Latest News
LALIGA and Sportsbet.io announce strategic partnership
LALIGA and Sportsbet.io’s partnership set to engage football fans through exciting activations and campaigns
LALIGA, the world’s most followed football league, along with Sportsbet.io is excited to announce a groundbreaking partnership, to enhance fan engagement. This strategic collaboration will bring an array of innovative experiences, exclusive offers, prizes and content designed to immerse football fans with the excitement of LALIGA. Sportsbet.io and LALIGA aim to provide fans with unique opportunities to interact with the league, combining the thrill of world-class football with the excitement of Sportsbet.io’s unique platform.
“We are excited to announce this partnership with Sportsbet.io, a brand that shares our vision of pushing the boundaries of fan engagement and innovation within sports. Together, we aim to deliver new and dynamic experiences for our fans, offering them fresh ways to engage with the passion and excitement that defines LALIGA. This collaboration marks an important step in our strategy to connect with global audiences and continue growing our international presence” said Jorge de la Vega, Business General Manager of LALIGA.
Alex Haig, Director of Sportsbet.io, added “The launch of this partnership with LALIGA underlines our commitment at Sportsbet.io to deliver the best possible experience to our players, going that extra mile to put them into the heart of the action. We have much more planned alongside LALIGA, so watch this space.”
This exciting partnership sets the stage for exciting future collaborations, uniting fans across the globe in the love of the game.
Compliance Updates
IAGR announces International Regulatory Award 2024 winners
The winners of IAGR’s 2024 International Regulatory Awards have been revealed, with regulators from Australia, the Netherlands and Denmark taking home the trophies during the IAGR & IMGL Rome Conference.
This year’s winners showcase innovative and effective regulatory efforts from across the globe.
- Regulatory Excellence Award: Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
For the launch of the BetStop National Self Exclusion Register, the ACMA was recognised for overcoming complex delivery and regulatory challenges to create Australia’s first centralised exclusion register.
- Regulatory Innovation Award: Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), Netherlands Gambling Authority
The Ksa was commended for its use of data to enhance consumer protection, fast-tracking advanced dashboards to improve regulatory oversight.
- Best Regulatory Campaign Award: Danish Gambling Authority
The Danish Gambling Authority won for its ‘One Armed Bandit’ campaign, which used humour and collaboration with influencers to engage the public on responsible gambling.
IAGR Vice President, Sarah Kelly, who was part of the judging panel, said:
‘This year saw one of the highest numbers of global nominations, with a diversity of entries reflecting the increasing efforts of our members to improve regulation of the gaming sector.
‘Our winners have shown exceptional dedication in advancing regulatory standards for the benefit of the gaming industry and its consumers.’
ACMA Chair, Nerida O’Loughlin said:
‘BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register represents a significant enhancement of consumer safeguards available to Australians who gamble. The IAGR award for regulatory excellence is recognition of the dedication and collaboration of ACMA staff in delivering this important safeguard which has supported the more than 30,000 Australians registered to date.’
Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of the Ksa/Netherlands Gambling Authority said:
‘I was honoured to be in Rome on behalf of our organization. I greatly appreciate the international acknowledgement for ‘Markers of risk’. I would like to thank my dedicated and impactful colleagues Dr. Flóra Felsö and Dr. Judith Kas and their team for their hard work. The report about this project will be published later this year. A great contribution to our mission which states consumers must be able to play safely. We act to prevent misconduct.’
Anders Dorph, Director of the Danish Gambling Authority, said:
‘Our campaign “The One-Armed Bandit” targets underage persons to prevent them from gambling, which is why we took a quite unusual approach. For instance, our character uses a type of language which one does not normally hear in campaigns from public organisations. However, we found it necessary to use unorthodox methods to reach our target group and I am very thankful that the IAGR jury saw the value of our campaign.
‘Preventing underage children and young people from gambling and gambling harm is an important agenda for the Danish Gambling Authority which is why I am particularly proud of the award.’
These prestigious awards underscore the importance of collaboration, innovation and dedication in the global regulation of gambling.
Latest News
Betfair Casino introduces ‘Brett & the New Slots’ in new campaign with Pablo to celebrate being the ‘home of new games’
Betfair Casino, part of the world’s biggest entertainment company, Flutter, has today launched with their creative agency, Pablo, a new campaign seeing the return of their ‘Brett Flair’ character, but this time with some new companions.
The new campaign, created by Pablo, builds on the success of the original Brett Flair campaign which launched in 2022, evolving this creative platform to new heights. It celebrates Betfair Casino as the ultimate ‘home of new games’, reminding players that exciting new slot games are released every week.
The campaign is born out of the insight that 70% of UK online casino revenue is driven by slot games, more than table games or live casino. Betfair found that almost a third of their overall player volume was driven by games launched in the same year, and given their Casino launches new games every week, this gave the brand a point of difference to demonstrate their credibility in a noisy marketplace lacking differentiation.
In true Casino fashion, the brand is back with a bang for the next instalment of their larger than life character ‘Brett Flair’, everyone’s favourite market stall holder, taking him to the next level of fame. But this time, Brett Flair is not coming back alone. He’s bringing an entire band with him, each member representing Betfair’s latest and best games dropping every week. Introducing ‘Brett & The New Slots’. Brett is joined by a Greek God, Fisherman, Cowboy and Miner, reminding players that with such a wide range of new games available weekly at Betfair Casino there’s something for everybody to enjoy.
Continuing the theme of catchy 90’s band nostalgia, the campaign sticks with parodying classic boy band hits, but moves on from the Backstreet Boys, ‘I Want It That Way’ to ‘Everybody’ to create a new jingle worthy of earworm status.
Staying true to his origins, Brett remains front and centre to the action with him and his band filming their latest music video in a market stall setting. ‘Brett & The New Slots’ play on the very best of 90’s music video style tropes, delighting us with synchronised choreography, home-made fan signs and elevated production, music and lyrics.
Brett Flair’s debut appearance was in 2022 following a new set of regulations from the Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP)coming into force. These changes led to Brett’s creation to ensure compliance in the new world of gaming. This latest campaign continues to build on Pablo and Betfair’s four year relationship, which is well versed in balancing compliance and driving stand-out in what is a very cluttered and noisy competitor landscape. In this campaign, ‘Brett & The New Slots’ bring a sense of nostalgia and fun, frivolous, entertainment into the world of gaming.
The two 30” TVC spots cover Brand and Safer Gambling messages. They were directed by Louis Bhose through Agile Films, creating the yellow market stall inspired music video with sound specialists Birdbrain bringing Brett’s version of ‘Everybody’ to life.
The TTL campaign goes live 24 October 2024, premiering ‘Brett & The New Slots’ across TV, VOD, OOH, social and digital.
The TVCs can be found here for download, with the Brand here on YouTube.
Lisa Marquis, Head of Gaming Brand & Propositions, Betfair said “The first Brett Flair campaign and its nostalgic theme was a hit with our casino audience, offering the standout and memorability we needed in a highly competitive market. Pablo has delivered in spades with this second campaign, which builds on the strengths of the original while delivering our core message about new games. The campaign is highly entertaining and aligns with our customers’ desire for fun, whilst also landing a message about responsible play through the introduction of our Gaming Time Check tool, ensuring players can enjoy themselves in a safe and balanced way.”
Tim Snape, ECD at Pablo said: “This campaign supports our long-standing relationship with Betfair, having recently launched a one shot trick ad for the Sportsbook and Exchange side of the business earlier this year. This execution is our second outing with the incredibly effective ‘Brett Flair’ character. It was time to turn the knob up to max in every way, so we’ve gone slicker, bigger, louder and prouder than ever before. We managed to secure another Backstreet Boys banger as the base of our new musical outing too so it’s 90’s fun from start to finish.”
Credits
Client: Betfair Casino
Head of Brand & Propositions: Lisa Marquis
Senior Brand Manager: Venetia Tabor
Brand Manager: Jennifer O’Kelly
Marketing Executive: Megan Hayes
Producer: Mikaela Benson
Creative Lead: Daniel Flynn
Agency: Pablo
Executive Creative Director: Tim Snape
Creative: Bex Conyngham-Hynes
Creative: Dan Scott
Planning Director: Chris Turner
Planner: Oliver Edridge
Managing Director: Harriet Knight
Senior Account Director: Charlotte Johnson
Senior Account Manager: Phoebe Snelson-Chiffers
Head of TV Production: Tom Moxham
TV Producer: Rebecca Forrester
Head of Project Management: Ben Mascari
Project Director: Kelly Watts
Project Executive: Emily Rutledge
Production:
Production Company: Agile Films
Director: Louis Bhose
Producer: Sarah Kirkby
Executive Producer: Fliss Hutcheson
Director Of Photography: Murren Tullett
Editor: Jack Williams @ The Assembly Rooms
Exec Producer: Emma Bewley
Post-Production: Agile Studios
Post Producer: Angie Broomfield
Creative Director (Post-Production): David Horsburgh
VFX Lead: Kevin Merien
VFX Artist: Thomas Dunleavy & Andrew Loughnane
Grade: Matthieu Toullet @ Company 3
Grade Assistant: Karl Pasamonte, Santino Napolitano & Jack Kennedy
Sound: Mike Bovill @ 750mph
Music Company: Birdbrain
Track: Backstreet Boys – ‘Everybody’
eSports
BLAST & Solihull Council announces major esports event to take place in the UK next year
Solihull Council is pleased to announce a major esports event taking place in Solihull from 27 to 30 March 2025 at bp pulse LIVE.
The 2025 Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Season will host its first arena event of the year in Solihull, with thousands of fans expected to attend.
Esports (or electronic sports) is a term used to describe competitive video gaming. It’s different from standard video gaming in that esports is competitive (player-vs-player) and usually has an engaging spectator element to it, like traditional sports. Rocket League is a sport-based video game (also known as football with rocket-powered cars that fly!).
The event – RLCS Major 1 Birmingham – will have national and international significance, welcoming some of the world’s best Rocket League players to Solihull and the wider region. 16 teams from around the world will compete for the first trophy of the RLCS 2025 Season in front of a live audience on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March. Tickets will go on sale via Live Nation from next week.
A few weeks before the main event, members of the public will be invited to take part in an action-packed tournament, the ‘British Esports Cup’ featuring Rocket League. The British Cup tournament, led by the British Esports Federation, will be open to all UK residents aged 13+ and offer a prize pool of £5,000.
A business esports summit (WM Esports Unwrapped) is also planned for the event weekend, which will be a chance for key business and industry leaders to network and identify future growth opportunities.
Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council and Lead Member for Business and the Economy commented: “Esports may be a new concept for many of us, but it’s fast becoming an industry of huge economic significance. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the RLCS Major 1 Birmingham to our borough, in partnership with the British Esports Federation and BLAST.
“It is expected to attract thousands of fans from across the world to the arena, with millions more watching the global broadcast online. The economic benefit to the hospitality and visitor economy in the region is unrivalled with the majority of fans expected to attend the event from out of the area.
“The event will put our borough on the world stage and promote Solihull, the West Midlands and the NEC event campus as a national and international hub for gaming and esports championships.”
Chester King, President of British Esports said: “Hosting the RLCS Major 1 in Birmingham is a landmark moment for UK esports, and we’re thrilled to see another world-class event hosted in Great Britain.
“British Esports is proud to support the UK esports scene with our own Rocket League tournament running alongside the Major, providing a platform for aspiring players across the UK to showcase their talent. This collaboration underlines the strength of the UK’s esports ecosystem and British Esports’ ongoing commitment to creating opportunities for grassroots players to engage with professional esports athletes.”
People visiting the borough for the event are encouraged to check out the Visit Solihull website for information on where to eat, drink and stay in the borough.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the UK Government is supporting the organisers of the event with funding from the Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund. This is being used to boost trade and tourism sectors and bring vital footfall to local businesses in the region.
Solihull Council is working in partnership with BLAST, British Esports Federation, NEC Group, West Midlands Growth Company and the University of Warwick.
In 2023, the UK was placed fifth in the world for esports revenue generation. Esports is growing at a rate of 13.8% a year. The video game market is worth an estimated $282 billion and there are approximately 3 billion active gamers worldwide.
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