Month: June 2022

Reporting directly to chief commercial officer Eduard Blonk, Conrad will build upon the foundation established by the US Sports Content and Partnerships (SCP) team.

The SCP team, which will now report to Conrad, has in recent years secured partnerships with properties such as the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Conrad will now work closely with Sportradar’s media and betting partners to maximise commercial returns, as well as pursue new, long-term partnerships.

He joins Sportradar after over 11 years with Univision Communications, where he was most recently executive vice president of sports programming and acquisitions. Conrad also spent time as senior vice president of sports programming and acquisitions, vice president of sports programming and general manager of Fifa World Cup and Fifa properties, and vice president of sports while with the business.

Prior to this, Conrad was head of programming and acquisitions at TUDN for three-and-a-half years, while he was also senior director of programming and acquisitions for ESPN Inc. and direct of programming and acquisitions for ESPN Deportes at ESPN.

His other roles included manager of Latin American and US Hispanic sales and marketing for Major League Baseball and also coordinator for international television at the National Basketball Association. 

“Eric joins Sportradar at a time of rapid growth for the North American market,” Blonk said. Eric has the leadership track record and experience we believe are critical to lead the regional SCP team, including the ability to forge additional partnerships, a strong focus on value creation with the sports fan in the centre and a focus on delivering value to our customers.”

The launch sees Playtech’s IMS platform, casino and live casino technology offered to bettors in the province.

Playtech and NorthStar Bets’ strategic partnership was announced earlier this year. Under the deal, Playtech agreed to supply software and services to NorthStar.

Shimon Akad, chief operating officer at Playtech, said: “The launch of Playtech’s new software and services partnership with NorthStar Bets is another key milestone in the development of our strategy in North America.”

“Essential to Playtech’s success is our ability to form key strategic partnerships with industry leading operators around the world. NorthStar Bets is uniquely positioned to become one of Ontario’s premier operators, and we’re delighted to be working alongside them to build a market leading responsible gambling proposition.”

Michael Moskowitz, chief executive officer at NorthStar, added: “NorthStar Bets puts consumers at the centre of an immersive and content-driven experience. Our partnership with Playtech means that we are able to deliver an engaging and enjoyable online experience with the highest level of player protection.”

“Consumers are looking for content that caters to their individual preferences and interests, and alongside Playtech’s unrivalled multichannel technology we are uniquely positioned to become a leader in the Canadian igaming market.”

The partnership was announced several months before Ontario opened its regulated online gambling market on 4 April. The market’s opening was the culmination of three years of work, following the announcement that the province was ending the lottery’s legal monopoly on online gambling in 2019.

While Sportnco – which was acquired by GiG for €51.3m earlier this year – already provides its player account management (PAM) solution for another client in the country, this deal will mark the first launch of its sportsbook in the country.

GiG did not reveal the name of the operator, but said that the deal meant that Colombia was the third regulated market in which it provides both software and services to this client.

 “The growing demand is a clear sign that we have created a sportsbook solution that is recognised as an industry leader within the igaming industry,” Sportnco managing directed Hervé Schlosser said. “It makes us very proud that a leading tier-one operator has once again placed trust in our technology and services for another market. 

“We are looking forward to strengthening our relationship with our long-term partner within Colombia.”

GiG noted that Colombia is a “lucrative and fast-growing” market, with online gross revenue reaching $420m in 2021, according to H2 Gambling Capital. The majority of this figure, H2 also noted, comes from sports betting.

The deal is the second this week for GiG, after it announced a head-of-terms agreement with Maryland-based Crab Sports – its first US deal since acquiring Sportnco. GiG and Crab Sports are projected to go live in H2 of this year.

The legacy Huddle Gaming business offered automated solutions for trading, odds feeds and risk management to igaming operators, while DeckPrism provided in-play odds for markets covering major competitions such as the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League. 

The combined business now offers an expanded range of solutions to clients, covering odds-making and managed trading services.

“Our long-term vision remains the same – we believe that there is no technology out there that will be better constructed to meet the needs of the modern operator,” Huddle Tech chief executive Francesco Borgosano said. “Operators need product differentiation, innovation, and operational efficiency, and that’s what Huddle brings.

“By combining our expertise with the IP and know-how of DeckPrism Sports, we have both solidified our existing products as well as dramatically accelerated our product development along that path.”

Huddle Tech’s vice president of innovation and DeckPrism Sports co-founder, Ed Miller, added: “This move enables us to see through our vision to change the way the global sports betting industry does its odds-making and managed trading. The merger between Huddle and DeckPrism Sports gives us all the capabilities to become the new worldwide gold standard in the space.”

Financial terms of Las Vegas Sands’ investment were not disclosed.

The deal with Crab Sports – which will focus on the state of Maryland – marks a major milestone since GiG acquired Sportnco in April, being the first US-facing deal for the business post-merger.

Under the agreement, GiG will provide Crab Sports with its full solution, which includes its technical platform, CMS and sportsbook. The operator said it will use this technology to target its offering to local Maryland communities.

Maryland’s sports betting market is expected to generate $217m in its first year.

The state authorised sports betting to be offered by commercial casinos, racetracks and sports arenas in December 2021, but currently, it remains limited to retail outlets only. Online sports betting was also legalised last year but has yet to launch.

GiG and Crab Sports hope to enter the Maryland market as challengers with a ‘differentiated strategy’, with Crab Sports having over two decades of online gaming experience

Richard Brown, CEO of GiG, said: “I am delighted to have partnered with Crab Sports. We see great potential in the excellent Crab Sports team and its local approach and we see great potential in Maryland.”

“We look forward to working closely with the Crab Sports team to maximise their potential through a successful launch. This is a proud moment for us and highlights the faith we have in the synergies between GiG and Sportnco.”

“This type of deal is directly in our ‘wheelhouse’, helping challenger brands drive value and enter newly regulated markets, showcasing our product in the ‘soon-to-be’ open Maryland market.”

GiG anticipates that the full contract will be signed in the next few months, and the operator will go live in H2 2022. As a result, GiG expects a positive revenue contribution from the deal from Q4 2022 onwards, once online gaming becomes regulated in Maryland.

Under the agreement, the IGT PlaySports platform will power the SuperBook Sports mobile betting app in the state.

Tennessee will mark the fourth state in which IGT and SuperBook Sports have teamed up to deliver sports betting solution, with IGT PlaySports technology also used to power retail and mobile betting in Colorado, and mobile betting in New Jersey and Arizona.

“Over the last two years, IGT PlaySports has played a strategic role in helping SuperBook Sports engage sports fans across the US and achieve our growth goals,” SuperBook executive vice president Jay Kornegay said.

“We’re excited to bring the SuperBook Sports mobile betting app to Tennessee and to introduce players throughout the state to our signature promotions and highly competitive, localised sports betting offering.”

IGT president of sports betting Joe Asher added: “Given SuperBook Sports’ roots and legacy in Nevada, we’ve had an opportunity to watch the enterprise grow from a single, iconic location in Las Vegas, to a growing multi-state sportsbook operator.

“The IGT PlaySports-powered sportsbook that SuperBook Sports created for Tennessee can scale for any market opportunity and evolve in parallel with player preferences and behaviours.”

Stake.com branding will feature on front of Everton’s men’s and women’s playing shirts. In addition, the operator’s logos will appear on screens at men’s stadium Goodison Park and women’s stadium Finch Farm, as well as appearing on Everton’s digital platforms.

Stake.com is known for its cryptocurrency offering, though in Great Britain – where cryptocurrency gambling is not permitted by the Gaambling Commission – it operates on a white label licence held by TGP Europe, which also has deals with a number of other Premier League sponsors. 

The operator has signed a number of other major sponsorship agreements of late, including brand ambassador deals with former Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero and Canadian rapper Drake. Last year, the operator agreed a multi-year deal with Watford FC.

“Stake.com is an ambitious organisation with impressive growth plans and we’re all very excited to enter into a partnership with them at this stage in their journey,” Everton chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale said. 

She added that the record deal was secured thanks to the club’s newly created revenue team, which Everton said took a “clear focus on delivering an uplift in revenue across all of the club’s commercial assets”.

“My talented colleagues in our new revenue team have made excellent progress in recent months and worked tirelessly to secure what is the biggest main partnership deal in the club’s history – I’d like to congratulate them on this achievement and, on behalf of everyone at the Club, express my gratitude to Stake.com for choosing Everton as a long-term partner,” she said.

“Finally, I am pleased to say that we have already been working together with Stake.com on some exciting activities and content for our local and international supporters and we look forward to sharing more detail on these plans soon.”

Akhil Sarin, head of acquisition for Stake.com, said Everton’s ambitions mirrored those of the operator.

“We are incredibly proud to be partnering with Everton, a club steeped in tradition and with a passionate and loyal fanbase respected the world over,” Sarin said. “Everton is a club that perfectly complements our own growth ambitions as we seek to expand our presence globally and strengthen our top-tier sports sponsorship portfolio. 

“It’s a huge honour for everyone at Stake.com to be joining the Everton family and playing our part in supporting the club in the transition to the new stadium. We look forward to celebrating this most exciting chapter in the club’s history with Evertonians everywhere.”

Everton had a deal in place with sports betting operator Sportpesa from 2017 until 2020. The deal was set to last until 2022, but the club terminated it early.

Everton did not disclose the reasons behind the decision to end the partnership early, but it did say it had been taken “following a comprehensive review by the club of its commercial strategy in line with its vision and future growth plans”.

The future of front-of-shirt football sponsorships is one area under examination in the review of the 2005 Gambling Act, with many reports suggesting they may be banned following the review.

Bettors will be able to access the operator’s flagship NitroCasino brand which features a variety of games from different providers.

The business’s entrance into Romania is the latest international move for the operator which has also recently debuted in Peru and Chile.
Lahcene Merzoug, chief executive officer at PressEnter Group, said: “We are delighted to have secured a licence to launch our Nitrocasino.ro brand to players in Romania, a market where we believe we can quickly gain significant share due to the superior player experience we provide.

“I’d like to thank the regulator for their thorough approach to licensing and for their support during the process. Making our debut in Romania builds on the great momentum we have generated at PressEnter Group and we look forward to seeing players enjoy the fast-paced excitement that NitroCasino has to offer.”

The news comes after a series of personnel changes at the beginning of the year, with Qurban Hussain and Hampus Eriksson taking over as CFO and CPO respectively.

Delivered in partnership with Sportradar’s technology partner WSC Sports, the Live Channel Promotion product serves up short form video clips from leading European football leagues such as Germany’s Bundesliga, Spanish cup competitions Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, and Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga.

Sportradar said the service will help create deeper engagement with ParionsSport en ligne’s customer base of sports fans. Users must first subscribe to receive the video content, which will be delivered directly to their mobile devices via a push notification.

Content will be segmented according to customer betting preferences and includes a call-to-action (CTA) to specific betting markets on the ParionsSport en ligne mobile app.

 “Through Sportradar’s market leading technology, we’re able to provide FDJ with the necessary tools to engage more deeply and purposefully with their customer base of sports fans,” Sportradar’s global director of video and streaming products Patrick Mostboeck said.

“Delivering a personalised video highlight to customers directly is a very rich way of addressing them and facilitates a meaningful engagement opportunity beyond sending a push notification with a generic message.”  

WSC Sports’ head of betting Yuval Benyamini added: “Through near real-time highlights, players are now able not only to receive updates, but also see all the action that matters to them via push notifications. 

“This marks the first-time betting players can enjoy sports highlights which have quickly become the fastest growing form of sports media consumption.”

FDJ becomes the first French operator to leverage the Live Channel Promotion service.

ParionsSport en ligne’s head of product, offers and services, Hugo Le Pierres, said: “The automated match highlights provided by Sportradar have been highly appreciated by our players. We always strive to provide the best possible service and it is great to collaborate with our partners at Sportradar to be the first operator to offer such a content innovation.” 

Caesars Racebook will use the NYRA Bets platform to provide customers with pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing content from more than 250 tracks around the world.

The wagering menu includes Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course, Del Mar, Santa Anita, Keenelandas, well as Caesars-operated tracks such as Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Harrah’s Philadelphia, and Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs. 

Other features in the new app, which are also available through NYRA Bets, include options for include race replays and handicapping insights.

In addition, Caesars Racebook will be integrated into the Caesars Rewards loyalty program, offering users the chance to earn exclusive experiences.

Following initial launches in Florida and Ohio, Caesars and NYRA Bets plan to extend the app to others states across the US throughout the year.

“The launch of Caesars Racebook is an important milestone as we continue to add wagering opportunities for our customers and livestreaming content for the first time,” Caesars Digital senior vice president and chief development officer Dan Shapiro, said. 

“We look forward to welcoming new horse racing customers and existing fans onto the platform and to working with NYRA Bets to grow horse racing as we deploy Caesars Racebook with plans to launch in about 30 states across the country.”

NYRA Bets general manager Matt Feig added: “The new Caesars Racebook app, which utilises the NYRA Bets interface and technology, will expand access to world-class horse racing now and in the future.

“The partnership between NYRA Bets and Caesars is a win for horse racing, its stakeholders and countless racetracks around the world.”