Month: June 2022

British industry body Gambling Business Group (GBG)  noted that publication of the white paper, which forms part of the country’s Gambling Act Review, appeared to be imminent.

This, it said followed DCMS launching a key pre-publication stage this week. The white paper was issued by the for ‘write round’ by DCMS this week, GBG said. At this stage of the process, the document is sent to all other government departments, which can submit requests for amendments.

The document would have a one-week deadline for responses, suggesting it was likely to be published next week.

GBG pointed out that the views of other departments are often checked informally before the write round, and as a result no changes are requested during this stage.

However, a DCMS spokesperson told iGB the white paper “won’t be published next week”. This, assuming it is not published tomorrow, pushes its release date into July.

The spokesperson did not address whether the write round process had begun, but also said that the government was currently “finalising the detail” of the white paper.

In March, Nigel Huddleston – the Parliamentary Undersecretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who also previously oversaw the gambling brief that is now the responsibility of Chris Philp had told parliament that the white paper was being “finalised”.

The document is expected to address a wide range of topics relating to the gambling sector. In an initial call for evidence when the review launched, DCMS asked questions about topics such as stake limits, affordability checks and universal deposit limits, as well as restrictions on advertising and bonuses.

The Legislative Assembly of Macau yesterday (Tuesday) voted in favour of the gaming amendment bill, which will change tax and licensing rules and has been under discussion since last year.

The legislation raises the number of concessionaries in Macau to six, but removes subconcessions, meaning that the number of operators in the market would be the same. Larger changes for operators include limits on the number of gaming machines and tables they can host – based on minimum GGR limits – and rules allowing junkets to deal with only one concessionaire each.

The amendment also initially imposes a tax rise on GGR, but will allow the world’s biggest gambling hub more leeway in designating tax breaks for operators, particularly in the case of attracting foreign customers.

The amendment bill’s passing has been broadly welcomed by Macau’s six gaming operators, according to local news reports. Melco Resorts & Entertainment said that the new law “refines the relevant legal framework and promotes the sustainable and healthy development of Macao’s gaming industry for the benefit of the Macao community”.

The casino tax on gross revenues will effectively increase to 40% although the region’s chief executive will have the power to reduce this by up to 5% if operators succeed in attracting non-mainland Chinese gamblers. That extra 5% consists of tax earmarked for cultural and urban development as well as tourism promotion within the the Chinese special administrative region.

The bill is the culmination of work stretching back to last year, when the government started a consultation to examine major changes to market as a major milestone in deciding what the shape of future gambling reform should look like.

Its passing comes in the same week that casinos have started to close various amenities as positive Covid test results in the special administrative region reach 34. Most services; including banks, schools and most business are closed – although the casinos themselves remain open.

Last month it was revealed that the gross domestic product (GDP) of Macau declined by a further 8.9% in real terms in the first quarter of 2022, as the contribution from the gaming sector dropped by 25.1%. Not only was the total down from 2021, but it continued to be a long way below pre-Covid levels, falling back to below 50% of the real GDP recorded in Q1 of 2019, the last Q1 before the virus hit.

It’s the month of golden oldies in our charts! A remarkable month in that it’s the first where there are no new launches in the top 20. A few consistent performers from the last few years edged their way up instead, such as The Dog House Megaways (Pragmatic Play), Rise Of Olympus (Play’n GO) and Poseidon Ancient Fortune Megaways (Triple Edge Gaming). Twin Spin by NetEnt and 9 Masks of Fire by Gameburger Studios also returned to the top.

Top 20 games by distribution

The nearest any new release made it to a breakthrough by the end of the month were Dia Del Mariachi Megaways by All41 Studios, Funk Master by NetEnt and Cleocatra by Pragmatic Play, all sitting just outside the top 20. However, if you were to look at the charts on a weekly basis, you would find a handful that made it for a week or so mid-month, then dipped back out again. Those that entered the charts during May but weren’t there at the end of the month included Wild Link Cleopatra (SpinPlay Games), 777 Surge (Gameburger Studios) and Fire Strike 2 (Pragmatic Play). This all supports the concertina effect that game proliferation is having on product life cycles. In our dashboards going forward we will give due prominence to these brief but high-flying titles.

While the podium itself was unchanged, we now have a clustering of 4 Bonanzas in the top 6 spots.  It’s probably no coincidence that Sweet Bonanza (Pragmatic Play), a good performer this month, is also the core engine that Pragmatic use for their separate operator branded slots: Vbet Bonanza and Netbet Bonanza, for example, are skins of that game.

Spribe’s earlier integrations make it the busiest studio dealmaker in recent months.

Biggest studio dealmakers

PariPlay and Softgamings are once again the busiest aggregators, PariPlay having integrated content from Spinberry, LIW and Mascot Gaming recently.

Biggest aggregator dealmakers

As for the promised comparisons between aggregation and publisher models, we’ll be revealing some data on that as a separate article in July.

* Please note these are live charts which update every month so please ensure the month of May 2022 is selected in the drop-downs to match the analysis,

**The interactive games chart at the top excludes live games and table games. Game rankings are determined by the number of game appearances on the casino homepages of more than 1,500 casino sites. To access many other charts including game rankings, live and table games, positions on subpages or to filter game performance by game theme, game feature or by operator type, get in touch with egamingmonitor.com. Egamingmonitor covers 37,000 games, 1,300 suppliers and 1,500 operators. 

*** The unique games and studio charts are based on the wider dataset of more than 4,000 pages from 1,500 operator sites and also include all game types, including live games, table games, video bingo, video poker, scratchcards, crash games and more.

****Data on deals by month was collected from April 2020 onwards and the rolling chart reflects current dealmaking performance, i.e. how many deals were signed over the last six months. Deals between companies from all time are available via egamingmonitor.com. Note that only deals either a) on company websites or b) in the gaming press or c) reported to us by studios and aggregators, are collated. Deals between companies from all time are available via egamingmonitor.com.

Evolution will pay an initial consideration of €200m, with a further €140m dependent on future performance in 2023, 2024 and 2025. All of this total will be paid in cash, paid from existing reserves.

Nolimit City will be the fourth brand under Evolution’s slots portfolio. In 2020, the business took its first step into the sector when it acquired NetEnt, which itself owns Red Tiger. Last year, Evolution then acquired Big Time Gaming, the supplier best-known for the Megaways mechanic.

Like with the acquisition of Big Time Gaming, Evolution boasted of Nolimit City’s efficient profit margins. The business expects revenue of €30m in 2022, while its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation are expected to be around €23m.

“The acquisition is in line with Evolution’s strategy of being the world’s number one provider of online casino games, supplying its customers with the best gaming content,” the Evolution board said.

Evolution chairman Jens von Bahr said he was particularly impressed with the level of innovation that Nolimit City had brought to the space.

“With the addition of Nolimit City to the Evolution family we extend our portfolio of truly innovative and cutting edge games from the top brands and game makers in the industry,” Von Bahr said. “We have followed Jonas [Tegman], Emil [Svärd] and their team for a few years and been impressed as they have established a completely new style of slot games. I am proud that yet another of the very best minds in our industry has chosen to join the Evolution network.”

Nolimit City cofounder Jonas Tegman said the two businesses are fully aligned on strategy.

“I cannot think of a better match between two companies than between Nolimit City and Evolution, we are fully aligned in terms of people, product, technology and how to get the job done,” he said. “The slot vertical is under massive change, and we can’t wait to take on the challenge of global expansion together with Evolution, helping out with navigating towards the best slot product offering in the market.”

In its recent financial reports, Evolution reported slow earnings for its existing slots portfolio. While its core live-dealer products experienced growth of 44.3% in Q1, revenue from its RNG division division was up by 19.3%. However, this RNG growth was almost entirely inorganic, due to the acquisition of Big Time Gaming. On a like-for-like basis, RNG revenue was up by only 1.8%.

Completion of the acquisition is conditional upon regulatory approvals and is expected in Q3 of 2022.

Neves arrives at the Latin America- and Europe-focused tech solutions supplier with more than 20 years’ experience as a technology and operations manager within the igaming, banking and insurance sectors. Most recently he worked for igaming consultancy Kik Agency.

Salsa said that Neves’ success in helping brands expand into new regulated territories like Brazil, Malta and Portugal will prove a vital asset as the business pursues expansion in Latin America and Europe after it was recently awarded its B2B licence by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

Neves said: “Salsa has established itself as a dominant force within the igaming space thanks to its standout igaming solution and I am thrilled to have the chance to help the company deliver on its aspiring business goals.”

As chief operating officer, Neves will be responsible for overseeing the core technology disciplines of the business. These include platform development, content and infrastructure, as well as the operations area, with an emphasis on customer relations, marketing and new business development.

“Andre is already having a positive impact on the company’s business as the team works hard to deliver on Salsa’s ambitious growth targets across both LatAm and the European market,” said Peter Nolte, Salsa’s founder.

The NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) ruled that Crown will be allowed to conditionally begin casino operations, but its operations will be closely monitored during the final phase of the restricted gaming licence suitability assessment that was imposed after the 2021 Bergin Inquiry found Crown unsuitable to hold the licence.

Crown – which has been acquired by Blackstone in a deal worth AU$8.87bn (£5.10bn/€5.87bn/US$6.12bn) – has been prevented from opening the casino in its $2.2bn dining and hotel tower in Barangaroo to gaming patrons for more than a year.

ILGA chairperson Philip Crawford said the decision was made due to Crown’s rebuilding of its gaming model with structural change around governance, anti-money laundering measures and corporate culture.

Crawford said: “After more than one year’s work with Crown, the Authority is pleased to have reached a stage where Crown can open its casino operations on a conditional basis.

“Given the need to observe the changes in operation as well as ensure changes are embedded in the business, the Authority will consider approval of Crown’s suitability until the end of the conditional gaming period, which could run between 18 months and two years.

“The new systems and internal control measures have been set up and will be in place from day one.”

During the initial conditional gaming period, which is scheduled to expire at the end of 2023, Crown will work closely with ILGA and the independent monitor of Crown Sydney, Kroll Associates, to demonstrate its suitability and that it is implementing an agreed remediation action plan.

Steve McCann, Crown’s chief executive, said: “Today is an important day for Crown, our customers and our people, who have been eagerly awaiting this announcement for some time and cannot wait to share the full Crown Sydney experience with the world.

“Our vision is to become one of the most respected operators of integrated resorts anywhere in the world. Since it opened, Crown Sydney has provided the city with an unrivalled level of luxury accommodation, restaurants and bars and now with the opening of gaming, we can offer our full suite of world-class facilities.

“We will now finalise our opening plans and look forward to shortly announcing the details and timing of our launch.”

Crawford said the Bergin Inquiry highlighted the scale and scope of issues to be remediated by Crown, with potentially billions of dollars having been laundered through its casinos.

“Crown has been required to implement a raft of stringent controls to prevent money laundering and criminal infiltration in its NSW business model. What was happening in Crown’s interstate operations will not be repeated in NSW,” Crawford said.

“With a complete clean-out of the board and senior executive, Crown has made significant progress and has agreed to ongoing work to regain its casino licence.”

The ILGA has also approved Blackstone’s suitability to hold a casino licence in NSW. Having gained the other necessary approvals from Victorian and West Australian regulators and the Federal Court, Blackstone takes over as the new owner of Crown on Friday (24 June).

The live dealer games specialist’s Danish offering, which includes blackjack, roulette and speed roulette games, features a Danish-themed environment and localised user interface and specific live table support for the market. On Air has already joined forces with tier-one brands which will be among the first to offer the supplier’s titles to their players.

The addition of Denmark comes shortly after On Air made its debut in Sweden and means its network is now available in eight regulated markets, including the Isle of Man, the UK, Greece, Ontario, Latvia and all Malta jurisdictions.

Dejan Loncar, business development manager at On Air, said: “Denmark is a key market for On Air Entertainment. It has enjoyed rapid growth in recent months and there is a strong appetite for quality, localised live casino content among players.

“Making our debut in the market means that operators can now access our proven premium live dealer games and not only meet but exceed player expectations.

“Our live casino titles really are a cut above the rest and combine stunning environments, top-notch game presenters and the latest technologies to deliver a superior player experience from the first game round to the last – an experience that we are confident Danish players will come to love.”

Since first launching its debut blackjack release in November 2021, On Air has enhanced its offering with a total of more than 40 tables live from its Riga studio. It will also open a new studio in Bucharest later this year.

The four-year deal will see the gaming operator become the club’s shirt sponsor and benefit from a series of activations and benefits in the city where it was founded.

Betcris is also the official bookmaker for the Mexican National Soccer Team and Club Pachuca and is a sponsor of Atlante FC.

Betcris said: “That history that unites the leading sports betting company in Latin America with FC Juárez was one of the main reasons for signing this sponsorship. In addition to the trust in the project that the team’s management and its other commercial allies are building, it is a formula that bets on success.

“Betcris welcomes FC Juárez to their family and they look forward to continuing to grow together and achieving their goals both in sports and business.”

Betcris offers gaming and entertainment options in 15 countries, on three continents, as well as face-to-face service in stores throughout Latin America. The operator also has partnerships with the MLB, NFL, Ecuador National Team and a series of clubs and leagues.

Betcris said: “Betcris is proud of its multiple sponsorships in the region. They are considered an integral part of the operator’s commitment to promote a unified sports gaming industry throughout Latin America. As it continues to expand into new countries in the region, it is actively seeking new sponsorships and partnerships that can further enhance that commitment.”

Kapolwitz announced on LinkedIn that he is departing the business, which manages Penn National Gaming’s digital products including the Barstool Sportsbook & Casino and theScore, to focus on family life ahead of the birth of his second child.

Kapolwitz joined Penn Interactive (PI) in February 2019 after seven years at Comcast, where he ascended to the role of managing director and general manager – new businesses. He had previously been managing director of World Poker Tour Enterprises.

Highlights of Kaplowitz’s tenure in the chief executive role include the signing of PI’s exclusive sports betting and online casino partnership with Barstool Sports in 2019 and its launch in 10 states across the US. Over the last three years, Penn has established Penn Game Studios and acquired Score Media and Gaming, which owns theScore.

“Building and leading PI has been the singular best experience in my professional career, and it was made even better by working with an incredible team and partners,” Kaplowitz said.

“From day one, our collective goal was to become the best and most innovative integrated sports media and gaming company in the US. We did that and have accomplished so much more, from growing the division’s top line 12x in less than three years, having a top-rated app in the US, and being ranked one of the top workplaces in Philly and in the industry. I am most proud of the strong culture that is in our DNA, one of collaboration, transparency, and building our leaders from within.”

He added: “To everyone at Penn National Gaming for entrusting me with this position, it has been a true honour to work with all of you every day. To my partners at Barstool Sports and theScore, it has been incredible to see how our partnerships have flourished over the years to create something truly unique.”

Penn Interactive has yet to comment on Kaplowitz’s departure or plans for his replacement.

Trannel initiated the lawsuit in the context of regulator Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet (Lotteritilsynet) ordering the subsidiary to cease offering services in the jurisdiction. Neither Trannel nor its parent company has a licence to operate in Norway, which operates under a monopoly model.

After the initial ruling, Trannel complained to the Ministry of Culture and Gender Equality regarding alleged violations of the Gambling Act. Once the appellate body came to the same decision as the regulator, Kindred launched the lawsuit against the state.

Lotteritilsynet initially made the decision to stop Kindred brands Unibet, Mariacasino, Storspiller and Bingo doing business on 5 April 2019. After the order the gaming group was threatened with a daily fine of NOK 1.2m (£99,447/€118,649).

Director general of the NGA, Atle Hamar, commented on outcome: “The verdict confirms that the authority’s decision to stop the illegal gambling offer was correct. We now expect Trannel to withdraw from the Norwegian market.”

However, Kindred remains defiant. In statement, it said: “We take note that the Oslo District Court has not accepted our arguments that there is a lack of legal basis for the cease and desist order. We continue to dispute and will appeal as we seek to deliver a free, open, competitive and safe gambling environment in Norway.”

The business added that it believed the best long-term solution was abandonment of the monopoly model.

“We continue to believe that a transparent and objective licensing regime is the only way to obtain a well-functioning gambling market that balances consumer entertainment and consumer protection. We will continue to work towards this goal.”