Month: December 2021

Overall market revenue for the state amounted to $439.6m in November, up 52.2% from $288.9m in the same month last year, but down 2.0% from $448.7m in October this year.

Sports wagering revenue reached $114.8m, which was 127.1% up from last year and easily surpassed the previous record of $84.2m set in October this this year.

Consumers wagered 1.29bn – split $1.14bn across online and $114.0m at retail sportsbooks – representing a year-on-year rise of 38.5%. The total was only just short of the $1.30bn handle record set in October 2021.

FanDuel and PointsBet, both partnered with the Meadowlands, remained the runaway market leaders in the sports betting market $64.4m in revenue, some distance ahead of Resorts Digital and DraftKings on $22.4m and BetMGM partner the Borgata in third.

Looking at online casino, revenue here amounted to $118.0m, up 28.5% on last year, but 7.1% behind October 2021’s record of $127.0m. Some $115.8m of this came via online slots, with the remaining $2.2m from peer-to-peer poker.

The Borgata led the igaming market with $33.7m in revenue, followed by Golden Nugget Online Gaming with $31.8m and Resorts Digital on $27.8m.

In terms of land-based casinos, revenue hiked 41.2% year-on-year to $206.9m, though this was down 12.9% month-on-month from $237.5m in October. Slots accounted for $154.7m in revenue, while table games generated $52.2m.

For the year to date, total market revenue for the 11 months to the end of November was $4.33bn, an increase of 68.7% on the same point in 2020.

Sports betting revenue was 127.8% higher at $756.7m, while igaming win increased 41.7% to $1.23bn and land-based casino revenue 71.6% to $2.34bn.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The deal will cover the remainder of the 2021-22 season, with PlanetPay365 to serve as the team’s official value-added services partner.

PlanetPay365 will benefit from a presence on LED advertising boards, interview backdrops and giant screens inside the club’s Artemio Franchi Stadium home.

The provider will also work with Fiorentina on social media marketing and digital and lead generation campaigns across the club’s official channels.

In addition, PlanetPay365 will become part of the  club’s ‘InViola’ network, whereby it will offer its multi-functional solution to 500 commercial activities affiliated with Fiorentina. 

“We are extremely pleased to continue down the path initiated last season with ACF Fiorentina, a team with a long history, important values and strongly linked to the territory,” SKS365 chief commercial officer Troy Cox said. 

“Tuscany is a key region for our business objectives and this renewed synergy will allow us to enhance our project and make it more competitive not only on a regional level but also on a national level.”

Fiorentina general manager Joe Barone added: “We are delighted to continue the deal with a company that offers customers a variety of services with high technological standards in just one solution. A technological and quality-minded partner who, like us, is focused on innovation.”

The partnership with PlanetPay365, rather than parent company SKS365 or operating brand PlanetWin365, means the deal is in line with Italy’s Dignity Decree, which bans all forms of gambling advertising.

Clubs can partner with overseas operators for deals targeting markets abroad, while the deal with PlanetPay365 is not specific to gambling, meaning it does not breach regulations.

This meant PlanetPay365 was also previously able to partner with Serie A teams AS Roma and Torino FC.

With the code, VNLOK – with members including Holland Casino, FPO Nederland, JOI Gaming, Nederlandse Loterij and ZEbet – aims to protect vulnerable groups by extending measures already in place for television and radio advertising to online advertising.

Currently, law states that gambling advertising cannot appear on television between the hours of 06:00 and 21:00. Under the code, this will also apply to video advertising online.

Advertisements will also be banned at all times on channels that have more than a 25% viewership among minors.

In addition, ROK will prohibit 18 to 24-year-olds from making use of bonuses, and ban TV and radio stations from advertising these bonuses. Bonuses will also be capped at €250.

The code will be subject to assessment by the Advertising Code Committee of the Advertising Code Foundation before it is enacted.

“It was not easy to protect the interests of all involved parties, but we have managed to arrive at a robust advertising code for online games of chance that has additional protection for consumers and specifically vulnerable groups,” said Helma Lodders, chairman of VNLOK.

“This involves advice from addiction experts and consumer organisations.”

A draft iteration of ROK was announced in October, but the current code is the first official version. The code will apply until 1 March 2023. An evaluation will be carried out in October 2022 to determine whether this code meets the outlined objectives.

A different trade group – Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA), whose members include Entain, Flutter, Kindred and Bet365 – also called for a new industry code of conduct itself in September.

Legal limits on advertising already exist through the Remote Gaming Act, which launched with the Netherland’s online gaming market on 1 October 2021.

The Act was delayed a number of times before finally coming into effect, with eleven operators receiving licenses under the new regime.

Ramirez Utermann, who had a career-high ATP ranking of 1,021, was found to have fixed the outcome or other aspects of matches in 2015, 2017 and 2018, and failed to report corrupt approaches to the ITIA.

This, the ITIA said, meant Ramirez Utermann was in breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).

The case was dealt with under the 2021 TACP ‘Proposal for Disposition’ framework, which allowed for a sanction to be issued by the ITIA upon the player admitting to the charges, without the need for a formal hearing.

Specific rule breaches included section D.1.d of the 2018 TACP, whereby no covered person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to impact, the outcome of any other aspect of an event.

The ITA also said Ramirez Utermann breached section D.2.a.i of the 2015, 2017 and 2018 TACP, which states if a player is approached by an individual offering any type of money, benefit or consideration to influence a match, this should be reported to the ITIA as soon as possible.

Ruling on the case, the ITIA handed Ramirez Utermann a one-year and 10-month ban from the sport, which, running from 12 November this year until 11 September 2023, means he will not be able to play in or attend any event authorised or sanctioned by any international tennis governing body or national association.

Ramirez Utermann was also issued a fine of $2,000 (£1,502/€1,766), with a further $8,000 suspended providing he does not commit any further breaches.

The ruling comes after the ITIA this week also banned six Moroccan tennis players following breaches of TACP rules.

Ayoub Chakrouni received a lifetime ban in addition to a $10,000 fine, while the other five offenders were banned for a combined total of 48 years.

Mohamed Zakaria Khalil, Soufiane El Mesbahi and Yassir Kilani all received nine-year bans along with a $5,000 fine. Anas Chakrouni was given a 10-year ban and $5,000 fine, while Amine Ahouda’s $5,000 fine came with an 11-year ban.

Consumers wagered a total of $437.8m (£329.0m/€386.4m) online on sports during the month, up 2.3% from the previous record of $463.3m set in October of this year.

Gross monthly sports betting revenue also reached a new high of $54.1m, surpassing the previous monthly record of $32.3m in March this year by 67.7%.

Turning to igaming, internet gaming gross receipts amounted to $107.6m in November, just 1.9% short of the monthly record of $109.7m reported in October 2021.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Under the renewed deal, which runs through to 2024, BetMGM will remain as an official betting operator of the PGA Tour – a designation it acquired when the partnership launched in August 2020.

BetMGM and the PGA Tour will work together to provide odds to fans via official Tour digital platforms, while BetMGM will serve as the exclusive source for odds on the leaderboard and player pages on the PGATour.com website and the TourCast platform.

Other aspects of the deal will see BetMGM have rights in the US to use PGA Tour marks, as well as rights to advertise within Tour media and partner platforms, plus content and video rights allowing BetMGM’s sportsbook platforms to create pre-game and post-game betting programming, as well as distribution of highlights to users who have placed bets.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Backed by “private capital” and focused on developing and distributing content in regulated markets worldwide, the business is led by chief executive Walter Bugno, who was formerly executive vice president of new business and strategic initiatives at IGT. He announced his resignation from IGT in May this year.

Bugno, along with chief financial officer Tim Mickley, will head up a senior leadership team that now includes chief people and transformation officer Leila Goelz, previously of Stars Group.

Theo Naicker, who spent more than 20 years with software development house Derivco, has joined as chief operating officer. Kimberley Broad, who most recently served as director of compliance for Microgaming, was also named chief compliance officer.

Meanwhile, Andrew Booth, formerly director of games for Microgaming, joined as chief product officer. In addition, Julie Allison, who spent time with Paddy Power Betfair, Red Tiger and NetEnt, was appointed chief revenue officer.

“I am incredibly proud to be at the helm of Games Global with such a strong and growth-focused leadership team,” Bugno said. “We are deeply committed to expansion and delivering second-to-none products and services to our customers and, ultimately, their players. 

“We are looking forward to 2022 with great anticipation, entering the new year with a fantastic team, exceptional offering and growing business.”

The series of appointments comes after Games Global last month agreed to acquire the Quickfire business from Microgaming.

The deal is expected to close in Q2 of 2022, with Games Global set to hold international distribution rights to Quickfire’s gaming portfolio and jackpot network.

Microgaming’s Quickfire business was one of the earliest aggregators of casino content.

ICE and iGB Affiliate London, which were scheduled to run on 1-3 February and 2-5 February 2022, will now take place at the ExCeL London in spring next year, event host Clarion Gaming has announced. The two shows feature more than 700 industry exhibitors in total. 

Clarion Gaming is carrying out due diligence on two potential dates in April, in partnership with the senior management team at the ExCeL. 

“This comes as really disappointing news for everyone connected with ICE London and iGB Affiliate London,” Clarion Gaming managing director Stuart Hunter said. 

“However, in what is a rapidly changing situation, it became clear that we could not provide the certainty that our customers need in terms of logistical planning, from the construction of stands to the transportation of equipment, as well as the booking of flights and accommodation.”

Hunter added that the ICE brand has always worked in the best interests of its customers, and after consulting with the industry said that moving the shows to April “represents the best route forward”.

“It is a great shame that we will not be able to celebrate our return in February but the brand and its international community of stakeholders will bounce back in spring.”

“Group managing director Alex Pratt, myself and the management team at Clarion Gaming will be working through the Christmas week and hope to be in a position by next Wednesday (22 December) to confirm the new dates for ICE London and iGB Affiliate London 2022.”

Until the worsening Covid-19 situation, each show was in “great shape”. Both shows were tracking ahead of their last editions in 2020, both in terms of attendee registrations and exhibitor numbers. 

“I would like to put on the record my huge thanks to the industry for its patience and understanding during these uncertain times,” Hunter said.

888 operated in New Jersey under the 888Sport brand, which launched in the state in 2018.

The operator assured bettors with remaining balances that they will be able to withdraw any remaining funds, and that open bets will be honored.

888 first announced the launch of a Sports Illustrated-branded betting and gaming website in the US market in June 2021, through a partnership with the media giant.

In 2020 888 announced several multi-year agreements in Colorado, Indiana and Iowa, launching a its SI Sportsbook in Colorado in September.

These agreements were the result of a deal between 888 and Authentic Brands Group (ABG). ABG acquired Sports Illustrated from Meredith Corporation in 2019 for $110m.

“By partnering with Sports Illustrated, we have created a strong platform that enables us to build our US position through Sports Illustrated’s extensive brand footprint,” said Yaniv Sherman, 888’s senior vice president and head of operations in the US, at the time of the partnership.

“This provides an opportunity to cost-effectively acquire customers and build a profitable business over time.”

Gross gaming revenue came to €350.2m for the year, which was a decline of 33.4% from 2019-20.

After the business paid €134.2m in gambling levies, down 44.7%, it was left with net gaming revenue of €215.9m. This was 23.7% less than in 2019-20.

Partouche made an additional €41.1m in non-gaming revenue, down 34.4%, though €1.4m of this was cancelled out due to being paid for through its loyalty programme.

As a result, the total consolidated revenue for the group came to €255.7m, which was 25.6% less than in the previous year.

The operator noted that during the quarter, Partouche casinos were closed for six-and-a-half months during the year. This was more than twice the length of time that casinos were closed in 2019-20.

“The decline in activity, inherent in the pandemic, will automatically lead to a decline in annual results,” it said.

Looking just at the fourth quarter of the year, gross gaming revenue came to €148.7m. This was a 4.1% decline from Q4 of 2019-20.

Of this GGR total, the vast majority came from France, while revenue from abroad came to €14.8m, with most of this total down to online operations in Switzerland. The decline was mostly due to the closure of Casino Oostende in Belgium.

Within France, slots made up €108.6m, up 8.6%, while table game GGR ticked up by 1.7% to €25.3m.

Average spend per customer increased from €70 in Q4 of 2019-20 to €83 in Q4 of 2020-21.

Partouche paid €75.5m in levies, down 3.2% leaving €73.1m in net gaming revenue, which was 5.0% less than the previous year. 

After adding €21.2m in revenue from non-gaming sources, Partouche’s overall revenue came to €94.3m, up 0.5%.

Partouche had pursued a licence to build an integrated resort in the prefecture of Wakayama in Japan, working as the operator in Japanese holding company Clairvest Neem Ventures’ bid, which was chosen for Wakayama’s bid to acquire an IR licence.

However, Clairvest Neem ended its agreement with Partouche, and the operator was ultimately replaced by Caesars in the bid.