Bob Holtzman’s Post

THE BIGGEST GAMING EMPIRE THAT WILL CHANGE ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS and CULTURE LAUNCHES 12/14/24 We are excited to officially introduce The Global Gaming League on December 14th LIVE from our 43,000 sq ft building in Las Vegas, which is the home to our campus, academy, HQ, and more. We have been working on this for 18 months to bring together gaming, music, sports, fashion, celebrity, and culture in a way that has never been done before. We will be announcing the league, what it’s about, how it works, and its mission and plans, as well as introducing some of the celebrity team owners, and brand partners. We have a bunch of special guests and performances, as well as a press conference with our CEO, Clinton Sparks, Director of strategy, T-Pain, and Chairman of the board, Jeff Hoffman. This will be a night that will cement the beginning of a new and innovative approach on both gaming and entertainment - brought to you by folks who have built billion dollar companies and have shaped and shifted culture for 20 plus years. The best part about The GGL is that it’s for EVERYBODY. This was built to enhance and uplift the entire gaming ecosystem, and transcend entertainment, while.. Connecting cultures Building international bridges Uplifting underserved communities Closing age gaps, and Creating new opportunities for everyone. Are you a gamer? Want to be part of the league? Follow the movement and join our community @globalgamingleague and Globalgamingleague.com Get familiar with the WWE and UFC of video gaming. Welcome to The Global Gaming League. 🎮🕹️ See you in Vegas. Interested in attending? Send me a message. #gaming #videogames #entertainment #gamers #music #fashion #sports #celebrity #culture #lifestyle #globalgamingleague #everybodygames

🚨 OS Studios - A Project Worldwide Agency JUST SHATTERED THE GAME — 16 TEMPEST AWARD NOMINATIONS! 🚨 This isn’t just another milestone — it’s a defining moment for the future of gaming and esports! 16 nominations for groundbreaking, culture-shaping work. A celebration of innovation, vision, and bold strategies, setting the stage for where gaming is heading. Our partners trusted us to push the boundaries, and the result? Unstoppable momentum that’s transforming fan experiences. We’re not here to play the game — we’re here to rewrite the rules. Call of Duty:Next with Activision? We turned it into a cultural phenomenon with 200+ streamers, next-gen production, and immersive experiences that set a new standard for esports broadcasts. Riot Games? From the adrenaline-fueled Soul Fighter Fight Night to the Valorant Champs Fan Fest, we delivered epic moments that merged competition, culture, and community. 💥 Call of Duty Endowment Bowl IV proved gaming can be a force for good, raising over $1M for veteran employment programs through a global competition. 🎖️ For National Basketball Association (NBA) 2K League, 2023 was our year to transform the league with high-energy, intense competition, and cutting-edge broadcasts that elevated NBA2K to a new level. 🏀 For a 3rd year running at Major League Soccer eMLS Cup, we turned ACL Live into a FC24 Festival, creating a perfect intersection of gaming, soccer, and culture at SXSW. ⚽🏆 With DoorDash, we brought Battle of the Brands to PAX West for Year 3, then leveled up gaming lifestyles with the “This is Not My Gaming Rig” campaign. 🎮💥 This is just the beginning. Thank you so much to each of our team members who put in the work to bring all these projects to life. Let’s keep setting trends, breaking barriers, and creating legendary experiences. 🏆 https://lnkd.in/eBmcvnyw #OSStudios #TempestAwards #Project #EsportsRevolution #GameOn

GameSquare Holdings Inc. has sold 25.5% of FaZe Media to Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengston for $9.5 million. Prior to the purchase, GameSquare owned 51% of FaZe Media and Matt Kalish, co-founder of DraftKings Inc., owned 49%. This now means the company is split between 25.5% for GameSquare and FaZe Banks, with Matt Kalish still owning 49% of the company’s shares. FaZe Banks still has the option to purchase additional shares in the future if he would like to. For reference, FaZe Media has a 12-month revenue of $30 million as of March 31, 2024. GameSquare Holdings still owned 100% of FaZe Esports. Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare, mentioned this is in line with the company’s strategy of “reigniting the FaZe brand by returning its founders in a meaningful way”. Follow #MoreMark for #Business content in #Gaming, #Esports, and #Creators!

Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris Debate: What it teaches us about the Gaming and Sports Betting industry 🎮 Last night's debate between Trump and Kamala was a clear reminder of how competition fuels strategy and innovation. Just like in gaming and sports betting business, the industry thrives on swift adaptability, informed decisions, and staying ahead of trends. 💡 Operators in the space need to stay sharp, anticipate the next big move, leverage data, enhance user experience, and constantly innovate with new features and products. The future of sports betting depends on it! 🚀 #sportsbetting #gaming #innovation #igaming OLUBIYI WILLIAMS Aluwani Mukhudwana Ogechi Samuel Jeremiah Maangi iGaming AFRIKA Alessandro Pizzolotto David Ukairo Olaitan SAMUEL Sachin Shende Abdullai Oladimeji Joseph Oyekunle Dolapo Esho IK Ezekwelu Ubong Kingsley-Udoh

🚨 Game Masters: 100 Most Influential Figures in the U.S. iGaming Industry 43. Jeremy Levine (Underdog Fantasy) As the founder and co-CEO of Underdog, Levine is making waves in the sports betting and fantasy sports industries by doing things differently. With a background that includes the successful creation and sale of the fantasy platform DRAFT, Levine launched Underdog with a vision to disrupt and innovate in the gaming space. Under his leadership, Underdog has quickly expanded from fantasy sports into the sports betting market, launching its first sportsbook in North Carolina in 2024. Levine’s approach is all about long-term thinking and building from the ground up. Instead of relying on existing technologies, Underdog spent three years developing its own tech stack for its sportsbook, aiming to offer an experience that’s cleaner, faster, and more tailored to the modern American sports fan. 

One of the reasons I love covering the business of sports is because it overlaps so much with my work across media, tech, and consumer trends. Case in point: this week’s Sports Boardroom Substack post dives into the $11B+ sports video game industry. David Sanderson, Stuart Campbell, Jürg Kronenberg, Anders Videbaek, Anders Christofferson A few takeaways: ++Sports titles dominate console gaming—half of 2024’s top 10 were sports games. ++Video games aren’t just games anymore—they’re fan pipelines, digital merch hubs, and data engines for leagues. ++Leagues need to rethink gaming as a strategic pillar, not just a licensing deal—driving fandom, youth engagement, and global reach. ++Mobile remains an untapped goldmine, especially as gaming overall continues to shift in that direction. There’s a lot to unpack—full post here:

To better understand how talent management in #gaming and #esports is shaping up in 2024, Digiday spoke to eight talent managers representing a range of companies across the industry. Here are some of the challenges they are facing — and how they hope to overcome them. In this piece by Alexander Lee, we speak to Brandon Freytag of Loaded, Damon Lau, David Wales of Nani Talent, and Justin Miclat of The Kinetic Group.

Hello colleagues in esports! The Center I work for studies issues of both gaming and gambling. We're hosting an event this Friday, November 15th from 12-1pm EST (GMT-5) about strategies for accessing data sets to study digital gambling behaviors. Would love to have more attendees! Registration link here: https://lnkd.in/gTY_W8Eg Formal event description below: "Join us as experts from academia and industry discuss practical strategies for accessing the vast datasets generated by casinos, online betting platforms, and other gaming operators. Learn how some states have successfully bridged the gap between industry and academia, providing researchers with the tools to delve into problem gambling, responsible gaming, market trends, and predictive analytics. Gain actionable insights and suggestions tailored for Maryland, aiming to foster collaboration that benefits researchers, legislators, regulators, industry players, entrepreneurs, and beyond. Don't miss this chance to be part of a pivotal conversation that could shape the future of gaming research and policy in Maryland. Please share with your peers! All are welcome!" #gamingresearch #gamblingresearch #dataanalytics #igaming #esports #gamblingpolicy #gambling Esports Research Network Ali Emdad Lening A. Olivera-Figueroa

G2E provides a forum for gambling and betting companies to conduct business deals, promote responsible gaming, show off the latest gaming machines, and take note of trends. Here's a summary of those trends if you missed it this year: * The average age of a casino patron in 2019 was 50; now it's 42. This change is due to the pandemic and younger folks wanting to get out and have some in-person fun. * AI is being used in the gambling and betting industries for customer engagement and game customization. The industry is taking steps to use AI responsibly. * The tribal community in California is reforming its workgroup to present a sports betting initiative in 2026 or 2028. * Vegas has positioned itself as a top sports team city (NHL's Golden Knights, WNBAs Aces, NFL Raiders and soon MLBs As), a destination city for the world's greatest sporting events (Super Bowl and Formula 1), and a town that makes responsible gaming a top priority. #g2e #globalgamingexpo #gaminglaw #bettinglaw #gamblinglaw #vegas #casinos

I'm happy to share the slides from my Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2024 panel with Kero Sports' Tomash Devenishek: Sports Betting Is A Better Standalone Product Than You Think. At the core of the argument: -- Structural hold is marching steadily upward. -- The ceiling for structural hold may be higher than we think. -- Accelerating crossover with casino/lottery products is opening up new products and new audiences that stretch well beyond the traditional sports betting demographic. The result: Sports betting may be a far more profitable product than it has historically been, and more operators might be able to operate online sports betting profitably than we currently assume. Thanks to Chris Krafcik, Damon Singer, and the Sports & Emerging Vertical team at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC for assisting with the data and charts.