Sportradar Group AG today announced that Craig Felenstein has been named Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective June 1, 2024. Felenstein joins the Company from Lindblad Expeditions where he most recently served as Chief Financial Officer. He will report directly to Sportradar Chief Executive Officer Carsten Koerl.

Felenstein brings nearly 30 years of senior finance and operating experience for US publicly listed companies across the media, entertainment, experiential and digital content industries to his new position at Sportradar. Most recently, Felenstein served as Chief Financial Officer at Lindblad Expeditions, a global leader in expedition cruises and adventure travel, where he oversaw the company’s global finance organization, as well their corporate development, information technology and human resources functions. In his role as Sportradar’s Chief Financial Officer, Felenstein will lead the company’s global finance, accounting and investor relations functions. Felenstein has a unique blend of financial rigor and operational insight and will partner with the rest of the executive leadership team to advance the company’s key strategic initiatives and grow the business while maintaining strong relationships with the investment community. He will be based in New York.

Carsten Koerl, CEO, Sportradar said: “With Craig’s deep international experience and successful track record building finance organizations as a CFO at US listed public companies, I am confident that he will be a strong addition to our team. His track record of helping drive financial strategy and building shareholder value will be instrumental to our continued success. We want to express our deep gratitude to Ger Griffin for his meaningful contributions to Sportradar during a transformational growth period for our Company.”

Prior to his tenure at Lindblad, Felenstein served as Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Strategic Finance at Shutterstock where he oversaw all interaction with the investment community while leading the financial planning and analysis and corporate development functions. Prior to Shutterstock, he served in various management roles at Discovery Communications, LLC, including Executive Vice President of Investor Relations. At the same time, he was a member of the executive team for several of Discovery’s businesses including serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Digital, Chief Financial Officer of US Network Revenue and Chief Financial Officer of Animal Planet.  Prior to Discovery Communications, he held senior positions at News Corporation, Viacom Inc., and Arthur Andersen & Co.

Felenstein said: “Sportradar has built an impressive leadership position in the rapidly growing global sports technology market and the Company is ideally situated to deliver sustained growth given their strong content portfolio, unmatched product offerings and commitment to industry innovation.  I am excited to work with Carsten and the entire Sportradar team, as well as the Board of Directors, to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities ahead and deliver additional value to our clients, partners and shareholders.”

Estelarbet, Chile’s leading betting site, is proud to introduce Chilean soccer legend Arturo Vidal as its new brand ambassador. The alliance with Vidal, the Chilean with the most titles in history, marks an important milestone for Estelarbet, as he will exclusively promote its entertaining variety of online casino games, spread responsible gaming and provide an impactful gaming experience. Within the strategic agreement, it was established that the sports betting and online casino will include new branded content activations, face-to-face events and community outreach with the widely known “King”.

Sebastián Salazar, CEO of the brand commented: “It is an honor to welcome a true King of Soccer to the Estelarbet crew. We are excited to have Arturo Vidal associated with the brand. I’m sure his presence will help us generate greater awareness that soccer, sports betting, and online casino are all a form of entertainment, as long as they are done responsibly.”

Estelarbet celebrates the Chilean heritage and the genuine love for online gambling that unites them with the soccer player, both being a real case of success on the national and international playing field. His career, which includes truly stellar moments such as his time in the golden generation, being the two-time champion of America with the Chilean national team, being the Chilean soccer player who won the most consecutive First Division leagues, winning 1 title in all the teams he has played, makes him an inspiring figure and idol of the sport at a national and international level.

Jimena Agudelo, Marketing Manager of Estelarbet said: “Our goal will always be to create exceptional and legendary experiences and who better to represent us than a true star like Arturo. His passion for the game, his dedication and commitment are the perfect reflection of the values we defend at Estelarbet. Without a doubt, he is the best strategic partner we have chosen to represent and increase the visibility of the brand not only in Chile, but also in Latin America.”

This partnership will undoubtedly enhance the entertainment, betting and gaming experience for the brand’s customers and provide them with unparalleled content with the fastest payouts in the sector.

Karla Porto, Influencer Manager says: “Estelarbet’s partnership with Arturo Vidal, is a bet on the great visibility and recognition he has worldwide. With more than 20 million followers on his Instagram account, he has a broad base, which translates into a massive platform to promote the brand, reaching a diverse audience passionate about soccer and sports in general. This will undoubtedly boost Estelarbet’s visibility regionally and attract new users interested in sports betting.”

With Arturo Vidal as the brand’s star, Estelarbet continues to reaffirm its commitment to offer an extraordinary, exciting and safe gaming experience for all users of the platform in Latam.

YouGov has released its US bettor research report, which provides detailed insights into the preferences of US sports bettors.

Utilizing YouGov Custom Research, the report uncovers the impact that ESPN BET has had on the market, which in-app sportsbook features drive bettor engagement, and much more.

The report finds that:

• 71% of 25-44 year-old bettors find the ability to live stream sporting events that they bet on in their sportsbook app important (vs 65% all ages)
• bet365 is the most used sportsbook by 21-34 year-olds and DraftKings is used most by all other ages
• 67% of 21-24 year-old current and prospective bettors are likely to create a sportsbook account with a sportsbook that is associated with a streaming service (vs 57% of all ages)
• 51% of sports bettors are using ESPN BET more than they used to (vs 15% using it less)

“The US sports betting industry is a very competitive marketplace and maintaining loyalty from customers has proven to be difficult for sportsbooks, especially when new sportsbooks enter the market,” said Jeff Morris, VP at YouGov.

“Our research shows that the sportsbooks that incorporate key in-app features like live streaming sporting events can provide an advantage for driving interaction from current sports bettors and attracting prospective sports bettors.”

The report highlights key factors that would influence prospective sports bettors to create their first sportsbook account and provides an in-depth look at how sports bettor preferences vary across age groups.