Moving forward, the sportsbook will be listed as the official “Bookmaking Partner” for the promotion throughout 2023. The partnership will allow both companies to benefit from each other’s significant presence with sports audiences.
DAZN Bet will leverage official PFL media assets and promote the league across its digital media channels. In turn, PFL will feature stadium promotions for the sportsbook throughout the entire season.
The companies have also agreed to work on original content and various activations that are designed to pique fans’ interest in the sport, but also offer them excellent options to place a wager on. The partnership was naturally welcomed by both companies, with PFL CEO Pete Murray hailing the chance to see the league expand its roster of partner brands.
DAZN Bet will focus on representing the PFL in Europe as its official bookmaking partner. Murray said that DAZN Bet is a dynamic and innovative entity that aligns and fits well with PFL’s own values and commitment to improving and growing mixed atrial arts globally. PFL SVP of international, James Frewin was of a similar mind:
During their short time in the market, DAZN Bet has already proven to be hugely innovative in the betting space. This, along with their clear strategic positioning, is why we’re so pleased to be working with them on PFL Europe as we continue to expand our relationship with DAZN.
PFL SVP of international, James Frewin
DAZN Bet CEO Mark Kemp was similarly pleased to see his company take on this new partnership with PFL Europe. The tie-up comes ahead of the Saturday, March 25 fight in Newcastle, the United Kingdom, where the sportsbook has been operating since last year.
“As Europe’s first MMA league, they clearly share DAZN Bet’s vision for putting innovation at the heart of what they do and we look forward to working together for PFL Europe’s inaugural season,” Kemp concluded.
If you haven’t followed poker Twitter the past few days, you’ve missed an all-timer when it comes to drama, and it all started with the news earlier this week that Garrett Adelstein isn’t welcome back on Hustler Casino Live for the time being.
From there, the story has branched into a three-way bitter battle that includes Doug Polk and Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot on one side, and Matt Berkey on the other.
No Longer ‘PC,’ Garrett Adelstein Teases Return to Live-Stream Poker, Trashes “Nik Airball”
How it all Started
To sum things up before getting into the details, the feud involves accusations of scamming, heads-up poker challenges (surprising!), and insults.
So, how’d they get here? Hustler Casino Live co-owner Nick Vertucci announced the show no longer has a game available for Adelstein, and then Adelstein trashed Nik Airball on Twitter, calling him a lousy poker player and “trash” human being.
Nik Airball then went on Polk’s podcast Wednesday to defend himself, and at the end of the interview he referred to Berkey as a “scammer” and challenged him to a heads-up match, which he claims Berkey ducked him multiple times.
Berkey then fired back on the Only Friends podcast, explaining that he has offered to play Airball heads up in Las Vegas and that he isn’t scared to play him (video below).
Where has the truth and dignity in the poker community gone? •
— Only Friends Podcast (@OnlyFriends_Pod)
On Thursday, Polk released another video where he analyzed a massive pot Berkey bluffed away to Eric Hicks in a recent Live at the Bike session. In that video, the Upswing Poker founder took shots at Berkey’s Solve for Why poker training academy. Now, three high-profile poker players are battling it out on social media for the entire community to see.
Poker Battle is Getting Juicy
Matt Berkey
Late in the Wednesday interview, which you can watch on YouTube, Polk said that he attempted to facilitate a heads-up match between Berkey and Airball but claimed Berkey wouldn’t commit to a time or place.
“I don’t really care, Berkey’s a scammer,” Airball responded. “When you run a training site and you can’t beat the games, you’re a scammer. You’re selling b******t. It just is what it is, you’re a scam-artist.”
Solve for Why is one of the most well-known poker training sites in the world, as is Upswing Poker, which is owned by Polk. But in a “Poker Hands” (Polker Hands?) video, Polk went hard after Berkey and the Solve for Why team.
“The action folds around to Matt Berkey in the straddle who looks down at the jack-four. Now, when you have a hand like jack-four, it’s important you build this pot,” Polk sarcastically joked. “Jack-four off-suit is a powerhouse. It can win all kinds of pots that you might not expect, and you don’t want to wait for later — build this pot right now.”
Berkey then three-bet his jack-four (aka “The Robbi”), and Hicks opted to just call with pocket kings.
After the flop was a complete brick for Berkey, he continued to bet out $7,000, or about half the size of the pot, and would ultimately bluff off nearly $100,000.
“The thing about your flops is you definitely want to spend thousands of dollars on them, like for example Matt Berkey’s training site,” Polk prodded.
Polk then mocked the “All-Star cast of characters” at Solve for Why, pulling up the team’s Hendon Mob results and ripping on Berkey’s lack of winning a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and “the cash games we’ve seen.”
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Twitter Action Heats Up
If one heads-up challenge offer wasn’t enough to wet your appetite, there’s now a second one. Polk, who beat Daniel Negreanu for $1.2 million two years ago in a heads-up battle, also wants a piece of Berkey, and he’s willing to leave Texas to play, but it appears Berkey would rather play a ring game instead.
@DougPolkVids We’ll roll the red carpet out for you to come play full ring you washed up geezer. No one ever has no… https://t.co/ZC6RF6TiHY
— Matt Berkey (@berkey11)
Landon Tice, a member of the Solve for Why crew and friend of Berkey, proposed a Solve for Why vs. Upswing Poker heads-up challenge, except this one involves cage fighting instead of poker.
Dan O’Brien chimed in, asking Polk if he considers referring to Berkey as a “scammer” is called for, to which the Lodge Card Club co-owner responded, and then Berkey fired off an insult:
@DougPolkVids @berkey11 @nikairball You released a video calling him a scammer. Do you think an accusation like tha… https://t.co/rB7u4MVYVU
— Dan O’Brien (@DanOBrienPoker)
Whose Side are you On?
As you probably expected, for the most part those who follow Berkey and Only Friends are standing up for Berkey, whereas Polk’s followers seem to have his back in the feud.
“As an amateur, I used to idolise the poker guys on tv. As that has evolved into the streaming, it makes me want no part of it. Where’s the etiquette gone?” @DealMeHappy asked.
“Part of maturing in poker is realizing @DougPolkVids does things for the clicks. It’s understandable for business, but gross from an ethical level. Stuff like having @GmanPoker on for a nice conversation a year or so ago and then letting Airball trash him. Now Berkey gets flamed,” @BenParker1113 tweeted.
“You are not respected, except for by your podcaster co-hosts,” @sonofdeboer responded to a Berkey tweet, which isn’t an accurate statement no matter which side of the fence you’re on with this three-way feud.
Brett Mason (@betbrett) gave his two cents on the Upswing Poker versus Solve for Why battle. He made it clear which training academy he feels is the best.
@berkey11 This is your retort? Lol. And I’ve subscribed to both of your training sites. And there is no comparison… https://t.co/kgXLCnsSP5
— Brett Mason (@betbrett)
“That was the most savage thing you’ve ever done lol. The call out to Landon ‘you’re young it’s not too late’. 😅😂😭 Jesus christ. I like s4y guys so while I find it super harsh, I also eagerly look forward to the fallout from this,” @rich77nz tweeted at Polk.
“Words of advice for young people. Don’t get on Doug Polks bad side because he’s going to make a roast video of you of the century. And people will laugh at you for a 1000 years,” @30Talet wrote.
Many aren’t taking sides in the bitter feud, which at the time of publication seems far from over.
During a Wednesday night matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, a sequence of events led to Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban claiming he saw one of the worst referee mistakes “possibly in the history of the NBA.”
For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened. The ref called Mavs ball . The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout . During the time out the official changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up as…
The call, which gave Golden State the ball under the Dallas basket despite confusing signals and an announcement that it was the Mavs’ ball, gave the Warriors two free points in a crucial game they went on to win by exactly two points.
In honor of the fiasco that has left one of the NBA’s billionaire owners feuding with the referee, VegasSlotsOnline News compiled the biggest officiating errors in NBA history. Buckle up.
Top five NBA referee mistakes ever
2002 Western Conference Finals Game Six: Kings vs. Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers had won back-to-back NBA championships, but found themselves trailing three games to two to the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal combined for 58 points in Game Five, but did not have enough as Sacramento escaped with a 92-91 win.
The Kings had a star-studded roster with Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, and Vlade Divac, among other standouts. The Lakers, meanwhile, had the Shaq-Kobe duo, the league’s most intimidating pairing of teammates.
40 free throws, 27 of them in the fourth quarter, compared to the Kings’ 25 for the entire game
Ex-referee Tim Donaghy, who was in charge of Game Six, has since claimed that the NBA advised referees to influence the final outcome in certain matchups, and that this game was one of them. The Lakers shot 40 free throws, 27 of them in the fourth quarter, compared to the Kings’ 25 for the entire game, to pull off a 106-102 win. They then went on to win Game Seven 112-106 and advance to the NBA Finals.
During the momentum-shifting Game Six, Bryant got away with elbowing Bibby in the face for no foul and Shaq was allowed to toss Divac around all night. Almost every 50/50 call went L.A.’s way.
Donaghy admitted to betting on games that he officiated while dealing with a gambling addiction in 2007, meaning that his word is not the most reliable, but still, it does not take inside information to know the game was called in favor of the purple and gold.
Joey Crawford joins the action
Is there anything worse than getting called for a foul on a clean play? How about getting blamed for a referee fouling a player?
The 2005 Eastern Conference Finals were between the defending league champions Detroit Pistons and the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat. The Pistons led by three points with less than 20 seconds left in Game Seven until the head referee, Joey Crawford, decided to get in on the action.
ran right into the Heat player’s chest and then hilariously called a foul on Chauncey Billups
The veteran official was hustling down the court to keep up with the Heat, who were in transition. Dwyane Wade whipped the ball ahead to Damon Jones who ran towards the corner and then made a hard pivot backward; Crawford, still busting down the sideline, ran right into the Heat player’s chest and then hilariously called a foul on Chauncey Billups, the nearest defender, as if he had committed the foul.
The ego-saving decision by the head whistle did not come back to haunt the Pistons, who won the game 88-82 and advanced to their second straight NBA Finals, where they fell to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games, but given the stakes and the situation, it is one of the most hilarious calls and also one of the biggest NBA referee mistakes ever.
Kevin Durant “saves” the ball
Remember the schoolyard chant of “Get your eyes checked ref!” or “Ref needs glasses!”? Both are appropriate here.
On January 3, 2019, the Houston Rockets were taking on the Warriors in Oakland, California. The two teams had just gone to seven games in the Western Conference Finals the season prior, and there was a legitimate belief that Houston’s unique style would be enough to end the Dubs’ dynasty.
With just about 30 seconds left in overtime and the game tied at 132, Kevin Durant drove hard with his left hand before James Harden snuck a hand in and poked the ball loose. Durant continued pursuing the ball and Houston’s PJ Tucker dove to recover it, and the ball ended up leaking into the corner near the baseline.
blatantly over the line when he smacked it over to his teammate
Durant had already taken three steps out of bounds and was blatantly over the line when he smacked it over to his teammate, Klay Thompson, who swung it to an open Steph Curry for the go-ahead basket with just 22.2 seconds left.
Luckily for the Rockets, Harden nailed a game-winning three-pointer with just 2.7 seconds left, and the egregious missed call came to be for nothing. But still, it’s hard to find a more obvious oversight in NBA history than this one.
The King’s nightmare
Looking for a dose of modernity? Look no further than an overtime matchup between the Lakers and Boston Celtics on January 28.
The Lakers and the Celtics are the NBA’s two winningest franchises ever and have a deep-rooted rivalry. On this infamous night, L.A. was visiting TD Garden to take on the Celtics who, at the time, were the crown jewel of the Eastern Conference.
The two exchanged blows all night long until the purple and gold had a side out of bounds with 4.1 seconds left. LeBron James picked up the ball, took on three defenders as he raced to the basket, and put up a layup that careened away from the basket as regulation ended with both teams knotted at 105.
That’s what the situation seemed to be, until a replay review revealed two glaring problems. First, James quite clearly traveled on his way to the hoop as he dealt with three defenders draped over him, but even more egregiously, Boston’s Jayson Tatum took a massive windup and smacked the King right on the forearm as he was about to release the ball, which is why it ended so far off the mark.
Neither of these infractions piqued the curiosity of the refs, who waved the game into overtime, business as usual. Boston went on to win 125-121 despite 41 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists from James thanks to the NBA referee mistakes.
Crawford returns
On April 15, 2007, the Spurs were facing the Dallas Mavericks. San Antonio was on its way to an NBA Finals championship, but first had to get past a regular-season matchup with a tough Dallas team.
The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan, one of the most unproblematic superstars in the history of sports. After all, nobody can have a nickname of “The Big Fundamental” and not have a relatively vanilla personality (sorry, Tim).
assumed that he was laughing at him and hit him with a technical foul
Duncan picked up an offensive foul in the third quarter and went to go sit on the bench – smart coaching by Gregg Popovich. On the very next play, Crawford spotted Duncan laughing on the bench and assumed that he was laughing at him and hit him with a technical foul. Two shots for Dallas.
A flabbergasted Duncan could do nothing but smile at the encounter and go back to watching the game from the bench. Then, lightning struck twice.
The Spurs were called for a foul on defense a minute later and Duncan started laughing, seemingly in disagreement with the call. Crawford did not hesitate to give him his second technical and throw him out of the game. Duncan retired in 2016 with 1,392 games under his belt, and that was the only one from which he was ever ejected.
The post Ejected for Smiling, Scapegoating, and a “Rigged Game”: The Five Most Egregious Referee Mistakes in NBA History appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
Sports betting and fantasy sports operator DraftKings opened a new technology hub in Las Vegas, ceremonially cutting the ribbon of the new 90,000-square-foot facility located in the UnCommons district on the southwest valley.
Modern Working Environment
The new office, DraftKings’ second-largest in the US, features more than 130 dedicated sports trading desks placed in a stadium seating environment and surrounded by multimedia walls. A fully stocked cafeteria, event space, a custom casino training pit, an interactive putt-view putting green, and amenity spaces are also part of the facility aimed to employ 1,000 new DraftKings team members.
Graham Walters, DraftKings’ chief people’s officer, outlined in a statement the joint effort of the company with the UnCommons district that led to the creation of “a world-class workplace environment.”
Speaking to the local news channel KTNV after the ceremony, Walters noted that the company had been working on its new office for a while as part of its plans to expand its presence in Las Vegas where DraftKings is the primary sponsor of the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV)’s Center for Gaming Innovation.
“I feel like it’s been a long time coming,” Walters told reporters, adding that it was for years that DraftKings has been planning for this, knowing the high level of commitment of their employees in Las Vegas, and “looking for opportunities to continue to invest.”
Expanding Presence and Workforce
Boston-based DraftKings marked its presence in Las Vegas in January 2020 when it opened its first office there, employing around 300 employees across customer experience, fraud, casino, sportsbook traders, HR and IT in a customized environment featuring collaborative workspaces, workstations, enclosed offices, conference rooms, private lounge areas, and other amenities.
The new facility opening is coming just in time for one of the biggest sporting events in the US calendar, the NCAA March Madness, the college basketball tournament taking place this week.
Our employees have been really looking forward to the opportunity again to come in, and when we have kind of these tent-pole moments like March Madness, it’s really a great opportunity to get people together to celebrate.
Graham Walters, chief people’s officer, DraftKings
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, who was also present at the opening ceremony of the new facility, was happy to see DraftKings expand its presence in Las Vegas, convinced that everyone recognizes the brand and its product.
“DraftKings means something to everybody. It’s sports betting, It’s fantasy betting, It’s everything exciting and it’s what the heartbeat of Las Vegas has always been about,” Goodman said.
And while she is right that DraftKings symbolizes all this, Nevada is a state in which the company is not licensed to operate a sportsbook.
On the latest PokerNews Podcast episode, Chad Holloway, Jesse Fullen, and Connor Richards delves into the latest Hustler Casino Live (HCL) and Garrett Adelstein developments, discuss Ethan “Rampage” Yau and “Nik Airball”, and highlight Lautaro Guerra Cabrerizo‘s impressive performance in the PGT PLO Championship.
Jesse also sits down with the legendary Eli Elezra at the Mixed Game Festival IV for an in-depth chat about his life, poker career, High Stakes Poker, the Poker Hall of Fame, and much more. Don’t miss your chance to hear from one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Other stories discussed include early winners from the PokerStars USA SCOOP schedule in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania; upcoming Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) and RGPS bestbet Jacksonville stops; and getting ready for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony at Horseshoe Las Vegas that’ll be attended by Doyle Brunson, Jack Binion, and more poker luminaries!
Listen to those stories and more on the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast!
Time Stamps
Tell us who you want to hear from. Let us know what you think of the show — tweet about the podcast using #PNPod, and be sure to follow Chad Holloway, Jesse Fullen, and Connor Richards on Twitter.
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Gambling.com Group, a provider of iGaming digital marketing services, has posted its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter of 2022. The company’s revenue skyrocketed and so did its net income.
Gambling.com reported $21.3 million for the period, representing a stellar 107% year-on-year increase from Q4 2021’s $10.3 million. Net income increased to $4.4 million, or $0.12 per share.
Adjusted EBITDA sat at $6.85 million, a 202% increase from the $2.2 million recorded in Q4, 2021. The cash flow generated by operating activities was $6.18 billion with a free cash flow of $364,000.
The company also published data about its overall performance in 2022, reporting annual revenue of $76.5 billion. Annual adjusted EBITDA exceeded $24 million with Gambling.com reporting an adjusted EBITDA margin of 31%. Free cash flow for 2022 was $9.46 million, the company noted.
In 2022, Gambling.com saw its NA revenues skyrocket to $10 million, which represents a whopping 364% increase. The year saw the company launch in several new markets and deliver more than 82,000 new depositing customers. Gambling.com was also able to repurchase 38,708 of its ordinary shares for $8.98 per share.
The iGaming provider also published its 2023 guidance, saying that it expects annual revenue of $93-97 million and adjusted EBITDA of $32-36 million.
Executives Praised the Results
The results were addressed by Charles Gillespie, co-founder and chief executive officer of Gambling.com Group, who praised the strong and organic growth. He attributed some of the company’s successes to Gambling.com’s investments in expanding its team, technology and portfolio of performance marketing websites. In addition, 2022 saw the company make forays into five new North American markets
Gambling.com Group’s 364% year-over-year increase in fourth quarter North American revenue to $10.0 million reflects the continued benefit from strong performance in our newest markets, including solid results from our November launch in Maryland.
Charles Gillespie, CEO, Gambling.com
Gillespie added that the company’s great metrics have been further complemented by the strong performance of its Ohio launch this year, as well as from its launch in Massachusetts in early March. Outside of North America, Gambling.com continues to focus on the UK and Ireland, where it has operated for almost a decade.
Gillespie concluded that Gambling.com is poised to grow even further in 2023.
Elias Mark, Gambling.com’s chief financial officer, also commented on the matter. He praised the team for driving an increase of over 133% in new depositing customers and improving the company’s financial metrics.
With our strong operating cash flow and balance sheet, we have the financial flexibility to continue making return-focused investments in our business to deliver increased scale and attractive top-line and cash flow growth – all while maintaining strong profitability.
Elias Mark, CFO, Gambling.com
Gambling.com continues to grow as attested by the EGR Sports Affiliate of the Year award it received in 2022.
