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Play LA, Online Sports Ad Agency Wins Again With Second Betfair Deal
By Alan Gray, NewsBlaze
New York - Play LA, Inc. (OTCBB: PLLAF), the Online sports ad agency, is set to celebrate a second win, in less than a week. The celebration came after Betfair Group Ltd, the premier e-gaming betting community, announced a second deal to provide pari-mutuel wagering outside the U.S., this time with the New York Racing Association (NYRA).
Play LA's first win came when the company became Betfair's "primary advertising partner" for the 2009 Breeders Cup coverage published on their UK flagship website, www.bettingchoice.co.uk.
In a feature story on Friday, Play LA CEO David Hallonquist hinted at a more extensive online advertising deal with Betfair, the world's largest online sports betting provider. Today, that hint became reality, and according to a story in eGaming Review Magazine, Betfair isn't the only non-U.S. betting operator to cut a deal.
Webis Holdings (LSE-AIM: WEB) pari-mutuel operation, European Wagering Services, will also offer wagering direct into the Breeders' Cup pools this Friday and Saturday through its Link2Bet.com website. In a telephone interview, Play LA's Hallonquist said his company is not representing WEB's online properties at this time.
Asked if the Breeders Cup advertising for Betfair was generating a noticeable increase in traffic for Play LA, Hallonquist said, "yes, absolutely", though he would not release details.
While Hallonquist's Play LA has leaped to the front lines in European online sports betting advertising, the Company has underlying value in its sports content. That sports content is catching the eyeballs of U.S. website operators more interested in the content itself than its bet-oriented writing style.
In the world of online advertising, Play LA stands alone in a niche market others serve - but not as their core focus - online sports advertising. While online advertising jumped ahead of TV in the UK for the first time, that growth has not "crossed the pond" - but pioneer Hallonquist isn't waiting to find new markets in the United States or Canada. Play LA's online advertising deal with Betfair has placed Hallonquist's Company on the radar screen of ad buyers and content-thirsty sports site owners alike. Even Google News carries the company's sports content.
Play LA is the only publicly held sports betting online advertising agency in the United States, which may be why its CEO was so tight-lipped about sales and what companies they're contracting with next.
Source: Axcess News
See Also:
Breeders Cup 2009 a Winner for Play LA, Online Advertising Agency
Tags: play la, pari-mutuel wagering, betfair, online sports ad agency, online advertising