Month: February 2022

Unibet will donate 10,000 football kits, including jerseys, shorts and socks, and items of clothing to players and volunteers for the fourth year in a row.

In addition, Unibet will use digital tools to support administration in clubs.

“We are very proud to continue supporting amateur football by financing the jersey kits of more than 300 clubs and 10,000 players everywhere in France,” said Mathieu Drida, general manager, France at Kindred.

“Due to the current pandemic, a lot of clubs have experienced a massive drop in revenue and have seen their number of licencees decreasing. It was natural for us to strengthen our engagement with the Au Coeur Du Football program and renew for a fourth season.”

Clubs can apply for the program until 28 February, with the teams to be selected announced on 22 March.

“We have saved about EUR 4,000 thanks to the football kits we have received, and the extra donation earned via our social media activity,” said Regis Mace, goalkeeper for Centre Bretagne FC.

“It represents about 15 per cent of our annual budget and has also helped to improve the image of our club.”

As part of the extension, MGM Resorts and BetMGM will continue to work with NHL media channels, including BetMGM’s odds integration within the NHL Network’s Showcase Odds segment, and MGM Resorts sponsoring the NHL All-Star “First Timers” across NHL social platforms.

Evin Dobson, NHL’s vice president in partnership marketing, said: “We are thrilled to renew our partnership with MGM Resorts and BetMGM. Our extension enables us to continue to work together on delivering innovative content programming to connect with our passionate fans.

“We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with MGM Resorts and BetMGM and collaborate on new opportunities for fan engagement.”

Lance Evans, senior vice president of MGM Resorts, continued: “Our partnership with the NHL has been a tremendous success, allowing us to provide guests and hockey fans with unparalleled access to their favorite teams. Alongside BetMGM, we remain committed to helping the League grow its audience, while offering fans new and entertaining experiences.”

BetMGM, MGM Resorts and the NHL encourage responsible gaming activity as official partners of the American Gaming Association’s Have a Game Plan and Bet Responsibly campaigns. As part of this, they promote responsible sports wagering to new consumers as well as seasoned bettors.

“This collaboration allows BetMGM to deliver the best-in-class hockey product, including a wide-variety of NHL wagering options,” said Adam Greenblatt, BetMGM chief executive officer.

“We will continue to work with the League to reach new fans, as we expand into new markets.”

The deal will see FBMDS launch worldwide on EveryMatrix’s platform, with an initial focus on the Latin America market.

In return EveryMatrix will integrate FBMDS’s game offerings – video bingo, slots and table games – onto its casino platform.

FBMDS CEO Roberto Regianini said: “EveryMatrix is a big and respectable player operating in the igaming market, and we are very proud of this deal.

“We are sure that our bespoke content will add new emotions to the gaming experiences provided by the EveryMatrix platform and open the way for a fruitful and long-term collaboration.”

In addition to securing certification in the Dutch market, EveryMatrix also harbours ambitions of expanding into the US, applying for licences in Michigan and West Virginia.

Ebbe Groes, CEO at EveryMatrix, added: “Bringing FBMDS on our platform marks a milestone in our Latin America expansion, and we’re delighted to integrate their casino content. They are well-known in the land-based vertical, and I am certain that their digital expansion will further boost their presence in the LATAM market and beyond.”

The bill – Senate Bill 1821 – outlines that recognised charities may host wagering events on their own premises, while private citizens may host wagering events in their own homes.

Wagers would be permitted on “any challenge, match, game, race, fight or contest occurring between individuals or groups of individuals whether or not recognized as an amateur or professional sports event”, provided it is not a juvenile sports event.

In addition, wagering may be conducted on certain card or dice games including poker and dominos, but not “casino gaming” or “mechanical or electronic gaming devices”.

For private wagering events, players may not bet more than $100 per event per day.

Winnings will be subject to income tax.

Currently, no form of sports betting is legal with Oklahoma. In April 2020, two of the state’s Native American tribes struck an agreement with Governor Kevin Stitt allowing for Class III gaming – which includes sports betting – in the state.

However, the compacts faced heavy criticism from the state legislature and other tribal operators, with the Oklahoma Supreme Court eventually voting to reject the two compacts after ruling their were invalid under state law.

The state’s Supreme Court voted 7-1 to reject the compacts, ruling the deals cannot be deemed legal as they include games that have not yet been approved in the state and therefore generating revenue from the games is prohibited.

Stitt in July also negotiated compacts with Oklahoma’s Kialegee Tribal Town (KTT) and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB), covering Class III and table games, though not sports betting.

In a statement, the US land-based casino operator said revenue for the three months to 31 December was at $879.8m, up considerably on the Covid-impacted $635.9m reported in 2020 and 5.6% more than the same period in 2019.

Its Midwest & South segment accounted for $590.1m of that total, with Las Vegas Locals at $236.3m and Downtown Las Vegas at $53.5m.

To read the full article, visit iGB North America.

The deal focuses on the Racing Post Live show which launched in 2020. The broadcast gives live reactions from racing experts, as well as exchange prices and tipping throughout the day’s racing.

The extended agreement will now cover key races every Saturday throughout 2022, alongside all major UK and Ireland racing festivals including Cheltenham, the Grand National and Royal Ascot.

The live show is broadcast on the Racing Post YouTube and Facebook platforms.

Discussing the new deal and some of the shows expanded features, Spotlight Sports Group’s chief commercial officer Sam Houlding said: “Our live content has grown remarkably over the past 3 years and we’re excited to be extending our partnership with Betfair.

“Racing Post Live is a firm fixture in the diary for racing fans and the show has built a very loyal following. We’re excited to take our content even further throughout the year, with Cheltenham just around the corner. Our video production keeps evolving and we’re delighted to continue developing shows that add fantastic value for both our Racing Post audience and our key partners.”

The extension also includes new market-leading graphics that provide up to the second data from the Betfair Exchange – allowing viewers to react in real-time.

“We are very excited to extend our video partnership with Spotlight Sports Group throughout 2022,” said Barry Orr, Betfair’s head of media relations. “Racing Post Live has given us another platform to showcase the functionality of the Exchange, in a live and engaging environment.”

Damian Mears, head of media sales, continued: “Since launch, Racing Post Live has continued to show really positive growth and is now an extremely valued and established part of our major raceday output at Spotlight Sports Group.”

“Betfair’s sponsorship and engagement through their Exchange product blends perfectly with the live aspect of the show and has great appeal to our highly engaged Racing Post audience. ”

SuperBowl LVI takes place on 13 February 2022, and Caesars has enlisted the help of comedian JB Smoove, actress Halle Berry, and American Football’s iconic Manning family for its “Caesar and Cleo” advertising campaign.

In addition to a 30 second slot in the second quarter of the match, Caesars will premiere two additional spots during the weekend. An advertisement featuring Berry will run during the Puppy Bowl, while the Mannings will feature in the company’s responsible gaming message.

Caesars Digital chief marketing officer Sharon Otterman said: “Caesar is ready for his Super Bowl LVI debut alongside Cleo and the ultimate football family, the Mannings.

“We’re an entertainment company first and foremost, but we are also storytellers, and this commercial gives us the unique opportunity to highlight family, fun, and football on the world’s biggest stage.

“We’re excited to debut the next episode of our iconic campaign and hope it will be the topic of conversation on Monday after the game.”

Caesars Sportsbook has also launched its prop betting offering for the match, giving customers “an unprecedented chance to bet on unique outcomes for Super Bowl LVI”. Caesars Sportsbook is currently live in 22 states, most recently launching in Louisiana.

“The Super Bowl is all about super-serving fans and sports bettors of all types,” added Ken Fuchs, head of sports at Caesars Digital. “In addition to taking the biggest bets on the biggest markets, Caesars has been a trendsetter in creating props that resonate and generate a lot of fun for bettors.

“There’s a little something for everybody, including live props during the game, and we look forward to seeing a great matchup play out.”

Jonker, who assumed the Hero Gaming role on 1 February, held his position at William Hill from 2019 until late 2021. He was previously the managing director of Betsson Group for five years.

Hero Gaming, which has offices in Sweden and Malta, said Jonker brings more than 20 years’ experience within the digital entertainment industry and a history of managing international teams.

Georg Westin, Hero’s founder and chairman, said: “The combination of his experience, his leadership qualities and culture fit has made Patrick the ideal fit for us as a company for our next phase of growth and we very much look forward to having him in his new role.”

Hero Gaming runs and operates brands including Simple Casino and Boom Casino. Tomas Backman held the role of CEO from 2018 until October 2021.

Jonker said: “I am very happy to say that I will be joining Hero Gaming as its CEO as per February 2022 and use my experience to take the company into the next phase.

“The conversations that I have with the management team shows the great ambition and most of all enthusiasm to grow the company. I am very much attracted to the agile way of working and the great foundations that are already in place.

“The igaming industry is in constant movement and one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Now that is an exciting place to be in!

“Together with the management team I will be working on the strategy and future plans to make sure that we are one of the winning companies and outgrow any competition.”

Media reports last night (2 February) suggested that TTB had requested Playtech release it from certain restrictions in order to allow TTB to form and potentially make an offer.
Playtech this morning (3 February) said it had agreed to the request but warned that there was no guarantee this would lead to an offer. The tech giant also said it would likely be the case that any offer from TTB would be made in cash.

The restrictions placed on TTB – part of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers – came as a result of its role in advising Gopher Investments, a minority shareholder in Playtech, over its potential takeover offer for the business. Gopher registered an interest in making a bid in November last year but dropped out of the running a few weeks later. 

The restrictions on TTB, which would have blocked it from making an offer itself, were due to remain in place for six months from the withdrawal date, through to 20 May. However, with these now lifted, TTB can begin to form its own offer.

There is currently no deadline for any potential offer from TTB.

Last year, Gopher agreed to acquire Playtech’s Finalto financial trading division, with this expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022 after securing regulatory clearance and approval from shareholders.

The emergence of a possible TTB offer comes after Aristocrat’s proposed acquisition of Playtech failed to secure enough shareholder backing to proceed during a vote held yesterday.

In total, 174 shareholders representing 56.13% of Playtech – or 140.5 million shares – voted in favour of the bid at a court meeting, while 54.68% did so at a general meeting. 

However, both of these totals were well below the 75% threshold required for the merger to be approved. Shareholders representing 43.87% of the business voted against the deal.

At least 75% of voting shares needed to approve the Scheme if the 680 pence per share bid, which equates to a purchase price of around £2.70bn, were to proceed.

JKO Play had also been in talks over a possible offer to acquire Playtech, but withdrew from the process last month.

Prior to confirmation of the TTB talks, Playtech’s board said the business could be broken up and sold off in parts, a prospect first raised last month.

Revenue for the 12 months to December 31, 2021, amounted to $1.62bn (£1.20bn/€1.43bn), up from $1.18bn in 2020 when significantly more Covid-19 restrictions were in place at its casinos.

While some measures remained in the early part of 2021, these were eased over the course of the year, meaning more customers were allowed into casinos to gamble, as well as stay at accompanying hotels.

Casino revenue for the year hiked 49.8% to $1.14bn, while food and beverage revenue was up 27.2% to $245.4m, rooms revenue 65.4% to $143.9m and other revenue 36.2% to $76.6m. However, Red Rock did note that revenue from management fees fell 88.8% to $9.2m.

Looking at costs, total operating expenses for the year increased 11.2% to $1.22bn, but such was the impact of revenue growth that adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) more than doubled to $741.0m.

Red Rock also noted $119.2m in financial costs, including $103.2m in net interest expense, which left a pre-tax profit of $285.5m, compared to a $60.5m loss at the same point in 2020.

The operator received $69.3m worth of tax benefits during the year, while after deducting $113.0m profit from non-controlling interests, net profit attributable to Red Rock was $241.9m, a stark contrast to the $150.4m loss in the previous year.

Red Rock also published its results for the fourth quarter, during which revenue increased by 23.0% to $422.4m. Revenue was up across all business areas, again with the exception of management fees, which declined 99.2% year-on-year.

Operating costs were marginally lower at $261.1m, down 1.4% on the previous year, while adjusted EBITDA jumped 26.1% to $189.7m for the quarter.

Financial costs in Q4 reached $32.5m, which meant pre-tax profit was $129.7m, up 158.4% year-on-year.

Tax benefits amounted to $70.4m in Q4, while after deducting $51.4m from non-controlling interests, net profit attributable to Red Rock was $148.7m, an increase of 400.7% from the same period in 2020.