Taking stock of Hockey Night in Canada's ad inventory, and some action from the AGCO and iGO
On this final Thursday of October, we tracked the brands pitching their products during a Maple Leafs-Jets game. iGaming Ontario welcomes new players and the province's gaming commission wants you.
In this issue:
Teeing up The Gaming News Canada Show
Auditing the ads on Hockey Night in Canada
iGaming Ontario lays down the welcome mat again
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario wants you
The Company Line - Oddin.gg
Teeing up The Gaming News Canada Show
Please set aside the 2-3 ET block on your calendar this afternoon and join us on Twitter Spaces. Anthony Cicione, the VP of Operations for Anthem Sports & Entertainment, will jump on board to discuss the Game+ network’s commitment to sports betting and daily fantasy programming, including the addition of Parleh Media Group’s Room 4-4-2 daily soccer show. We’ll also catch up on everything happening in the industry over the past seven days.
If you’re looking to get your B2B brand in front of the decision makers in the Canadian gambling market, Gaming News Canada has a sponsorship opportunity for you. Please email steve@theparleh.com for more information.
A GNC advertising audit from Hockey Night in Canada
We’ve been wanting to do this for some time now - put together some non-anecdotal and/or Twitter-fueled research on the distribution of advertising inventory around a sporting event. Unless you’ve been fixated on Kanye’s meltdown or the Conservative Party in the UK playing Revolving Prime Ministers, you’ve read and/or heard all about the angst over the massive media buying by sportsbook and gaming operators - including the provincial lottery corporations - in Canada’s brave new regulated gambling world.
A second bout of COVID-19 and being placed in isolation on orders of the CEO of your humble correspondent’s residence provided an opening last Saturday evening. So, with the TV and remote firmly in the hands of yours truly, we fastidiously (or as much as humanly possible through the consumption of cold medicine, Ibuprofen and a solitary hot toddy) tracked the ads for 3 ½ hours of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Toronto (the pregame show and the Maple Leafs’ win in Winnipeg). We included in our audit advertising spots and branded segments (eg. DraftKings’ presenting sponsorship of the pregame show, and Scotiabank/Hyundai presenting periods during Jets-Leafs. We didn’t include the digital rinkboard ads (which, to be completely honest, weren’t intrusive/offensive/maddening) which appeared during the game.
To our surprise, 64 brands had air time on CBC between 6:30 and 10 p.m. ET. And as is customary with this newsletter, we make no judgement on the breakdown of the categories with said brands (although we expect there’ll be some opinions offered on Twitter Spaces this afternoon), and it’s as sure as Phil Kessel being in the lineup that we’ve missed a brand/spot or two.
So, without further ado:
Food and Beverage brands: 13
Number of spots: 24
Retail/Other brands: 11
Number of spots: 23 (Rogers and the NHL account for eight of them)
Automotive brands (including Canadian Tire, tire companies and Esso): 11
Number of spots: 20
Sports betting/gaming brands: 8 (BetMGM, BetRivers, Bet99, DraftKings, Jackpot City, OLG, Sports Interaction, theScore)
Number of advertising spots: 19
Financial Services/Insurance brands: 8
Number of spots: 18
Pharmaceutical/Health Care brands: 4
Number of spots: 7
Entertainment/Travel brands: 8
Number of spots: 12
Of note, DraftKings led the way with seven “impressions” during the broadcast, including ad spots, exposure as presenting sponsor of the pregame show and cut-ins from Cabbie Richards during the game/intermissions. Scotiabank and The Brick were next with seven followed by Rogers, the NHL, RBC, BMO, Boston Pizza and Hyundai with four apiece.
iGO throws down the welcome mat again
If our Grade 11 math credit serves us right, there are 53 URLs guiding Ontarians to sports betting and gaming digital destinations with the addition of Pinnacle yesterday morning to the list of operators having the seal of approval from iGaming Ontario.
On Monday, iGO also welcomed TWHG and its eight online gaming brands.
We learned last week that Kaizen Gaming had soft-launched its Betano sportsbook, and we expect to see a greater presence as early as next week from a marketing standpoint.
The AGCO wants you
OK, please forgive your aging chronicler for getting a little carried away with the Uncle Sam reference. The AGCO is simply seeking input by November 7 from gambling industry stakeholders “on potential regulatory risks associated with promotional partnerships”.
From the Commission’s notice, which includes a discussion paper on the issue:
We ask that you please prepare and submit your response using the submit button below. The AGCO is interested in your response to the following questions:
What types of promotional or other offline activities, which fall short of creating a traditional land-based gaming site, do you think may be of concern or create risks? What risks might these promotional or other activities create?
What facts, context, and considerations should the AGCO be aware of when considering these risks?
What mitigating actions would you suggest the Registrar consider to address relevant risks?
Is there anything you would like to highlight for the AGCO to consider when developing a potential regulatory response to these risks? Are there other factors, data, comments, or requests you wish to share related to this matter?
Translation: would it be OK for a food and beverage establishment to do a deal with a sportsbook operator to have its brand featured with an invitation to place a wager? It’s a different issue than the presence of a retail sportsbook inside a casino (which still hasn’t happened in Ontario, although future participants are getting their ducks in a row in anticipation of the green light from the Douglas Ford government).
The Company Line - Oddin.gg
This week, we present to our loyal subscribers Oddin.gg, which announced a week ago that it’s now a registered supplier with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Birthdate: 2018
Home base: Prague
Founders: Marek Suchar, Vlastimil Venclik
Raison D’Etre: The company is a provider of esports betting odds, risk management, and iFrame solutions. It announced earlier this year that it had secured $4.5 million in Series A financing with some of that funding targeted towards expanding its business interests in Canada and the U.S.
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
Geoff Zochnode wrote on the slow walk to retail sports betting in Ontario and other parts of our home and native land.
From the Department of Later Rather Than Sooner, the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority is ready to provide legal online gaming and sports betting in the Prairie province.
Play Canada’s Dave Briggs reported yesterday that Ontario’s casinos are enjoying record revenues in 2022.
Speaking of casinos, the Louis Bull Tribe has broken ground on a new casino and gas station south of Edmonton.
We’ll. . . er. . . dig into this more in a future edition of the newsletter, but for now, Scientific Games is providing land to a non-profit organization in Montreal to create an urban farm.
The last time we saw Daniel Negreanu’s name, we were watching Kid Poker drive Phil Hellmuth on YouTube while waiting for the load of whites to complete the spin cycle.
World Series of Poker has announced its inaugural online bracelet series for Ontario poker players.
Canadian affiliate company Enteractive Media is planning to join the NASDAQ list. The company also received approval this week to operate in Pennsylvania.
While we were tidying up our desk seven days ago, Kambi announced a bricks-and-mortar sportsbook partnership with Great Canadian Entertainment.
Bonus.com’s Emile Avanessian weighed in on the recently released Q2 performance report from iGaming Ontario.
Play Canada editor-in-chief Robyn McNeil provides a how-to guide for newcomers to playing online casino games.
Callum Williams of SBC News and Bede Gaming chief strategy officer Alistair Boston-Smith continued their conversation on the Ontario market.
Finally, the PointsBet Canada crew cut the ribbon on its new headquarters in Toronto this week.
Let’s Get Together
Hot off the inbox this morning: Rivalry is partnering with Low6 on a free-to-play esports pick ‘em game.
FanDuel and Sportradar have struck a deal around the use of live NBA player tracking data for next season.
Sportradar is the new technology provider for NHL.tv, the league’s international streaming platform.
The NFL and Enthusiast Gaming launched their new Tuesday Night Gaming series this week with media partners Nickelodeon and University Pictures.
Genius Football and Football DataCo are expanding their partnership around tracking data for the Premier League.
Stockholm-based LeoVegas, a licensed operator in Ontario, will fund a four-year research project on safer gambling for the Karolinska Institute’s Department of Clinical Neuroscience.
There’s a bevy of news this week involving the Jake Paul-Joey Levy business of Betr, including an agreement for U.S. Integrity to provide integrity monitoring.
Kindred Group continues to grow its U.S. business through a new partnership with the Swinomish Tribe in the state of Washington.
Genius Sports is adding some new products to its existing partnership with Bet365.
SportsGrid announced this week that its 24-hour streaming service has a new partner.
Sportradar-owned business Vaix is getting together with customer engagement platform Xtremepush.
Speaking of Sportradar, the company is also partnering with the International Cricket Council to collaborate on data collection.
ICYMI last week, Sightline Payments will be receiving some funding of the strategic investment type from J.P. Morgan Payments.
Gaming studio EveryMatrix is moving into the U.S. market via its relationship with BetMGM.
Caesars Sportsbooks has announced a deal with American Express’s Accertify business to support its efforts around customer protection, and fraud and abuse prevention.
Betsson Group-owned TonyBet has a partnership deal to lend a hand to the Latvian Handball Federation.
DraftKings is doing the collaboration thing with NFT business Deadfellaz.
SOFTSWISS is joining forces with Gaming Corps.
Matters of M&A
Aussie business Betmakers Technology Group announced Monday the acquisition of horse racing technology company Punting Form.
The chief commercial officer of PariPlay talks about what’s next for the company after recently being acquired by NeoGames.
Quarter(s) Pole
In Tuesday’s newsletter, we pointed to the latest financials from PointsBet. The company also revealed that its U.S. strategy has a focus on “super users”. And, just in case you missed the Ontario snapshot.
Kambi’s Q3 report which was released yesterday shows a 12 per cent drop in revenue, attributed by CEO Kristian Nylen to “the third quarter is always the most challenging in the sports betting industry given the quiet sports calendar”.
Betsson Group reported that its growing investment in its B2B operation has resulted in unprecedented Q3 financials.
Evolution reports a healthy increase in live casino revenue with its Q3 earnings.
Buck Wargo at CDC Gaming Reports delivered a summary of Boyd Gaming’s third-quarter results.
Aussie company BlueBet delivered its Q1 2023 report yesterday.
ICYMI last week, the Las Vegas Sands’ business in Singapore gave the company a revenue lift in the third quarter.
As always, we heartily recommend a read of Earnings + More for darn fine quarters coverage.
States Side Stories
DraftKings is asking gaming regulators in its own backyard to reconsider their sports betting launch calendar.
Good reading from the Stamford Advocate’s Paul Schott on the marriage between NBC Sports and BetMGM.
Speaking of NBC Sports, the network’s Chicago affiliate launched its first BetCast show of the season last night for Bulls-Pacers.
Axios reporter Kendall Baker had first dibs on the details of The Ringer’s expanded agreement with FanDuel.
ESPN’s wooing of a dance partner from the sportsbook industry may take longer than nine innings of MLB.
Speaking of ESPN, senior writer David Fleming pulled back the covers. . . . er. . . . curtains on the life and times of Mattress Mack, whose beloved Astros are headed back to the World Series.
According to the latest edition of Eilers & Krejcik’s The EKG Line, FanDuel’s app is the current industry leader.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin has sold his small stake in the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils. And, oh yeah, about Rubin. . .
There are very good reasons for sportsbook operators south of the border to be excited about the start of the FIFA World Cup next month.
The communications team at GeoCompy hosted a roundtable discussion on payments and fraud in the U.S. sports betting industry.
Circa Sportsbook grand poobah Derek Stevens did the Q and A thing with Casino.org reporter Steve Bittenbender.
ESPN sports betting scribe David Purdum spoke with Betr co-founder Joey Levy about his strategy for changing the sports wagering landscape in the U.S. of A.
The economic day of reckoning has yet to reach Las Vegas.
Sportsbooks and sports bettors are having themselves a time these days with the Phillies headed to the World Series and the Eagles standing tall as the only undefeated team in the NFL.
A panel discussion at a Massachusetts university yesterday forecast rather handsome revenue numbers for a legal sports betting market in the state.
Projections from the folks at Props.com forecast nearly $34 million (U.S.) in state-tax revenue in Year 1 of legal online sports betting in Maryland.
And speaking of The Old Line State, Mike Mazzeo presented on Legal Sports Report the early applicants for licences.
American Gaming Association president Bill Miller joined Sportradar’s Brandt Iden and Brendan Bussman on the latest World Series of Politics for a post-mortem on G2E.
It’s looking like there’s going to be competition for the sports wagering dollar in the District of Columbia.
Alex Weldon reported on Bonus.com that Pennsylvania will have an unprecedented number of self-exclusion and hotline calls this year.
A majority of newspapers in California have given the bum’s rush to Prop26.
And it’s rather strange timing for Gavin Newsom to declare his opposition to Prop27.
Sports betting at racetrack casinos in Nebraska is close(r) to being a done deal.
Speaking of the Quaker State, a rocket-like rise in sports wagering revenue sparked an almost-eight percent YOY increase in gambling revenue for September.
And Caesars is along for the ride, thanks to offering more bonuses and other items.
Eilers & Krejcik Gaming released its October online gaming report, with blackjack and live dealer roulette leading the way as the most popular games of choice.
Arkansas’ trio of online sports betting operators have opened to not-so-rave reviews.
Illinois’ sports betting industry continues to do the hockey stick thing on the revenue side.
And Oregon also saw a spike in sports betting handle and revenue last month.
Same for West Virginia, thanks largely to the start of the football season
Regulators in Arizona and Iowa, on behalf of sports bettors in those states, are paying close attention to Fubo’s transition out of the sports wagering biz.
The Attorney-General of Arizona is taking the torch for the safer wagering message in his state.
Sports betting revenue in Mississippi has taken somewhat of a nosedive.
The New York Lottery is launching a new training program for retailers about underage gambling.
In Georgia, it seems folks prefer playing slots and other online casino games to betting the over/under or same game parlay.
The governor of Texas says he’s willing to receive proposals on expanding the state’s casino industry.
Elys Game Technology says it already has 100 host locations across Ohio for its retail sportsbook. The Buckeye State is scheduled to launch its legal betting business on Jan. 1.
Across the Ponds
The UK gambling industry wasted no time reaching out to the country’s new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
Erin-Marie Gallagher of SBC had a compelling interview with BETER Live director Anna Vikmane about the company’s ongoing operations in the midst of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
A couple of Australian broadcasters have run afoul of the country’s rules and regulations around gambling advertising.
The heat is on the English Football League to end its partnership with SkyBet.
The UK Betting and Gaming Council is touting last week’s Safer Gambling Week as a social media success.
A tres cool story from Shane Keating for the BBC on the discovery of a casino loophole by a magician-turned-mathematician.
Sonja Lindenberg at iGaming NEXT reports on the challenges faced by Sweden’s new gambling minister.
The growing popularity of online slots in Germany is good news for the country’s coffers.
The president of Brazil is giving the thumbs-up to regulated sports betting in his country, but a firm no to any gambling beyond that.
A tiered licensing system is being introduced in Gibraltar to replace the existing one-size-fits-all model.
Clarion Gaming is going the extra kilometre with its initiatives around responsible gaming.
Paddy Power had some fun with the latest political cockup in the United Kingdom.
Finally, a fun and heartwarming read on a wager that took two decades to pay out.
Esports Reports
The push to give esports an expanded presence in the New Jersey sports betting market continues.
And Nevada appears to be following suit.
Bayes Esports has extended its agreement with Bet365 and is also becoming a licensed esports data supplier in New Jersey and Colorado.
A read of the thought-provoking type from Ivan Simic of Esports Insider on media buying in esports.
Stockton University’s Atlantic City campus cut the ribbon on its Esports Innovation Centre last week.
Quick Hits
iGM wants your nominations for the Most Influential Women in the igaming world.
Sportico’s JohnWallStreet cobbled together a deeper dive into Fubo’s decision to close the virtual doors on its sportsbook business.
A tap of the old Koho to FOTP Scott Longley for putting on our radar Matt Levine’s opus for Bloomberg on the meanings of crypto.
Good reading from the keyboard of Mike Seely at USBets about the globalization of Formula One and its impact on sports betting. There’s a Canadian angle to boot.
UFC president Dana White explained the organization’s revised gambling policy for its fighters.
Sports Handle’s Jill Dorson took a spin on the Sporttrade platform.
The president of the “other” Playmaker has some advice for companies who want to grab Gen Z bettors.
Memo to marketers: Pay more attention to gamers.
Fiona Simmons at GamblingNews.com presided over a roundtable discussion on the potential for artificial intelligence and data to revolutionize gaming and sports betting.
SharpApp, a sports betting analytics and content startup, has found a spot with the new HPL Digital Sport and Cardinal Sports Capital Accelerator Program.
The NBA has made some serious progress with streaming latency on its app.
The head of Sportradar Ad:s walked SBC’s Charlie Horner through that slice of the company’s business.
Conor Mulheir asked if the igaming industry is really sincere about innovation.
Steve McCaskill at Pro Sports Media interviewed DAZN head Shay Segev about sports betting, the company’s recent acquisition of Eleven, and more.
A Q and A with Christine Thurmond, the director of responsible gaming at DraftKings.
Kindred Group’s head of responsible gaming and research discussed the company’s efforts on achieving zero revenue from harmful gambling.
Front Office Sports got some thoughts from ESPN’s executive in charge of BD and innovation on the use of AI for the benefit of sports fans.
The latest edition of the SBC Leaders Magazine is heavily focused on the fast-changing Latin American market.
If you missed the Global Gaming Expo, you can now watch on demand the various panels/keynote conversations.
Alexander Kane of Sporttrade joined Jesse Learmonth on the latest episode of The Betting Startups Podcast.
Crypto sportsbooks are eager to exploit the opportunities around the World Cup of Soccer.
Alex Baluch at Casino Guru News did the Q and A thing with Kero Sports founder Tomas Devenishek.
Via YouTube, iGaming NEXT posted a collection of panel gatherings from its recent Valletta ‘22 conference.
A story of more than eyebrow-raising proportions on the amount of money a streamer said he was paid by an offshore crypto casino to promote it during streams on Twitch.
Speaking of which, streamers have already found a new platform, writes Lindenberg at iGaming NEXT.
Pierre Lindh at iGaming NEXT interviewed Happyhour.io co-founder Robin Eirik Reed on the Twitch ban.
And finally, it’s no Shamrock Meats but we’re giving Jake Paul a B(etr) for effort in giving his new betting brand some exposure in his fight against Anderson Silva on Saturday.
People on the Move
Jamie Shea, Strive Gaming CMO and gaming industry veteran, is joining the board of directors at virtual sports betting operator SimWin Sports.
Fady Makar has bade farewell to Rogers and joined PointsBet Canada as Director, People and Culture.
Nehme Abouzeid has departed Bally’s as VP of Sports Marketing & Brand and joined Madison Square Garden as Senior VP of Consumer Marketing for its $2 billion MSG Las Vegas Sphere project.
Rhea Loney has departed PENN Interactive to become BetMGM’s new Chief Compliance Officer.
Flutter Entertainment is making a few moves: Jonathan Hill has a new role as Group Chief Financial Officer, Lisa O’Connor is being promoted to Head of Safer Gambling Strategy, and Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson will join the company as Group CFO and Executive Director in the first half of next year. Also, Claire Costello is moving over from Head of Finance for Paddy Power Online to become FanDuel’s Senior Director of Finance.
Aristocrat Gaming has promoted Niaz Nejad to Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing USA & Canada.
SBC announced yesterday the hiring of Michael Mandl as Chief Growth Officer.
Matthew Curmi has been promoted to Head of Affiliates at William Hill International.
Kevin Hennessy announced that yesterday was his final day as Director of Publicity at FanDuel, and that he’ll be joining Fanatics next month in a role to be announced later.
Former Nestle marketing person Spencer Dawson has joined FanDuel Canada as Senior Media Associate.
Stephen Crystal is named President at Symplify US.
Christian Salas has a new gig at theScore: Sportsbook Operations Analyst while the quite appropriately named Jeffrey Penn Wong is on board as a Senior Data Engineer.
Classified (Jobs) Information
Fanatics has an opening for an Associate Counsel in New York.
TheScore is hiring an Engineering Manager, Platform in Toronto and it’s also seeking a Sports Betting Writer.
Betting Hero is undergoing a hiring spree in Cincinnati.
Push Gaming has an opening for a Platform Product Manager in London, jolly old England.
Paysafe is also hiring for its London office, for a Corporate Communications Executive and a Director, Global Corporate Responsibility.
Sports IQ Analytics is seeking a Cloud Engineer.
Esports Insider has an opening for an Events Manager.
EBET is looking for a Graphic Designer to work at its Malta headquarters.
Curling Canada is on the lookout for a High Performance Director.
MLSE is searching for a Manager, Global Partnerships.
Coming soon to your screen/town
A primer on next week’s SBC Summit Latinoamerica in Miami.
A reminder in case you’re interested in joining the Responsible Gambling Council for its Discovery 2022 conference next month.
Sports Business Journal, with SportTechie and Monumental Sports, is hosting the annual Dealmakers conference in D.C. on Nov. 9-10.
SBJ is also accepting registrations now for its Dec. 7-8 Intercollegiate Athletics Forum at The Bellagio.
The International Betting Integrity Association will host a FIFA World Cup table-setting event on Nov. 15.
About the Numbers
For the fourth time in six seasons, the Houston Astros are back in the World Series. Their opponents? None other than the Philadelphia Phillies, who hope to complete their Cinderella story with baseball’s most coveted trophy.
The biggest reason for Philadelphia’s postseason run? Bryce Harper. The two-time NL MVP is making his first World Series appearance, as he enters playing the best baseball of his career. But will Harper’s heroics be enough to counteract a high-potent Astros offence? We’ll find out beginning Friday with Game 1at Minute Maid Park.
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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