The confirmation about the launch of Betr Combat, the company’s combat sports media vertical, came Wednesday. The media arm under better is expected to bring unique experiences for fans of martial arts, delivering 24/7 coverage of different combat sports from all around the world.

Betr Combat is expected to deliver unique post-fight analysis, interviews, and insights within the world of martial arts. Moreover, the new media arm will bring original shows and other engaging content which is expected to be well-received by martial arts fans.

Coinciding with the announcement about the launch of Betr Combat, the company confirmed it joined forces with David “The Schmo” Schmulenson, a popular combat sports personality, as well as UFC superstar prospect Bo Nickal. The duo agreed to team up with Betr and help deliver engaging content and insights for Betr Combat.

Moreover, Betr confirmed that Betr Combat is only the first of several new verticals planned by the company. It said that more Betr Media verticals are expected to be introduced which is a part of the company’s “sports verticalization strategy.” Ultimately, Betr said that it seeks to “launch cadence of targeted portfolio brands across various sports leagues and audience interests.”

Nickal commented on the topic saying that it is exciting to join forces with Betr and Jake Paul. He explained: “It just makes sense for the #1 MMA prospect and the #1 boxing prospect to team up.” Moreover, Nickal acknowledged that Betr delivers unique energy to the sports betting vertical and thanked his agent Malki Kawa and Jake Paul for this new deal.

“The Schmo and Betr Combat are a world class tag team.“

David “The Schmo” Schmulenson

On the other hand, Schmulenson said he enjoyed interviews with Paul as a fighter. He said that it is delightful to contribute toward Paul’s vision of “conquering the sports media and gaming landscape.” Schmulenson predicted that Betr Combat will help solidify Betr’s presence in the combat sports vertical and said that he is delighted to join the media arm. Finally, Schmulenson said: “There is no limit to what we can achieve in this partnership.”

“Combat sports and content creation are my passions, so the launch of Betr Combat was both exciting and inevitable.“

Jake Paul, founder and president of Betr

Betr’s president and founder, Jake Paul added that the recent launch of Betr Combat marks an exciting moment for him considering his passion for combat sports and unique content. He outlined that the company’s media enterprise project plans to engage with the most talented people within every sport. Additionally, Paul acknowledged that both Nickal and Schmulenson deliver unique experiences to Betr Combat. Finally, he predicted that the duo will help Betr Combat on the way to becoming the go-to media for all MMA and boxing fans.

The excitement around the opening of the online market was quickly overshadowed for some however, as the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) issued operators with total fines of over $1 million in the first five days. Related to various advertising issues, such as affiliate marketing, the sanctions are some of the toughest seen in the US market. We spoke to Justin Stempeck, Chief Strategy Officer at Compliable, for his insight into the developments in Ohio and what this could mean nationwide.

Q: The Ohio regulator recently issued large fines to a number of operators, just days after the market opened up. It has so far been the most aggressive US regulator in terms of sanctions. What does this move the signal to you as more states open up and markets mature?

A: The sanctions issued by Ohio were all related to responsible gambling (RG) violations by operators. Newer regulators have taken a very firm stance on RG protections and that can be viewed in the approach of not only Ohio but Massachusetts and the recent disclosures by Maine on its proposal around advertising restrictions. As the US sports betting market matures, the approach of states like these will become more common rather than the outlier as they are currently viewed. We saw a similar trajectory in the UK, in terms of increased regulation in response to excessive advertising and we expect this will also be the case in the US. 

Q: Do you think other regulators will become more aggressive as a result of Ohio’s action?

A: I hesitate to say ‘aggressive’ but I think that regulators will take a closer look at their responsible gambling and advertising prohibitions as the industry matures. There is often a lot of leniency in the rush to launch a new jurisdiction but after the dust settles and regulators catch their breath, they will review their mission and responsible gaming is a top concern across the country. Ohio has shown many that strict policing of their regulations gets attention and likely encourages operators to follow all of the rules from day one.

Q: Affiliate marketing has been central to the Ohio regulator’s concerns and the state does currently not require affiliates to get a licence. Do you think forcing affiliates to be licensed is the way forward or what else can be done to ensure compliance in that space?

A: Ohio seemed to spend a significant amount of time crafting its regulations and evaluating who was going to be licensed. The state made a deliberate decision to not require the licensure of affiliate marketers and explained as much to the public. The failure to follow advertising restrictions and operators not being able to police their own affiliates endangers this model. If the operators will not keep their marketing partners in line, the regulator has suggested licensing of the affiliates could be the next step. At the end of the day, the regulator needs to hold someone accountable for missteps in advertising and while regulators have broad powers, they are only applicable to licensees. As affiliate marketers are not currently licensed, the operators are the only ones the regulators can punish and that will certainly communicate down to how the affiliates operate.  

Q: Do you think we will soon see an overhaul around responsible gambling in the US, maybe even some industry self-regulation or nationwide guidance?  

A: I would call it less of an overhaul and more of a renewed focus on the responsible gambling space. In many ways, the US is similar to the UK ten years ago in terms of advertising. US states can use the lessons learned in the UK to avoid problems with advertising and several new jurisdictions have taken that strategy from the beginning. Missteps like the ones in Ohio really undermine any suggestion that the industry could be an effective self-regulator. Newer states that are much stricter in this area will no doubt have a ripple effect in other jurisdictions as well, particularly when it comes to advertising practices that are often at the national level.  

Moving forward Betsson will have access to Pariplay’s original products delivered through Wizard Games, and more than 14,000 other titles integrated as part of the Fusion platform and delivered by dozens of suppliers.

These third-party games will be integrated with Betsson’s existing operations in regulated markets, including in places such as Sweden, Denmark, and Spain, and other places of interest for the group where it has licenses in Europe.

The partnership marks another opportunity for Pariplay as the company seeks to continue growing its footprint in regulated markets. Betsson will provide the company’s full catalog of titles and integrate them along with a number of player engagement solutions designed to have an immediate impact on results and performance.

Pariplay VP of Sales Andrew Maclean said that his company was constantly trying to grow in important markets across Europe, which will now be possible through the alliance with Betsson.

Strengthening Breadth of Content with Fusion

Fusion will be able to reach Betsson’s players and offer them what the company believes is the widest range of titles with clear added value to both consumers and operators. “It is the next step in what I believe will be a long, successful alliance,” concluded Maclean adding that cutting-edge engagement tools are part of the offer.

Betsson supplier relations manager Laura Perreta was similarly pleased with the partnership and insisted that it would provide the company with a huge breadth of content from many well-established and proven studios in the industry. She explained:

The variety of content we now have access to is sure to engage our audience in the many established regulated markets in Europe and beyond that we are active in.

Laura Perreta, supplier relations manager at Betsson

In the meantime, Pariplay has been expanding its presence through numerous partnership opportunities. The company similarly teamed up with BoyleSports to provide the operator with the same range of experience as it is now Betsson.

Pariplay also added Jelly Entertainment as one of the studios that are now part of its aggregation platform at the beginning of February. Pariplay similarly expanded its content variety with a Mancala Gaming partnership in January.

There were around 9,000 blocked attempts. The data covered the Ontario market, where online and retail sports betting gambling have been legal.

The province already has more than 40 operators that offer regulated betting products. GeoComply SVP of government & public affairs John Pappas spoke to Mark Keats from CDC Gaming Reports and confirmed the number, arguing that the company, which specializes in geolocation services, had been able to block 9,000 attempts to access gambling operators in Ontario from unauthorized parties.

In most cases, people try to use a Virtual Private Network or VPN to circumnavigate restrictions and access licensed entities in the province. Part of this is owing to the fact that even when sports gambling was not regulated, there were no significant attempts in the province geared towards restricting the offshore market or ensuring that a legal gambling age restriction is observed. However, things have changed with the Alcohol and Gaming Commissions of Ontario now keen to keep the industry clean.

Blocking Suspicious Transactions Is GeoComly’s Stomping Ground

“As part of the regulatory mandate, GeoComply is constantly combatting attempts from around the globe to access our customers’ platforms in Ontario,” Pappas explained. He also argued that it was normal to expect a surge of such illegal betting activity around the time of major events.  The illegal activity here had mostly to do with customers based in the United States trying to place a wager with a provincial operator in Ontario.

This surge in activity was based on the fact that the legal gambling age in the United States is 21 whereas in Ontario is only 19, Pappas added. However, the GeoComply representative argued that ensuring compliance with existing gambling laws and blocking unauthorized access was of the utmost importance to the company and its partners.

He used this example to highlight why having robust geolocation compliance in all regulated markets was crucial. GeoComply has been able to also block people from betting while outside the province, which is one of the regulatory prerequisites people must comply with.

Owning an account in Ontario is allowed even if you live outside the province, but in order to put a bet – online or in-person – you must be located inside Ontario. Pappas assured that GeoComply is aware of and able to step in cases where consumers were trying to breach the rules of the industry.

Commercial gaming in the US set a new record in 2022, registering annual revenue of $60.4 billion to surpass the previous high of $53.0 billion set in 2021, the American Gaming Association (AGA)’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker revealed.

Preference for Casino Gaming

Tracking financial performance across commercial gaming based on state revenue reports, AGA’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker showed that the market comprised 34 states and the D.C. which featured commercial gaming in 2022, recorded its first year with revenue above the $60 billion mark. Tribal gaming revenue was not included as it is accounted for by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Commenting on the results, AGA’s president and chief executive officer Ben Miller announced that the gaming industry had “significantly outpaced expectations in 2022,” as adults in America had preferred “casino gaming for entertainment in record numbers,” shifting market share from the predatory, illegal marketplace” to the legalized operators and generating revenue streams for their communities.

Records did not end with the annual revenue amount as the fourth quarter posted an all-time high in commercial gaming revenue, driven by sports betting and iGaming which both marked single-quarter highs, while traditional gaming registered a growth of 1.7%.

80.5% of the annual revenue figure was attributed to retail gaming, leaving the remaining 19.5% to online gaming, which registered a new high as the industry is focused on product diversification.

Details across the Verticals

34% of the adult population in the US, or 84 million Americans, visited a casino in 2022, including one located in the new casino markets in Nebraska and Virginia, contributing to the double-digit growth in table games revenue which was up 13.9%. Revenue from slot games accounted for steady growth of 5.1%.

The sports betting handle in 2022 was $93.2 billion, driven by the continued expansion of the legal sports betting market as Kansas introduced retail and mobile wagering and Louisiana, Maryland and New York launched mobile sports betting. Revenue from sportsbook operations was $7.5 billion.

The online casino vertical grew by 35.2% year-over-year in 2022 to surpass the $5 billion revenue mark despite the limited number of legal iGaming states. The Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City retained their top positions, with the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. market coming third, followed by Chicagoland and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Commenting on the year ahead, Miller was full of optimism despite the current macroeconomic headwinds and confident that, a proper focus “on combatting the illegal market, doubling down on responsibility, and creating favorable policy and regulatory conditions,” will allow the industry to carry the strong momentum into 2023.

Provider of payment technology and customer engagement solutions Passport Technology announced that Lake of the Torches Resort Casino in Wisconsin has selected the combination of Passport’s rewards platform and player enrollment kiosks.

Ready to Spoil Their Partner

The selection of Passport’s Lush loyalty and rewards platform and Mira kiosks for the casino resort owned by the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians represent another major development for the payment solutions provider.

Diallo Gordon, chief product and marketing officer for Passport Technology, highlighted Lake of the Torches as “a savvy operator with a high standard for player development and customer engagement.”

“Lake of the Torches has a tremendous product; amazing floor mix, a beautiful resort on the shore of Pokegama Lake, entertainment, food and beverage, and a flurry of new and exciting promotions,” Gordon said, eager to begin the partnership and “spoil them with outstanding service and unique features” that make the Lush platform so effective in driving player acquisition and retention.

As the industry’s first HTML5 cloud-based loyalty and rewards platform, Passport’s Lush provides casino operators with new ways to increase player enrollment, engagement and point of redemption, utilizing customization across branding, gamification, virtual drawings, multipliers, and dynamic offers through a secure web application.

“Passport’s Lush platform has the tools we were looking for to drive brand awareness and reward our players through custom games, promotions, drawings, and gifting,” said Bill Guelcher, chief executive officer of Lake of the Torches Resort Casino, looking forward to enhancing the experience of casino patrons and guests via  Passport’s innovative technology.

Self-Service Features, Redemption Portal

Guests of the casino resort will be able to benefit from a number of self-service features provided by the kiosks, including player club enrollment, card reprints, dynamic games and offers, while the industry’s first Earn and Shop redemption portal will allow them to redeem their player points for e-gift cards, physical cards, merchandise or casino inventory.

Lake of the Torches became the first casino to bring Passport’s Lush loyalty and rewards solution to the market in Wisconsin, and Jason King, chief revenue officer of the tech supplier, outlined that the company would be aggressively pursuing to establish its presence in the Midwest, offering its cage automation, redemption, cash access, floor efficiency and cashless solutions.

The agreement with Lake of the Torches made Wisconsin the latest US state to feature Passport Technology’s casino solutions, following just over two months after the tech supplier had set foot in Washington via an agreement with The Point Casino.