Month: December 2022

McDowell, who founded the B2B sports betting and igaming supplier 15 years ago, takes on the new role after a series of appointments in recent months.

These include the arrival of Ian Gray as interim leader and board liaison and Adam Smith as head of delivery, while Sam Lawrence, chief technology officer, and Ian Freeman, chief revenue officer, will be taking on expanded roles in the new executive team.

Michael Wagman, FSB’s chair, said “David has been instrumental in building what we believe to be the strongest sports betting and igaming platform in the industry. There are few people that have his deep sector knowledge across sports betting, platform and igaming products and we look forward to continuing our strategic collaboration as David joins the board of directors.”

McDowell said “As a co-founder, I will always have a place in my heart for FSB and I am extremely proud of what we have achieved together. Starting with an initial vision that live data could be used to revolutionise sports betting software, we have gone on to build a global B2B business that has pioneered the SaaS business model for sports betting services – attracting tier-one customers and now managing clients and operations across five continents.

“We have built a business with double digit revenue growth, which handles multiple billions in turnover for our customers annually. Along the way we have won many industry awards and made the Sunday Times TechTrack100 list of fastest growing companies. I am very much looking forward to supporting the new team from my board position.”

Earlier this year, FSB secured licensing approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). At the time, McDowell said: “Receiving our licence in this crucial, critical jurisdiction clearly captures the momentum we’re experiencing as a business at this moment.

“We aspire to be part of the long-term sports betting story in Nevada and look forward to embracing this market opportunity and, in the long term, aspiring to disrupt the North America region generally with our tier-one tech stack.”

The sanction was confirmed after the regulator approved a consent agreement presented by the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC).

The agreement was the result of negotiations between OEC and Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino Morgantown in Berks County, and its sports betting partner BetMGM.

The $7,500 fine was levied when BetMGM accepted and paid out wagers on the Victor Belfort v Evander Holyfield boxing contest on September 11, 2021 after the PGCB said that it had “specifically notified all operators that wagering on this event would not be permitted”.

In total, 76 wagers were accepted by BetMGM, according to the watchdog.

Last month, the PGCB fined Parx Casino $10,000 for allowing an 18-year-old to access the casino and gamble at gaming tables.

The regulator said casino personnel permitted the individual to enter the gaming floor and place bets. This breached Pennsylvania law that states players must be at least 21 to legally access the casino floor and gamble.

The fine was presented by the regulator’s OEC and issued to Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, which operates the casino.

Awards to be handed out on 9 February at The Troxy include Best Poker Affiliate; Best Sports Betting Affiliate; Best Casino Affiliate; Best Bingo Affiliate; Best Crypto Affiliate; Best Affiliate Manager; Best Affiliate Programme; Best Affiliate Network; Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year and Game of the Year. 

In addition, awards will also be given at the event for Best Tech for Affiliates; Best Tech for Affiliate Programmes; Best Digital Agency; Marketing Campaign of the Year; Rising Star; Best Newcomer; Innovation Award; Affiliate Employer of the Year.

iGB Affiliate Award Nominees

The nominees for best casino affiliate are AskGamblers, Betting Hero, Cashmagnet, Gambling.com Group, Good Luck Media, OLBG, Slots Temple, The Slot Beasts Traffic Lab and Vita Media Group.

For best affiliate programme, meanwhile, Bet365 Partners, Betcoin Partners, Campeón Affiliates, Galaxy Affiliates, Novi Affiliates, OMG Affiliates, Parimatch Affiliates, Partners.io, Venture Affiliates, V.Partners and William Hill Affiliates were all nominated.

For game of the year, the nominees are John Hunter & The Book Of The Fallen by Pragmatic Play; Fishin’ Pots Of Gold by Gameburger Studios; Secret Of Dead by Play’n Go; Gonzo’s Gold by NetEnt; Fishin’ Frenzy: The Big Catch Megaways by Blueprint Gaming; Leprechaun’s Luck Cash Collect by Playtech; Links Of Ra by Slingshot Studios; Solar Queen Megaways by Playson; Dragon King Legend Of The Seas by Red Tiger and Return To Paris by Betsoft Gaming.

Betting Hero led the way among companies in nominations, with five.

The theme for the award ceremony, which includes a three-course sit-down dinner and an after party, is ‘Made in NYC’.

Shine a light on the affiliate world

iGB portfolio director Naomi Barton said the awards are a great opportunity to shine a light on the success and achievements of the affiliate world. 

“Elaine Gardiner, who has a distinguished career in the affiliate world, described the iGB Affiliate Awards as being a celebration of the outstanding talent that exists in the industry and an opportunity for smaller organisations and individuals new to the business to be recognised for their contribution,” she said.

“Certainly the iGB Affiliate Awards categories reflect the talent which underpins the industry and which is driving its development. We have had huge interest across the categories and the quality of the shortlist and the newcomers this year alongside our current customer base reflect an industry which is continually raising the bar in terms of creativity, standards and professionalism. 

“The Awards are purely for the igaming affiliate world and are a central part of the iGB Affiliate London experience.”

iGB Affiliate London 2023

Looking ahead to iGB Affiliate London, which takes place from 8-11 February, she noted that the upcoming show is set to be significantly larger than the 2022 edition.

“Occupying a total of 11,800 square metres of floor space the show will be 22% bigger than the 2022 edition which was held in April. The great news for the igaming affiliate community is that we will eclipse the success of iGB Affiliate London 2022 both in terms of its physical size as well as the number of exhibiting and sponsoring organisations. 

“We are on track to exceed April’s total of 176 participating companies, a strong indicator of how much this event is needed and wanted. Our purpose is to champion fresh new thinking with iGB Affiliate London delivering access to new strategies, new partnerships and new sectors, all culminating in new business opportunities.”

For more information on iGB Affiliate London and the iGB Affiliate Awards, click here.

The largest source of revenue in Denmark was online casino, which generated DKK247m. This was a rise of 4.2% from September, and up 2.4% year-on-year.

Sports betting generated the second highest level of revenue for the month, totaling at DKK213m, a fall of DKK1m from September but up by 88.5% year-on-year, after particularly low revenue in October 2021.

Land-based revenue in Denmark

On the land-based side, slot machine revenue was DKK101m for the month, ticking up slightly from DKK99m in September but falling by 12.9% year-on-year.

Land based casino revenue came to a total of DKK29m. This was down by 14.7% monthly and 23.6% from October 2021.

Earlier this month, Denmark’s regulator prohibited reactivation bonuses for lapsed players.

“A player’s inactivity by the licensee may not be a selection criterion when awarding promotional offers,” it said. “Bonuses may therefore not be given on the basis of a player’s inactivity.”

KRAIL made the decision to cancel the licences for the operators to do business in Ukraine at its regular meeting.

According to information submitted by the Security Services of Ukraine, as well as the National Police in Kyiv, the specific entities were found to have provided inaccurate information in their documents.

The documents related to the section in which the licensee was expected to prove that it did “not act in the interests of residents of foreign countries that carry out armed aggression against Ukraine, and/or whose actions create conditions for the emergence of a military conflict and the use of military force against Ukraine, and/or establishing the fact of such control over the activities of gambling organisers”.

The above criteria was brought in as part of Ukraine’s 2020 law to legalise various forms of gambling, with the clause at the time referring to the Russian annexation of Crimea.

This means that Ukrainian government agencies had proved to their satisfaction that the individuals behind the gambling operations were linked with, or were residents, of the Russian Federation.

Russia-linked entities in Ukraine gambling market

The licensees in question were online casino operators Joker LLC, Play Fan Investment LLC and Alphagime LLC. The regulator also revoked a second Play Fan licence, which had allowed the operator to offer sports betting.

The regulator emphasised that ties between operators and Russian individuals would be grounds for the termination of a licence.

“KRAIL emphasises the need to strictly comply with the provisions of the current legislation of Ukraine, the inadmissibility of any ties between the organisers of gambling games and states carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine,” stated the body.

Following Russia’s invasion in February, KRAIL’s leaders have stated that the “isolation of Russia from the gambling sphere” is the key priority of the Commission.

1xBet

In November, the regulator announced the closure of a fifth 1xBet-associated site, which had been ordered to stop broadcasting after KRAIL was informed that the website was offering games of chance under the 1xBet brand.

1xBet has been illegal in Ukraine since September, after the site’s holders parent company TBK LLC had its licence cancelled by KRAIL, also for links to Russia.

The decision means the igaming supplier can distribute content in the state via CasinoEngine, its casino integration and productivity platform.

CasinoEngine offers access to more than 12,500 games across more than 250 casino vendors and sub-vendors.

Aside from Michigan, EveryMatrix has successfully obtained licences in West Virginia and New Jersey, with the iGaming platform stating that more jurisdictions are in the pipeline.

In October, the business announced its first US launch, through BetMGM.

EveryMatrix filed for a licence in Michigan earlier this year and last month, whilst announcing a 33% increase in gross profit to €16.8m for the third quarter of the year, the company said that it would continue to invest in growing across the US.

Erik Nyman, president of EveryMatrix Americas, said: “The state of Michigan has established a solid framework for online gaming and delivered strong results since market opening.

“We are very pleased that EveryMatrix has been granted the licence approval for iGaming and expect to go live shortly with our customers.”

Online gaming revenue in Michigan reached a record $141.0m in October, while the state also reported a 34.7% year-on-year increase in total internet gambling revenue.

Issued in September 2021, the Daub Alderney fine was in relation to a host of social responsibility and anti-money laundering shortcomings uncovered by the Commission during an investigation covering the period between January 2019 and March 2020.

The Commission said Daub Alderney did not have appropriate measures in place to detect or prevent problem gambling in a series of incidents that occurred between these dates.

Daub Alderney appeal

Daub Alderney appealed to the First-Tier Tribunal on the grounds that the financial penalty was excessive, unfair and disproportionate.

However, after examining evidence from both sides, Judge Jacqueline Findlay dismissed the appeal and ruled the financial penalty was a “fair and reasonable regulatory response” to the failings uncovered by the Commission.

2018 fine

In the ruling, Judge Findlay referenced an earlier fine issued to Daub Alderney in November of 2018. The operator was handed a penalty of £7.1m for breaching regulations on money laundering and failing to protect vulnerable consumers.

Judge Findlay said the similarity in the seriousness of regulatory breaches in the two cases meant that the Commission was correct in its decision to issue a second financial penalty.

“I find that there were serious breaches which were similar to the breaches for which a substantial financial penalty was imposed in 2018 and there are no new facts which persuade me that the decision was wrong,” Judge Findlay said. 

“I find that the (Commission Regulatory) Panel did not err in law and complied with its statutory obligations.”

Gambling Commission response

Speaking in response to the ruling, Gambling Commission deputy chief executive Sarah Gardner said the regulator welcomed the decision to dismiss the appeal.

“We do not take the decision to fine gambling companies lightly but we will always take firm, decisive action against operators who fail to follow rules aimed at making gambling safe and free from crime,” Gardner said.

In his new role, Elfersy will work the sales and commercial team to further extend the reach of GiG’s technology and pursue opportunities in regulated markets around the world.

Elfersy joins GiG after six months as chief executive of OXTech Group, before which he was also CEO of Impala Digital for a year.

Prior to this, Elfersy spent 12-and-a-half years with 888, first as its business development manager before going on to become business development director and later vice president of business development.

Elfersy spent two years as a board member at Come2Play while he also worked in a number of roles for JPMorgan Chase, T-Mobile UK, CenturyLink, the US Department of Commerce and the US Defence Logistics Agency. 

“I’ve been really impressed by GiG’s strategic growth and development as a top tier B2B provider in recent years,” Elfersy said. “With their market agility, unrivalled regulated omnichannel portfolio and full stack of proven products and services, 

“I’m super-excited to be joining Richard and the all-star team at GiG to help drive and accelerate growth across the global igaming and sports betting space.”

GiG chief executive Richard Brown added: “We have a continued emphasis on improvement as an operating principle at GiG. Given the business’ strong position within diverse and high value areas of the B2B supply chain in the igaming and sports betting industry, the appointment of someone of Marcel’s’ calibre and experience is a significant step forward for leveraging our full potential, as we enter 2023 with real excitement.”

Pokizino and ABA Lucky 33 were deemed to be operating in the country illegally, with ACMA having contacted Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to both sites.

ACMA said that, as neither site held a licence, they were operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 and as such were offering online gambling in Australia illegally. 

ACMA blocking history

Since ACMA made its first blocking request in November 2019, a total of 652 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked. 

In addition, more than 180 illegal services have pulled out of the Australian market since the authority began enforcing new illegal offshore gambling rules in 2017.

The two latest blocking requests come after ACMA last month also requested ISPs to block access to nine other sites.

Following a series of investigations, ACMA found Winning Days, 21Bit Casino, Oshi Casino, Lucky Elf Casino, NeoSpin, Lets Lucky, Boho Casino, Ripper Casino and BC.Game were all operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

Affiliate focus

This announcement followed a pledge by Earlier this month, ACMA said to focus on “affiliate services that promote and drive traffic to illegal online casinos” this year.

ACMA explained its actions for the July-September period, declaring affiliate services that drive traffic to illegal and offshore offerings while often posing as independent reviewers of gambling sites are its compliance priority.

The group was established in March 2020 with the aim of addressing gambling-related harms in Northern Ireland. It said the current approach to gambling harm in Northern Ireland prioritises individual behaviours and attitudes, rather than addressing the wider issue as it believes a public health approach would.

Public health approaches typically act as action plans for areas of public concern, including obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking.

“A public health approach into gambling-related harm would move the focus from the individual problem gambler to a much broader consideration of the causes of gambling-related harm that can then be located within a wider framework of public health policies,” said Robbie Butler MLA, chair of the APG. “This approach has been used for other addictions including food addiction, smoking and alcoholism.”

“One of the key recommendations to emerge from the APG’s first inquiry on the future regulation of gambling was that gambling should be officially recognised as a public health issue.”

Call for submissions on gambling harm in Northern Ireland

As a result, the group has issued a call for health professionals, advocacy group representatives, departmental officials and those with lived experience to submit written evidence.

The deadline for submitting this evidence is 3 February 2023.

“We are recommending that gambling be reflected in regulation that prioritises health, prevention of harm, and treatment,” continued Butler. “Gambling addiction should be fully integrated into all relevant strategies including mental health and suicide prevention.”

“We call on health professionals, advocacy group representatives, academics, departmental officials and those with personal experience, among others, to take part in this inquiry.”

APG 2021 inquiry

The APG published its first inquiry in November 2021. Among other revelations, this report found that there was support for gambling to be recognised as a public health issue.

Earlier this year, Northern Ireland’s Community Committee called for a dedicated gambling regulator to be put in place, as it backed the Assembly’s gambling reform bill.

That reform bill became law in April. One of the changes brought about through the bill is that betting shops can now open on Sundays and on Good Friday. However, betting shops will still have to close on Christmas Day.

A second bill is planned to further address areas of gambling policy, including online gambling.