The Vancouver-based geolocation company GeoComply has just released their numbers for the opening weekend of the NFL season and numbers are up. The report tracking Thursday through Sunday at midnight found that geolocation volumes were up 71.5% in comparison to Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, totaling 103.1 million verification transactions from 60.1 million. As legal sports betting continues to spread through the U.S. bettors are now able to use verified sportsbooks moving away from offshore options, in turn aiding the growth. There are now 25 states that offer some form of online sports betting with New York as the reigning king with 15.3% market share of U.S. betting.

In an interview at Disney’s D23 Event, CEO Bob Chapek was quoted stating that the company is doubling down on their commitment to ESPN and sports betting as that is what the company’s younger audience is interested in. Disney was presented with multiple offers to purchase ESPN but Chapek believes the company holds a unique opportunity. Chapek also stated the company is “working very hard” towards a ESPN sports betting app but nothing has been officially confirmed by Disney.

California’s Proposition 26 and Proposition 27 have officially been set to be voted on in the upcoming November ballot. The ad campaigns for the propositions have set the record for the most expensive propositions in state history. Prop 26 is supported mainly by the tribes as it would allow sports betting at their casinos and four private racetracks while Prop 27 would allow online sports betting from apps such as FanDuel and DraftKings.