Month: April 2022

Warn, who first joined Checkd Group three years ago as an advisor to its management team, will now oversee UK operations for the business.

Warn will also support the group with the ongoing expansion of product development and media services both in the UK and in the US, where it recently rolled out its FlashPicks sports betting website. 

An experienced gambling industry executive, Warn was previously managing director for portals and consumer at Perform, while he also had a spell as sportsbook director at BSkyB, a role in which he is credited with developing the Soccer Saturday Super 6 prediction game.

Warn also served as commercial director for Blue Square, the Rank Interactive arm of Rank Group.

In addition, he is currently a non-executive director of Sportech and chairman of Go Racing in Yorkshire, the marketing organisation of Yorkshire’s nine racecourses.

“I have already seen first-hand how Checkd Group serves its loyal and large sports betting community with content and products that perfectly meet its needs,” Warn said. 

“In this new role, I look forward to accelerating the company’s growth in the UK by overseeing the delivery and scope of an offering that in conjunction with our partners will continue to have a major impact on the sports betting industry.”

Checkd Group chief executive Jamie Knowlson added: “This is a very important period for the business as we continue to grow at pace and it’s fantastic to have a figure as widely respected in the industry as Ben Warn to lead our push within the UK.

“Ben’s achievements in the sports betting industry speak for themselves and his leadership has already proven to be invaluable in the two years he has spent with Checkd Group. We believe he will have a major impact in this new role as we continue to make major inroads through the creation of products and services that resonate with our audience.”

The appointment comes after Checkd Group in February also named Dan Broda as its new senior product manager.

Turnover for the year amounted to €414m, up 20% from 2020. This consists of all the revenue Intralot made as a B2B supplier through its supplier business, as well as all the stakes that players wagered through the business as a B2C operator.

Technology and support services made up €233.5m of the turnover, a rise of 10.4% year-on-year.

This was attributed to an increase in top-line contributions from the company’s US operations, as well as improved performances in Morocco and Intralot’s online gaming company Bilyoner, which it acquired in 2013.

Turnover from its licensed B2C operations increased by 33.3% to €133.1m, while management contracts made up the remaining €47.5m in turnover- up 41.3%.

The gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the year amounted to €335.3m. This was up by 17.4%.

The GGR consists of the €281.0m revenue Intralot made as a B2B business, plus its gross gaming revenue from licensed B2C operations. GGR from licensed operations rose by 26.9% year-on-year to €49.6m. This increase was down to comparisons being affect by Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, though some of this growth was mitigated by low margins in Malta and higher foreign exchange impact from Intralot’s operations in Latin America.

The total cost of sales was €294.5m, 8.3% more than in 2020. This figure includes player winnings from licensed B2C operations, as well as other costs of sales such as commission.

These costs of sales were then subtracted from turnover, rather than GGR, leaving gross profit at €119.4m, up 63.3% year-on-year.

Other expenses, including selling costs, administrative costs and reorganisation costs, amounted to €118.8m. Some of this was offset by other operating income, however, which came to €21.6m.

This left earnings before interest and tax at €22.2m, up by €30.7m year-on-year after a loss in 2020.

Following income at €45.1m and interest-related expenses at €78.4m, the profit before tax was €37.1m.

After a tax bill of €4.3m, the net profit from continuing operations came to €32.7m, up by €131.9m after a loss of nearly €100m the year before.

Sokratis P. Kokkalis, chairman and CEO of Intralot, explained that Intralot’s capital structure optimisation – in which the business renegotiated and restructured many of its debts to noteholders – helped pave the way for further future growth.

“The successful completion of the capital structure optimisation in August 2021, resulting in the extension of the 2021 maturities and the significant deleverage by €163m has been a key milestone for Intralot, providing us the runway to address significant opportunities in the US and worldwide in the coming years in the lottery, sports betting and monitoring areas,” said Kokkalis.

“Coupled with strong rebound in key markets after the easing of Covid-19 pandemic measures and cost-efficiencies achieved at HQ level, FY2021 results set the company in a stable course to tap on new opportunities and create value for all its stakeholders.”

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were €110.4m, a rise of 66.8%.

Earlier this month Intralot extended its existing deal with the Wyoming lottery by five years.

Last month Intralot extended its partnership with Moroccan operator La Marocaine Des Jeux et des Sports.

In his new role, Parker will be responsible for identifying, assessing and executing growth opportunities and strategic new venture projects for the business.

Reporting directly to senior vice president and chief financial officer Carol Anderson, Parker will initiate and vet growth opportunities, as well as collaborate with all functional areas to complete implementation.

Parker joins MGE from hotel investment business Driftwood Capital, where he spent over three years as managing director.

Prior to this, Parker was senior vice president of corporate development at Penn National Gaming, while he also spent seven years as senior vice president for hotel and casino development at Hard Rock International.

Parker’s other roles included vice president of development for Foxwoods Resort Casino and corporate director development at the Argosy Gaming Company.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nelson Parker to our executive team to lead the development of key projects and strategic partnerships,” Anderson said. “With over 25 years of experience driving growth strategies in both gaming and non-gaming corporations, Nelson’s expertise in omni-channel global gaming markets, Native American gaming, lodging and hospitality will contribute to MGE’s continued success.”

The appointment comes after MGE last week also appointed Raymond Lin as its new chief legal officer.

Lin will be responsible for advising executive management on legal matters over a range of commercial transactions, regulatory issues, international and domestic policy-making decisions, and formulating business, operational and legal strategies.

Lin will also lead the legal, compliance and risk management teams to ensure all current, future and strategic matters support the best interest of MGE and the Mohegan Tribe.

Under each deal, FanDuel and BetMGM will have rights to use official NHL branding and category designations to appeal to fans and sports betting customers in legal jurisdictions across Canada and the US.

Both operators will also continue to receive custom content across NHL-controlled media channels and be integrated into the NHL’s marquee events across North America including camera-visible signage and on-site activation opportunities as well as premium hospitality solutions.

In addition, FanDuel and BetMGM will support the NHL with its responsible gambling initiatives.

The double expansion follows the launch of legal online sports betting in the Canadian province of Ontario earlier this week. Both FanDuel and BetMGM hold licences to offer online wagering in Ontario.

Single-event sports betting also officially launched in Canada on 27 August last year but is currently only offered by provincial lotteries.

“Canada’s new sports betting landscape presents a tremendous opportunity to further fan engagement and continue our progressive approach with the sports gaming industry,” NHL chief business officer and senior executive vice president Keith Wachtel said. 

“BetMGM and FanDuel were our first sports betting partners in the US, and we’re thrilled to expand our partnerships with both of these leaders in the sportsbook and mobile betting marketplace as we begin our transformative entry into this space in Canada and engage our avid Canadian fan base.”

FanDuel chief executive Amy Howe also referenced the launch of online sports wagering in Ontario as a key factor behind the extended deal.

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with the NHL to include all of North America as our business grows into Canada with the launch of the Ontario market,” Howe said. “This partnership has allowed the NHL and FanDuel to collaborate and become true innovators in sports betting with initiatives like the NHL Network’s first-ever Odds Ticker and custom NHL sports betting content for social media.”

BetMGM chief executive Adam Greenblatt added: “Our existing partnership with the NHL accelerated our ability to reach hockey fans and has allowed us to deliver an enhanced hockey wagering product. 

“Expanding our partnership with the NHL throughout North America, aligned with our recent launch in Ontario, puts us in a great position for long-term success in Canada.”

The raised capital will be used to increase marketing activity and drive awareness of Routy, as well as build and scale Routy’s sales team, and improve user experience and onboarding.

Routy said it would target well-connected investors from within the gaming industry to help strengthen its busines profile and product offering, as well as facilitate talks with affiliates and operators.

The provider said it would also be interested in working with investors from outside of the gambling industry.

“Affiliates need to be able to access data at the user level if they are to be able to deliver a superior experience and ultimately improve revenues, and Routy has been developed to deliver just that,” Routy founder Haim Bell said.

“It is also vital for affiliates to be able to have all of their traffic stats in a single place, as most spend a great deal of time clicking through the portals for each of the brands they work with. This can be a full-time job for affiliates working with hundreds of brands.

“Again, Routy has been developed to provide this single point of access for all traffic stats and data, significantly reducing the resource required to manage data and ultimately revenues.

“We have developed a powerful platform that is already helping affiliates, but with this funding round we are looking to scale up our sales and marketing activity to make more companies aware of how we can benefit them.”

Under the deal, WatchandWager will operate live harness racing and pari-mutuel wagering on these races, as well as food and beverage operations at the venue, subject to regulatory approval from the Arizona Department of Gaming.

The contract will last until November 2027, with an option for it to be extended for a further five years until 2032.

“WatchandWager understand that the Arizona Department of Gaming will consider the provision of regulatory approval, currently expected to be in the summer of 2022,” Webis said. “Shareholders will be kept up to date with progress on the approval process and the plans for live racing at the new venue.”

The original Arizona Downs opened on a different site in 1959, before the new racetrack in Prescott Valley opened in 2000. However, it closed in 2010 and declared bankruptcy in 2011.

After a number of changes of ownership, the venue reopened in 2019.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after WatchandWager secured an extension to its lease of the operation of Cal Expo Harness racetrack in California.

The business said moving the events from their usual base in Ukraine was “part of Beter’s response to ensure the stability of its events and services to the industry”.

The first of these venues is in Nitra, Slovakia, where more than 50 players will take part in more than 450 events per month. 

In addition, a further two arenas have been added at a new location in Moldova. These new facilities will add an additional 1,800 events per month to the Setka Cup’s schedule.

The business also added two new locations in the Czech Republic, which will host more than 1,600 matches per month.

Beter has been one of many businesses that had its operations disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chief executive Gal Ehrlich told iGB that the business had started to prepare for what was then seen as a worst-case scenario at least two months before the conflict began.

Scholz works in the marketing, communications and politics department of the company. His new role took effect on 1 April.

Scholz previously worked as a research assistant in the German Bundestag, for the committee for transport, building and urban development.

His most recent position was policy advisor for German sports betting association Der Deutsche Sportwettenverband, where he managed the association’s political activities.

“During my work at the German Sports Betting Association, I was able to gain a lot of valuable experience in gambling policy,” said Scholz. 

“I am very pleased that I can now incorporate this into Germany’s market leader and thus continue to advance the industry policy work of the Gauselmann Group.”

In his new role Scholz is responsible for coordinating Gauselmann’s political work.

“With the appointment of Dr. Bastian Scholz, the Gauselmann Group’s politics department will be further strengthened,” said Manfred Stoffers, head of marketing, communications and politics at Gauselmann.

“We are very happy that we were able to recruit such a well-connected employee who was so experienced at a young age.”

The business was subject to an independent audit conducted by Pieter Remmers, Chairman of the Board of G4 (Global Gambling Guidance Group). 

This audit found that all 33 casinos operated by JOA were operating in adherence with the latest standards in Responsible Gambling upheld by the licensed land-based casinos industry in Europe.

As a result, the business received certification from the ECA.

The Responsible Gambling Framework – which launched in 2013 – covers prevention of problem gambling, employee training, quality assurance of processes and measures, cooperation with counselling and treatment institutions and the exchange of best practices with other operators.

The deal designates FanDuel’s sportsbook as an official sports betting partner of MLSE, while Pokerstars has been named as its official gaming partner.

Under the deal, both operators will offer players in Ontario entertainment options across sports, poker and casino gaming.

Read the full story on iGB North America.