Five sports betting startups have been selected to present their business plans to industry executives and investors at the upcoming Global Gaming Expo (G2E) conference in Las Vegas.
A panel of judges representing Turner Sports, NASCAR, Sportradar, and Sharp Alpha Advisors will hear pitches and conduct brief Q&A sessions before awarding prizes.
Turner Sports’ VP of Emerging Media and Innovation Peter Scott will join Sharp Alpha’s Lloyd Danzig and Sportradar’s Neale Deeley in assessing the startups. NASCAR Managing Director of Sports Betting Joseph Solosky will also join the panel of expert judges.
Prizes to be awarded include a $25,000 cash investment and a year of access to Sportradar’s accelerator program. Turner Sports will offer one founder behind-the-scenes access to a marquee sporting event hosted by the media company. One startup will win a VIP trip to Phoenix Raceway for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the opportunity to demo their product for NASCAR executives in a luxury box at the event.
The competition will feature founders from the following companies:
HedgePay, a B2B solution that enables any online gaming platform’s users to automatically fund their accounts using spare change round-ups
SharpRank, a software-based ratings agency that verifies and evaluates the performance of professional sports bettors and handicappers
Tallysight, a publishing platform that helps sportsbooks, media teams, and content creators monetize their sports betting audience
Bettor Fantasy, a platform that enables fantasy sports players to bet on their league’s matchups and outcomes
Juice Reel, a bet-tracking app that automatically syncs to users’ sportsbook accounts
“The quality of the applicants and judges involved in this competition is a testament to the size of the opportunity in and adjacent to sports betting,” said Lloyd Danzig, Managing Partner of Sharp Alpha Advisors and organizer of the event.
The competition will take place on Wednesday, October 6 at 3:00pm PT in the Innovation Lab at G2E, which is being held at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas.
Conference attendees are welcome to spectate the pitch competition free of charge.
TeamWorks Media, the parent company of La Vida Baseball, today announced a new strategic content partnership with NBC Sports Chicago with ‘Being Guillén,’ La Vida Baseball’s most popular show moving to the NBC Sports Chicago lineup this month. The show will continue airing on the cable home of the White Sox through the end of 2021.
“We are very pleased with the growing popularity around ‘Being Guillén’ and this new content sharing partnership with NBC Sports Chicago helps us expand the reach of all things Ozzie and family at such a critical time of year for the White Sox and baseball in Chicago,” said Jesse Menendez, Managing Director of La Vida Baseball. “We are sure Ozzie’s stories and opinions that he and his sons bring in will make for great buzz and interesting conversation as the MLB Postseason heats up in the coming weeks.”
Guillén, the self-proclaimed “most popular person in Chicago,” with two of his sons, Ozzie Jr. and Oney focus on today’s sports happenings, as well as revisiting Ozzie’s colorful past on and off the field, especially as a member and then manager of the White Sox. From his days playing pickup basketball against Michael Jordan to his time with the 2005 White Sox World Series Championship team, ‘Being Guillén,’ will now have an expanded audience with the reach of NBC Sports Chicago.
The partnership with NBC Sports Chicago is the latest in a series of content expansion moves La Vida Baseball has introduced in the past few months. Others include ‘Locker Room Talk’, a weekly show highlighting the achievements of women and Latinas in sports hosted by Julie Alexandria and Jennifer Mercedes, ‘Pólvora, Voz & Diamante’, a high-energy Spanish language show hosted by Jesse Castillo, a two-time Mexican League MVP, Polo Ascencio, the Cardinals Spanish language broadcaster, and Mexican rock star Pliego Villarreal, as well as a Latino Heritage Month show on Chicago Cubs Marquee Sports Network.
As part of Responsible Gaming Education Week 2021, global sports betting and gaming operator Entain is backing the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Have a Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign through its not-for-profit organization, the Entain Foundation U.S.
Entain’s “Gamble Responsibly America” app will feature the campaign, which educates sports fans on responsible sports betting, while HaveAGamePlan.org will highlight the first-of-its-kind app. BetMGM, which is jointly owned by Entain and MGM Resorts International, are also backing the AGA Have A Game Plan campaign.
“Our Responsible Gambling programs and AGA’s initiatives, including Have a Game Plan, are completely aligned,” said Martin Lycka, Entain Senior Vice President for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling and trustee of the Entain Foundation U.S. “The more we can repeat the message of responsible gambling across multiple channels—like the Gamble Responsibly America app and Have A Game Plan—the better our customers’ experience will be.”
“Working with the Entain Foundation to provide consumer education tools and resources benefits both customers and the long-term sustainability of the legal, regulated market,” said AGA Senior Vice President Casey Clark. “Enabling this market to continue its growth requires a collective, balanced approach to fan and bettor engagement. We are excited that Have a Game Plan continued to be adopted by a wide-array of businesses with an interest in getting sports betting right.”
The AGA launched Have A Game Plan in late 2019 and includes partners DraftKings, FanDuel, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, NASCAR, New York Jets, NHL, PGA TOUR, SeventySix Capital, Sightline Payments, Sinclair Broadcast Group, UFC, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Football Team.
Entain and EPIC Risk Management and RG24/7, which partner with the Entain Foundation U.S. on responsible gambling education and projects, launched the Gamble Responsibly app in the U.S. in June. The free app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, features a series of educational resources and tools to anonymously help and support anyone facing potential issues with problem gambling. The unbranded app is an educational resource with no commercial benefit to Entain or BetMGM, the U.S. sports betting and gaming business it jointly owns with MGM Resorts International.
“Gamble Responsibly America” offers assets and information to help people gamble responsibly and provide guidance for those struggling, or who would like to understand the behavioral patterns or symptoms associated with problem gambling. It is the first free app to do this and is available in both English and Spanish, to maximize its accessibility to all communities in America.
AGA’s Responsible Gaming Education Week, from Sept. 19-25, educates consumers on responsible game play and highlights responsibility’s central role to the industry. Sports betting is currently legal and operational in 26 states and the District of Columbia providing 113 million Americans with access to sports betting in their home state.
Ready® Nutrition (@ready_nutrition), one of the fastest growing sports nutrition companies in North America, with NBA Finals Champion and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and three-time NFL Defensive MVP Aaron Donald as co-owners, today announced that Gonzaga University selected the brand as the Official Sports Drink of Bulldog Athletics.
Ready® Sport Drink will be the exclusive isotonic sports drinks for fueling and replenishing Gonzaga student-athletes with its scientific, all-natural formulation featuring three dominant electrolytes, energy from superfruits, and B-Vitamins for complete hydration.
“We’re looking forward to this partnership with Ready® ” Incoming Gonzaga Director of Athletics Chris Standiford said. “It’s vital that we provide our student-athletes with the best sports nutrition options, and we know that Ready® will be the best choice for Gonzaga.”
Gonzaga is a member of the West Coast Conference, one of 8 conferences that have selected Ready® as their Official Sports Drink. The Bulldogs’ national profile is highlighted by the success of its men’s and women’s basketball programs. The women have been crowned WCC champions and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in eight of the last 12 years. The men’s program, under future Hall of Fame Coach Mark Few, has become a traditional national power. The team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 10 years, making numerous Sweet 16 and Elite 8 appearances and playing for the National Championship in 2021.
“We’re always looking to provide our guys with the best in everything,” said Coach Few. “We used Ready® during the tournament last year and our players loved it. It was an easy decision for us to name Ready® our Official Sports Drink.”
In addition to its sports drink, Ready® will also make available it’s full portfolio of performance products including its popular protein water, protein bars and functional snacks.
“We’re excited to welcome Gonzaga into the Ready® family and thrilled that another elite program and coach has selected our sports drink for their student athletes”, said Ready® Founder and CEO Pat Cavanaugh, himself a former student-athlete and University of Pittsburgh basketball team captain. “Coach Few’s program has such a high standard of excellence and I know he wants the very best for his players and all Gonzaga student-athletes. We’re committed to helping them reach their team and individual goals with our science-based performance products.”
The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced that the 2021 NLL Entry Draft will be held virtually on Saturday, August 28 and the induction ceremony of the NLL Hall of Fame Class of 2021 presented by GAIT Lacrosse has been postponed to a later date.
“After lengthy discussions we have decided it is in the best interests of our team and league staff, and most importantly our draftees, to hold our 2021 NLL Draft on Saturday, August 28 in a virtual live stream format. We have also chosen to postpone our formal NLL Hall of Fame induction, which was scheduled for the day prior, to a later date to be determined” said NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “While we have complete confidence in safety protocols that we were planning, the U.S. border for those driving from Canada remains closed. We were anticipating it would reopen in time for an in-person event, however with so many team staff located in Canada and the logistics of travelling back and forth across the border would have made staging such a large, first class event very difficult. Our plan is to host the NLL Hall of Fame ceremony in person, at a time when everyone of the inductees and their families can attend and, travel logistics are much easier. The NLL Hall of Fame is very important to the heritage of our league, it is crucial all will be able to attend and be properly honored surrounded by friends and family.”
The league will present comprehensive and expansive broadcast coverage of the 2021 Entry Draft. The first two rounds will be available for live streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada along with the NLL’s YouTube channel and Facebook (@NLL). Live coverage begins at 7pm ET. Rounds three through six will be updated in real time on NLL.com and NLL social media accounts.
“We want to thank our board, our staff, and especially all those we have worked closely with at Pegula Sports and Entertainment over the last few months in helping us set up what would have been a memorable on site weekend, which now will be carried out from locations across North America” continued Sakiewicz. “We will release the NLL’s regular season schedule next month and we look forward to launching the 2021-22 season on December 3, 2021.”
All 14 active NLL franchises for the 2021-22 season will participate in the Entry Draft, with the Panther City Lacrosse Club making its inaugural selection, followed by the Georgia Swarm and Buffalo Bandits currently scheduled to make the next two selections, respectively.
The full first round NLL Entry Draft order, as of August 20, pending pre-Draft transactions, is as follows:
1. Panther City Lacrosse Club
2. Georgia (from New York)
3. Buffalo (from Rochester)
4. Vancouver
5. San Diego
6. Calgary
7. Saskatchewan (from Colorado)
8. Saskatchewan (from Philadelphia)
9. Georgia
10. Philadelphia (from Buffalo)
11. Panther City Lacrosse Club (from Toronto via Georgia)
12. Halifax
13. Buffalo (from Saskatchewan)
14. Buffalo (from Albany)
15. Calgary (from Panther City Lacrosse Club)
16. Albany (Compensatory)
The NLL Entry Draft was held virtually in 2020 following a two-year run at Philadelphia’s Xfinify Live! in 2018 and 2019.
The WTA and FanDuel today announced the designation of FanDuel as an Authorized Gaming Operator in North, South, and Central America. The new relationship brings America’s number one sportsbook and industry-leading daily fantasy sports products directly to WTA fans and marks the first time a women’s sport will have video highlights throughout FanDuel’s digital platforms and sportsbooks. WTA will grant FanDuel access to its trademarks and FanDuel will also use WTA Tour’s official scoring data from Stats Perform, the Official Data Supplier of the WTA throughout FanDuel’s platforms. This integration will allow tennis fans in the Americas to join the growing engagement opportunities surrounding fantasy sports and further professionalize the legalized gaming category for tennis.
“The WTA is pleased to welcome FanDuel as its first Authorized Gaming Operator,” stated WTA President, Micky Lawler. “FanDuel is a premier destination for sports fans online and this relationship provides the building blocks for growing our fan base. This milestone not only delivers on the growing appetite fans have for a more personalized sporting experience, but also paves the way for us to have a proactive role in managing the responsible gambling standards and practices we wish to foster. Our top priority is providing our fans with more opportunities to engage with the sport in a fun and safe way.”
“We are incredibly proud of our commitment to supporting women in sports and are continuously looking for new ways to further raise awareness of female athletes, teams, and all women in sports,” said Amy Howe, President and Interim CEO, FanDuel Group. “Aligning with the WTA — the global leader in women’s professional sports – is consistent with our overall mission to elevate the profile for talented women in sports. We are delighted to partner with such a prestigious organization.”
Driven by the WTA’s sponsorship sales agency of record, CSM, the agreement with FanDuel represents the WTA’s latest innovation to strengthen the growth and exposure of women’s tennis. Following the announcement of Stats Perform’s data integration last November, FanDuel will showcase the next evolution of data-driven touchpoints and trusted betting products for WTA fans.
“Our platforms are now a destination for WTA content and highlights, which significantly enriches the sports betting experience, while continuing to expand our media and content capabilities,” continued Howe.
As part of the new strategic collaboration, FanDuel will work closely with the WTA to promote safe and responsible gaming. Demonstrating its commitment to promote responsible gaming and the availability of prevention, treatment & recovery resources, the WTA has joined the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). The WTA looks forward to working with NCPG on its Safer Sports Betting Initiative.
FanDuel, the premier online gaming company in the United States, today unveiled the renderings for its new, luxury sportsbook in the Footprint Center, home to the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Arizona Rattlers, in Phoenix, AZ.
Stretching over 7,400 square feet, including an outdoor terrace, the FanDuel Sportsbook at Footprint Center will be fans’ one-stop-shop to enjoy Suns games and other sporting events around the world while placing wagers on the action. The sportsbook will feature five betting windows, and one VIP window, 40 HD televisions, a 35-foot video wall, an MVP Room and 26 self-service betting kiosks. The FanDuel Sportsbook will be open daily for patrons to place wagers on a wide variety of events throughout the year.
Entain, the global sports betting and gaming entertainment group, has joined the line-up in this year’s 50 Global Leaders sustainability initiative, showcased on Bloomberg’s global media platform, marking its progress on responsible gaming and ESG.
The 50 Global Leaders Campaign shown on Bloomberg’s global platform, highlights work on ESG and sustainability made by leading international companies and specifically highlights the advances made by Entain over the past year in these areas, as well as across other responsibility initiatives.
Last year, Entain launched a Sustainability Charter, and pledged to invest £100 million over five years in the Entain Foundation, to fund responsible gaming initiatives and support people and communities around the world where it operates.
Entain is fully committed to player protection, and is developing a pioneering, personal protection system for players using its technology called ARC (Advanced Responsibility and Care), which will build individual risk profiles for each customer and, if they show signs of being at risk, intervene without them being aware to keep their play safe.
Through its Foundation, Entain has taken a lead in supporting community and grass roots sport through initiatives such as Pitching In and a partnership with SportsAid in the UK, respectively providing funding to help local football clubs and support aspiring young athletes. Internationally the Group supports similar initiatives, such as bwincares in Greece.
Entain is ranked #1 in the All-in Diversity Charter’s All-Index list, the industry benchmark for diversity and inclusion, and is developing initiatives around the world to support under-represented groups, and notably young women, seeking careers in technology. The Group has provided support through the pandemic, with a global Employee Assistance Programme linked to the wellbeing platform, Unmind, and relief, through the Foundation, for victims of COVID-19 in India.
Also over the past year, Entain achieved its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target one year early, reducing emissions by over 15% per employee since 2018, and has committed to become net-zero by 2035. This includes setting a Science-based Target, which we have formally committed to via the Science-based Targets Initiative. The Group is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the S&P Sustainability Yearbook 2021, and FTSE4Good.
Triller, the globally popular AI-powered social media experience, today announced its entry into NASCAR with a partnership with driver Toni Breidinger, the 22-year-old rookie driver who has made history as the first Arab-American female driver in the circuit’s history. The partnership will begin this Saturday with the ARCA Menards Series race at Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana. Breidinger will be driving the #25 Triller Toyota Camry after recently switching to Venturini Motorsports, a Toyota Racing Development team, for the remainder of the 2021 season. Breidinger, who already has one of the largest social followings for any NASCAR driver, will fully document her racing experience on Triller and will have her car wrapped with Triller signage this weekend. She is the all-time winningest female in United States Auto Club (USAC) history with 19 wins, a record that helped her move into NASCAR’s ARCA Menards series this year.
“Toni Breidinger is the perfect fit for our entry into NASCAR and all forms of racing for Triller,” said Bobby Sarnevesht, Chairman and Co-Owner of Triller. “She is a disruptive, smart, highly competitive, socially conscious and engaged athlete who our millions of followers are just starting to learn about. We look forward to helping to elevate her story and her platform and to connecting her with the stars who are already deeply involved in Triller, as well as giving our followers a first look into NASCAR and helping to grow the sport with a younger and very engaged and loyal audience.”
Toni Breidinger
“As a young athlete who has diverse interests and wants to have young people get excited about the sport I love, racing, Triller is the perfect place for me,” Breidinger said. “The mix of engaged socially conscious young people from around the world is the audience I want to connect with, and I think as we grow together all will learn, have fun and experience new events together. I am thankful for this partnership with Triller and for them to believe in female athletes and especially in motorsports.”
In February, Breidinger made history as NASCAR’s first Arab-American female driver, when she raced in the ARCA Menards Series at the Daytona International Speedway, finishing in 18th place out of 33 — ahead of the two other women who competed, and earning her an appearance on “Ellen.” She is one of 10 females competing across NASCAR races this season.
The partnership will begin with the ARCA Menards Race at Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana, and will continue for all five of her races this season: August 22 at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield Illinois; September 5 at the DuQuoin State Fair in DuQuoin, Illinois; October 23rd at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS; and November 6th at Phoenix Speedway in Phoenix, AZ. Toni currently races in the ARCA Menards Series, a feeder division into the Nascar Touring Series. In 2021, Toni placed 18th at Daytona, 12th at Talladega, 12th at Kansas, and 20th at Charlotte.
This is the latest part of a progressive strategy that Triller is going to extend into sports. In addition to the highly successful Triller Fight Club series, which continues with the first of a long series of Tuesday night fights at Madison Square Garden and will also feature the September 11 matchup between Oscar de La Hoya and Vitor Belfort at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Triller is an exclusive broadcast partner of the BIG3, the official creator of the new global sport, FIREBALL3, and purchased premium entertainment and sports channel FITE earlier in the year. The platform continues to also engage in large scale promotions marrying sports and entertainment, including hosting the cast of Space Jam 2 at Triller House in LA prior to the premiere of the film starring LeBron James, Don Cheadle and other NBA and WNBA stars.
Triller will have additional announcements about new partnerships in all areas of global sport in the coming weeks.
RealResponse (@RealResponseHQ), the award winning leading safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced the addition of new colleges and universities to its fast-growing list, reaching the 100 partner milestone for the first time in the company’s short history. More than 50,000 athletes now have the ability to use RealResponse to share feedback, safely and securely report issues to coaches and administrators in real time for everything from mental health issues, social injustice concerns, COVID-19 policy infractions, misconduct, hazing, sexual harassment as well as using the system to highlight successes and best practices which might go otherwise unnoticed. Their work was recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal this month as one of the “Fifty Most Innovative Companies in the Region.”
“As we head towards a period of increased scrutiny and challenges for athletes in everything from the Olympics to the return to play in colleges big and small this fall, the pressure and challenges placed on athletes and coaches at all levels has never been greater, and we are proud to be able to work with this growing number of colleges, universities and organizations to document, address and most importantly, head off issues within any size programs,” said 31 year old David Chadwick, former Division I basketball player at Rice University and Valparaiso University and the founder of RealResponse. “We started this because we saw, and heard, the need to help the athletes speak, and to help coaches and administrators address issues safely and securely, and the response continues to speak loudly. We are thrilled to eclipse 100 partner institutions and welcome our recent members and look forward to additional news, partnerships and growth in the coming weeks.”
Recent additions to the growing number of partners for RealResponse includes: Boston College, Campbell University, Appalachian State University, Cal State Northridge, UNC Asheville, and Arkansas State University. They join a list that has schools from the Major Five Conferences (Wake Forest, the University of Maryland, Ole Miss, TCU) as well as mid major schools (Army, Georgetown, Grand Canyon, and Liberty) and schools from Division II and III (Cal State Monterey Bay, Western New England, Bowdoin). RealResponse has also begun working actively outside the collegiate space with organizations like the NFLPA, National Governing Bodies like USA Gymnastics and others, and will be expanding with other relationships in the coming months.
“We are living in a very changing, dynamic time, for intercollegiate athletics and the world in general. Within our athletics department we challenge our coaches, staff, and even our student-athletes to question whether just because we have been doing something one way does not mean we need to keep doing it. Is there another better way? Or are we missing something? And that is where RealResponse came in,” said Janet Cone, Director of Athletics, UNC Asheville. “We wanted to give our student-athletes an easy to use and real time tool to provide us with critical information . We are now very confident that the anonymous aspect is going to allow us to gather more information. Instead of someone hesitating and trying to decide, ‘Should I go forward or not?’ They know they can send a message to us. And we now have some information that we did not know that can help us address concerns and issues.” For more on UNC Asheville’s partnership click here.
Three other athletic directors, two in the Big 12 Conference, the other in the ACC, also reaffirmed their growing support of RealResponse:
“RealResponse is used extensively by our Leadership Team, especially our Sport Administrators. The Survey Platform streamlined how we collect feedback and measure our student-athlete experiences, both internally and benchmarked against national trends,” added Jamie Pollard, Director of Athletics, Iowa State University. “The Real-Time Reporting has created an open and safe channel for our administration to stay responsive to student-athlete needs. Lastly, the Documentation Repository has allowed our team to centralize and manage important notes and communications in the daily execution of our departmental processes. It has truly become an essential part of our operations, and I would recommend RealResponse to any peer.
“RealResponse has been tremendous for Baylor University. Student-athletes can approach us anonymously and I can still communicate back, creating a safe environment while offering key resources such as Title IX, Equity, and Mental Health Services. Importantly, these conversations are automatically captured, and the documentation trail and timeline generated provide peace of mind to our department,“ said Dawn Rogers, Deputy Director of Athletics, Baylor University
“Protecting the health and safety of our student-athletes and the integrity of the institution are paramount responsibilities for an Athletics Director. RealResponse is an invaluable tool to help identify student-athlete needs and concerns – and determine the right administrative response – before they escalate into a crisis,” added John Currie, Director of Athletics, Wake Forest University
Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films today announced the production of new original live-action movie Fantasy Football, executive produced by The SpringHill Company (Space Jam: A New Legacy), the empowerment-led media conglomerate spearheaded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter and in partnership with wunderkind and creative mastermind Marsai Martin and Joshua Martin of Genius Entertainment (Little). In Fantasy Football, 15-year-old Carmen Coleman (Marsai Martin, Black-ish) discovers she can control her professional football player dad’s prowess on the field through her video game. Zoe Marshall (Charmed) is writing the Fantasy Football screenplay, based on an original screenplay by Richard T. Jones & Jeremy Loethen and Tim Ogletree. Marshall is represented by JR McGinnis at Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson, Ashley Holland at WME and Adesuwa McCalla at MetaMorphic Entertainment. Spencer Beighley and Jamal Henderson of The SpringHill Company are executive producing along with Carol Martin for Genius Entertainment. Jamila Jordan-Theus will produce for Genius Entertainment as well. Production is set to begin in early 2022.
Additionally, Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films announced production on Hush Hush, a film adaptation of the New York Times best-selling young adult (YA) novels by Becca Fitzpatrick. Hush Hush follows 16-year-old high school student Nora Grey, who befriends new student, Patch, and finds herself drawn to his brooding charm against her better judgment. As Nora starts seeking answers about who Patch really is, she unwittingly gets caught in the crosshairs of an ancient battle between fallen angels and the immortal — a struggle that comes to threaten her life and reveals a shocking secret about her own identity. The Hush Hush screenplay is being written by Monet Clayton (Every Note Played), with production slated for late 2021 in partnership with BCDF Pictures and Entertainment 360. Clayton is represented by ICM, Fourth Wall and attorney Sean Marks.
Both films, led by Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films Studio head Syrinthia Studer, are scheduled to bow in 2022.
Fantasy Football and Hush Hush will debut on Paramount+, the streaming service for ViacomCBS, and follow the upcoming launch of The J Team, which premieres on Paramount+ on Sept. 3. The J Team marked the first production under the Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Live-Action Film Studio.
Following on Awesomeness’s live-action movie successes including the smash-hit To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before film franchise, The Perfect Date, and Before I Fall, the combined studio is diving into the family and YA film market with a dozen titles lined up for 2022 and beyond.
“We are excited to team up with SpringHill and Awesomeness, two creative powerhouses aligned in the mission to celebrate dynamic stories and invoke inspiration within our audiences. Collectively, we are companies that hold the family brand and themes at its core, so this felt like an incredible trifecta to bring Fantasy Football to life. This film is a true reflection of our growing slate: championing new heroes, challenging social ‘norms,’ and showcasing the power of following your dreams,” stated Jamila Jordan-Theus, Head of Motion Picture for Genius Entertainment.
Added Studer, “With the continuing growth of Nickelodeon and Awesomeness’s live-action film studio business, we are curating a slate of aspirational, heartfelt films for everyone. From the fantasy and romance themes found in Hush Hush, to the love of sport and family captured in Fantasy Football, we can’t wait to entertain audiences everywhere with new YA and family stories about what they already love.”
Fantasy football expert Ryan Kramer will host a 24-hour, live “Best Ball Draft” event on multiple video platforms from the Sports Gambling Podcast Network 4K studio in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 13, in a first-of-its-kind offering of input, advice and entertainment for hobbyists and fanatics around the country. The live stream will begin at 1 p.m. PT and will be available on YouTube at http://sg.pn/YouTube.
The co-founder of Sports Gambling Podcast Network (www.sportsgamblingpodcast.com) has been preparing for weeks for this marathon test of knowledge and stamina. Kramer is among America’s top experts in the fantasy football space as the 10-time Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC) Main Event league winner. He will focus primarily on the prominent “Best Ball” format, an innovative form of season-long fantasy that requires no week-to-week management after the draft. Participants simply select their 18-player team before the season and each week they receive the points of their roster’s top-performing player at each position. He will use the popular Underdog Fantasy App and viewers will be able to jump into the stream and interact with Kramer during the historic proceedings.
“Fans are returning to the stadiums, training camps open July 27 and the first pre-season game is August 5,” offered Kramer, who is a two-time Draft Kings Best Ball League winner in daily fantasy competition. “There is a perfect storm of peaking interest now as we emerge from the global pandemic with the NFL ready for a new season.
Fantasy football is bigger than ever, so we’re prepared to launch the 2021 edition of the Best Ball phenomenon in a special way.” Throughout the stream, Kramer will be giving away 15 free entries to Underdog Fantasy’s Best Ball Mania tournament in which participants have a chance to win $1,000,000 in prize money.
Kramer will be drafting full teams, consecutively, for the full 24 hours with each cycle expected to take slightly less than one hour. He will intersperse the player selections with traditional wagering commentary on the upcoming NFL season plus analytics drawn from his background as a computer engineer and the myriad skills that have enabled his elite fantasy football accomplishments.
With Kramer committing to the 24-hour effort, the Sports Gambling Podcast Network (SGPN) App will conduct a $500 props contest for Draft Day viewers who attend the livestream. In the hours preceding, viewers will be able to answer various prop bet questions regarding Kramer’s physical well-being and how many different teams he’ll put together during the timespan. The contest, available only on the SGPN App, will include questions like:
• How many times will Ryan Kramer fall asleep – over/under 5. • Total number of fantasy teams drafted – over/under 20.5. • Total number of bathroom breaks – over/under 9.5. The SGPN App is available on all devices and is downloadable at Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store, and from www.SportsGamblingPodcast.com.
The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced a historic partnership with TSN, Canada’s Sports Leader, to bring games to Canadians across broadcast and live streaming platforms for the first time since 2016. The new agreement is the league’s most comprehensive Canadian broadcast partnership in its 35-year history, and marks the next in a series of major steps the league has taken in recent months as it moves towards returning to play on December 3, 2021.
The multi-year media rights partnership between the NLL and TSN includes exclusive rights to the regular season “NLL Game of the Week,” as well as comprehensive playoff action, including the NLL Championship Series. TSN also delivers NLL coverage to TSN and TSN Direct subscribers through live streaming on its digital platforms, TSN.ca and the TSN app. Schedule details and additional content information will be announced in the coming months. The 2021-22 NLL season begins the weekend of December 3 with 14 teams, five of which are based in Canada.
“As one of our new owners, Wayne Gretzky, reminded people a few weeks ago when we launched our new franchise in Las Vegas, box lacrosse is the national summertime sport of Canada, and we couldn’t be more pleased and eager to bring the NLL back to Canadian fans with TSN, the country’s premier sports network,” said NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “This partnership will give us the ability to distribute NLL games to even more fans than ever before and showcase our amazing athletes, coaches, and action that so many Canadians love so dearly and have enjoyed in person.”
“Box lacrosse is an exciting, fast-paced sport, and we are very proud to partner with the NLL to grow the game and bring comprehensive live coverage to Canadian viewers throughout the season,” said Nathalie Cook, VP, TSN and RDS. “The NLL is a significant addition to our live sports schedule, one we know our fans will enjoy for years to come, and we’re excited to deliver expansive coverage, both on and off the floor, to spotlight the league’s talented players.”
For the most up to date information and breaking news, sign up for the NLL newsletter at NLL.com. Also follow Deputy Commissioner Jessica Berman and Commissioner Sakiewicz on Twitter @JessicaBerman1 and @NLLcommish, respectively.
Entain, the leading global sports betting and gaming entertainment operator, is doubling investment in its in-house games studios to accelerate and expand its ability to provide customers with new and exclusive products and experiences.
Headcount will double to around 300 people across Entain’s three in-house studios in the UK, Italy, and India within a year, to deliver exciting, exclusive new products and experiences across all its markets, including the U.S. CR Games, Entain’s UK games studio based near Oldham, Manchester, will initially create 8 new roles taking its headcount close to 50.
New content includes free to play slots tournaments, believed to be the first of their kind, giving customers a great choice of free games to play and win cash prizes. Over 30,000 customers of Entain’s Coral brand in the UK entered in June following launch, with international customers of Gala, Party and bwin expected to join over the summer.
Following the recent sponsorship between its PartyCasino and PartyPoker brands and McLaren, customers will get exclusive access to Formula 1 themed casino content and games later this year. Entain is also developing new experiences for customers using immersive technologies, and plans to upweight this capability at its in-house studios. The Group’s first VR product for customers – a multi-activity sports club – is due later in the year.
“We love giving our customers great experiences and exciting entertainment as that is the bedrock of what we do.” said Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Chief Executive of Entain. “Increasing our investment across all three of our in-house games studios will provide more of that for our customers across all our global brands.”
“By widening our offer with new and exclusive games, such as free-to-play tournaments, we give existing and new customers more reasons to use our products.” added Jette Nygaard-Andersen. “This not only helps to grow our business but brings fresh insight, so we can further improve the offer for our customers.”
Over 70% of BetMGM customers in the U.S. enjoy using exclusive content from Entain, helping to make BetMGM the U.S. market leader in iGaming. Among the most popular exclusive titles are MGM Grand Millions, Borgata Cash Spinner, Premium Blackjack Pro and Bison’s Fury slot game. Win Studios based in Hyderabad, India, is developing 30 new products specifically for customers of BetMGM this year, adding to new games like BetMGM Blackjack Pro, BetMGM Roulette Pro, Book of Myths, The Win Genie, Eye of Hathor, and Platinum Blackjack Pro.
Entain’s studios are also adapting best-selling content for more international markets. Win Studios has tailored Entain’s core bingo product to create a unique sports-themed gaming experience for customers of its Sportingbet brand, for example, and CR Games is tailoring top-ranking proprietary games enjoyed in the UK for customers in Europe.
These now include new customers in the Baltic states, following the acquisition of Enlabs earlier this year. CR Games is versioning the latest release of its popular “Big Banker” game for customers of Optibet in Latvia and bwin customers in other parts of Europe. The studio is also creating new recreational games for the mass market, in the UK and elsewhere, including “Fiery Wilds”, a casino game which has already proved popular with players.
Colin Cole-Johnson, Entain Gaming Director, said: “Our priority is always to create exciting, engaging products that give our customers choice. Not only does this enhance the experience for the millions of people who enjoy our products, but is an important driver of Entain’s growth. These exclusive, innovative, and tailored games are really valued by our customers. Developing more of our own games means we have complete control over what goes into them, not just in giving our customers a great experience, but also keeping them safe”.
Entain has a third proprietary studio in Italy, Eurobet, which is also looking at customizing its most popular exclusive games in Italy to support Entain’s global growth.
The Entain Foundation U.S., a not-for-profit dedicated to responsible gambling funded by BetMGM co-parent Entain, the global sports betting and gaming operator, today launched a groundbreaking app, “Gamble Responsibly America”. The app is the first of its kind in the U.S. and has been produced together with EPIC Risk Management and RG24/7, partners to the Entain Foundation U.S. on education projects.
The free app now available in the App Store and Google Play Store, features a series of educational resources and tools to help and support anyone facing potential issues with problem gambling. There is no requirement on people to register, and the app is unbranded, positioning the app entirely as an educative resource with no commercial benefit to Entain or BetMGM, the U.S. business it jointly owns with MGM Resorts.
Through the app, the Entain Foundation U.S. aims to extend information and services to underpin safe play as sports-betting and gaming expands rapidly across the U.S. Through a variety of initiatives and programs in the U.S., it already provides dedicated funding to research, extensive resources, and partners with leading organizations to ensure protection for consumers with support from Entain, which has set commitment to responsible gaming at its core.
Gamble Responsibly America will offer assets and information to help people gamble responsibly and provide guidance for those struggling, or who would like to understand the behavioral patterns or symptoms associated with, problem gambling. It is the first free app to do this and available from the outset in both English and Spanish, to maximize its accessibility to all communities in America.
Key features of the app include:
• Limits and Tools: The app informs people how they can regulate playing habits with functions like limiting deposits on a weekly basis or allotting a time-out, where logging into accounts will be restricted until a set time is complete. Most operators offer such tools, which effectively help people to control their levels of play.
• Self-Assessment Quiz: Users of Gamble Responsibly America can take a quick self-assessment to understand whether their playing habits should be modified or adjusted.
• Gambling Diary: Individuals can regularly input notes about gaming and betting choices. This gives users the opportunity to reflect on the decisions and investments being made and adjust if needed.
• Behavioral Callouts: Users can learn more about potentially harmful behaviors, or markers of concern, to be aware of when betting and gaming. These can include, frequency of play, failed deposits, multiple payment methods and more.
• LiveChat: A 24/7 live chat feature is available to connect individuals with helpline specialists. The live chat function within the app routes to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s live chatline, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Extensive Information and Resources: Finally, throughout the app users can find a comprehensive list of where to find additional information and assistance, videos on the importance of responsible gambling, and more. Three videos giving more information about responsible gambling are directly accessible via the app.
Martin Lycka, Entain Senior Vice President for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling and Trustee of the Entain Foundation U.S., noted, “We are incredibly proud to be launching the Gamble Responsibly America application as our commitment to responsible betting and gaming is unmatched within the industry. Through this first-of-its-kind app, we are determined to continue helping individuals by providing the resources and programs necessary to ensure everyone is betting and gaming responsibly.”
Today’s announcement is another milestone for the Entain Foundation U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible gambling, sports integrity, and corporate compliance in the U.S.
Prior to the launch of Gamble Responsibly America, Entain announced a series of partnerships and programs, including, a player education initiative around sports betting with professional sports leagues and colleges across the US with EPIC Risk Management; a cross-border responsible gambling tool with PlayPause; and, a five-year research initiative with the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital to better understand problematic and addictive behaviors.
Gamble Responsibly America is available to for download on iPhone and Android via the AppStore or PlayStore. Additionally, BetMGM will provide information and links to the app on all of its responsible gaming web pages. This information will be valuable to anyone interested in learning more about responsible betting and gaming.
FanDuel Group has announced a venue selection for its new technology campus which will be located at Ponce City Market in Atlanta, GA. The company selected the historic and revitalized building in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood as the new technology hub for its software engineering, product development, user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) teams. The company plans to grow its Atlanta-based workforce to approximately 900 colleagues over the next five years. These colleagues will be housed in a newly built-out 68,000 square foot space on the building’s third floor.
“Ponce City Market is the perfect location for our new technology campus and reflects our commitment to becoming a central part of the Atlanta corporate footprint,” said Sarah Butterfass, Chief Product Officer for FanDuel Group. “This historic building offers our employees a blend of old-world charm, cutting edge sophistication and modern amenities that will deliver an unmatched working environment. Additionally, its location allows us to build deep ties to Atlanta’s diverse pipeline of talent coming from its many top-flight universities.”
FanDuel colleagues will benefit from a range of Ponce City Market amenities, including direct access to the Atlanta Beltline, furnished corporate apartments, bike storage and child daycare center on-site, as well as an array of food, entertainment and wellness options.
“Over the last few years, Ponce City Market has become a major employment hub for the City of Atlanta,” said Matt Bronfman, CEO of Jamestown, the real estate investment and management company behind Ponce City Market. “FanDuel will add to that important distinction and further grow the property’s dynamic ecosystem of tech and creative class companies.”
Ponce City Market first opened its doors in 2013 and has since been credited as a catalyst for revitalizing the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. The property currently includes 643,000 square feet of Class-A office, with 300,000 square feet of curated retail, over 75,000 square feet of entertainment, and over 36 food and beverage purveyors. Ponce City Market hosts at least 8-12 events and activations each week. The award-winning building has been recognized as a LEED Gold Building Design & Construction, as well as the 2018 Mixed Use Building of the Year from BOMA TOBY.
Ponce City Market recently unveiled new plans to include 500,000 square feet of new development and neighborhood amenities. Designed with a focus on sustainability and wellness, the site is expected to bring an office building, outdoor courtyard surrounded by 38,000 sq. ft. of shopping and dining, and more than 400 units in a new “hospitality living” concept to the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.
Some of the most influential individuals in business, entrepreneurship and at all levels of hockey today formally announced the launch of The Carnegie Initiative, an independent not for profit platform to promote the growth of hockey and ensure opportunity and access to the sport. The Carnegie Initiative will also establish and award academic grants and other incentives for those who are doing work to positively grow and address change in the sport throughout Canada and the United States.
The foundation is named in honor of legendary hockey player and social justice pioneer Herb Carnegie. It is co-founded by Bernice Carnegie and Bryant McBride. Bernice is Herb’s daughter and co-author of their family autobiography, “A Fly in a Pail of Milk”, featuring Part II – Lessons passed on from father to daughter. Bryant is a longtime businessman and former National Hockey League executive. McBride co-produced “Willie,” the critically acclaimed documentary about hockey pioneer and Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree, who broke the color barrier in the NHL. Board members include well-known figures within hockey and in business, ranging from Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr, veteran NHL executives Brian Burke and Ted Nolan, Olympian Sarah Nurse, legendary broadcasters Ron MacLean and Harnarayan Singh, women’s hockey pioneer and Hall of Famer Angela James, and other key leaders at the grassroots level representing members of the BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and parasport communities.
“Change in hockey, and opening up the game for all, is something that is growing but needs to be accelerated, and we believe that the time to do that has never been better,” said McBride, the first black executive at the National Hockey League. “There are so many efforts going on, both big and small, to help expand the game, and our goal is to shed light on those communities, as well as help those still being marginalized, change problems that exist. We will do it holistically and without any bias.”
“Hockey is a great game, and my father worked hard throughout his life to make sure opportunities existed for all,” added co-chair Bernice Carnegie. “The Carnegie Initiative can now focus with the necessary resources and outreach to expand his work and help those who need it thrive both on and off the ice.”
credit: Pexels/Arthur Brognoli
The Carnegie Initiative will work independently with executives, teams, leagues, federations, brands and leading academic institutions across North America to champion the successes of diverse audiences in hockey as well as work to address and correct issues in the game on all levels with regard to any area of diversity. It will accelerate the work started by Herb Carnegie, a Canadian of Jamaican descent, more than 60 years ago when he launched his first hockey school in Toronto to teach hockey skills while fostering a spirit of diversity and inclusiveness.
The Carnegie Initiative (CI) will work to
• Ensure that hockey is inclusive, supportive and welcoming to all
• Examine the efforts of governing bodies and other stewards of the game to make hockey more diverse and inclusive
• Use rigorous academic research to identify and solve the sport’s biggest issues
• Shine a light on success stories and best practices through media partners
• Create substantive, authentic change throughout the hockey world
In short, advance the change in the culture of hockey.
The Carnegie Initiative’s leadership team includes Stephanie J. Geosits, Executive Director, and Ken Gelman, Chief Commercial Officer. Geosits worked alongside McBride at the NHL in launching the league’s first diversity programs and Gelman was one of the initial creators of NHL Center Ice. Both are long-time sports executives and entrepreneurs.
For information on making a contribution to The Carnegie Initiative, contact Ken Gelman. For information on The Carnegie Initiative grants to academic institutions contact Stephanie J. Geosits.
Carnegie’s hockey career began in 1938 and ran through the mid 1950’s. His chance at playing in the NHL came in the late 1940’s when he was given a tryout with the New York Rangers and offered a contract to play in the Rangers’ minor league system, but because he was offered considerably less money than he was earning in the Quebec League he turned down all three offers made by the Rangers organization during his tryout. As a black man playing hockey in the 1940’s and 1950’s, Carnegie endured his share of racism. In one famous incident, Conn Smythe, the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, watched Carnegie play as a member of the Toronto Young Rangers. He is alleged to have said either that he would accept Carnegie on the team if he were white or that he would pay $10,000 to anyone who could turn Carnegie white.
After retiring, Carnegie had a successful business career as a financial planner with the Investors Group, and in 1955, he founded one of Canada’s first hockey schools, Future Aces, and through his work in training young hockey players, became a member of both the Order of Ontario and the country’s highest civilian award, the Order of Canada. His hockey career was recognized when he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He passed away in Toronto in March 2012 at age 92.
With the recent announcement that baseball will observe “Lou Gehrig Day” annually on June 2, Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulation, today unveiled its plans to honor the all-time great first baseman whose untimely passing from ALS cut short his legendary career. In addition to donating 10% of net sales on that date to The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter, home region to Gehrig and the game company celebrating its 60th year, Strat-O-Matic will simulate several scenarios related to the Hall of Famer.
Beginning on Monday, May 31, and continuing through Wednesday, Strat-O-Matic will release three simulations by its research team that include an extension of Gehrig’s career past 1939, had he not been stricken with the progressive neurodegenerative disease that often bears his name; a home run derby between Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris; and a contest featuring all-time stars who wore his famed #4.
Lou Gehrig (Met Museum/The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection)
June 2 was both the day that Gehrig began his consecutive games played streak in 1925, and the date of his death in 1941. In addition to increasing awareness of the disease and fundraising to fight it, Lou Gehrig Day also serves to celebrate those working to end ALS.
“Lou Gehrig’s accomplishments on the field and impact off the field are immense, and we’re pleased to be honoring him as part of baseball’s new Lou Gehrig Day across the sport,” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic President. “We are proud to incorporate a donation to the ALS Association Greater New York Chapter and we hope fans will enjoy the simulations around one of our most popular historical players.”
Entain, the leading global sports betting and gaming entertainment group, is pleased to announce that its PartyCasino and PartyPoker brands have entered into a multi-year partnership with McLaren Racing starting from the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Entain and McLaren Racing are technological leaders within their own sectors, therefore this partnership is built on a shared track record of delivering entertainment through cutting edge innovation, underpinned by a common approach to safety and responsibility. Fittingly, the new partnership will officially launch on 23 May at the iconic Monaco Grand Prix, where the PartyCasino brand will appear on the halos of McLaren MCL35M race cars as well as on the helmet of McLaren F1 driver, Daniel Riccardo.
Through the partnership, Entain will be throwing open the doors to the world of Formula One, providing its customers and McLaren millions of adult fans with a range of dedicated content and exclusive experiences via an all new activation platform called Access featuring:
• McLaren themed casino content and access all areas games on the PartyCasino and PartyPoker sites • Competitions to win access to the McLaren Technology Centre • Shared promotions throughout the companies’ social media channels • Jointly developed marketing content
In addition, Entain will use its partnership with McLaren to explore strategies to promote safer betting and gaming, benefitting from the team’s unique perspective on maintaining control and managing risk.
Commenting on the new partnership, Entain’s CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen said:
“We are immensely proud to be partnering with McLaren Racing, a team who are synonymous with creating thrilling entertainment by constantly innovating and staying at the cutting-edge of technology. This is the same approach we take in providing moments of excitement for our customers and we are truly excited about the opportunities we have to create new content for our PartyCasino and PartyPoker customers as well as bringing these great brands to new audiences.”
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing said: “Fan entertainment is a major focus for our team and sport. Like McLaren Racing, Entain brands such as PartyCasino and PartyPoker place a high importance in providing moments of safe and responsible excitement for their customers.
“We look forward to starting our partnership with Entain from this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix and the activity we have planned together in creating moments of excitement for fans and customers.”
A plethora of champion players and coaches – from New York Rangers Stanley Cup icons Mark Messier and Mike Richter to Football Giants Super Bowl legends Tom Coughlin and Mark Bavaro to women’s basketball greats Sue Bird and Nancy Lieberman to Yankees World Series champs Aaron Boone and Willie Randolph to college coaches Lou Holtz and Jim Boeheim – have all lined up to partner with Brandon Steiner’s brand new “Athlete Direct.” “Athlete Direct” is just another Steiner brainchild. He launched the new sports marketplace CollectibleXchange.com just over a year ago.
Steiner, who revolutionized the sports memorabilia and collectibles industry during 32 years as founder of Steiner Sports Marketing and Memorabilia, has transitioned from that company to transform the industry once again with the launches of “Athlete Direct” and (earlier) CollectibleXchange.com (in 2019); AD gives the players and coaches a “one-stop-shop” to sell memorabilia – autographed, game-used and commemorative items – as well as new product lines – directly to their fans.
In addition, collector’s will be able to have their own photos, jerseys, balls and other items personally-signed by the athletes. And that’s not to mention fan experiences for zoom one-on-ones to such video greetings as birthday messages, and specialize products.
“This was always the big picture I had in my mind,” says Steiner. “I found that over the years, there was too much of the same thing, hundreds, thousands of balls and jerseys signed by the same player. People bring collections to us, and are disappointed in their value because players just signed so much. Now we are away from the volume and give propriety to high end exclusive stuff; those ‘hard to get,’ cool, pieces. We’re trying to work on not only collectibles but also private items – from exercise machines to skin care products to healthy snacks.”
