North America

Last November, leading international sports marketing agency, publisher and data distributor IMG launched its industry-specific ‘IMG Arena’ division, seeking to deliver innovation and audience dynamics for all betting stakeholders. The standalone division is led by Freddie Longe Managing Director, who details to SBC how IMG Arena will utilise all active corporate components to shake-up betting’s legacy tech values and market propositions…  ________________ …

Entering 2019, social media giant Facebook has moved to restructure its global sports division, which will be led by former NBA executive Dan Reed as Vice President of Global Sports/Media Partnerships. Facebook has previously stated its intent on growing exclusive sports partnerships and content, as the social media platform has reached peak user saturation. Furthermore, Facebook leadership has previously outlined …

The Oneida Indian Nation has followed up its alliance with Caesars Entertainment, by partnering with Scientific Games for the provision of its OpenBet technology at its three upstate New York properties. Deployment of the platform, embedded with player centric technology, in-house pre-game and data feed from the recently acquired Don Best Sports, is to commence as soon as sports betting …

Bet.Works has confirmed that it has been granted one of the first concurrent Gaming Laboratories International GLI-33 / GLI-19 certifications for sportsbook operations. In gaining this certificate, the US-based igaming and sportsbook platform supplier has successfully completed pre-compliance testing of its sportsbook platform against the “GLI-33: Event Wagering Systems” standard. Bet.Works Founder and CEO David Wang commented: “We are pleased …

DAZN has strengthened its global expansion plans with the appointment of Apple’s Ben King, who takes up the role of SVP Global Distribution and Business Development. King joins DAZN in February from Apple where, over his 12-year tenure, he worked at the forefront of some of the world’s most successful digital entertainment and media services including the iTunes Store, App Store and …

The National Football League has confirmed an agreement for Caesars Entertainment to become the league’s first-ever Official Casino Sponsor. The multi-year partnership aims to maximise Caesars casino properties, celebrity chefs, premier music artists and a wide range of entertainment elements, in order to provide unique experiences for NFL fans. Beginning with the upcoming 2019 NFL playoffs, Caesars will have the …

The former Deputy President for Sportradar US, Dr. Laila Mintas, has been appointed as Chairwoman of the Advisory Board for Bet.Works. Dr. Mintas, who left her role at Sportradar in December 2018, believes that the sports betting platform provided by Bet.Works, a US-based iGaming and sportsbook technology platform supplier, will “fill a major void” that exists in today’s marketplace. Recognised …

Penn National Gaming and Vici Properties have confirmed the $376m purchase of Louisiana’s Margaritaville Resort Casino. Vici secured the land and real estate assets of the property for $261m, while Penn purchased the operating assets of Margaritaville for $115m. Alongside the closing of this transaction, Penn National entered into a triple-net lease agreement with the company. The lease has an …

Gavin Isaacs will use his “extensive network, knowledge and experience” of the US market to drive an increased presence for SBTech across the pond. The former Scientific Games CEO has become the new Non-Executive Chairman for SBTech, a sports betting and gaming technology supplier who reacted to last year’s PASPA repeal by striking several partnership agreements with leading casinos in …

PokerStars became the UFC’s first-ever ‘Official Poker Partner’ at last weekend’s UFC 232 event, which took place at the The Forum in Inglewood, California. The partnership saw the creation of a new sponsorship category, underlining the UFC’s continued quest for marketing expansion.  At the hugely successful event, PokerStars enjoyed a branded presence inside the world-famous Octagon at UFC’s final Pay-Per-View …