- U.S. growth accelerates as BetMGM plans to double its footprint in three 
months 

- Entain to seek licence in Canada and becomes the first global sports betting 
and gaming operator to gain a licence in Latin America

    The global sports betting and gaming group previously known as GVC Holdings 
plc, marked the first day of trading under its new name with a range of 
measures to deliver on the vision and direction ( 
https://gvc-plc.com/newsrelease/a-clear-strategy-for-sustainability-growth-and-innovation/ 
) recently outlined by its CEO Shay Segev. The new measures extend across all 
the countries in which it operates with brands including bwin, PartyPoker, 
Ladbrokes, Coral, FoxyBingo and BetMGM. 

    Last month Entain announced a new strategy to deliver significant growth, 
driven by expansion in the U.S., growth across its core business, entry into 
new markets, and to new audiences. Entain, which has a very strong track record 
of 19 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth in its online business, also 
committed to lead responsible gaming with a new Sustainability Charter. Under 
this charter, the business pledged to focus only on regulated markets and use 
its proprietary technology to raise levels of player protection.  

    As part of these plans to deliver growth and sustainability, Entain today 
confirmed strong momentum and market share gains in the U.S. for BetMGM, its 
joint venture with MGM Resorts. Between October and January BetMGM is adding 
five new states, doubling its population reach in three months to around 75 
million across 12 states. Entain also disclosed that BetMGM's most recent state 
launch in Tennessee has been its most successful go-live yet with revenues 
already ahead of those in more established states. Powered by Entain 
technology, BetMGM expects to be in over 20 states by the end of 2021.   

    "We are firmly on track to take further leadership in the U.S. as well as 
in many other newly regulated markets that are now opening around the world." 
said Segev. "At the heart of our growth strategy is a determination to bring 
the best player experiences and protections to our industry as technology moves 
sport and interactive entertainment into a new era. In the U.S., we invested in 
building the right building blocks for the BetMGM platform to grow and become a 
long-term leader in the U.S., with superior technology and capabilities, and 
this is now paying off." 

    Entain also fleshed out its new Sustainability Charter, allocating money to 
new projects which will be delivered through its international Foundation 
around the world. It also gave further detail on its new Advanced 
Responsibility and Care (ARC) initiative, seeking to revolutionise player 
experiences and protection through world-leading research, data science and 
technology. Other new measures include:

    Focus on new regulated markets: In line with its stated intention to focus 
on fully regulated markets, Entain today announced it has become the first 
global sports betting and gaming operator to gain a licence in Latin America 
and expects to go live in Colombia over the next month. Colombia is one of the 
first countries to issue licences in Latin America with others, such as Brazil 
preparing to follow. Elsewhere in the Americas, Canada is also moving ahead 
with regulation and Entain confirmed it will be applying for licencing in 
Canada. 

    - Investing in people and communities: Entain has pledged to invest £100 
million over five years in the Entain Foundation to fund responsible gaming 
initiatives and to support people and communities around the world where it 
operates. Today, it announced a series of international commitments: 


    UK: Entain and the three Trident Leagues (The Isthmian, Northern Premier 
and Southern Leagues) are to launch the Trident Community Foundation to help 
fund community-based projects. Grants will be open for the 228 football clubs 
that participate in the leagues.
"Pitching In", Entain's recently launched grassroots sport investment 
programme, is the founding partner of the Trident Community Foundation (TCF) 
and has donated £150,000 to establish the TCF fund, for distribution over the 
rest of the 2020/21 season.

    US: The Entain Foundation is rolling out an extensive state-by-state 
program with EPIC, a charitable organisation which works with former athletes 
and people who have overcome gambling addiction to help educate people on how 
to play safely. 

    The U.S. project announced today with EPIC extends the program to a total 
of 15 Pro Sports teams and over 20 colleges across the country, including 
Harvard University, University of Oregon, and the Mid-American Conference. 
Entain and EPIC plan to work together to add additional professional sports 
leagues and colleges across the US during 2021. 

    Germany: The Entain Foundation will continue existing sports integrity 
projects in Germany and receive early funds to initiate further activities 
around responsible gaming.

    Australia:  The Foundation has announced initial new projects to advance 
responsible gaming with Relationships Australia 
https://www.relationships.org.au/ , a community-based not for profit 
organisation which provides a range of counselling and support services to 
problem gamblers and their families. The new funding will be used to support a 
social media campaign to reach vulnerable audiences and to raise awareness of 
the signs of gambling addiction. 

    - Advanced Responsibility and Care (ARC): Under this recently announced 
programme, Entain will combine its technology with research and insight from 
leading psychologists and Harvard to develop innovative experiences and 
safeguards for a new era in interactive sport and entertainment. To this end, 
Entain today announced that:

    Dr. Michael Auer, a leading academic and member of the scientific community 
at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, specialising in behavioural 
psychology and addiction, will join Entain alongside Professor Mark Griffiths, 
Distinguished Professor of Behavioral Addiction and Psychology at Nottingham 
Trent University. They will evaluate and advise on improvements to Entain's 
guidelines and processes in relation to responsible gaming.

    For more information see the Group's website: www.entaingroup.com 

    Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1372389/Entain.mp4 

    Source: Entain Plc