Month: December 2021

The bingo business operates on a combination of B2B services under 888’s Dragonfish brand and several B2C brands.

888 made the decision to sell the bingo business to focus on its core casino and betting offerings after it agreed to acquire William Hill’s non-US business from Caesars for £2.2bn (€2.61bn/$3.02bn) in September.

An initial $50m will be paid on a cash-free, debt-free basis, with a potential addition of $4m conditional on six months of revenue-based performance.

The $50m will be paid in cash upon completion of the deal.
As part of the agreement 888 will hand over all its bingo assets, including technology, operations and consumer brands.

888 has also agreed to offer business services to Broadway that will aid in the transition.

“Following a strategic review, we have taken the decision to sell the bingo business,” said Itai Pazner, CEO of 888.

“This strategic transaction will enable 888 to further increase its focus on its core platform and unified, scalable and proprietary technology, and grow our key product verticals of casino, sport and poker, as we continue in our mission to be one of the world’s leading online betting and gaming businesses.”

In acquiring Dragonfish, Broadway will have access to its performance capabilities and customer base.

“We are delighted to reach an agreement with 888 to acquire its bingo business and platform,” said David Butler, CEO of Broadway Gaming.

“We have worked intensively with the 888 group over the course of the last few months and have been very impressed by the quality of the bingo platform and product, the B2C and B2B businesses, its approach to safer gambling and player protection, and above all the management team.”

Join Miki the alien and his spaceship as they take you on an intergalactic journey through space. Starting with a 5×5 grid, which can grow up to a whopping 10 rows, each win will unlock new rows. The wins will also power up Miki and more power means more enhancements and bonus rounds. The free spins bonus feature is unlocked when at least three portals land in view, giving Miki the chance to warp-speed his way to bigger payouts with up to 55 free spins available.

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Go-live date (expected):February 2022Number of paylines:Anyways paysNumber of reels:5RTP% (recorded/theoretical):96.01Variance/volatility:Medium/highNumber of symbols to trigger feature/bonus?3 or moreCan feature be retriggered?YesNumber of free spins awarded?10Stacked or expanding wilds in normal play?Yes – giant wildsStacked or expanding wilds in feature play?Yes – giant wildsNumber of jackpot tiers?N/AAuto-play function?Yes

Drazin will assume the role with immediate effect and begin working with PlayUp’s leadership team.
First appointed to the PlayUp board in 2020, Drazin played an instrumental role in getting the US Supreme Court to overturn its ban on sports betting in his role as chairman and chief executive of Monmouth Park operator Darby Development.

Drazin said: “It has been incredibly rewarding to watch the significant growth of PlayUp in recent months. I’m extremely encouraged by the strong performance of the business, particularly within New Jersey where we have made substantial progress in a short period of time amongst what may be the most competitive market in the world.

“I look forward to working directly with the team to scale our operations, grow our market presence and accelerate our ambitious plans to further our rapid growth across both the U.S. and Australia.”

Meanwhile, the operator’s legal dispute with Laila Mintas, who led its US business as chief executive, continues.

PlayUp was granted a restraining order against Mintas by a Nevada court over an alleged breach of contract. In the filings to the court, PlayUp said that Mintas “threatened to ‘burn PlayUp to the ground’” after contract renewal discussions collapsed, and effectively sabotaged a deal to sell PlayUp’s Australian business.

Mintas later responded to refute the allegations against her, saying that “all claims mentioned in the filings are wrong.”

Regarding the ongoing legal proceedings, PlayUp said: “PlayUp refutes the recent publications made by Laila Mintas with respect to the proceedings.

“As the matter is presently before the courts, PlayUp will not make further comment, and looks forward to a prompt resolution or determination of those issues. PlayUp remains focused on its continued rapid growth in the burgeoning US market.”

Under the expanded multi-year partnership with the KNVB, Sportradar will process publicly available information from a range of channels, including the dark web, and will monitor a variety of platforms to identify any integrity threats in relation to possible match-fixing. The service will focus on investigations into irregular betting patterns, match manipulation and corruption across men’s and women’s football.

Sportradar already had an existing relationship with the KNVB, in addition to other integrity agreements with the likes of FIFA, UEFA and the AFC, football’s global, European and Asian governing bodies, respectively.

Andreas Krannich (pictured), managing director of integrity services at Sportradar, said: “Corruption in sport lives beyond match fixing and the importance of robust due diligence measures that touch every area of business cannot be underestimated.

“The evolving threats of match manipulation and other sporting corruption highlight the need for a constant and proactive approach to tackling potential integrity issues. Working with our intelligence and investigation services team, the KNVB has shown a commendable commitment to protecting the integrity of Dutch football.”

Meanwhile, the memorandum of understanding with Brazil’s Federal Police will enable information to be shared surrounding fraud, match-fixing and corruption in relation to sports and betting in the country.

The strategic agreement further extends Sportradar’s cooperation with police and law enforcement agencies, with the supplier already having partnerships in place with Europol, Spain’s Guardia Civil, and the Bulgarian, Austrian and French Federal Police, among others.

Krannich added: “Throughout the years we have supported various state authorities, government institutions, national platforms and sport federations, and these collaborations have demonstrated just how effective a joint effort can be in the anti-match-fixing cause, as shown in the 489 sporting sanctions and 50 criminal sanctions our work has contributed to in this time.

“Brazilian sport is safer as a result of this cooperation, and we are ready to assist the Federal Police of Brazil to help play our part in supporting the integrity of all Brazilian sport.”

This is the highest tax contribution since 2008, thanks to casinos generating gross gaming revenue (GGR) of CLP$54.9bn throughout the month.

All 26 of Chile’s casinos were in operation throughout October, with a total of 551,840 visits from patrons. This was the first month that all 26 casinos operated since the beginning of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in March 2020.

The SCJ noted that the casinos were operating at a reduced capacity due to the pandemic.

A total of CLP$7.75bn of the contribution came from Chile’s casino tax. VAT from gambling totalled at $7.37bn, while income tax came to CLP$1.72bn.

The Sun Monticello made the highest contributions, paying CLP$1.07bn in tax to its regional government and the same amount in municipal tax.

The Enjoy Viña del Mar casino contributed CLP$445.5m to its regional government and in municipal tax.

Meanwhile, the Marina del Sol Talcahuano casino contributed the third highest amount, with CLP$388.8m paid to both its regional government and in municipal tax.

No change at the top this month but there’s a battle of the product families brewing out there. We’ve discussed sequels at length, yet from a spin-off, you’re only one launch away from creating a product family.

Top 20 games by distribution

In the NetEnt corner we now have the three Gonzos, whilst Gameburger Studios’ latest release Hyper Star joins Hyper Strike in the charts and sister product Hyper Gold is not that far off.

Pragmatic Play’s Megaways version of Big Bass Bonanza effectively creates another fishy franchise, though their latest title sits just outside the charts. To the John Hunter series (which now numbers 7), they added the Quest for Bermuda Riches in October and Book Of The Fallen in November, which did make the top 20. Play’n GO have their own “… Of Dead” series with Book Of- and Legacy Of- lying in state, whilst Scroll Of- and Ghost Of- are in repose, just out of the public eye.

Other notable families include Fishin’ Frenzy (Reel Time Gaming/Blueprint), Rainbow Riches (Barcrest), Age Of The Gods (Playtech), Cat & Rich Wilde (Play’n GO), Beat The Beast (Thunderkick) and Fruit Nova (Evoplay).

So when does a sequel become a franchise? As with real families, the magic number is arguably 3. By adding a Deluxe version to Cheeky Fruits (G), you have a couple. Add a Split, a Remastered or a Megaways on top and you can legitimately call the sum a new family.

Mercifully, the new arrival doesn’t require nappies or childcare. In fact, it flourishes from day one, not only looking after itself, but its parents too. Before you know it, sisters and brothers abound like the proverbial rabbits and a dynasty is born.

Product families can even reach (or be pushed towards) that coveted branded status, where the in-house product attains the premium value of licensed content from third parties, such as Monopoly or Narcos.

A handful have spawned new product types such as the Fishin’ Frenzy Scratchcard or even products in other verticals such as Rainbow Riches Bingo (Playtech/SG) or Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt Live (Evolution). This type of product stretching is rare, however, so could present an opportunity for studios to create those extended families…

On the deals front, EveryMatrix and Slotegrator are turning up the heat with new content from the likes of Big Wave Gaming, Slotmill, Cogg Studios and August Gaming.

Biggest studio dealmakers

Yet it’s Salsa Technology who top our rolling six-month aggregator chart having plugged in yet more content this month with live product from Betgames TV.

Biggest aggregator dealmakers

Red Rake Gaming expands its distribution via Hub88 this month, meaning it now clears the top as busiest studio dealmaker in recent months.

* Please note these are live charts which update every month so please ensure the month of November is selected in the drop-downs to match the analysis

**Data on deals by month was collected from April 2020 onwards. Deal relationships between companies from all time are available on other charts. Note that only deals reported on company websites or in the gaming press are collated.

***The games chart here excludes live games and table games. Game rankings are determined by the number of game appearances on the casino homepages of more than 1,000 casino sites. To access many other charts including game rankings, live and table games, positions on subpages or to filter by operator type and size, ask for our demo from our partner, egamingmonitor.com, which covers 32,000 games, 1,200 suppliers and 1,000 operators.

The long-term agreement will open up Marina888 to new markets through the provision of a new player account management system, front-end delivery via a content management system, and managed services, spanning media and business operations, GiG said.

The partnership will be based on a revenue-sharing model and will run for a minimum of five years.

The deal forms part of Rank’s plans to enhance its current online offering, having already established a solid retail network in a number of markets, including an increasing presence in Africa in recent years.

GiG said that the technology would help to support automation and enhance Marina888’s brand presence in local markets, particularly via gamification and the use of GiG’s rules engine, Logic. 

“We are proud to have partnered with GiG in order to modernise our online offering and drive the brand internationally, in line with our retail concerns,” Rank chief executive Asanga Warusavitharna said.

“Throughout the process, it was evident that this was a style of project that GiG had delivered several times, consistently outlining the best way to deliver from a technical and a services-driven perspective.” 

GiG chief executive Richard Brown added: “We believe the vision that Rank Entertainment has with advancing on automation and player experience connects well with GiG’s B2B offering and strategy.”

GiG last month reported a 19.7% year-on-year rise in quarterly revenue, with its media services unit accounting for €11.2m (65.9%) of the €17m total. 

Jönsson, who will start in his new role on January 10, will succeed Billy Degerfeldt. Scout confirmed last month that Degerfeldt would be taking up the same position with another undisclosed business after serving a notice period.

Jönsson arrives at Scout after having garnered extensive experience in the sector.

He spent more than a decade as an accountant with PwC before spells with Global Gaming Group and Evolution Gaming in Malta.

“It will be fun to utilise my existing knowledge from the sector, even though Scout is completely unique in terms of its product offering, and I am convinced that I will be able to contribute from day one,” Jönsson said.

Scout chief executive Andreas Ternström added: “It feels very good to be able to present Niklas, who has many years of experience in the industry and knows what it takes to accelerate growth.”

Earlier this month, Scout launched daily fantasy sports platform Fanteam in the US.

Last month, Scout confirmed that its quarterly revenue dropped by 19% year-on-year between July and September.

However, Ternström said at the time that the company had “worked intensively to launch our tier-one clients” over the three-month period.

“These tier-one clients will generate growth during the 2022 and beyond,” he said, adding that lower marketing expenses over the quarter had led to improved earnings in comparison with the previous year.

Hard Rock will acquire the operations of the casino, while the property will continue to be owned by real estate investment trust Vici Properties, which will lease it to Hard Rock.

Opened in 1989 and acquired by MGM Resorts in 2000, the property is located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. MGM Resorts revealed plans to sell the property upon releasing its third-quarter results last month.

Should the deal to through as expected, Hard Rock International will transform the look of the property, building a guitar-shaped hotel at the site to bring the facility in line with its other casino and hotel properties around the world.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

In August of this year, Jumbo entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Stride for a total cash consideration of $11.7m (£8.9m/€10.4m), in a deal it said would support its global expansion strategy.

Jumbo initially said the deal would go through before the end of 2021, but the retailer has now said that this will not occur until the fourth quarter of its 2021-22 financial year, ended 30 June, when it expects to receive approval to proceed with the purchase.

This delay, Jumbo said, is due to the extensive application and review process of both the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) and Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SGLA).

Read the full story on iGB North America.