Year in review Q3: Belligerence, banter and boosted share prices
Kindred, DraftKings and Entain all piqued reader interest during Q3 as Kindred insisted on going Dutch despite not being invited
We may all be thinking of mince pies and Christmas puddings but here at EGR we are continuing to round up your most-read stories of the year. Today, Q3 sees a belligerent Kindred continue to operate in the Netherlands, a comedy supergroup teaming up for DraftKings and Entain shares hitting new heights.
Kindred to carry on accepting Dutch players as Entain and Betsson terminate offerings
On the final day of September, Kindred stated that it would not be blocking Dutch consumers from accessing its online gambling products with the country set to legalise online betting the following day.
This was despite the firm failing to obtain a licence to operate in the Netherlands.
The Unibet operator was subject to a “cooling-off” period and was not included in the first 10 operators to be given a licence.
Bet365, tombola, GGPoker, LiveScore, Play North, Bingoal, TOTO, FPO Netherlands, Holland Casino and Betent were the 10 to receive the first licences.
Entain and Betsson announced they were to pull out of the market from 1 October in order to aid their licence application, however, Kindred revealed at that point that it had no intention to do so.
Kindred revealed to EGR at the time: “It is our understanding that there is no request from Dutch officials that international operators post-1 October block Dutch citizens from accessing their services.”
However, just a day later Kindred Group made a significant U-turn and pulled the plug on services aimed at Dutch customers on 1 October.
DraftKings recruits Martin Lawrence to front heavy-hitting NFL ad campaign
On 11 August, DraftKings unveiled its new marketing campaign ahead of the upcoming NFL season.
Bad Boys actor Martin Lawrence, alongside Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad), Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers), Timothy Simons (Veep) and Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black), appeared in the campaign entitled ‘The Feels’ aimed to personify the emotional rollercoaster associated with betting on sports.
DraftKings VP brand and sports marketing Michael Shonkoff said: “Our objective is to continue building a beloved brand, not solely as a sports brand or an online betting brand, but a lifestyle and entertainment technology brand – a community for the passionate, thrill-seeking ‘skin in the game’ fans out there.”
Entain shares reach record high as MGM takeover bid speculation builds
The fifth of August saw shares in Entain jump to an all-time high of 1,955p amid speculation MGM Resorts was readying a takeover deal.
This was on the back of MGM, which is a joint venture partner of Entain in the US, cashing in to the tune of $4.4bn after selling a group of its Las Vegas-based retail assets to VICI Properties via its MGM Growth Properties subsidiary (MGP).
Since then there has been no movement on the deal, however MGM said in a statement at the time: “Since the company formed MGP in a milestone transaction in 2016, the company and MGP have successfully executed multiple transactions providing for significant cash proceeds the company has used to strengthen its balance sheet, return capital to shareholders and fund substantial investments in significant growth opportunities.”