Canada

SeventySix Capital Raises Second Sports Focused Venture Capital Fund

Published

5 years ago

September 29, 2021

Investors include pro team owners, athletes, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The sports industry leading venture capital company, SeventySix Capital, announced the initial closing of its second fund to invest in passionate entrepreneurs who are launching game-changing sports betting, esports and sports tech companies.

SeventySix Capital, led by Wayne Kimmel, Jon Powell and Chad Stender, has reshaped the sports venture capital industry. To date in 2021, SeventySix Capital has sold three portfolio companies: VSiN, the sports betting media network led by Brian Musburger, Bill Adee and Brent Musburger (sold to DraftKings – Nasdaq: DKNG), Vigtory, a next generation sportsbook led by Sam Rattner and Scott Butera (sold to FuboTV – NYSE: FUBO), and Team Whistle, a sports and entertainment media company led by John West and Michael Cohen (sold to ELEVEN SPORTS).

“This next fund is an important milestone as we continue building SeventySix Capital as the go-to investment company in the sports industry,” said Wayne Kimmel, SeventySix Capital Managing Partner. “We have proven that we have access to the deals and entrepreneurs seeking to transform the sports world and that we are able to help them build their businesses with our capital investment as well as our sports relationships, knowledge and expertise.”

SeventySix Capital added two additional professional sports team owners as investors and strategic partners in the new fund: Robert Nutting, Owner and Chairman of the board of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball and AMBSE Ventures, a subsidiary of AMB Sports + Entertainment, a portfolio company of Arthur M. Blank, Owner and Chairman of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer. d

SeventySix Capital expanded its roster of athlete investors with the additions of Emmanuel Sanders, Super Bowl Champion and 2X Pro Bowl NFL Wide Receiver of the Buffalo Bills, Alejandro Bedoya, Captain of the Philadelphia Union, former U.S. National team player and SeventySix Capital Athlete Venture Group Co-Chair, and James Develin, 3X Super Bowl Champion and former Pro Bowl Running Back for the New England Patriots. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame Running Back and SeventySix Capital Athlete Venture Group Chair and DeMarco Murray, former NFL All-Pro Running Back and Coach at the University of Oklahoma are return investors along with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority and multiple family offices.

“I’m excited to officially join the already dynamic team at SeventySix Capital that I have gotten to know well over the last several years through my marketing agent, Dave Maryles (Partner at Rubicon Talent),” said Emmanuel Sanders. “Given my personal passion for esports, it’s great working with Nerd Street, their esports portfolio company. We share similar values and interests in entrepreneurship, the sports business, and overall the drive to work hard to achieve lofty goals.”

SeventySix Capital’s current portfolio companies are leaders in their respective industries: C360, Diamond Kinetics, Fortē, Maestro, Nerd Street, Play by Play, ShotTracker, Swish Analytics, and U.S. Integrity.

This new fund will invest in startup companies that are disrupting and innovating the sports industry through the use of analytics, data and technology. SeventySix Capital aims to capitalize on the growing legal sports betting industry in the United States. The American Gaming Association (AGA) confirmed that U.S. commercial gaming revenue for the first seven months of 2021 nearly matched the entirety of 2020 and is 17.4 percent ahead of the same period in 2019, with 26 states (and Washington D.C.) having launched regulated sports betting. DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) believes the US online sports betting market could eventually be worth $22 billion, assuming 100 percent legalization. The fund will also make investments in companies seeking to transform the fast-growing esports and Gaming industry. Gaming analytics and market research firm Newzoo stated that close to one-third of the global population games and the U.S. Video Game industry in 2020 was larger than Music and Movies combined, according to The NPD Group.

SeventySix Capital Venture Partner and Advisory members include Tim Cabral, former CFO of the $46+ billion market cap company, Veeva Systems, Dan Mason, former CEO of CBS Radio and a National Radio Hall of Fame member, and Michael Schreiber, CEO of Playfly Sports, Co-Founder of SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory and a former executive at NBCUniversal, Comcast and Altice USA.

Steven M. Cohen from Morgan Lewis acted as SeventySix Capital’s fund formation legal counsel and Adam Berger from Duane Morris is the fund’s gaming counsel.

Canada

IGSA Welcomes New Partner Members: Focal Research and RGC Canada

Published

2 days ago

April 9, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

igsa-welcomes-new-partner-members:-focal-research-and-rgc-canada

As part of a new responsible gaming initiative, the International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) has welcomed two new Partner Members, Focal Research Consultants and The Responsible Gambling Council, both from Canada.

IGSA President Mark Pace said: “IGSA is excited to welcome our new partners in Responsible Gaming. We are looking to work with organizations that are truly dedicated to doing good in the RG space. There is a lot of time, energy and money being spent in this area and we want to leverage the incredible work being done in an effort to amplify its positive effect.”

Tracy Schrans, Co-Founder and President of Focal Research, said: “We are pleased to partner with IGSA on this important initiative. Drawing on over three decades of applied research, responsible gambling evaluation, and player protection, we look forward to collaborating with IGSA members to advance practical evidence-based industry standards for keeping players safe.”

“Advancing industry standards for player protection depends on collaboration across the full ecosystem. With deep expertise in standards development, applied research, and harm prevention, RGC is pleased to work alongside IGSA members to develop practical, implementable standards that strengthen player protection in meaningful ways,” said Sarah McCarthy, CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC).

The post IGSA Welcomes New Partner Members: Focal Research and RGC Canada appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Boris Gartner

LALIGA Announces Multi-year Partnership with Polymarket

Published

2 days ago

April 9, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

laliga-announces-multi-year-partnership-with-polymarket

LALIGA North America has announced a multi-year partnership with Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction market, becoming the first European soccer league to do so.

As the Official and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner of LALIGA in the US and Canada, Polymarket will offer LALIGA fans the ability to engage with Spain’s premier soccer league and its stars at an unprecedented level.

“Soccer’s growth, especially in North America, is spearheaded by young, diverse and multicultural audiences who consume the game across multiple screens, so it’s our goal to continue to engage these demographics in new and unique ways. It’s imperative we go beyond traditional engagement efforts in order to bring these audiences closer to the beautiful game than ever before, and we couldn’t think of a better partner than Polymarket to achieve that,” said Boris Gartner, Relevent CEO & Partner.

For LALIGA North America, the partnership with Polymarket is a testament to the long-term investment and growth in the region as a result of the 20-year joint venture between LALIGA and Relevent launched in 2018. Polymarket joins a robust roster of regional partners including Walmart, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, Verizon, Remitly, and Panini, among others.

The multi-year partnership with Polymarket includes premium broadcast visibility, fan-focused digital and social programming, and exclusive fan experiences such as VIP match hospitality and virtual meet-and-greets with LALIGA legends. Polymarket will also receive exclusive rights to use LALIGA and club intellectual property in connection with LALIGA matches.

Through this partnership, LALIGA and Polymarket will collaborate to establish a responsible and transparent framework that promotes innovative fan participation while upholding the highest standards of sporting integrity, leveraging Polymarket’s recently announced next-generation sports integrity platform launched in partnership with Palantir Technologies and TWG AI.

“Our goal is to give fans a more expressive way to follow the game, where opinions on players, matches, and season outcomes can be reflected in real time. Partnering with LALIGA brings that level of interaction to one of the most passionate global fanbases and introduces a new, more dynamic way for North American audiences to engage with the league,” said Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket.

Polymarket has rapidly established itself as the prediction market partner of choice for major sports leagues, having announced partnerships with MLB, NHL, UFC, and MLS, which includes serving as the exclusive and official prediction market for MLS Cup, MLS All-Star, and Leagues Cup.

The post LALIGA Announces Multi-year Partnership with Polymarket appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Bede Gaming

OLG Launches Innovative New React Native Mobile App with Bede Gaming

Published

4 days ago

April 7, 2026

Wladimir P.

olg-launches-innovative-new-react-native-mobile-app-with-bede-gaming

Bede Gaming is proud to continue its partnership with Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG), which is now delivering an enhanced experience to its OLG.ca mobile customers across the province after successfully transitioning to the Bede Gaming React Native App.

The upgraded app, built for fast and seamless omnichannel performance, provides an exceptional player experience that leverages a data-efficient design model.

With over 1 million monthly app users, the lightweight network delivery and core functionality of Bede’s technical solution ensures an accessible and high-quality player experience across devices, even during peak traffic periods.

Structured with a flexible foundation for future development, ongoing app enhancements will now be delivered quickly and consistently across device types. In addition, the new app uses one build for all devices, making it much more operationally efficient and cost effective, and far easier for the Ontario operator to implement and manage future changes.

The new agile solution is also highly scalable and customisable, offering the flexibility to build a bespoke mobile set-up that’s truly brand-tailored and easily self-managed by operator admins. With direct connection into Bede’s full platform capabilities, engaging in-house product suite, and catalogue of third-party integrations, the new app eliminates the need for additional integration steps, significantly improves speed to market, and enables a fast response to changing player behaviours and trends.

Given online gambling is regulated on a province-to-province basis in Canada, the new app will also help OLG continue to provide a responsible and compliant iGaming service through geolocation technology powered by mkodo’s GeoLocs product, leveraging robust location management tools to ensure a seamless and fully regulated experience for players across Ontario.

Following the transition to Bede’s React Native App, OLG has reported a smooth and successful launch, with a carefully planned rollout and no impact to the customer experience.

Dave Pridmore, Chief Gaming Officer at OLG, said: “We’re delighted with how quickly and efficiently the transition to Bede’s React Native app has been – and the fact there’s been no disruption for our existing OLG.ca players speaks volumes about the impressive teamwork shown on both sides. The intuitive experience built and well-considered support are representative of the high quality of work we’ve come to expect from our partners at Bede Gaming.

“As OLG continues to prioritise our players’ experiences and expectations, we look forward to implementing even more market-leading enhancements throughout our ongoing digital growth.”

Further phases of strategic enhancements applied to the app’s user journey will deliver continual user improvements, supporting a more streamlined customer experience that encourages returning traffic.

With increasing demand across the industry for seamless omnichannel gaming experiences, having this degree of personalisation, accessibility and smooth user journeys offers an increasingly significant role in player retention.

“The successful roll-out of our React Native App is testament to Bede’s continued commitment to our partnership with OLG and further proof of the passion we have for providing operational efficiencies to their team,” said Andrew Humphreys, Chief Product Engineering Officer at Bede Gaming. “I’m excited about the additional competitive value that our Bede App will be able to offer; our flexible and cost-efficient solution will empower OLG to expand their outreach and capabilities in the mobile-first market.”

The post OLG Launches Innovative New React Native Mobile App with Bede Gaming appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.