Homestand Sports is coming to SportsGrid Canada, and hail Caesars Windsor Sportsbook
There's a new partnership of sports betting and content, Ontario's first full-service sportsbook opened Wednesday, and the Canadian Gaming Summit will be the only gaming conference in Toronto in June.
In this issue:
Coming to SportsGrid Canada: Homestand Sports
Hail the new sportsbook at Caesars Windsor
The only summit in the city
A full lineup of guests for Gaming News Canada Show
Massachusetts Gaming Commission takes aim at Paul
Coming soon to SportsGrid Canada: Homestand Sports
When SportsGrid announced just before Christmas that it was bringing its sports wagering streaming service across the border to our home and native land, it signalled another addition to a sports media landscape that seem to change each morning as we pour that first cup of Maxwell House (hey, with a can of President’s Choice and McDonald’s dark roast now hovering at around $20, we’ve decided on switching instead of bitching).
More platforms, and more sources of sports information, opinion and other coverage; it’s all very, very good news for lovers of all things Canadian sport. For Homestand Sports, owned by the same company as this twice-weekly destination, this morning’s announcement of a strategic content alliance with SportsGrid Canada provides Canadian sports fans with another place to follow their favourite athletes, teams and leagues.
SportsGrid Canada will feature Homestand Sports daily on the network’s live and original program schedule, including the Room 4-4-2 soccer show, the Homestand Sports Show, and The Parleh sports betting program. The programs will be streamed exclusively weekdays on SportsGrid Canada along with a weekend edition of Room 4-4-2 featuring veteran Canadian sports broadcaster James Sharman. Homestand will also air NHL Trade Deadline special programming March 3.
"In choosing the network’s strategic content partner in Canada, it was critical to align with a media producer with the programming expertise and talent team to scale the essential original programming coverage of Canadian sports." said Jason Sukhraj, SportsGrid’s General Manager of Canada. "The founders of Homestand Sports share SportsGrid’s enthusiasm for the opportunity to reach Canadian sports fans on FAST channels, and they have developed a business model that fits perfectly with our regional network strategy.”
SportsGrid provides Homestand Sports with the opportunity to deliver its sports entertainment content to a broader audience across the country.
“The content alliance with SportsGrid has super-charged our ambitions to reach millions of Canadians with our brand of sports entertainment content created with the Canadian sports fan in mind,” said Mark Silver, Founder and CEO of Parleh Media Group. “Kudos to Jason and the leadership at SportsGrid for having the fortitude to get in front of the potential impact Bill C-11 may have on global streamers operating in Canada.”
Sukhraj and Homestand Sports president Kevin Kennedy will further discuss the announcement on the Gaming News Canada Show this afternoon (more on today’s on LinkedIn Audio rendezvous further down in the newsletter).
Let the sports betting begin at Caesars Windsor
Yesterday’s opening of the first full-service, retail sportsbook in Ontario isn’t the biggest sports story in Windsor this week (that move by Seattle Kraken rookie/Canadian junior gold medalist Shane Wright to the Spitfires at the OHL trade deadline is a pretty big deal). Still, we figure the folks at Caesars Windsor could give a flying feather when Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr placed the first bet (with any winnings going to his foundation) at the spanking new 1,618-square-foot venue.
“We’re very excited and we’re really looking forward to our sports fans coming in and placing a bet,” Caesars Windsor spokesperson Susanne Tomkins told your humble correspondent after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, speeches and other formalities yesterday afternoon. “The sportsbook adds another experience for our guests. With the local community, we are big Detroit sports fans and we have sports fans among our American customers who come here on a regular basis. There is (retail) sports betting in Detroit, so that puts us on a level playing field for our Caesars customers.”
Windsor-West MP Brian Masse, one of the loudest voices on Parliament Hill over the past decade for the legalization of single-event sports betting, joined Fuhr, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and Caesars Windsor president Kevin Laforet for the official opening of the sportsbook, which includes 22 large-screen TVs, seven sports wagering kiosks and three windows where staff are available to educate customers on betting . . . and betting responsibly.
“It also now gives us a product that competes with the United States, which was sorely lacking,” said Masse. “That’s critical because without those types of amenities, we’re fighting with one arm tied behind our back. So it means protection of jobs and the continuation of services that could even expand in the future depending on how things go. But most importantly we’re no longer at a disadvantage.”
Tomkins confirmed that the new experience has created jobs at Caesars Windsor, and expects it will also provide a boost to the business that shut its doors for almost two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We continue to see our customers coming back, and getting that repeat business. People are saying ‘hey, we remember why we like coming to your property’.”
Canadian Gaming Summit the only, er, game in town this year
And then there was one.
As in a Canadian conference bringing together the gaming and sports betting community in 2023. Late last week, SBC confirmed that the Canadian Gaming Summit will return to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, June 13-15. Last year, the Canadian Gaming Association announced that SBC - which operates conferences in the U.S., Europe and Latin America - would take over managing the Toronto conference.
We are thrilled to welcome SBC as the official event organizer of the long-standing Canadian Gaming Summit,” said Canadian Gaming Association president and CEO Paul Burns. “I am confident that SBC will find the right balance between reimagining the CGS to strengthen its standing as a must-attend industry event, and ensuring that the event’s main mission of promoting the development of the industry in Canada remains the primary focus.”
Last year, the CGA event had company as SiGMA Group opted to run its first-ever Canadian conference during the same week as the Canadian Gaming Summit. Gaming News Canada learned last week that Toronto is being replaced by Brazil on SiGMA’s conference road map for 2023. We were told earlier this week that SiGMA hasn’t ruled out returning to the city below Vaughan in 2024 although the feedback from across the Canadian industry last year suggested that there’s scant appetite for competing conferences.
More information on the Canadian Gaming Summit, along with early registration, is now available.
Teeing up today’s Gaming News Canada Show
If you’re looking to get away from the inbox or need an excuse to cancel a meeting this afternoon, we recommend putting on your headphones and join us on LinkedIn Audio for the latest Gaming News Canada Show between 2-3 p.m. ET. Jason Sukhraj of SportsGrid and Kevin Kennedy from Homestand Sports will provide some additional information around this morning’s announcement. Quarter4 CEO Kelly Brooks will talk about her company’s plans for the NFL playoffs and what’s happening in the technology sector of the gambling industry. Responsible Gambling Council head honcho Shelley White will give the audience a peek into the organization’s 2023 plans. And, as always, Kindred Group Canadian country manager Amanda Brewer and Sightline Payments Canadian VP Will Hill will lend their voices to the latest happenings around the world of sports betting, gaming, and sundry other topics.
Also, our latest Gaming News Canada Show podcast features a discussion around sports betting and sports media with the aforementioned Brewer, Bet99’s Jared Beber, Betano Canada’s Kris Abbott, Mark Silver and Gavin Roth of Parleh Media Group, and Playmaker Capital’s Adam Seaborn.
Paul put into a corner by Massachusetts Gaming Commission
First Dave Portnoy, and now Jake Paul.
While it wasn’t the equivalent of facing Kevin Lee in the squared circle, the pro fighter and social media darling took some metaphorical jabs from the members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday. Paul is a co-founder of Betr, which had a soft launch in Ohio earlier this month and is now looking to be licensed in the Bay State. As Jessica Welman reported for SBC, the commission has concerns about the potential impact of Paul’s fighting career on the integrity of betting on combat sports (which currently aren’t available on the Betr platform). Paul’s rather lengthy list of legal run-ins also raised questions from the commissioners.
Portnoy, the controversial founder of Barstool Sports, now owned by Penn Entertainment, also raised red flags with the commission hearing an application for a Barstool-themed sportsbook. It’s a reminder of the due diligence done by gaming regulators when it comes to applications and that licences aren’t handed out like (environmentally friendly) cups of water at a marathon. That includes Ontario, where the province’s alcohol and gaming commission has been praised for its rigorous, yet collaborative, process.
On the Home Front
MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle, FanDuel grand poobah Amy Howe, BetMGM head honcho Adam Greenblatt and Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl made the list on The Hockey News’s latest Top 100 People of Power and Influence. Greenblatt also did the Q and A thing with the magazine about BetMGM’s marketing efforts with Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid to attract NHL fans.
GeoComply CEO Anna Sainsbury, who championed the relocation to Canada of the company’s employees in Ukraine when the war with Russia began almost a year ago, is among 11 Canadians profiled in a Globe and Mail feature on “the power of a fresh start”.
Some really nice work by Play Canada’s Dave Briggs getting into the nitty gritty of OLG’s Annual Report, including a very healthy increase in revenue from the corp’s igaming business in FY 2021-22.
Speaking of OLG, the communications team there informed us that the Sunday nighter between the Packers and Lions was ProLine’s top-selling event of the week.
ESE Gaming founder/CEO Konrad Wasiela, with whom we spoke for The Company Line in 2022, was featured in the Toronto Star’s business section last weekend.
We have our doubts this works as nighttime reading, but the Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education has published a paper on the prevention of adolescent problem gambling through probabilistic reasoning.
Let’s Get Together
Everi will be providing its anti-money laundering technology to the BCLC in an extension of their current partnership.
Speaking of B.C., Vancouver-based legal firm Segev LLP is expanding its strategic partnership with Hipther, organizers of the virtual Gaming Americas information and education webinars.
Bet99 has a new partnership with PRSVRE Media Group around sports betting education and coverage of Canadian university sports.
WagerWire and Sparket have announced this morning a strategic technology partnership.
Rush Street Interactive and Kambi have put their John Hancocks on an extension of their sports betting technology agreement.
And let’s continue with expanded agreements, given Sportradar’s announcement yesterday with Betway.
The International Betting Integrity Association’s latest partner is Jack Entertainment, owners of betJACK in Ohio.
U.S. Integrity is getting together with Elys Game Technology around that company’s U.S. operations.
It’s a newsy week for Pariplay, which was featured in The Company Line section of Tuesday’s newsletter. First, an announcement that the company is supplying content to Caesars Sportsbook & Casino in the Garden State. And this morning, word came that Pariplay will be exclusively providing BetMGM with its Skillzzgaming content in the U.S. of A.
ICE London proprietors Clarion Gaming are getting together with the Gambling Business Group to introduce a new floor feature to next month’s conference.
Light & Wonder is expanding its relationship with the California-based Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.
SIS and Bet365 have collaborated on a new lottery product.
In case you were away from all forms of technology last week, Fanatics announced that Amelco will help power its sportsbook product.
New Zealand cricket star Brendon McCullum has joined 22Bet as a brand ambassador.
Flair Airlines is the latest partner of Basketball Canada.
And finally, in case you’ve been sleep walking through the first week back at the office, FanDuel and Rob Gronkowski are teaming up with 10 million more reasons to worship at the altar of Gronk.
Matters of M&A
News of the breaking variety this morning that Entain has completed its acquisition of Dutch operator BetCity.
Catena Media has brought in some support of the strategic investment variety for the sale of its European assets.
So much for the proposed merger between a SPAC and Australian betting business PlayUp.
Quarter(s) Pole
Bet365’s latest financials show that marketing spend in Ontario (as a regulated operator), Colorado, the Netherlands and Buenos Aires was a hit to the company’s profit margin.
Despite the Nestea plunge on the balance sheet, Bet365 chief executive Denise Coates received a salary of almost $257 million (Amarican bucks) last year.
States Side Stories
Sports Handle’s Bennett Conlin dug out his crystal ball and projected the next states to offer legal online sports wagering.
Russell Karp dug into the spending by legal sportsbooks in the U.S. on marketing - including the below graphic - and the road to profitability.
Conlin’s colleague Chris Altruda had the deets on the first month of legal sports betting in Maryland, including nearly $500 million in handle.
Newsday’s Candice Ferrette had first dibs on the details around a proposed casino by Las Vegas Sands on the site of the old Nassau Coliseum.
Jeff Edelstein has more on the impact the suspension of the Bills-Bengals game had on bettors and sportsbooks.
Caesars has another advocate for its plans to build a casino at New York’s Times Square.
Buck Wargo reported for iGB on the push to legalize online casino in other parts of the home of the brave.
DraftKings appears to have a home-state advantage of sorts with the Massachusetts gaming commissioners.
Tipico became yesterday the latest sportsbook to launch in Iowa.
Dave Briggs reported for Play Illinois that casino revenue in the Prairie state has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
Leslie Bonilla Muniz of the Indiana Capital Chronicle weighed in on the same topic for the Hoosier State.
Arizona saw its second-biggest month in terms of sports betting handle with its October numbers.
It appears that the Ohio Casino Control Commission won’t be a silent regulator when it comes to keeping watch over operators in the new market.
Sticking with Ohio, the state’s market opening delivered a rather large gift to Catena Media’s North American business.
A Texas state senator has filed a bill to give the green light to casino gaming at select destinations across the Lone Star State.
Meanwhile, a bill filed in Kentucky would incorporate legal sports betting, online poker and fantasy sports.
Lawmakers in Georgia are taking another run at legalizing sports betting in the Peach State.
It’s the same story in the Aloha State.
Matthew Kredell of Play USA has the latest on the efforts in Missouri to expand legal gambling. And the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s editorial board believes regulated sports betting could be a hit, with a caveat.
Pat Evans at Legal Sports Report expects we’ll hear more about Maine’s soon-to-come legal sports betting market.
Bet365 has landed in the Quaker State, thanks to its partnership with Churchill Downs.
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board offered its own take on Chicago city council banking on a downtown casino to give a boost to its pension plan.
In case you missed Tuesday’s dispatch, the first year of legal online sports wagering in the Empire State was pretty damn robust:
iGaming Future did the Q and A thing with Adam Noble, the CEO of online casino company PlayStar about the still-evolving U.S. igaming industry.
Jackpot.com has launched an online lottery ticket platform in Texas with help from several pro sports teams in the state.
FleishmanHillard has released the results of a survey it did to help U.S. companies connect with Gen Zers through sport.
Across the Pond
The regulatory commission for gaming in Ukraine received almost 700 applications for licences last year.
The world governing body for billiards and snooker has suspended 10 Chinese snooker players on suspicion of match-fixing.
Emily Dugan of The Guardian reported that the UK betting industry may redirect funds which usually go to a charity dealing with gambling harm.
Betsson Group, citing the European Gaming & Betting Association’s Sustainability Report, says that operators have increased their messaging around responsible gambling.
UK sportsbook Stake.com will be streaming FA Cup games for its customers around the world.
Flutter Entertainment has, according to SBC’s Ted Menmuir, commenced interviewing candidates to succeed executive chairman Gary McGann.
Lucia Mourino looks ahead to the Latin American gaming world for the next 12 months.
According to Sonja Lindenberg, the troubles continue for Genesis Global.
Streaks Gaming is now listed on the London Stock Exchange and is lining up its ducks to expand into the U.S. of A.
Esports Reports
Toronto gaming lawyer Jack Tadman pulled back the curtain on a lawsuit launched in Quebec against the developers of Fortnite.
Digiday’s Billy Studholme wrote that salaries for esports players are about to experience a market correction.
Buck Wargo reported for CDC Gaming Reports on the continuing push to expand esports wagering in Nevada.
BBC Studios and ESL Gaming have announced a date for the release of their Game and Glory documentary.
GRID brand strategy lead Dominika Szot appeared on the Esports Insider podcast for a dive into data.
Esports is included in a bill that would open the door to legal wagering in Missouri.
100 Thieves, the LA-based esports organization, has let go about 30 of its 200 employees, according to Jake Nordland of Esports Insider.
Riot Games is making changes to its Rising Legends: Monsters Attack competition.
Spanish esports tournament organizer LVP has announced its highest engagement numbers ever.
South Korean esports business Damwon Gaming has a new handle.
Pierre Lindh, on his iGaming Next Spotlight podcast, dug into the impact of illegal esports data suppliers on the igaming industry.
Media Musings
VSiN’s Andy MacNeil has spoken with your humble correspondent in the past about the impact of information on starting goalies in NHL games. Some confusion around the issue involving the Tampa Bay Lightning last week prompted MacNeil to do some keyboarding.
Speaking of VSiN, Demetri Ravanos at Barrett Sports Media interviewed Brian Musburger about the company’s continued push to get their content on terrestrial stations.
FuboTV subscribers south of the border are facing a price hike.
We send along best wishes to FOTP Scott Longley, Steve Ruddock and Mark Taylor on the launch of their new Compliance + More newsletter on the regulation of betting and gaming around the planet.
We’re an admirer of the work done by Sportico’s data reporter Lev Akabas, hence the rationale for going beyond our usual purview to pass along this:
Quick Hits
iGB published an article this week about sexism continuing to have a (sadly) prominent place in the gaming industry. We’ll discuss it on LinkedIn Audio this afternoon.
SBC’s Martyn Elliott wrote about the growing stature of same game parlays in the North American betting market.
FOTP Lloyd Danzig covered a cornucopia of topics on the Business of Betting with Jason Trost podcast.
And International Betting Integrity Association grand poobah Khalid Ali had a chat with Jonny Gray on The Business Behind Sport podcast.
A study done by Playmaker and Miami University has revealed that for sports bettors, it’s not all about making money.
Ronen Ainbinder at Front Office Sports hosted a written-word version of an investors roundtable on the business of sports in 2023.
BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt spoke about the company’s move into the regulated Ontario gaming market among other matters during his appearance on the GGB Magazine podcast.
The American Gaming Association has released its anti-human trafficking toolkit.
iGaming’s artificial intelligence is becoming an attractive investment target for venture capitalists and igaming companies.
Nominations close January 23 for the SBJ Sports Business Awards.
People on the Move
George Goldhoff, the former CEO of PURE Canadian Gaming, is the new President of Hard Rock Atlantic City, and is being joined by new General Manager Mike Sampson.
Jacob Hargaden-Llewellin, former Canadian country manager for ComeOn Group, is the new Country Manager for Canada and Ireland at Soft2Bet.
Gaming industry veteran Jeremie Kanter has been named VP, Regulatory and Internal Audit at ComplianceOne Group.
After 15 years with Ilitch Sports & Entertainment, Molly Wurdack-Folt is joining BetMGM as the Director of Team and League Partnerships.
Brendan Logan has been promoted at SharpRank to Chief Operating Officer.
Phil Pearson has left iGaming Group to lead fledgling business White Label Casinos.
Luke Jones, Nick Westwood and Georgia Morison have joined the senior leadership team at Guild Esports.
Matthew Muscat has also received a promotion, being named Chief Financial Officer at Videoslots.com.
Tim Reichert is the new CEO of EXCEL ESPORTS while Rosenbelle Ganan has been appointed Director of Operations and Legal Affairs, and departing CEO Wouter Sleijffers will remain with the organization as a strategic advisor.
FaZe Clan has expanded its leadership team by hiring Summer Martin as VP of Content Operations and Rana Kaplan as General Manager.
Michael Choi has been hired by North American esports company Cloud9 as the new Chief Product Officer.
FanDuel has hired Jessica Lee as Director, Brand Strategy.
Lars Kollind is the new head of business development at online casino software supplier Swintt.
Brett Abarbanel has been promoted to Executive Director at the UNLV International Gaming Institute.
Playtech has appointed Sammy Reeb to its board of directors.
Former NFL media strategy/business development director has joined IMG as Director, U.S.Commercial Sports Partnerships.
Will Gray has left NBC Sports to join the PGA Tour as Editorial Lead, Betting & Fantasy.
Ariel Epstein announced last week that she’s left Yahoo Sports and is joining PointsBet.
TSN soccer commentator Luke Wileman’s plate got a little fuller this week with the announcement he’ll be on the microphone for U.S. Soccer matches on HBO Max and TNT.
Coming soon to a screen/town near you
A gentle reminder that the FSGA Winter Conference in Las Vegas is just around the corner.
We also re-submit on your radar the Casino Esport Conference on The Strip at the end of February.
The American Gaming Association will host a state-of-the-industry webinar next month with AGA head honcho Bill Miller and research lead David Forman lending their voices.
By the way, tickets are now available for the SBC Summit North America in Secaucus, NJ, May 9-11.
Classified (Jobs) Information
Bet365 is searching for a Business Development Manager, North America, and is also hiring in the areas of marketing and PR for its New Jersey location.
Hero Gaming is hiring a Head of Product & Tech.
Toronto-based Rivalry has a remote opening for an esports content writer.
PointsBet has an opening at its U.S. headquarters in Denver for a Frontend Engineer.
EA Sports is on a seek-and-employ mission for a Producer at its Ontario location.
Lucky Lady Games is searching for a full-time fullstack developer for its Vancouver office.
BetMGM is hiring a Content Management Specialist for its New Jersey office.
Entain is seeking a Senior Product Analyst for its offices in Stratford (England).
BetVictor has an opening for a Paid Search Manager.
Fortis Games is looking for a Head of Player Community.
Covers is searching for a Commercial Content Editor.
TSN has an opening on its partnerships team for an Account Executive.
Among the current openings at Yahoo Sports is Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships.
The Canadian Football League is on the lookout for a Manager, Operations & Governance.
The Anaheim Ducks are in the market for a Vice President, Information Technology Operations.
Canucks Sports & Entertainment is seeking an Editorial Writer.
The Canadian Hockey League has an opening for a Controller.
Tennis Canada is seeking a Sales and Fan Service Representative for its Toronto office.
Woodbine Entertainment is in the market for a Broadcast Technician.
About the Numbers
Sarah Said, Justin Pooni and Jelani Goodridge-Reid set the table for the NFL playoffs, which get underway this weekend.
Follow us @GamingNewsCA on Twitter for the latest news on the sports betting and gaming industry.
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