ShareDraftKings has signed a deal to work with the NHL, operating as “an Official Sports Betting, Daily Fantasy Sports, and iGaming Partner of the league.”
In addition, DraftKings will complement the deal with an agreement with Turner Sports “to be the exclusive sportsbook and daily fantasy sports provider for their coverage of the NHL”
Jason Robins, CEO, chairman and co-founder of DraftKings, said: "The NHL has some of the most passionate fans in all of sports and we are delighted to be working with the league once again, while developing a rich and engaging viewership and content experience that matches this fanbases' enthusiasm through our deal with Turner. Over the years DraftKings has become a brand synonymous with sports, with a fan-first approach through real-money gaming options, and we look forward to collaborating with the NHL alongside Turner Sports and Bleacher Report to provide hockey fans with what's next in sports."
DraftKings will also be presenting some of its own content on Turner Sports’ platforms, related to sports betting and DFS. It will also have access to NHL assets to further enhance its own brand.
United Kingdom Gambling Commission Investigates Sorare
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission is investigating the unregulated NFT platform Sorare. The French firm is operating in the British market without a UKGC license, insisting that its business model does not constitute gambling.Sorare offers a NFT-based fantasy football game where users buy, trade and exchange NFT’s of game clips along with digital football cards or the Panini-type popular in the 1980’s.
A spokesperson for Sorare told the media:
“We are very confident Sorare does not offer any forms of regulated gambling. When a product with a nascent technology becomes successful, such as Sorare’s digital collectable cards and game, it is normal and expected to be regulatory questions.”
As the NFT craze continues to accelerate in markets around the world, most companies involved in the sector will fly under the radar unless they hit the headlines due to egregious business practices. This was indeed the case for Sorare until it experienced unexpected growth throughout 2021, catapulting it to the forefront of the NFT space.
Sorare has built its customer base up to an impressive 600,000 users, which has boosted sales revenue past the $150 million mark since the start of 2021. This kind of growth has seen it sign deals not only with the top Spanish football league, La Liga, but also the top two flights of the German Bundesliga. The Sorare board has indicated that they want to agree similar deals with the 20 biggest football leagues in the world.
The Sorare business model might not appear dangerous or predatory but we must remember the reputational beating that both the UK Gambling Commission and Financial Conduct Authority took following the collapse of Football Index.
The “virtual stockmarket for footballers' ' collapsed after the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc to world football last year, leaving many users out of pocket and the UKGC red-faced over failures to protect consumers. Both organisations will not want a repeat.
Permission Given for New Casino in Las Vegas
Permission has been given by lawmakers for the building of a new hotel-casino property in Las Vegas. Station Casinos has approval to begin construction on the building which is expected to be fully up and running by the end of next year, called Durango Hotel and Casino.This marks the end of a protracted process that has been ongoing since Station Casinos bought the land back in 2000. Various forms of opposition have put the project on hold but it finally looks like the city will soon have another resort to showcase, albeit one that is a 15-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip.
Red Rock Resorts, who own Station Casinos, already run 11 casinos in Las Vegas, although some have yet to reopen after the Covid-19 pandemic began to slow down and local regulations allowed them to do so.
Macau Fights Back
Casinos in Macau have posted unexpectedly high revenue figures for September, rebounding from harsh restrictions imposed only a month before. A total of $735 million was collected from gamblers last month compared to $554 million in August.There is a lot of change currently underway in the world’s largest gambling market; a change in regulatory approach and Covid-19 restrictions periodically tightening. Licenses are also soon to be renewed creating uncertainty about what the future holds. Talk of a Chinese government official being installed at each casino will have many local executives feeling a little nervous.
PokerStars to Celebrate 20 Years in Business
PokerStars is running a special event to celebrate 20 years in the poker industry. The Big 20 Rewind series will run from November 14 through December 4, dedicated to the best PokerStars moments over the last two decades.The Big 20 Finale is scheduled for December 5, a $55 buy-in event with a $5,000,000 guarantee and $500,000 in added prizes to sweeten the deal.
It’s not just tournaments that are being boosted for the celebration, all of your favourite games will be getting some kind of leg up with The Big 20 Boost. From November 1 Spin & Go Leaderboards and Daily Cash Game Leaderboards will be turbocharged with more extras to come during the month.
PokerStars Southern Europe Championship of Online Poker (SECOOP) Kicks Off on October 31
The 2021 PokerStars Southern Europe Championship of Online Poker (SECOOP) kicks off on October 31, and will take on a Halloween theme for the events laid on for players in France, Spain, and Portugal.A whopping €7 million is guaranteed across the 232-event schedule, which runs through November 21.
Schedule highlights include:
- €250 Main Event, 6-Max PKO Freezeout, €500,000 guaranteed, November 14.
- €30 Spooky Bounty Builder, €75,000 guaranteed, October 31.
- €100 Halloween Special PKO 6-Max, €150,000 guaranteed, October 31.
- Ten €250 Championship events, awarding a total of €555,000 in guaranteed prizes across the series
- €30 Sunday Slam, €100,000 guaranteed, November 21.
Players can win their way to the series through:
- Special €6 SECOOP Spin & Go’s (only France).
- SECOOP Deposit Bonus – Players must deposit €25 or more using the code 'SECOOP21' between 16:00 CET on October 25 and 20:59 CET on November 13 to get a ticket to an exclusive Main Event Depositor Freeroll at 21:00 CET on November 13. There is €25,000 in prizes and the top 100 players will win Main Event entries.
- SECOOP Second Chance Freerolls – If players bust out of an SECOOP event without being in the money, they’ll receive a ticket to a Second Chance Freeroll the following day, where €50,000 in SECOOP tickets will be up for grabs.
