Weekend Report: Irish gambling regulator partners British counterpart, new CMO at Stats Perform, Midnite sponsors World Snooker Championship
New Irish regulator partners British Gambling Commission
The new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the British Gambling Commission.
The deal establishes a framework for cooperation and sets out principles of collaboration between the two regulators. These shared aims, the organisations say, will enable closer working relationships and support their respective duties and functions.
GRAI CEO Anne Marie Caulfield and Gambling Commission interim CEO Andrew Rhodes signed off on the new collaboration last week.
“This MoU is an important step in formalising the working relationship between the two regulators,” Caulfield said. “Ireland and the UK share many of the same operators and gambling practices, so putting this agreement in place will enhance our ability to share information and discharge our respective regulatory responsibilities effectively.
“Open dialogue and close cooperation between both jurisdictions is paramount. I greatly look forward to continuing this close cooperation for the years to come.”
Stats Perform welcomes Kaplan as new marketing chief
Stats Perform has announced the appointment of Charles Kaplan as its new chief marketing officer.
Confirmed last week, Kaplan will take on his new role from 21 April. He will oversee the company’s marketing capabilities, Opta data insights and editorial services, and Opta Content Agency.
Kaplan brings nearly 25 years of marketing, product management and revenue growth expertise to Stats Perform. He was most recently chief product and marketing officer at Wynshop.
Kaplan also held leadership roles at Mi9 Retail, MicroStrategy, Lexmark Enterprise Software and Brainware.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Stats Perform team at such a critical time in the company’s history,” Kaplan said.
Playnetic moves into Canada with Ontario licence
B2B igaming content provider has secured a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
The approval enables Playnetic to provide its library of games to licensees in the Ontario region. It has already begun talks with approved operators in the province.
This is the first approval for Playnetic in the wider Canadian market. The supplier aims to make it a “starting point” for expansion into other provinces in the country.
Hard Rock races ahead with Earnhardt Jr
Meanwhile, Hard Rock International and Hard Rock Bet have announced NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr as a brand ambassador.
The new partnership will feature brand integrations across several areas of the Hard Rock business. These include with Hard Rock Bet players and a branded free-to-play game on Hard Rock Neverland Casino and Jackpot Planet.
On the wagering side of the deal, customers can follow Earnhardt with his sports betting picks. They can also win face-to-face meetings with the NASCAR Hall-of-Famer.
“Hard Rock is such a historic and iconic brand,” said Earnhardt. “They have something for everyone – music, food, drinks, casino games and sports betting. I’m excited to partner with them and the opportunities we have to do some really fun things together.”
Midnite lands World Snooker Championship deal
Finally this week, UK-facing online betting and casino brand Midnite has partnered with the World Snooker Championship.
The deal sees Midnite become the official UK betting and casino partner of the contest. This year, the World Snooker Championship runs from 19 April to 5 May in Sheffield, England.
Midnite will run a series of activations throughout the competition. This includes giving away three pairs of Century Club tickets for the final session.
The Midnite sportsbook was launched in 2018 by Nick Wright and Daniel Qu. The duo previously created daily fantasy sports platform Dribble in partnership with Sky Bet.