Bally’s, the casino-entertainment company, has bought AVP pro beach volleyball from Donald Sun.
The announcement was emailed early Tuesday morning. Bally’s includes online sports betting and iGaming offerings in American currently owns and manages 14 casinos across 10 states, a horse racetrack in Colorado and has access to OSB licenses in 14 states
As it noted in the news release, “Acquisition Represents Opportunity for Bally’s to Gamify Beach Volleyball and Enhance Fan Engagement,” and that “AVP and Related Interactive Content Will be Featured Across ‘Bally Sports’ RSNs and Other Digital Platforms.”
From the news release:
“The acquisition represents the latest step in Bally’s ongoing omni-channel growth and diversification strategy, providing a significant opportunity for the Company to gamify and incorporate interactive content into beach volleyball, which, in turn, will drive traffic to Bally’s platforms and promote customer acquisition. ”
Bally’s now owns all of the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) assets, “including trademarks, AVP America promoter agreements and associated recurring membership revenue, digital photo and video assets, and all proprietary tournament and league management software.”
Bally’s will use the Sinclair-owned Bally Sports Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), “to increase consumer engagement with, and awareness of, the league.”
“The AVP is an attractive asset that complements our rapidly expanding U.S. sports betting vision,” said Adi Dhandhania, SVP Strategy and Interactive. “Donald and the entire AVP team have done a tremendous job developing the league and transforming it into what it is today, and we look forward to exploring creative ways to amplify and gamify such a dynamic and high-growth sport, providing beach volleyball fans across the nation with unique and interactive content.”
Sun, referred to in the news release as the former owner and CEO of AVP, said, “Forming a new relationship with a trusted, forward-thinking partner like Bally’s offers the opportunity to develop a strategic roadmap that will grow the sport, expand its footprint and provide new resources to better elevate the game and its athletes.
“I look forward to being an integral part of the transition, focusing on the best interests of all AVP athletes, fans, staff and partners.”
The AVP last month officially announced its schedule for the 2021 season, which includes three events, one each in Atlanta, Manhattan Beach, and Chicago. All three of the events will carry the AVP gold moniker, with increased points and prize money.
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