Kevin Waugh weighs in on the angst over ads
Kevin Waugh weighs in on the angst over ads
The Saskatchewan MP who introduced Bill C-218 three years ago calls for patience, the gaming community is off to London next week, let the betting begin for Super Bowl 57, and the Mass market is live.
In this issue:
Waugh weighs in on angst over betting ads
Some early Super Bowl (story)lines
ICE, ICE baby
M-A-S-S-A-C-H-U-S-E-T-T-S goes L-I-V-E
Join us on LinkedIn Audio this afternoon
Waugh weighs in on angst over betting ads
Your cordial correspondent’s cellphone rang Sunday evening. On the other end was Kevin Waugh, who was sitting in his Ottawa residence watching the AFC championship game between the Chiefs and Bengals as he prepared to return to the House of Commons on Monday with his fellow Members of Parliament.
“These pharmaceutical ads are pissing me off,” said the former sports broadcaster who’s now the Conservative MP for Saskatoon-Grasswood. “That Ozempic ad has run all year. . . 809 times during a football game.
“I don’t see any controls on that.”
Waugh, of course, was referring to the hand-wringing over the volume of sports betting and gaming ads that have been scrutinized and criticized, particularly since the launch of Ontario’s regulated industry almost 10 months ago. Brian Masse, the NDP member for Windsor West who worked closely with Waugh to introduce The Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act as a private member’s bill in February 2020, told The Athletic’s Sean Fitz-Gerald last week that he is looking for ways to address the avalanche of sports betting ads on television and radio. Masse is particularly concerned about current athletes (Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Conor McDavid, Andre DeGrasse) having endorsement deals with operators along with the combination of ads and betting content during televised games.
“I just feel that these two things need to be harnessed into place for us to be able to do this responsibly,” Masse said in The Athletic article. “It is difficult to watch. I still stand by what we did. I think it’s more now about implementation, and we should take some lessons from Europe.”
Waugh begs to differ when it comes to the federal government getting involved.
“It’s not up to Parliament to say we’re tired of these back-to-back ads,” he said. “We have an advertising standards agency in this country.”
Waugh continued.
“I’m tired of the nitpicking. A regulated industry has been long needed in this country, so why don’t we celebrate the damn thing. There are going to be growing pains, but people have overreacted.”
A couple of tweets from Playmaker Capital partnerships guy Adam Seaborn this week shows that Waugh may have a point.
South of the border, where there’s also been some angst about the amount of gaming ads, there’s not a sportsbook to be found among the top-10 biggest spenders during NFL divisional/wild card rounds on the tele-o-vision, according to Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp and this SBJ graphic:
When it comes to an industry that’s two months away from lighting the candles on the one-year anniversary cake, Waugh calls for patience, and some proactiveness.
“Everyone is trying to find their way, and I think the market will sort itself out in Ontario. Maybe the provinces should provide a breakdown of the money that’s coming in from gaming. If Doug Ford said (tax revenue from gaming) is going to health care. . .”
Speaking of Ontario, Waugh confirmed what’s been said by industry stakeholders that other provinces are keeping tabs on the highly competitive marketplace created by the province’s alcohol and gaming commission.
“They’re all looking at Ontario. I know we are in Saskatchewan, and they’re watching from Manitoba. Everyone is looking to see if Ontario did it right.”
Some early (story)lines, betting style, around Super Bowl LVII
No doubt Patrick Mahomes is relieved to have the week off to give his wonky ankle a break, but perhaps Jalen Hurts would rather not have an extra seven days to think about competing against Mahomes in the first-ever Super Bowl featuring two black starting quarterbacks.
Speaking of firsts, Super Bowl LVII (57 for the folks, like yours truly, trying to translate Roman numerals) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., a week from Sunday will be the first time the NFL title game has been held in a state with legal sports wagering. We’ll leave the Xs and Os to the experts, and provide some early storylines from a betting perspective.
Research conducted by the American Gaming Association shows that 31.4 million Americans plan to wager a combined $7.61 billion (U.S.) on the beeg game.
ESPN betting chronicler David Purdum is starting to keep track of the biggest and wackiest wagers between now and kickoff.
Ken Adams wrote that this won’t be your grandfather’s Super Bowl, and that goes for every other major sporting event in this new North American regulated betting business.
Victor Mather of the NY Times reported on bettors jumping all over the bookmakers for putting the beat-up Chiefs as the early favourites over the Philadelphians.
Coors Light and DraftKings are collaborating on a contest that invites fans to predict parts of their secret Super Bowl ad.
The latest ad in the FanDuel “Kick of Destiny” campaign featuring Rob Gronkowski, which received a tap of ye olde Koho from one sports marketing executive, features FanDuel TV’s Kay Adams turning up the heat on Gronk.
From the gambling industry beat writer at Covers.com:
And we pass along this tweeting tidbit from one of Legal Sports Reports’ industry chroniclers:
And finally, this weekend’s Pro Bowl festivities in Las Vegas is a dress rehearsal of sorts for next year’s Super Bowl.
ICE, ICE (London), baby
Hey, we’re simply trying to . . . . . umm. . . . break the ice (forgive us for this poor pun) and raise the curtain on ICE London 2023. Gaming News Canada will be in the UK capital to provide coverage from the conference in our Tuesday and Thursday newsletters, and we’ll host LinkedIn Audio next week from across the pond. We’re also looking forward to speaking with industry insiders and get their thoughts on what they’ve witnessed in the North American gaming market with, of course, a special focus on Ontario.
The conference’s World Regulatory Briefing includes a roundtable discussion, Canadian style on Tuesday with iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton, Canadian Gaming Association head honcho Paul Burns, Peter Czegledy from Aird and Berlis LLP, and Sophia Arvantis, the Agent-General for the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development. We also have more than a passing interest in Monday’s Advertising in Adversity discussion which is scheduled to include Kindred Group CMO Elen Barber.
Bruce Caughill, Rush Street Interactive’s Canadian managing director, iGO board chair Dave Forestell, Canadian industry veteran Don Bourgeois, GeoComply SVP Lindsay Slader, Strive Gaming CEO Max Meltzer, Vancouver-based lawyer Ron Segev, Responsible Gambling Council grand poobah Shelley White, and AGCO CEO Tom Mungham are also among the scheduled speakers and who have ties to our home and native land.
A dozen companies are participating in the Pitch ICE competition, and among the additional features are a Street Gaming Hub and an Esports Arena. While the souped-up trade show has been held in London since its inception, it was reported this week that Paris, Barcelona and Madrid are competing against London to host ICE from 2025-2029.
There remains some room to register for next week’s European rendezvous of the gaming community.
M-A-S-S-A-C-H-U-S-E-T-T-S goes L-I-V-E
For all of those Bruins (sorry Leafs lovers), Red Sox (mea culpa, Jays aficionados), Patriots and Celtics (apologies, those of your enraptured by the Raptors) fans among our loyal readers, we thought it would be only appropriate to pass along a few tidbits from the opening of legal sports betting in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
Speaking of the Bruins, Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Ray Bourque was at MGM Springfield to place one of the ceremonial first bets.
There were also some sporting heroes of yesterday at Encore Boston Harbor, one of three casinos to offer retail sports wagering on Day 1 of the Mass market.
Massachusetts becomes the 33rd jurisdiction in the U.S. of A. to offer legal sports wagering.
Please join us on LinkedIn Audio this afternoon
Paul Burns will be our special guest on the back end of the Gaming News Canada Show between 2-3 p.m. ET. The president/CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association is off to London for ICE next week, so we’ll get his thoughts on the first big gaming gathering on the 2023 calendar and also speak with him about last week’s iGaming Ontario report.
And if you missed last week’s show with Troy Ross, Kris Abbott and Nic Sulsky on the iGO report, and Rege Behe, Cassie Stratford and Jessica Welman on the 10 Women Rising in Gaming list from CDC Gaming Reports, you can access it for your listening pleasure right here:
On the Home Front
Hey thar, if you placed a toonie on Wiarton Willie emerging this morning to predict an early spring, winner, winner, chicken dinner.
IPSOS SVP Scott Morasch had a chat with Canadian Gaming Business about its recently released Canadian Public Opinions on Gambling survey results. And yes, of course, the conversation included the con-trah-versee over gaming advertising.
There’s a gaming reference or two in the TMT Predictions 2023: Canadian connections report from Deloitte.
FOTPers Dr. Cheri Bradish of the university formerly known as Ryerson, and Dr. Michael Naraine of Brock University recently released a paper on Analytics and iGaming in the Journal of Applied Sport Management.
Play Canada’s Jose Colorado dug into the ongoing threat of money laundering and other criminal activity at Canadian casinos.
Payments platform provider Paysafe (say that five times fast) released yesterday the results of a survey with more than 2,000 online sports bettors in Ontario, a half-dozen U.S. states, and the UK. You can access the entire report here. We will mention that Ontario players who participated in the survey consider brand trust paramount (39 per cent) followed by payouts (35 per cent).
In an op-ed for Gambling News, Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White makes her case for collaboration leading the way to a sustainable gaming industry.
Curling Canada announced yesterday that the second annual PointsBet Canada Invitational will be held in late September at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex (one of our favourite minor/junior hockey arenas) in Oakville, ON.
Matthew Lomon, writing for PlayCanada.com, calls for the AGCO and iGO to put some protections in place for athletes who may face abuse and harassment from disgruntled punters.
Workers at the Cascade Casino in Delta, B.C. are now members of Unifor.
The B.C. Lottery Corporation’s self-exclusion program has been given a revamp.
Let’s Get Together
DraftKings’ online casino business will have more to offer through a new agreement with Bragg Gaming.
Speaking of Bragg, the Toronto/New York company is also getting together with affiliate marketing business First Look Games.
Stake.com has agreed to a title sponsorship deal with the Alfa Romeo F1 racing team.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights announced a new official betting partner yesterday . . . .rhymes with Getcred.
GeoComply is now the proud owner of a World Lottery Association membership card.
Dr. Ian Messenger of the Association of Certified Gaming Compliance Specialists reached out to let us know that its new partnership with SG:certified includes the very recent addition of modules on information security and cryptocurrency.
PlayAGS has a contract to provide gaming content to Caesars.
Speaking of Caesars, they have a new North American content deal with Konami Gaming.
Altenar, which was featured recently in The Company Line, will be supporting Casinobud with the integration of sports betting into its northern European business.
Sportradar has joined with the Biathlon Integrity Unit on a bet monitoring agreement.
MGM Resorts International is going to do some meet-and-greets and other hospitality events with the National Football League Players’ Association (please don’t send the catering bills our way).
M88 is getting together with Livespins.
Gaming Innovation Group will be doing more business in Latin America, thanks to its new agreement with Playr.bet.
The international Betting Integrity Association has welcomed Fanatics to its merry band of members.
XB Net and Media System Technologies will be working together on a partnership around the horse racing industry.
Popular Irish jockey Barry Geraghty has joined William Hill as a brand ambassador.
Sports Information Solutions is expanding its relationship with BetConstruct.
Data.Bet has a new partner in Bayes Esports.
Matters of M&A
Global Innovation Group has dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on the purchase of AskGamblers from Catena Media.
Better Collective, in one of the most succinct news releases we’ve ever seen, announced yesterday that it’s “acquiring a position of >5%” in Catena Media.
Illinois-based Midnight Gaming is about to sign the purchase papers on TGS Esports.
Quarter(s) Pole
Penn Entertainment reported this morning that The Score is lighting it up in Ontari-ari-ari-o.
Entain reported yesterday record quarterly results in net gaming revenue and active customers for Q4 2022.
As Sonja Lindenberg reported, PointsBet’s latest financial results are a blend of the good, bad and somewhat ugly.
Lindenberg summarized the Q4 financials from Evolution that were released this morning.
We’re a tad late to the ball here, but here you go if you missed the BetMGM business update last week.
Playtech is feeling pretty darn good about its FY 2022 results.
A double-digit hike in revenue last year for XLMedia has sparked a bump in the company’s share price.
States Side Stories
Jessica Welman neatly wrapped up in a bow Tuesday’s New York Senate Racing, Wagering and Casino Committee hearing, including appearances by FanDuel president Christian Genetski and DraftKings CEO Jason Robins. Not surprisingly, the two executives like the state’s 51-per-cent tax rate on their respective businesses as much as eating tainted tuna and would like a do-over by the legislators.
Speaking (somewhat) of tainted tuna, restaurants in the Empire State are seeking a slice of the gambling pie.
The latest report from the National Council on Problem Gambling falls noticeably short of a glowing review for states with regulated igaming.
BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt figures that legal online casinos aren't coming to any U.S. state this year.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board has sentenced pro poker player Joshua Thatcher to 12 months probation for his role in an illegal poker room operation.
Some FanDuel customers in Maryland aren’t very happy this week.
Fanatics exec Brandt Iden told Mike Mazzeo of Legal Sports Report that he’s feeling positive about legal sports betting coming to Texas in 2023.
Speaking of the Lone Star State, a survey out of the University of Houstons shows that Texans have a hankering for a new legal sports betting industry.
The legal betting industry in Arizona won’t allow wagers to be placed on the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is calling for a methodical, collaborative approach to legalizing sports betting in his state.
Missour legislators are quite miffed that sports bettors are leaving the state to wager in Kansas, Illinois, and elsewhere.
Sports betting handle in Colorado was down in December, but tax revenue increased.
Count the Washington Indian Gaming Association as among the naysayers of new bills that would expand legal sports betting in the state. They include moving sports wagering into card rooms.
The Las Vegas Strip saw another record-breaking month in gaming revenue for December.
Betfred USA has a licence to thrill in Nevada now.
A bill for online sports betting in the state of Vermont has been introduced.
And this, from Ryan Butler’s Twittering:
We present, courtesy of Gambling Industry News, all that happened during the latest quarterly meeting of the Virginia Lottery Board, including Bet365 being closer to launching in The Old Dominion.
From Brad Allen on the most recent app testing report from Eilers & Krejcik:
Meanwhile, E&K gives FanDuel No. 1 status among sports betting apps in the U.S. of A.
And finally, them Coloradans sure love their ping pong:
Across the Ponds
A read of the must variety: Parimatch Eastern Europe CEO Natalia Hilevych was interviewed by Gambling Insider’s Tim Poole about leading in a time of war.
An announcement of the significant sort this week that 888 Holdings CEO Itai Pazner is leaving after more than two decades with the company. Lord Mendelsohn is taking on Executive Chair duties while 888 finds a new CEO.
In his new column for iGaming Next, Conor Mulheir writes that it’s high time for regulators to come down really hard on operators who don’t abide by the rules.
Former soccer player David Wheeler, meanwhile, wrote in The Guardian that athletes should take a stand against advertising by gambling operators around the sport.
Premier League side Aston Villa apparently cares not a whit about how its fans feel about a new sponsorship with online casino BK8.
Flutter has awarded its UK advertising business to Mediacom for a cool seven figures (pounds or dollars).
In an op-ed for igamingbusiness.com, Marese O’Hagan wonders if other operators will follow Entain’s lead in bidding adieu to unregulated markets.
Speaking of Entain, SBC’s Charlie Horner reported that the company is still keen on Brazil.
The CEO of the Betting & Gaming Council believes the rhubarb around player withdrawals is “massively overstated”.
The Times of London reported that a survey by two UK universities links gambling addiction to gambling advertising.
In Touch is facing a hefty, hefty fine from the UK Gambling Commission for a series of faux pas around social responsibility and money laundering.
An European committee made up of gambling regulators has agreed on standards around the markers of harm for online gambling.
The Malta Gaming Authority has suspended Betago’s licence, thanks to a trio of breaches of licence provisions.
Esports Reports
FaZe Clan and Nike have teamed up to launch the Lebron Nxxt (a copyeditor, anyone. . . please??) Gen shoe.
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is calling for esports betting to be legalized in the Quaker State.
Eight well-known soccer clubs, including FC Barcelona, Man United and Bayern Munich, are lined up to participate in Konami’s eFootball Championship Pro.
Toronto-based Overactive Media has confirmed its entry for this year’s NA VALORANT Challengers League.
The esports general manager for Beter spoke with Esports Insider about the rising popularity of CS:GO.
Guild Esports has a new partnership with Sky UK that ticks off a lot of boxes.
How will the business of esports be impacted by the withdrawal of Blizzard Entertainment games from China?
GRID has grabbed the data rights for three Dota Pro Circuit regions.
The Red Bull Campus Clutch World Final held in Sao Paulo’s Estádio do Pacaembu was a rather huge success.
Cody Luongo, in his Sharpr newsletter, reported last week on Grilla raising $3 million (U.S.) for its skill-based betting platform.
James Fudge at The Esports Advocate had the scoop on staff cuts by OpTic Gaming last week.
KRAFTON has announced its founding partner teams for 2023 PUBG Esports season.
A sales manager at Bayes Esports passed along some ideas for keeping the torch lit on esports betting.
European business Heroic is going to be getting some new desks and chairs through a partnership with GSIGN.
The UK Esports Team Committee has undertaken a shuffling of the chairs with the leadership group.
The Copenhagen Flames are extending their contract with peripherals supplier Razer.
Media Musings
Sara Fischer of Axios had first dibs on the details of the two-year deal extension between NBC Universal and PointsBet USA.
FOTP Scott Longley let it be known yesterday that Cody Luongo’s Sharpr esports newsletter is joining the AndMore.Media family.
Quick Hits
Jake Evans reported for iGaming Next yesterday that DraftKings confirmed the elimination of about 140 jobs, including some based in Ukraine.
The International Betting Integrity Association opened the door to its 2022 Annual Report yesterday. Tennis and soccer continued to produce the highest number of suspicious activities.
Sportradar unveiled this morning a suite of artificial intelligence-led solutions for sportsbook operators.
We welcome back to the GNC dispatch JohnWallStreet, who offered his thoughts on investment in sports betting and other sports businesses in 2023.
It turns out, according to David Purdum and Tristan Cockcroft at ESPN, that Tom Brady is also the GOAT when it comes to betting and fantasy sports (we have more on Gisele Bundchen’s former hubby in Michael Singh’s About the Numbers section).
Light & Wonder Gaming Siobhan Lane got the feature article treatment from Tim Poole at Gambling Insider.
Pierre Lindh chatted with Bad Hombre Gaming CPO Hugh Casey about crypto casinos on the iGaming Next Podcast.
Lindh is also sitting in the host’s chair for the new Yolo Uncovered podcast, with the debut episode looking at investment in the gaming industry.
OddsOn Compliance CEO Eric Frank has a few thoughts on how the U.S. sports betting scene will shake out over the next 11 months.
Tom Osiecki profiled Wondr Nation CEO Anika Howard for the Faces of Gaming series from CDC Gaming Reports.
Angstrom Sports CEO Sion Colley joined Russell Karp and Kevin Twitchell on the latest Sports Betting Conversations podcast.
A paper on compulsive gambling in the stock market, for your reading pleasure.
Tom Waterhouse revisited crypto wagering and the potential opportunities with it.
Stats Perform has renewed its membership with the International Betting Integrity Association.
People on the Move
Shlomo Bialek is the new Vice President of Engineering - SRE and DevOps at The Score.
Darius Eghdami, the former CEO and president of FansUnite Entertainment, has joined Electronic Arts as Senior Director, Business Development.
Mike Morreale was inked last week to a six-year extension as Commissioner of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Severine Riviere is Sportradar’s new Chief People Officer.
PR company Red Knot Communications has made some news of its own, hiring former Sportsnet and TSN fantasy sports analyst and writer Andy MacNamara as an Account Director who will lead Red Knot’s first Canadian office in the city below Vaughan.
Sheryl Swoopes, Derek Jeter and Chelsea Gray (you may have heard of them) have joined the advisory board of directors of Gaming Society.
David Elmore is making his return to Gaming Laboratories International, this time as Head of Commercial Services, North America.
Adam Chibib is replacing David Sambur as the Chair of the Board for PlayAGS.
Maris Cantania, the former head of responsible gambling and research at Kindred Group, is moving to SG:certified as a Safer Gambling Senior Consultant.
A move from the Canadian sports media landscape, where long-time Canadian Press reporter Lori Ewing is headed to the UK to join Reuters Sports.
Justin Hasan has been promoted to Vice President at MKTG Sports & Entertainment.
Technamin names Hmayak Manukyan as its Regional Director for Africa.
Coming soon to a screen/town near you
Two-spirit couple Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson have been confirmed as guest speakers for the March 6-8 BCLC New Horizons in Responsible Gambling conference.
Props to Vancouver law firm Segev LLP for jumping on board as a sponsor for a Poker & Game Night on Feb. 15 to raise money for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. You can register here to attend the evening.
A reminder that the virtual doors have been unlocked to register for the SBC Summit North America.
Registration is now available for the American Gaming Association State of the Industry: Gaming’s Look Ahead webinar on February 15.
Kaizen Gaming and the Global Sport Innovation Center are launching an innovation challenge, and applications are now open.
The Association of Certified Gaming Compliance Specialists is hosting in March a webinar on match-fixing in North America.
You can register tout de suite for the April 19-20 GLI Regulators Roundtable at The Palms Las Vegas.
Classified (Jobs) Information
Rivalry is on a rather robust seek-and-employ mission these days.
Bet99 has an opening for a VIP Promotions & Communications Specialist in Montreal.
The Score is in the market for a Senior Frontend Developer, Retail, and is also looking for a Sports Trader who knows their birdies, pars and bogeys to work at its Gibraltar location.
There’s a remote opportunity in the U.S. being offered by Low6 for a Partner & Game Manager.
Entain is seeking a Cloud Backend Developer on the other side of the pond.
Sports Information Solutions has an opening for a Chief Data Scientist.
Signal Space Lab has an opening in Montreal for a Community Manager - Games.
Gambling.com Group is on the hunt for a Content SEO Associate.
Underdog Fantasy is seeking a CRM Specialist.
The Blue Jays of Toronto have an opening for a Manager, Brand & Digital Marketing.
The Toronto Raptors are in the market for a Social Media Manager.
Red Bull is looking for freelancers in Canada who can write about esports and other gaming activities.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is looking for a Manager, Partnership Development.
Woodbine Entertainment is hiring a Facility Operators Supervisor/Chief Engineer.
The Tiger-Cats of Hamilton are searching for a Director, Corporate Partnerships. The CFL franchise is also looking for a Manager of Marketing & Communications for the 110th Grey Cup.
The Buffalo Sabres are in the market for a Manager of Fan Development.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League has an opening for an Accountant.
Tennis Canada is hiring a Content Manager for its Toronto office.
The Canadian Press (aka the people’s wire service, as per fellow CP Sports alumnus and Toronto Star hoops scribe Doug Smith) is hiring a Sports Writer/Editor.
Florida-based iTech Media is seeking a Sports Editor.
The Ottawa Senators have an opening for a Coordinator, Alumni Community and Player Relations.
About the Numbers
Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, exactly one year to the day that the decorated quarterback first announced that his playing days were coming to an end.
Brady briefly retired in 2021 only to return for one more season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but this time, the 45 year old says he’s done “for good.”
Brady was originally drafted 199th overall in the 2000 draft by the New England Patriots. Over his storied 23-year career, Brady won three NFL MVP awards, was a first-team All-Pro three times, and was selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times.
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