Category Archives: In The Biz

FanDuel Celebrates Massachusetts Mobile Betting Launch with Boston Bruins Partnership

As FanDuel Group launches its leading FanDuel sportsbook app and online experience in Massachusetts, FanDuel is also announcing a new multi-year partnership with the Boston Bruins who named the company an Official Sports Betting Partner. 

Starting today, FanDuel is bringing its best-in-class online sports betting experience to sports fans who are at least 21 years of age in Massachusetts who can now place wagers across football, basketball, baseball, golf, soccer, and tennis with a multitude of betting and payment options available. Customers who sign up for the FanDuel Sportsbook, make a deposit of at least $10 and place a bet of at least $5 will automatically receive $200 in sportsbook Bonus Bets.

“Massachusetts is home to some of the most passionate fan bases across the country and we’re excited to enhance their viewing experience with the launch of the FanDuel Sportsbook app,” said Mike Raffensperger, Chief Commercial Officer, FanDuel Group. “Bruins fans are the true embodiment of that passion and we look forward to supporting the team this season and beyond.”

As an official sports betting partner of the Boston Bruins, FanDuel will be permitted to use the Boston Bruins’ marks. Additionally, FanDuel will have signage both on dasher boards inside the TD Garden and the NHL’s new digitally enhanced dasher boards. The two will also partner together on digital and social media content including homepage takeovers and other exclusive content on Bruins and FanDuel social channels.

“We’re thrilled to welcome FanDuel to the Bruins and TD Garden family,” said Glen Thornborough, Chief Revenue Officer of the Boston Bruins. “With the legalization of sports betting in Massachusetts in January 2023, it’s an exciting time to be partnering with an industry leader in FanDuel.”

The FanDuel Sportsbook app, which is America’s most downloaded and best-rated sportsbook app, is simple, secure and convenient with a number of key features, including:

·        An Innovative Spirit: FanDuel was the first U.S. sportsbook to offer Same Game Parlay™ bets, the first to offer live streaming of sporting events inside a betting app, the first to provide Bad Beat Relief, the first to give early payouts for championship teams, and the originator of the crowdsourced Spread the Love promotion.

·        Customer Focused: FanDuel Sportsbook offers safe and secure banking, lightning-fast payouts, a Cash-Out early feature, and 24/7 customer service.

·        Sports Betting 101: FanDuel Sportsbook has a sports betting guide to help customers learn the ins and outs of legal sports betting.

·        Commitment to Responsible Gaming: FanDuel is the industry leader in promoting responsible play, including in-app tools that allow customers to set time, deposit and wager limits, as well as its PlaySafe site where customers can find additional support services.

Massachusetts becomes the 19th state where FanDuel offers mobile sports betting, joining Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Insider Expeditions, Fandiem Offer Chance To ‘Donate to Win’ McEnroe Tanzania Tennis Experience

Insider Expeditions, a leader in global travel excursions, and Fandiem, a digital fundraising platform that harnesses the power of the fan community to do good in the world, have partnered to give away a trip of a lifetime to a lucky fan and their guest, who will join tennis legends John and Patrick McEnroe on an excursion to Tanzania in December. And the real winners will be The Johnny Mac Tennis Project and Asante Youth Foundation; by “Donating To Win” at fandiem.com/mcenroe, people are automatically entered for the chance to be flown out to Tanzania and experience a seven-night excursion of breathtaking nature coupled with the joy of sports with tennis legends.

The winner and their guest will see the best of Tanzania’s National Parks including the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti which are home to lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, buffalo, and so much more as well as numerous birds and reptiles. They will enjoy and experience nature, wildlife, fauna and flora like never before.

“The ‘Donate to Win’ makes it possible that anyone who pledges support to these two great charities has a chance to be with us in Tanzania” said John McEnroe. “I’m especially proud that this program will benefit organizations that do such important work with children.”

The prize also offers unprecedented access to two of the most iconic individuals in U.S. sports history in the McEnroe brothers. The lucky winners will be witnessing the first professional tennis exhibition ever played in the Serengeti and attending a VIP dinner with both legendary athletes to interact and hear about their experiences on tour.

The expedition is part of a new goodwill, awareness and sport initiative in cooperation and support of the Tanzanian government. The winners will be part of a tour in which the Brothers McEnroe will be accompanied by as many as 120 tennis aficionados which will include the dedication of a tennis court in the Serengeti.

The luxury journey will include a tennis match between the McEnroe brothers in the midst of the Serengeti, one of Africa’s most iconic safari destinations. Unmatched wildlife, local cultures and stunning landscapes combine to produce what is often described as the holiday of a lifetime and coupled with celebrity tennis professionals as hosts—this is truly a once in a lifetime experience. The itinerary includes the best Tanzania’s National Parks including the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti which are home to the Big Five as well as numerous birds and reptiles.

Guests will also join John and Patrick when they visit a traditional Maasai Village to bring good will and cultural exchange and introduce the Maasai youth to the game of tennis as part of a special court dedication.

Travelers will enjoy African hospitality while staying at luxury lodges such as the Four Seasons Serengeti and the Gran Melia. This bucket list tour package includes all gourmet meals on an all-inclusive basis, domestic air, almost daily Safari game drives in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, a welcome reception hosted by the President of Tanzania, tennis themed activities and memories to last a lifetime.

Tennis fans will not want to miss this historic moment in tennis history. This is a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to one of the most majestic landscapes on the planet with tennis legends.

To learn more or join the tour, please visit: https://insiderexpeditions.com/mcenroe.

For Official Rules and entry instructions, including an opportunity to enter without donating, visit fandiem.com/mcenroe. The Sweepstakes will be open through September 13, 2023. *No purchase necessary to enter or win.

Kitman Labs Names Kirk Iwanowski Chief Marketing Officer and Chris Aker Chief Revenue Officer

Kitman Labs, the sports technology and analytics company setting a new industry standard for how high performance organizations use data, today announced the hiring of Kirk Iwanowski and Chris Aker for the newly created positions of Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, respectively. Iwanowski joins Kitman with over 25 years of experience in entertainment, media and technology marketing and brand building, most recently at AnyClip, where he spearheaded their global rebrand and positioning as The Visual Intelligence Company™. Aker brings over 20 years of experience in sales, business development and execution and revenue generation to Kitman Labs, the last 4.5 years building the successful sales and enterprise strategy at Compass.

“Kirk and Chris’ expansive background and track record of success in scaling, brand building and sales will be critical as we grow the business enterprise value of Kitman Labs and tell our story to an expanding global audience,” said Founder and CEO Stephen Smith. “Our goal in the coming years is to continue to partner with elite sports and public sector companies to revolutionize how data and analytics are leveraged across every level of an organization to optimize performance and maximize return. There is no one better to help us map and execute that plan than these two seasoned executives.”

“What Kitman Labs has built under Stephen and his team in terms of integrated performance technology is not only disruptive but clearly becoming the new standard in driving human performance optimization,” Iwanowski said. “While we continue to amplify our story and drive penetration within the Sports vertical, we are equally focused on introducing this technology to other markets where health, wellness and performance data can be aggregated and leveraged to maximize outcomes.”

“The sports performance and data analytics business continues to expand exponentially every year as the technology and the user experience improves, and there is no better company than Kitman Labs to help blaze the trail and drive broad-based adoption of this practice,” Aker added. “I am looking forward to working with Stephen and the team to find even greater ways to grow the business well beyond what was even possible just a few years ago.”

Most recently, Chris Aker was the Chief Sales Officer at Compass, leading what was a small real estate tech firm to a successful IPO, which became the largest brokerage in the United States and a Fortune 500 Company. Prior to that successful venture, he led the global sales organization for Eventbrite across eight different countries to a successful IPO and the largest independent ticketing company in the world. He has a wealth of experience designing and building global sales and success organizations for Facebook (pre and post IPO), Google, Skype (pre-Microsoft), IBM, and Toshiba as well.

Kirk Iwanowski joined AnyClip in 2021, concurrent with the company’s expansion as a global SaaS company leveraging its proprietary AI technology to power advanced video solutions for business. He oversaw all branding, marketing, demand and lead generation, design, corporate and public relations, thought leadership, as well as the go-to-market strategy for its growing suite of solutions across multiple verticals, internationally. Prior to AnyClip, Kirk was CMO and EVP of EPIX for MGM Studios, prior to its recent acquisition by Amazon. At EPIX, under the ownership of MGM, Paramount and Lionsgate, he was widely recognized for helping the brand evolve from a singular movie channel to a full premium entertainment service while also effectively introducing the network to a mass television and streaming consumer audience on the heels of MGM’s $1B+ acquisition of the network in 2017. Prior to joining EPIX, Iwanowski served as the SVP, Marketing of Bill Pohlad’s Apparition Pictures and GK Film’s FilmDistrict. Earlier, he was EVP of Marketing at Sundance Channel for a decade, a joint venture of Robert Redford, NBC Universal and CBS. As a key member of the company’s Executive Management Team, Iwanowski helped lead the sale of the network to Cablevision/AMC Networks in 2008.

These new senior hires follow other recent business strategy moves Kitman Labs have undertaken. That includes the successful close of a $52M Series C funding round, led by Guggenheim Investments, a global asset investment and advisory firm with more than $259 billion* in assets under management and two strategic acquisitions of The Sports Office and Presagia Sports, both made in the last two years. The combined companies represent the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organizations (700+) and created the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.

FanDuel Teams Up with Major League Baseball as New Official Sports Betting Partner

As fans eagerly await the return of baseball, Major League Baseball (MLB) and FanDuel Group, the premier online gaming company in North America, today announced a multi-year partnership making its industry-leading sportsbook a co-exclusive Official Sports Betting Partner of MLB. FanDuel will have the right to use official MLB branding and category designations both in its products, including FanDuel’s Sportsbook, Daily Fantasy and FanDuel Faceoff platforms and in its marketing campaigns. FanDuel has worked with Major League Baseball as an Authorized Gaming Operator of the league since 2019.

Starting this season, FanDuel will bring fans’ viewing and wagering experiences closer than ever before by streaming MLB.TV’s Free Game of the Day through both FanDuel’s sportsbook app and on FanDuel’s OTT platform FanDuel+ (local blackout restrictions apply). The company will also have the right to use highlights both in product and as part of original programming on FanDuel TV. The partnership will also create new opportunities for MLB and FanDuel to collaborate on projects for other sponsor partners of both FanDuel and MLB platforms, as well as to work together to bring consumers new sports betting product innovations to drive deeper fan engagement.

“As one of the top sportsbooks in America, FanDuel has been an industry leader in innovative fan engagement opportunities while also reminding them of the importance of doing it responsibly,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB Executive Vice President, Media & Business Development. “These key priorities of unique fan engagement and responsible gambling align with our focus from the league level and make FanDuel a natural partner to collaborate with as an Official Sports Betting Partner.”

“The baseball fan is one of the most engaged in all of sports, which is why we’re delighted to be the new sports betting partner of Major League Baseball. Our team is eager to showcase FanDuel in nationally broadcast MLB games and help enhance game narratives and bring America’s Pastime directly into our mobile app and OTT platform for fans to watch and wager,” said Christian Genetski, President, FanDuel Group. “We’re also very excited about the opportunity to work together with MLB on new betting product innovations that will give customers the opportunity to enhance their experience on every pitch from March until October.”

FanDuel also believes it’s critical to lead from the front on responsible gambling (RG) and safer play. FanDuel will continue these efforts through this in partnership with Major League Baseball. As part of this agreement, the two companies plan to drive greater advocacy and awareness of the importance of gambling responsibly. For more information on FanDuel Group and the commitment to responsible play please visit https://www.fanduel.com/playwell. 

MLB is committed to ensuring that fans who choose to wager also have the tools and resources necessary to bet responsibly. As such, MLB is a partner to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign to educate fans and broaden the league’s responsible gaming efforts. MLB also has an expanded partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), serving as a Platinum Member and a part of the group’s Leadership Circle.

NLL Names Kurt Hunzeker Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced industry veteran Kurt Hunzeker has been named to the newly created position of Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations. Hunzeker brings more than 20 years of executive sales, marketing, and brand building to the NLL, most recently as Vice President, Minor League Business Operations for Major League Baseball. He will report directly to NLL Commissioner Brett Frood and will begin his work this week.

“The National Lacrosse League is enjoying a post-pandemic rebirth on and off the field, as evidenced by our rise in attendance and revenue, media exposure and the expansion of partnership programs by our teams,” Commissioner Frood said. “Kurt has the perfect blend of creative and practical business experience to help us capitalize on this next vital phase of enterprise growth. His experience with disruptive properties like the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks, and with emerging businesses like MiLB, provide the right mix to help shape and grow the NLL business and promotional platforms like never before.”

“I look at the NLL as a property that has exactly what brands and consumers want—fast paced excitement, great athletes, a growing fan base, a solid ownership structure, and great media partners in ESPN and TSN—and I am looking forward to helping the League realize its business and brand potential beyond what exists today,” Hunzeker said. “The industry has heard about the emerging growth of lacrosse as a sport, now it’s time for the NLL to push the narrative to an even wider audience, while continuing to engage and develop that stronger base of fans who have enjoyed the NLL for years.”

Hunzeker joins the NLL after overseeing all business-driving and revenue-generating functions of MLB’s restructured player development system and its 120 MiLB teams since 2021, including: national commercial sales and partnership activation, marketing and communications, content strategy and creation, media production and multimedia platforms, community relations and fan engagement, ticketing strategy, licensed consumer products, and ecommerce. He also authored the initial five-year business strategy and activation plan for MiLB’s new centralized business fully integrated within MLB, and generated the most commercial revenue in MiLB’s 122-year history in 2022.

It was Hunzeker’s second successful stint in baseball, having served as Vice President, Marketing Strategy and Research for Minor League Baseball from January 2015 to June 2019 where he built, enacted and measured the go-to-market corporate partnership and fan engagement strategies, focused on brand amplification, consumer acquisition, and unprecedented revenue growth for MiLB’s national commercial sales and marketing enterprise representing all 160 MiLB communities at the time. He led the creation of MiLB Copa de la Diversión™ (the “Fun Cup”), and designed and implemented MiLB’s 10-year strategic marketing plan in 2017, including its first-ever national campaign, MiLB It’s Fun to Be a Fan®, amplifying all 160 MiLB Clubs’ fan recruitment and engagement efforts.

Between his time at MiLB and MLB, Kurt was President of the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL, leading the team to landmark growth for the startup league before it was shut down due to the pandemic. The BattleHawks were the XFL’s leader in almost all business categories, surpassing all sales, social media and marketing goals by as much as 97% before the league shutdown. That success also included the signing of a record 12 Founding Partnerships, including national brands with deep, local market connections such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, Centene and McDonald’s.

The St. Louis native and University of Missouri graduate was also Senior Director, Brand Marketing for the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company for four years before MiLB, where he managed the global brand marketing and media buying efforts for the iconic sports brand, focusing on creating engagement platforms targeting next-level players, coaches and parents to maximize brand awareness, drive purchase intent and generate revenues with high potential consumers worldwide.

Sports Gambling Podcast Network Uses Short-Form Video To The Max

Sports Gambling Podcast Network’s (SGPN) latest offering of short-form content on YouTube has grown seven-fold over the last three months and is tracking to hit 750,000 views before the end of the year, outpacing industry growth metrics significantly as the college football season heads down the stretch and pro football hits the midpoint of its season.

The sports wagering industry’s leading independent provider of free analysis and picks, SGPN registered a record-breaking September and continues to see growth across multiple platforms. With over 6,350 subscribers on YouTube and over 100,000 followers over multiple platforms, SGPN has seen the number of views of shortform videos on YouTube alone go from 33,500 in August to over 208,700 in October.

A recent Instagram story featuring SGPN co-hosts and co-founders Sean Green and Ryan Kramer discussing Tom Brady’s recent struggles off the field is set to hit 1 million views alone.

Its model of sophisticated, entertaining, no-cost content resonates strongly with the growing audience of sports fans interested in the legal wagering boom sweeping the United States. Another boost is expected when the World Cup in Qatar begins Sunday, driving audience to The World Cup Gambling Podcast, which hit the airwaves on November 13. It provides users with in-depth wagering and picks around the biggest sporting event in soccer and one of the biggest in the world.

A key component of the SGPN success is the community they’ve created by offering completely free content spanning the full scope of bettable sports. Many SGPN competitors are designed to drive visitors to sign up for wagering accounts at various sportsbook websites, a revenue-generating approach that is transaction-oriented as opposed to relationship-oriented. The evidence that it is working is the dramatic audience growth on multiple platforms.

“Our sponsors and advertisers invest in our audience size and then find additional value in the response from our followers, who connect their products favorably to SGPN and its unbeatable value proposition of great information and guidance at no cost,” said Sean Green, co-founder and CEO who is now in his second decade with the company.

“We’ve found the short-form video to be a sweet spot because it enables us to provide the sports gambling content in an efficiently entertaining way as we cover sports news as it relates to betting the games,” added Ryan Kramer, co-founder of SGPN and an analytics geek in the art of picking winners. “This time of year is crazy with all the action. We’re proud of the depth and frequency of the content we produce.”

The news of the growth on YouTube comes one month after SGPN set a company record of 1.1 million downloads in September. That is more than twice (2.44x) the number of downloads experienced in September of 2021. For 2022, SGPN has seen over 6.5 million downloads from fans, already surpassing last year’s company record of three million downloads.

SGPN’s new World Cup podcast is hosted by Malcolm Bamford, who is advancing the event now and will break down game winners and totals with other insights once the competition begins. He’ll also dive into other wagering options that will help bettors find some easy money in the blockbuster international spectacle that is slated for major cover here in the United States, continuing through the championship game on Sunday, Dec. 18.

According to the American Gaming Association’s inaugural survey on World Cup wagering, an estimated 20.5 million American adults plan to bet a total of $1.8 billion on the upcoming World Cup, adding that 72 percent of bettors plan to place traditional bets either online, with a bookie or at a physical sportsbook.

Sportshandle.com: California Sports Gambling Initiative Among Greatest Losses in State Election History

Despite a record of nearly $500 million spent and raised – the most expensive ballot in U.S. history – to bring sports betting to California, a new Sportshandle.com story reports that the initiative was one of the worst losses in the state’s election history.

If passed, Prop 27 would have modified the state’s constitution to legalize mobile wagering.

Overall, the 83% to 17% defeat ranks as one of the most lopsided in the state’s history, making Prop 27 among the 99.6th percentile in terms of the scale of the loss, dating back more than a century to 1910.  

SportsHandle.com’s Mark Saxon goes in-depth on Prop 27 ranking No. 6 all-time as the worst bill ever in the state of California.  The only propositions that have fared worse than Prop 27 fared at the voting include:

  • Prop 101 (1988)
  • Prop 24 (1914)
  • Prop 13 (1940)
  • Prop 24 (1938)
  • Prop 5 (1922)

A link to Saxon’s column can be accessed by clicking here – California Wagering Initiatives Made The Worst Kind Of History

MSG Networks Announces Lineup of Sports Betting Focused-Simulcasts of Knicks and Rangers Games

MSG Networks today announced a lineup of sports-betting focused simulcasts of select Knicks and Rangers games this season. The alternative broadcasts presented by DraftKings will air on MSGSN alongside the traditional game telecasts on MSG, featuring real-time commentary and analysis through the sports betting lens. The first BetCast will air tonight at 7:30pm ET when the Knicks take on Atlanta at home.

The schedule will include a total of 12 BetCasts between the Knicks and Rangers, which will mark the first time MSG Networks produces a sports betting-focused simulcast of an NHL game. The network debuted the BetCast during the 2021-2022 NBA season, offering the simulcast for five Knicks games.

The alternate Knicks telecasts will feature a rotating mix of sports betting experts and on-air talent from the network’s roster of shows, including Alex Monaco, Keiana Martin, Sean Little, Erik Coleman, Jeff Johnson, Harrison Sanford, Kazeem Famuyide and eight-year NBA veteran John Henson. The hosts will deliver live reaction to all the betting action on the game from the spread, team totals, player props and more, as well as provide in-game updates to the odds and lines as they move throughout the night.

The first hockey BetCast will air on Monday, December 5th at 7:00pm ET for the Rangers’ game against St. Louis. Rangers reporter Michelle Gingras and former Rangers and Devils center and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Scott Gomez will break down the play on the ice from a sports betting perspective.

MSG Networks will integrate DraftKings odds into the BetCasts, as well as highlight specific bets and parlays on the air that will be available for viewers exclusively within the DraftKings Sportsbook app. The simulcasts are also expected to include appearances by various on-air personalities from DraftKings.

All BetCast coveragewill also be available to view on MSG GO, the network’s live streaming and video on demand platform.

photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Bellet

National Lacrosse League, TSN Announce 2022-23 ‘NLL Game of The Week on TSN’ Schedule

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the world’s largest and most successful professional lacrosse league, and TSN, Canada’s Sports Leader, today revealed the schedule of the “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” broadcasts on its linear channels for the upcoming 2022-23 regular season. The slate of 20 marquee matchups begins with Philadelphia at Halifax (Friday, December 2, 6 p.m. ET) and Vancouver at Toronto (Saturday, December 3, 5 p.m. ET) during Face Off Weekend next month. In addition to the NLL Game of the Week broadcasts, TSN will continue to provide live streaming coverage of every game of the NLL regular season and postseason for fans across Canada on TSN’s digital platforms, TSN.ca and the TSN app.

Each of the five Canada-based franchises will make numerous appearances on the “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” schedule, and all 20 games will be played on the home floor of one of the Canadian teams. Eight of the games will feature two Canadian teams and 12 will pit a U.S. based club vs. a Canadian side. Eight of the 10 U.S. franchises are scheduled to appear.

“Reaction to last year’s NLL Game of the Week on TSN broadcasts was tremendous, and we’re pleased to again partner with TSN to provide a stellar lineup of games, starting with Face Off Weekend,” said NLL Commissioner Brett Frood. “In addition to showcasing the tremendous home venues and passionate fan bases of our five Canadian clubs, we are excited to present the game’s most intense rivalries and a cross-section of the league’s top talent to our audiences throughout the country.”

The NLL and TSN have also announced the broadcast teams for this season. Back on the call will be Jon Abbott, Pat Gregoire and Ashley Docking on most of the eastern based games, while the team of Teddy Jenner, Brad Challoner and Shantelle Chand will handle the majority of the western games.

The “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” schedule is as follows and is available on the NLL and TSN official websites (schedule subject to change, all times ET).

• Friday, December 2, Philadelphia @ Halifax, 6 p.m.
• Saturday, December 3, Vancouver @ Toronto, 5 p.m.
• Saturday, December 10, Vancouver @ Calgary, 9:30 p.m.
• Friday, December 16, Calgary @ Vancouver, 10 p.m.
• Friday, December 30, San Diego @ Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Friday, January 13, Albany @ Halifax, 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, January 28, Toronto @ Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Saturday, February 4, New York @ Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, February 4, Saskatchewan @ Vancouver, 10 p.m.
• Friday, February 10, Saskatchewan @ Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Friday February 17, Calgary @ Vancouver, 10 p.m.
• Saturday February 25, Vancouver @ Saskatchewan, 8 p.m.
• Friday, March 3, Buffalo @ Halifax, 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 11, Albany @ Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 1, Buffalo @ Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 8, Panther City @ Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Friday, April 14, Las Vegas @ Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Saturday, April 15, Philadelphia @ Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 22, New York @ Halifax OR Colorado @ Saskatchewan, (TBD Flex) 
• Saturday, April 29, New York @ Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Other highlights of the 2022-23 NLL Game of the Week on TSN schedule include:
• Long-time Roughneck Curtis Dickson will make his anticipated return to Calgary on December 30 after leaving in free agency this offseason for San Diego.
• A Saturday doubleheader will see several of the best stars in the NLL play all in the same day on February 4 as 2022 NLL Rookie of the Year Jeff Teat and the Riptide will play Tom Schreiber and the Rock. Following that game, Mark Matthews and the Rush will take on Keegan Bal and the Warriors.
• In a rematch from last season’s thrilling East Conference Finals, the Bandits will play the Rock on April 1 in what could decide the top spot in the conference as the league enters the last month of the regular season.
• The NLL’s 15th and newest franchise playing in their inaugural season, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, will play in front of a national Canadian audience against the Roughnecks on April 14.

The full NLL regular season schedule is available at https://www.nll.com/schedule/full-schedule/.

Q&A with Tanner Simkins, CEO Complete SET Agency

Tanner Simkins is the founder and CEO of Complete SET agency, a hybrid and entertainment firm that works with multinational brands, world-class athletes, platinum entertainers, and more. Simkins has agreed to sit down and weigh in on what he calls his innovative agency model a think tank of sports and entertainment representation.

What inspired you to get into sports representation?

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and played sports my whole life. My dad was a star three athlete, and I still hear stories about his glory days. My mom was the lead majorette for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The influence of sports was there from an early age for me. Growing up, my brother was always the better basketball player, so the plan was for him to go pro, and for me to be his agent. 

Fast forward a bit – my brother is now a super successful real estate finance exec, and I’m just trying to keep the dream alive! I am so proud of what I’ve built with Complete SET Agency. We go head to head with some of the biggest companies in the world and, despite being out-funded and outsourced, we continue to win clients in sports representation and consulting. 

What experiences early in your career helped to shape your focus on becoming a sports agent?

While I am a certified sports agent, I prefer the entrepreneur description because I am the CEO of the company and I do so much more in business. Everyone wants to work in sports, and being an athlete or a fan is no qualification; you have got to bring value to the table. For me, the hustle needed to make it to the top echelon of this industry was appealing. 

I was told early on by a mentor that to be an elite sports exec, you have to be “the 1% of 1%”. I embraced the challenge and each of my educational or career steps since has been intentional and strategic. I lean into the unconventional, which this career path very much is. 

How does an agency like Complete SET help athletes and brands?

I lead Complete SET Agency like a think tank. I always want to be at the frontier of new trends and developments. If there is a way I can disrupt the marketplace or innovate somewhere, that’s the route I take. Many competitor agencies operate with what I believe is an antiquated model – so doing things differently and boldly is my comparative advantage. 

It’s part expertise, part sweat equity, part authenticity, part charisma – and I package that up into a suite of services which looks one way for athletes and differently for our brand clients. It’s about pushing the envelope on cutting edge technologies and trends. My commitment to this type of mentality usually gets the meeting, and after that, it’s time to deliver. 

How did some previous experience like with the Miami Heat and elsewhere help shape your future career?

I am an interdisciplinarian. It’s just my curious nature to develop a lot of skills and juggle a lot of things. I was at University of Miami wrapping up my dual undergraduate degree when I was working full time for the Miami Heat. Technically I was an intern, but I was doing it all, and I loved that. We ended up winning the NBA Championship that year, so I like to joke that I have a perfect winning record, because that was my one season with the club. 

Then I went to Columbia University for my grad degree and I utilized my position as an Ivy League student to my advantage. I was freelancing, doing contracted sports projects for big time companies like Bloomberg and Time Magazine. I was doing some sports finance and venture capital work about this time as well. I was lucky enough to work for legend Joe Favorito and he introduced me to heavy hitters, like Harvey Schiller for example and many others. 

It was doing good and reliable work for these types of people and companies that allowed me to build a book of consulting business, which I eventually rolled up to create Complete SET Agency. I got certified in all the pro basketball and football leagues shortly thereafter to add in the athlete representation dynamic to my agency. We have been rolling ever since! 

How have you seen Complete SET change the course of your clients’ careers?

I know what it is like to chase a dream, to put your heart and soul into a goal like being a pro athlete. So it is very rewarding to be able to help my clients. I have terrific client testimonials crediting my support and good work to their career success, which is always very special to hear. We don’t stop there, though; we work with our clients throughout their post-playing career to pursue business opportunities and philanthropic efforts. 

What is something you’re excited about for the future of Complete SET Agency?

Onward and upward! We are going to continue to scale. I have already been approached with some acquisition offers so I imagine the bigger agencies will continue to be interested in the work I am doing. As for now, no exit plans are in place. My focus is on increasing dealflow, creating disruptive innovation, and bringing bold ideas to the solutions I provide to clients. 

Entain Data Reveals Huge Rise In Popularity Of Betting On Formula 1

Entain, the global sports betting, gaming, and interactive entertainment group, reports a surge in popularity for bets on Formula 1 with a record-breaking year on the cards. Data from Entain between 2018 and 2022 reveals that:

· The total number of Entain customers betting on Formula 1 increased 50 per cent from 2018 to 2021, and the total number of bets on each season has grown by 30 per cent
· Most customers who bet on Formula 1 between 2018 and 2021 were from the UK (35 per cent), Brazil (17 per cent), Germany (17 per cent) and Spain (5 per cent)
· Entain has seen an 18 per cent increase from 2021 to 2022 in the number of UK customers betting on Formula 1, with four races still yet to go in the 2022 season
· The British Grand Prix in July 2022 saw a 121 per cent increase compared with 2018, and there has been a four-fold increase in the number of bets on a winner at the race
· This trend replicates the spike in popularity of the sport across streaming and multimedia platforms. According to Formula 1, it was the fastest-growing major sports league in terms of follower growth in 2021. Followers on social media platforms increased 40 per cent to 49.1 million, with video views up 50 per cent to 7 billion and total engagement up 74 per cent to 1.5 billion.

Dom Grounsell, Chief Commercial Officer at Entain, said: “Our customers are finding Formula 1 an increasingly exciting sport to participate in – numbers are growing year on year, in line with the popularity of the sport. This has no doubt been helped by the hugely successful Netflix Formula 1 Drive to Survive series. We’re looking forward to the next stage of Formula 1’s exhilarating journey, and with our bench-strength of global sporting brands, are perfectly placed to keep our customers entertained and close to the action.”

Whilst the marked rise in popularity of motor racing is exciting for Entain, the interactive entertainment group works hard to ensure its customers are enjoying the thrill of the race while staying safe and playing within their limits. Entain’s industry-leading player protection programme, Advanced Responsibility and Care™, uses artificial intelligence to anticipate and identify potential problems and lead players back to safety.

Telemundo Rolls Out The Future Is Futbol, A Comprehensive Report On The State Of Soccer

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises today released a timely report titled The Future Is Fútbol to define and characterize the fundamental shift in the importance of soccer in mainstream American sports and the role Latinos are playing in this economic, cultural and media phenomenon. The Future Is Fútbol report draws on primary and secondary research and data collection, including quantitative surveys and an innovative neuroscience study among bilingual Hispanics. To view the full report please click here.

Fútbol has an estimated 5 billion fans around the world and 85 million adult followers in the U.S. Gallup estimates that soccer has seen a significant increase in popularity, with a gain of 52% more fans from 2012 to 2019, compared to 27% growth in basketball and 8% growth in baseball during this period. Fueled by its growing popularity among young people and women in particular, as well as Latinos overall, the sport is benefiting from the tailwinds of growth driven by the FIFA World Cup 2022TM – kicking off in November in Qatar – and the tournament’s arrival in the U.S. in 2026.

“Fútbol is the sport of America’s future. Soccer is growing in the U.S. and Hispanics are clearly leading the way,” said Monica Gil, Chief Administrative and Marketing Officer, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. “Every four years, the FIFA World Cup TM brings Latinos and non-Latinos together with a spirit and intensity that no other sporting event in the world can match. There is no more authentic way to experience the World Cup than in Spanish. For companies and brands seeking real cultural connection and a space to engage Latinos, soccer and the FIFA World Cup TM are the place to be, this fall and for years to come.”

According to the report, the World Cup is considered more important among Hispanic World Cup viewers than any other sporting event, including the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Olympic Games, or the NBA Finals. FIFA reported that the 2018 FIFA World CupTM reached over half the global population with 3.57 billion viewers. In 2018, the World Cup had its greatest 32-day performance in Spanish-language media history, with a commanding total U.S. audience reach of 37 million.

The Future Is Fútbolfurther highlights the power of soccer as a multibillion-dollar business with profits of $40 billion in 2019, twice the worldwide revenue for American football. Fans follow players and teams year-round as celebrities and representatives of national origin and sources of local pride. U.S. soccer fans spend 7% more than the average American sports fan on team sports clothing, tickets, sports equipment, and memorabilia. In 2021, soccer matches were available almost every day, with only six days without a match on broadcast TV, a phenomenon that offers brands, retailers and advertisers alike an advantage like no other sports property.

Other key themes highlighted in The Future Is Fútbol include:

  • Latinos Fueling Growth – Latinos have driven shifts in the U.S. population over the last decade. As their influence grows, so does soccer’s popularity. Hispanics and other diverse fans bring with them a love for soccer that has been part of their story for generations, shaped by history and now representing the next breakthrough in mainstream American sports.
    • Among U.S. Latinos ages 16 and older, almost three-quarters (73%) say they are soccer fans, and three times more Hispanics call themselves Superfans (22%) compared to non-Hispanics (7%).
    • More than half (53%) of Latinos ages 16 and older and nearly 1 out of 3 non-Latinos (29%) say they plan to watch the FIFA World Cup 2022.
    • Latinos rank both soccer (57%) and American football (59%) well above basketball (45%) and baseball (40%).
  • “Fútbol is Everything” Culture
  • 61% of Hispanic World Cup viewers are fútbol Enthusiasts, regular fans or superfans, who say that if their team won the World Cup, their euphoria would be unmatched, an experience more exciting than getting their dream job or getting married.
  • Over half (57%) of Hispanic Enthusiasts say they have reshuffled their priorities to watch an important game, including skipping family or friend events, taken off work, spent money they did not have or traveled miles to watch an important match.
  • The FIFA World Cup TM is as big as a holiday. Soccer gatherings are momentous among Latino Enthusiasts who rank the event second only to Christmas, more significant than Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
  • Biggest Multi-Platform Sporting Event –The ability of fans to watch and engage on any screen has a monumental impact on the growing FIFA World Cup TM fandom. Soccer media coverage and content have increased exponentially to meet the demand for more high-quality live, virtual and social fan experiences 24/7.
    • The FIFA World Cup 2022TM is expected to be the world’s biggest multi-platform sports event ever. The incremental viewership from live streaming helped make the 2018 FIFA World CupTM the biggest multi-platform sports event in Spanish-language history.
    • 67% of Hispanic viewers plan to watch the World Cup on broadcast TV, and 42% plan to stream the matches.
    • Television is the preferred device for Hispanics to watch the World Cup (90%), followed by smartphone (34%) and computer (17%).
  • The Power of Spanish – For most Hispanic fans, Spanish is the language and culture of fútbol. Viewers describe Spanish-language soccer commentators as excellent storytellers, utterly poetic and animated about what is happening on the field.
    • Over half (56%) of U.S. Hispanic World Cup viewers prefer watching the FIFA World CupTM in Spanish.
    • Even 1 out of 5 English-dominant Hispanic World Cup viewers prefer to watch in Spanish.
    • Spanish is not exclusive to Hispanics because 17% of non-Latino tournament viewers said they would watch some of the matches in Spanish as well, an increase of 12% over 2018.
    • According to a brain neuroscience study conducted among U.S. bilingual Hispanics, watching a World Cup match with Spanish commentary generated 15% greater likeability, keeping fans glued to their screens longer than watching the identical match in English.
      • Key game moments, like the iconic goal call by the Spanish commentator, prompted an average of 37% greater emotional intensity compared to English, making the “highs” higher and the “lows” lower.
      • The effects of Spanish game commentary also transferred to advertising. In the study, the identical ad, when played in Spanish had 19% higher likeability and 49% greater emotional intensity vs. English.
  • Latinas Are Watching and Bringing Their Kids – Hispanic women are an untapped opportunity among soccer viewers.
  • Four in ten (41%) U.S. Latinas say they are likely to watch the FIFA World Cup 2022TM.
  • 76% of Hispanic mom tournament viewers encourage their kids to follow the World Cup and professional fútbol.
  • Hispanic females are passionate fans and together comprised 17 million Spanish-network FIFA World CupTM viewers in 2018, making the tournament the most-watched Latina sporting event in Spanish-language history.
  • Among the World Cup audience, a fifth (21%) of Latinas call themselves Superfans, which is far greater than both non-Hispanic males (10%) and non-Hispanic females (8%).
  • And Latino viewing is a family affair, with 70% of Latino parent event viewers saying it’s important to watch the FIFA World CupTM in Spanish with their kids.
  • First-Choice Sport of Young People in the U.S. – Soccer has become the fastest-growing major team sport among all high school students and is the most popular among Hispanic high schoolers.
    • High school soccer participation increased 32% from 2002 to 2019, far more than the average growth of basketball (-6%), American football (-2%), baseball (6%), or ice hockey (7%).
    • Soccer is egalitarian, considering that high school girls play almost as much as boys, with participation growing 31% for girls versus 33% for boys from 2002 to 2019. There were 394,105 high school girls who played soccer in 2019, a figure not far behind the 459,077 high school boys who played.
    • Soccer is currently the most popular team sport among 40% of Hispanic high school students who say they played or were planning to play the sport in 2020, compared to 21% of all high school students.

Global and inclusive, growing across women and youth, fútbol is poised to redefine the American sports landscape. After years of wins, both large and small, fútbol is coming of age at the moment when millions of Latinos and fútbol fans of all backgrounds stand ready to watch, engage and lead the way.

Telemundo Deportes is the exclusive Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ taking place in Qatar this Fall, starting Nov. 20. The network is prepared to deliver the most ambitious coverage in Spanish-language history with all 64 matches live, including all four games on Thanksgiving Day. Peacock will stream all the Spanish-language World Cup matches live, and will feature pre-game and post-game coverage, as well as special programming with extended interviews and highlights.

FanDuel Group Launches FanDuel TV With Kay Adams

FanDuel Group, the premier online gaming company in North America, announced today its intent to launch FanDuel TV which will include a broadly distributed linear cable television network, and its new OTT platform to be known as FanDuel+. Both FanDuel TV and FanDuel+ will go live in September of this year and become the first linear/digital network dedicated to sports wagering content and delivering more live sports programming than any other network in America. As part of the launch, FanDuel TV is excited to welcome Kay Adams who will headline the network with a live daily morning show five days per week. Adams, who previously served as a host of Good Morning Football on the NFL Network will host the show from FanDuel TV’s Los Angeles studios each day at 11:00 am EDT. As part of the launch, the company announced that FanDuel+ will be free to download for existing FanDuel customers with accounts on any of its sportsbook, casino, horse racing or daily fantasy platforms.

“FanDuel TV is the first network designed from the ground up to be watched by viewers with their phone in hand,” said Mike Raffensperger, Chief Commercial Officer, FanDuel. “We intend for FanDuel TV to sit at the intersection of live sports and interactive content and believe Kay is the best example of an on-air talent who can bring fans closer to the narratives of the games they care about most. Our goal is to provide fans compelling programming to watch and wager on in tandem with our mobile app.”

Kay Adams Headlines New Morning Show

Adams will host her own hour long show Monday through Friday, welcoming guests and a wide range of personalities from across sports and entertainment. She looks forward to continuing her well-established track record of entertaining and informing sports fans in the morning! Daily viewers can expect the same “Hey Kay Adams” energy as always, and the daily studio show will also be available on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Pat McAfee and the Squad at PMI to Produce Original Content

FanDuel TV is excited that one of the hottest and most influential people in sports media Pat McAfee and his team at PMI Network will also be joining the party!  McAfee’s PMI Network will be producing fresh new content as part of the network’s weekly block of programming.  Details regarding new PMI Network content will be shared by Pat on The Pat McAfee Show when it’s ready for primetime!

Programming from Bill Simmons’ The Ringer Network

As part of the launch of FanDuel TV, the company has reached a programming agreement with The Ringer providing FanDuel TV content from one of the industry’s most listened to and followed sports and pop-culture podcasts and digital networks. Details on specific content from The Ringer, which Bill Simmons founded in 2016, will be disclosed in the future. 

More Ways to Win with Lisa Kerney

In addition, FanDuel’s signature sports betting show More Ways to Win will continue to be hosted by former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lisa Kerney bringing sports betting analysis and insight of the major sports leagues to viewers each week. More Ways to Win has been a cornerstone of FanDuel’s programming with Kerney covering a variety of sports content focused on the sports wagerer in her high energy style. A FanDuel brand ambassador, Kerney has appeared recently in the company’s baseball ads and hosted the company’s FanFest event, which was streamed live from Los Angeles to more than 300,000 viewers during the week of Super Bowl LVI.

“Having proven on-air talent, live content from the most influential name in sports media in Pat McAfee and the industry’s best team covering horse racing today demonstrates that FanDuel TV will be a dynamic network from day one,” said Amy Howe, Chief Executive Officer, FanDuel Group.   

New Live Sports Programming

FanDuel TV intends to become the new home of international basketball in the U.S. As part of a licensing agreement with Sportradar, FanDuel TV and FanDuel+ will air more than 3,000 hours of live sports including international basketball league action from the National Basketball League (NBL) Australia’s professional league, the Chinese Basketball League, as well as the French and German pro leagues.

Stable of Horse Racing Experts  

FanDuel TV will emerge from predecessor TVG Network, a channel synonymous with delivering racing excellence for the past quarter century. In keeping with its proud TVG lineage as the unquestioned home of horse racing, FanDuel TV will feature a stacked lineup of unparalleled coverage from respected experts including Christina Blacker, Britney Eurton, Gabby Gaudet, Mike Joyce, Todd Schrupp and the rest of TVG’s award-winning on-air talent roster.  FanDuel TV’s programming schedule will be underpinned with the best live coverage from the top tracks including Gulfstream, Del Mar, Keeneland, Pimlico, Santa Anita and many more. FanDuel TV will also deliver unmatched coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this November, hosted at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.

“TVG has been the undisputed leader in the horse racing space for the past 20 years and the launch of FanDuel TV creates an exciting new platform for the next 20 years,” added Raffensperger. “FanDuel TV and FanDuel+ will accelerate the renaissance racing is enjoying and repackage the sport for a new generation of mobile enabled fans, while also bringing new leagues and sports to the U.S. market.  We plan to offer more live sports than any network in America.”

FanDuel TV will be broadly distributed on linear television through its relationships with the industry’s leading cable and satellite distributors including Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum, Verizon FIOS, DirectTV, DISH, Cox Communications, FuboTV, YouTubeTV, and Hulu. FanDuel+ will also be widely available on direct-to-consumer OTT platforms including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire. For more information on FanDuel TV programming and news, follow @FanDuelTV on Twitter and Instagram.

SGPNTV debuts in 150 million homes

The Sports Gambling Podcast Network’s flagship program, The Sports Gambling Podcast with Sean Green and Ryan Kramer, will be available to some 150 million additional viewers next month as the free sports gambling content provider launches SGPNTV on the popular TV streaming platforms Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV.

The launch of SGPNTV is set for Thursday, September 1, just in time for the 2022 NFL and college football seasons. The Sports Gambling Podcast will air its final NFL Predictions Show during a live stream at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT that day.  Additionally, all 32 NFL team previews previously produced by SGPN will also be available On Demand on the day of launch. Future episodes of The Sports Gambling Podcast will be available daily on SGPNTV. Additional SGPN podcasts are expected to be available on SGPNTV in the coming months. 

SGPNTV, which is free to download and watch, adds approximately 150 million more streamers to the potential viewership during a time when more and more states are making sports gambling legal. Currently, 30 states plus the District of Columbia allow sports betting, while five more states have approved the legislation and are awaiting its launch, and three more have bills pending.

“We’ve found a sizable audience and it’s growing, so this is another step in our journey as the top independent, always-free provider of sports betting content,” said SPGN co-founder Green, who has experience as a Hollywood show writer and comedian. Green funded the growth of SGPN five years ago when he won $200,000 in a DraftKings daily fantasy contest.

The American Gaming Association estimated that 31.4 million Americans bet over $7B on the Super Bowl and that over 45 million people in the U.S. bet over $3B on March Madness this past year. 

“The addition of SGPN to these platforms is key as the entire industry continues to climb,” said SGPN co-founder Kramer. “The growth of sports betting and the amazingly diverse populations that are engaged is a great fit for our offering of all free, all the time sophisticated picks and analysis.  Content is king and we produce more than anyone in the non-subscription space.”

As the marketplace begins to mature, more platforms are hiding content behind paywalls and forcing followers to pay for picks and analysis on the bigger games. SGPN’s traditional model relies on delivering the desired audience in both size and demographics to advertisers, marketers and brand-builders.  Audiences continue to grow because the content comes at no cost.

Robust H1 performance with strategic focus on broader customer appeal delivering record level of activesLaunch of Entain CEE and acquisition of SuperSport in Croatia

Entain plc (LSE: ENT), the global sports-betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group, today reports its Interim Results for the six-month period ended 30 June 2022 (“H1”).

Strategic progress

  • Group’s strategic focus on a broader recreational customer base delivering record level of actives, up 57% versus H1 2019, and higher quality earnings
  • Greater customer engagement driven by innovative new products and enriched experiences
  • Further geographic expansion with five transactions this year to date consistent with our strategy of expanding into regulated markets
    • Creation of Entain CEE and acquisition of SuperSport announced separately today, provides a strategic springboard to unlock the clear expansion opportunity in Central and Eastern Europe (“CEE”)
    • Acquisition in June of BetCity in the Netherlands to deliver growth in the newly regulated Dutch market
    • Completion of Avid Gaming (Canada), Klondaika (Latvia) and Totolotek (Poland) transactions
  • Ongoing ESG leadership and further progress made across our Sustainability Charter
  • Expansion of Advanced Responsibility & Care (“ARCTM “) player protection trials into international markets
  • Founding partner of Global Gaming Alliance (“GGA”), awarded GamCare’s Advanced Safer Gambling Standard, and received numerous awards for safer gambling, including from S&P, SBC & EGR
  • Pitching-In Volunteer Hub for the UK Trident Leagues launched to connect volunteers and local clubs
  • Appointment of Rahul Welde as an independent Non-Executive Director

Financial highlights

  • Robust Group performance during H1, reflecting the diversified business model and underlying momentum of the online business
  • Total Group net gaming revenue (“NGR”) growth of 18% (+18%cc2)
  • Online NGR down 7% (-7%cc2) reflecting strong prior year comparators driven by Covid lockdowns, temporary closure in the Netherlands, affordability measures in the UK and customers responding to the economic backdrop
    • Excluding the Netherlands, NGR was down -3%cc2
    • Strong underlying momentum with H1 Online NGR 3yr CAGR up 13%cc2
  • Retail perfomance ahead of expectations with a more interactive digital experience across gaming machines and betting terminals driving greater customer engagement
  • BetMGM continues to perform strongly and is on track to deliver FY22 NGR of over $1.3bn
  • H1 NGR of $608m, 65% ahead of 2021
  • Established number two operator with 23%7 market share where BetMGM operates (excluding New York)
  • Consistent leading iGaming operator with 30%7 market share
  • Reiterate expectation to reach positive EBITDA during 2023,8
  • Group EBITDA4,5 up 17% at £471m
  • Group profit after tax from continuing operations £28m, down £63m
  • FY 2022 Group EBITDA4,5,9 expected to be in the range of £925m to £975m, in line with current consensus10
  • New progressive dividend policy announced:
  • Full year payment of £100m split evenly between Interim and Full Year
  • Interim dividend of 8.5p per share

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, CEO of Entain, commented:

“We continue to make excellent progress on our strategic priorities, with momentum in our business remaining strong as a result of putting the customer at the heart of everything we do.  I am delighted that more customers are choosing to play with us as we focus on providing them with even better products, engaging content and exciting experiences.  This has resulted in our highest ever level of actives in H1, up 57% versus the same period two years ago.  Not only is this approach great for our customers, but it also provides us with a broader, more recreational customer base that will support more sustainable long-term revenues.

Underpinned by the Entain platform, we continue to expand our growth opportunities, and have already announced five transactions so far this year.  This includes today’s announcement of an innovative growth strategy for Central and Eastern Europe, starting with the acquisition of SuperSport in Croatia.  In the US, BetMGM goes from strength to strength and continues to demonstrate its market leadership with a 23%7 market share.

We continue to lead our industry on responsibility and sustainability as we deliver further progress on our Sustainability Charter.  ARC™ continues to be rolled out into international markets and our efforts have been recognised in the UK and internationally with awards from GamCare, S&P, SBC as well as our inclusion in the Global Sustainability Yearbook 2022.

As ever, I would like to thank each and every one of our talented colleagues around the world for their hard work and dedication in helping deliver these results. We have established a meaningful runway for sustainable and high-quality growth.  While we remain vigilant to the consumer backdrop, our geographic and product diversity provides resilience which, together with our proven ability to drive superior returns, gives us confidence that we will continue to deliver benefits for our stakeholders.”

USA Swimming Partners with RealResponse

USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States, today announced their alignment with RealResponse, the award-winning safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform. Starting September 1, 2022, USA Swimming members can submit anonymously or on the record through simple text messaging at 888-270-SWIM (7946). To enhance the ability of USA Swimming to gather facts while still protecting the identity of anonymous reporters, select USA Swimming staff will be able to respond through the platform for appropriate follow up. This includes the recent hiring of two additional Safe Sport staff members who will focus on responding to reports.

This summer, the RealResponse platform was made available to USA Swimming’s National and Junior National Teams as they traveled overseas for competitions. It will now be released to the rest of the organization on September 1 to track, monitor and proactively address reports.

“We are excited to provide this valuable new resource for our USA Swimming members,” said Liz Hahn, Program Director for Safe Sport at USA Swimming. “Our utilization of this platform will allow all members to easily report from their phones, while still remaining anonymous – if they wish. In addition to continuing to provide anonymous reporting, this tool will allow USA Swimming to gather additional facts to effectively permit staff to follow up on all reports.”

RealResponse allows individuals to report with ease through text messaging. Additionally, all current reporting mechanisms, such as email, phone and the online reporting form, will continue to be available here.

“USA Swimming has always had athlete and member well-being at the top of their priorities, and our partnership will give all involved the ability to further promote the well-being of USA Swimming members,” said David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of RealResponse. “Not only will RealResponse provide for timely, critical reporting, but USA Swimming will be able to watch for trends in health and wellness aspects of its athletes, from mental health to out of competition concerns.”

USA Swimming will continue to protect the identity of reporters, and will serve its members through resources such as the Whistleblower and Anti-Retaliation Policy.

For more information on USA Swimming’s Safe Sport efforts, please visit https://www.usaswimming.org/safe-sport.

Fantasy Guru Ryan Kramer To Draft 24 Teams In 24 Hours Tuesday To Launch 2022 Season

Ryan Kramer of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network (SGPN), America’s leading free content Fantasy Football expert, will conduct a marathon, 24-teams-in-24-hours draft live on multiple video platforms for the second consecutive year in another unprecedented offering to NFL fans gearing up for the 2022 season. 

The live stream event, “Draft Day 2.0,” is set to begin at noon PT/3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 9, from the Sports Gambling Podcast Network’s Los Angeles studio.  It will continue until noon PT/3 pm ET Wednesday and be available on You Tube at https://sg.pn/watchdraftday. 

The co-host of the prominent Sports Gambling Podcast, Kramer, broke new ground one year ago with his unique offering for Fantasy Football fanatics who can join any time within the day-long window to get his expertise and actual selections plus insights, strategy, entertainment and tips with detailed rationale. 

The initiative will also be a platform to raise money via GoFundMe for the medical bills of an SGPN friend and colleague injured earlier this year in a motorcycle accident. Darryl, 31, from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was riding home from work when he was cut off by a box truck, resulting in the loss of his right leg (above the knee) and multiple other injuries, some permanent.  The accident happened four days before he was to marry his fiancé.  The couple is now putting their lives back together and they appreciate the support of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network community and the Draft Day 2.0 fundraising efforts.  In addition to the GoFundMe opportunity, all Draft Day 2.0 merchandise profits will be directed to pay the ongoing medical expenses.  Branded apparel is available in the SGPN Merch Store and further information on Darryl’s story can be found here. 

The format will be “Best Ball Draft” on Underdog Fantasy and Kramer will be joined by multiple guests and SGPN contributors while constructing 24 separate and distinct teams over the full day span, providing viewers with the player selections that he believes will pile up points for the millions of Fantasy participants looking forward to the 2022 season. 

“Fortunately, the analytics research is done so I can focus now on news coming out of the camps to sharpen my views and deliver the well-reasoned selections that people need to get an edge in their drafting,” stated Kramer, a three-time Top 20 Fantasy Football Players Championship Main Event finisher.  “It’s a bit of an audacious undertaking, but the growing phenomenon of Fantasy Football deserves this level of commitment and our SGPN audiences always respond.” 

With over 25 years’ experience in the Fantasy Football space, Kramer has put together over 1,000 teams while overseeing 50 leagues and originating 10 more. The content will include hourly raffles and giveaways plus prop-style contests accessible in the SGPN App and live audience interaction, all free in line with the Sports Gambling Podcast Network’s wagering picks and analysis on all popular sports available at www.sportsgamblingpodcast.com.    

Kramer will be drafting full teams, consecutively, for the full 24 hours with each cycle expected to take slightly less than one hour. He will intersperse the player selections with traditional wagering commentary on the upcoming NFL season plus analytics drawn from his background as a computer engineer and the myriad skills that have enabled his elite fantasy football accomplishments. 

Viewers should expect Kramer to be bullish on Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the running back position based on volume touches in a run-oriented offense led by Mitch Trubisky.  He is high on Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Drake London and new Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota as affordable, point-scoring options.  Look for Kramer to stay away from aging Dallas Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott. 

“Draft Day 2.0” will also be live on SGPN’s Facebook and Twitter.  

FanDuel Names Andrew Sneyd To The Position Of Executive Vice President Of Marketing

FanDuel Group, the premier online gaming company in North America, has promoted Andrew Sneyd to Executive Vice President of Marketing.

As the Executive Vice President of Marketing at FanDuel Group, Sneyd will oversee thecore marketing functions across the company’s full portfolio of brands within sports betting, daily fantasy sports, casino, advance-deposit wagering, retail, and free-to-play. Formerly the Senior Vice President of Brand, Sneyd will now steward growth marketing, media, customer engagement, and marketing operations, in addition to brand and product marketing strategy, creative, customer insight, press relations and partnership activation. During his tenure as Senior Vice President of Brand, Sneyd has championed the marketing engine to harness creativity for impact, advancing FanDuel’s position as America’s #1 Sportsbook and extending the lead over competition.   

“Since his arrival at FanDuel, Andrew has elevated our creative efforts and continued our explosive growth,” said Mike Raffensperger, Chief Commercial Officer for FanDuel Group. “His acumen for brand marketing has separated us from the field and under his leadership, I expect that we will continue to make moments matter more for our customers.” 

Sneyd brings more than 20 years of global marketing experience, specifically in the Fortune 100 consumer packaged goods and technology sector. Prior to joining FanDuel, he served as Vice President, Brand Marketing & Strategy at Priceline. Before joining Priceline in 2017, Andrew held multiple marketing leadership roles at Anheuser Busch InBev, where he led the creation of award-winning Super Bowl creative advertising for Budweiser.

SGPN Candidate For SBC’s Sports Media Company of Year

Sports Gambling Podcast Network (SGPN), the leading independent sports wagering analysis/prognostication content provider offering free user content, is among eight companies selected by SBC Awards 2022 as candidates for Sports Media Company of the Year. The announcement of the winner will take place Thursday as the third annual SBC Sports & Betting Conference Summit North America trade show culminates at Pier 60 in Manhattan, New York City.

SGPN’s competition in the category includes some of the most prominent and well-heeled companies in the sports media space, including American Affiliate, Better Collective, Catena North America, MediaTroopers, NBC Sports Next. Playmaker Capital, The Game Day and XLMedia. Almost all are backed by capital resources in the billions or tens of millions of dollars. By contrast, SGPN co-founders Sean Green and Ryan Kramer launched 10 years ago in Green’s one-car garage, taking advantage of new technology to push out their content inexpensively and begin building a following.

In 2017, Green won $200,000 in a DraftKings Fantasy Competition and SGPN used the money to turn the corner as a profitable, sustainable business. With the repeal of the Professional Sports and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that following year, SGPN was well positioned to seize the moment and grow the enterprise that now includes 60 contributors and 23 different podcasts providing analysis and selections on 18 wagerable sports plus special events. SGPN is headquartered at a state-of-the-art studio in Los Angeles.

Other companies that are shortlisted in various categories at the SBC Awards North America 2022 include: Circa Resort & Casino, DraftKings, FanDuel, Penn Interactive, PointsBet, BetMGM, Resorts Digital Gaming and Rush Street Interactive. Awards will be presented in 27 categories as the highlight of the summit finale in front of 600-plus industry executives following two days of events, symposiums and networking sessions at Meadowlands Exposition Centre in Northern New Jersey.

“This is as big as it gets in our industry,” said Green, a Philadelphia-area native. “We are going up against some of the biggest brands in the space. We started with personal seed money and have continued to grow through traditional channels. Our candidacy for Sports Media Company of the Year is a testament to all the hard work everyone at SGPN has put in over the last 10 years to deliver a high-quality experience for our followers.”

“This is a great way to celebrate our 10th anniversary,” added Kramer, who hails from the North Jersey community of Scotch Plains. “We believed we could package sports wagering information in an insightful and entertaining way and it has caught on. It’s awesome to see our efforts being recognized.”

“With such strong competition among the Awards entrants, just making it on to the shortlists is a real mark of quality, so it will be fascinating to learn who our expert judges select as the big winners on the night,” said Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC.

The SBC Awards North America Awards is the culmination of a week of events at the SBC Summit North America, the biggest conference and trade show for the sports betting and iGaming industries in the US and Canada. The awards recognize the achievements of operators, affiliates and suppliers from all the major disciplines including payments, marketing, platform providers and data.

RealResponse Enters Professional Baseball With Major League Baseball Agreement

RealResponse, (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning safe and secure feedback, monitoring, and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced its expansion into professional baseball, as Major League Baseball has begun to implement the RealResponse Anonymous Texting system for reports of player, staff, or employee misconduct.

RealResponse will provide an additional platform to help MLB track and proactively respond to misconduct issues, including the use of PED’s, sports betting, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other potential violations of baseball’s conduct rules and policies for players, staff, and employees.

“With Major League Baseball’s implementation of our services, they expand the ability for individuals to report misconduct issues in medium that they may feel more comfortable in, while remaining safe and anonymous,” said David Chadwick, CEO and Founder of RealResponse. “It will really help augment the great work MLB has already been doing in this space and, most importantly, it can help not only identify but potentially prevent potential issues before they arise. We look forward to learning and assisting in any way we can to help MLB.”

MLB’s Department of Investigations will leverage RealResponse’s Anonymous Texting platform to receive and respond to messages with the Anonymous Texter, which will enable the individual to remain anonymous as long as they would like while they can continue to provide information and assist with investigations.

“The addition of RealResponse to our existing reporting channels will provide another option to encourage the reporting of misconduct, by ensuring that people have a variety of pathways to make a report, so they can use the method that they are most comfortable with,” said Moira Weinberg, MLB’s Senior Vice President, Investigations & Deputy General Counsel. “The platform is another safe and confidential option for people to speak up and helps us continue to take a proactive approach addressing potential misconduct issues.”

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