The opening of the NFL season produced record sports betting geolocation checks, according to a report released Monday by GeoComply. Geolocation volume increased 71.5% over the first week of the 2021 season, from 60.1 million to 103.1 this year.
“Clearly an unbelievable start to the NFL season,” said Anna Sainsbury, GeoComply CEO Anna Sainsbury in a statement. “The growth of legal betting suggests that Americans are ditching offshore sportsbooks for regulated options in their home states. This is exactly the outcome legislators and regulators looked to achieve through legalization as they now protect consumers and increase tax revenues.”
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, GeoComply provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity.
New York state was first with the highest volume of transactions, 15.3%, followed by Pennsylvania, 14.8%, and New Jersey, 13.1%.
“New York continues its reign as ‘King of the Hill’ with 15.3% market share for US betting, but we are also seeing strong growth across the country,” Sainsbury said.
The report cites the legalization of sports betting in New York, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, and Louisiana since the opening of the NFL’s season in 2021 as a reason for increased volume.
Pennsylvania’s total number of geolocation checks rose 29.7% to 15.3 million this year from 11.8 million in 2021. Also, Illinois had 8 million geolocation checks this year compared to 5 million in 2021, a 60% increase after legislators allowed mobile registration instead of the previously required in-person registration at the state’s casinos and tracks.
“GeoComply has worked hand in glove with our customers over the offseason to ensure a seamless and, most importantly, safe start to the NFL season,” Sainsbury said. “Whether it’s confirming location, verifying identities or detecting and thwarting possible fraud, our technology solutions are leading the way to support the regulated online gaming environment.”
.
