Conor Grant to join Racecourse Media Group as chairman

Grant will initially join as a non-executive director, beginning 1 April 2023, and will succeed chairman Roger Lewis on 1 October 2023. Lewis first joined the RMG board in 2012 and was appointed as chairman in 2019.

Grant has 24 years of experience in the industry, and was most recently chief executive for Flutter UK and Ireland. Before this, he was the chief operating officer of Sky Betting and Gaming.

“I am delighted to be joining Racecourse Media Group at such an exciting time for the business and the broader racing industry,” said Grant. “RMG has delivered outstanding results for its shareholders in recent years and I would like to pay tribute to Roger who has done a fantastic job, along with CEO Martin Stevenson, in growing and developing the business.”

“I look forward to working with the RMG team and continuing to deliver for all of our racecourses.”

Outgoing chairman Lewis said that the board supports Grant’s appointment, adding that RMG has secured a positive outlook for the near future.

“It is a tribute to the team at RMG that we have secured Conor as our next Chair and we all welcome Conor’s appointment,” said Lewis. “I am confident that Conor will take RMG to even greater heights in the years to come.”

“RMG is in great shape. We are about to announce record results for the past year and I congratulate the executive team at RMG for consistently delivering the best possible returns for our racecourses and the sport of horseracing.”

RMG also announced that non-executive director Andy Anson will be stepping down, having completed his tenure on the RMG board. He joined the board in 2017.

“On behalf of the RMG Board, I would also like to thank Andy Anson, who has been a much-valued friend and colleague of us all for the past six years, chairing our audit committee with great skill and commitment,” said Lewis.

Pennsylvania smashes gambling revenue records in 2022

The yearly figure – comprising land-based slots, table games, sports betting, igaming, video gaming terminals (VGTs) and fantasy contests – was 10.2% higher than $4.73bn in 2021, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

Retail slots were by far the primary source of revenue in Pennsylvania, generating $2.39bn worth of revenue, up 4.5% year-on-year. Land-based table games revenue was also 7.1% higher at $990.6m.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

SimWin announces strategic partnership with Sports Illustrated

Under the deal, Sports Illustrated will become SimWin’s official presenting partner with a variety of branding opportunities and integrations across its platform.     

“We are delighted to partner with SI, an authority in the sports and culture realm, as they continue their foray into the metaverse sports space,” said SimWin Sports CEO, David J Ortiz.

“This partnership will provide SimWin an exceptional opportunity to enhance its presentation and broadcasts while optimising engagement with the rabid fans SI has cultivated for generations.”

Metaverse 

SimWin’s metaverse proposition sees virtual athletes playing on teams owned by well-known sports and entertainment figures. Some individuals active on the platform includes former NBA greats Magic Johnson and Tracy McGrady as well as former NFL stars Jerry Rice and Marshall Faulk.

In 2019, the SI trademark was acquired by American brand management conglomerate Authentic Brands Group for $110m (£90.4m/€102.3m).    

in 2019, The si brand was acquired by authentic brands group

“Sports Illustrated is the intersection of sports and culture, and our continued expansion into the metaverse is an organic next step for the most trusted brand in sports,” said Dan Dienst, executive vice-chairman of tactical opportunities at Authentic.

“As Authentic continues to build out its sports, media and web3 verticals, we are thrilled to partner with SimWin as well as become proud owners of teams in SimWin’s virtual sports leagues.”

888 partnership

In June 2021, SI announced that its gaming platform, Sports Illustrated Sportsbook, would be powered by London-based gaming business 888.

The deal saw Authentic provide the exclusive licence to the SI brand and trademarks for online sports betting and igaming, as well as some advertising and editorial integrations on certain SI-branded digital assets.  

In April 2022, 888 appointed media veteran Howard Mittman to lead on the SI sportsbook, naming the former Bleacher Report chief executive as president of its US operations.

The 888-powered sportsbook is currently live in three states – Colorado, Michigan and Virginia.    

PlayCherry joins German Sports Betting Association

As an approved member of the DSWV, PlayCherry will work with the organisation and its other members to clamp down on illegal activities in the regulated German market.

PlayCherry is licensed to operate its Sunmaker.de, Comeonwetten.de and Mobilebet.de sites in the country. 

“Germany is a core market for our company, and we are pleased to be part of this relatively young, regulated sports betting market,” Cherry CEO Jürgen Reutter said. “The DSWV and PlayCherry pursue a common goal and our membership underlines our efforts to provide customers in Germany with entertaining and at the same time secure sports betting products.”

DSWV president Mathias Dahms added: “With PlayCherry, the DSWV is gaining another member with many years of international experience. Everything in the German gambling industry is currently in a state of upheaval and sports betting providers are facing major challenges.

“It is therefore all the more important to position ourselves as one and to work together for a well-regulated market.”

Confirmation of its latest member comes after the DSWV in November entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) in an effort to protect sports integrity.

Under the arrangement, the DSWV and IBIA will work in partnership and coordinate their activities on betting and related integrity issues in Germany.

The two associations will bring together their expertise on activities aimed at promoting a viable regulated sports betting market in the country that has high consumer channelling and related consumer, sports and operator integrity protection measures.

BCLC taps Mark Goldberg as chief information officer

From 23 January, Goldberg will lead on the crown corporation’s technology strategy in support of the BCLC lottery, casino and sports betting operations.

For more than 20 years Goldberg, served in a variety of IT roles, most recently as vice president of information technology and global real estate and facilities at social media management platform Hootsuite.

Before this, he worked to develop digital transformation strategies for a diverse array of companies in the travel, hospitality, consumer product and heavy-equipment sectors.      

In August, the BCLC governing board promoted former chief information officer Pat Davis to become CEO and president, alongside a number of other senior hires. He replaced interim CEO and president Lynda Cavanaugh, who had served in the position since January.

Leveraging information technology

“We are so pleased to welcome Mark to BCLC, where his demonstrated success in leveraging information technology to grow and scale business objectives for global companies will strengthen our work to deliver truly exceptional player experiences,” Davis said.

Goldberg will be based in provincial operator’s Vancouver office, but will travel on a regular basis to the company’s head office in Kamloops – where more than one-third of BCLC employees working in the business technology division are based.   

Davis added: “This is a key role, as technology truly underpins every facet of our business – from the systems that enable the purchase and validation of lottery tickets, to the complex network of slot machines at our casinos and community gaming centres and the infrastructure that supports the province’s only, legal regulated gambling website – PlayNow.com.”

Last June, the BCLC announced that its flagship online gambling platform PlayNow.com would be expanding to Saskatchewan, following a deal with both the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) and SaskGaming  

Spain to extend strict marketing rules to lottery

In this resolution, lottery operators, as well as brokers and any other bodies providing third-party marketing for lotteries, must comply with new regulations that restrict and specify marketing and advertising done on behalf of Spain’s national lotteries.  

The mandate introduces changes to the ways lotteries can be present online. This includes but is not limited to verifying age through national databases on online platforms, informing minors or others prohibited from playing that they cannot participate, and introducing an official seal on websites that proves authenticity.  

In addition, brokers will be responsible for complying with similar regulations. They must also follow the instructions of the lotteries in regard to marketing regulation and be transparent with the activity of its sales channels.  

Importantly, the resolution also extends lotteries and brokers to the provisions of Law 13/2011 of May 27 and the subsequent Royal Decree 958/2020 of November 3.  

In short, Law 13/2011 of May 27, or the “Spanish Gambling Act”, requires licenses for operators. Royal Decree 958/2020 of Nov 3, meanwhile, sets out a number of rules around marketing.  

Notably, it restricts TV and radio communications to only air between 1am and 5am and prohibits promotional bonuses among other requirements.  

The DGOJ said that the purpose of the resolution is to guarantee the protection of consumers and extend the restrictions imposed on gambling advertising to lotteries.

Rivalry revenue more than doubles to $21.7m in Q3

The $21.7m in revenue reported by Rivalry was a 130% increase from Q3 of 2021, and came on $186m worth of betting handle.

The business added that 30% of its overall handle and 15% of revenue – or around $3.3m – came from its casino product.

Rivalry added that 90% of its sportsbook handle, representing close to $120m, came from bets on esports. In addition, the operator said that 82% of its user base is under 30 years old, with its average customer age being 25.

“Our approach toward attracting the next generation of consumers is different from legacy operators,”  chief executive Steven Salz said. “We scale through word of mouth and organic market entrenchment of brand equity that allows us to operate without a dependency on excess bonusing and player subsidies.”

During the first 10 months of the year so far, Rivalry added that its average month-on-month revenue growth grew to 32%, while its bonus spend as a share of revenue was cut in half.

“We have high expectations for 2023, and are confident that it will be another year of record achievements,” Salz said.

In 2023, Salz said the business will continue to expand in more regulated markets, having been among the first operators to launch in Ontario and also launching in Australia last year.

TonyBet fined £442,750 in Great Britain over “unfair” terms and conditions

Following a review of TonyBet and its licence, the Commission said that the operator breached a number of its licence conditions, and as such was handed the fine and an official warning.

TonyBet was also ordered to undergo a third-party audit to assess whether it is effectively implementing AML and social responsibility requirements.

Setting out its findings, the Commission noted “unfair” terms on the operator’s website, including that TonyBet may request identification documents for all withdrawals even if it had performed checks earlier in the business relationship.

This, the regulator said, placed friction in front of withdrawals but not deposits.

The Commission also noted that TonyBet could confiscate winnings where consumers failed to provide AML documentation within 30 days, while the operator considered accounts to be dormant after six months inactivity, rather than the standard 12 months of inactivity.

TonyBet failings

In terms of specific failings, the Commission said social responsibility failings included not identifying customers who may be at risk of experiencing harms associated with gambling, and failing to interact with these customers when they were identified.

As for AML failings, the regulator said that these included failing to conduct adequate risk assessments of the business being used for money laundering and terrorist financing, and failing to ensure they have appropriate policies, procedures and controls to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

As such, the Commission found TonyBet to be in breach of a number of licence conditions, including Licence Condition 12.1.1 covering anti-money laundering, the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing. TonyBet was also ruled to have breached paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of the same condition.

Other breaches included paragraph 1 of Licence Condition 12.1.2 for AML and Measures for operators based in foreign jurisdictions, as well as Licence Condition 15.2.16  and failure to report a key event, as well as Social Responsibility Code of Practice 3.4.1 under section 24 of the Gambling Act 2005.

Fair and open

“Not only does this case illustrate our drive to clamp down on anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures, but also highlights action we will take against gambling businesses who fail to be fair and open with customers,” the Commission’s executive director of operations Kay Roberts said.

The ruling comes after the Commission this week also ordered BetConstruct’s B2C sports betting and igaming arm Vivaro Limited – trading as Vbet – to pay a £337,631 regulatory settlement over AML and player protection failings.

Entain to exit markets with “no clear path” to regulation

Entain announced plans in 2020 for all of its revenue to come from locally regulated markets, and said that it intends to be 100% regulated by the end of 2023. While it withdrew from many unregulated markets in the following years, it remained in certain jurisdictions that it described as “regulating”, such as Brazil.

Now, Entain has said it will “accelerate this process by exiting its few remaining markets where there is no clear path to market liberalisation via domestic regulation”. However, it will remain in “a small number of markets where it expects changes in regulation will enable it to obtain domestic licenses in due course”.

“As part of the profound and far-reaching transformation programme that Entain has undergone in the last few years, we took the decision in 2020 to only operate in nationally regulated markets,” Entain chair Barry Gibson said. “Today’s announcement is therefore a continuation of that strategy, and should be taken as a clear demonstration of Entain’s commitment to the highest standards of corporate responsibility, governance, sustainability, and player safety. 

“We stated at the outset that we would exit any market that wasn’t able to regulate at sufficient pace or to the right standards, and we have acted decisively to do so. We are proud to be leading our industry as the only global operator taking this approach of solely operating in markets where there is domestic licensing.”

Entain said that the revenue impact from these latest exits is “relatively small” and will not affect its 2023 expectations. Last year, the business revealed in its ESG report that 99% of its revenue already came from locally regulated markets as of the end of 2021.

While it did not mention specific markets, Brazil is one jurisdiction in which plans for regulation had recently been set back. The country was set to regulate sports betting, having published rules on the matter, but president Jair Bolsonaro opted not to sign these rules before the deadline to do so. As a result, the efforts to regulate sports betting were sent back to square one.

Online casino gaming may still be legalised in Brazil after the Chamber of Deputies passed a law to do so last year, but this would still need Senate and presidential approval to become law, meaning it may take a long time for the vertical to launch.

Former SunCity boss Chau sentenced to 18 years in prison

Local reports said that the Macau Court of First Instance handed down the sentence after Chau was found guilty of multiple charges.

Besides the prison sentence, Chau was also ordered to pay compensation to both the Macau government and five of Macau’s six casino concessionaires.

Chau was one of 11 people arrested by Macau police in 2021 for allegedly creating an illegal live betting platform in the Philippines, which attracted customers from mainland China via a Macau-based junket.

Following the arrest, Chau announced he would step down as SunCity and Summit Ascent chairman.

Soon after the arrest, SunCity stopped its junket business entirely to focus on resort development.

Chau was ultimately charged with 229 counts of illegal gambling and 54 counts of substantial fraud.