Mobile Sports Betting Goes Live in NY Saturday Morning
Residents of New York state can officially mark their calendars. Starting on Jan 8, the four licensed operators that have satisfied all statutory and regulatory requirements can open for business within this newly announced timeline. The approved sportsbooks are Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive (via BetRivers and SugarHouse). The remaining operators granted licenses by the state — Bally Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, Resorts World, and WynnBET — will now await the Gaming Commission’s official announcement that they have likewise satisfied all necessary prerequisites.
Nas Democratizes Rights to Upcoming Drop with NFT Project
For the better part of the last three decades, Nas has been a cornerstone of hip hop. The Brooklyn rapper is looking towards the next chapter of his career, and to do so is teaming up with Royal, a platform that allows music fans to purchase a piece of the publishing rights and earn royalties. For the upcoming release of two new tracks, Nas will offer “limited digital assets” that function as NFTs with additional functionality that entitles holders to the streaming rights. The singles are set to drop on Jan 11.
Dwyane Wade Doubles Down on SLC with Real Salt Lake Stake
Dwyane Wade has been announced as part of the ownership group behind the Real Salt Lake purchase, which is led by Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith. He joins the team along with the Smith Entertainment Group, which also owns a stake in the Utah Jazz. The deal also includes the rights to Salt Lake’s NWSL team, which moved to Kansas City in the off-season but teases the possibility of a future expansion team.
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The New York Times Purchases The Athletic for $550M
The long-rumored sports media acquisition appears to have finally happened: The New York Times has agreed to buy The Athletic for a whopping $550 million in a deal first reported by The Information on Thursday. The subscriber-only platform had reportedly been exploring a sale for a while now as the worlds of sports and media retool themselves in light of COVID-19, and a lot had to transpire to get us to this point.
Samsung Taking Its NYC Storefront to the Metaverse
The shortened CES closed out yesterday and if there was one major takeaway from this year’s conference it was that the metaverse has arrived. Several companies revealed various technologies that will enable life in Web3. And one tech giant unveiled a new partnership that will take its sales to the universe. Samsung announced that it has partnered with Decentraland to launch the metaverse version of its NYC flagship store. While the store will only be open for a limited time, the company indicated that they will roll out similar projects across other platforms.
Buffalo Bills Tap FanDuel as Official Betting Partner
On the heels of the announcement that sports betting is imminent in New York state, the Buffalo Bills and FanDuel are making things official. FanDuel will be the official mobile sports betting partner of the Bills Mafia and will introduce themselves via video and TV spots. In addition, FanDuel will serve as the presenting sponsor of the team’s official podcast.
NFTs and Crypto Serve as Foundation of GameStop’s Next Act
Game Stop is implementing a new division to develop a marketplace for NFTs and establish cryptocurrency partnerships. The unit’s goal is to build an online hub for buying, selling, and trading NFTs of virtual videogame goods. In response to the news, the retailer’s stock was up 17% before trading opened on Friday.
Athletes Unlimited Reveals Basketball, Volleyball Broadcast Partners
Athletes Unlimited announced that its spring basketball and volleyball leagues have partnered with FOX Sports, CBS Sports, and Bally Sports’ regional networks for 48 televised games, the company announced Thursday. The remaining basketball games and volleyball contests that are not featured on the network outlets will stream on Athletes Unlimited’s YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. The basketball broadcast team will be led by Cindy Brunson on play-by-play, with basketball Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes and Carol Ross as analysts.
Kyler Murray Announces Equity Stake in JUST Egg
On Thursday, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray joined up with JUST Egg, the fastest-growing egg brand in the United States, to become the brand’s latest pro athlete ambassador. Murray joins Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre Jordan, and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, each of whom is an ambassador for the company.
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