Month: October 2022

This was a rise of 20.8% in revenue compared to the third quarter of 2021, when GGR for STS was PLN134m.

A total of PLN1.11bn was staked by customers during the quarter, up by 5.5% compared to Q3 2021.

In addition, 81,000 new registrations were made in the third quarter, compared to 66,000 from the previous third quarter.

The number of customers that made a first-time deposit was 57,000, a rise of 26.6%.

For the three quarters ended 30 September, GGR was PLN458m, a rise of 6.7% from the same period in 2021.

A total of PLN3.30bn was staked by customers from the first quarter to the third quarter of 2022, up by 0.7% from PLN3.27bn in 2021.

STS recorded 576,000 active users for the first nine months of 2022. As well as this, the operator recorded 237,000 new registrations and 163,000 customers that had made their first deposit.

“From July to September, we generated the historically highest quarterly NGR ratio of PLN162,” said Mateusz Juroszek, CEO of STS.

“We note high activity of players, which should positively translate into Q4 2022 results.” 

Juroszek also said that September was a particularly successful month for active users.

“September turned out to be a very good month in terms of the number of active users – there were as many as 281,000, which was the second highest monthly result in the history of the group.”

In the second quarter of 2022, STS’ revenue fell by 16.6% to PLN138.

EPIS identifies players who have indicated that they would like to be self-excluded from gambling and ban them from participating for a certain period of time. Previously the system was in use at land-based casinos and slot arcades, as well as for online betting and igaming.

The BGC’s regulation on self-exclusion had previously been in the firing line from the Belgian Council of State, Belgium’s Supreme Court. The regulator had stated that operators must offer the option of temporary self-exclusion, refraining from promotional activities during the period – which must last at least six months. The court overturned this regulation, stating that, “the Gaming Commission does not have the authority to impose this”.

Belgian regulation is some of the most stringent in Europe, in May announcing a total ban on all forms of gambling advertising. Local operator trade association Bago criticised the measure, arguing that its principal effect would be making it more difficult for consumers to distinguish between legal and illegal offerings. In this context, EPIS was a vital weapon legal operators had in their arsenal to fight addiction.

“Today, more and more legal operators are deploying algorithms and artificial intelligence to quickly identify emerging problematic gambling behaviours and offer solutions to players, including advising them to register on the EPIS list,” Bago president Tom de Clercq said.

“If we want to fight gambling addiction effectively, this is the way to go.”

888Africa was established in March to operate 888 brands in online betting and gaming markets across select regulated countries across Africa. 888 initially invested in a minority stake in the venture, with the option to increase this to take control and ultimately own up to 100% of 888Africa.

The roll-out of 888bet in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia marks the first launches in Africa since the 888Africa was founded six months ago.

Players in each of the countries will have access to online sports betting, while consumers in Zambia will also be able to play online casino games through 888casino. 

888 said it is also planning launches in other African markets in the future, subject to local licensing.

“We are delighted to hit our target and launch into four regulated markets within six months of founding the business,” 888Africa chief executive Christopher Coyne said. “This is an important milestone that provides us with fantastic opportunities for further expansion in the future. 

“We have enormous ambitions and believe the strength, history and trust of the 888 brand gives us a real competitive advantage as we look to build market-leading positions across Africa. We look forward to introducing 888bet and its unique offer to new players across the region in the months ahead.”

888 chief executive Itai Pazner added: “It is great to see Christopher and his team successfully launch 888bet in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia and begin 888Africa’s growth story on the continent. 

“As a region with significant potential, we are excited to watch 888Africa continue to develop its offer and launch new and exciting products for players over the coming years and months, while introducing consumers to the fantastic 888 brand.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Happyhour said the funding would help to accelerate growth for the operator.

Happyhour will also offer its operational, product and technical expertise to support Betsala and its long-term plans of becoming one of the leading sports betting brands in Chile.

Betsala launched in 2020 and is fronted by Chilean football legend Marcelo Salas, who also serves as an ambassador for the operator. During his playing career, Salas played for Italian Serie A teams Lazio, Roma and Juventus, while he was also captain of the Chilean National team.

“We have the right management team, experience and vision to be a sports betting and gaming powerhouse in Chile,” Betsala chief executive Albert Bellavista said. “The investment from Happyhour will allow us to scale rapidly with product and operational know-how to become the sports betting brand in Latin America.”

Reed, who served as CEO of GiG for over 10 years between August 2009 and September 2019, added: “At Happyhour, we invest in people and businesses that will transform the industry. Betsala is poised to become the largest online operator in Chile and we are excited to be a part of this rapid growth into the market.”

The review, which was announced in June, examined a range of issues and unearthed a host of institutional failings.

The findings are broadly aligned with those uncovered by Adam Bell SC’s report into Star’s activities in New South Wales, who found the operator unsuitable to hold a licence in the state. While the report itself falls short of using that language, the state government does not.

“Considering the serious and concerning findings of the Gotterson Review and his advice regarding suitability, I have formed the view that the Star is unsuitable to hold a licence in Queensland,” said the Attorney General.

Some of the particular issues include the Star’s “concerted effort” to deliberately mislead banks and regulators on the purpose of China UnionPay transactions, contravening Chinese capital flight laws. Star was also found to have sought out individuals linked to criminal organisations and encouraging them to gamble against the direct advice of police commissioners, in one case giving such a person an AU$50,000 Rolex watch as an inducement to gamble.

Meanwhile, social responsibility failings and serious deficiencies with the company’s AML-CTF practices were also uncovered, as well as serious concerns over the business’s historic dealings with junket operators.

Fentima outlined the next steps for the Star, which may offer a response before disciplinary action is taken.

“In accordance with the legislation, once a formal determination of unsuitability is made, the Star will be given the opportunity to respond to that finding through a show cause process,” she said.

“Following the show cause process, a range of remedial actions will be available to Government, including fines, suspending or cancelling licenses, and as recommended by Mr Gotterson, appointing a special manager, as has been done in Victoria.”

The report also includes 12 recommendations for the casino and state in order to ensure similar events do not happen again. These include amending the Casino Control Act to allow for the appointment of a special manager, beginning periodic investigations of all Queensland casinos paid for by the operator, a supervision levy for all licensees as a condition of their licence, an increased effort to prevent criminally-linked players from gambling and new social responsibility measures.

The recommended social responsibility measures are the implementation of carded play, cashless gaming, mandatory player limits, a play and break system and collection of player data.

The maximum penalty for non-compliance is also to be raised to AU$100m.

The state government said that it accepts “in principle” the recommendations that Gotterson made in his report for reform.

The operator said it will work with the authorities on the next steps.

“The Star is currently considering the report and the matters raised by Mr Gotterson and will continue to work cooperatively with Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR),” it said.

The government said in a statement that it “agreed with Mr Gotterson’s advice and will act accordingly.”

Australian A-League football clubs Western Sydney Wanderers FC and Macarthur FC, as well as Cricket NSW, will not enter into partnerships or commercial agreements with companies that have links to the gambling industry.

Launched last year, the scheme has attracted the backing of a number of leading sports teams and organisations in New South Wales.

“The extended partnerships are a strong show of faith in Reclaim the Game as sporting franchises realise the importance of rejecting sports betting advertising and promoting gambling awareness among their supporters,” chief executive of hospitality and racing for the NSW Office of Racing and Office of Responsible Gambling, Anthony Keon, said.

“We now have 14 teams from five codes turning down sports betting sponsorships and making gambling awareness and education an important part of their work.

“Research shows that almost 50% of 12–17-year-olds saw gambling advertising on television during sports and racing events on a weekly basis and almost one in three young people considered betting on sports to be normal.

“Reclaim the Game is about getting back to what sport is all about – watching, enjoying and cheering on your team without intrusive sports betting ads getting in the way.”

Western Sydney Wanderers, which was among the first to declare its support for the Reclaim the Game initiative, extended its backing by two seasons, and Macarthur FC by one season.

“It is important for us to have an impact beyond the field and together with Reclaim the Game we have brought awareness of the impact that sports betting can have in professional sport,” Western Sydney Wanderers chief executive Scott Hudson said

“We are delighted that this partnership has now extended to our A-League Women’s team, and we look forward to continuing to build our relationship with Reclaim the Game over the next two years.”

Cricket NSW also extended its support of the scheme by a further two seasons. With this, sports betting advertising will be rejected at home games of the men’s and women’s Big Bash teams, the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, and also their state teams NSW Blues and NSW Breakers. 

“Since joining forces with the Office of Responsible Gambling, Cricket NSW has made a meaningful contribution towards changing the community’s attitudes towards betting on sport,” Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon said.

“We’re proud to be able to continue to play an active part in educating children that gambling is not a part of sport, and that gambling on sport is a bad bet.

“Cricket NSW will continue to do all we can to counter the constant sports betting advertising and the adverse effect it has on young people – young men, in particular – and their families.”

Under the five-year master services agreement, agreed through PointsBet’s Premier Turf Club subsidiary, 1/ST Technology will provide horse racing betting products and content solutions for full integration within the PointsBet sportsbook app.

The partnership will also deliver a PointsBet branded stand-alone advance deposit wagering (ADW) offering in eligible states outside those in which PointsBet currently offers sports betting.

Using Premier Turf Club’s licenses, PointsBet will own and operate the ADW business, and retain ownership of customer data.

Racing customers of 1/ST Technology’s Xpressbet and 1/ST Bet brands will be introduced to sports betting and igaming via PointsBet products through the marketing partnership.

It is anticipated that the PointsBet branded ADW solution will launch in early 2023, allowing PointsBet to extend its online betting presence to more than 30 US states, including in some markets where it does not currently offer sports wagering.

PointsBet Group chief executive Sam Swanell described the deal as a “pivotal moment” in the evolution of its US expansion strategy.

“Horse racing has a unique role to play alongside sports betting in the US, and despite already generating over $6.5bn per annum in industry online handle, we consider it an attractive category on the cusp of further expansion on the back of the ongoing shift from brick and mortar to digital,” Swanell said.

“With PointsBet’s mature market Australian racing expertise, and now a strategic partner in 1/ ST Technology that provides us with a market leading portfolio of racing products and
services, we can introduce new and existing customers to a dynamic and interactive PointsBet branded horse betting experience.

“This will be supported through cost effective offers and marketing, along with the utilization of our extensive US sports betting database.”

1/ ST Technology chief executive Paul Williams added: “1/ ST Technology is excited to be partnering with the truly innovative team at PointsBet to bring the great sport of horse racing to a growing customer base across US markets.

“We are uniquely aligned on a superior product vision as well as the value that this relationship brings to our collective organisations and horse racing industry stakeholders at large.”

The specific location of the new sportsbook has not yet been disclosed, while any opening remains subject to approval by the DC Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) and DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (DCOLG).

Elys and Grand Central opened their first joint sportsbook in DC exactly one year ago today (4 October), with the facility at Grand Central Restaurant and Sportsbook being the first at a bar not to be operated by the state lottery’s Gambet brand.

This came after Grand Central and Elys were issued a Class B operator licence by the DCOLG for the venture.

“We are extremely pleased with the strong performance of this first location in the Adams Morgan district of DC, as illustrated by the continuous growth in betting handle,” Elys executive chairman Michele Ciavarella said. “Given this joint success, we are proud to now announce plans for a second sportsbook location with the ownership of Grand Central in DC.

“We believe our sportsbook solutions could play an important role in supporting the recovery of bars, restaurants and other small businesses post-pandemic, and are witnessing very strong interest and demand for our solutions and our highly popular Build-Your-Bet feature for sports bettors.

“We appreciate the support of the DCOLG in establishing and developing our first MSP location and together with DSLBD we now look forward to working closely with District officials and ownership to advance plans for this second location and others underway through this new implementation model.”

Last week, it was also announced that Elys had been granted approval by Washington DC local government for a white-label joint venture with the Ozio Lounge, a Mediterranean-themed nightclub.

The business agreed to launch a joint venture with District Hospitality, the club’s operator, and will trade under the BetDupont LLC name. The agreement has an initial term of three years from the date the licence is issued – with inbuilt provisions for two anticipated extensions of two years each.

This was up by 3.0% from revenue in the first quarter and up 3.9% year-on-year.

Online betting and gaming contributed SEK4.22bn of this, exactly the same as was recorded in the first quarter of 2022. However, this was up 2.8% from Q2 2021.

Combined revenue from the state lottery – operated by Svenska Spel – and from slots from Svenska Spel’s Vegas brand was SEK1.41bn, increasing by 9.7% from Q1 2022 and 1.0% year-on-year.

Charitable lotteries took in SEK868m in revenue during the quarter, staying fairly steady from the previous quarter – when revenue was SEK863m – but falling by 7.7% year-on-year.

Sweden’s state casino operator – Casino Cosmopol, also a subsidiary of Svenska Spel – generated SEK145m in Q2. This was 40.7% more than in the first quarter of the year, however there was no comparable figure for the second quarter of 2021, as all casinos were shut at this time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bingo revenue came to SEK48m, increasing by 26.3% quarter on quarter and 4.3% from Q2 2021. Land-based commercial gaming revenue from Sweden’s “restaurant casino” sector sector grew by SEK49m year-on-year to SEK57m, and 35.7% from the previous quarter.

Yesterday, Spelinspektionen published clarification on rules regarding betting on sporting matches that feature minors.

Under the arrangement, PlayStar will roll out its online casino offering, which is powered by Gaming Innovation Group, if Indiana legalises the vertical.

At present, online gambling in Indiana is limited to sports wagering only. However, the state published a report last week detailing the amount of revenue that could come from online casino. It projected that revenue could hit $469m in year one and grow to $830m in the third year of activity.

The market access agreement comes just weeks after PlayStar made its debut in the US by rolling out its online casino in New Jersey. The brand is also planning to launch in the state of Pennsylvania later this year, subject to completing the licensing process.

“Although it’s early days, we have seen very promising results after our New Jersey launch and we’re very confident of replicating this in each market we enter,” PlayStar co-founder and chief business development officer Adam Noble said.

“The addition of Indiana now, pre-regulation, will not only increase our total accessible market, but also give us the chance to go live in that market from day one, standing shoulder to shoulder with our peers.

“We continue to seek out further market access opportunities that align to our ‘casino-first’ product strategy.”