The company’s Q1 report also revealed that online turnover grew by 59%, while online traffic to its sportsbook software doubled, year-on-year.
NSoft’s highest performing product was its live sports betting software, which saw a 75% turnover increase compared to Q1 2020.
The software provider had a busy first quarter, entering four new markets and acquiring 14 new clients in countries such as France, Turkey and the Dominican Republic.
NSoft also added new features to its portfolio in Q1 including Lightning games, which are simpler versions of popular games.
NSoft Lottery was also introduced this quarter to appeal to bettors who enjoy betting on lottery draws.
“Even after the first quarter, we can recognise the global direction results we are aiming for,” commented Dražan Planinić, chief operation officer of NSoft.
“We are investing in cooperations with other platform providers such as Playtech, iSoftBet, EveryMatrix, Blue Ocean Gaming, Oryx and many others.”
Gross gaming revenue from sports betting reached $4.3m (£3.1m/€3.6m) in March, compared to $394,229 in the same month in 2020, though last year’s figures were significantly impacted by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The closure of retail sportsbooks across the state from mid-March 2020 meant players could only wager online last year, while the postponement and cancellation of almost all sporting events amid the Covid-19 crisis limited betting options for consumers.
Players wagered a total of $55.8m on sports during March this year, up from $8.8m in 2020, while the state was able to take $1.9m in tax revenue from sports betting.
Breaking down these figures, mobile sports betting accounted for $3.3m of all revenue in the month, with players wagering $44.4m via mobile devices.
Retail revenue reached $913,486 in March after consumers spent a total of $11.4m at land-based sportsbook in New Hampshire, a new monthly record for the sector.
The final part of the Tribal Gaming series’ early adopters videos sees Wind Creek Hospitality chief executive Jay Dorris discusss how the tribe’s focus shifted to free-to-play gaming as it looked to improve engagement with customers off-property.
He explains how social has boosted Wind Creek customers’ lifetime values, and what it is doing to better integrate the online and in-person channels to ensure this sustains going forward.
The chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria shares his thoughts on the legalislation debate exclusively with ICE 365. With a ballot measure put forward by a tribal coalition, a path to legal sports betting has been paved – but will it result in the first bets being placed next year?
Sarris also discusses further developments, such as the potential for legal online gaming.
If there is one word to describe the past year it would have to be ‘innovation.’
The global pandemic has forced everyone to innovate in one way or another. Casinos, restaurants, most businesses and households alike, all found ways to adapt and push through.
But what does it mean to innovate? Is it another buzzword suggesting we need to ‘pivot’ or ‘disrupt’ the status quo? More importantly, why do we need to innovate and how can we tell if we are truly innovating?
Jesse Robles, Pechanga.net
To answer this question, I spoke with gaming industry veteran and innovation evangelist Roberto Coppola. He is a pragmatic researcher with a storied experience in Indian Country and is currently the lead innovation researcher at Panasonic.
For over a decade, Coppola has been researching and driving innovation within different organizations within Indian Country and across the world, including Sands Corporation, IGT, Aristocrat, and the United States Air Force to name a few. Coppola is in all senses of the title a professional innovator.
“When we begin talking about innovation, I think there are few important considerations,” says Coppola, “[…] First and foremost, change is inevitable. It is said that one of life’s few guarantees is change.
“Secondly, when we think about innovation, we tend to think about cool products and services – the end result – but really, the most important part of innovating is the questions we ask, and specifically, it’s about asking the right question.”
Drawing from his experience solving problems at scale, Coppola warns: “[…] We have to be careful that we are not a solution looking for a problem.
“Because lastly, true innovation creates positive change and unlocks opportunity. Some of the most important ingredients in the foundation of innovative organisations are the people, the culture, and its value for respect and listening.”
One of the groups following this recipe for leading change in tribal gaming is the Tribal Gaming Student Association at San Diego State University. Located in Southern California, on the traditional homelands of the Kumeyaay people, SDSU is home to the nation’s first undergraduate degree program in tribal gaming and governments.
Supported by the Sycuan Institute and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the TGSA was founded to serve the students in the program as well as the broader student body.
“We are here to raise awareness about our industry, the tribal gaming industry, and to foster creative minds who want to lead and work an impactful career,” says Joey Castillo, current president of the TGSA.
“Indigenous tribes are no strangers to innovation. In fact, tribes have innovated for thousands of years, says Castillo, “We can see from archaeological records and learn from oral traditions that tribes have always adapted – adapting to weather patterns, animal migration routes, and the lasting effects of colonisation among many other challenges.”
Castillo, pressed further, says: “In fact, I would argue that the path to the creation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is also the spawn of innovation.
“Many tribes have been forced off their traditional homelands and onto reservations–often time with few, if any, natural resources. Bingo and what has come to be known as ‘Class II gaming’ became a pillar of economic development across Indian Country–all stemming from innovation and the drive to self-preserve.”
“To this day,” Castillo adds, “From the waters of the Mashantucket Pequot to the shores of Chumash, Native American tribes are serial innovators. This time however, technology is allowing Native youth and allies to build on a new layer – the internet.
“Covid-19 has brought about a lot of challenges, but each of those challenges is an opportunity to solve a problem,” he adds. “With so many tools at our fingertips, we have the responsibility to think ahead – to think creatively – and bridge the gaps using the wealth of resources available to us.”
In response to the pandemic, Castillo and the TGSA have turned to online social media to raise awareness and recruit students to the industry.
“My generation doesn’t really talk about casinos,” says Castillo, “And that’s a problem. A problem for our industry, but an existential problem for tribes. We are working to show people why tribal gaming is different and I am passionate about doing research to show tribes how they can use technology to reach the next generation of customers.”
During the past year, the TGSA has been holding Zoom webinars and inviting industry leaders to speak to students about their unique roles in tribal gaming.
Offering these webinars as part of a free certificate program, Castillo hopes, “is the way we can tell the story of tribal gaming and illustrate to the world that the possibilities are endless and the future is ours to shape.
“As allies of indigenous communities, we have the privilege of learning about their land and culture and traditions. We have the duty to help them be heard and continue their path to self-sufficiency and cultural preservation.”
At the forefront of his studies, Castillo is trying to frame a conversation around distributed ledger technologies, like the blockchain, and their uses in gaming. “Everyone is talking about blockchains as they relate to cryptocurrencies, and I definitely agree that cryptos will have a place in gaming (once the regulations catch up) but I don’t hear anyone talking about how we can use the core technologies in other, more practical ways,” he says.
“Under the guidance of Dr. Katherine Spilde, we have created new courses to address this knowledge gap. Next semester we will be running the university’s first-ever class on blockchain technology. Not only will this introduce new minds into our industry, I am personally excited to test my theory that there are countless use cases for blockchain, and particularly in supply chain management and other back-of-house functions, says Castillo, “I am passionate in learning about how we can use these technologies to improve operations and increase gaming velocity with digital currencies.”
Coppola points out there is no consensus on what the future will look like, or what casinos will look like.
“It is important for us to remember that moving forward,” he says. “Change is inevitable, and we have to remember that.
“If the casino industry were to go away, the impact on Native American communities would be disproportionately greater than on commercial gaming operators,” says Coppola.
One person trying to address this is Mahrinah Shije, partner at Zia Impact, a native-American owned Impact Consultancy, and CEO of the Pueblo Development Commission.
Shije is a member of the Tewa Pueblo, and as she sees it “[…] the widespread and rapid adoption of frontier technologies necessitates that the tribal gaming industry seek adoption and implementation of these technologies where appropriate.”
Shije sees the potential “from AI and deep data analysis allowing us to develop new customer acquisition strategies to simply allowing us to understand our customers better, we will see our offline environments shaped by our online knowledge.”
Not only will big data allow us to understand the world around us, “evolving innovative spaces like Fintech particularly presents new opportunities for gaming, both with the games themselves as well as how and what payments are processed,” says Shije.
“Gambling exists in every fiat currency and it makes sense that this would evolve into every digital currency and various digital assets,” she explains. “With digital real estate presenting lower costs than in-person operations, the acceptance of bitcoin, alt-coins, and similar presents low operational expenses with the potential for very high rewards especially when those digital currencies are retained and both adoption and scarcity drive value.”
But these opportunities do not come without risks, says Shije. “With increased opportunity comes increased cyber risk, but tribes already know this and have traditionally been more conscientious of this and many have already invested heavily in their cybersecurity to thwart online attacks and safeguard intranet systems.”
Referring to the infamous computer worm credited with taking down Iran’s nuclear program, Shije doubled-down: “In a post-Stuxnet world, digital financial crimes are increasingly sophisticated even in environments more conservative toward bleeding-edge technology adoption.”
Financial crimes expert, former Special Agent in Charge at the California Department of Justice, and senior advisor to the Tribal Affairs Task Force, Tyler Burtis agrees. “It takes innovation to combat modern criminals,” he says. “Whether tribes adopt these new technologies or not, that is up to them as sovereign nations. But to protect tribal assets, we have to be looking at the future and what emerging technologies are entering the market if we are going to protect ourselves from bad actors.”
As we break out and emerge from the clutches of Covid-19, growing, changing and innovating, we must remember that we should not be a solution looking for a problem.
We should be asking all the important questions and staying true to our past – respectfully listening to our people, our culture and more importantly our passions and instincts. Fostering an environment where this happens will answer the question: Is this an evolution or a revolution?
Now you’ve read Jesse’s thoughts, have you say through the Tribal Gaming Survey. This project sees ICE 365 collaborate with Pechanga.net, to gather opinions from tribes on the future of their gaming industry. It’s open to all tribal gaming operators, so share your thoughts here.
Jesse Alejandro Robles is currently the Executive Director at Pechanga.net, Indian Country’s longest running internet news resources dedicated to Indian gaming, commercial gaming and Native news and Director of Research at the Robles Research Group. As a graduate of the Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming & Governments, Jesse has served Tribes across Indian Country offering compliance, business and management consulting services. In addition to his roles in gaming, Jesse is a dual-office holder in San Diego County; He is a voting board member of Spring Valley Community Planning Group and an appointee of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to the San Miguel Consolidated Fire District Board of Directors–San Diego County’s largest fire agency. With over a decade of government work experience, Jesse is passionate about public safety & service and helping governments & agencies find ways to innovate.
In part three our expert panel warns viewers not to sign their lives away when agreeing partnerships.
Agua Caliente COO Saverio Scheri and Prairie Band gaming operations director Chris Garrow tell Jason ‘Wolf’ Rosenberg about the long-term outlook necessary for successful partnerships.
They also pick out the points to scrutinise in contacts and SLAs, as the tribal partnership masterclass concludes.
In this exclusive keynote interview, its chairman Ernie Stevens speaks to Ewa Bakun about the future of the market.
He discusses the ongoing threat posed by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, and how NIGA is working to ensure tribal gaming continues to grow and support communities.
Chairman Stevens also discusses the evolving political climate in the US, and what the Biden administration means for his sector, as well as looking further afield to discuss how Indian gaming operators are looking for in partnering international businesses.
Under the agreement, Esports Entertainment will serve as the official gambling sponsor of the event, which is due to run from 14-30 May.
The partnership will focus on the North and South American CS:GO audiences, with the event set be broadcast live in Portuguese and English.
In addition, VIE.bet will offer live odds and specials throughout the event as its exclusive betting partner.
“The Summit, produced by BTS, has always been an event that is exciting and entertaining across all esports communities,” VIE director Bux Syed said. “Whether its CS:GO, Dota 2 or Smash Bros., the uniqueness of this event catches viewers from all over the world.
“My team and I are very excited to partner with BTS for this event.”
BTS’s last CS:GO tournament – CS_Summit007 – generated 19.3 million total live event views from 6.4 million unique viewers on the Twitch platform.
The KSA announced that each operator paid the €48,000 (£41,578/$57,787) set fee as part of their application.
“The purpose of the Act is to ‘channel’ as many players as possible from illegal to legal providers.” said Jansen in a statement.
“That is why I think that the number of applications guarantees a sufficiently attractive offer from 1 October with which the illegal offer can be largely suppressed. This also includes a task for the Ksa to tackle the remaining illegal providers.”
The license will allow operators to offer games of chance online from October 1, when the game of chance market opens.
Applications were submitted to the Ksa in early April after a third delay saw the KOA implementation date pushed back from March 1 2021 to April 1 2021.
Initially the act was to become law on July 1 2020, with the market opening six months later. But in November 2019 the start date was pushed back by 6 months to January 1 2021, with the market opening from July 1.
The final delay saw the act implemented on April 1 2021.
The Ksa has begun the application assessment process, with financial security, addiction prevention and player credit handling all being considered.
