A seven-day wave of scrutiny on the Canadian sports betting scene
An Ipsos poll, The Fifth Estate, a Globe and Mail op-ed and an NDP MP who led the charge for legal sports betting took aim at the industry this week. The CCES expands its hotline, and much, much more.
In this issue:
A week of questions, concerns, plus a poll
CCES hotline to include match-fixing
Schneider, Cherniak join us on LinkedIn Audio
An early look at legal wagering in Saskatchewan
SiGMA founder won’t rule out return to Toronto
Seven days (or so) of questions, concerns, plus a poll
The week that’s been in the Canadian gambling industry had me . . . er. . . sifting through Google and YouTube last night until I found what I was looking for.
An Ipsos poll released yesterday which showed half of the Canadians surveyed have more than had their fill of gambling advertising was the coup de grace from the past eight days that included a Fifth Estate report on The Gamblification of Canada - and The Athletic piggybacking on the report with an interview of CBC journalist Bob McKeown - the NDP contingent on Parliament Hill calling for a ban on big-name athletes appearing in sports betting ads (led, no less, by the MP who led the charge for the legalization of single-event sports betting), and an op-ed in The Globe and Mail pretty much suggesting the sports in the land of the Maple Leaf is becoming all about puck lines, money lines, props and the like (we take some issue with the notion that gambling is “strangling the beauty of sport” at a time when our national sport system is in crisis and needs a complete makeover because it has failed miserably to protect athletes and others).
H-E double hockey sticks, even in the state where Ontarians flock to watch the Sabres, Bills and Broadway shows in The Big Apple, a bill was proposed to require all sports betting and gaming ads to include warnings on the potential harms of gambling.
Let us provide some food for thought, having digested the aforementioned coverage.
If the day of reckoning hasn’t come for the operators, and media and digital companies who spend/take the money for ads and partnerships that include the integration of betting content into programming and game broadcasts, it’s awfully darn close. One industry expert whose insight is highly respected by your congenial correspondent believes the stakeholders involved in branded content/content integration need to get their . . . stuff together. Countries in Europe and Asia have recently placed restrictions around gambling ads and have banned celebrity brand ambassadors
If you’re an operator, an athlete, an agent, a marketing rep with your hands in a brand ambassador deal, get serious about responsible gambling messaging. Something here to spark the conversation:
If you’re reporting on a story about gambling in Canada (Part I), do your homework and understand that Canadians have been betting on sports for decades now. And we agree with the words of Canadian Gaming Association president/CEO Paul Burns earlier this week: “Regulated gaming is better than non-regulated gaming.”
If you’re reporting on a story about gambling in Canada (Part II), speak with experts on the Canadian gaming industry, of which there are many. We were told by two sources this week that Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White offered to appear on The Fifth Estate but was turned down (and to be clear, White isn’t one of our sources). The program included interviews with people connected to the gambling industry in the UK.
“It’s tiring that with a lot of the stories reported in the past year, they don’t bother to speak to experts in the Canadian gaming industry, or don’t bother to look at the regulatory standards,” said Burns, who told us his appearance on The Fifth Estate came from a 90-minute interview with McKeown. “Making comparisons to the UK industry is completely ingenuous. There’s very little apples to apples comparison.”
A segment devoted to match-fixing may have benefited from comment from Paul Melia or Jeremy Luke at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, which has been collaborating with several stakeholders including the Canadian Olympic Committee and national sport organizations to educate and protect athletes from corruption around the manipulation of competition.
If you’re asked to speak for a story about the gambling industry because you and your organization is setting the rules and regulations, you need to do it (full disclosure: we’ve been on a soapbox for a long time in witnessing the increasing refusal of companies to not respond to requests from journalists, or simply go into hiding, and that’s not on the majority of communications folks, but the people for whom they work.
And finally, one more time with feeling, the regulated gambling industry in this country is still in its infancy and there continue to be growing pains. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission (which dropped the ball by refusing to appear on The Fifth Estate) continues to receive plaudits for getting much more right than wrong on the regulatory side. And the Canadian gaming industry is lending a hand to the economy at a time where it can really use the help.
We no doubt will discuss all of the above on LinkedIn Audio this afternoon, and we invite you to join the conversation.
CCES launches new hotline to include match-fixing
We’ve been meaning for quite some time now to catch up with the good people at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports. And a couple of items over the past 4-5 days stabbed us in the memory bank to do exactly that.
Last week’s reporting by The Fifth Estate included a trip down memory lane by McKeown on match-fixing in the Canadian Soccer League a decade ago, and five members of the Canadian men’s soccer team accepting thousands of dollars in bribes to manipulate the result of a game at a tournament in Singapore way, way back in 1986.
Fast forward to today where there continues to be match-fixing, despite the presence of organizations which monitor suspicious betting activity on behalf of teams, leagues, organizations, and the sportsbooks themselves. The International Olympic Committee, FIFA and the International Tennis Federation have their own monitoring services while firms such as the International Betting Integrity Association, U.S. Integry, Sportradar and Genius Sports also offer monitoring services. In Canada, the legalization of single-event sports betting and the increased awareness around sports betting (see advertising, avalanche) in regulated markets such as the provinces in our home and native land, and in 30 something states south of the border has also heightened concerns about the protection of athletes, coaches, officials and other participants in sport from betting-related corruption.
To wit, as mentioned during a meeting of the Ohio Casino Control Commission yesterday:
But we digress.
The aforementioned CCES announced yesterday that it’s launching an expanded service for reporting of both doping and competition manipulation from the sport community. The enhanced CCES Integrity Hotline now provides four secure and anonymous means to share information and evidence.
RealResponse, “a leading provider of a safe and secure reporting platform for athletes, teams and organizations”, according to a media release, is partnering with the CCES. The RealResponse tool allows people to anonymously share information and evident with the hotline by phone, text, WhatsApp or email.
Also from the release:
Tips to the hotline can include photos, videos, documents, and any other evidence that points to potential doping or competition manipulation. All reports will be anonymous unless the reporter chooses to reveal their identity, in which case the information will be treated as confidential.
Call, text, or WhatsApp 1-888-441-2237, or email integrity@cces.realresponse.com. For more about the CCES Integrity Hotline, go to www.cces.ca/integrity.
Jeremy Luke, the organization’s director of anti-doping and business operations, says the expanded hotline comes to some extent as the result of an increased awareness within the Canadian sport community.
“With the legalization of sports betting and the amount of advertising around it, Canadian sport organizations are reaching out to better understand the manipulation of competition,” Luke told Gaming News Canada over Google Meet. “We want to educate the athletes as much as possible. There are strategies that can be put into place to protect their athletes.”
The CCES has created a free program on its website which educates participants on competition manipulation, and Luke says the program has been accessed by “thousands”. The CCES is also now working with several national sport organizations on an expanded education program that’s tailored to policy around violations and sanctions. Luke said the CCES has had discussions with the Responsible Gambling Council about partnership opportunities, and the organization will also host a symposium on integrity in sport and match-fixing this spring in Toronto. We expect the symposium will include sportsbook operators, especially those which have done partnership deals with national sports organizations (eg. The Score/Golf Canada, PointsBet with Curling Canada and Alpine Canada).
Luke added that the CCES continues to advocate for the federal government to join 30-plus other countries which have signed on to the Macolin Convention, which is the only international rule of law on the manipulation of sporting events.
“The Macolin Convention brings together law enforcement, betting regulators and the sport industry. That’s the missing piece at this point,” said Luke, adding that the CCES’s latest five-year strategic plan places match manipulation right behind doping at the top of its four areas of focus.
Schneider and Cherniak bring their voices to the Gaming News Canada Show
We’ve got a treat for our Thursday afternoon coffee klatch, better known as the Gaming News Canada Show on LinkedIn Audio.
Sue Schneider, the VP Growth & Strategy, Americas for SBC - and a 2022 inductee into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame - and Avenue H Capital principal Benjie Cherniak will be our special guests for our weekly conversation on the world of sports wagering and gaming. We’ll ask Schneider about SBC’s partnership announcement this week with the proprietors of this newsletter with regards to the organization’s summits in New Jersey and Toronto (with the Canadian Gaming Association) this spring, and also tap into her wealth of knowledge from more than three decades in the industry. We’ll get some thoughts from Cherniak, a source of information, insight and inspiration for companies and people across the business, on what to watch for across Canada, the U.S. and beyond in 2023.
We drop the first bon mots at 2 p.m. ET.
Also, if you missed last week’s rendezvous on LinkedIn, we have it for you on the latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast featuring a discussion between the Responsible Gambling Council’s Shelley White, Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer and Quarter4 founder Kelly Brooks on diversity and inclusion in the gambling biz, along with SportsGrid’s Jason Sukhraj and Kevin Kennedy of Homestand Sports walking the listeners through their partnership which launches next month with the arrival of the SportsGrid Canada streaming channel.
Saskatchewan’s legal sports betting launch at first blush
Like the first sip of a new craft beer, it’s premature to give a Pass or Fail mark to the launch of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority’s online sports betting partnership with the BCLC’s PlayNow product, which launched in early November.
News came out at the beginning of the month that the province’s lone regulated online gambling site attracted just over $30 million in wagers and 8,000 registered customers for the first two months of operation. Last week SIGA announced the launch of live table games on the PlayNow.com platform, with a helping hand from Evolution.
So, we caught up first thing Monday morning with Michael Bellgarde over the phone (no, we didn’t call collect), and did the Q and A thing with SIGA’s director of igaming.
On the latest numbers: “We cracked 9,000 customer accounts last week, and also hit a (handle) weekly milestone of $2 million. Our handle (since launch) is just under $39 million.”
On what’s popular with the province’s sports bettors: “Hockey (NHL and AHL) and the NFL has been going back and forth for top spot. That’s followed by basketball, soccer and Power Picks (props, boosted odds). Football is picking up with the NFL playoffs.”
On the challenges faced in getting online wagering off the ground: “There’s been a steep learning curve. On the Prairies, everyone has a post office box address instead of a street address. So, we’ve had issues with FINTRAC requirements around having a legal land address on file (for customer registration). We agreed with the BCLC that SIGA would take the risk of not having that proof.
“Also, grey market operators are still advertising with no fear of retribution. It’s tough to compete with that.”
On the potential for the province to open the door a la Ontario: “That’s an interesting question. Is there enough market share to go around? For the DraftKings and Bet365s, is it worth their while to come into Saskatchewan? SIGA is a very trusted brand in the province, and there’s a lot of benefit to our messaging that the money stays in the province. Selfishly for SIGA, I hope they don’t open up the market.”
On introducing retail sportsbooks to casinos: “We’ve looked at having betting kiosks at some of our larger properties. Every vendor wanted a minimum guarantee to have the terminals there, and they also wanted a percentage (of handle). When we looked at the numbers, we decided to get people focused on placing bets online.
“At the Dakota Dunes Casino (just south of Saskatoon), we’re going to have TVs with the games on, and odds displayed. The renovations are scheduled to be done Feb. 6. Our plan is to have a Super Bowl party and then have a grand opening during March Madness.”
SiGMA founder weighs in on plans for Canada
We’re calling it a potential case of premature speculation.
In last Thursday’s GNC delivery, we keyboarded (having been told by a couple of sources) that SiGMA World’s scheduled calendar of conferences didn’t include Canada in 2023. SiGMA founder Eman Pulis gave us not-so-fast-Kaputnik notice during a chat over WhatsApp last Friday that staying away from Canada this year isn’t a done deal.
“We’re not ruling out a return to Toronto,” Pulis said before heading to Nairobi for this week’s
SiGMA Africa summit. “We still have plans to do something in 2023 and 2024 (because) we see the Canadian market as one that truly has a ton of potential.”
“We had more than 2,000 people come to our inaugural conference in Toronto last year. We’re contacting clients to get their feedback on the Ontario market. There’s an appetite for us to be in Canada as long as there’s an appetite for newcomers to enter the market.”
If you’re a newcomer to the Canadian gaming industry, you may have been otherwise occupied last June when SiGMA and the Canadian Gaming Association both staged summits in the city below Vaughan during the same week (and we still have the parking receipts to prove it. . . . ). Sports Betting Community (SBC) has taken over the operation of the Canadian Gaming Summit (we’ll speak with Sue Schneider on LinkedIn Audio this afternoon for hopefully a sneak peek into the agenda for the June 13-15 conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre) in collaboration with the Canadian Gaming Association.
While Pulis believes SiGMA, which will host a summit in Brazil for the first time in mid-May and also stages conferences in Dubai, Manila, Malta and Limassol, Cyprus, offers something unique with its emphasis on fintech, the metaverse, blockchain and artificial intelligence, he doesn’t rule out staging smaller events in other parts of Canada.
“Toronto remains at the forefront, but we want to have a presence in other locations as well,” he said. “Maybe that’s not a full-fledged conference but a full-day networking event with panels and a dinner so people from the region can do business.”
On the Home Front
Toronto-based Rivalry released yesterday its 2023 strategic plan, and it includes expanding its esports betting offerings and moving into new markets.
Mark Keast provided his own take on the aforementioned Ipsos results for our partners at CDC Gaming Reports.
NeoGames is one step closer to launching its BtoBet product in Ontari-ari-ari-o.
Ladies and germs, the Pickering Casino Resort is now open for business, including the Great Canadian Sportsbook lounge.
Mkodo has released its geolocation verification service in Ontario and British Columbia.
Altenar CEO Dinos Stranomitis took some questions from George Miller at Gaming Americas about the company’s entry into Canada.
BetSwap CEO Brent Winston did the Q and A thing with SBC about the company’s place within the sports betting biz.
PointsBet Canada and its American compatriots have been approved for accreditation under the Responsible Gambling Council’s RG Check program.
Let’s Get Together
There was news yesterday that the NBA has signed a multiyear agreement with consumer data firm StellarAlgo, with the league’s investment arm also grabbing an ownership stake in the firm.
IMG Arena has a new partnership with two Norwegian soccer divisions that gives it betting streaming rights.
Coolbet announced Tuesday that it will be receiving a helping hand from U.S. Integrity for its Canadian business.
ICYMI, SBC and Gaming News Canada announced Tuesday a partnership around the SBC Summit North America and the Canadian Gaming Summit.
Xbox Canada and Paidia – a women-led gaming, technology and media company – announced late last week an extension of its exclusive partnership.
Gaming Society announced last week a partnership with the University of Nevada’s International Gaming Institute which will be focused on women’s sports and betting.
Entain and the McLaren F1 team are working together to rev up (see what we did there) the return of women to STEM roles.
Kindred Group brand Unibet has a new partnership of the exclusive kind with GLORY Kickboxing in the Netherlands.
SkillOnNet, a supplier licensee in Ontario, is joining Peter & Sons as a strategic investor.
Yolo Group has a new partnership with Livespins across a trio of online casino brands.
The Athletic is getting together with software company Tallysight to assist with its sports betting strategy.
Esports entities Riot Games and Gravity Media are getting together.
Kambi is supplying its retail sports betting technology to Miami Valley Gaming in the Buckeye State.
Oddin.gg is expanding its business into the Balkans, with some help from MaxBet.
7777 Gaming has taken its library of games to Bulgaria through a partnership with Sesame.
Matters of M&A
Social gaming company DoubleDown is acquiring Swedish online gaming business SuprNation for a cool $35 million.
Greentube is purchasing a majority stake in igaming platform provider Alteatec.
Quarter(s) Pole
Kambi delivered its latest long-term financial targets this morning.
The latest numbers tell a good story for Catena Media’s North America business.
Kindred Group has spread the word to investors that the company’s Q4 revenue efforts fell short of what was expected.
States Side Stories
The New York Times, via The Morning newsletter, explained why New Yorkers are ready for a downtown casino in a post-pandemic world.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission gave its blessing Wednesday to a series of regulations for the soon-to-open sports betting market.
Rege Behe of CDC Gaming Report has the deets on a record gaming revenue month in the Quaker State for December.
Darrel Rowland reported for WSYX in Columbus that Ohio state officials are calling the launch of legal sports betting as turbulent as Tom Brady’s 2022/start of ‘23.
Speaking of the Buckeye State, Caesars will be paying a $150,000 fine to the Ohio Casino Control Commission for failing to properly display responsible gambling information in their ads, and also for using “risk-free bets”.
New York Senator Joe Addabbo has introduced a bill to increase the number of sportsbook operators to 16 in the state, and also drop the tax rate from the current 51 per cent.
There are some insights of interest in the January edition of Eilers & Krejcik’s U.S. Sports Betting Market Monitor report, highlighting that the industry south of the border may be at an inflection point.
According to iGaming Next’s Ryan Butler, regulators in Maine have sketched out a timeline for legal sports betting to be made available this year.
David Purdum’s reporting last week revealed that suspended MMA coach James Krause worked with an offshore sportsbook.
One person’s call for gambling to be legalized in Hawaii.
A former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice says that an constitutional amendment isn’t required to open the door for legal sports betting in the state.
The state of New Jersey enjoyed record gambling revenue last year, thanks to a helping hand from the online part of the biz.
A personal finance author and radio host isn’t hiding his disdain for U.S. colleges which do partnership deals with gaming operators.
From the Dept. of Be Careful What You Wish For, pro sports teams and sports facilities in North Carolina are demanding their own sports betting licences.
Politico’s Janaki Chadha and Sally Goldenberg reported on the politics around the proposed Manhattan casino.
Despite handling almost $500 million in December, Maryland’s sports betting industry generated a rather meagre $45,000 in tax revenue for the state.
The state of Louisiana saw about $27 million in tax revenue in its first year of legal sports betting, almost $50 million less than Mattress Mack won by placing wagers with operators in the Bayou State.
FanDuel’s sportsbook at The Fremont in Las Vegas is open for business.
Dave Briggs reported for PlayIllinois.com on an American Gaming Association study that the state of Illinois could be losing $105 million annually in tax revenue by not having a legal online casino industry.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says the time is now for legal sports betting in Texas. Cowboys fans feel the same way about their team winning the Super Bowl.
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is appealing an $89 million ruling against the Indigenous community around proposed casinos in Detroit and Lansing, MI which weren’t built.
In his latest column for CDC Gaming Reports, Jake Pollard looks at consolidation and late arrivals to the U.S. gaming party in 2023.
Paysafe is expanding its U.S. business into Ohio’s still-new gaming market.
A bill has been filed in Virginia to create a Problem Gambling Advisory Council to help address the state’s late-to-the-party response around responsible gambling.
Brett Abarbanel, the new executive director of the UNLV International Gaming Institute, told Howard Stutz of the Nevada Independent that it’s all about the research.
PointsBet has opened its latest bricks-and-mortar sportsbook in a Chicago suburb.
Among the 23 new things to do in Las Vegas this year, writes Rob Kachelriess for Thrillist, is the arrival of Formula One racing to the city that never sleeps.
Casino gaming influencer Brian Christopher is hopping on the bandwagon for smoke-free gambling venues.
Bin Weng became the first poker player in 2023 to take home $1 million by winning a tournament sponsored by Borgata and BetMGM.
Two Indigenous communities in Colorado are seeking help from the state government on changes to its sports betting rules and regulations.
Across the Ponds
Eyebrow-cocking news yesterday morning that DraftKings is suspending its daily f fantasy sports operations in Austria, Ireland, Germany and Malta.
Betting and Gaming Council CEO Michael Bugher wrote for The Times about the need to protect young people in the UK’s soon-to-come new gambling law.
In its latest blog, Regulus Partners takes aim at the UK Office for Health Improvement and Disparities for playing fast and loose with data around problem gamblers.
Coolbet is taking its business to Mexico.
SBC’s Ted Orme-Clay interviewed Antti Koivula about the changes coming to Finland’s regulated gambling industry.
The UK Gambling Commission has imposed a hefty fine on TonyBet for falling short of doing business the right way in several areas.
Germany’s new regulated gambling organization is expected to approve more than 50 gaming licences.
Sportsbooks have a prominent place as major sponsors of Brazilian soccer clubs.
One person’s call for significant reform to the gambling industry Down Under.
Stuart Hunter, the managing director for Clarion Gaming, did the Q and A thing with SBC’s Ted Menmuir about next month’s ICE London.
Mansion Group has put the Closed sign on its online casino businesses in the United Kingdom.
A councillor in Rio de Janeiro wants to lower the tax rate on gaming operators to bring more business to the Brazilian burg.
If you plan on attending ICE London next month in jolly old England, we recommend bringing at least one pair of comfy shoes to navigate your way through a whole lot of real estate.
The CFO of Altenar, which we profiled in The Company Line on Tuesday, was interviewed about the company’s investment in local sporting events on the Isle of Man.
Esports Reports
There’s reporting that more than half of the teams in the Overwatch League, including Toronto-based Overactive Media, are taking legal action against Activision Blizzard.
In his latest edition of Sharprs, Cody Luongo does some crystal ball gazing for the esports industry over the next 11-plus months.
Former Esports Entertainment Group CEO Grant Johnson has filed a lawsuit against his former employer.
English League One football side Barnsley FC is getting into the esports game.
James Fudge of The Esports Advocate had the scoop last week that the Encino, CA-based eUnited has shut its doors.
It’s a similar story for Belgian company Sector One in regards to its esports business.
The recent M4 World Championship reached 4.2 million peak concurrent users, reported The Esports Advocate.
The International Esports Federation is now up to 130 member nations (that’s a lot of coffee and pastries being required for the AGM. . . . .).
The VALORANT Champions Tour is adding two Chinese organizations to its LOCK/In event.
ACEND Club has bid a haughty adieu to Halo.
BLAST has announced the sites for its CS:GO Regional Major Ranking tournaments.
Riot Games has made some serious tweaks to its League of Legends format.
The latest Esports Biz Show podcast got into media coverage of the industry.
The League of Legends Worlds are going back to South Korea.
Media Musings
Jeanine Poggi of AdAge interviewed Barstool Sports Erika Nardini about the company’s evolving strategy around live events.
Quick Hits
Entain is speeding up its efforts to bid farewell to grey markets and move into additional regulated markets, including Africa and Mexico.
SBC’s Ted Menmuir did the Q and A thing with BetMakers CEO Todd Buckingham.
A report released this week by Technavio estimates that the fantasy sports market will increase by more than $6 billion between 2021 and 2026.
FOTP Benjie Cherniak spoke with SBC’s Jessica Welman about his path to becoming an investor/advisor/helping hand in the gaming industry.
Matt Rybaltowski of Sports Handle wrote about the efforts of sportsbooks to mitigate the risk of fraud.
The latest, from the keyboard of Legal Sports Report’s Matthew Waters, on the legal battle between GeoComply and Xpoint.
SCCG is accepting nominations for the Top 20 In Their Twenties from the gaming industry, which will be announced at G2E later this year.
Verse Gaming CEO Dan Zimmerman has some thoughts about the future of daily fantasy sports in a regulated gambling world.
Wondr Nation president/CEO Anika Howard did the Q and A thing about the future of gaming with Authority Magazine.
Good reading from industry vet Richard Schuetz for GGB News on the story behind awards and other honours in the gaming business.
OneComply CEO Cameron Conn joined Jesse Leamonth on the latest Betting Startups Podcast.
SBC’s Charlie Horner did some keyboarding on the launch of Better Fan’s Web3 sports betting platform.
Pierre Lindh interviewed Sports Info Solutions head honcho Dan Hannigan-Daley on the iGaming Next Podcast. Hannigan-Daley spoke about what’s happening with SIS, and also discussed the pivot by DraftKings from fantasy sports to sports wagering.
SharpRank released its latest Quarterly Rankings report.
People on the Move
Mark Goldberg, a former executive at Hootsuite, is the new Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Business Technology at the BCLC.
Kenny Gersh’s, MLB’s original executive suite go-to person on sports betting, has been promoted to Executive VP, Media and Business Development.
Esther Zdolec is joining OLG’s executive leadership team as the Senior Vice President of People and Culture.
Former Google executive York Scheunemann is the new Chief Operating Officer at Bayes Esports.
Low6 announced earlier this week the appointment of former TSN executive Brittany Almeida as its Sales and Strategy Director.
Kristjan Tamlak is the new Trading Director at Sports IQ while Neale Deeley has joined the Vancouver-based business as Commercial Director.
Barry Golombek has left SportsDataIO to become the new Chief Revenue Officer at MetaBet.
Light & Wonder executive Bob Parente is the new President of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers.
John Cook is leaving Infopro Digital to join SBC as Commercial Director for its media division.
Dustin Gouker announced last week that he’s leaving Catena Media after leading the company’s content division for more than four years. We give Dustin a tap of the Bauer Supreme and wish him well in what’s next.
Sticking with Catena, Valerie Cross is the new Editor-in-Chief of Regional/Play Sites.
Bruce Band will lead the sports wagering division for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which is expected to launch legal sports betting before the end of the month.
We extend well wishes to Heather Ly, who has left the Responsible Gambling Council as its PR and communications manager to join the Ontario Cannabis Store as Senior Communications Advisor.
British Esports boosts its advisory board with the addition of Kirsty Endfield, Camilla Maurice, Becky Wright, Shoubna Naika-Taylor, Sue Lavasani and Prof. Philip Wilson.
Long-time financial executive Tracy Harris has been named to the board of directors at Bally’s Corporation.
Matt O’Brien is the new Chief Revenue Officer of North American esports business 100 Thieves.
At Blue Ant Media, Julie Chang has been promoted to Executive VP of Business Strategy and Co-productions for Global Media while Andrea Standt also has a new role as General Manager for Love Nature and Head of Commissioning for Global Media. Also, Sam Linton has been promoted to VP of Production and Development for Global Media, including Blue Ant’s Canadian networks.
Former Spotlight Sports Group marketing lead Alan Davis has a new gig as Head of Marketing for Ellipse Data.
Matt Perrault, the host of The Bostonian vs. The Book show is leaving his content producing role with Props.com.
There are some changes at TTG Canada, as Bart Given is the Vancouver-based company’s new CEO while Bill Cooper is leaving to join the Invictus Games Foundation as its Chief Commercial Officer.
John Delaney is joining Canucks Sports & Entertainment as Director, Social Media.
Coming soon to a screen/town near you
The participants for next month’s Pitch ICE startups competition are set.
Early registration is now available for the SBC Summit Barcelona in September.
Classified (Jobs) Information
Bet99 has a cornucopia of career opportunities at its Toronto offices.
Pinnacle Sports, which joined the Ontario market towards the end of 2022, is hiring a Head of Brand Marketing to work out of The Six.
The Score has an opening for a Sports Betting Writer and is also on a seek-and-employ mission for a Change Management Analyst. And oh yes, the company that John Levy built is also in the market for a Sports Trader.
PointsBet Canada has an opening for a Director of Brand Marketing and is also searching for a Manager, CRM Marketing.
OLG is on the hunt for a Senior Retail Sports Product & Operations Manager.
BetVictor is seeking an Engagement Executive - talkSport Bet along with an SEO Manager in Gibraltar.
ComeOn Group is searching for an Affiliates Team Leader.
EA Sports has an opening for a Development Director at its Toronto offices.
Yahoo Sports is on the lookout for a Senior Product Designer.
Red Bull has an opportunity in Toronto for a Field Marketing Specialist - Event & Activation.
The CFL has an opening for a Senior Graphic Designer, and is also looking for a Manager, VIP & Premium Events.
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group is hiring a Manager, Corporate Partnerships & Premium Properties.
The Toronto-based CIMORONI agency is looking for a Manager, Partnerships.
Canada Artistic Swimming is in the market for a Finance and Administration Manager.
Finally, if you’re keen about cooking Cornish hen, couscous and quinoa, the Toronto Blue Jays have a job for you.
About the Numbers
Tennis is back. The Australian Open has kicked off the 2023 tennis calendar year, with several Canadians in the mix hoping to become the first Canuck to be crowned champion.
Leading the way is Félix Auger-Aliassime, the sixth seed from Montréal, who stormed back from two sets down to win an epic five-setter to advance to the third round. He will face Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina Thursday evening.
Joining Auger-Aliassime in the third round is Denis Shapovalov, seeded 20 in the tournament. The Richmond Hill, Ont., native will face No. 10 Hubert Hurkaczvs of Poland next.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news as Bianca Andreescu was sent packing early, becoming the third Canadian to exit the Australian Open (and Leylah Fernandez was knocked out in the wee hours of this morning by No. 4 seed Carolina Garcia).
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