Partnerships poised for Fall liftoff
Partnerships poised for Fall liftoff
A SMCC panel this week was bullish on what's to come in a jam-packed sports calendar. Some bets are off at this week's CP Women's Open and Rivalry announced its Q2 earnings this morning.
In this issue:
Partnerships ready to kick off
All bets are off on teen golf phenoms
The Company Line - Betstamp
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Partnerships to kick into high gear this fall
Here at Gaming News Canada HQ, we prefer to drink our dark roast and H2O from a cup that’s half full. So, instead of anticipating with both hands over our eyes the onslaught of advertising over the next fortnight or so with the start of the NFL regular season, we welcome with open arms the creativity and innovation to come as partnerships and sponsorships are activated this fall with the start of a full calendar year in the wonderful world of sports.
In fact, we’re getting a glimpse this week of what’s to come. TheScore Bet will offer customers its own Greenside Lounge experience this week at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club during the CP Women’s Open. PointsBet Canada and Curling Canada cleverly started the countdown to next month’s inaugural PointsBet Invitational at the Willie O’Ree Place in Fredericton, NB, with a fan poll to select the sponsor’s exemption rinks.
The Invitational is the first major activation for PointsBet with Curling Canada since they announced their partnership almost a year ago.
“Everybody is thinking football right now, and we get that,” Nic Sulsky, PointsBet Canada’s chief commercial officer told your congenial correspondent during a phone call yesterday afternoon. “What’s unique about this opportunity is that we own a specific sporting event, and it’s going to be on television (TSN). We’re creating a tournament with Curling Canada that’s never been done before and we’re in for the long haul.”
Sulsky said the poll to grant sponsor’s exemptions on both the women’s and men’s sides for the March Madness-style event is only the tip of the activation iceberg for PointsBet’s Canadian operation.
“We want to have fun. Polls are fun. . . gambling is fun. We want to zig where others are zagging.”
The quest by sportsbooks to turn partnerships into customers was the hot topic du jour at the Sponsorship Marketing Council Canada’s Breakfast Forum yesterday morning. A panel moderated by Kindred Group’s Amanda Brewer and which included NBA executive Kuljeet Sindhar, OLG’s Caspar Yue, Keesje Kort from PointsBet Canada, and Noor Zainab of Parleh Media Group addressed the opportunity for stakeholders in sports and sports betting to grow their respective businesses by collaborating with each other (Ed’s Note: A tip of the chapeau to Monsieur Sulsky for sending along the above photo of the panel).
“You’re going to see more partnerships and sponsorships,” said Yue, whose employer has struck deals with the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB so far this year to help the provincial lottery corporation compete with the wave of sportsbooks now licensed to operate in Ontario. “It’s forced us to be more creative.”
Sindhar pointed to the NBA’s BetStream telecasts that provides an alternative to basketball fans who are interested in betting, and the integration of odds on NBA.com in France. Kort addressed the opportunities for PointsBet to convert sports fans into sports bettors with partnerships such as the one it announced with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in April (FanDuel and PokerStars are also MLSE partners).
From Zainab, who covers the NBA for Parleh: “Sports betting tells us a story about the game itself. It goes beyond the realm of money since it actually forces you to become a more educated fan.”
Jeff Harris of Deloitte, who delivered a state-of-the-Ontario-gambling-union address to kick off the forum, said: “When we take a step back and look at the assets that sports betting operators have and are accruing, they are uniquely and centrally positioned to play a leading role in supporting media companies, sports leagues, teams, federations, and national sport organizations operating at the confluence of technology, data, media, content and the ‘next generation of customer’, providing opportunities for both greater breadth and depth of engagement.”
Simply put, it’s only just begun.
All bets are off on teen phenoms at CP Women’s Open
For you golf fans among our loyal followers who were looking to lay a loonie or two on Lucy Lin at the CP Women’s Open, which (with Mother Nature’s blessing) teed off in the nation’s capital this morning, we have one word.
Fuggedaboutit.
Lin is the 12-year-old phenom from Vancouver who earned one of four qualifying spots in the LPGA Tour event by beating two other golfers in a playoff Monday. When the teen from B.C. hit her opening drive off the first tee close to the crack of dawn this morning, she became the youngest participant in the long history of Canada’s national women’s open. Michelle Liu, who was also 12 when qualified for the 2019 tournament, also qualified for this week’s CP Women’s Open as a 15-year-old.
Your humble correspondent did some checking yesterday to confirm that Ontario’s rules and regulations around sports betting don’t allow sportsbooks to offer odds on athletes under 18, which is why you won’t find Lin and Liu on your favourite wagering app. We’re betting, however, that the books are taking significant action on (almost) hometown favourite Brooke Henderson, who’s chasing her second CP Women’s Open title.
The Company Line
This week, Gaming News Canada introduces our pretty awesome readers to Canadian company Betstamp.
Birthdate: 2020
Home Base: Toronto
Founders: Johnny Capo and Julian Packer
Raison D’Etre: Betstamp is an app which assists bettors of all stripes in determining what to bet on, where to lay a wager, and how to track your bets.
If you’d like to have your company featured in this section to profile the players in the Canadian gaming space, please drop us a note at steve@theparleh.com.
On the Home Front
Play Canada’s Dave Briggs casts a Spockian eyebrow on several issues around the regulatory rules of engagement for Ontario’s sports betting and gaming business.
Thanks to SNBET for flagging yesterday that Sports Interaction has received its licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Toronto-based Tiidal Gaming announced Tuesday that it’s going all in on its Sportsflare business and moving away from its esports team operations.
You’ll need a subscription to read this deeply reported feature story from The Logic’s Aleksandra Sagan on how Vancouver-based GeoComply moved employees out of war-torn Ukraine.
While sportsbooks and casinos wait on the OLG to deliver a plan for bricks-and-mortar books at gambling venues in the province, the lottery corp has partnered with Lotto Max and Creamery X to create an ice cream bar.
Cathryn Lai, the CCO of OpenBet, spoke with Canadian Gaming Business about the company’s agreement with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority and its plans for Canada.
Betano, the online gambling operator owned by Kaizen Gaming, received its licence from the AGCO last week and is waiting for approval from iGaming Ontario to open its doors for business.
The Responsible Gambling Council is seeking proposals to create and lead breakout discussions at its Discovery 2022 conference next month.
Let’s Get Together
EGR’s Robert Simmons has the scoop this morning on BetMGM’s exclusive partnership with comedy network Almost Friday Media.
Also this Thursday a.m., Gaming Innovation Group announces a platform agreement with Luckiest.com.
Kambi’s latest client is the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.
Better Collective announced Tuesday that its latest dance partner in the media space is Boston.com.
BetMGM and SportsGrid let it be known this week that they’re engaging in some E&E (expansion and extension) of their partnership.
Sportsbet.io is partnering with Low6 around the company’s gamification products for this fall’s FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, OpenBet is aligning itself with StatsBomb around the World Cup.
U.S. Integrity’s latest partner is Thrill One Sports & Entertainment.
Sportradar’s integrity services wing has a new partner in the German women’s handball federation.
The collaboration between Stats Perform and Sports Solutions has produced a B2B product set.
Ahead of its summit next month in Barcelona, SBC has signed a strategic partnership agreement with blockchain and metaverse agency CoinPoint.
Colorado Lottery has a new deal with Scientific Games.
Evoplay and Soft2Bet are doing the partnership thing.
Matters of M&A
It appears all of the red tape has been dealt with for MGM Resorts to complete its acquisition of LeoVegas.
Quarter(s) Pole
Toronto-based Rivalry announced a record betting handle of $23.4 million in July as part of its Q2 earnings. No mention of how the company is doing in Ontario.
Elys Game Technology last week reported a YOY drop in revenue for Q2.
Scout Gaming is looking at trimming half of its workforce after an incredibly disappointing second quarter.
Casino revenue in New Jersey in Q2 saw a double-digit jump year over year.
From the Dept. of We Missed This: Toronto-based Overactive Media released its second-quarter financials earlier this month.
A tap of the old Hillerich & Bradsby to the headline writer at igamingfuture.com for the Kate Bush reference in this article on 888 Holdings CEO Itai Pazner.
States Side Stories
Short-term pain for long-term gain. That was the message once again from DraftKings CEO Jason Robins yesterday at the Craig-Hallum online gaming conference.
Speaking of DK, the company has applied to operate a sportsbook at the state fairgrounds in Maryland.
FuboTV soft launched its sportsbook product in New Jersey on Tuesday as it continues to look for a partner.
The Kansas Gaming Commission is moving full steam ahead to launch legal sports wagering in seven days. And there’s a belief in at least one corner that the state will do more betting business than Louisiana and Indiana in Year 1.
Online sportsbooks in the Bayou State enjoyed a record win rate in July.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, applications from sportsbooks to do business in the Buckeye State are coming in a fast and furious manner.
Sportradar governmental affairs lead Brandt Iden did the Q and A thing with Ryan Butler at iGaming Next about legal sports betting coming to Massachusetts.
And ahead of the state’s new legal market, a look at the amount of problem gambling that currently exists there.
Michigan’s online gambling market had a bounce-back month in July. And DraftKings outperformed FanDuel in online casino revenue.
In New Hampshire, however, the state’s sportsbooks experienced an 11-month low in handle.
U.S. President Joe Biden has joined the Seminole Tribe in asking an appeals court to reinstate an agreement giving the Indigenous community control of sports betting throughout Florida.
The Democrats and Republicans are on the same page with regards to Prop 27 in California. Go figure.
Also, Eilers & Krejcik Gaming has published a special report on the California sports betting ballot measures.
And Steve Ruddock at Props.com weighs in on what matters most to the state’s Indigenous communities when it comes to online gambling.
The second week of August was a better one for New York sportsbooks.
Handle isn’t the only thing seeing a summer decline with legal sportsbooks south of the border.
Is legal sports betting in most states too big for the small players?
Betfred USA COO Bryan Bennett got chatting about his fight with 800-pound gorillas, metaphorically speaking.
A former official in Donald Trump’s government made false statements around a casino application in Connecticut. Imagine.
It’s a safe bet that the Las Vegas Strip is going to be expanded.
Speaking of the Strip, MGM opened the BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge inside the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Monday.
SBC’s Jessica Welman spoke with Playmaker CEO David Woodley about the company’s plans for the California market.
Fubo Gaming CEO Scott Butera was interviewed recently by SBC’s Calum Williams about what separates the business of betting in Europe and the U.S.
Blackhawk Network has been given the green light to offer its payments and sports betting gift card services in New York and Louisiana.
The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City enjoyed a record month in July.
On the off chance you’ve been vacationing on a deserted island with no wifi, a link to register for October’s G2E conference.
Also, the EGR U.S. Power Summit is taking place in Laguna Beach next month.
Finally, to paraphrase John Holden at Legal Sports Report, banning in-state college betting is just plain dumb.
Across the Pond
The UK Gambling Commission has found Spreadex Limited guilty of falling short when it comes to social responsibility and anti-money laundering.
Discovery Europe will no longer be showing gambling ads in Norway.
A columnist writes that Public Health England should butt out when it comes to gambling.
The European Gaming & Betting Association reports that the majority of countries on the continent now have a multi-licensing model for online gaming.
Fitzdares, which is operating in Ontario, has joined the UK Betting and Gaming Council.
Speaking of the EGBA, it has created a new wing to counter cybersecurity threats.
There’s a delay in the ban on gambling advertising in Belgium.
A damn fine read from Brad Allen on the impact that not being able to limit accounts is having on sportsbooks in Espana.
A former UK cricket player has been suspended for betting on matches.
Edinburgh-based technology company Incentive Games is going on a hiring spree.
In an op-ed for iGB, Marese O’Hagan writes that Entain should be thanking its lucky stars for the $20 million fine it received from the UK Gambling Commission.
Former Premier League star Peter Crouch stands tall(er) in his latest advertising appearance for Paddy Power.
Esports Reports
William Hill announced yesterday that it is bringing on board Pandascore as its esports data and odds provider.
Andrew Hayward of Decrypt wrote on the ever-growing relationship between crypto and esports.
North American esports company Cloud9 has a new partnership with BC.GAME.
Regression Games is planning to use artificial intelligence to power both esports competitions and gaming through its latest bit of fundraising.
ASUS Republic of Gamers is going to lend a hand to the University of California, Berkeley’s esports program.
A rather robust weekend is in store for attendees at the Insomnia (that’s correct) Gaming Festival.
SKADE, the Norwegian esports organization, has a partnership deal with The Federation of Norwegian Industries.
Quick Hits
The PGA Tour introduced its new responsible gambling message in advance of this week’s Tour Championship.
Gaspar Incze reports for European Gaming that the global online gambling market will grow to more than $170 million by 2030.
Friend of the Parleh Jake Pollard made a cameo appearance on CDC Gaming Reports to weigh in on the balancing act faced by sportsbooks entering a crazy busy fall.
The lads from Wagers.com Earnings+More bring back their podcast after a summer break to have a chin wag around Flutter and the state of gambling in the UK.
In the latest episode of NorthStar Bets’ Rodcast, Rod Black was in conversation with retired NHLer Jeremy Roenick.
A study from Auckland University of Technology concluded that 5.8 per cent of the world’s adult population may have a gambling problem.
Mike Seely at Sports Handle presents his version of the good, bad and ugly of microbetting.
Rege Behe at CDC Gaming wrote about the shortage of women as entrepreneurs and business owners in the gaming space.
Enthusiast Gaming unveiled yesterday a new campaign to showcase its support for women in gaming, and will host a launch event in New York this afternoon.
Gambling Group CEO Charles Gillespie chatted business and entrepreneurship with SBC’s Welman.
Gillespie also appeared on Cheddar News to say the regulated sports betting industry is looking forward to its best NFL season ever.
Rush Street Interactive CEO Richard Schwartz talked shop with Robin Harrison at iGB.
OpenBet CEO Jeremy Thompson-Hill spoke with Gambling Insider about what’s ahead for the company.
Facial recognition technology could soon be employed to self-exclude problem gamblers.
With apologies to LeBron James, Paysafe is taking its talent to Argentina.
A Czech lottery business is one step closer to becoming a publicly traded company in the U.S. of A.
NuxGame is offering a new casino and sportsbook solution.
A London University professor believes the gaming industry should be spending more time protecting children from gambling.
In news from the Department of Better Late Than Never, Sara Fischer of Axios writes about the rise in rights fees for women’s sports.
BSM’s Jason Ence opines that Disney CEO Bob Chapek is taking the right approach by doing a slow walk to a betting partner for ESPN.
Twitch streamer Greekgodz wants nothing to do with gambling on his platform.
And speaking of women in sport, prodigious Parleh props to our friends at The Gist at reaching the 500,000-subscriber milestone, and on its new look.
Nominations close Friday for the gameHERS awards.
Finally, Jesse Learmonth, the owner/operator of The Betting Startups Podcast is looking for a guest host to lend him their voice and ears.
People on the Move
Bet365 has promoted Gareth Kennedy to Head of Partnerships.
David Mann has been promoted to CEO at Swintt, replacing David Flynn, who continues in his role as CEO of parent company Glitnor Group.
Alex Gersh has stepped down as Sportradar’s Chief Financial Officer and will be replaced by Ulrich Harmuth on an interim basis.
Hung Tran is the new North America head of marketing for Galaxy Racer.
Petroula Magriotidis has left Rush Street Interactive to join Strive Gaming as Director of Customer Success.
Fiona Davies is the new Head of Gaming at OCR Labs.
Brendan Moore has been promoted at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming to Director, Slot Performance & Analytics.
Toby Boiles left PointsBet and is now at Underdog Fantasy as Senior Talent Acquisition Partner.
Erin Mackay has been promoted by OLG to Senior Manager, Enterprise Voice of Customer.
The NWSL has hired Julie Haddon as the league’s Chief Marketing Officer, Tatjana Haenni as Chief Sporting Director, and Bill Ordower as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer.
Bianca Mattison-Amos has a new post with TSN as Program Manager, Brand Partnerships.
Classified (Jobs) Information
FanDuel has an opening for a Senior Commercial Associate in Toronto.
TheScore is looking to hire a Director - Sportsbook Marketing.
Fanatics is in the market for a Staff Network Engineer.
BCLC is searching for a Senior Specialist, Social Media.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has approved the hiring of a Director of Sports Wagering.
Xpoint in on the lookout for a Customer Success Manager.
Among the openings at Betstamp right now is one for a Business Development Representative, and another for a Campus Life Lead.
Light & Wonder is hiring a Studio Project Manager in Montreal.
The Toronto Blue Jays are in the market for a Creative Director.
PHD in Manchester, England, has an opening for a Gaming Media Manager.
Boom Entertainment is seeking a Backend Engineer.
CBC Sports is searching for an Associate Producer - Digital Hub.
The Athletic is hiring a Staff Editor, NHL, and a Staff Writer, Women’s Basketball.
About the Numbers
We are just over two weeks out from the start of the 2022-23 NFL regular season, and fans and bettors are already making their early predictions for this year’s Super Bowl champion.
To the surprise of some, the Buffalo Bills enter as favourites (+600), according to our partners at NorthStar Bets, to win their first championship since 1965 — before the NFL-AFL merger!
As The Parleh’s Shawn McCormick explains, while the Bills are certainly Super Bowl contenders, taking them at +325 to win the AFC Championship may be a safer bet to place.
Follow us @GamingNewsCA on Twitter for the latest news on the sports betting and gaming industry. And for our daily picks and other sports video content, visit @theParleh.
Questions? Please contact us.
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