The monthly figure was comfortably higher than the $499.2m bet during the same month in 2021, but 7.2% behind the $616.9m wagered in November 2022.
Mobile betting accounted for $566.5m of all bets placed in December, while a further $5.0m was spent at retail sportsbooks in the state.
Mungham will take up retirement in the autumn but remain in both roles and support the organisation with its search for a replacement until that time.
Having joined AGCO in 2006 as director of licensing in registration, he went on to become its chief operating officer before assuming his current roles in 2020.
In his new role, Skeie will assume responsibility for the specialist business unit that employs 150 developers, traders, and members of the commercial and support teams.
Skeie joined EveryMatrix in October 2020 when Toto IT, the Thailand-based development business he founded in 2013, was acquired by the developer. He started at EveryMatrix as development manager before going on to become head of product development front end.
Prior to this, he spent time as managing director at GoSpotting, and advisor at Oddslife and manager at Globalitworld.com. He was also managing director of New Deal Gaming and founded both Betonbet,com and Hybrino.com.
“It’s a great thrill to lead the sports business unit and to continue to build on the brilliant work the team have done in making OddsMatrix one of the fastest growing and most reliable sportsbook platform solutions offerings in our industry,” Skeie said.
“I look forward to continuing to deliver a second-to-none service for both new and existing clients, ensuring maximum stability and performance and delivering a roadmap of new, innovative features that will take us and our partners to the next level.”
EveryMatrix chief executive Ebbe Groes added: “Myself and many of the leadership team have known Tor for many years and he has been an excellent addition to the business since acquiring Toto IT. As a result, we have better delivery on the sports front end today than we have ever had, happier clients and improved performance.
“Tor has played a big role in this, and his management, leadership and client interface skills will help us build further momentum and tier-one client growth for OddsMatrix.”
Governor Perry believes legislation from Senator Lois Kolkhorst and Representative Jeff Leach, that paves the way for a public vote on sports betting regulation, is the best way to bring legal wagering to the Lone Star State.
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Rick Perry is a former United States Secretary of Energy, serving under US President Donald J. Trump from March 2017 to December 2019.
As the 14th Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry led an agency tasked with overseeing the United States’ energy supply, nuclear defense capacity, and the 17 National Laboratories, home to many of the country’s best scientists.
Prior to joining the Administration as Secretary of Energy, Perry served as the 47th Governor of Texas. As Governor of the Lone Star State, Perry championed conservative principles that helped Texas become America’s economic engine.
Today (14/03/23) Spain’s main executive body, the Council of Minister’s, has approved the Royal Decree for the development of safer gaming environments, a proposal from the country’s Council of Ministers to bulwark safer gambling protections.
The new measures are the latest regulatory push from the Ministry, following the previous 2020 Royal Decree of Commercial Communications, which significantly tightened up the country’s gambling advertising laws.
“The purpose of this new regulation is to minimise risky or intensive gambling behaviours that can lead, in the most extreme cases, to problematic or pathological behaviours,” said the ministry in a statement, explaining the rationale for the new measures.
The principal target of the decree is young people between the ages of 18 and 25, which the ministry argues are especially vulnerable to “inappropriate messages and gaming patterns” – although the regulations will also fortify protections for other at risk groups.
The government will define risk profiles by consumer spend; a user who accumulates a net loss of €600 – who €200 if the individual is under the age of 25 – over a period of three consecutive weeks will be considered to be an intensive gambler for categorisation purposes.
The Royal Decree also includes additional protections for players who have requested safer gambling restrictions on their gambling accounts, or else has signed up to the national self-exclusion register.
Under the new rules, operators will be required to send a message warning at-risk individuals if potentially harmful behaviour is detected, as well as a monthly summery of their gaming activity. Additionally, users who are in this category will not be able to use credit cards to finance their gambling spend.
Gaming operators will also be barred from sending promotional material to players who fall into this category. The companies will also no longer be permitted to include such individuals in VIP programmes.
The businesses will also not be allowed to send promotions to young people between 18 to 25 if they did not previously interact with the gaming business. For example, an individual who buys tickets to a football game will not be allowed to be subject for gambling advertising.
“In other words, they can no longer be offered improved or more advantageous conditions to promote their level of play,” said the Ministry.
Operators will also be required to establish communications will at-risk players. If there is no reply within 72 hours, the business must suspend the account.
Younger users will also be shown a message that gambling at an early age is associated increased risk of developing unsafe gambling behaviour later in life.
The Ministry has said that failure to comply with the new regulations may see a business subject to sanctions. This could include a fine of €1m and a six-month suspension of their gaming licence. The statement added that for more serious infractions, penalties could be up to €50m, with the potential to permanently lose its licence.
Following the publication of the new rules in Official State Gazette, new rules usually enter force in six-months. Some regulations which entail particular technological complexity may have a delayed entry of 12-months.
The Royal Decree has found itself the target of criticism from the Spanish online operator association JDigital.
The body highlighted that the Spanish regulatory regime is already one of the strictest in Europe, currently in a period of falling levels of problem gambling.
“We consider that this Royal Decree responds to a tendency of the national regulator to regulate activities that are already hyper-regulated, where the measures and good practices of the operators have contributed to having truly secure environments and frameworks,” said the lobbying group.
JDigital also said that it is in favour of regulation of the sector as long as such measures are proportionate and contribute to safer gambling environments.
The body added that however, regulation “cannot be an obstacle to sending political, confusing and alarmist messages to society, about a perfectly safe sector, according to government data and in comparison with neighbouring countries, and already battered after the entry into force of the Royal Decree of Commercial Communications.”
“Now… that it has already been regulated to limit the activity of operators, from the industry we demand that the regulator be able to work on the opportunities that do exist to improve the gambling market and investment in Spain.
“For this reason, Jdigital will continue to reach out to the regulator to address the creation of safe environments for online gambling in Spain in the most efficient way possible, as it has done up to now.”
Super Group’s revenue was down by 2.1% year-on-year.
During the year, Super Group made a number of strategic moves. Its $4.75bn merger with SEAC was completed in January 2022, following shareholder approval. In June, four of its brands – which included its main gaming brand Spin – received approval to launch in Ontario.
In the early days of January this year, Super Group received approval to launch in the US after it acquired Betway’s local operations there.
Neal Menashe, CEO of Super Group said the company was interest in expanding its global footprint – particularly in the US.
“Super Group is a leading global pure-play sports betting and online casino company seeking to continually optimise and grow our global footprint, including in the US,” said Menashe. “We continue to efficiently invest in our brand, enhance our technology platform and benefit from our consistent cash generation.”
“We feel we are well positioned to apply our well tested strategies to the U.S. markets and capitalise on what we see as a multi-year investment opportunity.”
Alinda van Wyk, CFO of Super Group said that going forward, investments would focus in the areas of technology and marketing in order to support the company further in 2023.
“Super Group remains financially strong, and we continue to run our business profitably while investing in technology and marketing to support future growth,” said van Wyk. “We remain focused on operating more efficiently in 2023 in order to improve scale and our operating margins going forward.”
The full revenue for 2022 consists of net revenue and other revenue, which includes brand licensing revenue.
It was made up mostly of online casino revenue, which totaled at €816m. This was a fall of 5.4%. year-on-year.
Sports betting revenue came to €439m, 12.2% higher than in FY 2021. Other revenue at €41m – a drop of 42.2% – made up the remaining revenue.
Direct expenses for the year totaled €473m, slightly higher than the €455m recorded in 2021.
Marketing costs fell slightly, coming out at €344m compared to €351m in 2021. General and administrative expenses also grew, by €52m to €270m.
Pre-tax profit for the year totaled at €233.7m, a rise of 3.4%. Following finance income at €2.2m, finance expense at €920,000 and depreciation and amortisation expense at €65.7m, the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the year hit €298.1m, a decline of 5.2%.
A range of other costs – including transaction fees, share based payment expense and foreign exchange on revaluation of warrants and earnouts – as well as some gains brought the adjusted EBITDA to €199.2m, a decline of 31.1% year-on-year.
After unrealised foreign exchange at €2.6m, non-recurring and non current operating adjustments at €7.7m and pre-acquisition loss at €1.1m, the operational EBITDA hit €208.4m, a decline of 31.1%.
The fourth quarter of the year ended 31 December saw revenue of €329m, a loss of 3.5% from Q4 2021.
Once again, online casino made up a majority of the revenue, at €209m. Sports betting generated €113m in revenue, while other revenue contributed €7m.
For the quarter, direct expenses came to €120m, ticking up by €2m compared to Q4 2021. Marketing costs also remained relatively stable, increasing by €1m to €95m. Meanwhile, general and administrative expenses hit €72m for the quarter, a significant rise of 24.1%.
Profit before tax came to €38.2m, down by 38.8% yearly. Finance income at €1m, finance expense at €86,000 and depreciation and amortisation expense at €18.8m brought the EBITDA to €56.1m, down by 32.5%.
Various other costs brought the EBITDA total down significantly. In particular, change in fair value of earnout liability at €43.3m provided a blow to the total. However, restricted stock unit expense at €10.5m provided a boost.
Following these and other gains and costs, adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was €17.9m, a loss of 73.8%.
After unrealised foreign exchange of €22.1m, non recurring and non current operating adjustments at €3.5m and pre-acquisition loss of €1.3m, the operational EBITDA for the quarter was €42.3m, a loss of 39.1% year-on-year.
The GGL said the operator was penalised after it “deliberately advertised” its offerings on websites that also advertised illegal gambling offerings.
According to the regulator, this was a violation of Germany’s Fourth State Treaty on Gambling, which came into force in July 2021.
The GGL was created as a result of the treaty, and took control of all aspects of gambling regulation from 1 January 2023, following taking over on the illegal gambling enforcement brief on 1 July 2022. Prior to this, gambling enforcement was the responsibility of various state level ministries in Germany.
“We consider these advertising regulations to be very good and justified,” said Ronald Benter, CEO off the GGL. “The GGL consistently monitors offers from legal providers.”
“In the event of violations, we levy heavy fines. The withdrawal of the licence in the event of repeated violations of the provisions of the State Treaty on Gaming is a measure that we do not shy away from.”
Benjamin Schwanke, board member at GGL, added that operators would also be affecting their own reputation if they chose to violate this rule.
“The legal online gambling providers cannot have any interest in advertising on sites that also advertise illegal gambling,” he said. “This damages the reputation of the providers.”
Starburst still tops the charts but it’s under pressure from Sweet Bonanza (Pragmatic Play) rather than Book Of Dead (Play’n GO) currently. As candy-themed games hit the mark at Easter, Sweet Bonanza is now our favourite for April’s top spot.
Even when armed with oodles of data, analysts tend to be quite cautious in nature, especially when making predictions in that complex soup of variables that lead to game success. So, true to form, we are not taking bets on the Easter charts, and yet, the more you probe the numbers, the better your forecasts or ‘gut feelings’ become.
Themes play a massive role in chart success, not as much as distribution reach, but arguably on a par with maths models or game mechanics. They can often tip the balance, especially when a seasonal overlay is applied. All other things being equal – and they nearly are between Sweet Bonanza and Starburst – it might just come down to a seasonal swing toward the sweet tooth.
Here’s a bit more colour to the same idea, somewhat anecdotal perhaps, but still grounded in numbers. The golden oldie Immortal Romance (Microgaming) has been in the top 20 for most months over the last two years. It always performs well during Halloween, gets nudged out for a few weeks by Christmas titles, but come Valentine’s Day, the game is back! That magic combination of romance and horror gives it two bites at the seasonal apple and a thematic cadence to its success.
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Whilst we are on the romance theme, we don’t publish a Valentine’s chart as such but do give a nod to the amorous studio directors out there.
Romantic romps still charming us from yesteryear were Lucky Valentine (Red Tiger), Heartburst (Eyecon), and Lucky Lady’s Charm (Novomatic). Love Joker from Play’n GO performed nicely too but it was unusual that these seasonal masters didn’t treat us to a new release this year. Perhaps, like Bgaming, they’re keeping their powder dry for Easter.
Romantic variations that performed nicely (as per our Christmas analysis) included a couple of top performer ‘editions’ from Spinomenal, including Book Of Aphrodite. Meanwhile, Heart’s Desire by Betsoft Gaming offered us a passionate backdrop to some classic symbols.
The big new Valentine’s release this year emerged from the Yggdrasil stable, where Reel Life Games treated us to the Power Of Love. This strong brand plus some popping and expanding wilds designed, they say, to “fill up our love meters” (oo’ er madam), was lush and bountiful in reach. If you prefer a more prudish or Victorian adaptation of the theme, you can of course try KA Gaming’s release Romance In England, where a bowler-hatted gent courts an HRH lookalike, treating her, it seems, to a chaperoned cup of tea, atop a big red bus!
On the deals front, Lady Luck Games continues to extend its reach through new platforms or aggregators, this month adding Hub88 and thus maintaining its busiest studio spot over the last six months.
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Meanwhile, the platform Slotegrator takes the top aggregator spot, having ramped up its content sourcing with three new deals in February alone: Aviatrix, Gaming Corps and Panga Games.
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And a final thought for Easter …
Some studios this week will be finalising their launch plans for the creations they hope will hit that sweet spot, whilst others are frantically reskinning Easter versions of existing titles. Having added many to the database in advance of their launch, you can be assured a bonanza of sticky smiles around the corner.
In contrast, there is just one dentist-themed game on the market, albeit a bit long in the tooth now, as it was launched back in 2014. So, maybe it’s not only time but the responsible thing too, to launch one in May, coinciding with the tooth fairy’s next visit?
* Please note these are live charts that update every month so please ensure the month of February 2023 is selected in the drop-downs to match the analysis
**The interactive games chart at the top excludes live games and table games. Game rankings are determined by the number of game appearances on the casino homepages of more than 2,200 casino sites. To access many other charts including game rankings, live and table games, positions on subpages or to filter game performance by game theme, game feature, market or operator, please get in touch with our partner, egamingmonitor.com. Egamingmonitor covers 45,000 games, 1,400 suppliers and 2,200+ operators.
***Data on deals by month was collected from April 2020 onwards and the rolling chart reflects current dealmaking performance, i.e. how many deals were signed over the last 6 months. Note that only deals either a) on company websites or b) in the gaming press or c) reported to us by studios and aggregators, are collated. Deals between studios & aggregators (and aggregators & operators) from all time are available via egamingmonitor.com.
KSA was informed in January 2022 that an 18-year-old individual had received several emails from Bet365 about registering with the operator, with some of the emails including details about certain bonuses.
Dutch law prohibits licensed operators from promoting their services to players within the young adult age group, which covers consumers between 18 and 24.
KSA launched an investigation into the issue, covering the period between 26 October 2021 and 1 February 2022. This uncovered that a number of other players in this age range had also been contacted via email, and as such the regulator ruled there was a breach of article 2, paragraph 4 of the Dutch Gambling Act.
Bet365 responded to the charge saying KSA “misinterpreted” this section of the Act, which it said does include a blanket ban on promotional messages to the 18-24 age group, but only on adverts specifically targeted at young adults.
The operator also appealed against the decision, but KSA rejected these arguments and the subsequent appeal, ordering Bet355 to pay the fine.
KSA initially agreed on a €350,000 fine, due to the “seriousness” of the case, but as it also said as the breach took place over a number of months, the fine was increased to €400,000.
“Vulnerable groups, such as young adults, must be given extra protection,” KSA said. The brains of young people are still developing. As a result, they are extra vulnerable to developing gambling addiction.
“Gaming providers must fully respect the rules intended to protect vulnerable groups. That did not happen here and therefore we issued this fine.”
Vella will replace Roderick Attard, who resigned in December of last year after just over 12 months in the role. She initially took up the position on an interim basis last month.
An experienced management professional, Vella joined Acroud in August 2019 as financial controller before being promoted to the role of head of finance in April of last year.
Prior to this, Vella was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers Malta for seven years, while she also holds an Honours degree in Accounting from the University of Malta.
“I am very happy that Tricia has accepted our offer to become our permanent CFO, after having performed outstanding over the last few months in the role of interim CFO,” Acroud chief executive Robert Andersson said.
The appointment comes after Acroud last month said its purchase of a media and affiliate business helped drive revenue up 53.9% in the fourth quarter, but an impairment charge related to old assets from a historic acquisition impacted bottom line.
The group completed its acquisition of the unnamed business in October last year after it initially brokered an agreement to purchase a 60% stake in June 2022, with the operation now referred to as Acroud Media.
Group revenue for the fourth quarter reached €10.0m, up from €6.5m in the corresponding period in 2021. The full year, revenue increased 24.6% to €30.9m, with a large portion of this growth taking place in Q4 following the acquisition.
