Deal gives Score Media link with arenas

As is the case with so many Canadian boys and girls, Aubrey Levy has spent a lot of time in arenas. And he’s done so often accompanied by his dad.

“My father (Score Media and Gaming Inc. founder and CEO John Levy) and I lived in hockey rinks growing up, and we’ve played in leagues as adults,” the younger Levy, the company’s vice-president of marketing and content, said this week. “Almost every adult in Ontario and across Canada has been in a hockey facility at some point.”

These days, father and son devote most of their time to finetuning — and starting to put into place — the company’s strategy for operating in a regulated sports betting industry that’s expected to open in Ontario this fall. As part of its efforts to promote theScore Bet mobile app, Score Media and Gaming announced Thursday a oneyear partnership with Canlan Sports, owners of arenas and sports complexes across North America.

The agreement includes title sponsorship and branding exposure for theScore Bet at Canlan’s six sports complexes in the Greater Toronto Area, and title sponsorship of the Adult Safe Hockey League with 65,000 recreational hockey league players annually. Canlan will be able to promote its facilities and programs through Score Media’s digital assets.

Both companies declined to provide financial details around the partnership.

“We’ll do some test-and-learn things this year and hopefully it’ll lead to a long-term agreement,” Liana Guiry, Canlan’s VP of sales, marketing and customer experience, said Wednesday.

Like the Levy clan, hockey players, parents and families in the GTA have spent significant chunks of their weekdays and nights in a Canlan Ice Sports arena. (The company rebranded itself earlier this year to reflect its growing investment in soccer, basketball, volleyball and other indoor sport facilities).

While the ASHL gives Score Media access to an extensive database — and prospective theScore Bet users — Levy says the partnership goes beyond that.

“There’s clear alignment because of the overlap with the demographic audience and hockey,” Levy said. “In Ontario, we’re focusing on hockey and Canlan brings us that hockey audience.”

The two new partners also have an eye on opportunities to grow their respective businesses with the food and beverage facilities at Canlan. They’re the post-game gathering places for beer leaguers and for parents escaping the cold confines of the arena to sip coffee and watch their daughters and sons.

Betting kiosks, which are popping up in arenas and other sports venues across the U.S., aren’t in Canlan’s immediate plan. Guiry acknowledged, however, that other types of online gaming are being discussed.

“There’s so much potential,” said Guiry. “How can we make it more interesting when you’re inside (the food and beverage spaces)? We’re looking at gamification and you have these great esports leagues now … people playing NHL video games.”

The Score/Canlan partnership and its focus on hockey is as expected as Leafs fans wringing their hands over free agency. Stakeholders looking to establish themselves in Canada’s new sports betting industry understand the importance of catering to the country’s passionate puckheads.

Toronto-based Playmaker Capital Inc. announced Tuesday its acquisition of Yardbarker — the American sports and entertainment media company that boasts more than 4 million users a month. Playmaker CEO Jordan Gnat acknowledged that growing Yardbarker’s popularity with Canadian sports fans will be tied to expanding its NHL coverage.

“To put out the best content you need to have that local flavour,” said Gnat, whose company also owns the hugely popular Futbol Sites online soccer platform in Latin America.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced Wednesday it was ready to receive feedback on the standards it has drafted for sport and event betting in the province. The Ontario Lottery Corporation is promoting its new Pro Line+ online betting product, and the Score Media/ Canlan announcement is another sign that betting companies aren’t waiting for licensing and regulation to promote their brands to potential customers.

“Very few stones are being left unturned, even small stones,” said Chris Grove, who oversees the sports betting practice for U.S.-based Eilers and Krejcik Gaming. “At this stage, it’s part of the value just signifying that you’re a legitimate contender.”

For Score Media the partnership with Canlan is one of those stones.

“As a Canadian company, we’re in a fantastic brand position but that doesn’t create any less impetus to be aggressively in the market,” said Levy.

“We don’t take anything for granted.”