Press Releases
XB Net pens multi-year global distribution deal with Hawthorne Race Course in Chicago

XB Net, the leading provider of premium content for North American horse racing, has agreed to a new distribution deal and a multi-year contract renewal option with Hawthorne Race Course in Chicago, Illinois.
The agreement heralds another milestone partnership in XB Net’s progressive portfolio of content rights, data, odds and signals around one of the United States’ most historic racetracks, particularly as it embarks on a $400 million redevelopment to add sports betting, casino-style gaming and other entertainment amenities to the new Hawthorne Casino & Race Course.
Accordingly, Hawthorne Race Course forms part of a wider network of over 60 North American tracks whose steady stream of rapid-cycling content is proven to increase digital dwell-time for XB Net’s clients and their customers. Moreover, the deal helps to immediately leverage the 50 thoroughbred race-days that comprise Hawthorne’s traditional fall/winter meetings and will build momentum for further fan engagement in 2022 when Hawthorne is the only race track in the Chicago area, which is the third-largest media market in the US.
Elsewhere, Hawthorne’s CDT time zone naturally clocks on for core UK and European racing audiences, generating increased fan engagement at peak leisure times. Its daily schedule of compelling coverage, which neatly complements Europe’s domestic racing action, provides operators with a trustworthy source of rapid-settling betting content from 18:00 CET. This engaging action, which also features regular Harness racing meetings, is proven to retain eyeballs and promote betting activity during competitive digital-entertainment cycles, driving new revenue streams for a wide range of international clients.
XB Net’s definitive end-to-end solution, corralling wide-ranging content that covers approximately 75% of all U.S. racing, opens the door to many of the world’s best-quality courses and most prestigious horse races. Other notable highlights include the Pegasus World Cup, two legs of this summer’s recent Triple Crown (comprising the Preakness and Belmont Stakes) and the season’s flagship finale at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar (5-6 November).
John Walsh, Assistant General Manager at Hawthorne Race Course, said: “This close collaboration with XB Net will expand the international reach and appeal of Illinois thoroughbred racing. The distribution of our content to both mature and emerging markets requires strong partnerships that will showcase the very exciting future of Hawthorne and racing at Chicago’s hometown track.”
Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President of International at XB Net, added: “Securing this long-term partnership with Hawthorne emphasizes XB Net’s dedication to racing and our broader status as the leading international provider of North American racing. This deal is another strong endorsement of our business model and the collective power of our multi-faceted betting services.
“As ever, betting increases the entertainment value from the consumer perspective. However, with XB Net’s fair allocation of capital to where the entertainment value is, we’re seeing the whole Illinois ecosystem improve, returning the value to racing stakeholders, the owners and the racetracks themselves. It’s great to see during a very challenging economic period.
“Our underlying resolve is to support Hawthorne Race Course’s efforts to distribute its horse racing content and wagering on a global scale, now encompassing both fixed-odds (in approved markets) and pari-mutuel betting opportunities. We’re confident these milestone developments can further benefit horse racing’s consumer economy, both at home and abroad.”
XB Net remains the pacesetter for live North American horse racing content, providing rights, betting data, live broadcast and video streaming on behalf of its growing global portfolio of partners. Harnessing low-latency feeds from more than 2,500 meetings, showcasing over 25,000 races per year, North American racing is helping global operators seamlessly adapt to a demanding schedule for live sports.
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BetHog Chooses Optimove as its Marketing Solution through Ignite+ Program to Jumpstart its Marketing

Cryptocurrency casino and sportsbook startup harnesses Optimove’s Ignite+ Program to scale campaigns, gain predictive insights, and deliver personalized player journeys at scale
BetHog, a cryptocurrency casino and sportsbook from the creators of FanDuel, has chosen Optimove as its marketing solution through its Ignite+ program. Ignite+ gives BetHog access to enterprise-grade CRM and AI-driven marketing capabilities, enabling the company to accelerate campaign execution, gain predictive insights, and deliver more personalized player experiences at scale. Optimove is the creator of Positionless Marketing and the #1 Marketing Solution for iGaming and sports betting operators.
“Optimove has been an incredible platform and partner in speed-to-market from day one,” said Kyle Wachtel, Chief Marketing Officer at BetHog. “Their team didn’t just provide us with a platform. They became an extension of our marketing team, bringing expertise, predictive models, and industry knowledge that we simply couldn’t replicate in-house at this stage.”
Tomer Imber, Senior Director of Sales, US Gaming at Optimove, commented: “From the start, the BetHog team has shown incredible vision and drive, already boasting an innovative product and burgeoning brand, and we are excited to be part of their journey. BetHog is leveraging our platform to build lasting player relationships and accelerate growth.”
The partnership highlights BetHog’s rapid path from integration to execution. Within weeks, the company completed its IP warmup, validated data quality, and began sending campaigns. Optimove’s out-of-the-box predictive models and churn analytics now serve as a BI function for the startup, enabling it to focus on growth without the burden of building a large internal team.
“The Ignite+ Program was the perfect fit for us as a fast-growing startup,” Wachtel added. “It gave us access to enterprise-grade CRM capabilities and AI-driven insights without the overhead of building out a full BI and CRM function. From onboarding to campaign launch, Optimove executed at startup speed to get us live.”
With Optimove in place, BetHog is now poised to embrace Positionless Marketing, a breakthrough approach that frees marketers from traditional role constraints and gives them the ability to independently harness Data Power, Creative Power, and Optimization Power.
“We still have many opportunities to explore with Optimove, and we are confident that Positionless Marketing will help us move faster, personalize more deeply, and maximize every player interaction,” Wachtel said.
The Ignite+ Program has already supported the growth of dozens of iGaming and sportsbook operators. For BetHog, leveraging Ignite+ represents a key milestone in its journey to scale rapidly while building a foundation for personalized, AI-powered marketing.
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VSiN Launches Fall Programming Lineup, Giving Fans More of Their Favorite Sports Betting Shows and Hosts

Sports Betting Network Adds Hour of Sharp Bettor Favorite “A Numbers Game,” Announces Hosts Mitch Moss & Pauly Howard Join Sunday Programming, Sees Return of Fantasy Sports “Guru” John Hansen
VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, announces its new programming lineup, delivering more of the network’s most popular sports betting shows and hosts. As the 2025 NFL season ramps up, VSiN’s new fall schedule launches to the largest audience in its history.
“With more viewers and listeners than we’ve ever had going into football season, we’re thrilled to launch VSiN’s new programming lineup as an answer to fans asking for more of the quality programming they want and need to inform their wagering and fantasy decisions,” said Steve Cohen, EVP of Talent and Programming at VSiN. “As our competitors across all media continue to pull back and even disappear, it’s that continued commitment to content that sets VSiN apart and fuels our continued growth.”
VSiN’s full live programming lineup launches today and can be viewed at VSiN.com. Highlights include:
- VSiN adds one additional hour to “A Numbers Game” with Gill Alexander and producer Kelley Bydlon. The longest running show on VSiN now airs weekdays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET. Each day, Alexander and his roster of expert guests take fans deep into the numbers of gambling, leveraging advanced metrics in his handicapping.
- Hosts of VSiN’s popular weekday afternoon show “Follow the Money,” Mitch Moss and Pauly Howard, will add a sixth shift each week to anchor the live NFL pregame discussion on “VSiN’s Pro Football Tailgate Show” Sundays from 9 a.m. – noon ET. Analytics expert Warren Sharp and props analyst John Hansen will be among the regular guests. Having moved the show’s weekday timeslot from mornings to afternoons last fall, Moss and Howard return to mornings one day each week for the Sunday football action.
- “The Guru” John Hansen returns as the host of “Prop Points,” bringing decades of fantasy expertise to weekdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET. Hansen has been an industry leader since 1995. He was the first individual to contribute to ESPN’s coverage of fantasy football online and on ESPN Radio and TV in 1996, before roles at Yahoo! Sports, “NFL Fantasy Live” on NFL.com, and as chief fantasy analyst for a ground-breaking “Fantasy Zone” channel on DirectTV.
- The popular Circa Friday Football Invitational show, hosted by Matt Youmans, returns for a third season. Twenty-five pro bettors and handicappers compete in a weekly pro and college football pick’em contest for $30,000 in prizes. The show will be expanded by an hour, from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. ET.
- VSiN’s own Dustin Swedelson takes the anchor desk permanently on “Cashing Out,” the network’s last live show and the final word on the day’s betting action. Each weeknight from 11 p.m. – 2 a.m. ET, Swedelson savors the wins, analyzes the losses and sets the board for tomorrow’s betting menu.
- “VSiN by the Books” has moved its home base to VSiN’s new studio in Circa Sports sportsbook located at The Mint Gaming Hall Kentucky Downs in Franklin. The morning show and some Saturday programming will broadcast live from the recently launched retail sportsbook, which is the largest in the state of Kentucky.
- Beginning on Saturday, Aug. 30, VSiN’s weekend programming will start an hour earlier at 9 a.m. ET to deliver all the news, analysis and insights sports fans and betting enthusiasts need on gameday.
Broadcasting 24/7 from the entertainment capital of the world in Las Vegas, VSiN empowers sports fans and bettors with the news, analysis, and insights they need to make informed wagering decisions, including 18+ hours of daily live linear sports content. Featuring some of the industry’s most knowledgeable sports betting and fantasy experts, as well as legendary book makers, VSiN’s goal is to inform and entertain the growing number of Americans betting on sports – whether they are sharp bettors or brand new to sports betting. VSiN’s exclusive content sets the stage for the day’s biggest sports betting events and includes expert tips and predictions on college and pro football, college and pro basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, tennis, NASCAR, and more.
Fans can access VSiN content on YouTube TV, SiriusXM (158), Rogers’ Sportsnet, NESN, Marquee Sports Network, MASN, Spectrum SportsNet LA, SportsNet Pittsburgh, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, more than 350 terrestrial radio stations throughout the U.S., VSiN.com, and the VSiN Watch app.
VSiN’s newsroom studio is located in the sportsbook at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
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Fast Track AI to change the face of iGaming CRM

Fast Track will unveil its new AI-driven natural language platform on 2 September during its annual Fast Track House event in Malta. The launch will also be streamed live online from 4 PM CEST, giving the iGaming industry an exclusive first look at the future of player engagement.
For the past decade, Fast Track has pioneered real-time data integration, the Singularity Model, the only Gameplay Risk Engine, and Rewards, the first AI-ready gamification system. Each innovation has moved the company closer to its vision: to digitalise the iGaming industry and deliver the first self-learning engagement platform.
Fast Track AI is trained on over 10 years of iGaming expertise and designed to transform how CRM teams work. It can perform technical analysis on terabytes of real-time data, deliver advanced insights into CRM performance and player behaviour, and uniquely take direct action on those insights across the platform.
“This isn’t just AI added to CRM. This is CRM re-engineered for the natural language era,” said Simon Lidzén, CEO and Co-Founder of Fast Track.
“Even your wildest imagination can only take you so far; minds have been bound by constraints for so long that it is hard to picture the full power of Fast Track AI. You simply need to see it to believe it. This is why I am organising a live session to unveil it; to showcase what a native iGaming CRM, built on the most comprehensive real-time data infrastructure together with the Singularity Model, is capable of. I urge the whole industry to sign up.” Lidzén added.
The big reveal will take place during the Fast Track House event in Malta and will be streamed live online. The broadcast begins at 4:00 PM CEST on 2 September.
Registration is now open: https://app.livestorm.co/fast-track/fast-track-ai-in-action
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