Flutter-owned gambling operator Sky Bet has formed a new partnership with Incentive Games, a leading B2B games provider, to release a new soccer-themed game. The new game will see Sky Bet explore opportunities within the iGaming sector as it seeks to channel more players toward its products.

The new game is called Match 5 and will allow Sky Bet to differentiate its online offering from its competitors. Combining elements of iGaming and sports betting, the new game allows fans to visit the Sky Bet app daily to collect a different Premier League team.

The teams players get are picked at random, adding a layer of unpredictability to the product. In addition, players can get up to £20 in free bets depending on how many of their teams win at the weekend.

Match 5 is now available to all new and eligible Sky Bet customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official launch was held on February 12, providing fans with a new opportunity to explore the world of professional soccer.

In an update on LinkedIn, Incentive Games pointed out that the new product has enjoyed “phenomenal uptake” in the first week. The provider is excited to see how this partnership with Sky Bet will evolve.

Match 5 Will Be a Game-Changer

John Gordon, Incentive Games’ co-founder and chief executive officer, said that his team is very excited about the game. He described it as a “classic example of simple insight, easy accessibility and engagement,” saying that it will be a way for soccer aficionados to take their experience to the next level.

Combined with Sky Bet’s scale, this is a real game-changer.

John Gordon, co-founder & CEO, Incentive Games

In the meantime, Dan Colton, managing director at Sky Bet, said that Match 5 is the “culmination of months of hard work.” He praised Incentive Games’ team for its incredible work on the game and said that Sky Bet cannot wait to see how customers interact with it.

The beauty of the game is that it’s a really creative way of rewarding football fans that replicates the thrill of an acca but is totally free to play.

Dan Colton, MD, Sky Bet

A month ago, Sky Bet altered its best odds guaranteed (BOG) promotion, restraining access to active Sky Bet Club loyalty program members. Despite these changes, Sky Bet remained convinced of the success of the offering.

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The soccer gambling scandal in Italy continues with Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali reportedly set to receive a suspension from competing. Tonali and other players, including Nicolo Zniolo and Nicolo Fagioli, were found guilty of betting on sports, breaching Article 24 of the Sporting Justice Code.

Reports say that Tonali will be allowed to compete in the upcoming Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund. However, this will likely be his final participation in a competitive game before a suspension kicks in.

Tonali, who wagered on sports illegally, is set to undergo months of addiction therapy. The player will also be included in anti-gambling initiatives. In any case, the athlete is likely to be suspended from competing professionally for multiple months.

The Italian soccer player will likely receive a 10-month suspension.

Newcastle May Sue Milan

The current scandal may also lead to a lawsuit in the world of professional soccer.

According to reports, Newcastle may sue AC Milan, Tonali’s former team. For reference, the midfielder was transferred in July. As a result, Newcastle will now suffer being a player down because of Tonali’s previous transgressions which his former team may have been aware of.

In any case, the soccer club will continue to support Tonali despite the scandal. In an earlier statement, Newcastle pointed out that the athlete was fully compliant with the investigation.

Fagioli’s Doctor Says More Athletes Are Likely Involved

In the meantime, Nicolo Fagioli received a 12-month ban, eventually reduced to only 7 off-field months because of his cooperation with the investigation. Fagioli, who admitted to having gambling problems, started gambling as a pastime but eventually lost control of his habits.

Paolo Jarre, the doctor responsible for Fagioli’s gambling treatment, described the athlete as a polite and subdued man whose condition is not as bad as it could have been. Jarre is convinced that Fagioli will be able to make a full recovery from his addiction and return to competing.

However, the doctor pointed out that there are likely many other players involved in this illegal gambling scheme.

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With the recent Powerball jackpot worth over a billion dollars falling to a lucky player in California, many fair-weather gamblers still want some skin in the game. The good news for them is that Mega Millions is not far behind in terms of jackpot prize value.

Next Estimated Jackpot
$820 Million
CASH OPTION: $422.0 MILLION
Next Drawing:
Tuesday, 7/25 @ 11 p.m. ET

What’s Up With the Billion Dollar Jackpots?

If it seems like jackpots are higher these days, it is because they are – the biggest prizes also fall less often because the jackpots are harder to win than they used to be, thanks to a rule change a couple of years ago. The longer it takes to win (the more tickets sold) the higher the jackpot grows. There’s also the knock-on effect of bigger jackpots inspiring additional ticket sales in what would seem like a win/win for everybody.

The odds of winning one of the huge prizes have always been astronomical. The odds of claiming the big prize are now just about 1 in 302.5 million, but the fact remains, you can’t win if you don’t play. It’s also good to keep that number in perspective. The entire population of the US, including every man, woman, and child is estimated to be just over 331M – that means that if everyone got a different ticket, the jackpot would be won but it would be shared by two people.

Cut the cash take-home roughly in half for each player, and the chances of becoming an “almost billionaire” are even worse. But that’s no reason not to play.

“Play” is the operative word. Since there is no way to increase your odds, and no single person could ever actually become a billionaire under most circumstances, the only rational way to approach the game is to consider it as fairly cheap entertainment. For a couple of bucks, you can imagine the very real possibility (not the probability) of having enough money to essentially do whatever you would like to, for the rest of your life.

Increased chances come with the same odds, but lower payouts

You can never change the odds. However, by buying more tickets, or by buying more than one ticket with a group of players, you increase your chances to win – but – the amount you could win is cut in half by everybody else who has the same winning numbers.

If you choose your own numbers, there’s a good chance someone else chooses the same ones. Plenty of people’s children have the same birthday, a lot of people are the same age… the point is that statistically, you are better off choosing completely random numbers (such as Quickpick) than choosing your own – the odds remain the same but the chance of having to split the prize goes down the more randomly chosen your numbers are.

Mega Millions, Like Powerball, is a Multi-State Lottery, and the Rules Matter

While Mega Millions tickets are sold by lottery retailers in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, they are also sold by bonafide agents, and in many states, that agent can be part of a messenger service. In those cases, you pay a little extra for the ticket but somebody else picks it up for you.

While not legal in every state, we saw an Iraqi man use thelotter.com to buy a ticket a few years ago in Oregon and he was paid directly by the lottery there in the way he chose, and anonymously because of his special circumstances of living in a war zone. Whereas the state usually requires jackpot winners to reveal their identity, that requirement was waived in this situation for obvious reasons.

Even though lotteries operated in concert with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) have commonalities, most notably a shared jackpot pool, players still need to collect winnings in the state the ticket was sold. You could mail in a winning ticket or claim it in person, but we doubt the US Postal Service would insure a nearly one-billion dollar ticket, or if anyone would want to plop a $0.60 stamp on an envelope with it, drop it in a box, and go about their day. Almost everybody, including the man in Iraq with his messenger service’s help, must claim big winnings in person.

Jackpot winners will only have so many days to claim their prizes – this will vary by jurisdiction but is always at least 90 days from the date of sale. Of course, legal counsel should be sought right away after securing a winning ticket but it should be recorded with the proper lottery authorities and claimed as soon as possible. To drive the expiration date home, the winner of a $1.5B jackpot in California (with 6-month expiry) recently waited until scant hours before the opportunity expired to claim their ticket.

You’ll have to claim the winnings on your tax return and most likely pay taxes on the winnings. Sadly, overall the lottery is already a poor man’s tax – the rich don’t need more money so they play the game less than people who may need it the most, and the odds are simply the worst. That said, the top tax bracket in the US is currency 37% and no matter where you live or how much income you have otherwise, the IRS will take 25% of your winnings before you ever see them.

With all of that…

Two things remain true – you can’t win if you don’t play and you should never expect to win or chase a jackpot, no matter how you choose to gamble.

Source: The Wildest Rules You Didn’t Know Powerball and Mega Millions Winners Must Follow After Hitting the Jackpot, People, July 21, 2023

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