Month: September 2022

Under the deal, the StarCasinò Sport infotainment website will become a premium partner of the team.

AS Roma fans will be able to access a range of dedicated club content on StarCasinò Sport, as well as win exclusive prizes.

The partnership complies with Italy’s strict rules on gambling-related marketing, with all gambling advertising having been effectively banned in the country under the so-called “dignity decree”.

As the deal is based on StarCasinò Sport, rather than the StarCasinò Sport brand operation, it is allowed under Italy’s laws. 

LeoVegas Group last week entered into a partnership with Inter Milan via its LeoVegas.News brand.

“We are particularly happy with this partnership we wanted to work with AS Roma both for its importance and for that unique link between the city and the team, identifying the fans as the real protagonists of the football experience, just like StarCasinò Sport does,” StarCasinò Sport managing director Stefano Tino said.

“Furthermore, with the arrival of the new ownership, an even more ambitious footballing environment has been created and the foundations are being built for an important future worldwide.”

Lotteritilsynet announced that it would pursue the fines – of NOK1.198m (£103,700/€116,000/$111,700) for every day its Trannel subsidiary continues to operate in Norway – earlier this month.

The fine would come into effect three weeks from the day the regulator decided to issue it – which would be 5 October.

Earlier this year, Lotteritilsynet warned Kindred to withdraw form the Norwegian market or pay this fine, but Kindred said it would stay in the market as the operator did not believe it was in breach of any laws.

On 23 September, Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred, said that Kindred will appeal the fine.

“We will appeal the decision of the Lotteritilsynet regarding the issuance of this sanction fee and will continue operating as usual, as long as the legal process is ongoing,” said Tjärnström. “We want to see how it pans out.”

Tjärnström said that Kindred disagrees with the idea that it is operating in Norway illegally. While only two busnesses are licensed by Norwegian authorities to offer online gambling, Tjärnström argued that Kindred was permitted to operate under European law as it holds a licence in Malta and is therefore covered by free movement of services in the European Economic Area.

“We dispute the claim that we have operations in Norway,” he continued. “We are licensed in Malta and believe that Norwegian customers under current European economic legislation have the right to play on foreign sites if they wish.”

“There is nothing that sets Norway apart from other European states in that respect.”

Tjärnström also reiterated his belief that Norway would soon begin steps to create a fully regulated model where private operators can apply for licences.

“Again, time will tell as the process proceeds,” said Tjärnström. “But we are not doing anything wrong in Norway today.”

“We accept traffic from Norwegian customers who find us in Malta and that is part of the legal framework that in our opinion prevails here. That’s our position.”

“We are confident that we are doing nothing wrong and look forward to moving towards a locally regulated market in Norway as well.”

In July, Kindred lost an earlier lawsuit regarding the fine and its presence in Norway, though it then took this to a higher court to be appealed.

The Federal government commissioner for addiction and drug Issues, Burkhard Blienert, critiqued the rise in gambling ads:

“Advertising for online gambling and sports betting is spreading at breakneck speed. This trend is concerning because hundreds of thousands of people already have problem gambling or are even addicted,” he said.

The commissioner also outlined a watershed policy recommendation.    

“I urge countries to stop advertising such offers. In plain language, there should be no more sports betting advertising before 9pm on the TV or on the internet.”

The news comes in the wake of the regime created by country’s fourth state treaty on gambling. The treaty created the provisions for the regulated national online casino market, on top of the existing online sports betting market.

Acting director of the BZgA, Prof Martin Dietrich, said: “There is a particularly high risk of addiction from gambling offers on the tnternet: they are available at all times and lure people with high winnings,” he said, “the supposed prospect of quick profits makes online sports betting particularly popular.”

He elaborated on the importance of raising awareness on this topic:

“That is why it is so important to raise awareness of the risks of gambling and to take countermeasures in good time. We support this with our offers, for example an online program that supports changes in gambling behavior.”

According to data from the BZgA gambling survey, there are around 229,000 problem gamblers and 200,000 compulsive gamblers in the Federal Republic.

In 2021, German sports betting operator association DSWV rejected calls from a state minister to ban all forms of gambling adverting in Germany.

The provider’s Oryx Gaming offices in Slovenia will become Bragg Ljubljana, while Spin Games in the US and India will rebrand to Bragg Reno and Bragg Chennai, respectively.

Bragg will also open a new office in Las Vegas, Nevada later year, which will provide a base for existing employees from the Wild Streak Gaming and Spin Games, businesses as well as for new hires. This will operate alongside its existing offices in Toronto, London and Malta.

The provider added that while these hubs, its technology, services and turnkey offering will move forward with the single brand, its content output will retain its internal game studio marques: Wild Streak Gaming, Spin Games, Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic, and Oryx Gaming.

“As we consolidate our group companies under the single brand of Bragg, we celebrate the heritage, values and successes of Oryx Gaming, Spin Games and Wild Streak Gaming which have built us into the company we are today, and which will propel us into our next phase as a global igaming provider,” Bragg Gaming Group chief executive Yaniv Sherman said.

“We’re incredibly proud of the work that all of our colleagues have put in over the years which are the foundations we continue to build on. 

“We’re sure that the renewed focus that our consolidation brings will be positively felt across our hubs in Toronto, Las Vegas, London, Ljubljana, Malta and Chennai and it will signal a new exciting era of growth for us all under the same umbrella with aligned values and goals.”

The consolidation comes after Bragg earlier this month entered into a funding agreement for an investment of $8.7m Lind Global Fund. Bragg will use the investment to strengthen its current offering to support continued top-line and cash flow growth.

Bragg last month also reported a 34.2% rise in revenue to €20.8m during the second quarter of its 2022 financial year, a new quarterly record for the provider. Besides revenue, Bragg reported new quarterly records in gross profit, gross profit margin and adjusted EBITDA.

Crystal Palace Football Club, the Professional Players Federation and the Professional Cricket Association are among the bodies partnered with the campaign.

Other associations include Luton Town FC, Sutton United, Walsall FC and Oldham Athletic.

Using the hashtag #TakeBackControl2022, Gamstop, its campaign partners and supporters reached 2.6 million people on social media on 15 September.

Gamstop said that it was raising awareness of its services before this years World Cup in Qatar, which begins on 20 November.

“We are very grateful to all our partners who took part with us on social media to support the campaign, using the #TakeBackControl2022 hashtag,” said Fiona Palmer, CEO of Gamstop.

“By sharing information about GAMSTOP with their followers they have helped us to educate new audiences about self-exclusion and where people can get help if they need it.”

In July this year, Gamstop reached 300,000 total self-exclusions since its launch in 2018.

The warning comes in the context of a significant winding down of the company’s activities in other regions, most notably Austria.

In October 2021, the business lost a legal battle against a consortium of players in Austria who sought compensation from unlicensed operators. Following this, Bet-at-home announced it would be exiting the market, as well as winding down the Maltese company set up to target it.

In July, Bet-at-home announced that it had “surrendered” its GB licence, and would be permanently withdrawing from the market – this occurred in the wake of the operator’s licence suspension by the Gambling Commission for suspected anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings.

As a result of these exits, Bet-at-home has categorised its liquidity risk level as “medium”, and higher than last year, as the reduction in operations create uncertainty in the company’s cash flow, assets and liabilities.

Bet-at-home stated that even small negative shocks may leave the business with a shortfall:

“If the bet-at-home.com AG Group is unable to provide corresponding collateral in the form of bank guarantees, existing cash and cash equivalents would have to be deposited as security,” the report states.

“The remaining freely available liquidity could prove to be critical even in the event of minor negative deviations from the existing planning if, in addition, a significant reduction in liquidity were to occur due to payments to Bet-at-home.com Entertainment Ltd. and to the Maltese tax authorities.

In the context of the operator’s reorientation of strategy, Bet-at-home abandoned its in-house platform, and will be using the EveryMatrix technology stack going forward, in an effort to cut costs.

However, there was also good news for the operator. The business revealed it was “assured” in July by the State Administration Office of Saxony-Anhalt that it will be granted an online casino licence.

The business said it expects the licence to be issued in the second half of 2022, following its application which it entered following the 2021 passage of the German state treaty on gambling.

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The dynamic duo kick off by discussing sports betting activity around the National Football League’s kickoff on 8 September. This season is set to be the biggest ever for sports betting; 46.6 million Americans plan to place a bet on during the season. 

Listen on Apple Podcasts

However, there’s some issues emerging on where bets can be placed – the league is trying to prevent betting on match days. 

There’s also some intrigue around the Wire Act, in the wake of a Rhode Island District Court judge ruling that the Department of Justice must formally state that it only applies to sports betting. Could this provide much-needed clarity after an attempt to enforce the act across all forms of gambling?

Does this mean the issue is dead and buried? Brandt is confident, but Brendan is not so sure. 

Further afield, Brazil is preparing to go to the polls in a vote that could have huge consequences for gambling regulation. Find out what to watch when the results start rolling in. 

Under the terms of the agreement, the new partners intend to launch a messaging campaign that “will bring a sense of fun into the game.”

Fitzdares allows players to place bets in numerous ways, including online, through text and by phone. It also operates a private club in Mayfair, where members can watch live sport.

“This partnership has its roots in the 19th century and we are bursting with excitement to finally join up with London’s original football club, said Fitzdares CEO William Woodhams.

“Dare I say, the only place better to watch football than The Fitzdares Club is at the Cottage. We will be adding a Craven Cottage Pie to our menu immediately to bring a taste of West London royalty to Mayfair.”

Fulham sales director Jon Don-Carolis added: “We are delighted to welcome Fitzdares as Fulham FC’s Official UK Betting Partner.”

“Our organisations are proud of our heritage and embrace innovation whilst providing a closer and more personal experience for our fans and audiences.”

“An aligned partnership between the world’s oldest bookmakers and London’s original football club is poised to deliver a range of exciting and creative initiatives throughout the season.”

This is the latest betting operator partnership that Fulham has announced. In July, Fulham agreed to a sponsorship deal with Asian-facing operator W88.

Fitzdares, which is the world’s oldest bookmaker, joined the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) in August.

“As a medium-sized independent and boutique business, we wanted our voice heard,” said Woodhams at the time. “The BGC gives us the opportunity to be at the table where the key decisions are being made in UK gaming.”