Month: October 2021

Inspire Athens – a joint venture between Greek construction business GEK Terna and US tribal operator Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment – was selected in January 2020 to operate its  resort at the former site of Hellinikon International Airport in Athens.

The proposed casino was set to be operated by Mohegan, which held a 65% stake in the joint venture, after winning a tender process for the rights to build the venue at the former site of Hellinikon International Airport in Athens.

However, the EEEP has announced that it has now amended the final award of the project, transferring the licence to a business named Athens IRC. This, it says, is an “evolution” of the initial Inspire project, created due to “changes that occurred in the shareholder composition” of Inspire.

GEK Terna owns 100% of the shares in Athens IRC, buying out Mohegan’s stake in the business in September in a deal that created Athens IRC.

The deal opens up the possibility for a new operator to become involved with the Athens casino project.

This may include Seminole Tribe-owned Hard Rock International, which also bid for the tender when it was open. Hard Rock International’s proposal would have featured six giant buildings up to 200 metres tall.

The Hellenic Court of Audit will now conduct a pre-contractual audit of Athens IRC, in order for the transfer to be completed.

The site of the former international airport has been vacant since 2001, with the tender process for a resort on the site having been delayed a number of times.

Shares in Crown dropped 14% on 17 October 2016 after Crown announced that 19 of its staff in China had been detained for illegally marketing Crown’s gambling services in the country.

The sharp fall in Crown’s share price led law firm Maurice Blackburn to launch the lawsuit against the operator.

The case had been due to head to court today (29 October), but Crown was able to reach an agreement ahead of this date.

The total amount agreed is $125m inclusive of interest and costs and is without admission of liability.

Crown added that it expects to recover a significant portion of the settlement amount from its insurers but cannot at this stage be certain about the outcome of negotiations with insurers, nor the outcome of any necessary formal steps for recovery it may need to take.

“Crown’s board of directors determined that the agreement to settle the proceeding was a commercial decision made in the best interests of Crown and its shareholders,” Crown said.

The settlement remains subject to federal court approval and other conditions.

The legal agreement comes after Crown this week was deemed “unsuitable” to operate a casino in Victoria by the state’s Royal Commission, but will not immediately lose its licence, over concerns the impact this would have on the local economy.

The report was the result of an inquiry by the Royal Commission into Crown’s Casino Operator Licence in Victoria, concluding that failings at the operator meant it is not suitable to hold such a permit in the state.

This inquiry itself followed the Bergin Report in New South Wales, which also found Crown “unsuitable” to operate. A further inquiry is taking place in Western Australia.

The Commission said that Crown engaged in conduct that was “illegal, dishonest, unethical and exploitative”, adding that the scale of the wrongdoing was so widespread and egregious that “no other finding was open”.

The vast majority of the revenue total – $283.3m – came from rental income, a figure which is 5.9% higher than the same time last year. GLPI rents properties to the likes of Penn National Gaming (such as its Hollywood Casino and Ameristar facilities) and Bally’s Corporation (Tropicana Evansville and Dover Downs)

$15.5m of revenue came from gaming, food and drink and other sources from operating Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge, the only casino it operates. T

Operating expenses for the company amounted to $73.6m, down from $06.9m last year. Administrative costs were $13.1m, land rights and ground lease expenses came to $9.4m, while gaming, food and beverage costs were $5.9m. The majority of the expenses were accounted for by depreciation of $60.2m.

As a result, overall income from operations came to $225.1m, up 12.2% from 2020.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The company was given the award following a successful audit from the eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), an organisation which specialises in the testing, inspection and certification of online gambling software and systems.

The IBIA’s new standards – with the aim of ensuring high levels of accuracy and transparency – cover three main areas: personnel vetting and training, data collation processes and data integrity and reporting. 

Under the standards, all data collection must be carried out by people aged 18 and above, whose identities have been verified, who have passed additional background checks and who have undergone live training that includes recognising and reporting integrity concerns.

In addition, a data supplier must make clear the source, accuracy and reliability of data, by making clear the method in which it was collected, such as whether it was collected in person or via a television broadcast.

Dr. Anja Martin, chief regulatory and compliance officer at Sportradar, said: “At Sportradar, we are committed to delivering the most reliable and highest-quality data products to our customers and partners.

“We invest heavily in our quality control systems and processes, implementing the industry’s most stringent safeguards to ensure that the products presented to the downstream market are trustworthy. Receiving accreditation from the IBIA for its Data Standards Kitemark further substantiates Sportradar’s rigorous dedication to data quality, integrity and transparency.”

Fellow data provider Stats Perform recently became the first business to sign up to the body’s new data collection standards.

IBIA CEO Khalid Ali added: “We are excited to recognize Sportradar as our latest Data Standards Kitemark recipient. The IBIA developed the Standards and Kitemark to ensure that the collection and supply chain of sports data achieved the highest levels of transparency and accuracy. “Companies like Sportradar that pass the audit have demonstrated robust internal procedures for the collation of sporting event data for betting. Accurate data collation reassures sports fans and bettors alike that the events they watch are fair, honest and performed at the highest competitive levels.”

In addition to extending its data partnership with the International Tennis Federation, Sportradar also signed a data and streaming deal with the International Cricket Council earlier this month.

The fault meant that the country’s market launch was delayed by a day, while the Cruks system was not available to customers until 4 October, three days after the igaming market launched.

The questions were answered over two sessions, one held before the igaming market opened – on 29 September – and one held after, on 5 October 2021.

During the first session, MP Michel van Nispen questioned Dekker on the preparation undertaken for the market launch and the Cruks platform testing.

Dekker confirmed that stress tests had taken place, which tested the projected effectiveness of Cruks while the ten licensed operators and other gaming offerings were operational.

When asked why Cruks malfunctioned during the second question session, Dekker explained that pre-market launch tests were unable to predict the malfunction.

“Cruks was tested in the so-called test environment in the period before 1 October,” said Dekker.

“However, live connections to providers could not be tested. The reason for this is that
Cruks works with BSN numbers [citizen service numbers]. Before October 1, it was not possible to exchange BSN numbers because the regulations that would’ve allowed this only came into effect on October 1, 2021.” 

Dekker also responded to why KSA allowed licensees to launch when Cruks had not yet been fixed, citing apprehension at black market play.

“It is true that on 2 October, KSA allowed newly licensed providers to offer online games of chance when not all problems with Cruks had been resolved,” admitted Dekker.

“There was a fear that more Dutch people would gamble at illegal sites if they could not go to legal Dutch providers during the weekend.”

In addition, Dekker emphasised that other responsible gambling measures were in place in the meantime.

“KSA had also taken into account that the licensed providers, in addition to Cruks, had various instruments to combat gambling addiction.”

When asked of the consequences in the delay, Dekker again mentioned the potential for players to turn to offshore play.

“In the event that the Gaming Authority had not made registration possible, the only offerings would’ve been the illegal games, in which case the risks are greater,” asserted Dekker.

“It’s also worth noting that a number of larger foreign providers no longer serve Dutch players, precisely from the opening of the legal market on 1 October.”

Earlier this week, KSA chairman René Jansen apologised for the delayed igaming market launch.

On the app, Ohio customers will be able to place bets on Thoroughbred, Harness and Quarter Horse races on over 200 tracks worldwide.

As part of the deal, BetMGM will use NYRA Bets’ platform to allow Ohio customers to place bets from their homes.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Revenue – net win from players who placed losing bets, less the amount paid to customers who placed winning bets and promotional costs – was AUS$14.8m (£8.1m/€9.6m/US$11.2m), up 87.6% year-on-year.

This increase was primarily down to a rise in turnover, with the amount wagered by players in Q1 rising 67.4% to $125.9m. 

The majority of wagers placed in the quarter were on thoroughbred racing, with the $59.3m accounting for 47% of all bets. Some $37.3m was spent on greyhound betting and $12.0m on harness racing, with the remaining $17.3m split across other sports.

In terms of how customers were betting, $83.5 was spent on mobile across Apple iPhone and Android devices, while $39.5m was wagered via the BlueBet website and $2.9m via call centres.

BlueBet also saw active customers numbers reach a new quarterly-high of 39,195, up 63.8% year-on-year.

Other developments in Q1 included BlueBet’s advanced deposits sports wagering operator agreement securing approval from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, paving the way for it to launch in the state.

BlueBet is also in the process of applying for licences in Colorado, Maine and Tennessee, but was unsuccessful in its joint effort with Colorado River Indian Tribes to secure a licence in Arizona. 

In addition, BlueBet withdrew its application for a licence in Virginia after being deemed ineligible for a permit.

BlueBet noted it is still interested in securing a sports betting licence in both Arizona and Virginia. 

Sportsflare joins more than 40 ESIC anti-corruption supporters around the world and will assist the organisation in investigating suspicious betting activity across its betting platform.

The role will also see Sportsflare endorse ESIC’s wider efforts to combat match-fixing and betting fraud within esports.

Sportsflare works with sportsbook operators and igaming-related businesses, offering a range of products including an esports odds feed, bet builder and other widgets.

“We are thrilled to become a member of ESIC and are looking forward to our long-term involvement,” Sportsflare founder and chief product officer Kenny Jang said. 

“Cheating, corruption, and fraudulent behaviour have no place in esports betting, and our membership shows our commitment in upholding and protecting the integrity of the esports betting industry. “

ESIC commissioner Ian Smith added: “Anti-corruption supporters like Sportsflare greatly assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity, assisting us in ESIC’s greater fight against cheating and corruption across esports.”

Revenue in September amounted to $4.0m, up from $2.4m in the same month last yearand also 263.6% higher than $1.1m posted in August of this year.

Mobile betting accounted for $2.1m of overall revenue for the month, while retail revenue from the Twin River and Tiverton Casino sportsbooks reached $1.9m.

Twin River’s sportsbook performed the better of the two retail sites with $1.3m in revenue, while the Tiverton Casino sportsbook generated $591,239 in revenue during the month.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Everi’s video slot content and three-reel mechanical slots will be available in Connecticut for the first time on the company’s Spark Remote Game Server, which is already active in states such as Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The Spark Remote Game Server is also available throughout Canada.

Read the full story on iGB North America.