"Gambling scares the sh** out of me": Burke
"Gambling scares the sh** out of me": Burke
The long-time NHL executive, addressing a panel at the PrimeTime Sports conference, worries that a regulated gambling industry doesn't offer enough protection for sports, youth.
In this issue:
Some discussion and debate at PrimeTime Sports conference
Rivalry introduces NBA fantasy app with Low6
Canadian Gaming Association to host two-day event
Join us on LinkedIn Audio this afternoon
A tad of tension at PrimeTime Sports conference
Did you hear the one about going to a sports management conference one afternoon and a fight breaking out?
OK, please give us a moment to dislodge tongue from cheek (and a chisel may be required). Your collaborative correspondent grabbed the moderator’s mic Tuesday afternoon to guide a gab between Amanda Brewer, Nic Sulsky and Scott Woodgate on one of the final panel discussions at the Prime Time Sports & Entertainment Sport Management Conference and Trade Show. Following 50-something minutes of the panel walking through the growth of Ontario’s regulated market some 20 months in, the ongoing debate over advertising/marketing of the industry, integrity monitoring, responsible gambling, and another topic or two, yours truly opened the floor to questions.
Conference co-chair Brian Burke revisited a statement he made during a morning panel on player safety and wellness that included OHL commissioner David Branch, NHL department of player safety lead George Parros and CAMH CEO Camille Quennville that “gambling scares the shit out of me”.
“The access to betting, the amount of betting is frightening. It’s almost become automatic with young kids,” said Burke, the long-time NHL league and team executive who’s leading the establishment of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players’ Association. “You’re taking something that’s been here for hundreds of years. . . making bookmaking legal. It’s safer, I agree.
“It still scares the shit out of me.”
Burke was a student at Harvard Law School in the late 1970s when the Boston College basketball team point-shaving scandal happened, and also pointed to the NHL’s 41-game suspension of Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto as an unlikely one-off for the league.
“I think we’re going to have a huge problem in our sport,” said Burke, adding quickly that the NHL and other sports leagues have benefited by opening the door to legal sports betting in Canada and the U.S.
“We take the money. The NHL takes the money, and we’re happy to take the money. I’m arguing with you from a very hypocritical standpoint.”
Sulsky, the chief commercial officer for PointsBet Canada, suggested increased monitoring from the operators and the leagues through companies such as Sportradar and U.S. Integrity will be a deterrent to players, coaches, and other participants in sport from engaging in match fixing.
“Players need to understand that everything is monitored, and educating them will hopefully help.”
Sports business consultant Mark Francis expressed his concerns about children being exposed to gambling advertisements on Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts.
“Friends of mine who live in Canada have told me that’s a major concern,” said Francis, who added that he “equates the potential social damages of gambling to tobacco.
“We don’t advertise tobacco anymore.”
Brewer, the Canadian Gaming Association’s senior advisor, pointed to the discussions taking place between the industry and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario around advertising standards to address potential harm to youth from watching athletes, celebrities and other influencers promoting online sports wagering and gaming.
“The industry is aware there are perception problems, and is actively involved in trying to address them,” she said. “The other stakeholders (including leagues, sports organizations, broadcasters and media companies) also have to come to the table.”
Woodgate added that operators are seeing what has happened in Europe, Australia and other longer-standing jurisdictions that have put tighter restrictions around advertising, including the banning of athletes and not allowing gambling ads during sporting events. The Canadian country manager for BetMGM also pointed out that it’s not quite that simple in Ontario, where “bleed-over” from American broadcasters (i.e. sitting in Windsor and watching a Lions game on a Detroit affiliate TV station) means sports fans will continue to be exposed to betting. Woodgate added that the industry can also be better when it comes to advertising that promotes playing responsibly.
“Generally, it doesn’t resonate with people and that can be the way we use existing and former athletes (who are allowed to do RG ads under the AGCO’s changed standards),” he said. “We can do better as an industry with our creative (for advertising).”
Both Brewer and Sulsky also pointed to the province’s rigid Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols when it comes to making sure minors don’t have access to accounts with regulated operators.
“A minor cannot gamble on a regulated site in Ontario,” Sulsky said simply.
We’ll have more to say about the panel on Linkedin Audio this afternoon.
From pre-check to withdrawal, GeoComply creates a safer and frictionless player funnel to help increase profitability
Onboard more legitimate customers and fight fraud to optimize revenue
A new approach to KYC and AML compliance with improved KYC pass rates
New, no-download gold standard geolocation for a seamless user experience
Sophisticated machine learning assesses billions of historical transactions and fraud hotspots
Don’t lose your customers in the funnel. Get in touch to find out how we can support the entire user journey
Rivalry keeps on rolling with Low6 partnership
It’s been a busy fall for Steven Salz et al at Rivalry, including yesterday’s announcement with Low6 that it will be offering a free-to-play NBA fantasy basketball app (although, for now, it won’t be available to customers in Ontario).
While Rivalry has been heavily focused on esports wagering, the Canadian company has broadened its horizons over the past year with both its sports betting and igaming products. Leaning into basketball and the NBA makes sense for a company that targets Gen Z and millennial audiences. The new app, called Rivalry Ultimate Fan, will have a focus on trading card culture, collectibles and pack openings. Customers will be able to open digital card packs of NBA players to put together lineups, participate in weekly contests through the regular season, and win a variety of prizes.
Rivalry will also release a collection of Booster Packs containing custom-illustrated trading cards of NBA players, Rivalry’s original IP, and more with QR codes to claim additional prizes. That includes The Big Baller, a holographic card which will award two tickets to the 2024 NBA Finals. Rivalry will also live stream Ultimate Pack openings to their audiences throughout the season. Sadly, there’s no mention of the Rivalry chicken mascot going head-to-head with The Raptor in a dunk-off. . . but we digress.
“Rivalry Ultimate Fan applies our Gen Z playbook to the world of fantasy sports to engage the next generation of basketball fans and strategically position our brand within a new vertical,” Salz said in ye olde news release. “Expanding further into the traditional sports segment enables us to introduce the unique betting experience we’ve built to a new community of players and realize the operating leverage we see in other parts of the business among a broader audience.
“Low6 has delivered an innovative free-to-play product that fits well into this strategy and builds our presence in an important category.”
From Low6 co-founder and CEO Jamie Mitchell: “Rivalry’s expertise and understanding of Millennial and Gen Z customers is very much aligned to Low6’s product development. We’re confident our award-winning fantasy game will drive acquisition and engagement for Rivalry among a new audience while maintaining their commitment to innovation and one-of-a-kind experiences in betting.”
Rivalry also announced yesterday it has landed $14 million in new investment from an “existing institutional shareholder”.
Canadian Gaming Association to host Dec. 5-6 events
If you were too tied up Tuesday to peruse our journal on that day, a kind reminder that the Canadian Gaming Association is holding a symposium in the city below Palgrave on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
The Promoting Player Health and Wellbeing kickoff event will take place at the downtown MNP LLP offices with registration now available.The following day (Dec. 6) before the CGA’s annual general meeting takes place, an Elevate your iGaming business: Navigating Canada’s regulatory landscape event will be held at the same location. Among the topics to be discussed:
Complexities of the iGaming industry and how to navigate the regulatory landscape
Regulatory compliance
Governance models
Risk-based approaches to the iGaming sector
Financial information related to reporting regulations
Cybersecurity protection strategies for data breaches and cyber attacks
The Dec. 6 event is free to attend, but the CGA is giving advance notice that space will be “extremely” limited. You can RSVP to Rashmi Jamdar at rashmi.jamdar@mnp.ca by Dec. 4 to confirm your spot.
Join us on LinkedIn Audio this afternoon
SBC journalist Jessica Welman will be our special guest on this afternoon’s Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt. Welman will speak with us about the hoopla over the launch of ESPN Bet, and provide an update on efforts to regulate sports betting in Florida, California and North Carolina.
We hope to have Canadian Gaming Association senior advisor Amanda Brewer join us for a post-mortem on the Prime Time Sports & Entertainment panel, and Phill Gray will also be along for the ride.
The first words of wisdom drop on LinkedIn Audio shortly after 1 p.m. ET. And, in case you missed our conversation with Canadian Gaming Association main man Paul Burns and Eric Herd of A2Z Ventures last week.
Classified (Jobs) Information
Fanatics is on a seek-and-employ mission for a VP, Legal - International.
TheScore is seeking for its Toronto office a Director, Product Design, is in hiring mode for a Senior Product Designer, Sports Media, and is also looking for a Casino Commercial Manager to be based in Gibraltar.
Pinnacle is seeking a .Net Developer (QA) for its Toronto office, and is also hiring a Middleweight Designer in Malta.
BCLC is in hiring mode for an Intermediate Accountant - Revenue.
Sports Interaction has a job posting for a Programmatic Manager.
Bally’s Interactive is looking for a Director of Operations to oversee its Latin American business.
Wanted by FanDuel for its New York office: a Counsel Senior Manager.
Better Collective has an opening in Sao Paulo for an Owned Content Specialist, and is also looking to employ a Partnerships Manager.
Covers is on the lookout for a Financial Planning and Analysis Manager.
Catena Media is seeking for its U.S. operations a Head of Casino Content.
Atlantic Lottery is hiring a Procurement Analyst.
Konani Gaming in Vegas has an opportunity for a Regulatory Compliance Manager.
Hard Rock Digital is hiring for its Florida operations an Omni Activation Specialist.
BV Group has a couple of openings for Safer Gambling officers.
Sharp Gamin has an opportunity for a Network Engineer.
Huddle is hiring a Data Engineering Lead in Croatia.
Red Bull has a role open for an Owned Media Manager (TV focus).
Vancouver Whitecaps FC is searching for a Vice President, Marketing.
The Athletic is advertising for a London-based Senior Brand Partnerships Sales Manager.
The Detroit Tigers are hiring a Director, Social Media.
The University of British Columbia is seeking a Coordinator, Sports Marketing & Promotions.
Receive a complimentary copy of the Gaming News Canada newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday. Upgrade to our premium subscription and unlock a multitude of curated link sections, such as On the Home Front, Let’s Get Together, States Side Stories, People on the Move, and more.
Become a featured guest on the weekly Gaming News Canada Show podcast.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter, ensuring you never miss out on breaking updates.
To discuss our coverage of your company's news and announcements and to become an advertiser in our newsletter and on the Gaming News Canada Show podcast, please email us steve@gamingnewscanada.ca.
