In the latest issue of Industry Eye Ed Pownall once again explores the biggest gambling headlines of the week, from the North West of England to the North East of the United States.
Plunging into the first story of the week, Pownall visited the town of Preston in Lancashire, where the local football club EFL championship Preston North End broke off relations with the sponsor 32Red , an online casino operator.
Pownall noted: "While it doesn't seem like a big deal on its own, it could be a sign that something is coming, so keep a close eye on this space - changes are coming if you ask me."
The cancellation of the sponsorship agreement comes as marketing and branding links between football clubs and gaming companies are subject to increasing public and political scrutiny, with a ban on such arrangements being touted as the “most likely outcome” of a review of the Law on gambling 2005 .
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Unlike Preston North End, global sports media business LiveScore instead spent this week focusing on building new partnerships rather than moving away from old ones.
Real-time sports news provider partnered with striker Juventus " Cristiano Ronaldo , calling Manchester United legend and " Real Madrid" its global brand ambassador.
However, Pownall was not very impressed with the new agreement, saying "They don't cost much more than that! I hope you have a plan, because these big stars can get awfully elusive when you want them to do something for you. I'm not sure about this LiveScore, not at all."
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Finally, Pownall visited the US state of New Jersey - always a popular destination for the gambling industry - where the Swedish online casino LeoVegas entered into a market access agreement with an American gaming and entertainment conglomerate Caesars Entertainment .
"I'm guessing 'market access' is just a clever way to bypass the license, but what's next - 2022?" Pownal noted. “It's only May! Move on LeoVegas! »
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In other northeastern state news, gambling revenue increased by 326% year on year, although April's revenue didn't quite match the record revenue from a month earlier.
"I realize there wasn't much sport last year, but there's still a huge upswing in my book," Pownall exclaimed. “The gold rush in the US has really begun!”
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Source - YouTube sports betting community channel
Industry Eye Report: PNE pulls out of partnership with 32Red as LiveScore targets new ally first seen on GamblingTV.com.