Amazon has announced that its subsidiary Amazon Web Services (AWS) has partnered with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) aiming to ‘transform’ sports betting in Canada through the use of advanced technology driving fan engagement.
Focusing on Toronto’s sporting franchises, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Football Club (FC), and Toronto Argonauts, AWS will provide its ‘broad portfolio of cloud services’ to create new experiences for sports fans ‘in the arena, at home, and in the metaverse.’
Enlisted as MLSE’s official cloud provider and official provider of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning cloud services, AWS will use AR and VR technologies to power MLSE’s planned “Game within the Game” digital experience, allowing fans to receive enhanced in-game insights, take part in free-to-play games and begin using sports betting sportsbooks.
Matt Garman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Amazon Web Services, commented: “AWS supports many of the world’s most exciting sports organizations with the most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud offerings.
“We help organizations like Formula 1 to redesign their cars, the National Football League to train their players, and the National Hockey League to pull fans deeper into the game with a growing roster of real-time stats. We’re thrilled to grow our global sports community with MLSE and help them build a winning suite of analytics and machine learning capabilities.
“Together with AWS, MLSE will continue to strengthen iconic Canadian sports franchises like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, and Toronto Argonauts, and help them connect with fans on a more personal level than ever before.”
Additionally, MLSE aims to develop new platforms using AWS technologies to ‘create a more powerful sense of community’ using its ‘Digital Arena’ platform. This offers fans a second-screen experience allowing shareability and chat functions with other fans.
In the future, MLSE is striving to create an ‘at-home and in-stadium’ hybrid experience, combining visual data from cameras with sensors in players’ jerseys and the puck or ball to further drive fan engagement, essential for sports betting markets.
“We are always searching for innovative organizations to partner with that will disrupt the norm and create the very best experience for our fans. Our partnership and what we plan to achieve with AWS will help transform Toronto’s sports and entertainment industry,” said Jordan Vader, Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships at MLSE.
“Tapping into the technology developed by AWS will also enhance how we engage with fans, giving them exciting, personalized experiences in and out of our venues from before the puck drops in the rink to after the final buzzer on the court.”