Genius Sports Group, a global leader in sports data technology, has been awarded the exclusive right to collect official Serie A betting data in stadia from the start of the 2019/20 season.
The data will be captured using the Group’s advanced pitchside technology and instantaneously distributed as a live feed to licensed sportsbook operators outside of Italy via its sports betting arm, Betgenius.
By creating the fastest, most accurate and reliable real-time data feed on Serie A fixtures, Betgenius will offer sportsbooks and their customers access to premium content and a world-class betting experience, while providing the league with a solid return for betting on its games.
To provide enhanced control and visibility over the use of its betting data, Serie A will launch its first rights enforcement initiative, including the identification and ejection of unauthorised data collectors operating in-stadia.
Jack Davison, Chief Commercial Officer of Genius Sports Group, said: “Our partnership with Serie A is another example where we work with the most important global sports competitions to ensure our sportsbook operators have complete confidence in the security of their data supply and that our organisation will deliver the most trusted and compelling betting products to operators around the world. We look forward to working alongside Serie A to help extend the reach one of the largest leagues in world football.”
The rise of eSports is largely due to the vast extent of media platforms such as Twitch or YouTube. Previously, Twitch dominated the eSports media industry as many top players across various games live streamed on the platform. However, as the industry continues to ramp up, others want to get involved in the marketplace. Notably, Microsoft has its own platform called Mixer and while it is relatively small compared to Twitch or YouTube, the platform is growing.
Recently, top eSports influencer, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins signed a deal with Mixer to exclusively stream on its platform, leaving Twitch behind. Ninja was one of the top streamers on Twitch, boasting over 14.7 million followers. Ninja attributes to his success to Twitch and Fortnite, which has led him to accumulate over a total of 270 million viewing hours since January 2018. To put it into perspective, Riot Games, owner of League of Legends, accumulated 165 million hours, while individual streamers such as Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek and Turner “Tfue” Tenney have reported 144 million and 105 million hours, respectively. Ninja, who is also an individual streamer, has more than 100 hours of viewership compared to Riot Games, which is multi-international gaming franchise corporation. While Twitch does dominate the eSports media scene, other platforms have also become increasingly popular such as Facebook Live, Smashcast, and Bigo. Aside from free online platforms, large corporations such as Disney and Comcast have also dove into the industry. And with the evolving eSports scene, competition among media companies could potentially grow even larger as they try to secure the media rights to livestreams and tournaments. According to data compiled by Infoholic Research, the global eSports market is expected to triple by 2025, reaching a value of USD 3 Billion. Additionally, the market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 20% during the forecast period from 2019 to 2025. UMG Media Ltd. (TSX-V: ESPT), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL).
At its inception, eSport just involved a group of friends creating a team and competing against others. Since the birth of games, there has always been a competitive aspect to the industry, whether in the original Pac-Mac or the latest edition of Call of Duty. A multitude of players has been attracted to the idea of winning and climbing the leaderboard, which is why the eSports industry grew at such a remarkable pace. Now, games such as Fortnite and League of Legends have pushed eSports into mainstream media, allowing organizers to create multi-million dollar tournaments. The attractive grand prize pools have prompted teams from around the world to strive to become the best of the best, which is why some teams have become more business oriented rather than just a group of friends. In particular, games with a large fan and player base generally offer the highest prize tournaments. And with the large sum of monetary prizes in combination with popular professional players, a large audience is expected to be drawn in.
The larger the audience and the longer the viewing hours, the higher a company can monetize the broadcast. Similar to sports, many broadcasting and media companies are aggressively pushing to obtain the media rights for specific sports teams or tournaments. For instance, one of the largest sports networks, YES Network, broadcasts games for the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets and is a template others want to emulate. The network owns exclusive media rights to the teams, meaning that if other companies want to broadcast a Yankees or Nets game, they would need to negotiate a deal or pay the network.
Steve Arhancet, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Team Liquid said in an interview last year with CNBC’s “Fast Money,” that media streaming providers are pursuing to own the exclusive rights to broadcast League of Legends. League of Legends is a prime target for many companies because of its large audience. In 2018, League of Legends World Finals had nearly 100 million viewers. The impressive number only means more monetization for media companies. “Media rights have to do with the exclusive right to broadcast the League, and there’s plenty of interest in the space,” he said. “You’ve got Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, kind of all vying for these rights.”
UMG Media Ltd. (TSX-V: ESPT) announced earlier last week that, “Legends were made and champions were crowned this weekend in New York City at the Fortnite World Cup. With over $30,000,000USD awarded to players in the Solos, Duos, Creative and Pro/AM World Championships, countless lives were changed from a few flights on Fortnite’s Battle Bus.
Out of the four world championship events, all four were won by players of UMG’s Friday Fortnite. Bugha, a 16-year old reigning from Pennsylvania just won the most recent Friday Fortnite on July 19, 2019 and went on to win $3,000,000USD and claim the title of Fortnite World Champion. Aquaa took home $1,500,000USD in the duos championship. Friday Fortnite regulars, Cizzorz and Airwaks won the Creative World Championship and Pro/AM at the World Cup respectively. Countless other Friday Fortnite competitors finished top ten in the world taking home a combined $9,287,500.
UMG’s CEO, Dave Antony had this to say regarding UMG series players performance at the World Cup:
‘I want to congratulate everyone who participated in the Fortnite World Cup on their achievements and give a special shoutout to the four newly crowned world champions who participate in UMG’s broadcast events, along with all other UMG players at the event. Everyone at UMG loves the game, the competitions and most importantly the players and community. We look forward to kicking off more Fortnite initiatives through the remainder of 2019 to give more players a platform to kickoff their competitive gaming careers.’
UMG has increased their Fortnite offerings in the recent months to meet the demand set forth by the competitive gaming community for their competitions. Since 2019 started, UMG has had over 110,000 Fortnite tournament signups. Between the gaming platform and their initiatives on the influencer side, UMG is in a unique situation to capture a large percent of the Fortnite market.
Technavio analysts forecast the global sports betting market to grow at a CAGR close to 9% during the forecast period, according to their latest market research report.
The legalization of sports betting is one of the major trends being witnessed in the sports betting market 2018-2022. With the immense support for legalizing sports betting, several countries are expected to legalize sports betting, which would help generate massive revenue. This development would also help achieve more engagement with sports fans, thereby driving market growth.
According to Technavio analysts, one of the key factors contributing to the growth of the global sports betting market is the increasing popularity of e-sports betting:
Sports betting market: Increasing popularity of e-sports betting
The emergence of electronic systems to facilitate gaming competition, including a variety of video games, contributes to the growth of the e-sports industry. Owing to this popularity and growth, leading bookmarkers offer regular bets on numerous e-sports matches. Moreover, the betting volume for e-sports is increasing over other categories such as golf, tennis, rugby, and others. Thus, the broadening of the e-sports platform will drive the revenue generation in the sports betting industry.
According to a senior analyst at Technavio for research on leisure products, “Factors such as rising popularity of sports betting and the growing number of initiatives taken to legalize sports betting will further drive the growth of the online betting platforms market during the forecast period.”
Sports betting market: Segmentation analysis
The global sports betting market research report provides market segmentation by betting platform (online and offline) and by geography (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA). It provides an in-depth analysis of the prominent factors influencing the market, including drivers, opportunities, trends, and industry-specific challenges.
The Americas held the largest share of the market in 2017, accounting for close to 41% share, followed by the EMEA and APAC, respectively. Although APAC held the smallest share of the market, it is expected to witness the maximum increase in its market share over the forecast period owing to ease of gambling regulations in the region.
Penn National Gaming, Inc. (PENN: Nasdaq) (“Penn National” or the “Company”) announced today that it has entered into multi-year agreements with leading sports betting operators DraftKings, PointsBet, theScore and The Stars Group for online sports betting and iGaming market access across the Company’s portfolio. Penn Interactive Ventures, LLC (“PIV”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, will manage the relationships, in addition to operating the Company’s primary sports betting and iGaming initiatives through a new partnership with leading service provider Kambi.
According to Jon Kaplowitz, Penn National’s Sr. Vice President of Interactive Gaming: “We’re pleased to be providing the top names in sports betting, iGaming and poker access to our Company’s non-primary licenses to conduct these operations in exchange for a combination of upfront cash and equity, one-time market access fees and ongoing revenue sharing.”
Under the terms of the agreements, each “skin” partner will have the option to own, operate, and brand real-money online sports betting, poker, and casino offerings in each of the states outlined below, pursuant to a first, second or third skin, as applicable, and subject to license availability, state law, and regulatory approvals.
DraftKings:
States Covered: Florida (1st skin), Indiana (3rd skin), Missouri (1st skin), Ohio (1st skin), Pennsylvania (1st skin), Texas (1st skin) and West Virginia (2nd skin)
Term of agreement: 10 years, subject to a ten year extension
Key economic terms: Revenue share to Penn National based on net gaming revenue
PointsBet:
States Covered: Indiana (2nd Skin), Louisiana (1st Skin), Missouri (1st Skin), Ohio (1st Skin) and West Virginia (3rdSkin)
Term of agreement: 20 years
Key economic terms: Revenue share to Penn National based on net gaming revenue
Equity Position: PIV will take a strategic equity stake of 5.28% in PointsBet, with an additional $2.5 million access fee for Ohio, based on certain conditions, payable in cash or equity at Penn National’s option. In addition, PIV will receive 10,372,549 options, exercisable for two years, to acquire additional shares of PointsBet
Key economic terms: Revenue share to Penn National based on net gaming revenue
Equity Position: PIV will take a strategic equity stake of 4.7% in theScore, with the potential for this stake to increase as additional market access fees become payable.
The Stars Group:
States Covered: Illinois (1st skin), Indiana (1st skin), Kansas (2nd skin), New Mexico (2nd Skin), Maine (2nd skin), Massachusetts (2nd Skin), Michigan (2nd Skin), Ohio (1st Skin) and Texas (1st Skin)
Term of agreement: 20 years
Key economic terms: Upfront payment of $12.5 million payable cash, with an additional access fee of $5 million in cash for Texas based on certain conditions; revenue share to Penn National based on net gaming revenue, with a one-time bonus based on net gaming revenue in 2023
“Sports betting represents an exciting new growth opportunity for Penn National,” said Mr. Kaplowitz. “Our skin agreements announced today will help fund the cost of launching and maintaining our primary sports betting and iGaming operations, both by way of the upfront consideration and the long term revenue sharing arrangements, which are consistent with industry standards and subject to minimum guarantees.
“By controlling our front-end product and relying upon our new partnership with Kambi for managed-trading services, we can create a lasting and differentiated online and retail product experience for our customers,” continued Mr. Kaplowitz. “When coupled with our industry leading regional casino footprint and database of over five million active customers, the Company is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the rapidly expanding sports betting and iGaming markets in a way that maximizes value to our shareholders. This strategy is exemplified in our recent iGaming launch in Pennsylvania, where we were the first iGaming operator to take wagers in the state. Additionally, we will be launching our first in-house retail sportsbooks at our Iowa and Indiana properties in the coming weeks,” concluded Mr. Kaplowitz.
Following the conclusion of the Fortnite World Cup tournament, eSports enthusiasts have now turned their attention to Dota 2’s The International 2019. Last year, Epic Games, the owner of Fortnite, made global headlines after announcing that its World Cup tournament would feature a USD 30 Mill prize pool. 16-year old teenager Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf stunned the world and took home the USD 3 Million grand prize for the World Cup Solos final on Sunday as Epic Games’ World Cup tournament boasted the largest payout in eSports history. However, Valve’s Dota 2 The International has now surpassed the prize pool. Heading into the ninth annual tournament, which is expected to kick off on August 20th, The International is a highly sought after and reputable tournament because of its massive payout. For 2019, Valve is paying out more than USD 30 Million, topping Fortnite’s World Cup prize pool. Organizations are able to hold these colossal tournaments primarily because of crowdfunding from players. For instance, The International’s prize pool mainly consists of in-game purchases from players, commonly known as microtransactions. In particular, Valve is able to provide players with an immense payout because of its in-game “Battle Pass” item. The battle pass has different tiers, which players can purchase for different price points. The pass consists of rare in-game items such as cosmetics as well as special exclusive items. Valve noted that it uses a quarter of the sales to create The International’s prize pool. In 2018, Valve was able to boast a US 25.5 Million grand prize for its Dota 2 tournament. As of late July, The International 2019’s payout is estimated at USD 30.80 Million, however, crowdfunding is continuing and the prize pool is expected to increase. As the eSports industry continues to grow at its current rapid pace, it has caught the attention of various other industries and captivated millions of viewers worldwide. And as the industry continues to accelerate, eSports could become a mainstream media market as well as a viable career for a multitude of young adults. According to data compiled by MarketsAndMarkets, the global Esports Market was valued at USD 926.3 Million in 2018. By 2023, the market is projected to reach USD 2.17 Billion while registering a CAGR of 18.61% from 2018 to 2023. UMG Media Ltd. (TSX-V: ESPT), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ)
While competing in tournaments can potentially net players millions of dollars from winning, it’s a highly tedious and difficult road to reach the top. However, some players aren’t the top of the leaderboard, but still generate millions in annual revenue due to the mainstream media. Players such as Guy “DrDisRespect” Beahm and Jaryd “summit1g” Lazar are among the top streamers on the popular eSports media platform, Twitch. While the two are generally characterized as casual players, it is important to note that they have competed in professional tournaments. It is estimated that the two have earned millions of dollars through Twitch, YouTube, and various other social media campaigns. While the two may not compete professionally, they provide thousands of viewers each day with live content. Their abilities to draw viewers and engage with them have thusly led to their lavish careers. Moreover, their large audience base has also provided them with sponsorships from various companies such as Turtle Beach, Razer, and Monster Energy. The combination of their Twitch and YouTube subscribers, social media, and sponsorships allows the two to generate potentially over a million dollars in annual revenue. Overall, the eSports industry is a very diverse marketplace and allows different spectrums of gamers to thrive amongst one another. Competitive players generally love the adrenaline and thrill of winning and improving, while casual players enjoy more of a stress-free and relaxed gameplay. Nonetheless, competitive and casual players are able to coexist within the same marketplace because of their varying audience appeals. “Ever since their inception, video games have captured the imagination of millions. As gamers, we have always been captivated by the vast open worlds, immersive stories, and a video game’s ability to help us escape from our reality,” said Jayson van Kerckhoven, owner of TrinocGames. “But, for others, something more is needed. For some gamers, it’s about the competition. For these players, the story and lore offer little value. Instead, it’s the skill ceiling of the game and the drive to be the best that keeps them coming back. It’s this desire that led to the creation of the formal competitive landscape that we now know today as esports.”
UMG Media Ltd. (TSX-V: ESPT) announced earlier this week that, “Legends were made and champions were crowned this weekend in New York City at the Fortnite World Cup. With over $30,000,000USD awarded to players in the Solos, Duos, Creative and Pro/AM World Championships, countless lives were changed from a few flights on Fortnite’s Battle Bus.
Out of the four world championship events, all four were won by players of UMG’s Friday Fortnite. Bugha, a 16-year old reigning from Pennsylvania just won the most recent Friday Fortnite on July 19, 2019 and went on to win $3,000,000USD and claim the title of Fortnite World Champion. Aquaa took home $1,500,000USD in the duos championship. Friday Fortnite regulars, Cizzorz and Airwaks won the Creative World Championship and Pro/AM at the World Cup respectively. Countless other Friday Fortnite competitors finished top ten in the world taking home a combined $9,287,500.
UMG’s CEO, Dave Antony had this to say regarding UMG series players performance at the World Cup:
‘I want to congratulate everyone who participated in the Fortnite World Cup on their achievements and give a special shoutout to the four newly crowned world champions who participate in UMG’s broadcast events, along with all other UMG players at the event. Everyone at UMG loves the game, the competitions and most importantly the players and community. We look forward to kicking off more Fortnite initiatives through the remainder of 2019 to give more players a platform to kickoff their competitive gaming careers.’
UMG has increased their Fortnite offerings in the recent months to meet the demand set forth by the competitive gaming community for their competitions. Since 2019 started, UMG has had over 110,000 Fortnite tournament signups. Between the gaming platform and their initiatives on the influencer side, UMG is in a unique situation to capture a large percent of the Fortnite market.
About UMG: UMG is a premier esports company in North America. UMG has operations involved in live tournaments, online esports contests, casino esports operations, creation and distribution of original content and esports tournament operations through its proprietary tournament management app. Readers can learn more about UMG and its esports offerings at www.umggaming.com.”
PointsBet,a premier global sportsbook operator,announced today a new U.S.-based headquarters in Colorado, set to extend the company’s footprint beginning October 2019. The downtown Denver hub will serve as PointsBet USA’s western base of operations, maintaining a focus on product innovation and technology recruitment moving forward.
The announcement is bolstered by the recent appointment of Manjit Gombra Singh as PointsBet President, Product and Technology. As an industry veteran and former Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of leading global gaming technologies provider Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), Manjit brings a track record in delivering leading product and technology strategy for mobile, social and traditional casino gaming products. His arrival is strategically timed with PointsBet’s continued U.S. expansion to the prosperous tech market in Denver, where PointsBet will utilize the strong university network throughout Colorado to help install a foundation for prolonged success.
“The PointsBet team is excited to join the great state of Colorado in establishing a new, Denver headquarters,” noted Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA’s Chief Executive Officer. “It’s a sports-loving, tech hub that is also in a great location for us strategically. We can’t wait to have a presence in the area and have access to some of the best and brightest minds as we continue to grow.”
The announcement is also welcomed by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (Metro Denver EDC) and the City of Denver as the Centennial State explores the potential to welcome sports betting.
“We are happy to welcome a strong global technology company that is fueling industry innovation,” said Michelle Hadwiger, Director of Global Business Development for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. “PointsBet’s arrival underscores a continued trend of Australian companies choosing Colorado for our strategic location and access to tech talent needed to expand their operations.”
“Metro Denver EDC is thrilled to welcome PointsBet to Colorado. The company’s commitment to technology development, innovation, and great-quality jobs make it a perfect fit for the Metro Denver region. We look forward to supporting PointsBet’s long-term growth in Colorado,” said Sam Bailey, Metro Denver EDC’s Vice President of Economic Development.
Launched in the United States in January 2019, PointsBet is a rapidly growing sportsbook with unique offerings and a bettor-friendly approach. PointsBet has introduced a slew of bettor-first initiatives, including: Good Karma Payouts, which provides bettors relief in the event of unlikely circumstances that sway the fate of the game, Early Payouts, and an exclusive $10,000 gameday guarantee for all NBA and NHL playoff games, as well as the entire MLB and NFL seasons.
Following a competitive tender process, the German Football Association (DFB) has today selected Genius Sports to launch a new integrity program that will monitor over 7,500 games a year to prevent match-fixing and betting-related corruption.
Beginning with the 2019/20 season, Genius Sports’ Bet Monitoring System will provide vital visibility across global betting on all Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga, German internationals, women’s and youth team fixtures. By analyzing global odds movements with predictive algorithms, this technology will automatically flag potentially suspicious betting activity in real-time.
The DFB integrity team will now benefit from unprecedented levels of betting intelligence, detailed reports on individual games and analysis of global betting markets that will provide key information from third party sources and bookmakers to support any integrity investigations.
Steven Burton, Managing Director at Genius Sports, said: “Being selected to safeguard the integrity and future of one of the largest football associations in the world is a huge honor for Genius Sports and is a testament to the quality of our services. Our monitoring technology, expertise in analyzing real-time betting and global intelligence network will provide comprehensive protection for the DFB, ensuring their games remain transparent and unpredictable.”
The global sports betting market is expected to post a CAGR of more than 10% during the period 2019-2023, according to the latest market research report by Technavio.
A key factor driving the growth of the global sports betting market size is the legalization of sports betting. Governments in various countries across the world are lifting regulations on betting activities. For instance, the popularity of online gambling, including sports betting increased significantly in Singapore after the Government of Singapore announced its plans to relax laws related to online gambling in September 2016. This trend of lifting regulations on online gambling will positively impact the growth of the sports betting market during the forecast period.
As per Technavio, the emergence of machine learning in sports betting will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This global sports betting market 2019-2023 research report also analyzes other important trends and market drivers that will affect market growth over 2019-2023.
Global Sports Betting Market: Emergence of Machine Learning in Sports Betting
The increasing impact of technologies such as virtual reality (VR), blockchain, and AI is expected to be one of the key sports betting market trends during the forecast period. Major vendors in the market are focusing on increasing their investments in machine learning (ML) tools and methods, which has shown promising results. ML helps build predictive algorithms and accurate predictive models for better betting efficiency. Thus, the increasing penetration of ML will increase the outcomes of sports events, thereby, fueling market growth during the forecast period.
“Apart from the emergence of machine learning in sports betting, other factors such as rising consolidation, and the growing popularity of e-sports tournaments will have a significant impact on the sports betting market growth during the forecast period,” says a senior analyst at Technavio.
Global Sports Betting Market: Segmentation Analysis
This market research report segments the global sports betting market worth by platform (offline and online) and geographic regions (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and MEA).
The APAC region led the sports betting market in 2018, followed by Europe, North America, MEA, and South America respectively. The sports betting market analysis report identifies several factors such as the increase in demand for online games and fantasy sports platforms, rise in the number of sports enthusiasts and the growing demand for leisure activities to fuel the growth of the sports betting market share in APAC during the forecast period.
Boyd Gaming properties across the country premiere the new Madonna™ slot game, available only on Aristocrat’s new EDGE X™ cabinet.
Boyd Gaming’s unique brand of casino entertainment now has players across the nation on the EDGE of their seats, as Boyd Gaming becomes the first gaming operator in the nation to deploy games on Aristocrat’s all-new EDGE X™ cabinet.
Boyd Gaming properties across the country will utilize the EDGE X cabinet to premiere the Aristocrat title Madonna™, honoring the world-famous pop star. Additionally, Boyd Gaming is the first operator in Nevada to receive the all-new title FarmVille™, based on the wildly popular social game.
“Boyd Gaming takes pride in offering our customers a unique and memorable gaming experience, and we are thrilled to enhance and elevate that experience with these fun and exciting new games,” said Steve Thompson, Executive Vice President of Operations for Boyd Gaming.
“We are honored to introduce this landmark new cabinet and two great new games in concert with a fantastic partner of Aristocrat in Boyd Gaming. FarmVille and Madonna are two iconic brands, and they are the perfect fit for the completely new experience that awaits players with the EDGE X cabinet. We hope players will go to their favorite Boyd Gaming property to experience the fun these games provide,” said Jon Hanlin, Vice President Commercial Strategy, Gaming Operations for Aristocrat.
Players will get into the groove with Madonna, featuring a multi-site progressive with a grand jackpot starting value of $250,000 or a single-site progressive with a grand jackpot starting value of $5,000. This game features persistent Mighty Cash Hold & Spin Multipliers, free games, and a “Like a Virgin” Wheel Bonus. A unique karaoke feature on the button desk enables players to sing along with their favorite Madonna songs while playing the game.
Boyd Gaming is the first operator in Nevada to receive Aristocrat’s all-new game FarmVille™, based on the wildly popular social game. The game is available only on Aristocrat’s new EDGE X™ cabinet.
In FarmVille, slot players will find all their favorite characters, farm animals, livestock, and a single-site progressive with grand jackpot starting values of $2,500 or $5,000. The game features progressive free games and the Mighty Cash Hold & Spin mechanic.
FanDuel Group announced the grand opening of the company’s first retail sportsbook in New York State, located at Tioga Downs Casino Resort in Nichols, New York. The FanDuel Sportsbook will open to the public on Friday, July 19 at 2:30 PM ET, with New York Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo from NY District 123rd making the ceremonial first bet as part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“As we continue to expand our sportsbook operations across the U.S. the opening of our FanDuel Sportsbook at Tioga Downs Casino Resort is a history-making moment for the FanDuel Group,” said Keith Wall, Vice President Commercial Retail, FanDuel Group. “Jeff Gural has been an incredible partner in New Jersey, and joining forces with him and the team at Tioga Downs allows us to bring sports betting to New York sports fans while delivering new jobs and tax revenue to the Empire State.”
Tioga Downs’ sports betting retail location is one of four upstate New York casinos permitted to offer sports betting in the state of New York.
“Our partnership with FanDuel at the Meadowlands has surpassed expectations,” said Jeff Gural, Chairman of American Racing and Entertainment. “Now that legislation in New York has been passed, we look forward to bringing the fun and excitement of wagering on sports to the Upstate region.”
FanDuel’s new 2,600 square foot sports betting retail location will be conveniently located near the main entrance of the Tioga Downs Casino. The FanDuel Sportsbook will feature eight betting windows, 27 video displays including a large video wall, 14 self service betting kiosks from IGTPlayDigital, three sports tickers, 12 lounge seats, seven high tables, two drink rails, and seating for more than 50 customers. FanDuel will provide its first class risk and trading platform and manage the location in partnership with Tioga Downs Casino Resort and will leverage IGT PlayDigital’s retail sports betting technology. The FanDuel Sportsbook will feature bets on all major U.S. sports, including professional baseball, soccer, football, basketball, golf, boxing, motorsports racing, and more.
The FanDuel Sportsbook at Tioga Downs Casino Resort marks FanDuel Group’s fourth retail operation. The company opened the first-ever FanDuel Sportsbook located at New Meadowlands Racetrack last July, followed by a location at The Greenbrier in West Virginia last fall and most recently at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in Pennsylvania.
Rush Street Interactive (RSI), the digital and land-based sports wagering and gaming supplier of BetRivers.com, has deployed a simple and clean solution that allows patrons for the first time to wager using their iOS devices in Pennsylvania. After a player registers on their mobile devices at BetRivers.com, they will be directed to download the GeoGuard Location Validator from the Apple app store that will enable RSI to confirm that players are located within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when they access BetRivers.com through their mobile browsers, such as Apple Safari or Google Chrome.
“We are excited to offer Apple users in Pennsylvania a way to enjoy the extremely wide range of pre-game and in-game bets offered on BetRivers.com from their mobile devices,” said Richard Schwartz, President of Rush Street Interactive. “In fact, the BetRivers.com platform is the only one in the state of Pennsylvania that currently enables players to bet from their iPhones and other Apple mobile devices.”Apple users who log into their BetRivers.com account will be prompted to install the GeoGuard Location Validator app. Once downloaded, users who open the GeoGuard app will then be prompted to complete the set up with just two more quick steps to follow. Once that’s been completed successfully, players can navigate back to BetRivers.com on their browsers and begin placing bets directly from their mobile browsers. Importantly, once a player completes the process once, they can place mobile bets directly at BetRivers.com without going back to the app.
Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry got an expected boost in June from the first full month of online wagering, helping online and retail sportsbooks generate a record $46.3 million in bets during what is historically a slow month for sports betting. But with just one online sportsbook live all month and two more launching June 27, online casino games launching this week, and significant obstacles yet to be ironed out for all of Pennsylvania’s online products, June offered just a window into what is possible, according to PlayPennsylvania.com analysts.
“The summer months are historically the slowest on the sports betting calendar, so a relatively strong showing is significant,” said Jessica Welman, sports betting analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “The rollout has been slow and with considerable hurdles, most notably the exclusion of online sportsbooks from iOS. Still, there is no question that the launch of online sports betting is a shot of momentum for the industry.”
In all, Pennsylvania’s retail and online sportsbooks were up from $35.9 million in May, according to official data released on Thursday. $19.3 million of those bets, about 42%, were made online.
SugarHouse Casino’s online product generated $18.2 million in bets in its first full month, and the online launch of Rivers Casino ($848,520) and Parx Casino ($307,011) on June 27 combined to bring in $288,883 per day.
Online bets represented 83% of New Jersey’s $273.2 million June handle, showing that much ground can still be made. FanDuel at Valley Forge Casino, Harrah’s Philadelphia, Hollywood Casino at Penn National, and Presque Isle Downs are working to launch online sportsbooks this summer. And developers are working to comply with Apple’s policy that requires the apps to be written in code native to the iOS system.
“Hopefully by the beginning of football season, online sportsbooks will be a bit closer to maturity,” Welman said. “Summer months being typically slow, it is a good time for the industry to work out the kinks and SugarHouse just launched an iOS workaround. But sports betting revenue will be artificially depressed if the obstacles we’ve seen so far aren’t smoothed out by the end of summer.”
PlayPennsylvania.com
Online and retail bets yielded $3.1 million in revenue in June, up from $2.8 million in revenue in May, resulting in $740,455 in tax revenue.
In June, SugarHouse Casino’s online launch helped propel it past Rivers Casino as the market leader. SugarHouse Casino took in $23.3 million in retail and online bets, up from $7.9 million in May, yielding $1.8 million in revenue, up from $711,845. Rivers, which still lead the retail market with $6.2 million in bets, accepted $7.1 million in online and retail wagers, down from $7.9 million in May.
Sportsbooks may also get a boost from the launch of online casino games, which began this week with Parx Casino.
“Online casino games will be crucial for the health of Pennsylvania gaming industry,” Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “We’ve seen in New Jersey that online casinos benefit not only online sports betting, but also brick-and-mortar casinos. Ultimately, online casinos should generate millions in tax revenue for Pennsylvania.”
For more information on the revenue generated by Pennsylvania sports betting, visit www.playpennsylvania.com/sports-betting/revenue.
The analyst, in its latest study, brings to the fore crucial insights encircling the sports betting market. The business asset aims at equipping stakeholders in the sports betting market with distinguished information, and aids them in devising sustainable growth strategies for the future.
This exclusive report offers a comprehensive analysis of the changing dynamics of the sports betting market, which comprise the drivers, restraints, opportunities, and threats. The study also comprises an in-depth SWOT analysis of the sports betting industry, which will help readers in gaining a clear idea of the sports betting market over the course of the forecast period 2019-2027.
The study includes Porter’s Five Forces Analysis with a view to present key growth strategies to the stakeholders of the sports betting market.The market study also comprises key trends and notable developments that influence the growth of the sports betting market during the forecast period of 2019-2027.
The study also offers in-depth information regarding the competitive landscape. The report provides information on the key competitors in the sports betting market, and includes their key strategies, financials, and products that can help stakeholders in gaining valuable insights into the sports betting market.
Since the sports betting landscape functions amidst regulatory framework, the report comprises country-wise legal framework. The sport betting market analysis has been carried out in terms of value (US$ Bn).
Sports Betting Market – Key Questions Answered This business asset presents exclusive insights into the sports betting market, which stakeholders can leverage to have an upper hand over their competitors. Authors of the report analyze the sports betting market and offer data and numbers that can back up the influential trends and developments. The study offers answers to numerous questions regarding key concerns, and some of the questions are as listed below: What are the key developments expected to take place in the sports betting market during the period of 2019-2027? What are the significant winning strategies for players in the sports betting market? Which platform will remain preferable for the end users of the sports betting market? What are the key trends shaping the growth of the sports betting market? What are the regulatory frameworks to conform to in the sports betting market? Which game type will bode lucrative growth opportunities for the sports betting market?
Sports Betting Market – Research Methodology The research undertaken by our analysts consists of a systematic approach, which consists of a primary and secondary research methodology.For conducting primary research, interviews and discussions were carried out with industry experts, vendors, and distributors.
This helps in assessing the information gap prevailing in the sports betting market.
In order to carry out secondary research, paid sources such as Factiva, Orbis, Thomson Reuters, OneSource’s, Business monitor, Frost and Sullivan, Data monitor, Asia Pacific Markets, IBIS World, and Euromonitor were conducted.In addition to this, marketing collaterals, company websites, industry associations, and government statistics were referred to.
The insights obtained through primary and secondary research is then validated with the help of the data triangulation method. This helps in obtaining qualitative and quantitative data regarding market segmentation, macro trends, market forecasts, dynamics, and market attractiveness.
World TeamTennis (WTT), which began its 44th consecutive season this past weekend, announced today several international streaming deals, a dedicated WTT Dailymotion stream, live betting outside North America and China and eight matches that will air throughout the season on tape delay on various regional sports networks.
Internationally, WTT is being broadcast in China for the first time ever through video hosting service Youku, WTT’s exclusive media partner in China which will stream all 59 WTT regular season matches via its streaming platform, https://sports.youku.com. In Latin America, Claro Sports and its digital brand, MARCA Claro (@MarcaClaro), are airing 17 WTT matches.
Stats Perform will deliver all 59 live matches to legal betting sites and apps outside North America and China for “watch and bet” streaming throughout the WTT season (July 14 – August 3).
Dailymotion, the video-sharing technology platform, will stream and promote league content on a WTT-branded channel worldwide, including live matches in select international markets. Dailymotion is available internationally in 24 countries and delivers over 250 million unique monthly users.
Eight tape-delayed matches will air on Regional Sports Networks around the country, including on NBC Sports RSNs in Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and the Northwest; and on Fox Sports Prime Ticket, San Diego, Southeast and Florida.
“Like many of the fanatical fans who follow, live and love the sport, our goal at World TeamTennis is to grow the game, not just here in the United States but globally,” said WTT CEO Carlos Silva. “By making the 2019 WTT season as accessible as possible through these varied linear and digital connection points our hope is to share the excitement and inclusive passion team tennis brings out.”
WTT is made up of eight teams competing in major markets for the King Trophy, with 17 matches live on television exclusively across CBS and CBS Sports Network from July 14-Aug. 3, highlighted by WTT’s broadcast debut on the network on July 21 when the Philadelphia Freedoms take on the Vegas Rollers live on CBS at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. An additional 16 matches will air throughout the season exclusively on CBS Sports Network.
Leading sports streaming service ESPN+ will carry 18 matches exclusively during the 2019 WTT season, with an additional 24 streaming on both ESPN+ and WTT.com.
This year’s WTT franchise field includes seven-time grand slam winner Venus Williams (Washington Kastles), 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens (NY Empire), Bob and Mike Bryan (Vegas Rollers), the most decorated doubles team in tennis history, U.S. Open finalist Madison Keys (Orlando Storm), former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka (OC Breakers), 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Monica Puig (Vegas Rollers), 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard (OC Breakers), 14-time ATP winner John Isner (NY Empire), 10-time ATP winner Sam Querrey (Vegas Rollers), highly-ranked American Frances Tiafoe (Washington Kastles), rising star Danielle Collins (Philadelphia Freedoms) and many other current ATP and WTA competitors.
WTT introduced professional team tennis to the world in 1974, with Billie Jean King famously serving as its co-founder. WTT is one of five active U.S. pro sports leagues which has been in operation for over 40 years, along with the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. For more information on World TeamTennis, please visit www.wtt.com.
The Stars Group Inc. today announced that it entered into an agreement with the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort for betting and gaming market access and certain retail sports betting operations in the State of New York.
The agreement grants The Stars Group an option to operate and brand real-money online sports betting, poker and casino in New York on a first skin basis, subject to license availability, state law and regulatory approvals. The agreement also provides that The Stars Group will provide support services for the launch and operation of a retail sportsbook at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort in Northern New York.
“We are excited to announce this agreement with Mohawk, which further strengthens our market access as we work to build our FOX Bet business into one of the leaders in the emerging U.S. online betting and gaming market,” said Robin Chhabra, CEO of FOX Bet, the new U.S. sports betting brand of The Stars Group.
Todd Papineau, General Manager of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort commented, “We are thrilled to elevate the sports betting experience for our guests in our new sports lounge, a 5,200 square foot sports betting hub that will be ready during the NFL season. Once permissible in the state, we will be prepared to accept sports wagers through our new kiosks. With its online betting and gaming solutions and FOX Bet and PokerStars brands, we believe The Stars Group is the ideal partner for us and it is positioned to become a leader in the U.S. online betting and gaming industry. We are delighted to work with The Stars Group, one of the world’s largest, most licensed online gaming companies, to leverage the opportunity presented by online betting and gaming in the State of New York.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Mohawk will receive a revenue share from the operation of the applicable online offerings by The Stars Group and The Stars Group will receive a revenue share from the operation of the retail sportsbook from Mohawk.
Gambling is one of the significant sources of revenue in the US because due to the high taxes attached to it in the country. This revenue is invested in public as well as private sectors that help in creating employment opportunities in the region. This is encouraging the government to legalize various forms of gambling that includes casino gaming. Thus, the easing of government regulations is expected to stimulate growth in the US casino gaming market during the forecast period. Furthermore, this industry research report also presents a competitive analysis of the market by platform (online and traditional), by type (commercial, tribal, limited stakes, and iGaming), and by game type (poker, blackjack, slot machines, roulette, and others).
Competitive vendor landscape
The casino gaming market in the US is highly competitive with major vendors such as Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, INTRALOT, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts, Penn National Gaming, and Wynn Resorts competing based on price, quality, and market presence.
“The reconfigurable electronic gaming machines are gaining immense popularity owing to their benefits, such as easy to update, upgrade, and user-friendly. Unlike the conventional type of machines, electronic gaming machines can be reused, which reduces the inventory cost for vendors. Thus, the increasing popularity of reconfigurable electronic gaming machines will fuel the market growth during the next five years,” says a senior analyst at Technavio.
Top five US casino gaming market vendors
Boyd Gaming
Boyd Gaming has operations in about 25 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada and several other US states. Besides Nevada, the company has casinos in Illinois, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, and Louisiana, among others. Boyd Gaming operates three main segments Midwest and South, Downtown Las Vegas, and Las Vegas Locals.
Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment owns and operates almost 50 casinos, majorly in the US under brand names that include Caesars, Harrah’s, and Horseshoe. Its major properties include Horseshoe, Harrah’s, Rio casinos, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood on the Vegas Strip, and Paris Las Vegas. The company’s operations comprise hotels, riverboat casinos, and gaming establishments.
INTRALOT
INTRALOT is an entertainment corporation that owns and operates gambling, lottery, and betting businesses. INTRALOT is a supplier of innovative game content, integrated gaming, interactive gaming services, racing management, sports betting, and transaction processing systems. It offers 400 types of games and has a presence in 57 jurisdictions in all five continents.
Las Vegas Sands
Las Vegas Sands owns and operates integrated resorts that feature celebrity chef restaurants, convention, and exhibition facilities, entertainment and retail centers, premium accommodation, gaming facilities, and other amenities. It generates revenue from gaming facilities, food and beverage services, and retail.
MGM Resorts
MGM Resorts International owns and operates integrated hotels, casinos and entertainment resorts in the United States and Macau. The company operates through three segments: MGM China, Las Vegas Strip Resorts, and Regional Operations. Its casino resorts offer convention, hotel, gaming, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. The company’s casino operations include table games and race, slots and sports book wagering.
Thuuz Sports, the most powerful automated video highlights production platform for worldwide sports, today announced their June Top 10 most exciting games, with two Stanley Cup Finals wins by the St. Louis Blues, as well as a pair of NBA Finals games and some high scoring MLB contests taking most of the attention of fans around the country. The full top ten is below.
Using their custom designed algorithms to measure real-time event excitement, Thuuz provides a unique look into what games have gotten fans the most excited and engaged as 2019 rolls along.
The game excitement ratings are measured on a 0 to 100 scale and take into consideration game pace, team parity, play novelty, momentum shifts, social buzz, and historical context. The algorithms behind the excitement ratings are statistically calibrated to insure the appropriate distribution of ratings across the duration of a season or course of a tournament.
Using the Thuuz excitement measurement platform, the top ten most exciting games were:
St. Louis 2, Boston 1 (NHL): 6/6: The Blues secured a critical Game 5 win on the road to take a 3-2 series lead. Controversy surrounded David Perron’s game-winning 3rd period goal, as an obvious tripping call was missed 10 seconds prior. The hero for the Blues was their rookie goalie, Jordan Binnington, who recorded 38 saves in a brilliant performance.
Toronto 114, Golden State 110 (NBA): 6/13 The Raptors went into Oracle Arena in the final game in Oakland for the Warriors and left it as the 2019 NBA Champions. Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was one of four Toronto Raptors to score 22+ points.
St. Louis 4 Boston 2 (NHL): 6/3 Down 2-1 in the series, the Blues battled back to tie the Stanley Cup FInals at 2 apiece with a thrilling 4-2 win at home. Eventual Conn Smythe trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly scored 2 goals for the Blues, including the game-winning goal with just under 10 minutes remaining, to lead the Blues in attack.
San Diego 16, Colorado 12 (MLB): 6/14 In a historically high scoring series, the Padres completed one of the best comebacks of all time thanks to Hunter Renfroe’s 3 HR game. Entering the 9th trailing by 6 runs, the Padres rallied to force the game into extra innings. The Padres then exploded for another 5 runs in the 12th after a leadoff triple from Fernando Tatis Jr. was capped by Renfroe’s 3rd HR to secure a 16-12 win. The Padres were 0-766 in franchise history when trailing by 6 or more runs in the 9th prior to this game.
Golden State 106, Toronto 105 (NBA): 6/10 The Warriors welcomed Kevin Durant back into the mix, and for 12 minutes looked like the Warriors at their best. A devastating torn achilles ended Durant’s heroic effort, but the Warriors were able to pull out a stunning 106-105 victory in Toronto to force the series back to Oakland for a Game 6. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 57 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in a stellar effort for the Warriors.
Los Angeles Angels 10 Oakland 9 (MLB): 6/5 Tommy La Stella set the tone with a shot over the right field fence on the 2nd pitch of the game. The A’s wasted no time however, scoring 7 unanswered runs of their own in the 2nd and 3rd against Félix Peña. The Angels answered quickly, scoring 7 runs during the next 2 innings, highlighted by HR’s from Trout and Ohtani to take the lead 8-7 in the bottom of the 4th. The score held until the top of the 8th when the A’s scored twice. In the 9th with the game tied at 9, Garneau’s walk-off pinch-hit ground rule double drove in the winning run as the Angels outlasted the A’s in a 10-9 shootout.
Toronto FC 3, Atlanta Utd 2 (MLS): 6/26 A goal 28 seconds into the game for Toronto FC opened up a flurry of scoring in the first 30 minutes of the game. Two Atlanta Utd goals within 5 minutes gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead, before a Pozuelo (TOR) goal in the 28th minute tied the game at 2 apiece. The game remained tied until stoppage time, when TOR was awarded a PK. Pozuelo calmly put the penalty away, which looked like it would end the game. However, Atlanta Utd were then given a PK in the 5th minute of stoppage time after a VAR check confirmed a penalty. The penalty was launched over the bar, resulting in a 3-2 Toronto FC victory.
Los Angeles Dodgers 12, Colorado 8 (MLB): 6/27 After going back and forth all game, the Dodgers scored four runs in the 9th inning to beat the Rockies 12-8 as the teams combined for 33 hits. Coors Field may have played a role, as 5 different Dodgers homered and Max Muncy impressed going 3 for 4 with 2 HR’s. The Dodgers’ 12 run tally was their highest since putting up 18 on the Diamondbacks back in March.
9 Seattle 9, Minnesota 6 (MLB): 6/12 After trailing by 5 in the 8th, the Twins fought back and tied the game in the 9th thanks to a HR from Byron Buxton. However, 3 errors in the 10th spoiled their comeback, gifting the Mariners a 9-6 win. Dan Vogelbach starred for the Mariners, going 4 for 5 and with a solo HR to open the scoring in the 6th. In a losing effort, Jose Berrios held the Mariners to 1 run through 6.2 innings.
Chicago White Sox 8, Boston 7 (MLB): 6/26 A back-and-forth battle saw the White Sox get out to an early lead by ambushing Chris Sale and the Red Sox with 3 first inning runs. The Red Sox battled back, taking a 7-6 lead on a two run single by Xander Bogearts with 2 outs in the 8th inning. Facing a 1-run deficit entering the 9th, ChiSox star Jose Abreu battled with Red Sox closer Matt Barnes, and on the 10th pitch of the at-bat, deposited a game-winning 2-R HR over the Green Monster.
Today marks the launch of World’s Fastest Gamer season two – bringing together ten of the fastest esports racers on the planet to battle it out to win a year racing for real at some of the world’s most iconic circuits with leading race team, R-Motorsport, a strategic partner of Aston Martin
World’s Fastest Gamer season two will bring together ten of the fastest esports racers on the planet to battle it out to win a year of racing for real at some of the world’s most iconic circuits.
The winner will become a professional driver and race Aston Martins with R-Motorsport at iconic circuits including Monza, Paul Ricard, Brands Hatch, Nurburgring, and in the Spa-Francorchamps and Daytona 24 hours.
Eight finalists come from the biggest esports racing championships of 2019. Two more will enter via wildcard qualifiers held in the coming weeks, one exclusively on mobile on the Gear.Club app, the other online on rFactor 2.
Finalists will undergo rigorous selection trials in the UK with the top six flying to R-Motorsport’s HQ in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Two will go through an intensive four-day set of challenges and will compete in an on-track shootout at the Hockenheim finale for Germany’s “Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters” – DTM.
Head judge Juan Pablo Montoya and WFG season one winner Rudy Van Buren will decide who has what it takes to claim the prize worth more than $1 Million.
Indy 500, Monaco Grand Prix and Daytona 24 hours winner Montoya is well placed to pick a worthy winner.
“I have raced online for several years and use simulators to stay sharp,” Montoya said. “I know there is huge talent in the virtual world because gamers regularly beat me! I know the skills between real and virtual are transferable, so my job on WFG is to make sure these gamers are hungry and perform under pressure.”
Van Buren became a Formula 1 simulator driver with his WFG season one victory. His story was watched by millions online and reached 400 million households on networks including ESPN, CNBC, Sky and Fox.
World’s Fastest Gamer founder, Millennial Esports Corp. (“Millennial” or the “Company”, TSX VENTURE: GAME,OTCQB: MLLLF) President, Darren Cox, believes the competition has the potential to unearth real-world motorsport talent.
“Esports racing has grown significantly since our first project more than ten years ago, but still there is a huge undiscovered talent pool out there,” Cox said.
“WFG is the bridge between the virtual and real worlds and we will again provide unparalleled access to both sides of our sport through all digital and broadcast platforms.”
Founded in 2014, R-Motorsport has established itself as one of the world’s top GT racing teams.
“In our short history R-Motorsport have had great success and impact on track with Aston Martin,” R Motorsport’s Co-owner and Team Principal Florian Kamelger said. “With Darren’s team at Millennial Esports we now have a foot in the virtual world that provides our partners with a new platform within motorsport.”
The R-Motorsport squad has extensive experience racing Aston Martin entries in high level global motorsport championships including the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the Blancpain GT Series and the world’s most important international touring car championship, the DTM.
“This project shows the increasing interest in Aston Martin in the real and virtual world and I am confident that this will catapult our brand to leaders in the burgeoning esports space,” said Aston Martin President and Group CEO, Andy Palmer.
VSiN (Vegas Stats & Information Network) has announced an agreement with MSG Networks that will bring VSiN’s sports betting content to the New York market five days each week.
Starting Monday, the sports betting network’s show, “Follow the Money,” began airing on MSG Networks every weekday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Hosted by Mitch Moss and Paul Howard, the 3-hour show is an informative and entertaining sports talk show that blends actionable betting information with irreverent commentary and gambling stories. “MSG Networks is the best possible broadcast partner to reach sports fans and betting enthusiasts throughout the New York area,” said Brian Musburger, founder and CEO of VSiN. “We’re thrilled to continue to work with innovators like MSG Networks to deliver sports betting news and information to the growing number of Americans wagering on sports. I’m excited to highlight our programming on the world’s biggest stage at the center of the sports and entertainment universe.”
VSiN’s sports betting content airing on MSG Networks will also be available on MSG GO, MSG Networks’ live streaming and video on demand platform for smartphones, tablets and computers.
The World Poker Tour’s established three-pillar strategy for creating extraordinary live events, distributing the highest level of poker content, and utilizing innovative online monetization methods is coming to a Latin American audience on July 12.
The World Poker Tour today announced the arrival date of WPT® television programming and social gaming in Latin America across a wealth of distribution channels via TV Azteca. On Friday, July 12, World Poker Tour’s Season IX will debut on TV Azteca’s Channel 7 in the coveted 11:00 p.m. local time slot.
This announcement comes on the heels of TV Azteca entering into a term sheet with the World Poker Tour’s sister company, Allied Esports. The term sheet provides for TV Azteca to become a shareholder of Allied Esports, a global esports entertainment company, through $5 million equity investment in Black Ridge Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: BRAC). As previously announced, Allied Esports and WPT, both currently owned by Ourgame International Holdings Limited, will be acquired, once all applicable shareholder and regulatory consents have been obtained, by Black Ridge Acquisition Corp. to form Allied Esports Entertainment.
The TV Azteca-distributed WPT television show will complement WPTGO, the social poker gaming site jointly developed by TV Azteca and WPT specifically for the Latin American online and mobile gaming marketplace. The intended timing of WPTGO’s release will be contemporaneous with the premiere date of the WPT television show on Channel 7.
WPTGO, which we believe will be the first social poker gaming platform created exclusively for the Spanish-speaking community, will include poker, casino games, and education, and will incorporate a new rewards program.
As previously announced, the World Poker Tour and TV Azteca entered into a multi-faceted deal to bring the WPT’s poker content library to a massive Latin American audience. The debut of the World Poker Tour television show on TV Azteca and the launch of WPTGO will be the first steps of a long-term approach to bring the premier name in poker to millions of homes throughout Latin America.
The WPT television show’s premiere date on TV Azteca, and the launch of WPTGO, ties to the strategic pillars first established when the strategic agreement was signed in March 2019. WPT and TV Azteca are committed to continuing the growth of the WPT’s globally renowned poker content through localizing it for the Latin American market, and monetizing the WPT brand-name across Latin America through WPTGO and WPT-branded merchandise in retail stores throughout the region. In addition, WPT and TV Azteca remain aligned in their efforts to bring live WPT events to Latin America. Timing for events as part of the world-class WPT LATAM Tour will be announced at a later date.
WPT’s episodes will be localized for the Latin America market, featuring Spanish-speaking talent delivering the action for TV Azteca viewers. Inés Sainz, a Mexican television personality and a journalist for Azteca Deportes, will anchor the show. Commentating alongside Sainz will be Santiago González Álvarez and professional poker player Angel Guillén. Guillén is a recognized high stakes player and a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, who will bring his poker expertise to the TV Azteca audience.
TV Azteca is the number-one sports network in Mexico and controls more than 40 local broadcast and regional free-to-air stations, as well as providing cable packages, including Netflix and HBO, for the region. TV Azteca’s free-to-air stations reach over 95 percent of the Mexican market and have the potential to make WPT appointment programming. WPT will air on TV Azteca’s Channel 7 immediately following weekly futbol coverage, which we believe will reach an unprecedented audience throughout the region.
“The deal between the World Poker Tour and TV Azteca reaches an incredible level of activation with the commencement of the WPT television show and launch of WPTGO across Latin America,” Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour, said. “The continued growth of the alliance between WPT and TV Azteca allows us to further expand our content and social poker gaming assets to this burgeoning Latin American audience and grow the game of poker in ways never previously imagined. It is my pleasure to formally welcome Inés Sainz, Santiago González Álvarez, and Angel Guillén to the WPT Family and watch them reach viewers across Latin America.”
For more information regarding the World Poker Tour, head to WPT.com.
