NHL's relationship with sports betting a work in progress
League exec Kyle McMann and Washington Capitals CCO Jim Van Stone weighed in this week on the league's partnerships and products around wagering. Also, Bet99 gets together with GeoComply.
In this issue:
NHL execs tackle betting questions
GeoComply to give Bet99 a hand
SBC to launch doc on Ontario market
Gaming News Canada Show returns today
NHL execs tackle betting questions on eve of regular season
Sports Business Journal hosted a NHL Season Preview virtual event Tuesday with Kyle McMann, the league’s senior VP of global business development, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment CCO Jim Van Stone, who oversees the business side of the Washington Capitals.
The lunch-hour event, with Alex Silverman in the host’s chair, allowed your congenial correspondent to ask a couple of questions of McMann about the ongoing evolution of the league’s involvement with sports betting on both sides of the border in North America. That involvement includes a data partnership with Sportradar that, like every other professional sport, continues to seek deeper and faster ways to get stats and analytics into the hands of sportsbooks and their customers. It includes working with media networks to effectively integrate sports betting into game broadcasts for the benefit of hockey fans who have zero interest in making a same game parlay. And it means dealing with regulators, corporate partners (OLG, FanDuel and BetMGM have agreements in Canada with the NHL), and concerns around sports betting advertising by said partners.
“There are some updated regulations that we’re all facing in Ontario,” said McMann, referring to the new guidelines announced by the province’s alcohol and gaming commission in late August that ban athletes from appearing in sportsbooks’ ad and marketing campaigns. “On a marketing level, it’s an evolving model.
“We know we have a big seat at the table in Canada. . . we’re listening to regulators, and the fans.”
McMann also pointed to the Sportradar relationship, which includes the sports technology’s company ad:s product in finding ways to provide new experiences for existing fans and attract new ones.
“From a product standpoint, it will absolutely continue to evolve. (Sports wagering) is a space that will continue to evolve more broadly than just on the bet itself.”
Monumental Sports & Entertainment has Caesars Sportsbook on board as a partner, highlighted by a bricks-and-mortar sportsbook of almost 19,000 square feet inside Capital One Arena.
“In our building, connectivity is critical. Caesars has transformed the experience for people coming into our building,” Van Stone said. “A retail sportsbook is part of the overall DNA, and they make sure (sports venues) come alive 365 days of the year.”
Van Stone added: “We need to continue being focused on responsible gambling, and educating the marketplace. Things happen so quickly. . . we owe it to the fans to make sure we’re educating them (on betting).”
It’s worth noting that there’s yet to be a bricks-and-mortar sportsbook experience at a sports venue in Ontario.
Also noteworthy was a question from Silverman to McMann and Van Stone about the digitally enhanced dasherboards that the league introduced to game broadcasts last season. Chief business officer Keith Wachtel told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski last month that a couple of tweaks will be made to the technology after the league faced criticism from viewers last season.
“We had 40 years of fixed signage with 24 spots. We can now dice and slice and not have that wallpaper event that’s static during the game,” said McMann. “In Canada, we’re unlocking value we never had for national partners such as Tim Hortons, Scotiabank and Canadian Tire.”
By the by, if you’re an SBJ subscriber, there’s a Q and A between Silverman and Gary Bettman which includes the NHL commish giving his two cents on the future of media rights in pro sports.
Bet99 brings GeoComply on board in Ontario
Two well-known brands in the Canadian gaming space have gotten together.
A communique landed in the Gaming News Canada inbox Tuesday that GeoComply has struck a deal with Bet99 to become the sportsbook/igaming operator’s geolocation provider in Ontario.
“We are thrilled that BET99 has adopted our new technology, which makes geolocation compliance easier than ever for players and easier than ever for BET99 to integrate, helping to keep them compliant, profitable and safe,” GeoComply senior vice president Lindsay Slader said in the news release.
With the agreement, Bet99 lands a partner which has emerged as a leader in the geolocation and fraud-detection sectors of the North American gambling industry.
“We are excited to partner with GeoComply. They have more experience than any other geolocation provider and a commitment to innovation, as evidenced by GeoComply’s new No Download Browser Solution,” said Paul Nyzuk, the chief technology officer for Bet99. “Our priority is ensuring the best player experience while achieving the highest standards in compliance.
“GeoComply’s cutting-edge technology brings tremendous efficiencies so BET99 can achieve these goals.”
As Matthew Lomon of Play Canada reported, GeoComply has BetMGM, Caesars and Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers brand as clients in the regulated Ontario marketplace.
SBC Media cuts its documentary teeth with tale of Ontario
“We were a bit surprised by the number of operators and number of sites. But I think the best surprise was the channelization rate. We achieved 85 per cent in the first year. . . that’s people gambling on legal, licensed sites.” Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White, speaking on The Ontario Frontier: Exploring the iGaming Landscape
SBC has its hands in a plethora of pies when it comes to the business of sports betting and gaming: conferences, webinars, sponsorship, daily news coverage, magazines, podcasts, videos.
And now, a documentary.
The media and events company will release tomorrow morning (10 a.m. ET) on its SBC Global YouTube channel and on the Canadian Gaming Business LinkedIn page: The Ontario Frontier: Exploring the iGaming Landscape. SBC Media’s Nick Ware conducted interviews with the RBC’s White, iGaming Ontario executive director Martha Otton, and PointsBet Canada CEO Scott Vanderwel during the Canadian Gaming Summit in June. The march to the launch of Ontario’s regulated gambling industry in April 2022, the successes and challenges of the market over the first 14 months, and some crystal-ball gazing into the future are among the topics covered in SBC’s first stab at storytelling in a documentary format.
“During my time as a senior journalist for SBC Media’s CasinoBeats website, Ontario’s development had always piqued my interest and I watched its developments closely leading up to the market’s launch, and how the market was performing post-launch,” said James Ross, SBC’s multimedia editor. “The main focus (of the documentary) was to capture the hurdles that were associated with the market launching and also highlighting the successes, stumbling blocks, and casting our eyes into the future of the market.
Having Shelley, Martha and Scott provide their insights also offered us a range of perspectives and, from myself, I can't thank them enough for offering their time."
SBC provided Gaming News Canada with a little peek at the documentary yesterday:
Ross and SBC senior journalist Charlie Horner will join your humble host to speak about the document in an upcoming Gaming News Canada Show podcast presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.
Gaming News Canada Show returns to LinkedIn Audio
The Thursday rendezvous on LinkedIn Audio returns this afternoon with the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. We expect next week’s G2E gathering in Las Vegas will occupy much of the discussion although we’ll also get into the news of the week - and find a way to bring Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce into the conversation for the sake of a GNCS ratings bump. . . .
The first cliche drops shortly after 1 p.m. ET.
Classified (Jobs) Information
Caesars is on a seek-and-employ mission for a Director of Caesars Racebook.
U.S.-based MetaBet is on the lookout for a Director of Business Development.
PointsBet is in hiring mode for a Chief Technology Officer at its home base in Australia.
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is seeking a Senior Specialist, AML QA for a hybrid gig, and also has an opportunity for a Senior Specialist, Research and Insights.
FanDuel has an opening at its New York location for a Compliance Senior Manager, and it’s also looking for a Senior Partnerships Strategic Associate in LA.
Bally’s Interactive is hiring an Affiliate Campaign Manager (Sports & iGaming) for its Toronto office, and a Principal Infrastructure Engineer in Malta.
DraftKings has employment opportunities for a Manager, iGaming Marketing Operations, and an Associate Director of Fraud Product.
TheScore is in search of a Senior Operational Compliance Analyst, and is also on the lookout for an Engineering Manager, Sportsbook Core.
Canadian business Sports IQ Analytics has a remote opportunity for a Sports Trader - U.S. Sports.
Spotlight Sports Group has an opening for an Affiliate Manager (Sports).
The folks at iGaming Next are searching for a Conference Producer.
GBG is hiring a Strategic & Business Planning Manager for its office in Atlanta.
OpTic Gaming has an opening for an Office Manager at its Dallas location.
Malta holding company Lancaster Gaming is hiring a Financial Controller.
Major League Baseball is searching for a Manager, Global Event Operations.
The not-playoff-bound Boston Red Sox are in the market for a Director of Events.
The fledgling Professional Women’s Hockey League has openings for Social Media & Marketing Associate jobs with all six teams.
The WNBA has an opening for a person to lead the league’s Business Development team.
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group is seeking a Senior Manager, Special Events & Sponsorship.
Canucks Sports & Entertainment is in the market for a Communications Manager.
Canada Soccer is looking for a Communications Manager to join the national men’s team.
The NHL Carolina Hurricanes have an opening for a Software Developer.
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