Press Releases
Arooga’s® Grille House & Sports Bar Partners with PlaySugarHouse for Sportsbook at Their Shelton, Connecticut Location
Harrisburg, Pa based restaurant group Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar announced that their Shelton, Connecticut franchise location has teamed up with The Connecticut Lottery Corporation to launch their new retail sportsbook PlaySugarHouse, a sports wagering platform from Rush Street Interactive. This will be the first location of the brand to offer sports betting, which will operate within the Arooga’s location.
Located at 387 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton, Ct and owned by Arooga’s franchise group McBride Holding Company, LLC, this location is over seven-thousand square feet, seats two hundred and fifty guests and has over one hundred wall-to-wall HD TVs. Franchise co-owner David McBride is planning extensive renovations to create a dedicated space for the PlaySugarHouse concept, which will include multiple kiosks and teller stations along with Arooga’s famous two-story video wall.
“We have always paid attention to the expanding gaming landscape in the Northeast and have been hopeful that sports wagering would become available to us,” said David McBride, Chief Operating Officer of McBride Holding Company, LLC, and co-owner of the Arooga’s Shelton franchise location. “The proposed layout for PlaySugarHouse is really magnificent with up to fifteen kiosks, so there will be plenty of room to satisfy all guests within the restaurant as well as patrons who would like to stop by and place a bet.”
“We are extremely excited that the CT lottery has chosen Arooga’s Grille House and Sports Bar in Shelton, Ct to launch of the Connecticut’s sports book locations,” said James Belli, Vice President of McBride Holding Company, LLC, and co-owner of Arooga’s Shelton. “This partnership will offer guests throughout the region an unparalleled opportunity to watch a game and place a sports bet in what we believe is one of, if not the best, sports atmospheres in Connecticut. Guests can come to watch numerous sporting events on over one hundred televisions, enjoy a beverage from one of over fifty-nine draft beer offerings, and enjoy some award-winning wings and other mouth-watering eats. We are thrilled and look forward to the future of this partnership.”
The new PlaySugarHouse sportsbook is projected to open in December of 2022 after renovations are complete and all necessary licensing is in place. McBride Holding Company, LLC is the owner of three Arooga’s franchises in Warwick, RI, Attleboro, Ma, and Shelton, Ct, and is the principal partner with The Connecticut Lottery Corporation for this venture.
“We are thrilled to really step up our sports bar game and offer this exciting experience to our guests,” said Gary Huether, Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar parent company owner and President. “Sports betting is a natural fit for an award-winning sports bar.”
The recipient of several national accolades, including selection as America’s Next Top Restaurant Franchise, as well as recognition among Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 500 Franchises of 2020 & 2021, and Top 200 Food Franchises 2020, Franchise Times Top 200 + 2020, and FranServe Fran-Tastic 500 2021, the Arooga’s restaurant company continues to charm the industry with its commitment to utilizing the latest technology in enhancing the guest experience and improving operational practices, creating unique and delicious menu items observing environmentally responsible operation methods in their restaurants as part of their certification by the Green Restaurant Association.
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company, is excited to announce its collaboration with AbleGamers for an impactful charity campaign at TwitchCon 2024. This partnership aims to further AbleGamers’ mission of improving accessibility in gaming for individuals with disabilities through an interactive and meaningful activation.
Attendees who visit the Xsolla booth (Booth 1515-SW) at TwitchCon will have the exclusive opportunity to claim one of two specially designed charity pins. By sharing a photo of their pin on their social channels on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using the hashtags #LightstreamAble and #XsollaAble, participants will help raise funds for AbleGamers. For every qualifying social post, Xsolla and its partners will donate $5 to AbleGamers, up to $10,000. To amplify awareness, include hashtags: #TwitchCon #BongoCat #Lightstream #Xsolla #SoEveryoneCanGame.
“We’re thrilled to partner with AbleGamers at TwitchCon 2024 to support their mission of making gaming more accessible for everyone. By engaging with our booth and sharing their experiences online, attendees collect a unique piece of Xsolla and Lightstream memorabilia and contribute directly to the gaming community. It’s an incredible opportunity to connect the gaming community with a cause that promotes inclusivity and empowerment,” said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla.
2,000 pins will be distributed—1,000 featuring the iconic Xsolla Cat design and 1,000 co-designed with Lightstream. These limited-edition pins will be available only at the Xsolla booth on a first-come, first-served basis.
How Your Participation Makes a Difference:
- Peer Counseling: AbleGamers offers personalized guidance to assess player needs and provide optimal solutions for inclusive gaming
- Engineering Research: The organization supports the development of assistive technologies that remove barriers for gamers with disabilities
- Community & Inclusion: AbleGamers combats social isolation by fostering opportunities for camaraderie and lifelong friendships within the gaming community
By participating in this campaign, you’ll collect a unique pin and help fund critical resources and support for gamers with disabilities.
Industry-leading social media marketing agency SGG Media is thrilled to announce an exciting new collaboration with the prominent Canadian online casino PlayOJO.
Under the new agreement, SGG Media is set to become PlayOJO’s exclusive provider of live-action casino shows. Leveraging SGG Media’s extensive network of over 2,500 sports and casino influencers, these shows will stream thrilling casino experiences directly to PlayOJO players. Viewers will have the opportunity to interact with the streamers and place bets while witnessing all the exciting live casino action offered by PlayOJO.
Following the live shows, SGG Media will create and share short video highlights of the most captivating moments from the games across various social media platforms, engaging with SGG’s combined following of over 75 million fans. This is the third largest database of sports social media followers, a huge portion of whom have crossover potential and interest In the online casino industry.
The marketing agency has achieved significant success with its casino streams in 2024. They launched their groundbreaking ‘Casino Stream’ show in February. This innovative show offers nightly live-action casino games, providing viewers with an immersive experience in the fast-paced world of roulette, blackjack, slots, and other online games.
PlayOJO is one of the most popular legal online casinos in Ontario. The casino collaborates with major developers and content providers in the industry, offering a distinctive and enjoyable online casino experience to Ontarian’s, all of which will be highlighted as a result of this deal. “We’re thrilled to partner with the SGG team as we introduce our live casino shows in Canada. This unique live show experience will highlight PlayOJO’s best-in-class online casino, featuring slots, live casino, and table games, truly demonstrating why PlayOJO is the home of feel-good fun!”, says the PlayOJO Team.
SGG Media and PlayOJO are dedicated to ensuring a fun and safe online casino environment for players. Both parties will display clear responsible gambling messages throughout the streams, helping to inform players to gamble legally and responsibly.
Speaking about this commitment to responsible gambling, Troy Paul, CEO of SGG Media, said, “We want to create a fun and exciting show, but also make sure viewers know this is a legal casino and players need to wager only money they can afford to lose as entertainment.”
On the deal, Paul said: “We are extremely excited to begin working alongside PlayOJO. It is a brand that wants to drive innovation in the industry, sharing our vision for a more community-driven online casino experience.”
Through our streams, our micro-influencers and content creators will help shine a spotlight on PlayOJO’s fantastic gaming experiences while also growing a community that will want to return for more.
This extends beyond the streams, with our huge network of micro-influencers sharing video content across their platforms, ensuring engagement continues after the stream goes off the air.”
Latest News
FanDuel Continues Commitment to Financial Literacy with Expansion of Operation HOPE Partnership
FanDuel, the premier online gaming company in North America, announced a second $1 million donation to Operation HOPE, the nation’s leading non-profit dedicated to financial literacy, to promote financial empowerment and expand access to free financial counseling to residents of Kentucky. The announcement comes one year after the launch of mobile sports betting in the state and reinforces FanDuel’s commitment to responsible gaming practices by improving access to personal financial literacy education.
Through the expanded partnership, Operation HOPE will implement its HOPE Inside program and provide Kentucky residents access to Financial Wellbeing Coaches. The coaches will offer virtual and in-person financial health sessions across the state at no cost. Coaching sessions provide individuals with financial knowledge and tools to create a secure future, including helping with strategies to best manage entertainment spending, build savings, improve FICO (credit) scores and decrease debt.
“FanDuel believes in the importance of financial literacy education and how expanding access can promote and empower responsible gaming,” said Alison Kutler, Vice President, Responsible Gaming and Community Impact at FanDuel. “By extending the impact of our Operation HOPE partnership to Kentucky, we are able to help fund access to financial counseling across the state and reinforce our commitment to giving back to the communities in which we operate.”
“At Operation HOPE, we’re proud to partner with FanDuel to help educate individuals about responsible gaming, budgeting and savings,” John Battista, VP Partner Success at Operation HOPE said. “FanDuel has been a committed partner supporting our efforts to empower families and communities across the U.S. with the tools they need to thrive in today’s economy,”
Earlier this year, FanDuel kicked off its partnership with Operation HOPE by donating $1 million and expanding access to the HOPE Inside program in Massachusetts, with the Kentucky expansion representing the next phase of the partnership. FanDuel and Operation HOPE will release content across digital OOH, radio and paid social to promote the program in Kentucky and drive awareness of the availability of free financial counseling.
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