Land-based gaming and entertainment company Great Canadian Entertainment is set to launch sports betting at its venues, thanks to a new deal with Kambi.
As part of the deal, Kambi will provide its retail sportsbook product to ten of Great Canadian Entertainment’s Ontario-based casinos.
This includes Kambi’s sportsbook solution, as well as betting kiosks.
Read the full story on iGB North America
Last week, sports betting solutions provider Kambi and Penn Entertainment finalised the terms of their long-awaited migration deal, wherein Penn’s online and retail sportsbooks will migrate to its proprietary technology. Marese O’Hagan speaks to Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén about the future of the deal and the rise of vertical integration.
In August 2021, Penn Entertainment – then known as Penn National Gaming – announced that it would acquire Canadian sportsbook theScore for $2.0bn (£2.79bn/€2.05bn). The plan was to migrate Penn’s betting products onto a platform created by theScore, which did not yet exist at the time of the deal.
Having worked with Penn since 2019, this deal came as a disappointment to Kambi. From Kambi’s perspective, it was losing a vital client to a platform that had not yet been created. And it certainly didn’t help that the announcement came on the back of the migration of another high-profile client in DraftKings.
The finalisation of Kambi and Penn’s migration a..
Sports betting supplier Metric Gaming has announced it will launch a B2C sportsbook offering through its wholly owned Bhet subsidiary.
The sportsbook will build on Metric’s previously announced partnership with Lacerta Sports. Lacerta was founded by a team from London-based data betting syndicate and consultancy Starlizard, whose data solution will power the sportsbook’s pricing, risk management and player profiling.
“The pricing will be among the most player-friendly in the industry, and the scope and availability of live in-game wagering will be significantly more innovative and engaging than competitor brands,” said Metric CEO Keith Hayes.
The new venture will be funded through Metric’s latest debt financing round, during which it had raised $15m. Metric said it has received strong “indication of interest” from an unnamed “high-net worth” strategic investor who is seeking to increase the size of the round to $30m and close it out entirely.
“Metric has made significant progress ..
US-based sports betting operator DraftKings’ shares rose 14% to $18.26 in after-hours trading following report of “large new partnership” with Disney’s sports broadcasting arm ESPN.
Business news agency Bloomberg broke the story overnight, reporting that “people familiar with the matter” had indicated the existence of such a partnership.
In the wake of the story, DraftKings’ shares briefly jumped 14% to $18.26 per share in after-hours trading, up from $16.04 before the news broke. Since the after-hours peak, the share price has settled down to $17.45 per share, 8.79% above close.
ESPN speculation
The deal would be Disney’s most significant foray into the rapidly growing US sports betting market, after years of speculation, which have only increased in recent months.
In November 2021, CEO Bob Chapek hinted at the business’ interest during its fourth quarter earnings call. On that occasion Chapek called ESPN the “perfect platform” for sports betting.
“We have done substantial res..
SBK, a sportsbook app developed by betting exchange Smarkets, has launched in Indiana after gaining approval from the state’s Gaming Commission.
This is the second state the app has launched in, after debuting in Colorado in 2020 through a deal with Full House Resorts.
With all online operators in the state needing a land-based partner for market access, SBK will operate using Full House Resorts’ sports betting licence for the Rising Star casino in Indiana.
Read the full story on iGB North America
With the World Cup kicking off in November, punters will be presented with a wealth of big games to bet on. With just four months to go, the period for preparation is getting shorter and shorter.
Operators need to ensure they are prepared for handling an influx of traffic, while maintaining the highest possible standards of customer experience. To succeed when competition for players is at its fiercest, sportsbooks need to ensure they have a stable, robust, scalable and flexible solution that performs under pressure.
In this webinar, sportsbook platform specialist BtoBet and a panel of experts explore how to make sure you’re match-fit for the tournament.
We discussed:
How a quality sportsbook is key for an operator to increase its growthThe relevance of machine learning-driven tools and the part they play in player engagementThe importance of market localisationCustomising front-end UXTailoring your content offering ahead of the World Cup
Check out other on demand videos here.
It's a busy episode this week, with Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden looking at the NFL, the Wire Act and Brazil's election.
The dynamic duo kick off by discussing sports betting activity around the National Football League’s kickoff on 8 September. This season is set to be the biggest ever for sports betting; 46.6 million Americans plan to place a bet during the season.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
However, there are some issues emerging on where bets can be placed – the league is trying to prevent betting on match days.
There’s also some intrigue around the Wire Act, in the wake of a Rhode Island District Court judge ruling that the Department of Justice must formally state that it only applies to sports betting. Could this provide much-needed clarity after an attempt to enforce the act across all forms of gambling?
Does this mean the issue is dead and buried? Brandt is confident, but Brendan is not so sure.
Further afield, Brazil is preparing to go to the polls in a ..
FanDuel and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) have signed a multi-year extension of their partnership.
It comes five years after the partnership was first established, and sees FanDuel become an official sportsbook partner of the WNBA. FanDuel had already operated the WNBA’s official daily fantasy game, as its official daily fantasy partner.
During future seasons, FanDuel odds will now feature on a number of WNBA’s digital channels.
Read the full story on iGB North America.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has approved 888 Holdings subsidiary VHL Michigan LLC as the new online sports betting provider for the Hannahville Indian Community.
The Hannahville tribe initially entered into a platform agreement with Churchill Downs Incorporated’s (CDI) TwinSpires B2B sports betting business, but were forced to find a new supplier following CDI’s announcement that it would be re-orientating to provide a more focused horse racing product.
The community operates the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, Michigan – with the tribe’s online site continuing to trade under the Sports Illustrated brand name.
MGCB executive director Henry Williams said: “The Hannahville tribe is the first operator in Michigan to change platform providers since internet gaming and sports betting began here in January 2021. The tribe has found another experienced partner, and I wish them continued success.”
[Read full story on iGB North America]
Bryan Bennett fought “800lb gorillas” working for a challenger brand in the social casino space, and that experience could prove crucial as he works to make Betfred USA Sports a key player in the sports betting sector.
The social casino boom of the early 2010s, sparked by what was then Caesars Interactive’s investment in Playtika in 2009, opened up a new audience to the gaming industry and sparked a wave of M&A. The likes of DoubleDown, Big Fish Games, Product Madness and Buffalo Studios were among those to sell at significant multiples.
The smaller challengers tended to have to fight for market share, which in turn saw the market leaders turn to them as acquisition targets to further shore up their strong positions.
Bryan Bennett entered the fray as vice president of marketing for slot developer Rocketplay, one of these challengers, and one that was ultimately snapped up by slot manufacturer AGS. This saw Bennett, who previously worked for strategy games developer Kabam and casua..
