Month: January 2024

Experienced Camilleri will lead the iGP product team. He will focus on developing a roadmap to address market trends and company goals, as well as improving iGP’s offering.

Camilleri joins iGP having worked in the gambling industry for more than eight years. He was most recently vice-president of product at Pariplay, serving in the role for 11 months until December 2023.

Prior to this, Camilleri worked at Green Jade Games for over two and a half years. He first spent time as head of product before becoming chief product and technology officer.

Camilleri also worked as head of casino for Global Gaming Group. In addition, he was head of gaming product at Jackpotjoy Group, as well as platform product owner for gaming at Betsson Group.

Before joining the industry, Camilleri spent time as a solutions architect at Vodafone.

IGP eyes more hires in 2024

“IGP is a company that has grand ambitions to be the very best in the business when it comes to its product offering,” Camilleri said. 

“I could not be more excited to play a key part in the delivery of these top-quality products and services. I look forward to being part of our exciting growth story.”

IGP noted that Camilleri will be the first in a series of new hire announcements in 2024. The expansion of its team follows the rebrand of the business last summer.

Giovanni Paticchio, chief executive of iGP, welcomed the appointment of Camilleri. He said this would support the business’ wider growth plans.

“I’m delighted to welcome Dirk to iGP,” Paticchio said. “With the products we have today and with Dirk’s help, the product we plan to launch next year puts iGP in a great position to deliver even more value to our clients and entertainment to their customers.”

The estimate was made by the country’s ministry of finance. Bulgaria is expecting “very serious capital investments” to help reach its target.

Bulgaria’s State Gazette made the announcement, with minister of finance Asen Vassilev outlining all capital expenditures.

Taxation changes to aid Bulgaria’s budget

With gambling adding over BGN300m in taxes and fees to the state budget over the last two years, changes to Bulgaria’s tax structure could help boost its financial contribution even further.

However, the fee for obtaining a licence has increased significantly, up 300% on before. Tax on income has also jumped from 15% to 20%.

These hikes have created controversy with the Association of the Gaming Industry in Bulgaria (AGIB), which “categorically” disagreed with the increases as far too disproportionate.

Vassilev, meanwhile, disagreed by stating that the fiscal programme will still allow for fairly strong growth in the gambling industry.

Regulation in Bulgaria enhanced in 2023

Bulgaria tightened its gambling controls in 2023, with the country’s National Revenue Agency (NRA) creating a new anti-money laundering unit.

This came after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) threatened to enhance its monitoring of Bulgarian gambling.

The AML unit introduced requirements such as customer verification, collecting documents and creating money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessments.

Its launch follows a 2020 money laundering risk assessment which identified deficiencies in a number of sectors.

The AML unit sits within the NRA. This is the department which took control of gambling regulation in 2020 after Bulgaria disbanded the State Commission on Gambling.

Bans were issued to Edvinas Grigaitis, Givi Khudoiani and Arsen Movsisyan after being sanctioned by an independent anti-corruption hearing officer. The ITIA also said Manuel Sperger was also banned after being convicted of tennis match-fixing activity in an Austrian criminal court.

Breaking down the bans, Sperger an Austrian, a national-level official, will serve a seven-and-a-half-year ban. This is effective from 18 December 2023 until 17 June 2031. He will also pay a fine of $25,000 (£19,708/€22,860), with $18,750 suspended

Sperger was the subject of match-fixing-related proceedings in a criminal court in Austria. He admitted to manipulating scores in 2016 and 2017 for betting purposes.

The ITIA charged Sperger with 12 offences under its Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). These included manipulating the entry of scoring data for betting purposes and facilitating wagering, with Sperger admitted to the offences.

More betting-related bans for tennis personnel 

Meanwhile, Grigaitis, Khudoiani and Movsisyan will also serve bans for corruption offences related to betting.

Lithuania’s Grigaitis, a national-level official, received a three-year suspension over four breaches of the TACP. Offences included delaying or manipulating the entry of scoring data for betting purposes and facilitating wagering.

Grigaitis was also charged with wagering on tennis matches they were not involved in. The suspension runs from 15 December 2023 to 14 December 2026.

Georgia’s Khudoiani and Armenia’s Movsisyan, also national-level officials, were found to have collaborated on a scheme to manipulate scoring data from matches in 2019 and 2020 for betting purposes. Khudoiani committed 15 TACP breaches and Movsisyan six.

As such, Khudoiani will serve a 14-year suspension and pay a $25,000 fine, while Movsisyan was banned for five years. Both officials have been provisionally suspended since 14 July 2021 when details of the case first came to light.

Time served since the provisional suspensions will be taken off their confirmed bans. This means Khudoiani’s will end on 13 July 2035 and Movsisyan’s ban 13 July 2026.

During their suspensions, the four officials are prohibited from officiating at or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA.

Match-fixing syndicates

While the ITIA’s statement did not reference any connection, the latest string of bans follows a spate of lengthy bans made in November 2023.

The previous bans relate to a Belgian match-fixing syndicate led by Grigor Sargsyan. The recent criminal case led to the conviction of Sargsyan, who was handed a five-year custodial sentence.

This saw 16 players banned in November 2023, as reported by iGamingBusiness, first on the on the 13 November, then on the 17 November, and on the 24 November.

Described by the Washington Post as “the man who built the biggest match-fixing ring in tennis”, Sargsyan had traversed the globe since 2018 to build a network of more than 180 professional players across five continents.

in total, the ITIA has now banned 20 players and officials in the last three months.

Panteleev will drive research and deployment of new technology at Wizard Games. This includes leading the provider’s development team, spearheading new technology and overseeing the quality assurance and research teams.

He joins Wizard Games after a spell as chief technology officer at Bulgaria-based igaming provider The Better Platform. Here, he developed and maintained the company’s online casino platform.

Prior to this, he was head of development at FootballScout and worked for BNP Paribas Personal Finance. Earlier in his career, he also worked as a software developer at Bulgarian Software House.

In addition, Panteleev co-founded Make Sense, which develops business solutions for use in retail environments. 

“Wizard Games had some of the industry’s best and most exciting releases in 2023,” Panteleev said. “I’m honoured to be contributing to its journey as Director of Games Technology.

“We’re off to a flying start with powerful developments happening behind the scenes, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed hitting the ground running with some truly incredible projects. I look forward to this next chapter and can’t wait to showcase what we’re working on.”

Wizard Games managing director Benedict McDonagh added: “We’re continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of slot creation in 2024. Dimitar will be a driving force behind this development. 

“We’re thrilled to have him as part of the team and we’re confident he will help to push Wizard Games to new heights.”

US growth boosts NeoGames in Q3

The appointment comes on the back of a positive Q3 for Wizard Games’ parent company, NeoGames. CEO Moti Malul said ilottery growth in the US was a core driver behind this success.

Adjusted earnings totalled $19.9m (£15.6m/€18.2m) in the three months, up 13% year-on-year. NeoGames also reduced its net loss from $4.4m to $3.6m.

Net loss in the first three quarters fell from $18.2m to $12.2m. This helped to drive a sharp increase in adjusted earnings in the first nine months from $36.4m to $58.0m.

This came against the backdrop of progress towards its acquisition by Aristocrat Leisure. In May 2023, Aristocrat agreed to pay $1.20bn to acquire the provider’s shares. 

Since then, NeoGames’ board and the provider’s shareholders have overwhelmingly voted in favour of the deal. Subject to satisfaction of closing conditions, Aristocrat and NeoGames hope to complete the deal in H1 of fiscal 2024.

The positive FCF should help SJM to expand, while also “driving a reduction in debt balance”. Fitch is projecting SJM to reach HK$6.6bn (£664.5m/€770.9m/US$845.3m) in EBITDA by 2026. The agency points to the continued growth of Macau in terms of visitation and gaming revenue – both of which are reasons to be positive for SJM.

Fitch warned SJM’s ratings were limited by the “high leverage” caused by the debt accumulated from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the heavy investment into the integrated Grand Lisboa Palace resort in Macau.

SJM’s ratings were also restricted due to potential regulatory issues in Macau and beyond. It also cited further struggles in the Chinese economy and the risk caused by the extended expansion of the Grand Lisboa Palace in a competitive Macau market.

2023: a much-needed positive year for SJM

After a disappointing end to 2022 in which SJM closed seven casinos in December, the operator hit back with a strong 2023 as Covid-19 restrictions finally eased in Macau.

H1 2023 saw SJM post its first six-month stretch of positive EBITDA since 2019. Total revenue for the first six months of 2023 also rocketed 126.7% to HK$9.36bn compared to H1 2022.

That pandemic recovery continued in Q3, with SJM reporting a 492.9% increase in net gaming revenue, accumulating HK$5.41bn. Gross gaming revenue also hiked 502% to HK$5.73bn.

SJM was not the only operator to feel the benefit of pandemic restrictions relaxing. Melco Resorts & Entertainment reported a revenue jump of 320.6% to $1.02bn in Q3. Casino revenue, meanwhile, increased 346.2% to $812.1m.

Macau flourishing despite China’s struggles

Macau’s gambling sector experienced another excellent month in December, reaching a monthly gross income of MOP18.6bn (£1.8bn/€2.1bn/$2.3bn). That is a 433% year-on-year increase.

This strong showing was in spite of China, which holds sovereignty over Macau, continuing to underperform. Lottery ticket sales in China for November decreased 2.5% year-on-year, while sports lottery sales were also down 13.3% from the same month last year.

Meanwhile, gross gambling income in Macau in December was 15.7% higher than the MOP16bn recorded in the region in November.

Macau’s cumulative gross income for 2023 now stands at MOP183.1bn, 333.8% higher than the MOP42.2bn accumulated in the entirety of 2022.

Established in 2013, the MoU will ensure continued collaborative efforts between the Malta and Alderney regulators.

The partnership focuses on enhancing cooperation, enabling the MGA and AGCC to perform their respective functions more effectively. These include preventing crime, protecting consumers and the protection of vulnerable persons against gambling addiction.

The MGA and the AGCC will also work to promote international regulatory cooperation in the wider industry. This they say, aligns with the view of the cross-border nature of the gambling market.

“The renewal of the MoU with the AGCC continues to reaffirm our shared commitment towards supervising a safe and responsible gaming ecosystem across the board,” MGA CEO Carl Brincat said.

AGCC executive director Andrew Gellatly added: “We look forward to continuing and strengthening our valued collaboration with the MGA, to the benefit of both players and stakeholders.”

Mizzi to replace Brincat as CEO of Malta regulator

Confirmation of the continued partnership comes after the MGA last month announced Charles Mizzi as its new CEO.

Mizzi will replace Brincat with effect from 26 January. Brincat is stepping down after two years at the helm.

He joins the MGA from Residency Malta Agency, where he served as its CEO for five years. Mizzi has also worked in a range of other senior roles during his career. These include being head of the image and communications unit at BNF Bank.

Paddy Power had agreed to donate £1,000 for every 180 scored during the 2023 World Darts Championship. The tournament, which Paddy Power also sponsored, concluded last night (3 January).

The maximum 180 score came up 914 times throughout the competition, a record for the annual tournament. This would have meant a £914,000 donation for Paddy Power.

However, the operator has confirmed it will round its total donation up to £1.0m, pledging £86,000 more than planned.

The World Darts Championship ran from 15 December to 3 January at Alexandra Palace in London. In the final Luke Humphries saw off the unseeded 16-year-old Luke Littler 7-4 to clinch his first world championship title.

“It’s been an epic World Darts Championship with a brand new champion crowned and a star of the future emerging,” Paddy Power said. “And to get into the spirit of all things bright and wonderful, Paddy’s decided to up our Prostate Cancer UK donation to a round £1m.

“Paddy Power pledged to give £1k to PCUK for every 180 hit at the World Championship, and after Luke Humphries hit the winning darts last night that figure stood at £914,000.

It’s good and sets a new record after beating last year’s previous best of 901, but it just didn’t feel quite right. So that’s exactly what we’ve done and that cash donation will soon be whizzing its way over to Prostate Cancer UK.”

BetMGM to sponsor Premier League Darts

News of the increased Paddy Power pledge comes as BetMGM was confirmed as the new sponsor of Premier League Darts.

Under the deal with the Professional Darts Corporation, BetMGM will replace Cazoo as the event’s title sponsor.

Premier League Darts offer £1.0m in prize money. Eight players will face off across 17 nights in venues across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland. 

Gaming1, via its Circus Casino France subsidiary, now has the right to operate the Casino de Davos and the Casino de Crans-Montana in Valais from 2025 to 2044.

The licences were awarded by Switzerland’s federal council. This was during a process where it selected licensees covering 22 regions for the two-decade period in late 2023.

The Belgian gaming group said the licence awards consolidate its position in Switzerland. It follows its entry into the market in Davos in 2017. It became that casino’s main shareholder in 2021 and did the same in Crans-Montana the following year.

Gaming1’s plans

After its position was secured, Gaming1 said it intends to move the Davos casino to a nearby facility in order to develop it further. It will also open a new sports bar at the location.

In Crans-Montana, Gaming1 plans to modernise and expand the casino with a sports bar, seminar rooms and a new restaurant area overlooking the lake and function rooms. Gaming1 also hopes to obtain an online licence.

Emmanuel Mewissen, chief executive of Gaming1, said: “I am delighted and proud that the Gaming1 group has been awarded these two new concessions for the Davos and Crans-Montana casinos.

“This news delights all our employees and confirms the quality of our management as part of our development strategy. We would like to thank the various authorities for the trust they have placed in us.”

Online casino licences increased in Switzerland

Valais was one of just four zones where more than one operator applied for an operating licence ahead of the federal council’s decision in November 2023. The tender process began in May 2022.

The federal council decided that existing casino operators in 17 zones, including Geneva, Montreux and Zurich zones, will continue operating their casinos beyond 2024. Swiss Casinos Winterthur AG was the only operator to apply for the licence in the newly created Winterthur zone.

The federal council awarded 10 type A and 12 type B licences. In casinos with a B licence, the maximum stake for slot machines is limited to CHF25. This restriction does not apply under type A licences.

Some 12 casinos have now been granted permission to offer casino games online. This is the highest number since the new Gambling Act came into force in 2019, with the addition of online offerings from the casinos in Locarno and St Moritz.

According to figures published by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, some $1.37bn was made by the state’s establishments in gaming revenue in November.

The 12.6% year-on-year increase in Nevada gaming revenue was assisted by the Formula One race, which took place from 16-18 November. It has been reported that more than 100,000 motorsport fans headed to the city to enjoy the race.

Growth in November was far greater than that seen in previous months. Win was up by 5.6% over the course of the most recent three-month period. Over the last 12 months, Nevada’s total gaming win is up 4.9% to $15.4bn.

Nevada gaming revenue: Baccarat continues to flourish

Table games were the biggest contributor to Nevada gaming revenue in November. While still a smaller segment than slots, table games win grew by 44.5% to $505.5m. Slots win actually dropped slightly but still brought in $868.8m of gaming revenue.

Baccarat continued its astonishing growth record as the high-roller favourite grew by more than 200% year-on-year. In total, it accounted for $181.4m of win. The next biggest segment in table games was twenty-one, which generated $121.2m.

Within Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, total win was up 14.3% to $1.21bn in total gaming revenue. The Las Vegas Strip itself saw a 22.6% rise in win to $821.0m during the month.

During November, mobile sports betting win was up 5.4% year-on-year to $21.2m. While betting on basketball produced a 22.5% increase in win to $11.8m, NFL was down 23.3% to $17.6m.

The state of Nevada collected $85.4m in percentage fees during the month, based upon the taxable revenues generated in November 2023. This represents a 9.49% increase compared to the same period in 2022, when percentage fee collections were $78.0m.

The German gaming group’s holding company Gauselmann AG will now operate under the new name Merkur.com AG.

The renaming was completed on 1 January, with the entry in the commercial register now amended.

The ownership structure of the business unit will remain unchanged. The unit was founded in 1980 as a holding company to provide central services for businesses within the Gauselmann Group.

The change comes 67 years after the foundation of the Gauselmann Group and half a century since the Merkur brand was introduced in the 1970s.

“The corporate group is becoming increasingly digital and international. The change of name reflects this fact,” said Paul Gauselmann, the group’s founder and chairman of the management board. “Both developments will benefit from linking the appeal of our Merkur brand to the company name.

“Continuity and stability are cornerstones of our corporate philosophy and will continue to be important factors for success going forward.”

Merkur brand harmonisation

The change was announced in September and officially completed on 1 January 2024. Gauselmann AG is the latest business unit to adopt the Merkur name as part of what the group described as brand “harmonisation”. In March 2022, the adp Gauselmann GmbH subsidiary was renamed adp Merkur GmbH.

Gauselmann introduced the Merkur B amusement with prizes (AWP) machine in the 1970s and later opened its first arcade, Merkur Spielothek. Since then, numerous games, machines and gaming systems have been developed, produced and distributed under the laughing sun brand logo.