Hard Rock International has entered the Arizona sports betting market by launching a mobile sportsbook app. The initiative was launched in partnership with the Najavo Nation Gaming Enterprise, following a market access agreement signed with the tribal-run company in January this year.
The Najavo Nation Gaming Enterprise runs five casinos across the state and New Mexico.
The new app will allow players aged 21 or over place bets on a wide range of sports events, tournaments and competitions.
As per the executive managing director and chief executive for Hard Rock Digital, Marlon Goldstein: “Arizona has a rich sports culture and we’re proud to enter the state with our great partners at Navajo Gaming.”
Goldstein said that Hard Rock was excited to debut its new platform, which players of all experience levels will appreciate for its “ease of use, unique features and robust gaming options.”
Arizona has done exceptionally well in its licensed and regulated sportsbook market. Numbers recently posted show that players bet a record $563.7 million on sports in January this year.
Navajo executives praised the new Hard Rock platform, calling it “outstanding” and saying that they are anticipating great opportunities to cross-market their own brand with the world-renowned Hard Rock brand.
There is growing hope that Kentucky will soon join scores of other states and introduce a legal and regulated online gambling industry.
Last month, the Kentucky House of Representatives passed HB 606 that could legalize retail and online sports betting, as well as daily fantasy sports and online poker. The bill passed by a vote of 58 – 30.
It seems ironic that in a state that’s synonymous with horse racing and sports, Kentuckians are practically unable to bet. Their only options are playing the lottery or gambling on horses through pari-mutuel betting.
Lawmakers are hoping to change that soon.
HB 606 has the backing of the Senate Majority Leader, Damon Thayer, as well as Governor Andy Beshear.
Thanks to a two-day window, the bill could pass between April 12th and April 14th.
Should sports betting become legal in Kentucky, the bill establishes a 9.75% tax rates on remote bets and 14.25% rate for in-person bets.
Horse racing tracks will be allowed to open retail locations, but they will also be allowed to form partnerships with online and mobile sportsbooks. This would be an advantage to tracks since sportsbooks are willing to pay high sums to partner with them (as we have witnessed in other states).
At present, five out of the seven states that surround Kentucky allow sports betting, and millions of gambling dollars are leaving the state each year to be spent across the border.
A new set of rules released by the Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP) in the UK may affect some of the marketing content by sports betting brands such as Coral and Paddy Power.
The rules want to stop to stop gambling companies from running ads that have “strong appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture.” As such, they want to stop these companies from using high-profile sportspeople in their advertisements.
CAP wants to stop sportspeople, reality stars and influencers “well-known to under-18s” from appearing or even being referenced in betting ads.
Paddy Power Ad Under Scrutiny
One such ad that may get nixed by CAP is one released in January by Paddy Power, featuring pro football star, Jack Wilshere. While the player isn’t currently playing Premier League football, he is well-recognized enough by under-18-year-old viewers to warrant the committee to ask Paddy Power to remove the ad.
Another example is Harry Redknapp’s appearance in a BetVictor ad. The former Tottenham Hotspur player turned reality TV star is BetVictor’s brand ambassador and he has appeared in a number of ads for the sports betting company.
UK gambling restrictions already ban anyone under the age of 25 from appearing in an ad which promotes gambling.
A new deal has been signed between FanDuel Group and the Canadian specialist sports broadcaster, The Sports Network. Under the terms of the deal, the Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel will serve as the Sports Network’s official sportsbook partner.
The multiyear deal comes just in time to meet the official launch date of Ontario’s new regulated sports betting market which happened this month.
Some of key features of the deal:
- FanDuel to deliver original content and digital content across the Sports Network.
- FanDuel Sportsbook will be the exclusive provider of sports odds across the Sports Network programming.
- Focus will be placed on fan engagement.
- FanDuel integrations on the Sports Network platforms include in-game broadcasts, digital marketing, mobile apps, etc.
- The Sports Network will promote FanDuel’s online betting options such as same game parlay bets.
The senior VP of The Sports Network, Stewart Johnston called FanDuel the “undisputed leader in sports betting”. He said that with the launch of sports betting in Canada, FanDuel was the clear choice for the network to be its sportsbook partner.
“FanDuel delivers an entertaining, customer-centric, responsible gaming experience with attractive odds that Canadian sports fans will want to engage with, and we believe that combining their sportsbook with our expansive portfolio of live sports properties will not only deliver the exciting content that our passionate fan base demands but will provide new opportunities to expand the TSN brand,” added Johnston.
In a joint initiative with JockeyCam, Entain has launched a Virtual Reality (VR) product that will be accessible via its Coral sports betting brand.
The 360-degree VR product allows players to feel what’s it like to be a jump jockey on a course.
Throughout the year, Coral will sponsor several events across the UK and those who attend the events will be able to try out the VR technology.
Dominic Grounsell, the deputy managing director of digital at Entain said that the growth and engagement in the company’s UK sports brand, shows just how powerful the combination of its core customer offer and immersive experiences can be.
“We have a really exciting opportunity to do something different, and through our brands, are committed to reaching both new and existing customers in interesting, fresh and engaging ways,” he said.
In June last year, Entain announced that it was trialing a first-of-its-kind multi-sports experience for its players. The virtual reality entertainment experience was piloted following an alliance between Entain and Verizon Media, the global technology and media company.
The new product includes live streaming of football matches, experiences such as allowing fans to build fantasy line-ups in virtual reality, and to play sports games virtually with their friends.
”We know consumers are looking for more multi-dimensional experiences, in which the ability to place a bet is only one of the ways they want to enjoy themselves,” said the CEO of Entain, Sandeep Tiku at the time. “So we want to wow them and give them better experiences than they’ve ever had before – and at the same time also use our cutting edge to technology to keep our players safe.”