Open It

What is Open It?

Handle analog is a metric used as a cleaner comparison between sportsbooks and prediction markets because the latter’s volume doesn’t compare evenly with sportsbook handle.

Based on its projections, EKG sees the overall sports wagering industry growing 8% year-over-year, outpacing the current baseline growth rate of 5% (a figure that strips out temporary boosts from the 2026 World Cup).

Assuming that 8% spurt is realized, it’d be impressive because since the end of the 2025 football season, only Missouri and Alberta, Canada joined the live and legal sports betting party with Arkansas opening to DraftKings and FanDuel earlier this year.

What is Open It?

Entain warned that a sharp rise in MGD could prompt customers to migrate out of the regulated market, estimating that up to £1 billion in gambling stakes could shift to the black market.

The company cited analyses from the Office for Budget Responsibility which suggested previous gambling tax rises had reduced expected tax receipts, including a £500m reduction in forecast receipts for 2029-30. This revenue, writes David, would flow to the black market. 

A new report commissioned by Euromat, and produced by Regulus Partners and Helios, has estimated that Europe’s black market has sustained a compound annual growth rate of 18% between 2019 and 2026, and will be worth up to €13 billion by the end of the year.

How to play Open It

As previously reported, Mulberry Street is currently scouting a new Strip location.

A private steakhouse and lounge is being planned for the $2 billion Athletics ballpark rising from the former Tropicana demolition site on the Strip. The Athletic Club will only be accessible to season ticket holders and their guests during games and other stadium events.

The venue, to be located directly behind home plate at field level, is projected to debut along with the ballpark in February 2028.

Renowned restaurateur Will Guidara—celebrated for his tenure co-owning New York City’s three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and pioneering the “Unreasonable Hospitality” movement—is spearheading the design.