Month: June 2021

The licence will enable Playson to supply its content to the newly regulated Greek market and sign agreements with licensed operators in the country.

Playson’s titles include Solar Queen, Wolf Power: Hold and Win and Legend of Cleopatra Megaways.

“We are delighted to receive a licence that ensures a continuation and expansion of our hit games within the newly regulated territory of Greece, a fast-growing market at the heart of a crucial region for Playson,” Playson’s general counsel Andrei Andronic said.

“We have an appetite for regulated markets and we are delighted to add a new license to our portfolio. This latest news demonstrates our credentials for providing the best and safest games to our partners.”

The Greek licensing system opened in October of last year, after the country’s parliament passed the gambling reform bill in 2019.

The new regulatory system requires operators and suppliers to abide by strict operating conditions. Online slots – which an earlier draft of the regulations had sought to ban – are capped at €2 per spin, with a three-second spin minimum and a maximum win of €70,000 per round.     

Last week, bet365 and Play’n Go were issued operating and supplier licences, respectively, while Betsson has also secured licence.

Black-Gupta has more than 25 years of marketing experience, having served as the global chief marketing officer of Equinox Fitness Clubs and as senior vice president of global marketing for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics at Estee Lauder. She has also held executive global marketing roles with Proctor & Gamble and Gilette.

“As we continue to evolve our business around an omnichannel retail and interactive gaming, sports betting and entertainment experience for our nationwide base of customers, we are delighted to welcome Vimla, a proven marketing veteran, to the Board,” said David Handler, chairman of Penn National Gaming.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The High Court of England and Wales’ decision means that player account funds – which are held in the player protection account – include winnings to be paid based on for events up until and including 26 March, but no further.

This means around £3.5m will be paid from the account, which held a total of £4.5m. The hearing dealt only with funds held in player accounts, with the status of money spent on or held in active bets still undetermined.

A legal hearing on a cut-off date for account funds was necessary as administrators Begbies Traynor said that bets that were open when the operator entered administration would still be open and accruing dividends, a form of winnings.

However, if these dividends were paid until the bets expired, the £4.5m player protection account would have been in default by 22 April, meaning no players could receive all of the money they would be owed.

During the hearing to set this cut-off date, a representative for Begbies Traynor argued for the selection of 26 March, which was when administration proceedings officially began, as well as for 11 March when the operator entered administration.

A separate barrister was appointed to argue the case for choosing a later date, which would have favoured players with large portfolios of open bets but little funds in their account.

The case was first moved from the Insolvency List to the High Court, in which Justice Robin Vos postponed his decision rather than ruling immediately. However, Vos has now elected to set the cut-off date at 26 March, meaning winnings up to and including that date must be paid.

Vos said that the clause of Football Index’s terms and conditions related to protection of funds suggested that the trust was intended to cover a “crystalised entitlement at the date the Insolvency Event occurs”, rather than also covering future events.

The money in the player protection account is currently held by the Viscount of Jersey, who the administrators will contact to release the funds.

The operator said it will take between five and eight working days for these funds to be transferred to Football Index’s payment provider, which can then distribute funds to customers. This will be done through players’ Football Index accounts via the same withdrawal methods that were available when the platform was active. Accounts are only accessible on the web after the operator suspended its app.

“As soon as these funds are received customers will be notified by email and at that point customers will be able to log into their Football Index account and make a withdrawal request,” the administrators said.

It will then take between two to 10 further working days for customers to receive their funds.

The cut-off date selected means a surplus will be in the player protection trust account. The judge ruled that this surplus will be used to pay fees incurred by administrators – such as legal related to the hearing – and then will go towards other creditors, including players with active bets.

Before the hearing began, administrators said the 26 March cut-off date would leave a surplus of £1.0m in the account, suggesting dividends worth around £250,000 would be paid out and roughly £3.5m would be distributed.

The status of funds held in the platform as open bets still remains undecided. Although the operator’s terms and conditions state that funds spent on active bets are not protected, some of this money may still be returned either through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) or liquidation as players would still be creditors of the business. 

During the hearing, Lexa Hilliard QC, who represented Begbies Traynor’s case, pointed out that customers would make up the vast majority of creditors.

Ahead of the hearing, BetIndex revealed that as part of the CVA, it hoped to relaunch the platform, with creditors owning a 50% stake in the new business. The relaunched platform would seek a pool betting licence.

BetIndex went into administration in March, following a change to its dividend structure earlier that week, which the operator said was necessary to keep the platform alive. However, documents released ahead of the hearing showed that the business had already taken steps to enter administration before the dividend change, even though it continued to take bets for three days before the administration process was announced. 

Following the operator’s collapse, the UK Government launched an inquiry into how these events occurred and whether more could have been done by the Gambling Commission. Yesterday, the government selected Malcolm Sheehan QC to lead the investigation.

The Commission itself revealed that Football Index had been under investigation for almost a year before entering administration, but said it was concerned that suspending the operator’s licence could have expedited its financial problems, putting player funds at greater risk.

Carlson will start his second stint as an ATG board member, having previously held the position between 2015-2016.

The 67-year old currently serves as the Swedish Public Health Agency’s director general, and will commence his new role on 1 September 2021. He has previously worked as director general of the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control.

ATG chairman Bo Netz said: “I am pleased to welcome Johan Carlson back to ATG’s board. At ATG, we care about our customers, we want them to feel good about their gaming and gaming responsibility is our most important sustainability issue. 

“With his background, Johan has an extremely solid knowledge of public health, which strengthens us in our effort to always be at the forefront of these issues.”

Carlson’s appointment will also see the departure of Petra Forsström from her position on ATG’s board.

Netz added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Petra for the time we worked together within ATG and wish her luck in future assignments.”

According to the statistics posted by France’s gaming regulator ANJ, the increased revenue can be attributed partly to a 19.1% increase in active player accounts to 3.1 million.

Sports betting in particular was was subject to massive growth. The €2.18bn wagered by players was a 78.8% increase on a 2020 heavily impacted by a suspension of sporting events caused by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic late in the quarter.

This led to €357m in betting revenue, from which €172m was paid in levies.

Active sports betting accounts increased 29.2% to 2.5 million – a figure which the regulator said is expected to increase this summer due to the Olympics and Euro 2020.

Football was the most popular sport to bet on by a considerable margin, contributing €1.3bn worth of wagers. Basketball was second with €362m, followed by tennis with €340m, with rugby coming next with €49m.

There was also an increase in betting on horse racing, as the €481.0m staked represented a 59.9% increase from 2020. Active accounts were up 13.3% to 402,000, while revenue increased 48.0% to €110m.

The €120m worth of poker revenue was a 23% increase from last year, while active player accounts grew 9% to 991,000.

The Act was brought forward by the Nairobi City Council Assembly and was enacted on 6 May 2021.

It outlines the inclusion of different forms of gaming as eligible for prize competitions and public lotteries, in order to impose a 10% entertainment tax on gross proceeds of betting, lottery and gaming activities.

The Act will require a licence for anyone who wishes to operate betting, lottery and gaming activities. For betting premises, the licence grant fee stands at KSh600,000 (£3,929/€4,567) with an application and renewal fee of KSh10,000 (£65/€76). For gaming and casino premises, the licence grant fee is KSh1,500,000 (£9,825/€11,418), while the application and renewal fee is KSh10,000.

The cost of a licence to be granted for a public lottery is KSh4,000,000 (£26,199/€30,449) with an additional KSh1,000,000 (£6,549/€7,612) application and renewal fee.

An application for a licence must be lodged with the Nairobi City County Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Control Board director, whose establishment is outlined in the Act, and will be valid for one year from the date of issue.

The Board will promote and oversee proper procedure for gaming activities in the county. It will consist of a non-executive chairperson, a chief officer, a director, and six trade and finance persons.

The non-executive chairperson and the six trade and finance persons will hold office for three years before they are eligible for reelection for a further term.

“This act is aimed at providing for the implementation of National Government policy, standards and norms in relation to betting, lotteries and gaming in the county,” said Nairobi City County Deputy Governor H.E Ann Kananu.

“It will also provide for the county institutions and for procedures applicable to the regulation and licensing of betting, lotteries and gaming within the county and make provisions for periodic monitoring and evaluation of betting, lotteries and gaming activities within the city.”

Last month, the Kenyan Treasury moved to restore a 20% excise tax on betting stakes through its 2021 Finance Bill. This tax has been a source of major controversy in the country, causing Kenya’s largest operator Sportpesa to leave the market for more than a year. Rival Betin left the market at the same time.

Sam Houlding has worked at Spotlight Sports Group for more than ten years. Houlding, Chief Commercial Officer, is responsible for driving B2B sales in Europe and the US, while developing high-level strategic partnerships across Spotlight Sports Group’s suite of affiliate brands.

While fans looked on at last summer’s postponement of the Euros and Olympics  with dismay, sportsbook operators grieved the loss of significant  revenue and engagement opportunities. Now that the tide is turning, operators are now shifting focus to the summer ahead and the new opportunities at hand. 

As an event-packed summer approaches, operators have the opportunity to truly make their mark on customers.

As well as focusing on the potential turnover of these events in themselves, operators should be embracing  the chance to drive longer-term results, says Spotlight Sports Group’s Sam Houlding.

“Where before there was a huge focus on acquisition, there’s an acknowledgment now that engaging those customers you’ve acquired and maximising the value of those customers and the experience that they have is just as important.” 

When planning a retention strategy, the driving factors for success are enhanced CRM and engagement of the existing audience. Critically, providing rich and concise content is what will make the experience of this audience really stand out, he argues.

Indeed, Houlding argues that although live sports have gradually  made their  return over the last year, it  was never quite enough to build these long-term engagement opportunities.

 “When you look at the period of suspension last year, and as some of the key sports dropped away, it became quite apparent how shallow sometimes the engagement cycle is on sports below the major sports.”

Branching out

However, while focusing on major sports is a safe bet, being able to scale content quickly to cover a range of sporting events and branch out into different local markets can unlock new engagement opportunities, he adds.

“A whole depth of sports has become more important now. As the sporting calendar gets busier through the year, making sure that you can increase engagement across a range of sporting events is the key focus – and the challenge.” 

Maximising these opportunities is all to do with timing. This begins with tapping into the momentum building up to these events and then providing betting insights at the right time pre, during, and post-event.

Sportsbook operators should keep an open mind to new engagement and revenue opportunities.

“The priority for operators  is always going to be those major sports where the turnover is highest,” says Houlding.

“As sports comes into full force again throughout the remainder of the year, operators will have a focus on serving engaging content across a real range of sports.”

Actionable insights

Spotlight Sports Group’s all-encompassing content engine, Superfeed, is a powerful content engine that operators can use following  a single integration directly into their markets across a huge range of sports, and is aimed at providing actionable insights from a trusted, independent voice.

“The purpose of Superfeed is to digest all of that data and provide actionable insight, a tangible betting opportunity. We essentially do all the hard work to crunch that data and provide betting insights that are actionable and a recommended bet for the end-user.”

Houlding also accepts that after a year of economic hardship, investing in content and any form of new technology can be perceived as risky. Further, as  live sporting events pick up in pace, finding the time and resources to research content solutions can feel like a draining task.

The first hurdle is finding technology that integrates effectively and is conducive to efficiency. Beyond the technical considerations, operators must define exactly what their needs are and what they want to get out of their content engine, according to Houlding.

To ensure the content engine is a good fit for partners, A/B testing offers the chance for potential partners to see Superfeed in action: “This allows operators to test and trial the power of Superfeed on their products,” says Houlding.

Statistical analysis of these tests has found the increase in the amount bet attached to using Superfeed betting intelligence is as high as 37%.Additionally, 39% of those who view content through Superfeed are more likely to place a bet, with a 40% increase in dwell time.

Just as rich, data-driven insights help users to take action, statistics provided from A/B testing have the same effect on operators, allowing them to see clear and tangible benefits of a robust content engine — notably, increased engagement and turnover.

A tailored approach

With its roots as a media business, Spotlight Sports Group has an in-depth understanding of how to optimise content for different types of platform and audience.

Houlding touched on how Superfeed is tailored towards both affiliate and sportsbook operators. Being media experts and owning numerous affiliate sites itself, Spotlight Sports Group recognises the unique challenges faced by these acquisition platforms.

Context is key, he argues. “I think on affiliate and media sites you have to think about how content is placed within the wider media piece you are trying to deliver.”

“Content should come in at the right moment to contextually serve the actionable betting insights at the right point within that richer media offering,” says Houlding.

“With affiliates, it becomes more about productising the content. Superfeed can provide ready-made widgets which pull all of the content together in an expansive way to be able to maximise engagement on the page and create an immersive media experience.”

Looking to the future, Spotlight Sports Group aims to continue expanding its offerings across commercial, tech, and content operations. After devoting time to increasing its  sports betting content offering in the U.S, the media specialist plans to continue this with a particular focus on the affiliate market.

“We’re looking forward to a lot of exciting developments that will help us to continue developing globally”, concludes Houlding.”

The shaman is inviting you to participate to an old ritual where mystery and fortune are awaiting.

Don’t forget to pay a little tribute to Pachamama for good luck before you start spinning!

Secret of Incas is a 5-reel slots with 20 fixed paylines. This casino slot features a scatter symbol, a wild symbol which generates a 8 spins special rotation, a bonus game with 3 levels and a x5.000 multiplier.

You can play the demo of Secret of Incas here!

Game Type:	Video slot
Go Live Date (expected):
Game special features:	Cascading function
Number of paylines:	20
Number of reel:	5
RTP% (recorded/theoretical):	95.80%
Variance/volatility:	Mid
Number of symbols to trigger feature/bonus?:	3
Can feature be retriggered?:	No
Number of free spins awarded?:	N/A
Stacked or expanding wilds in normal play?:	No
Stacked or expanding wilds in feature play?:	No
Number of jackpot tiers?:	N/A
Auto-play function?:	Yes

Khan is a qualified chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience within the financial services sector, working across disciplines such as private equity, and regulation and compliance.

She served in finance director roles at Barclays Africa, FirstRand, Investec, Value Capital and Basileus, managing teams across South Africa, the Middle Eastand the UK.

“I am delighted to welcome Noorul-ain to the senior management team; she has a vast wealth of experience and knowledge that will be of huge importance to the business as we continue to expand and drive further growth,” iSoftBet chief executive Nir Elbaz said.

The addition of Khan comes after iSoftBet made a number of other new appointments to its senior management team last year, including bringing in Virginie Luce as chief marketing officer and Anne Muscat Scerri as head of human resources.

“We have hired some incredible talent in the last year and the benefits are coming through with our teams delivering exceptional, innovative and compelling products and solutions that are adding significant value for our customers and their players,” Elbaz said.

Hale most recently served as chairman of Blockchain Worldwide. Before this, he spent more than 11 years as chief financial officer at 32Red.

During his time at 32Red, Hale was involved in the sale of the operator to Kindred Group in June 2017.

Earlier in his career, Hale had a four-year spell as finance director at the Sports Café Group and also co-founded Property Internet. In addition, Hale was a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and a senior accountant at Capital Corporation. 

“Having been based in Gibraltar, I’ve seen first-hand how Lottoland has developed and grown, and I really admire how they have done so in such a short space of time,” Hale said. “I look forward to working with Nigel and the team as the Group continues on its growth journey.”

Lottoland chief executive Nigel Birrell added: “Jon brings with him a wealth of gaming experience and knowledge that we will benefit from as we continue to grow and deliver on our strategy.”

The appointment comes after Lottoland last month agreed to become a founding member of the All-In Diversity Project, an industry-driven initiative aiming to benchmark diversity, equality and inclusion in the global betting and gaming sectors.