Catena Media launches online sports betting affiliation in Maryland

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Catena Media today launches online sports betting affiliation in Maryland as the U.S. state officially opens for regulated online sports betting to operators and consumers.

The market opening on the eve of the annual Thanksgiving holiday coincides with a busy NFL sports calendar. Healthy levels of player engagement are expected after strong pre-launch marketing campaigns and player offers by leading operators.

Affiliation operations are being conducted through Catena Media’s broad network of national brands such as LegalSportsReport.com, GamingToday.com, TheLines.com and Lineups.com. The group is also operating via its regional websites such as PlayMaryland.com.

Ryan Harper, Catena Media Vice President North America – Revenue, said: “As with the Kansas launch in September, we expect a strong result from the Maryland go-live. The timing is excellent, given that we are in week 12 of the NFL season and have the added bonus of the World Cup kicking off this week.”

Harper added that in the seven days leading up to launch Catena Media secured four times more registrations than in the Kansas launch – a high level considering Maryland’s population is twice that of Kansas.

Maryland (population 6.2 million) becomes the fifth North American state or province to open for legal sports betting in 2022, following New York, Louisiana, Ontario and Kansas. Together these launches have extended online sportsbook access to 42 million people.

Future launches are expected in 2023, notably in Ohio and Massachusetts. Ohio, whose 11.8 million inhabitants make it the seventh most populous US state, has committed to a 1 January 2023 launch date. Massachusetts, with about 7 million inhabitants, is similar in size to Arizona, where Catena Media successfully launched sports betting affiliate operations in September last year.

Catena Media is a leading marketing affiliate for online sports betting and casino in North America. The group is active in a growing group of over 20 states or provinces and the region recently became the group’s core market after a rapid expansion.

Full-year revenue in North America more than doubled in 2021 and growth has continued into 2022 with a revenue increase of 22 percent in the first nine months. Growth in October was 20 percent year-on-year.