Tag Archives: sports

Serial Entrepreneur Cole Rubin Launches ‘Seat Club’ Subscription-Based Ticketing Platform

Sports industry veteran and serial entrepreneur Cole Rubin today announced the formal launch of “Seat Club,” a new marketplace designed to help consumers avoid all hidden fees and markups when purchasing tickets for live events at the lowest possible price. The marketplace, which sells tickets to its members at its cost without any markups or fees, officially launched this week and can be found at https://seatclub.com/.

“The biggest complaint consumers have in the event space are the fees and markups. Fees and markups make the ticket buying process frustrating and more expensive than necessary, so we built Seat Club as the pathway to solve these problems,” Rubin said.

“We have spent a great deal of time talking to fans and event producers, and can now deliver this unique value proposition, where our members know they are getting the best pricing, and will save countless hours comparing ticket prices online. The price you see listed on our platform is the price you pay, with no fees added on later in the checkout process. There are no hidden markups, unlike other platforms who claim they don’t charge fees, but bake profits into the listed cost of tickets. Seat Club’s pricing may be as much as 35% less than competitors for the same exact tickets, which is significant, especially on high profile events. We believe in transparency, and our sole source of revenue comes from our membership fee.”

Seat Club’s $99/year membership includes:
-Access to the same ticket inventory as the top secondary sites

  • No fees or markups, members buy tickets AT OUR COST
  • There is no cap of the number of tickets that can be purchased. Subscribers are entitled to unlimited ticket purchases annually.
  • Fan Protect Guarantee on tickets purchased (24/7 support staff)

Rubin is a twenty-year business veteran, with multiple successful private equity exits, and a well-respected leader in the consumer technology and ticket event space. He was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dynasty Sports & Entertainment, dedicated to helping content holders automate the ingestion, pricing, distribution, and fulfillment of tickets to live events. Under Rubin’s direction, Dynasty grew into one of the largest inventory and technology providers to both primary and secondary market ticketing companies and exchanges, and was responsible for automating the distribution of multiple billions of dollars in ticketing content annually. Rubin exited the business in 2020.

While the initial offering for Seat Club is focused on an easy and efficient user experience for live-event tickets, additional industry changing features will be available in the coming year for members. Seat Club’s core focus is giving members the best and most transparent, cost-effective process when purchasing tickets to live events.

For more information on Seat Club and how it works, visit https://seatclub.com/about.

SlamBall Signs Comprehensive Partnership with U.S. Integrity

Today U.S. Integrity (“USI”) announced a comprehensive partnership with SlamBall, the fast-paced, gravity-defying sport that combines elements of basketball, football, hockey and trampoline, as they aim to protect the integrity of its sport and future events. The 2023 SlamBall League: Series 6, will begin July 21 at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas and runs for seven weeks, live on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+.

U.S. Integrity will provide integrity monitoring services via its proprietary dashboard to SlamBall that will encompass data intelligence and fraud prevention. U.S. Integrity conducts analyses across dozens of data sets to proactively identify irregular contest-level & wagering patterns.

“We fully endorse this partnership as the growth of SlamBall and its appeal to fans will reach new heights heading into the 2023 season. The expectation is as our sport evolves, so will sports betting markets. The timing is right to put the correct process in place with a major focus being integrity protection and fraud prevention.” said Mason Gordon, SlamBall co-creator and CEO.

“U.S. Integrity is proud to partner with SlamBall as wagering interest on their events continues to grow across the regulated sports wagering market,” says Matthew Holt, U.S. Integrity’s CEO & co-founder. He continued, “U.S. Integrity’s mission is to provide conflict-free, best in class insights & compliance solutions to our clients. We’re thrilled to collaborate with the outstanding team at SlamBall. There’s a commitment to integrity from all our partners, and this partnership with SlamBall validates that standard.”

VKTRY Insoles To Be Worn By Over 100 NFL Prospects For Upcoming Pro Days

VKTRY GEAR today announced that a record number of NFL top prospects will be wearing their carbon fiber insoles as they go through their on campus Pro Days in the coming weeks. The NFL Combine has moved from Indianapolis to local workouts due to COVID 19 restrictions. Over 100 prospects from more than 60 schools will be wearing VKTRY Insoles in this critical stage of career preparation.

“Many of our relationships with NFL stars began at the Combine where athletes experience +9.3% added explosiveness from their VKs,” said VKTRY CEO Steve Wasik. “Most athletes see significant improvements in the broad jump, the vertical jump and their time in the 40. They really feel the difference and understand how VKTRY Insoles can help them get an edge both at the Combine and on the playing field. Athletes also appreciate the improved injury protection with VKs, recently proven by one of the top athletic research facilities in the world, the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut.”

Amongst those athletes using VKTRY Insoles for their Pro days are projected first round picks: Alabama Running Back Najee Harris, Florida TE Kyle Pitts, Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley, Miami DL Gregory Rosseau, Miami DE Jaelen Phillips, and LSU WR Terrace Marshall. Players from every Power Five Conference will be using VKTRY Gear for the first time during their Pro Days.

Made from aerospace-grade carbon fiber, VKTRY Insoles store and return energy to the athlete. They also provide a “spring-like” effect to improve shock absorption and reduce the load and stress on the athlete’s body. In independent performance testing, athletes wearing VKs increased their broad jump by an average of +4.0”, their vert by +1.6” and improved their 40 times by 0.12 seconds.

The large number of prospects continue unprecedented growth in football for the company. During the 2020 NFL season, a record number of over 200 NFL players, from 29 of 32 clubs, wore their carbon fiber insoles, a 300% increase from 2019 and included a list of some of the brightest young stars and respected veterans in the NFL, including Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb, LV Raiders RB Josh Jacobs, Washington RB Antonio Gibson, Buffalo Bills RB Devin Singletary, SF 49ers WR “Deebo” Samuel, Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf, NY Jets DE Quinnen Williams, Buffalo Bills CB Josh Norman, Chicago Bears WR Anthony Miller, LA Chargers OT Brian Bulaga, Denver Broncos TE Noah Fant, New York Giants TE Evan Engram, Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, Pittsburgh Steelers LB Devin Bush and many more.

“I have worn VKs since I was a rookie and I love the added burst and explosiveness they give me on the field. I seriously feel 10X faster with VKs,” said Chubb, a two time All Pro selection and the Browns leading rusher each of the past two seasons, helping lead them to their first road playoff win since 1969, over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card game in January. “Most insoles are made from foam and plastic, but VKTRY is full length carbon fiber and that makes a difference – that gives me a competitive edge.”

VKTRY Insoles are available in five different levels of flexibility to optimize performance, protection and comfort. Athletes at more than 300 professional and college teams wear VKTRY Insoles for training and competition. Some of those athletes include Fernando Tatis Jr of the San Diego Padres, Vlad Guerrero Jr. the Toronto Blue Jays, WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry of the Las Vegas Aces, Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington and US Olympic Volleyball Team Captain Jordan Larson.

VKTRY Insoles were originally invented for the US Olympic Bobsled Team to improve athletic explosiveness. In 2010, VKTRY helped Team USA win gold in the 4-man bobsled – first time in 62 years. Now, more and more people are discovering the benefits of energy return, improved stability and shock absorption that “VKs” provide.

Strategic Partnership Between GammaStack and LSports

GammaStack, the leading sportsbook platform provider, has announced a collaboration with the world-leading provider of real-time sports data, LSports.

This marks the beginning of a promising partnership. GammaStack is an iGaming Technology company offering solutions and services to clients spread across the USA, Europe & Africa. Their core offerings include ready to launch platforms and custom software development services for sportsbooks, fantasy sports and online casino operators.

The sportsbooks delivered by GammaStack are GLI certified and licensed by Curaçao Gaming Control Board. High-end customizations, robust backend, and unique engagement models along with a strong team of 270+ developers differentiate GammaStack from others in the market.

Following this new agreement, they can now offer their customers the most comprehensive sports data feeds in the business.

LSports has quickly positioned itself as a top odds feed supplier next to generating innovative solutions to ease the bookmakers’ work and offer them a variety of services to increase fan engagement and user retention.

Their comprehensive feed covers a monthly average of more than 35,000 in-play fixtures, 105,000 prematch fixtures, and more than 1,400 markets across 60 different sports (Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Cricket, Esports, Horse Racing, and more).

“Our collaboration with GammaStack sets us on a new and exciting road,” says LSports VP Sales Yoav Ziv. “As we continue to produce the most efficient and comprehensive solutions for the sports betting industry, we believe that our joint efforts will support both us and GammaStack with our continuous strive to supply our customers with the best possible products.”

GammaStack’s CEO Mr. Gaurav Soni says, “We are excited with this deal and are looking forward to working closely with LSports team. With this collaboration, we are committed to achieving higher standards of services to our sportsbook operators and exceptional betting experiences for the end-users.”

Combined with GammaStack’s platform and LSports API, the new platform proves to be an unstoppable machine.

Covers Celebrates 25 Years Of Being A Sports Betting Leader

September 6th marks Covers’ 25th anniversary as a respected leader in the sports betting industry.

Managed by Covers Media Group, Covers.com was founded in 1995 by two sports betting entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada. They recognized the lack of trusted online sports betting resources where a passionate community could come together. Thanks to their trailblazing efforts, Covers has since grown to become a trusted worldwide brand in providing sports wagering information and entertainment to every level of sports fans.

“There’s no doubting that sports betting has evolved over the last 25 years. What hasn’t changed is our drive and determination to provide the best sports betting information service to our users” says Mark Harper, General Manager of Covers Media Group. “We recognize that our users love the thrill of sports betting and we want to be right there with them, providing access to the best sports betting information analysis for all of their favorite sports events.”

As it celebrates 25 years of innovation and a devotion to its community, Covers commits to continuing to deliver great experiences to its more than 17 million annual global users. This includes offering the longest-running sports betting forum in North America, with over 510,000 lifetime members. Covers estimates that it has reached over 300 million users worldwide since 1995.

To celebrate this milestone, Covers held a 25th-anniversary event in Las Vegas during Super Bowl LIV. Celebrations will continue leading up to the September 6th anniversary date with giveaways and a special 25th-themed contest.

NY Sports and Concert Attendees Likely to Return To Venues, New Riptide Partners Survey Unveils

Riptide Partners, a New York based consulting business offering full-service Customer Experience (CX) solutions for sports teams and venue operators, today unveiled their recent survey of actual New York area event attendees, which revealed a much faster return to event timeline for consumers than has been widely discussed. It is the first, and most comprehensive, study of actual event attendees in the New York area since the Pandemic shutdown began.

“There are literally hundreds of theaters, arenas and venues of all sizes that have been affected by the shutdown, and it was our desire to get a better handle on the thoughts of those venue patrons who had attended events prior to the shutdown. We think this survey tells a slightly different story than what was originally thought,” Rob Comstock, Riptide Partners co-founder said. “The variable of when people can return to venues in larger groups will be decided by health and government officials, but when that date is set, we believe that people will feel safer, and come back sooner, than anticipated based on the survey responses we have received.”

Riptide Partners received over 4,000 completed surveys from consumers who regularly attended sporting and entertainment events in the New York tri-state area. Of those 4,000, an overwhelming 89% said they will return to events depending on the actions taken by venue operators to ensure safety; 75% most frequently attended concerts / live events and 25% most frequently attended sporting events.

The average time to return across all levels of concern is 3.5 months, with extremely concerned respondents saying they will wait an average 5.2 months, while those who are not at all concerned will return immediately. A majority of the concert/event goers were female, a majority of the sporting event goers were male. We also saw a direct correlation between fan avidity and likelihood to return. The most avid fans are ready to return immediately and least concerned about the health risks.

The two biggest factors the group were weighing were touch points of areas like seating and bathrooms, while most indicated the food and beverage safety would be handled at an acceptable level. Anxiety over being in a crowd is the most frequently cited concern at 44% of respondents.

As far as areas of concern that would need to be addressed in the time before a safe return to venues, screening attendees and thorough disinfection of venue were the two most common changes requested.

This pertains to indoor venues only, as the information on those willing to attend outdoor events has been made available by officials and is already occurring in some areas.

Riptide Partners, which works actively with venues across the United States, is planning on doing similar hyperlocal surveys in the coming weeks in other regions, with the feeling that the local focus and feelings of avid attendees can tell a clearer story for all involved and help businesses better gauge the coming months. This information, if leveraged by teams and venue operators, can help understand guest sentiment and their preferred safety precautions by market and region as the country begins to reopen. We know likelihood to return and preferred safety precautions will vary by market and we’re prepared to help our clients build an operational playbook specific for their fanbase.

Founded in 2018 by former Madison Square Garden Company Chief Operating Officer Rob Comstock and MSG SVP of Customer Experience Paul Klass, Riptide Partners are the only Medallia partner offering a fully supported and customized solution tailored to the Sports & Entertainment space. Riptide and Medallia will enable bottom-line improvement and a customer-centric culture driven from real-time guest feedback across all touchpoints, both physical and digital.

‘YourZone’ Looks To Be The ‘RedZone’ For All Sports

Looking to follow the huge success of the NFL RedZone channel, which has revolutionized how many fans watch football, OmniView Sports introduced its “YourZone” app, which it claims will “provide real-time, personalized notifications and alerts as well as automated channel tuning to match your preferences (favorite teams, players).”

Fantasy and gaming are two natural uses for such a service, with league scoreboard and Vegas odds from major sportsbooks presented on screen.

OmniView notes on its Website that YourZone will launch soon.

From the OmniView announcement:

The YourZone app uses patented technology to process real-time data to determine excitement levels surrounding a game, you’ll now watch every exciting moment in the sports world LIVE! The YourZone app and GameChangr technology guarantees this personalized sports viewing experience – automatically or with the touch of a button on the app, GameChangr tunes your television to what you can’t and don’t want to miss!

Sports Betting at Forefront All Three Days of Winter Meeting of Legislators from Gaming States, January 10-12 in San Diego

Aaron Rodgers (Mike Morbeck)

The rapid spread of sports betting across the country will take center stage at the Winter Meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, January 10-12 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, with sessions covering:

  • Sports betting from the perspective of the leagues and the athletes,
  • Regulatory best practices in sports betting, and
  • The unique aspects of sports betting in responsible-gambling efforts.

The NCLGS Winter Meeting is open to the public. Due to the high conference turnout, NCLGS is providing a list of eight first-class hotels that are within easy walking distance of the host Marriott. To  view the hotel information and agenda, and register for the Winter Meeting, visit http://nclgs.org/index.php/events/nclgs-winter-meeting-san-diego-2020.

“With sports betting already operating in 14 states, preparing to launch in several more states in 2020, and being considered for legalization in many other states, NCLGS is committed to providing legislators, industry stakeholders and the public with timely, expert insight on this important aspect of gaming from several perspectives,” said NCLGS President William Coley, a state senator from Ohio.

On Friday, January 10, the Committee on Emerging Gaming will examine sports betting from the perspective of those upon whom the bets are made. Experts presenting include:

  • Joe Briggs, Staff Counsel, Public Policy Counsel, National Football League Players Association
  • Marquest Meeks, Senior Counsel, Sports Betting & Investigations, Major League Baseball
  • Naima Stevenson Starks, VP of Hearing Operations, National Collegiate Athletic Association

On Saturday, a Masterclass panel conducted by the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) will focus on the best practices for the future of sports betting. Speakers on that panel include:

  • Kate Lowenhar-Fisher, Member, Dickinson Wright
  • John Maloney, Principal Attorney, John K. Maloney Law
  • Dan Reaser, Director, Fennemore Craig
  • Sue Schneider, Vice President, Growth & Strategy/Americas, Sports Betting Community

On Sunday, sports betting is the focus of the second general session. The panel will focus on the need for comprehensive, thoughtful and creative approaches to problem gambling with the expansion of sports betting. 

The agenda for the three-day NCLGS Winter Meeting also includes:

  • Six legislative-chaired Committee sessions that will focus on tribal and commercial casinos, responsible gaming, and lotteries, as well as legal, regulatory, and operational aspects related to sports betting
  • A second IMGL masterclass panel focusing on the legal and regulatory trends of tribal and state compacts
  • Morning Keynote Address from Robert Zahradnik of The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Luncheon Keynote Address from Bill Miller of the American Gaming Association: “State of the Industry”
  • Two Sunday general session panel discussions
  • Thursday evening networking reception
  • Friday evening welcome reception
  • Saturday afternoon tour of Pechanga Resort Casino in nearby Temecula

For sponsorship information, contact [email protected]. Legislators and others seeking NCLGS membership information should contact Wayne Marlin at [email protected].

(PRNewsfoto/National Council of Legislators)

NCLGS is the only organization of state lawmakers that meets on a regular basis to discuss issues relating to gaming. Members of NCLGS serve as chairpersons or members of state legislative committees responsible for the regulation of gaming in their state legislative houses. NCLGS does not promote or oppose gaming but is primarily concerned with the regulation and economic and social impacts of the industry. The NCLGS Foundation is the educational and research arm of NCLGS. The 501(c)(3) non-profit is a source of non-partisan data on issues of gaming legislation and regulation. Learn more about NCLGS at https://www.nclgs.org/.

Sports Betting Coming to Isleta Resort & Casino in N.M.

Isleta Resort & Casino, in Albuquerque, N.M., has announced it will bring Las Vegas-style sports gambling to its Resort. The move follows a 2017 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which opened the door for tribes to legalize wagers on everything from college basketball to professional football. It’s a victory for those pushing for more gaming options, and Isleta Resort & Casino is thrilled to be an industry leader.

“We’re very excited to be answering the requests of our guests to bring sports gambling to New Mexico,” said Isleta Resort & Casino CEO Harold Baugus. “We look forward to unveiling all of the exciting possibilities to our patrons,” he continued.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, gives states like New Mexico the authority to adopt laws regulating sports betting. New Mexico is now the fifth state to follow suit. The Resort’s new Sports Betting venue is expected to open later this summer, with USBookmaking as its provider.

“We are proud to be selected by Isleta Resort & Casino to provide sports betting services for their casino. We offer outstanding service for our clients and our selection by Isleta validates the tremendous value that USBookmaking contributes,” stated Vic Salerno, President of USBookmaking.

Isleta Resort & Casino

As Isleta Resort & Casino steps up to the plate, details on when sports betting will be available will be released in the near future. More information on the Resort and its amenities can be found at www.isleta.com.