Month: July 2022

Under the deals, GiG subsidiary Sportnco will sign with Caravel Entertainment Limited in Portugal – which operates online casino brand Moosh – and an unnamed online operator in Spain.

GiG acquired Sportnco in April of this year, in a deal worth €51.3m (£43.2m/$56.7m).

Caravel will then use the Sportnco sportsbook for the moosh.pt website.

“We are very proud to sign this contract with Moosh, a new GiG customer in the demanding and attractive Portuguese market,” said Hervé Schlosser, managing director of Sportnco. “Moosh.pt has great ambitions domestically and there is no doubt that we are perfectly positioned to be able to respond positively to the new dynamics of this growing Portuguese operator.”

Martin Bengtsson, CEO at Moosh.pt, said that the deal will allow the operator to upgrade its sportsbook offering.

“It has been a long process to find the right partner for us, which we have found in the sportsbook and platform provider GiG,” said Bengtsson.
“Their Sportnco subsidiary is well known for their top-notch sportsbook offering so this partnership offers a strong support for our business, and we are convinced our players will appreciate the new updated sportsbook when we go live.”

In Spain, GiG will support the unnamed operator’s expansion to online gaming, which is set to take place by the end of 2022. The operator currently has 27 game rooms as part of its retail activity, and will be GiG’s 13th partner in Spain.

Both deals have been signed for an initial period of three years. The agreement in Portugal has the option to be renewed for additional periods, while the agreement in Spain could be renewed by one further year.

“We’re delighted to be teaming up with this new partner to help them utilise their existing retail brand and move into online gaming,” said Schlosser.

“This new deal is fully in line with our strategy to focus on fast growing regulated markets, and also bring our expertise to a large number of clients in every market we are.”

Betsson, which was the official regional sponsor for the men’s Copa América 2021, will receive a wide range of marketing opportunities during the course of the Conmebol Copa América Femenina 2022, which will be held from 8-30 July in Colombia.
These include branding and promotional activities in stadiums and across the South American football federation’s digital channels, as well as media exposure opportunities and the use of the championship’s assets and footage in its marketing and content. Betsson will also be the official lineups content sponsor.

Jesper Svensson, chief executive of the Betsson Group, said: “The rationale behind sponsoring one of the biggest moments of the world’s sports calendar in 2022 is very simple – Betsson’s commitment to sport and its support for gender equality.

“Besides the exciting potential of further raising Betsson’s brand awareness in the region, we are extremely proud to be partnering with Conmebol as they are exceptionally committed with improving women’s football in South America.”

Betsson Group has been expanding in Latin America in recent years with entries into Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico. Last year, it became the title sponsor of Peru’s Liga 1 and has since struck a digital partnership with betting group La Roja, covering its FIFA 2022 World Cup campaign.

Earlier this year, Betsson signed a one-year sponsorship agreement with Chile’s top football team, Colo Colo.

Juan Emilio Roa, Conmebol’s commercial director, said: “Conmebol values the support of Betsson for one of its most important tournaments. This partnership comes from a shared vision between Conmebol and this prestigious company of boosting women’s football across South America with a strong participation of girls, young adults and women.”

The ten participating South American countries in Conmebol Copa América Femenina 2022 are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. From the championship, the top three teams will qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

888 had initially agreed in September 2021 to acquire the non-US business of William Hill. This came soon after US operator Caesars acquired the entire William Hill business for approximately £2.90bn, with the intent to dispose of all but its US assets.

Originally, the purchase price for the deal was £2.2bn. However, 888 and Caesars agreed to reduce the purchase price to acquire the assets by £250m, with the cash portion of the deal now set at £584.9m instead of £834.9m.

This, it said, was due to a “change in the macro-economic and regulatory environment”, but at the time it also revealed that the William Hill business’ licence to operate in Great Britain was under review. 

After receiving shareholder approval last month, the deal has now closed today.

“I am delighted to announce the completion of our transformational combination with William Hill,” 888 chair Itai Pazner said. “We have built an outstanding leadership team, combining strengths from across both businesses, and as I look at the future, the combination of our product and content leadership, powered by our proprietary technology, and our world class brands, gives us a powerful platform for growth.”

888 chair Lord Mendehlson noted that the combined business will be one of the world’s largest online gambling operators. The new group would have recorded revenue of $2.68bn (£2.13bn/€2.53bn) in 2021, but recorded a net loss of $368.5m.

“This combination brings together two high quality businesses to create a powerful, global betting and gaming business,” he said. “We believe the acquisition will create significant value for shareholders, creating a combined business with leading technology, products and brands across sports betting and gaming. With a top quality management team, formed from talent from across both businesses, I am confident about our future plans.”

As revealed previously, Pazner will remain chief executive of the business post-merger, while William Hill’s former chief executive Ulrik Bengtsson will leave the business. William Hill chief financial officer Eric Hageman will also be departing.

“I’d like to thank Ulrik and Eric for the great job they have done at William Hill and I wish them well for the future,” Pazner added.

Similarly, 888’s chief financial officer Yariv Dafa, chief operating officer Guy Cohen and chief strategy officer Vaughan Lewis will also keep their titles.

William Hill’s chief people officer Mark Skinner and chief product and technology officer Satty Bhens will move into those roles at the new business.

Meanwhile, the business has announced Harinder Gill as its new chief risk officer, coming from fintech business Revolut.

National Lottery plc recently won the concession to manage and operate the Maltese National Lottery, meaning that it will be run by a fully-owned Maltese company for the first time in 18 years.

National Lottery plc selected IGT as the lottery’s technology provider, while EveryMatrix will supply its range of online products to the lottery.

As part of the deal, EveryMatrix will integrate IGT’s retail transaction engine into its CasinoEngine solution via IGT’s Aurora Anywhere.

This will make the National Lottery’s draw-based games available online.

“We are very proud to be able to support National Lottery plc in this way,” said Ebbe Groes, group CEO of EveryMatrix. “We believe the benefits delivered by our system will enable the national lottery to safely channel Maltese players away from illegal or abusive secondary lotteries.”

“The integration of the world’s number one lottery system provider speaks volumes about the performance of our platform.”

The news comes after global anti money laundering body, the Financial Action Task Force, decided to remove Malta from their greylist of jurisdictions that require increased monitoring.

“After 18 years since the privatisation of the national lottery of Malta in 2004, the lottery will be operated for the first time by a wholly-owned Maltese company, whose mission is to provide the market with a service that is local, innovative and of the highest levels of quality,” said Franco DeGabriele, CCO of National Lottery plc.

“We will invest in the systems to ensure the service offered meets the highest standards and is built on the most rigorous compliance frameworks. Our digital innovation will put Malta on the global map, and we will work closely with the authorities to eradicate all forms of lottery abuse.”

Beginning today (1 July), die Glücksspielbehörde (GGL) replaces Saxony-Anhalt State Administration Office as the body charged with taking action against unlicensed cross-state operations and activities across Germany.

The body was created through Germany’s Fourth State Treaty on Gambling, which came into effect in July 2021.

GGL will from today begin enforcing its strategy for combating illegal gambling via instruments such as IP and payment blocking, with more information on how these will be utilised to be revealed next week.

Ronald Benter, GGL board member, said: “We are very confident that we will successfully push back the illegal gambling market. We have created the necessary structures and processes and can build on the expertise of the previously responsible authorities.

“We are particularly grateful to the state of Saxony-Anhalt for their support and advice in setting up the authority. We have experienced constructive cooperation, which has helped us a lot in many situations.”

GGL will be staffed by some former Saxony-Anhalt employees as well as new recruits and says it will have grown to around 110 employees by the start of 2023 when it takes over full responsibility for the regulation of all gambling in Germany.

Among their ranks will be Nadja Wierzejewski, the experienced department head responsible for combating illegal gambling and related advertisements.

Board member Benjamin Schwanke added: “For the first time, enforcement instruments such as stopping payments against illegal gambling offers on the internet are being used from a single source. This enables us to take more effective action against providers.

“By bundling resources, undesirable developments and illegal gaming can be identified and counteracted more quickly in the future.”

The Fourth State Treaty on Gambling allows nationwide online casino gaming for the first time, but with a number of strict rules intended to protect players. These measures included a €1 per spin stake limit for online slots.

Earlier this week, the Saxony-Anhalt body revealed it has approved nine more licences for virtual slot machines and poker across Germany, in addition to the three permits already issued.

The Saxony-Anhalt body also revealed that since the Treaty came into effect, it referred 25 online operators to the public prosecutor’s office for breaking German law.

The department undertook the action as part of a wider campaign against illegal online gambling operators.

In total, 148 cases of illegal gambling were investigated, and 871 websites were checked. The department also reviewed 90 cases of illegal gambling advertising.

The AGCO found that between its launch in the market on 19 May and 31 May, the business “posted or aired multiple broad gambling inducements”. This included advertisements of boosted odds.

This is in violation of the provincial standards for sports betting, which say that inducement, bonuses and credits may only be advertised on operators’ websites or via direct marketing.

“The standards were put in place to protect Ontarians,” the AGCO said.

The operator has a right to appeal the decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), a body which is part of Tribunals Ontario.

The penalty is the third regulatory action related to advertising that the AGCO has taken since the market opened on 4 April. Last month, BetMGM and PointsBet received penalties of CA$48,000 and CA$30,000, respectively for inducement breaches of their own.

“The AGCO will continue to monitor the activities of all registered operators and hold them to high standards of responsible gambling, player protection and game integrity,” AGCO chief executive and registrar Tom Mungham said. “It is in the public interest that we ensure they are meeting their obligations under Ontario’s Gaming Control Act and the Standards.”

In figures released for the 12 months to 26 September 2021, the online and retail operator accepted £6.99bn in wagers which was up 7.87% on the £6.48bn posted in September 2020.

It said that on an annualised gross basis, amounts wagered, revenue and pre-exceptional EBITDA in the group’s licensed betting offices (LBOs) decreased due to Covid-19, as a result of the temporary closure of shops from November 2020 to April 2021. Revenues in the high street business slumped from £301.0m to £244.0m. It closed 59 LBOs, ending the period with 1,470 facilities.

While not giving financial details concerning its online business, it said amounts wagered, turnover and pre-exceptional EBITDA all increased, which led to the overall rise in wagers.

However, the figure was still well down on pre-pandemic times, with £10.10bn wagered in the year to September 2019.

Income during the period was also aided by entry in another US state, with another impact being the acquisition of a 70% share in South African betting business Betting World.

Betfred posted revenue of £525.96m, which was flat compared to 2020, while the group made a gross profit of £412.59m compared to £410.23m in 2020.

Operating profit of £26.6m was significantly down from 2019-20 although this can be attributed to a credit of £97.7m following a successful VAT claim rebate during the prior period. The 2021 figure included a credit to exceptional costs of £8.0m. Administrative expenses increased from £436.0m to £444.0m.

The group announced EBITDA of £46.46m during the period, which was up 31.0% on the £35.31m from the prior period.

Betfred paid a dividend of £50.7m in November 2021 to its shareholders.

Betfred Sports is currently a licensed operator in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Arizona and Louisiana, with businesses awaiting regulatory approval in Nevada, Washington and Maryland.

In its monthly trading update, the betting business said turnover of NZ$202.7m (USD$124.3m/€119.4m/£103.5m) was 3.6% below budget and gross betting revenue (GBR) of $32.0m was down on budget by 4.4%. The gross betting margin (GBM) of 15.8% was 0.1% below budget.

Reported profit for the month was $10.8m, which was $2.4m below budget. Operating expenses were $10.6m for the month, which was $0.4 above budget.

Tab NZ said the key performance results for May were in line with the overall positive trends of the 2021/22 financial year.

Average NZ thoroughbred starters per race was 10.7, slightly above the year-to-date average of 10.6, while the peak turnover for a domestic meeting was $1.9m on 14 May for the Campbell’s Infrastructure Cup Day at Arawa Park.

The top sporting event by turnover for April was the Warriors vs Sharks NRL match at $0.58m. Tennis was the leading in-play sporting code accounting for 25% of in-play turnover while rugby league was the top pre-match sporting code accounting for 24% of pre-match turnover.

A Tab NZ spokesperson said: “The impact of the current Omicron outbreak eased slightly compared to April, with New Zealand at the orange setting in the Covid-19 Protection Framework. This led to an uplift in foot traffic in the retail and hospitality sector through May, although not to the same levels of 12 months ago.

“Turnover dipped against budget in May, with the gross betting margin also slightly below budget, while softening economic conditions also played a factor as customers adjusted to the rising cost of living.”

For the year to date, from 1 August 2021 to 31 May 2022, reported profit was $135.2m, which was $1.6m below budget and $12.0m below last year. Operating expenses were $97.0m, which was $3.3m below budget and $2.3m above last year.

As part of the expansion, Tipsport has agreed to increase the number of annual events that are covered by Genius Sport’s data and technology products.

In turn Genius Sports will show real-time feeds and pin-point pricing for a number of competitions; including the National Football League (NFL), Euroleague basketball and the English Premier League.

In addition, Tipsport will be able to access Genius Sport’s full NFL product suite, which includes the league’s real-time statistics, its sports betting data feed and its Next Gen Stats product.

“Never-ending innovation is firmly part of our DNA so we’re thrilled to widen our partnership with Genius Sports for the upcoming years,” said Petr Komarek, Tipsport head of data and streaming.

“Considering this strong bond, we’re excited to engage many more customers and provide them with our world-class services. We look forward to create compelling and unique projects together.”

Genius Sports will also provide low latency streams through its in-house streaming solution, allowing access to live streams of football leagues across Argentina, Colombia, Iceland and China.

Jack Davison, chief commercial officer of Genius Sports added: “Since the start of our partnership in 2016, we have worked closely with Tipsport to provide them with a growing suite of betting products and services that drive turnover, increase margins and maximise control.”

“Across official data, trading and live streaming, we’re excited to continue playing a crucial role powering Tipsport’s first-class sportsbook.”

Technology company Voxbet seeks to bring automation into the sports betting world, giving bettors the opportunity to speak a bet or tip into existence. Its technology also allows bettors to type their bet for further accessibility.

Jonathan Power, CEO and founder of Voxbet, speaks about what the company offers and how voice technology creates a unique betting experience.

What does Voxbet offer that other providers don’t? How do these elements offer like a unique experience for players?

We’re a technology provider that simplifies the navigation of a sportsbook. So if you think about how you navigate anything else online, like Amazon or eBay, you almost always start by typing what you want. Sportsbooks are different, which they maybe don’t need to be. They’re both e-commerce. What we do is we allow you to speak or type what it is you want. We bring you straight to it.

Who is the main target audience for what Voxbet does?

Well, speak-type-bet, it really hits two very different audiences. Currently 52% of under 35s use voice technology every day. So obviously that’s a target market. But there’s also a crucial cohort on typing a bet in terms of those who know what they want to bet on, and removing friction from their journey. These can be your most prolific customers. Those who go to your sportsbook and then, what they have to do every time they want to bet, is to dig it out for themselves, by going through layers of menus. You know what you want to bet on, just get it done, type it in. And we populate it directly to the bet slip. So they’re two different cohorts really, but it’s the same technology.

How do you see the company expanding in the future? What kind of markets or countries you would be interested in entering?

Like everybody, we’re very interested in the US, and also a significant play in Africa because the very low data usage of a type-bet interface. Data usage is very sensitive in Africa. But also, we think we are highly relevant for the United States market – currently being served by a lift-and-drop of what worked in Europe – which was designed over 20 years ago. We think there’s real opportunity to differentiate with a Google-style interface sportsbook. So, naturally, the US is the primary target market for us.

How does Voxbet balance ease of use with safeguards for customers and responsible gambling?

We don’t circumvent any safeguarding. What we do is we reduce friction. We don’t regard friction as a safeguard, especially as a lot of friction is cross-sell. I don’t think anybody does. The whole bet-placement process is controlled by the operator. We don’t circumvent any responsible gambling, anti-money laundering, or know-your-customer checks.

How is content becoming more important as a differentiator for US sports betting operators?

I think what’s very interesting is the content is a huge differentiator. While the volume of content has grown in the industry over the last 10 years – I’d say more than tenfold – the means of navigating it hasn’t changed. Consequently, we just have more menus, more layers to go through. Content matters and nobody’s going to reduce the amount of content they offer. So they’re going to have to offer a better means of navigating it.