporting leagues.