Happy Apples

How to play Happy Apples

For all the hoopla surrounding prediction markets and expectations that the industry will eat away at sportsbooks’ NFL handle this season, the old guard industry is expected to control nearly 80% of pro football wagers this year.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) estimates that bettors will plunk down $40.5 billion on the NFL this season through regulated channels. Traditional sportsbooks are projected to capture $31.7 billion of that total, compared to a handle analog of $8.4 billion for prediction markets—a 79% to 21% split in favor of legacy operators.

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.

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Playtech also tracks its DEI achievements. According to Sophie Yaxley, the company’s global Centre of Excellence director, female representation within Playtech’s leadership rose from 23% in 2021 to 32% in 2025.

“Ultimately, our focus is not only on representation, but on fostering an environment where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, develop and succeed,” Yaxley says.

A key question around DEI has long been how the gambling sector can attract diverse talent. Increasingly, however, attention has shifted to whether it can retain the people it attracts.

How to play Happy Apples

Meanwhile, Colorado and Vegas are both competing to win the Honda West division, but 2019 champions St. Louis also up there in the standings, but with an even goal differential.

Also prominent in the potential matchups are the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and league leading Toronto Maple Leafs. Although Toronto has a better record than Tampa Bay, they’ve played four more games and have a worse goal differential, and perhaps an easier schedule thanks to being in the Scotia North division with the league’s worst team, the Ottawa Senators.

Due to the pandemic, the playoffs will look a little different this year. Each division will have its own 4 team playoffs, with a final four then facing off based on their season standings. That could mean a classic Toronto or Montreal vs. Boston final for the first time since the 1970s.