Industry Leader in Free-to-Play Games Introduces New "Second Chance" Survivor Format with Contextual DraftKings Betting Integrations
MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESSWIRE / August 29, 2023 / SharpLink Gaming Ltd. (NASDAQ:SBET) ("SharpLink" or the "Company"), a pioneer of targeted, data-driven fan activation and conversion solutions for the U.S. sports betting and iGaming industries, today announced it has partnered with SB Nation, Vox Media's collection of nearly 200 fan-centric sports team communities, to create a new free-to-play survivor-style fantasy game for the 2023/2024 NFL football season. The game is set to go live Friday, September 1, 2023, and will be available across SB Nation's slate of team-centric NFL sites.
The game will feature a unique "Second Chance" function, whereby users may reenter the game after Week 5 of the NFL season should they be ousted prior. SB Nation will be offering cash prizes to each NFL site's survivor for the Full Season competition and the Second Chance competition.
"Free-to-play games are one of the most underutilized assets for U.S. sports companies looking to offer a more robust experience to its fan base, increase revenue and drive traffic to its monetization partners," said Rob Phythian, CEO of SharpLink. "In keeping with SharpLink's core key performance indicators - audience aggregation, engagement, conversion and monetization, our solutions go well beyond a game that simply collects email addresses and drives repeat visits. We are able to capture individualized user data within the game, which in turn reveals opportunities for creating smarter retention and monetization strategies for our clients. We are confident that this experience, designed specifically for SB Nation's network of sites, will help Vox Media meet the goals it has set for fan engagement, new revenue generation and enhance its partner relationships."
SharpLink will also use its C4 sports betting conversion technology to provide players with live betting opportunities from SB Nation partner, DraftKings. More specifically, a game player picking the Steelers to beat the 49ers in Week 1 will also be presented with betting opportunities for that specific game, and then be routed directly to DraftKings to place a bet, if desired.
"We've been looking for ways to creatively maximize our partnerships while increasing user experience and expand our subscriptions. After seeing the one-of-a-kind solutions SharpLink built for the NBA, PGA Tour and Turner Sports, we knew free-to-play games opened a new window of opportunity for us at SB Nation," said David Fucillo, head of sports betting and partner content for Vox Media. "SharpLink's ability to manage and develop the entire process and leverage its proprietary technology to integrate uniquely customized betting opportunities through our partnership with DraftKings created a true win-win scenario for all parties."
About SharpLink Gaming Ltd.
Founded in 2019, SharpLink is a leading online technology company that connects sports fans, leagues and sports websites to relevant and timely sports betting and iGaming content. SharpLink uses proprietary, intelligent, online conversion technology to convert sports fans into sports bettors for licensed, online sportsbook operators. In addition, SharpLink specializes in helping sports media companies, leagues, teams and sportsbooks develop strategies, products and innovative solutions to drive deep fan activation and engagement with highly interactive free-to-play games and mobile applications. Further, SharpLink owns and operates a variety of real-money fantasy sports and sports simulation games and mobile apps on its platform; and is licensed or authorized to operate in every state in the United States where fantasy sports and online sports betting has been legalized. SharpLink's proprietary fantasy sports platform reaches more than two million fantasy sports fans who spend almost $40 million annually on its portfolio of digital gaming experiences and contests. For more information, please visit the SharpLink website at www.sharplink.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements regarding the expected growth in the online betting and iGaming industries, the Company's ability to grow its business, the potential benefits of the Company's products, services and technologies and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including without limitation, the Company's ability to achieve profitable operations, government regulation of online betting, customer acceptance of new products and services, the demand for its products and its customers' economic condition, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the lengthy sales cycle, proprietary rights of the Company and its competitors, general economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company's annual report and other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
SHARPLINK MEDIA AND INVESTOR RELATIONS:
SharpLink Gaming Ltd.
Dodi Handy, Director of Communications
Phone: 407-960-4636
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE: SharpLink Gaming Ltd.