The U.S. sports betting world moves quickly and unpredictably in 2025. In order to properly take stock of it all, we offer InGame’s “EndGame,” an end-of-week compilation of the top storylines, some overlooked items, and all the other news bits from this past week that we found interesting.
Sportradar Super Bowl: Eagles-Ravens
Sportradar, the official data provider for the NFL and most other North American professional sports leagues, predicts that the most likely Super Bowl LX contestants will be defending champion Philadelphia and Baltimore.
The company used artificial intelligence to run 50,000 simulations of an 18-week, 272-game regular season and put a matchup of teams based 100 miles apart traveling 2,900 miles to northern California to decide a champion at 5.3% probability.
The most likely scenario: Philadelphia-Buffalo (4.2%).
The Eagles appeared in three of the five most likely matchups, according to Sportradar.
That said, the Ravens were deemed the most likely champion (13.3%), followed by the Eagles (11.8%) and the Buffalo Bills (11.8%).
Bills? Silly computer.
Brant James
Polymarket has high-profile NFL investor
Eagles star Saquon Barkley scored a 10-yard touchdown Thursday to give the Eagles their first lead of the season and later wowed with a one-handed catch. Turns out, he’s not just savvy on the field but in the financial world as well. According to The Profile, Barkely has a wide range of investments, including a stake in the prediction market Polymarket, which appears poised to launch in the U.S.
Per a post from The Profile, Barkely is invested in about 10 private startups at between $250,000-$500,000 each. Among them is also Strike Technologies, a financial technology provider that has proved a lucrative investment.
Did Drake just curse US Open favorite?
Rapper Drake on Tuesday placed a $300,000 bet on Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 in tennis, to win the U.S. Open. And while that might feel like a vote of confidence, here’s hoping that the “Drake Curse” doesn’t come into play, writes ESPN. Drake has a history of making big, flashy bets on marquee sporting events, and losing. Drake posted the bet slip on his Instagram account. He appears to have used Bitcoin. If Sinner wins, Drake will return $507,000.
Sinner, who Drake bet against last year, is set to play in the semifinals against Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime on Friday. The U.S. Open final is Sunday.
Titus’ fun push for FAIR BET
Nevada Rep. Dina Titus introduced the FAIR BET Act in July in response to a gambling tax provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill that changes the deductible on losses from 100% to 90%. Under the new law, bettors may be paying taxes on money they don’t have or didn’t win. Titus’ proposal would reverse this. She has since said she will add the FAIR BET Act as an amendment to the National Defense Budget, which typically passes. Read the process that the bill must go through here:
Ella Gorodetzky
Caps’ jerseys: No more wagering patches
The first North American professional sports team with a sportsbook logo patch on its uniform tore it off Wednesday.
The Washington Capitals, who had worn Caesars Sportsbook patches on their home and home third (alternate) jerseys since 2021, announced that Coupang, the so-called “Amazon of South Korea” was taking over that jersey real estate. ESPN Bet replaced Caesars as the team’s official sportsbook in January, gaining it market access to the District of Columbia for the sport.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights (Circa Sports) and Edmonton Oilers (Play Alberta) still have logo patch deals with sportsbooks.
The Capitals were also the first franchise in North America to open an in-venue sportsbook.
Brant James
Betr enhances Picks ahead of NFL season
Betr Picks, a peer-to-peer daily fantasy sports app, added an industry-first “10,000X payout multiplier” this week in conjunction with Week 1 of the NFL season. The company also added a “Mystery Multiplier” to a lineup play of two picks or more. Typically, these pay three times the dollar value but can now balloon to 1,000X.
The changes were launched with a new Betr Arcade skill game inside the DFS app.
Betr, which was co-founded by Jake Paul and Joey Levy, also operates sportsbooks in Ohio and Virginia. Levy told InGame that the company was considering but not prioritizing an expansion of its sportsbook reach.
“Candidly, it’s not a top focus of ours right now,” he said, “just given everything we have going on with fantasy pick’em and Arcade and a couple of the other products that we plan on launching here.”
Brant James
FanDuel launches Bet Protect
FanDuel announced its Bet Protect program Tuesday, following DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks in refunding money when players exit games early with injuries. Bet Protect only applies to player props on pre-live bets. DraftKings launched its Early Exit in August, and Fanatics’ Fair Play launched prior to the NFL season last year.
For straight bets, if a player gets injured in the first quarter, FanDuel will return the full wager as bonus bets. For parlays, Same Game Parlays, and Same Game Parlay+, the bet will be repriced with new odds in the case of a player injury in the first quarter. Bet Protect won’t apply if the player returns later in the game.
Ella Gorodetzky
New RG certification coming
The Responsible Online Gambling Association said Tuesday it will partner with the Responsible Gaming Council to offer a certification program for online gambling operators. The new program is the first of its kind and will offer a “structured, data-driven approach to evaluating operator practices in areas such as self-exclusion, marketing, staff training, and player support tools.” The idea is that an independent source will validate how well an operator’s responsible gaming program is doing, as well as “encourage” operators to do more than regulators require.
The two organizations have previously worked together to research how to grow the use of RG tools and on “public awareness” programs.
Odds and ends
- Virgin Hotels announced Tuesday that William Hill will take over sportsbook operations for the company. Per the release, William Hill will “significantly expand” sportsbooks offerings and will add more wagering kiosks, which will be available 24 hours per day for in-person betting. No timeline was given.
- Hard Rock Bet announced Wdnesday a new deal with The Volume, a sports and culture media company founded by Colin Cowherd. Hard Rock Bet is the presenting sponsor and exclusive wagering partner across all The Volume platforms, per the release.
- BetMGM and MGM Resorts International has partnered with the American Gaming Association to promote responsible gaming inside 10 NFL stadiums. The messages will appear on in-stadium LED ribbons, as well as in game-day magazines.
- The NFL Red Zone has moved over to ESPN with at least one big change:
Check it out …
The fast rise of artificial intelligence seems to have touched every sector of the world, from business to personal. Congressman Jake Auchincloss this week put a fine point on it, writing in a New York Times guest essay about how AI is on the hunt for “digital dopamine” and has created a “fault line in our society.” He’s not just talking about the use of AI in gambling but also mentions social media and porn. I’d argue that companies like Better Buzz, Princess Polly, and every airline out there are using AI to convince us to buy something and get the dopamine rush that comes with making a purchase. But Auchincloss writes about how we may be setting up the next generation to seek that rush at the expense of everything else.
ICYMI on InGame
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Prediction Markets Are The Investification Of Gambling
NFL Week 1: Spaceballs, Vibes, Yogi Berra, And 100% Emeka Egbuka
Judge Rules Discovery Is Necessary in Kalshi-Nevada Lawsuit
Polymarket CEO Says Exchange Has ‘Green Light’ From CFTC To Return To US
Open Letter To Matt Bowyer: Contradictions, Conflict, And Charisma
