Category Archives: Press Releases

Athletes First and EVERFI Unite to Launch Nationwide Interactive African American History Education Program

credit: Eric Haynes

Athletes First (“A1”), the world’s largest and most powerful NFL agency, announced a strategic partnership with EVERFI Inc., the leading social impact education provider, to deliver one of the most comprehensive African American History learning opportunities to thousands of students across America. The program will launch in 30 schools across the greater Los Angeles and New York City areas in the coming weeks, with Athletes First Partners (A1’s sister agency), rolling out the New York initiative. The goal is to present the program to thousands of young students, many mentored by Athletes First athletes and coaches, in the next year.

EVERFI’s interactive 306 – African American History™ course will introduce students to important historical events and leaders and will be inspired by the leadership, strength, intellect, and creativity of the women and men that shaped African American History. The goal of the initiative is for students to use these learnings and inspirations in striving to discover their own personal motivations and work toward their own individual successes.

“Discrimination and systemic racism have for far too long sown division in our communities and created social and economic inequities that are unjust and simply unacceptable,” said Brian Murphy, Athletes First CEO. “Our Athletes First family – including our players and coaches – cannot simply stand on the sidelines, but instead must act now. To do so, we decided to start with our country’s younger generation who have little to no bias as they begin their education process. 306 – African American History will enhance and augment the student’s current curriculum, and members of the A1 family will also interact with the students to bring this education to life.”

306 – African American History offers five interactive lessons framed to teach the importance of civic engagement so that students may develop into future community leaders. This digital course is designed to address the skills and proficiencies outlined in the Common Core State Standards for writing and literacy in History and Social Studies, as well as individual states’ standards for US History.

“African American influence can be found at the core of American life and communicating these stories is foundational to building shared values and inspiring today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders,” said EVERFI Co-Founder and President, Jon Chapman. “Together with Athletes First, we have the opportunity to advance and expand upon African American history education across the country and provide students with more accurate, balanced, and comprehensive accounts of Black experiences.”

At launch, players involved in the program will include: David Long (L.A. Rams), Anthony Barr (Minnesota Vikings), Matthias Farley (N.Y. Jets), Derwin James (L.A. Chargers), and Casey Hayward (L.A. Chargers), with the plan to expand names and engagement into 2021 and beyond. They will be able to include commentary in the digital course, and also through virtual and in-person student engagement events.

“I am excited to support this project and am hopeful that it will create positive changes in the education system of our youth,” said Derwin James, All Pro safety who was a Chargers first round pick from Florida State University in 2018. “I’m proud to be a part of Athletes First, an agency that sees the value and importance of educating our next generation in this way.”

SBC Leaders launches to bring together the cream of the betting and gaming industry

SBC is bringing together the most influential companies in the betting and gaming industry with the launch of the exclusive SBC Leaders operators association.

The group has been formed to provide a forum for the leadership teams of the premier operators to share ideas, promote innovation in the sector, collaborate on major issues, and work to enhance the industry’s reputation.

The membership of SBC Leaders will consist of international operators invited to join as a result of achievements that have helped the entire industry to progress and grow, along with the trade associations that represent the sector in discussions with legislators. 

When considering companies for inclusion,a particular emphasis is placed on work in the fields of safer gambling and customer care, product and technology innovation, and corporate social responsibility, along with new market development and revenue growth. 

Detroit Pistons Enter Multi-Year Sports Betting Partnerships With FanDuel Group And DraftKings

Pistons/Facebook

The Detroit Pistons today announced multi-year partnerships with premier sports gaming companies FanDuel Group and DraftKings, Inc., making FanDuel and DraftKings official sports betting partners of the Pistons.

In addition to the use of official Pistons marks and logos, each partnership will include a mix of robust marketing assets, including in-arena signage and activations, television and digital advertising, and TV and radio presence to drive passionate Pistons enthusiasts to each entity’s sports betting offerings.

Detroit Pistons Chief Business Officer Mike Zavodsky praised the agreement with both companies and noted the commitment to building asset packages that provide engagement strategies unique to each business.

“We appreciate the partnership-minded and collaborative approach that both FanDuel and DraftKings brought to the table,” said Zavodsky. “We look forward to utilizing our platform to help each grow their presence within and connectivity to the Pistons and greater Detroit Metro communities.”

In addition to its partnership with FanDuel, the Pistons will also partner with MotorCity Casino Hotel. FanDuel and MotorCity Casino Hotel will offer exciting game day experiences at the newly designed FanDuel Sportsbook at MotorCity Casino in downtown Detroit. On game days, MotorCity Casino will provide fans with giveaways, exclusive viewing parties and other innovative experiences to enhance sports betting experience before, during and after the games.

“The Pistons are a progressive and forward-thinking franchise committed to its fans, and we see an incredibly valuable partnership opportunity as we connect our retail Sportsbook experience with Pistons game action in the arena,” said Mike Raffensperger, CMO of FanDuel. “This new relationship will create unique approaches for us to reach Pistons fans. With the FanDuel Sportsbook at MotorCity Casino and mobile gaming offerings on the FanDuel Sportsbook app, we will together offer engaging experiences both inside and outside the arena while giving fans access to unique betting promotions and content.”

An exciting element of the DraftKings partnership includes a “Piston For A Day” VIP fan experience giving users the opportunity to enter a contest where winners receive exclusive access to the team. Winners will sign a “Pistons Contract” for a day, pose for a photo with a member of the front office staff, receive a personalized Pistons jersey and warm-up clothing to wear to a Pistons game, receive a locker room tour and postgame shot on the Little Caesars Arena floor and private access for a one-hour shootaround on the Pistons Practice Court at the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center.

“As our first professional team activation in the state of Michigan, we are thrilled to join forces with the Detroit Pistons ahead of our pending market introduction,” said Ezra Kucharz, Chief Business Officer, DraftKings. “This deal deepens our relationship with a prominent local team to facilitate more immersive fan experiences, both for Michiganders familiar with regulated gaming products as well as newcomers to the space.”

Petr Cech, Kirsty Gallacher and Vinnie Jones confirmed for star-studded SBC Awards 2020

Goalkeeping legend Petr Cech and sports broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher have been confirmed as the hosts of the SBC Awards 2020 on 9 December, while Premier League footballer turned Hollywood star Vinnie Jones is set to make a special guest appearance.

This year’s prestigious betting and gaming industry awards will be broadcast live from Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge home, with an audience of 800 guests joining the virtual ceremony from around the world. 

The SBC Awards recognise excellence among sports betting and igaming operators, affiliates and suppliers, and the evening will see 44 honours handed out to the industry’s top performers. 

In conjunction with official charity partner GVC, the event will also raise money for Harefield Hospital, one of the world’s largest and most experienced centres for heart and lung transplants. 

Football Index donate sports sponsorship rights to promote YGAM during UK’s Safer Gambling Week

To mark the U.K.’s annual Safer Gambling Week campaign Football Index donated its shirt sponsorship rights for leading Championship clubs Nottingham Forest and Queens Park Rangers to the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM). Shirts emblazoned with YGAM’s distinctive logo were worn by Queens Park Rangers in their 1-1 draw with Watford (21 November), with Nottingham Forest wearing the YGAM branded shirts in the 2-0 away defeat to high-flying Bournemouth, which was broadcast live by Sky Sports to an international television audience on 24 November. Football Index is also supporting the ground-breaking work undertaken by YGAM courtesy of a £5,000 donation.

This follows an initiative undertaken by Football Index earlier this year which saw it launch a new Gambling Awareness Initiative with Nottingham Forest Football Club, highlighting the importance of safer gambling and helping to educate football supporters within local communities.

Daniel Bliss, Director of External Affairs at YGAM said: “We’re enormously grateful to both clubs and Football Index for their fantastic support. It is vital that we educate our future generations about the potential risks associated with gambling so we can collectively help prevent harm. The two games provided an important opportunity to raise the profile of the charity and help us support parents, teachers and young people across all communities.”

David Cook, Chief Commercial Officer at Nottingham Forest said: “This builds on last year’s activities, and we are once again very supportive of Football Index’s desire to highlight and promote the safer gaming message, in particular through this promotion of the YGAM charity. It’s great to work with a brand that takes responsibility in how they work, and who always look to stress the importance of responsible gaming for the wider fan base.”

Stats Perform agrees six-year partnership with GVC Holdings for official WTA tennis data

Stats Perform has reached a six-year agreement with GVC Holdings, soon to become Entain plc and one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming operators, to provide a new and exclusive, official WTA tennis data service enabling in-play bets to be placed across GVC sportsbooks.

The news follows this week’s announcement from the WTA that SportsTech AI leader Stats Perform had acquired the exclusive rights to distribute umpire data from 2021-2026, to collect ultrafast shot-by-shot data across the entire tour, and to produce thousands more live video streams from its expanded tour.

“We’ve long discussed the opportunity with our customers to improve the fan and betting experiences for sports such as tennis through applying our data collection and AI expertise, and are delighted that GVC are aligned with our vision,” said Andrew Ashenden, Chief Betting Officer at Stats Perform.

Jamie McKittrick, Commercial Director at GVC said “the WTA tennis tour is very popular for bettors across our territories and using the best available in-play data means we can offer the best in-play experiences. We’re looking forward to creating a variety of innovative new betting experiences for our bettors. Stats Perform have long been a trusted partner in the delivery of high-quality official data and we’re delighted to extend our partnership across to this new product.”

iSoftBet to unveil biggest release of 2020 with immersive virtual tea party with a twist!

26th November 2020: iSoftBet, the award-winning online games supplier and content aggregator, is rolling out the red carpet to operators and media royalty next week with a first-of-its-kind immersive virtual tea party as it prepares to reveal its biggest game of 2020.

iSoftBet’s eighth Megaways title of the year, available from 3rd December, has already set a record on its first day of exclusive release with LeoVegas with the highest amount of unique players ever for an iSoftBet launch reaching more than 20,000 in just 24 hours.

The magical new title not only contains a lucrative free spins mode but also iSoftBet’s Hold and Win respins mode – the first game of its kind to combine both top performing mechanics.

All guests to the ‘tea party with a twist’ event held on 2nd December will be invited to ‘wear’, ‘eat’, ‘drink’ and play as per the famous Alice in Wonderland story. The live event will be hosted by leading streamer Fruity Slots that has more than 50,000 followers across its social channels.

Wire Act looms large over U.S. sports betting, survey shows

In collaboration with December’s Betting on Sports America – Digital conference, VIXIO GamblingCompliance is conducting a survey to understand the market view on which regulatory, policy, and compliance challenges will most impact the growth of the U.S. sports betting market. James Kilsby, Managing Director U.S. for VIXIO GamblingCompliance, outlines the initial findings. 

 

The enduring impact of the 1961 federal Wire Act is the most significant legal and regulatory overhang for the rapidly expanding U.S. sports wagering market, according to the preliminary findings of the VIXIO GamblingCompliance and SBC U.S. Sports Betting Regulatory Survey. 

Over 28 percent of several dozen initial respondents to the first-of-its-kind survey identified the Wire Act as the regulatory issue most likely to impede market growth in the coming years.

GVC Holdings Announced as First Official Partner of PlayPause, an Innovative Multi-State Responsible Gaming Tool

GVC Holdings, the global sports betting and gaming group to be re-named Entain, today announced a new partnership with Conscious Gaming, becoming the first official partner of PlayPause, a new multi-state responsible gambling tool which will operate across state lines in the United States.  PlayPause will launch with BetMGM, GVC’s joint venture in the U.S. with MGM Resorts. 

PlayPause marks GVC’s first initiative in the U.S. as part of its new Sustainability Charter, which was unveiled on Nov. 12 and includes GVC donating $132 million (£100 million) over the next five years to support communities and help raise standards in responsible gaming around the world.  . 

The latest move adds to existing work by GVC already underway in the U.S around responsible gaming. These include a multi-year research program into addictive behaviours with Harvard, and a collaboration with EPIC, a leading independent gambling harm minimisation consultancy. GVC is also part of the US National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) President’s Circle.  

PlayPause is available via Conscious Gaming, a new non-profit organization established by GeoComply, a global leader in geolocation compliance technology. This partnership will enhance GVC and BetMGM’s ability to continue to lead the way in player protection across the US.

PlayPause adds further features to GVC’s leading player protection measures, including:

  • Self-exclusion protection as players move from state to state, rather than being limited to the state in which they are typically based.
  • Adding additional data on players who have already self-excluded in one state but need to be recognized and protected to play in another jurisdiction.
  • Added efficiency through eliminating the silos associated with maintaining numerous separate state-operated self-exclusion databases.

Shay Segev, CEO of GVC, commented:

“We are delighted to be the first official partner of PlayPause. We believe the most responsible operator will be the most successful operator, and PlayPause’s innovative, multi-state approach to responsible gaming in the U.S. aligns with our firm commitment to providing our customers with the safest and most enjoyable experience possible.”

Adam Greenblatt, CEO of BetMGM, commented:

“A multi-state approach to responsible gaming is an important step for the industry and advances consumer protection in a meaningful way. We’re delighted to play a leading role in collaborating on this important and timely initiative.”

Anna Sainsbury, Conscious Gaming Trustee, and GeoComply Chairman and Co-Founder, commented:

“Conscious Gaming is thrilled to be partnering with GVC and BetMGM to launch PlayPause. To have such a high profile, responsible, and fast-growing operator on board from the start is a fantastic endorsement for the PlayPause initiative. As an industry, it’s only by working together with all stakeholders that we’ll be able to ensure players have the necessary tools to foster responsible play.”

DePaul University, Niagara University, And St. John’s University Expand Their Esports Engagement With First-Ever Vincentian Esports Cup

The Electronic Gaming Federation, the national governing body for formalized collegiate D-I esports and high school level leagues, today announced that three of their partner schools, St. John’s University, DePaul University, and Niagara University will expand their esports engagement with The “Vincentian Cup,” an annual esports event for the three Vincentian Universities in the United States that play Division I athletics. The inaugural tournament will be held December 9th to December 12th featuring competition in multiple esports, including SSBU, Rocket League, and Overwatch.

Produced by the Electronic Gaming Federation, the Vincentian Cup is a multi-day round robin tournament across four titles with the grand finals for each title being held on December 12th beginning at noon Eastern Time. The tournament is “Olympic-style” with each University’s teams earning points to crown and eventual Vincentian Champion. 

You can watch the tournament starting at 3:30PM ET on December 9th, 10th, and 11th and the finals on December 12th beginning at noon ET on EGF’s Twitch http://twitch.tv/officialEGF

“Our goal with member schools is to link the traditional ties to forwarding thinking and meaningful engagement, and we think the Vincentian Cup is a great example of that,” said Tyler Schrodt CEO and Founder of the Electronic Gaming Federation. “There is a natural bond that exists between these like-minded universities, and creating an esports competition is another way to link generations and drive conversation and awareness, as well as some fun events for a new generation of engaged students.”

“As the three Vincentian universities in the United States, the Vincentian Cup offers us a unique opportunity to come together through gaming” said Courtney James, Director, Office of Student Involvement at DePaul University.  “While our universities were founded over 120 years ago, it’s a great opportunity for us to be able to connect via Esports through our shared Vincentian identity in 2021.” 

“We are excited for this opportunity with the EGF to partner with our fellow Vincentian universities at DePaul and St. John’s for this friendly competition and more importantly to be able to team up to raise funds for own students in need during this time,” added Bill Newton, Assistant Director of Campus Activities at Niagara University. 

“The spirit of St. Vincent DePaul is core to St. John’s mission. The work of Depaul USA’s Dax Program: New York directly reflects this spirit of service with its mission to address housing insecurity. Esports transcends race, class, gender or creed as we all come together, and compete to support of the success of our students, and goal of creating equal opportunities for all students,” said Eric Alvarado, Executive Director, Enterprise Architecture & Strategy Information Technology at St. John’s University 

Connected by their Vincentian missions, these universities are inspired by St. Vincent’s zeal for service and compassion for others. Through their participation in the Vincentian Cup, Esports competitors at these universities will come together to honor St. Vincent’s legacy by raising funds for their respective student emergency assistance funds to help their peers during the pandemic. You can read more about the cause here: https://inspire.depaul.edu/project/23372 

Former UK Parliamentary Adviser among new YGAM recruits

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) which continues to expand its reach delivering the ‘Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme: Education, Training, Support’ has bolstered its resources with the appointment of two additions to its communications team.

James Matthewson joins YGAM after serving as spokesperson for the former Chairman of the Labour Party, Ian Lavery MP where he gained extensive experience handling national press and engaging with political stakeholders. James is also a freelance writer, having written for media including The Times, The Daily Mirror and Huff Post.

The education charity has also confirmed the appointment of Jo Burnham to support their marketing and external affairs. Jo joins from Music Theatre Wales and has over ten years of experience working as a journalist and PR professional. He has written for publications including Time Out and USA Today, and was previously part of the marketing teams for national arts organisations including Sadler’s Wells and the Brighton Festival.

Daniel Bliss, Director of External Affairs at YGAM said “I’m delighted to add James and Jo to my dynamic team. They are joining the charity at an extremely exciting time as we continue to increase our growth, reach and impact. We are making great progress and the more highly skilled professionals we can attract, the more progress we can make in working with the industry and stakeholders to prevent gambling-related harms.”

Omegalab expands technology software service for iGaming

Monday 23rd November 2020 – OmegaLab, a leading custom software provider, is expanding its standout technology offering to target additional operators across the iGaming industry.

OmegaLab is built on 15 years’ experience partnering with iGaming leaders to develop progressive software solutions and is now perfectly primed to share its prowess with more online casino companies. Reducing time-to-market and cutting-edge software form two core elements of the business.

Since OmegaLab began working within iGaming it has brought together a team of experts to lead the iGaming vertical of the business. Synergy between OmegaLab’s developers and external partner teams guarantees results through a deep understanding of objectives.

Another core strength of OmegaLab rests in creating solutions tailored to clients’ needs and meeting the most ambitious business goals. Comprehensive research is completed before each project to best drive the development journey from MVP product design to positive commercial market results. Key elements include analytics, UI and UX, development and exhaustive testing.

Paysafe recognized for its employee engagement focus during COVID-19

The global payments company picks up HRO Today Association award for its internal communications activity since COVID-19

Houston, Texas. 20th November 2020 – Paysafe, a leading specialized payments platform, has been named winner of the ‘Engagement Strategy Excellence Award’ at the HRO Today Association awards in both the EMEA and North America regions. The award recognized the company’s employee engagement campaign, known internally as ‘Safeguarding Paysafe People’, which it has been running since March when its global workforce moved to remote working.

The campaign, which continues to run, focuses on maintaining ‘Paysafe’s spirit and culture’ despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the forced move to remote working. It has included the delivery of a broad range of new internal communications activities and channels with an emphasis on informing, recognition and wellbeing. As well as introducing new communications channels such as a 24/7 mailbox, a weekly lockdown newsletter and wellbeing surveys, the campaign has also included regular live streaming Q&A calls with Paysafe’s CEO, Philip McHugh.

A particular highlight of the programme was ‘Paysafe Day’; a day dedicated to celebrating the team and giving time off for wellbeing activities. The day was such a success that it led to a second

Rush Street Interactive partners with NetEnt Group to debut in the United States online casino games from its Red Tiger game studio

Red Tiger Makes Its U.S. Market Launch at RSI’s BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com sites in Pennsylvania.

PHILADELPHIA & PITTSBURGH, PA (November 19, 2020) – Rush Street Interactive (RSI), one of the fastest-growing online casino and regulated online gaming companies in the United States, is excited to partner with NetEnt Group to become the first online casino operator in the United States to premier the developer’s popular Red Tiger game studio on its BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com sites in Pennsylvania. The initial launch of games includes Gonzo’s Quest MegaWays and Cash Volt. These player favorites will also be joined soon by some of Red Tiger’s most popular seasonal titles.

“We are excited to partner with NetEnt Group to be the first online operator in Pennsylvania to bring these top quality Red Tiger casino games to our players,” said Richard Schwartz, President of Rush Street Interactive, which operates BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com. “To also be the first to debut Red Tiger slots in the U.S. is thrilling, and we have no doubt that these already proven online casino games will quickly become favorites for our players.”

NetEnt Group’s acquisition of Red Tiger Gaming combined two of the most innovative casino game development companies in the online gaming industry, so partnering with RSI, such a highly acclaimed U.S. operator, only made sense for their debut into Pennsylvania.

CasinoBeats Slots Festival announces four editions for 2021

The CasinoBeats Slots Festival is to return with four editions in 2021, with Groove Gaming confirmed as the games showcase’s Platinum Sponsor for the year.

The news comes as the hugely-successful inaugural Slots Festival is extended by a day, in order to give online casino operators and affiliates additional time to try out the vast selection of new games – including 13 as-yet-unreleased titles – on show.

More than 700 people have already registered for the current event and taken the chance to play the latest slots from leading suppliers including BGaming, IGT, Kalamba Games, MGA Games, Microgaming, NetGaming, Oryx Gaming, Scientific Games, Spinmatic, Stakelogic, and Yggdrasil. 

The Festival has proved particularly popular with operators’ product teams, with representatives of 10Bet, Betsson, Casumo, Coingaming, Coolbet, Danske Spil, Dunder, Flutter Entertainment, Fortuna Entertainment Group, GVC, Gamesys, Genesis Gaming, Genting, Hollywood Bets, Kaizen Gaming, Kindred Group, LeoVegas, SlotsMillion, Wildz Casino, and  William Hill among more than 70 operator companies in attendance.

An online version of BgC will update the gaming market in Brazil

On December 8 and 9, from 10 am to 1 pm (Brasília time), the BgC Digital Experience will take place, a 100% online version of the Brazilian Gaming Congress (BgC), the Brazilian gaming meeting that has been discussing the legalization and regulation of so-called games of chance in Brazil since 2013. Organized by Clarion Events Brasil, the event will feature an agile and objective program and offer a networking tool that will enable participants to participate in business meetings and exchange ideas and experiences about the sector.

“We have been in contact with suppliers, operators and other professionals who intend to operate in this market and there is a demand for updates on what is happening in terms of regulation. Clarion Gaming has been the spokesperson for these trends since the beginning, and it is no different now ”, says the general director of Clarion in Brazil, Sergio Jardim.

On the first day, and opening the program, there will be a panel discussion of the Regulation of Sports Betting – which were approved in late 2018, the status of the Lotex (Instant Lottery) concessions and also the prospects for State Lotteries after the decision by the STF (Supreme Court) that imposed the end of the Government monopoly of the lottery operation.

On the second day, the scheduled events will address the proposals that are on the agenda in the Federal Senate for the return of casino operations in Brazil. Other topics included on the Event agenda are the need to adapt the business model to the Brazilian market, the high standards for regulation and control of the gaming sector that assure the availability of efficient tools against money laundering, and efforts to promote responsible gambling.

National Lacrosse League, Fanatics Enter Multi-Year E-Commerce Partnership

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the longest running and most successful professional lacrosse league in the world, today announced a landmark partnership with Fanatics, the global leader for licensed sports merchandise, which will bring the league’s online merchandise and retail efforts into one consolidated location for all NLL clubs.

The new online destination, NLLShop.com, is now live and accessible to fans worldwide.

“Our league and the sport of lacrosse are on a sharp growth curve. We have such a tremendous opportunity with our teams for growth in terms of online merchandise sales. Fanatics is simply the best and most innovative consumer e-commerce sports retailer in the world, and this partnership will give us a great opportunity to realize the league’s potential, said NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “We have seen the power and value of team merchandise at the local level, and this international approach gives us the ability to have a streamlined one-stop shop to offer NLL merchandise where sports fans shop online.”

Through Fanatics’ industry leading technology and mobile capabilities, powered by its revolutionary Cloud Commerce Platform, the new NLL online store will provide rapid navigation for fans across desktop and mobile sites, featuring hi-resolution product displays, frictionless checkout and the widest assortment of NLL merchandise for all members of the family.

“We are excited to enter into this new partnership with the National Lacrosse League. Fanatics is uniquely positioned to help the league expand its reach through an enhanced direct-to-consumer platform that will allow fans to share their pride and passion for the NLL teams and players they love,” said Vicky Picca, Fanatics SVP of Business Affairs.

The partnership unifies what has been a regional approach ran by the NLL clubs for most of the league’s 35-year history. While teams will retain the right to sell locally at retail brick and mortar, the complete global e-commerce business will be housed under the new NLLShop.com for the first time.

The 2021 NLL season is targeted to start the weekend of April 9-11th, with a full schedule to be announced in the coming weeks.

Bally’s Corporation to acquire premier U.S. regulated sportsbook technology platform Bet.Works

Proprietary Technology Stack Key Step In Bally’s Transformation To Become Premier Vertically Integrated Omni-Channel U.S. Gaming Provider.

Acquisition Enables Significant Expansion of Sports Betting and iGaming Initiatives.

Providence, R.I. — November 18, 2020 –– Bally’s Corporation (NYSE: BALY) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bet.Works, a U.S. based, sports betting platform provider to operators in New Jersey, Iowa, Indiana and Colorado, for $125 million, subject to adjustment. Upon acquiring Bet.Works’ proprietary technology stack and turnkey solutions, which include marketing, operations, customer service, risk management and compliance, Bally’s will become the premier, full-service, vertically integrated sports betting and iGaming company in the U.S. with physical casinos and online gaming solutions united under a single, preeminent brand, thus enabling it to launch its B2B2C business model.

Half of the Bet.Works purchase price will be paid in Bally’s common stock, which Bet.Works shareholders have agreed to hold for at least a year.

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee introduces Athlete Marketing Platform

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today shared details of the new Team USA Athlete Marketing Platform (AMP) pilot program, a first-of-its-kind digital marketplace that expands athlete sponsorship and marketing opportunities. Created in cooperation with the Athletes’ Advisory Council and National Governing Bodies Council, AMP is an opt-in program that connects Team USA sponsors and licensees directly with athletes, providing incremental revenue opportunities and marketing exposure for Team USA athletes.

 “AMP was born from a shared recognition that empowering Team USA athletes to expand marketing and earning opportunities is the right thing to do for athletes, and an opportunity to elevate Olympic and Paralympic sport broadly,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “This program will link the incredible athletes and personalities at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic movements with the innovative Team USA partners who help tell their stories.”

Through a streamlined program, AMP provides expanded earning opportunities to more Team USA athletes, who may otherwise have limited access to sponsors, via a guaranteed base payment for group marketing rights, and potential incremental revenue opportunities via individual endorsement and licensing opportunities.

“AMP is a huge shift in approach and an exciting step in Olympic and Paralympic athlete marketing,” said Chris Mazdzer, three-time Olympian in luge and Beijing 2022 hopeful. “Team USA athletes give their all to represent the United States at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This program recognizes that commitment – and the desire of athletes to seek out opportunities and take greater ownership in connecting with partners and managing opportunities.”

AMP is optional for Team USA athletes and does not impact any existing sponsorship deals, and creates possibilities for additional branding collaborations and incremental revenue. Participating athletes control what brands to engage with, which categories to protect, what images to approve and what causes to champion through a seamless mobile interface launching in 2021.

The digital platform will also provide greater access and ease for athletes and Team USA partners to directly connect and collaborate based on their interests, backgrounds, locations, and Olympic and Paralympic sports so that the true diversity of Team USA is represented in the collective marketing around the movements.

The program includes certain parameters for usage that intends to establish equity and diversity in representation of Team USA athletes and maintain the critical commercial funding provided to athletes by their NGB.

The USOPC, in collaboration with the AAC and NGBC, is jointly developing educational materials and will be offering athlete informational sessions prior to the opening of program enrollment in January.

Athletes who opt in to participate in the pilot in 2021 will benefit from the unprecedented and compressed window encompassing the Tokyo and Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will receive a guaranteed payment in exchange for their commitment to shape the program and participate in group marketing.

The USOPC invested in robust technologies and resources with industry-leading providers Athletes First Partners and Opendorse to provide athletes with the data and capabilities to develop their personal brand and maximize commercial opportunities.

More information on the program, including athlete eligibility considerations, can be found at TeamUSA.org/AMP.

Gaming industry heavyweights team up to launch $250m gold-standard SPAC

18th November 2020, Las Vegas – The SPAC market may be flavor of the month on Wall St, but few can boast the credentials of Tekkorp Digital Acquisition Corp (TDAC). Bringing together first-class industry expertise, TDAC announced its $250m initial public offering on the Nasdaq and is now ready to accelerate the future and develop its mission to unlock the potential of fast-growing digital sports, media, entertainment and gaming companies by bringing speed and certainty to the process of becoming public.

Leading the blank check company’s $1bn-plus acquisition plans are Matt Davey, CEO, and Robin Chhabra, President, backed up by a board of directors which features a who’s who of digital and gaming industry titans, including former Caesars’ CEO Tony Rodio, Sean Ryan from Facebook, and Atlantic City veteran Morris Bailey.

This management team combines for an unrivalled track record of building, investing, nurturing, acquiring and leading digital companies in the public markets across an ever-evolving media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming landscape. It intends to start an aggressive acquisition drive to identify this sector’s most innovative and exciting companies whose transformation into public entities will foster metamorphic growth impact.

Matt Davey is an experienced public company executive officer, who has overseen more than ten mergers and acquisitions and over $1.2 billion in debt and equity capital raised to support the companies he has led. Most recently, he was CEO of SG Digital, the digital division of Scientific Games Corp. following a $631m purchase in 2018 by Scientific Games of NYX Gaming Group Ltd, where Davey also previously served as CEO.