Thursday night’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick off a sports betting season unlike any in NFL history.

The American Gaming Association estimates that a record 45.2 million Americans will bet on the upcoming NFL season, up 36% from last year. 

The AGA also found that 25% of NFL fans are more excited for this season than previous ones, up from 18% last year. 

• The AGA predicts that online sports betting will grow 73% from last year to 19.5 million participants.
• People placing bets at physical casinos will increase 58% from 2020 to 10.5 million, according to the survey.

The league has opened the doors to gambling advertising and media, with betting lines set to appear on the NFL Network’s ticker and up to six sports betting commercials per broadcast. 

CBS’ ad revenue for regular-season NFL broadcasts grew 15.2% year-over-year to $609 million, with the growth largely attributed to sportsbooks.

The league established Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel as sportsbook partners in April with separate five-year deals collectively worth close to $1 billion. It approved FOX Bet, MGM, PointsBet, and WynnBet as sportsbook operators in August.

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., now allow sports betting, up from 18 at the start of last season. New York will allow mobile sports betting beginning in 2022.

Editor’s note: DraftKings is an FOS partner.

Sony and Microsoft may see the shortage for their current generation of consoles extend until 2023, according to Toshiba. 

The makers of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles are experiencing production delays due to the semiconductor shortage plaguing the tech industry. 

Despite the shortage, both company’s new consoles are flying off the shelves. 

• Estimates suggest Microsoft has sold roughly 6.5 million Xbox Series X|S consoles as of June 30, 2021, but the company doesn’t disclose exact hardware sales figures. 
• The PS5 has sold more than 10 million units globally since its November 2020 release, making it the fastest-selling console in Sony’s history. 
• Xbox hardware revenue increased 172% year-over-year during fiscal Q4 2021. Microsoft’s overall gaming category posted $3.7 billion in revenue, up 11% compared to Q4 2020. 
• Sony expects to sell 14.8 million PS5 units in the fiscal year ending in March 2022. 

Despite the success of the Xbox, Microsoft says it has never turned a profit on hardware sales from its consoles. The bombshell was revealed in May during the trial between Epic Games and Apple. 

During an investor presentation the same month, Sony said it expected the PS5 to become profitable in June, when the cost of selling the console was set to drop below its wholesale price.

Italy is fighting to preserve supercar brands like Lamborghini and Ferrari in their current forms as Europe makes wholesale changes to its auto industry — which could have sweeping implications for Formula 1. 

The country is asking for supercar exemptions to a rule proposed by the European Commission which would ban new combustion engine cars starting in 2035.

Supporters of the carve-out argue that supercar makers typically produce a small number of vehicles and have limited impact on climate change.

Renault, like Ferrari, participates in F1, and has asked for an extension to 2040. Lamborghini races in the GT World Challenge and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.

• Ferrari is set to roll out its first all-electric model in 2025. The company said last month that it welcomes the combustion engine ban.
• Lamborghini is spending $1.8 billion to produce electric versions of its current models, with the first ones coming in 2024.
• The all-electric Formula E race has seen more luxury brands join in recent years and now includes Porsche, BMW, and Jaguar.

The ban, proposed in July, is not yet finalized and needs approval from the European Union’s member states.

The EV market is growing quickly: Consumer spending on electric models grew 50% year-over-year in 2020 to $120 billion.

Hyperice has rebranded as a “holistic high-performance wellness brand” following its acquisition of the meditation app Core.

The rebrand, unveiled Tuesday, comes with a new website and app update, plus the launch of five new products.

Core is the third company Hyperice has purchased in the last 18 months, giving it a stake in a meditation apps market estimated to reach $4.2 billion by 2027.

• Last year, it acquired NormaTec, which makes cutting-edge pneumatic compression systems.
• In January, it acquired RecoverX, a company specializing in intelligent thermal technology, in a deal valued in the eight-figure range.

Hyperice is approaching a $1 billion valuation and has been profitable the past five years, the company told Front Office Sports.

Last fall, Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Osaka, and Russell Westbrook participated in a $48 million funding round along with the NBA and an equity fund composed of all 32 NFL clubs. 

Mahomes and Osaka helped roll out Hyperice’s rebrand Tuesday, which included an unveiling of the Hyperice X — an “industry-first” contrast therapy device priced at $399.

The new Hypervolt 2 Pro will be present on sidelines in the NFL’s regular-season opener on Thursday as well, the company told FOS.

CEO Jim Huether said the transition from targeting elite athletes to both elite and everyday athletes is emphasized by a new slogan: “Do What You Love. More.”

Editor’s Note: Hyperice is an FOS partner.