Las Vegas sportsbooks are under scrutiny following reports of suspicious betting on the UNLV football game against New Mexico last month. The Rebels opened as 9-point favorites, and the line quickly soared to as high as 16½ before UNLV secured a decisive 56-14 victory over the Lobos on November 4.

US Integrity Launches Investigation into Unusual Betting Patterns

The unusual betting patterns triggered alerts received by various sportsbooks, with the Westgate SuperBook vice president, Jay Kornegay, acknowledging that they were notified by US Integrity, an independent sports wagering monitor based in Henderson, reported The Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

Caesars Sportsbook also confirmed receiving the alert, emphasizing that it was a matter that concerned the entire industry.

While Kornegay expressed that they did not observe any suspicious activity at their sportsbook, he noted that the absence of new accounts specifically targeting the UNLV game would have been a red flag for them. 

US Integrity, monitoring betting activity for over 150 clients in 36 states, including the Mountain West Conference, is currently involved in investigating the matter. However, US Integrity’s co-founder and CEO, Matthew Holt, declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Nevada Gaming Control Board Maintains Silence on Investigation

The Nevada Gaming Control Board, as part of its standard regulatory practice, neither confirmed nor denied any ongoing investigation into the suspicious betting activity.

One notable wager on the game drew attention, as a bettor at the BetMGM sportsbook at the Bellagio placed a substantial $200,000 bet on the Rebels with a spread of -13, aiming to win $181,000. The Mirage sportsbook manager, Scott Shelton, described it as the largest UNLV bet he had ever seen.

Despite the suspicions raised by the betting activity, UNLV football remained adamant that it did not involve the university. 

Rebels coach Barry Odom told the Action Network that during the game, he did not observe anything unusual, emphasizing their focus on taking control early and securing the win.

New Mexico’s athletic director, Eddie Nunez, confirmed being notified about the suspicious betting activity a week after the game by US Integrity. Nunez stated that the coaching staff had no knowledge of any wrongdoing, attributing the significant loss to a lackluster performance rather than any external factors. While the investigation is ongoing, the sportsbooks are reviewing the unusual line movement and large bets, trying to determine whether it was a result of informed betting strategies or potentially illicit activities.

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Over the last five years, legal sports betting has grown exponentially across the United States. The repeal of PASPA in 2018 started this process and by now, more than 30 states offer some form of legal sports betting, while a handful of states have legalized the activity and anticipate its launch.

Professional sports leagues have also joined the hype, with recognizable sports betting giants sponsoring popular teams and professional athletes participating in commercials. Amid the popularity of betting, the National Football League (NFL) was shaken by scandals and more than a dozen players facing penalties over allegations of breaches related to gambling since the start of the year.

Now, a report released by The Associated Press reveals that some athletes approve of the efforts of the NFL when it comes to education on gambling policies, while others think that those actions came a little too late. Mason Cole, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ center, supported the idea that the policies presented by the NFL when it comes to gambling have been clear. “Nobody wants to be suspended without pay for a year. Nobody is trying to do that, so I think it’s a pretty good deterrent,” explained Cole.

There are currently six primary rules related to gambling introduced by the NFL. In addition to the league, the NFL Players Association also contributed toward education on gambling policies. In general, the rules prohibit athletes from betting on any NFL game or placing bets via third parties. The rules also do not allow fantasy football wagering and prohibit placing bets on other sports while on league property, or while with the team at a hotel, airplane or other team facilities. Despite the established rules, more than a dozen athletes have faced penalties since the start of the year.

Gambling Is All around Athletes

While some agree that the policies on gambling are clear, others criticized the expansion of legal sports betting such as Deatrich Wise Jr., the defensive end for the New England Patriots who said: “You have a team in Vegas that’s pretty much right beside the biggest gambling spot in the world.” He said that outside of radio and TV, he sees information regarding different bets, including fantasy leagues and other gambling activities. The Patriots defensive end added: “So gambling is around us more and more.”

The six rules within the NFL’s gambling policy sounded different last year, added Jerry Jacobs, cornerback for the Detroit Lions. He criticized the policies, explaining that last year the rules were not presented in such a way. According to Jacobs, last year the athletes were only told not to gamble, without the specifics on where that was and wasn’t allowed.

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According to the deal, W88’s logo will feature on the front of shirts and other key locations. The two companies will continue to unite football and sports betting fans, bringing mutual benefits. However, the sponsorship also highlights rising concerns regarding gambling addiction as problem gaming rates increase among fans and athletes.

The Partnership Relies on Integrity and Mutual Trust

As Burnley FC’s official shirt sponsor, W88’s logo will prominently feature on the front side of the team’s jerseys. The operator’s branding will be visible on the male and female shirts and appear across the club’s Turf Moor stadium. Social media is another vital avenue of cooperation and will see W88’s logo feature across Burnley FC’s official channels.

This collaboration marks the beginning of a promising era for Burnley FC and W88 as they embark on a journey of collaboration, growth, and shared achievements. Burnley FC director Stuart Hunt noted that such a high-profile partnership would support the club’s efforts to excel in the Premier League, lauding the operator’s history of success.

W88 have established successful relationships with several Premier League clubs… and we have been impressed by their experience, knowledge, and proactive nature in this area.

Stuart Hunt, Burnley FC director

Burnley’s prior track record includes other high-profile collaborations with clubs like Fulham FC and Crystal Palace, giving the company an impressive track record. Selecting Burnley as their newest partner highlights the team’s outstanding potential and ability to foster a loyal fanbase. The deal should significantly benefit both parties, helping them excel in their respective fields.

Despite all the positives surrounding the recent collaboration, the rising prevalence of sports betting sponsorships across UK football draws attention to the growing concerns regarding the spread of problem gambling. Despite Premier League clubs agreeing to end front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships, the measure only launches in the 2026/27 season. 

As gambling addiction strikes the highest levels of the UK Football Leagues, it reveals the urgent need for legislative reforms and increased public awareness. The upcoming UK white paper should be a significant step in the right direction. However, public-facing organizations like football clubs should also take a stance despite the reduction in sponsorship funding.

Despite growing concerns and rising public disapproval of gambling sponsorships, many clubs still rely on such partnerships to remain competitive. The Premier League’s grace period should allow teams to find alternative revenue streams, breaking away from the social harms associated with gambling. In the meantime, clubs like Burnley FC can at least settle on partners with a proven track record and commitment to their customers’ well-being.

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Sports data, content and technology firm, Genius Sports, announced an extension of its existing official data partnership with the data rights holder of UK football, Football DataCo.

The terms of the agreement with Football DataCo will allow Genius Sports to continue serving as the exclusive official supplier of low-latency live data from the English Premier League (EPL), English Football League (EFL) and Scottish Professional Football Leagues (SPFL) for sports betting purposes.

“The Premier League is the most popular league in world sport and Genius Sports has created the fastest, most accurate and secure feed on UK football to power first-class products for sportsbooks around the world,” commented Genius Sports’ chief executive officer Mark Locke.

Delighted to see the key partnership extended, Locke outlined that Genius Sports would “continue to power innovation” alongside an expansion of its “suite of AI-powered Second Spectrum Tracking Data technology” into the EFL Championship.

The renewed partnership will allow Genius Sports to continue providing low-latency official data to regulated sports betting operators around the world throughout the 2024-25 season. The sports data company has been linking UK football with sportsbooks since the start of the 2019-20 season, covering more than 4,000 fixtures per season.

Expanding Second Spectrum’s Championship Coverage

The partnership has also been expanded to include the capturing of sub-second, skeletal tracking data for all Sky Bet EFL Championship and Championship Play-Off matches via Genius Sports’ best-in-class Second Spectrum technology.

“Genius Sports and Second Spectrum continue to generate first-class data and provide innovative solutions for a variety of Football DataCo’s stakeholders,” said the general manager of Football DataCo, Adrian Ford, pointing out that “the technology is improving all the time [and by] extending the creative use of data [will help] improve the presentation of English and Scottish football.”

The expansion will see the installation of Genius Sports’ AI-powered tracking systems across all Championship grounds where they are not present already, empowering Genius Sports to capture rich positional data on every player, match official and the ball.

Second Spectrum will also provide teams and coaches from the Championship with access to its software delivering player performance metrics derived from tracking data and indexed to match video, an access their EPL colleagues have since 2020.

Augmentation Enhances Viewer Experience

Optical on-pitch data, including shot velocity, player speed, positional data, and other team and player insights, empowers Second Spectrum’s augmentation technology to generate automated graphics in real time while offering viewers high personalization options by overlaying the graphics onto the live broadcasts.

The new agreement with Football DataCo comes hot on the heels of Genius Sports’ expanded collaboration with the German Football Association (DFB) to protect the integrity of football in the country and help the association prevent match-fixing.

Other major developments for the company in the past few months include the agreement with the Vietnam Pro Basketball League (VBA), a new collaboration with the European League of Football (ELF) that represents American football competitions outside of North America, as well as the launch of  CFL LiveStats.

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