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INTERVIEW: Jake Apperley Apsley Director – US

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5 years ago

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With sports betting opening up across the US, Pickswise, part of Spotlight Sports Group, has seen a huge growth in audience over the past 18 months. The affiliate is run by the same team that saw huge growth and success in the UK with MyRacing and FreeSuperTips. We sat down with Jake Apperley to discuss the growth and what he sees as the key opportunities for 2021.

  1. Can you run us through the Pickswise journey in the US? How it came about and early growth?

JA: Following the repeal of PASPA we began to explore opportunities in the US market, and how receptive the audience was to sports betting content for the major US sports. Having had success in the UK with MyRacing and FreeSuperTips, our team set about building and growing the site to reach a new audience. I moved over to fully manage Pickswise myself in the Autumn of 2019 to focus on the upcoming NFL season and reaching a new audience.

Using our expertise in SEO content campaigns, we began to grow exposure through organic channels. These campaigns were hugely successful with CNN, CNBC and Fox picking up our content and Pickswise climbing to number one in the google rankings for competitive search terms focused on US sports betting. To highlight just how successful these campaigns were, during the NFL playoff season in 2018 our traffic was c.10k users per month, and by the end of the 2019 regular season we had grown that to c.350k users, and it’s still growing today.

 

  1. The affiliate landscape in the US looks quite a bit different to Europe, where do you feel affiliates can support new US operators?

From our research and experience over the past couple of years we’ve definitely seen an appetite for sports betting content. Bettors are looking for key pre-game and in-game picks and we can offer that full game experience through our bet stimulating content. American sports are stats heavy, even the language used around sporting performance is focused on statistics, and we know that betting tools that provide reliable information using data are popular as sports bettors can make more informed decisions.

It’s also important to educate bettors in the US. A lot of our audience won’t be used to betting online and it’s important to give them a full understanding of what you can bet on and how it differs from the traditional casino or black market gambling. As it’s ever-changing, we also think it’s hugely important for affiliates to inform customers on the regulatory landscape, what sportsbooks are legal, who has licences and how they can place bets. Of course, as with traditional affiliate methods we also want to highlight operator offers and how our customers can open accounts.

  1. It’s a bumper second half of the year for US Sports with the NBA returning at the end of July signifying the start of 5 months of non-stop sport. Do you think this is the opportunity for US operators to convert new customers into sports betting?

We know that sports fans and bettors alike will be hungry for some action. Like when any event gets cancelled, marketing teams would have designated some spend that might be moved to another time of the year and that will likely fall into the new NFL season.

On a practical note, bettors and visitors will have concerns visiting casinos and sportsbooks if the virus is still circulating with the numbers we are seeing in the US at the minute, so we think it’s the perfect opportunity for online sportsbooks to work with affiliates to drive conversions and turnover throughout the second half of the year. With the amount of sport on offer and with a lot of new sports bettors looking for value it is a great time for newer operators to close the gap on DraftKings and Fanduel.

 

  1. The growth of FST and MyRacing in the UK set the bar for Pickswise, just how different was the growth of Pickswise in the US?

We launched FreeSuperTips and MyRacing as social media affiliates first and when we saw the opportunity for growth we repositioned the business to become an SEO first business. We enjoyed incredible success ranking for major football and horse racing tipping keywords once we did this. The combined traffic has grown to over 1 million unique users. We took what we learned from these two ventures to Pickswise.

We focused on SEO first from the outset as we had built the skills and expertise around us, leading to increased traffic and some early success. We now have that solid foundation to build from and we want to grow our brand awareness and enhance the product offering for our customers which will take Pickswise to the next level.

 

  1. Looking beyond what is a very strange 2020, how do you feel the US landscape will evolve as we approach 2021?

As the market and industry grow, we expect three more states to open up before the NFL season begins. And more competition is good for customers, customers will begin to use multiple bookmaker accounts as they begin to trust newer brands. This will be a ‘best product’ wins race and the improvement in the customer experience will help operators stay ahead of the game.

I think the trend of gambling filtering into sports as more teams embrace it will continue. As we’ve seen with the Denver Broncos and Betfred, I’d expect to see more deals between operators and huge franchises. With all this going on it is vital that we as an industry take responsible gambling seriously and put consumer protection in place. We have done an awful lot in the UK on responsible gambling and there is still more to do, this must translate to the US.

 

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BetRivers

NetGaming Goes Live in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive via BetRivers Platform

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1 day ago

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June 20, 2025

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NetGaming, a fast-growing online casino content supplier, is proud to announce its launch in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive, Inc., a leading online casino and sports betting company in the United States, Canada and Latin America. This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone for NetGaming as it continues to expand its footprint across regulated North American markets.

As part of the launch, Ontario players on BetRivers can now enjoy a diverse portfolio of NetGaming titles, known for their high-quality graphics, immersive gameplay, and unique themes. Standout games such as Zeus’s Thunderbolt, Bison Gold, and Fireball Inferno are among the first to go live, with additional titles set to follow soon.

This partnership is just the beginning. NetGaming plans to extend its collaboration with Rush Street Interactive into Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Mexico over the coming months.

Pallavi Deshmukh, CEO of NetGaming, commented: “We are thrilled to go live with Rush Street Interactive, a powerhouse operator with a strong presence and loyal player base. This launch marks a significant milestone in our
North American expansion strategy and underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional gaming experiences tailored to local player preferences across the region.”

Richard Schwartz, CEO of Rush Street Interactive, commented: “We are pleased to partner with NetGaming to bring innovative, premium games to our players in Ontario. This collaboration aligns with our strategy to offer world-class
entertainment through engaging, action-packed online casino games. We look forward to expanding this partnership into additional regulated markets in the months ahead.”

This strategic partnership highlights both companies’ dedication to providing high- quality, innovative, and responsible entertainment to players in regulated markets.

The post NetGaming Goes Live in Ontario with Rush Street Interactive via BetRivers Platform appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Canada

User-Centric Redesign for Casinosfiables.ca

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1 day ago

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June 20, 2025

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Casinosfiables announced that they have redesigned their existing site – https://casinosfiables.ca/ to better address current user demands.

Although the site’s functionality aligns with modern industry standards, the redesign is a step in the right direction and could very well give a competitive edge.

The changes addressed certain functionality concerns and aligned with ever-changing user preferences and behavior.

• Seamless page transition – The overall performance of the site improved, so pages loaded faster, despite the addition of new elements.

• Integrated social media buttons – Buttons that lead to social media pages became more visible, so it is easier for readers to complete engagement incentives that granted them affiliate-exclusive rewards or promo codes.

• More valuable insights – Previously, charts and ratings were only explained in separate reviews. The new roundup charts and ratings had a dropdown feature that provided more insights or clarity behind the rating.

• Relevant search filters – Some trends or categories that targeted user intent weren’t visible in the previous version. The updated version introduced new categories that better reflected player preferences, or included roundups based on casino features (e.g., cashback, no wager promos, game providers) that weren’t at the forefront previously.

• Author pages – Readers who had similar opinions and game preferences to the site’s authors gained the ability to find other texts from those authors. Each casino expert received a dedicated page listing all of their publications.

The changes were finalized over the past few months. The team pushed these updates in batches rather than a single big update.

The post User-Centric Redesign for Casinosfiables.ca appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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BCLC

Vancouver Resident Purchased Winning $40 Million Lotto Max Ticket While Quenching Sparkling Water Craving

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1 day ago

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June 20, 2025

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Phuc Duc (Daniel) Chau loves the Bubly brand of sparkling water and stopped in a convenience store to purchase a can. Chau likes to buy lottery tickets based on a gut feeling, and due to the employee’s bubbly nature while he purchased his Bubly, Chau also purchased a Lotto Max ticket for the May 23, 2025 draw.  

It was this ticket that ended up scoring Chau a whopping $40-million jackpot.  

“I was at work when I found out,” recalled Chau of the moment he realized he won. “I was going through my bag to find a cough drop, but I saw that I had two lottery tickets in my bag and decided to scan the tickets, but I needed to update the [BCLC Lotto!] app first. The first ticket I didn’t win anything, but the second said $40 million. I have never seen that many zeroes in my life, ever. I dropped my phone and then called BCLC right away!” 

At the time of the prize claim, the Vancouver resident hadn’t yet shared the news of his win.  

“My partner doesn’t know yet! I want to share the news with them in a special way.”  

Chau shared that his dream has always been to travel the world. “There are so many places I want to go to, so I haven’t fully decided!” 

When asked if he will quit his job, he said, “I haven’t decided, but I want to continue to support my community in a different way.” 

On how it feels to be a multimillionaire?  

“It means a lot to me. It opens up an opportunity for me to give back to my family, community and the world all around me. It’s not meaningful unless you can share this with those who need it.”  

Chau purchased the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven on Imperial Street and Boundary Road in Burnaby.  

So far in 2025, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $146 million from Lotto Max. Lotto Max is a nationwide lottery game drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays after 7:30 p.m. (PST).  

Players can purchase tickets at lottery retailers or at PlayNow.com. Winning numbers and group release forms can be found online at www.bclc.com. Players can check their lottery tickets anytime, anywhere on iOS and Android devices. 

BCLC offers socially responsible gambling entertainment while generating income to benefit all British Columbians. Players can visit PlayNow.com to learn how to set time and money limits.

The post Vancouver Resident Purchased Winning $40 Million Lotto Max Ticket While Quenching Sparkling Water Craving appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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