Gaming licensing consultancy formed

12 June 2019

(PRESS RELEASE) -- A new gaming licensing consultancy firm has been formed, it was announced today by Steven M. Saferin, Managing Director of the new firm, the Entertainment and Sports Gaming Network. In addition, Saferin announced that ITV Ventures a unit of the largest British broadcaster has signed on as the firm's first client.

Saferin, who retired at the end of 2016 from his role as President Properties Group and Chief Creative Officer of Scientific Games one of the largest fully integrated gaming companies in the world, will initially have offices in Florida and London.

Saferin and his wife Linda formed MDI Entertainment LLC in 1986 and went on to virtually create the lottery licensing category. Over the last 15 years, third party licensed scratch tickets have accounted for nearly 10% of total scratch sales. Scientific Games acquired MDI in 2003.

Over the course of more than two decades MDI acquired lottery licensing rights to hundreds of licenses for such diverse properties as Monopoly, Wheel of Fortune, The World Cup, Major League Baseball, The NBA, Harley Davidson, Deal Or No Deal, Betty Boop, The Walking Dead, Elvis Presley and Pac Man.

In 2012 Saferin left his leadership role at MDI to head up all third-party licensing for Scientific Games for lottery, electronic gaming machines and social and on-line casinos. In that role he led the negotiations for cross-channel licensing agreements with Hasbro (Monopoly and other games), Warner Bros. (Willy Wonka, Lord of the Rings and other shows), Elvis Presley, Margaritaville, Michael Jackson, The Simpsons (slots only) and led the preliminary talks for the now completed James Bond license.

In addition, Saferin announced that a unit of British Broadcaster ITV, ITV Ventures has become ESGN's first client. He will assist them in structuring gaming licensing agreements outside the UK for shows such as Love Island and Hell's Kitchen.

"Gaming licensing is a critical component of gaming operators' and vendors' content strategy," Saferin said. "My objective is to not only assist licensors in creating gaming opportunities for their shows and brands but also to assist them in maximizing the value of those brands to licensors and gaming operators after agreements have been struck."

"I am very pleased to announce ITV Ventures as ESGN's first client. Love Island is a true television phenomenon in the UK. Original versions of the show have now been commissioned in a total of 13 countries, including the U.S. where the show launches on CBS in July in prime time," Saferin stated. "Love Island has also been successfully introduced multiple times as an instant win digital scratch game by Camelot in the UK as well as a paper scratch card," Saferin added.

"I have always thought that Hell's Kitchen would make a terrific gaming brand. The phenomenal success of the Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas seems to confirm that notion," Saferin said.

"We are delighted to have entered into this relationship with Steve and ESGN," commented Dave Christopher Director International Commercial and Digital at ITV. "I have known Steve for many years and his creativity and leadership in gaming licensing is unmatched. We look forward to working with him to bring many of our shows to the gaming category."

Related Links
Light & Wonder Gaming Vendor Information

Featured Vendors
Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
Betson Imperial Parts & Service
Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
The largest gathering of global, commercial and tribal gaming professionals in North America.
Betson Imperial Parts & Service
Your one stop shop for all your gaming and OEM needs!
GamblersPick
Casino Trac - Table Trac, Inc.
GamblersPick
Share & Read other players' reviews! A top player community-driven portal for online casinos.
Casino Trac - Table Trac, Inc.
CasinoTrac™ is a full CMS platform, operating in 225 locations, across 13 countries, since 1995.
Casino Network
House Tech Ads
Casino Network
20+ years experience selling refurbished slot machines, parts & glass for all major brands
House Tech Ads
Drive quality casino-gambling traffic to your brand from over 70 countries from our premium assets!
Top One Tech Limited
OCR - Online Casino Reports
Top One Tech Limited
GLOBAL TOUCH SOLUTION PARTNER OF CHOICE,10+ years OEM manufacturing,100+ thousand units application
OCR - Online Casino Reports
Delivers highly targeted casino traffic from over 70 countries! Get your casino listed today at OCR!
Goldfinger Monitors
New Level Radio
Goldfinger Monitors
Innovative touch-screen solutions - vibrant lighting, high-def imagery, bright, bold colors
New Level Radio
Your Casino. Your Music. Your Message.
Casino City Press
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) Conference
Casino City Press
A leading publisher and distributor of casino and gaming business data and market research reports.
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) Conference
The biggest little show in Indian gaming! Save the date: Aug 14-16, 2023 in Tulsa!
Patriot Gaming & Electronics, Inc.
TribalHub
Patriot Gaming & Electronics, Inc.
Patriot Gaming…Parts is what we do. Visit us: www.patriotgaming.com
TribalHub
24th Annual TribalNet Conference Sept 18-21, 2023 Town & Country Resort, San Diego, CA
Acres Manufacturing
Sunkist Graphics, Inc.
Acres Manufacturing
Cashless Loyalty & Bonusing in a Single Mobile App
Sunkist Graphics, Inc.
Specializing in the creation of best-of-breed gaming graphics - slot glass, sign faces, and more
AmericanChecked
Slot Machines Unlimited
AmericanChecked
Background checks for the gaming industry with key & non-key packages & fingerprinting solutions
Slot Machines Unlimited
Exporter of IGT, Williams, AVP, Trimline, Aristocrat, Konami, Bally, & parts over 20 yrs experience
Casino Schedule Ease
Talisman Group Creators of EZ Baccarat
Casino Schedule Ease
Full Featured & customizable for the complex scheduling needs of table games & other casino depts
Talisman Group Creators of EZ Baccarat
With over 800 tables in 150+ casinos, EZ Baccarat is the number one brand in baccarat.


Your Guide to 14,818 Gaming Industry Suppliers