- Rivalry brings former Canadian regulator boss as a member of the board of directors to facilitate the transition towards traditional sports gambling
- The company’s track record in the esports gambling space will allow it to seize new opportunities at home and globally
- OLGC former CEO and president Stephen Rigby said he was excited to be part of Rivalry’s journey
Rivalry’s has not hidden its ambitions to expand into traditional sports gambling and the company has now secured help from former OLGC top man Stephen Rigby.
From Esports to Sports and Back Again
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) former CEO and president Stephen Rigby will be stepping in as a member of the board of directors at Rivalry.gg, a sports betting company that began operations with a strong focus on competitive video gaming and gradually transitioned into other facets of the online gambling experience.
Rigby’s appointment, which will be formalized at the company’s next shareholder meeting, is a step towards Rivalry becoming a more prominent name in the online sports betting business that transcends its bastion in esports.
The appointment of Rigby is a good strategic call as the company has put a big emphasis on figuring out esports and is now ready to move into the traditional sports space, but bringing along with it a successful track record and the ability to engage with fans in new ways that appeal to younger audiences.
Building for the Future
As part of OLGC, Rigby was in charge of expanding the company’s reach and penetrating new verticals. Rivalry CEO and co-founder Steven Salz welcomed Rigby’s appointment and said that his experience at the helm of Canada’s largest regulated gambling business would prove invaluable to Rivalry. He continued:
“His decision to join Rivalry at this time marks an important inflection point in our business. Stephen brings significant strategic and operational experience that we are confident will help further execute on our vision to provide the safest and most engaging sports betting and sports media experience in the world for a new demographic coming into the fold of sports betting.”
Rivalry CEO and co-founder Steven Salz
Rivalry’s quickened shift towards the online sports betting space is not a chance event. In fact, the company is anticipating the legalization of single-event betting contests in the country, which would mean a huge windfall for early adopters and those legal brands that have the infrastructure to secure market share.
With its innovative approach to sports gambling, Rivalry is in a good position to be among those. The company has signed a number of high-profile partnerships with esports teams, including beastcoast, FURIA, and Fnatic and it’s only now stretching its legs into the traditional sports betting space.
Rigby himself was quite pleased with the developments. “Rivalry’s integrated media and betting strategy is forward-looking, and gets me inspired about the opportunity ahead not just for Rivalry, but the industry as a whole,” the former OLGC top man said.
Earlier this year, Rivalry secured a $20 million funding round which Salz said would be used to bolster the company’s current operations but also help spearhead the expansion into sports betting.
