partnerships
Southampton FC scouting sports tech startups for Future of Football challenge
The Future of Football challenge is open to innovative companies ready to shape and test their solutions for updated football experiences in either the football development or fan engagement space. In spirit with its values of innovation and doing things differently, Southampton FC will offer a 4-week virtual programme — powered by Sport Republic and Yolo Group — to create opportunities and break away from conventional methods.
The challenge welcomes Web3 and sports tech startups and scaleups with novel solutions to:
- Football development (scouting, training, recovery, game analytics etc.)
- Fan engagement (gamification, loyalty programmes, matchday experiences, global fan engagement etc.)
Selected teams will rapidly test and pilot their solutions, participate in tailored workshops, and have regular and direct access to Southampton FC, Sport Republic, and Yolo Group decision-makers. At the St. Mary’s finale, teams will pitch for a commercial relationship with SFC and a £100k discretionary prize pool for post-programme solution development.
“Southampton FC’s commitment to innovating and creating a positive impact is central to the way we operate and make decisions. We’re excited to see programme participants create the future of football” said Sarah Batters, Director of Marketing and Partnerships as SFC.
Sport Republic, the owner of Southampton Football Club is a London-based investment firm in the sports and entertainment industry. Founded by Henrik Kraft and Rasmus Ankersen and backed by Lead Investor Dragan Šolak, Sport Republic’s vision is to grow high potential sports businesses and sports tech companies.
“Sport Republic are really looking forward to being part of the Future of Football challenge to power innovation in sports tech. We are continuously seeking the most innovative sports tech companies to join our portfolio and leveraging our clubs to drive growth and achieve digital transformation. ” said Henrik Kraft, Sport Republic and SFC Chairman.
Yolo Group is the managing partner for the Future of Football challenge. Yolo Group is a leader at the cross section of gaming, fintech, and blockchain, and operates the Sportsbet.io brand. Sportsbet.io is Southampton FC’s Main Club Partner.
“This programme is designed to push boundaries, to bring together a spectrum of solutions from startups around the globe. It’s a chance to create truly unique approaches — and test them. We’re driven by innovation; so, we’re looking forward to seeing the results,” said Tim Heath, GP at Yolo Investments, and founder of Yolo Group. The application deadline is 23 February 2023. Find more information and apply here: https://www.southamptonfc.com/saints-partners/future-of-football-challenge
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Compliance
DraftKings renews multi-year geolocation deal with GeoComply
DraftKings has renewed a multi-year agreement with GeoComply to continue providing real-time geolocation and compliance services, the companies said.
The extension comes after DraftKings’ Super App launch, a unified platform approach that lets customers access either sportsbook or sports predictions depending on their location. The press release positions the renewal as supporting scale, fraud controls, geolocation and compliance requirements tied to that rollout.
GeoComply said its geolocation signals are embedded into DraftKings’ internal risk workflows, including step-up authentication and automated decisioning. The vendor said it processes 2.5 billion checks a month across its platform.
Under the extended agreement, the companies said GeoComply will continue to support DraftKings with dedicated forward-deployed engineering support.
“The operators winning this next cycle are treating geolocation intelligence as critical trust infrastructure,” said Kip Levin, CEO of GeoComply. “DraftKings has done that for years. This extension reflects how seriously they take the architecture behind player trust—and it’s what lets them keep moving fast on everything else.”
The post DraftKings renews multi-year geolocation deal with GeoComply appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
Stephen Crystal Named Ambassador for SiGMA North America 2026 in Mexico City
SCCG Management Founder and CEO Stephen Crystal has been named one of ten industry ambassadors for SiGMA North America 2026, the summit’s inaugural Mexico City edition. The event takes place September 1 to 3 at Centro Banamex and is expected to welcome 4,000 delegates, 1,000 operators, more than 150 speakers, and over 200 exhibitors and sponsors.
The ambassador appointment recognizes leaders working across iGaming in North and Latin America who will support the summit’s positioning as a new regional hub for the industry. Crystal joins a group of C-level executives, founders, and specialists from across the Americas, including Javier Troncoso (InsightPlay.ai), David Fica (Land Vegas Group), Fellipe Fraga (Stellar Gaming), Iliana Maria Pineda Echeverri (Wplay), Fernando Garita (Kabata Group), Juan Pablo Barahona (BETBY), Elizabeth Maya Cano (Cornazar), Gonzalo Perez (Apuesta Total), and Rosa Ochoa (Blue Global Gaming).
“Mexico City is the right location and the right moment for a summit of this scale,” said Stephen Crystal. “Latin America’s gaming markets are maturing rapidly, regulatory frameworks are taking shape across the region, and the companies operating in these markets need a dedicated forum that bridges North and South. SiGMA’s decision to plant its North American flag in Mexico reflects where the industry’s growth trajectory is heading, and SCCG is proud to support that vision as an ambassador.”
Crystal is confirmed on the Day 2 conference agenda for the panel “Regulation and Revenue: Dissecting North America’s State and Provincial Affiliate Ecosystem,” which will examine how affiliate structures are evolving across the region’s regulated markets.
SiGMA North America 2026 marks the group’s first event in Mexico City, following BiS SiGMA South America 2026 in Sao Paulo earlier this year. The two events give the industry two major regional touchpoints in the same calendar year, covering both Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking markets across the Americas. The September calendar also connects to the SiGMA Affiliate Retreat in Cancun (September 4 to 6) and Affiliate World Americas in Cancun (September 7 to 8), creating a full circuit for companies active in performance marketing and business development across the region.
The three-day summit program includes a full conference agenda, expo floor, the SiGMA Pitch North America startup competition, the SiGMA North America Awards, networking dinners, and VIP programming throughout Mexico City.
With more than 33 years of experience in the global gambling industry, SCCG Management works with operators, suppliers, startups, investors, and technology companies across more than 50 jurisdictions. The firm’s advisory and business development practice spans sports betting, iGaming, tribal gaming, payments, emerging technology, media partnerships, and international market expansion.
SiGMA North America 2026 takes place September 1 to 3 at Centro Banamex in Mexico City. Tickets and registration are available at sigma.world.
The post Stephen Crystal Named Ambassador for SiGMA North America 2026 in Mexico City appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
DraftKings
DraftKings renews multi-year agreement with GeoComply
DraftKings and GeoComply have been working together for more than a decade, throughout some of the most technically demanding moments in modern gaming.
Today, we’re proud to announce that DraftKings has extended its multi-year agreement with GeoComply. Our collaboration, which dates back to the early days of Daily Fantasy Sports, goes beyond compliance, founded upon a shared track record under real pressure.
Part announcement, part celebration, read on to learn about the history we’ve walked and what we’re looking forward to next.
A different kind of proof
The extension comes on the heels of DraftKings’ Super App launch, a unified platform strategy, that allows customers to access either sportsbook or sports predictions depending on their location. Along with a high-calibre player experience, this demands higher scale, and a higher bar across fraud, geolocation, and compliance.
GeoComply has supported DraftKings through record traffic, major sporting events, and industry-wide disruptions. That track record forms the foundation of this collaboration.
What makes the signals different
This relationship has been built on a foundation that can’t be easily replicated: signal intelligence at scale. GeoComply processes 2.5 billion checks a month, generating a living picture of user behaviour, device integrity, and location authenticity that gets sharper with every transaction.
For DraftKings, those signals aren’t a standalone verification step bolted onto the side of their stack. They’re embedded directly into internal risk workflows, informing step-up authentication, powering automated decisioning, and enabling proactive threat detection before bad actors get a foothold.
That’s the difference between geolocation as a compliance checkbox and geolocation as trust infrastructure. DraftKings has been running the latter for years.
What comes next
Under the extended agreement, DraftKings and GeoComply will continue to deliver real-time geolocation and compliance services, supported by dedicated forward-deployed engineering support.
“The operators winning this next cycle are treating geolocation intelligence as critical trust infrastructure,” said Kip Levin, CEO of GeoComply. “DraftKings has done that for years. This extension reflects how seriously they take the architecture behind player trust—and it’s what lets them keep moving fast on everything else.”
The goal: stay ahead of what’s next, together.
The post DraftKings renews multi-year agreement with GeoComply appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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