Month: January 2022

Aspire Global operates in more than 30 regulated markets spanning Europe, America and Africa, including countries like the US, UK, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Nigeria, Columbia and Mexico. Having already gained a foothold in Latin America and Africa, the business intends to further expand its US and European markets.

Operating in the casino vertical in Denmark since 2012, Aspire Global will now be able to add sports betting to its offering.

Aspire Global’s betting subsidiary, BtoBet was acquired by the business in October 2020 meaning operators in Denmark will now be able to take advantage of BtoBet’s sportsbook led technology and features.

Tsachi Maimon, CEO at Aspire Global, said: “Our offering has been considerably bolstered up by the acquisition of BtoBet and its proprietary sportsbook.

“We see significant growth opportunities by offering both existing partners and new customers across the world a leading comprehensive gaming offering covering the technology platform, sportsbook, games, games aggregation and managed services.”

This news comes after yesterday’s announcement that NeoGames submitted a SEK4.3bn takeover offer for Aspire Global.

The temporary measures on online casino games are expected to come into force on 7 February 2022 and remain in place until June if they are deemed necessary.

As well as the deposit cap, other proposed measures include a mandatory login time limit for players gambling online or at state-owned locations, and a loss limit when gambling at a machine outside of a casino.

It was also proposed that the the value of a bonus with an online operator, and when playing at slot machines in places other than a casino, should be limited to a maximum of SEK100.

Despite commending the government’s response during the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Kindred remains adamant that the proposals should not go ahead. The operator claims that the suggested measures would “weaken rather than strengthen” consumer protection.

Kindred said in response: “The restrictions on the online gambling industry have been ill-founded and did not meet the criteria of evidence-based policymaking. The current proposal for gambling restrictions fails to establish explicit facts and concrete evidence as a base for the decision – we struggle to find anything affirmative to ascribe to the ministry’s proposal.

“If the Swedish government, despite the serious objections raised, decides to move ahead with temporary gambling responsibility measures, the simplest and least problematic solution would be to impose exactly the same measures that applied during the previous restriction period.”

Swedish online gambling association Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) was also critical of the proposed measures. Regulator Spelinspektionen claimed it would not object to the restrictions, while admitting that their effects on players and operators are still unknown.

This would be the second time that deposit caps have been introduced in Sweden, after the government introduced an SEK5000 limit in June 2020.

The decision was met with controversy at the time, with a consultation by the government receiving negative reactions.

Though Entain did not publish any financial figures at this stage, the business did reveal in a trading update that total online revenue is likely to climb by 12%, with strong growth in all major markets.

Online sports betting revenue is set to increase by 21%, helped by a 20% rise in wagers, while igaming revenue is expected to rise 4% year-on-year.

However, retail revenue is forecast to decline by 3%. This is due to the impact of restrictions related to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, causing many retail venues to close for much of the year. In the UK, for example, betting shops were closed from the start of the year until April.

Entain also referenced its BetMGM joint venture with MGM Resorts, saying that although revenue from this part of the business is not yet finalised for the full year, it is expected to push Entain’s total revenue up 14% year-on-year when included.

Revenue from BetMGM is expected to reach approximately $850m (£624m/€748m) for the 2021 financial year, an increase of almost five-fold on the previous year. This could rise to more than $1.3bn in 2022.

Entain said BetMGM enjoyed a 24% market share across sports betting and igaming in the 19 US jurisdictions where it is active in the US during the three months to November 2021.

“2021 has been a successful and eventful period for Entain, and our market-leading platform has driven another year of strong, sustainable and diversified growth,” Entain chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen said. “All of our major markets have performed well.  BetMGM, our hugely exciting business in the US, has been a particular highlight with FY21 net gaming revenue ahead of expectations and an upgraded outlook for 2022.

“We have also made significant operational progress and have continued to provide our customers with even better content, experiences and excitement as the worlds of media, entertainment, technology and gaming converge.

“As ever, our sustainability efforts have been at the core of everything that we do. We have continued to lead the way in the critically important area of player protection, and our technology-based Advanced Responsibility and Care programme is progressing well.”

Entain also published an update for its fourth quarter, during which revenue is expected to be up 4% year-on-year. This is despite a projected 9% decline in online revenue, with online sports betting revenue set to drop by 14% and igaming revenue by 4%.

In contrast to the full year, retail is expected to drive growth in Q4, with revenue from retail set to jump 60% year-on-year. 

This was primarily due to the fact that retail faced significant Covid-19 restrictions in the corresponding period in 2020. When compared to Q4 of 2019, retail revenue was still down by 4%.

“We continue to see significant growth opportunities ahead of us, with a total addressable market of around $160bn across our new and existing markets, as well as in emerging areas of interactive entertainment,” Nygaard-Andersen said.

“We believe these opportunities will enable us to at least treble the size of our business. As a result, we remain confident in our prospects for the year ahead and beyond.”

Commissioned by the BGC, the YouGov survey found 58% of punters would not be willing to allow licensed betting and gaming operators to carry out what the trade body called “arbitrary blanket checks”, which would involve accessing information such as bank accounts and wage slips.

The study also found 59% of consumers said such affordability checks could lead to a large or substantial risk of players turning to unlicensed operators, which may not offer the same protection and responsible gambling measures as regulated sites.

In addition, the report found that 51% of all adults surveyed believe increased black market use would lead to a rise in problem gambling, compared to 4% who think it would help reduce the problem gambling rate.

The report comes as the British government continues to work on the Gambling Act Review, which aims to introduce sweeping changes to the Gambling Act 2005. In its initial call for evidence, the government asked questions about the effect of stake limits and universal deposit limits.

BGC chief executive Michael Dugher said while that the organisation is in favour of further and enhanced spending checks, the focus should instead be on problem gamblers or those at risk, rather than everyone who bets.

Dugher added that the study should be a “wake-up call” for ministers as the consider the new rules and regulations that could be introduced, saying the government must strike the right balance between protecting the vulnerable and making sure new rules do not drive players who bet safely towards the black market.

“We strongly support the Gambling Review as a once in a generation opportunity to raise standards and promote safer gambling,” Dugher said.

“Ministers have said it will be an evidence-led process, and these findings are a wake-up call showing the potential dangers of introducing blanket affordability checks on anyone who likes a flutter.

“We believe that technology should be used to identify those showing signs of problem gambling so that swift interventions can take place.

“According to the Gambling Commission, the rate of problem gambling fell from 0.6% to 0.3% in the 12 months to September last year. But one problem gambler is one too many.

“Any changes introduced by the government must be balanced so that they rightly protect the vulnerable while not driving the vast majority who bet safely and responsible towards the unsafe black market online, where there are none of the safer gambling measures which are used by BGC members.”

In his new role, Stuart will be tasked with overseeing BetMakers’ expansion plans in the North American market.

Stuart joined BetMakers after more than 11 years with Caesars Entertainment, where he most recently held responsibility for Caesars Sports and online gaming.

He also held a number of other roles during his time at Caesars including executive vice president of gaming and interactive entertainment; chief of staff and senior vice president for the CEO’s office, and chief marketing officer and senior vice president for the Las Vegas region.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

In November last year, the provider purchased the B2C assets for $75.9m, as per the terms of an agreement struck in October 2021, and took ownership of Aspire Global’s B2C online content portfolio and sportsbook brands.

The brands include Karamba, Hopa, Griffon Casino, BetTarget, Dansk777 and GenerationVIP, which have more than 1.25 million deposited customers in over 15 countries around the world.

As the assets were acquired two months into its 2021-22 fiscal year, Esports Technologies has now provided an update as to how it expects to perform for the remainder of the year.

For the period from 1 December 2021 through to 30 September 2022, the provider said that revenue is likely to reach $70.0m.

“As we begin a successful 2022, we remain committed to increasing our operational and financial performance,” Esports Technologies chief executive Aaron Speach said. 

“We expect to deliver consistent cash flow for the remainder of 2022 by growing esports revenue in regulated markets, as well as continued growth from our portfolio of online sportsbook and casino brands.”

Shortly after the deal was completed, Esports Technologies also secured a British gambling licence via an agreement signed alongside its acquisition of the Aspire Global assets.

This deal, Esports Technologies said, would allow it to enter into tier one regulated markets including Great Britain, Germany and Denmark, with the acquisition having given it access to Aspire’s licences in those countries.

The provider confirmed it had reached an operator services agreement to launch in Great Britain, utilising the Karamba, Hopa, and Griffon Casino online sportsbook and casino brands.

Earlier this month, Esports Technologies also filed a patent for a new betting system, which will allow players to place wagers on price increases and decreases on groups of financial instruments.

Players will be able to bet on how participants in a number of financial instruments perform over a period of time- such as which participant will experience the largest or smallest change in price.

The system will then place all wagers in a pari-mutuel pool, and calculate odds based on the sizes of the bets. Winning players will then receive payouts from the pari-mutuel pool.

The supplier noted that the technology could also be used for bets on other items with a price or numerical value that changes over time.

Parx Casino Shippensburg’s 73,000 square foot venue will offer 500 slot machines, electronic table games, and a restaurant and sports bar facility. There is also the scope for the casino, which is targeting late 2022 for opening, to offer sports wagering in the future.

During the building phase, Greenwood expects to create 175 construction jobs and 125 permanent jobs upon completion.

Greenwood first filed an application with the board in 2018 after bidding $8.1m for the right to build a casino in the state, settling on Shippensburg Township in Cumberland County as the location.

A Category 4 licence permits the user to operate between 300 and 750 slot machines. There is also potential for the licence holder to operate up to 30 table games at the cost of an additional $2.5m fee, with the capability of adding an additional 10 tables games after its first year of operation.

Pennsylvania reported record gaming revenue figures of $432.5m in November 2021, in addition to record sports betting revenue.

The exisiting Parx Casino site recorded slot revenue of $31.6m, up by 14.7% from 2020.

Under the deal, DraftKings will open two retail sportsbook locations at two Tulalip Tribes casinos in the state.

The proposed sportsbook at the Tulalip Resort Casino will feature a 5,000sq ft space with a 50ft video wall, more than 24 kiosks and eight ticket windows.

A second sportsbook is also set to open at the Quil Ceda Creek Casino but is still early in the planning phase. Both locations will be subject to licensing and regulatory approvals.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The agreements will see AGTech GOT supply its technology and services in the Gansu, Zhejiang, Henan, Hebei and Jiangsu province, as well as the Shanghai and Tianjin municipalities.

AGTech GOT has won a series of similar tenders in other regions in China, the most recent of which saw it secure eight contracts to provide services to lottery operators in Henan, Hebei, Zhejiang, Jilin, Hunan, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Guangdong.

“AGTech GOT has won many tenders in various provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China, which reaffirmed the hardware division’s continued dedication to and leading position in China’s sports lottery terminal market, demonstrating the continued effort and competitiveness of AGTech’s lottery terminals,” AGTech said.

“AGTech will continue to enhance product innovation, ensure safety and R&D compliance, and contribute to the overall healthy development of China’s lottery market.”

The tender wins come after AGTech in November last year revealed revenue for the three months to 30 September increased 7.7% – helping the business slash its net loss – amid a wider improvement in Chinese lottery sales.

Revenue for the third quarter of 2021 grew to HK$67.0m (£6.3m/€7.6m/$8.6m) – almost as much as it generated in the first six months of the year.

Fonbet will carry a selection of Greentube titles as part of the agreement, with six titles being made initially available to local players.

Greece is the latest country within which Greentube has expanded its presence, after the company secured deals in Italy, the US and the Netherlands in recent months.

Lisa Sandner, Greentube’s sales and key account manager for Greece said: “Our content is performing strongly in the Greek market and we are thrilled to reach even more local players through our partnership with Fonbet, a prominent and reputable operator.

“We continue our focus to expand in regulated markets and Greece plays an important part in our growth strategy.”

Greece made supplier licences obtainable in the country since October 2020 after Greek parliament passed reforms of the country’s gambling legislation in October 2019.

Under the new rules, online slots – almost banned by an earlier draft of the legislation – are capped at €2 per spin, with a three-second spin minimum and a maximum win of €70,000 per round.  

Fonbet’s vice president of international operations Yiannis Zafiratos added: “Greentube’s content needs no introduction, and we are pleased to now be able to offer a selection of their best performing titles to our customers.

“With more games to be added to our offering shortly, we look forward to a long and successful partnership.”