Category: News

Under the agreement, DT9 Media will have access to GiG Comply, the automated marketing compliance tool operated by GiG.

GiG Comply enables operators to scan web pages for content such as links and igaming “code red” words, with DT9 Media able to use the tool to set up checklist parameters to cover market-specific legislation and advertising standards.

This, GiG said, will allow DT9 Media to ensure that members of the DT9 affiliate network are aligned with its marketing message.

“As an affiliation company we are constantly striving to enhance our affiliate marketing compliance,” DT9 Media director Andrea Centore said.

“We believe that GiG offers the perfect compliance solution to manage and monitor our affiliates’ marketing campaigns, and we are excited to start this partnership with them.  

GiG Media managing director Jonas Warrer added: “ We are happy to have partnered with DT9 Media LTD and look forward to supporting them in their efforts to enhance their affiliate marketing compliance.

“The growing demand for GiG Comply is a clear sign that we have created a compliance solution that is recognised as the go-to compliance tool within the iGaming industry.”

Revenue in January amounted to $49.4m (£35.4m/€41.3m), more than double the $23.9m posted in December last year, though the previous month’s figures were impacted by the temporary closure of casinos due to novel coronavirus (Covid-19) measures.

Online wagering accounted for $47.1m of total revenue for the month, whereas retail sportsbooks only contributed $860,392 in revenue.

In terms of operators, the Par-A-Dice Gaming Corporation, which runs a FanDuel sportsbook, led the market with $16.8m in revenue.

Casino Queen and DraftKings ranked second with $15.6m in revenue, ahead of Midwest Gaming & Entertainment and Rush Street Interactive on $10.8m.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Playtech’s revenue was made up of close to an even split between B2B and B2C operations, as B2B revenue was down 10.7% to €494.8m and B2C revenue dropped 33.8% to €596.3m. €12.7m was removed through intersegment eliminations.

Breaking B2B revenue down further, €413.0m came from core business-to-business operations and €81.9m from Asia.

Breaking revenue down geographically, just over half of the business’ overall revenue came from Italy, thanks mostly to the Snaitech brand. While business-to-business revenue from Italy was just €25.0m, B2C revenue, made up almost entirely of Snai revenue, was €522.7m for overall revenue of €541.4m after intersegment eliminations.

While revenue from Snai was down year-on-year, Playtech chief executive Mor Weizer said the brand did well considering the fact that many of its retail locations were closed for much of the year, as it was the country’s overall market leader.

“Snaitech has continued to excel in Italy despite the retail closures in 2020,” Weizer said. “Snai achieved the number one market share position in Italy across online and retail sports betting and grew its overall online revenue by 58% in 2020.

“Italy continues to offer significant growth potential, and Snaitech is ideally positioned to capitalise on this opportunity.”

The UK was responsible for €150.0m in B2B revenue and €54.4m in B2C revenue, mostly from the Sun Bingo brand, for €200.9m overall.

The Philippines, Mexico and Malta followed with €70.2m, €54.9m and €54.7m, respectively, all entirely from B2B operations. No other country brought in more than €25m, with Spain, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece and Curaçao each responsible for more than €10m and Norway, Finland and Poland more than €5m.

The business paid €824.9m in expenses, down 22.5%. Of this total, €369.0m came from B2B operations, an 11.0% decline. Within B2B costs, research and development declined to €76.1m, costs of operations were up to €214.5m, administrative costs grew to €63.2m and sales and marketing costs were down to €15.2m.

Within the B2C segment, costs came to €468.5m, down 37.0%. Snaitech revenue dropped 42.1% to €390.2m, while white label revenue – including that of Sun Bingo – grew to €47.9m and other B2C sport revenue ticked down to €30.4m.

This led to adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of €253.6m, down 31.9%.

After employee stock expenses of €16.5m, charitable donations and professional fees for acquisitions, Playtech’s EBITDA came to €222.9m, down 33.2%.

The business then paid €188.1m in depreciation expenses and €45.4m in impairment costs, plus €63.4m in net finance costs, but made €22.1m through disposal of assets. This resulted in a pre-tax loss of €52.7m. In 2019, Playtech made a pre-tax profit of €88.2m.

 After €20.4m in taxes, Playtech made a loss of €73.0m from continuing operations, after a €56.5m profit the year before.

It made a further loss of €224.3m from discontinued operations – mainly from its Finalto financial trading division, which it is currently planning to sell – for an overall loss of €297.4m. After accounting for currency exchange, Playtech’s loss was €317.3m, 25 times the loss it made in 2019.

“The attitude and skill of our people, and the strength and diversification of our technology-led business model has enabled us to deliver a robust financial performance in spite of the challenging backdrop,” Weizer said.

The year also saw Playtech expand its US operations thanks to deals with Bet365 and MGM and Entain joint venture BetMGM in New Jersey. These were followed by an agreement with Parx Casino owner Greenwood that would see Playtech expand into more states.

“Playtech also made significant strategic and operational progress by adding new brands, expanding existing relationships and entering new markets,” Weizer said. “We are particularly pleased with the excellent progress we have made in the US market, launching with Bet365 and Entain in 2020, and signing milestone agreements with the Greenwood companies in 2021 to license our products in Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.” 

Last week, 3 March, Playtech announced that Brian Mattingley would take over as its new non-executive chairman, effective on 1 June. Mattingley is currently chair of 888 Holdings, having sat on that operator’s board since 2005. He will succeed Claire Milne, who was named interim chairman in April 2020 after Alan Jackson indicated he would not stand for re-election.

Yesterday, Playtech announced that it had signed a new partnership with Kindred Group, to launch its RNG casino offering across the operator’s 9 brands, including its flagship Unibet brand.

Done founded Betfred in 1967, initially as Done Bookmakers, and along with his brother Peter, owns the operator, which is currently the UK’s largest independent retail bookmaker. His current spell as chief executive started in 2016 when John Haddock departed.

Though Done will no longer be chief executive, he will still serve as chairman, and a Betfred spokesperson confirmed to iGB that he would be “going nowhere”. 

Whittaker had previously worked for Betfred as a manager in the IT department, but left to found childcare voucher business Fideliti, which received funding from Done.

Whittaker went on to found financial advice business Angel Advance and lender Workplace Finance.

Earlier this year, the Done brothers were named the UK’s third-biggest taxpayers. Last year, Done acquired a 3% stake in William Hill for an undisclosed sum.

Meanwhile, the brand has launched new US-focused programmes aimed at promoting safer gambling for Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

As part of the Pitching In campaign, the grants will give football teams across England and Wales within the Trident Leagues (The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues) up to £4000 to help offset the financial difficulties caused by the pandemic.

This will be the first wave of grants, with a total of £150,000 earmarked for the foundation.

“This is only the start, and yet already we are inspired and enthused by the variety and nature of the projects that have been proposed by the Trident league clubs,” said Ladbrokes PR director Simon Clare.

“We can’t wait to see these projects land in, and make a difference, to communities across England and Wales in the months ahead, at a time when they are needed most.”

Pitchin In ambassador and former England captain Stuart Pearce added: “These clubs will have a vital role to play in the health and wellbeing of society when restrictions ease.

“Initiatives like this will show the true meaning of Pitching In and strengthen existing bonds within communities across the country.

Entain’s giving mood has reached the US as well as the UK.”

In the US, the operator has also launched a series of initiatives in support of the country’s Problem Gambling Awareness Month, which is running throughout March.

Schemes include promoting the Eighth Annual Gambling Disorder Screening Day in tandem with BetMGM, and partnership with the Nevada council on Problem Gambling as a platinum member.

Entain also plans to work with the National Association of Administrators of Disordered Gambling Services (NAADGS),  EPIC Risk Management and Kindbridge in supporting a national survey aimed to provide a support network for those suffering with gambling-related problems across the US.

“It is our ambition, with our partners and support from BetMGM, to provide the most comprehensive portfolio of responsible gambling initiatives, partnerships and services in the gaming entertainment sector in the United States,” said Martin Lycka, senior vice president for American regulatory affairs and responsible gambling at Entain. 

“We are proud of our commitment and will continue our leadership in serving this vital area.”

The operators were both added to the list of licensees, as were three new divisions of Tipico, bringing the total number of licensees to 27.

Wegame’s licence will cover the Betsson brand, as well as Betsafe, Casinowinner, Guts, Rizk Sport, Nordicbet and Schnellwetten.

Betway had already agreed partnerships with Bundesliga football clubs SV Werder Bremen, Hertha BSC and VfB Stuttgart prior to gaining approval from RP Darmstadt.

“We are thrilled to announce that Betway has received a sports betting licence from the Regional Council in Darmstadt,” Betway group chief executive Anthony Werkman said. “As a leading regulated online betting and gaming company this gives us the transparency and security to cement our position as a responsible gaming provider in the German market.

“We look forward to delivering on our commitment to our German customers, offering them an unrivalled online sports betting experience in a safe, fair and responsible environment.”

The first 15 operators to receive licences under the new German state treaty did so in October 2020, after  a legal challenge by Austrian bookmaker Vierklee that had previously derailed efforts was withdrawn.

The first group included  four licences for GVC Holdings, as well as approvals for Gauselmann Group and Tipico, and Austria’s Novomatic. 

Interwetten, Bet3000 and Betclic Everest’s Bet-at-home brand followed in November, while Stoiximan-owned Austrian operator Betkick Sportwettenservice and Malta-licensed Betago both received licences last month.

The revenue sharing agreement will grant Premier Gaming access to a range of games from ORYX’s exclusive RGS providers, including Gamomat, Kalamba Games, Givme Games, Golden Hero, CandleBets, Peter & Sons and Arcadem.

Premier will also utilise the ORYX player engagement platform, which includes tools designed to help increase player engagement.

In addition, content from third-party suppliers such as Greentube, Pragmatic Play and iSoftBet, will be added to Premier’s online casinos via Bragg’s ORYX Hub.

Premier, which counts the likes of Pronto Casino, Slothino, Premier Live Casino and Pronto Live Casino among it casino brands, is active in a number of markets, including Sweden, Finland and Germany.

“We partnered with Bragg Gaming because of their world-class gaming content and their state-of-the-art player engagement platform,” Premier’s marketing manager Michael Deuringer said. “We are already seeing promising interest from our quality-loving player base.”

Bragg’s interim chief executive Adam Arviv added: “A key differentiator between Bragg Gaming and competitors is that we have both the delivery platform and our own proprietary content.

“Licensing agreements like the one with Premier are further evidence of our world-class platform and will solidify Bragg Gaming as a leader in the online gambling industry.”

The new agreement comes after Bragg in January set out plans to rapidly expand throughout the US and Canada in 2021, as well as continue to strengthen its presence in core European markets.

Within the gaming segment, revenue from gaming operations were down 17.3% to $156.2m. However, gaming equipment and system sales dropped 51.6% to $44.0m, while other revenue dropped 97.1% to just $96,000.

Revenue from its fintech division also declined, by 26.8% to $183.4m. Most of this came from cash access services, which brought in $112.0m, down 32.0%. Fintech equipment brought in $24.3m, down 35.9%, while information services and other fintech revenue ticked down by 1.1% to $47.0m.

Expenses also declined, by 11.6%, but were higher than revenue at $389.1m.

Read the full story on iGB North America

Following the initial launch on Unibet’s UK and .com sites, Playtech Casino will subsequently be rolled out across further regulated markets including Sweden, Belgium and Romania.

Playtech said the two companies share the values of raising standards in safer gambling and responsible business, and that Kindred Group is a leader and innovator within the online gambling industry.

“We are thrilled that Kindred Group has chosen Playtech as its technology partner, highlighting the continued strength of our casino offering,” said Playtech’s chief operating officer Shimon Akad.

“This is a great example of Playtech’s commitment to partnering with the right companies to bring great entertainment to new and growing markets.”

David Robertson, head of casino at Kindred Group, added: “Playtech’s innovative and engaging content will provide a fantastic level of entertainment to our international audiences and we’re delighted to be working with them.

“This will be a very exciting partnership for both companies, and we look forward to developing this partnership further in the months and years to come.”

Results published in February showed that Kindred Group’s full-year revenue surpassed £1bn in 2020, as revenue for the year increase 23.9%. Casino revenue for the year was up 35.0% to £579.0m.

Last week, Playtech announced the appointment of 888 Holdings chairman Brian Mattingley as its new non-executive chairman, effective form 1 June.

Under the agreement, 888sport branding will feature on the front of players’ shirts, as well as on various surfaces in and around the team’s Tallaght Stadium home.

Confirmation of the deal comes ahead of the start of the 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division, which is due to begin on 19 March. Shamrock Rovers finished as champions of the previous campaign, going the entire league season unbeaten.

888 already has a presence in the Irish capital of Dublin, with its office, located eight miles from the Tallaght Stadium, employing 140 people.

“The team at 888sport share our desire for success and we look forward to working with them to build a strong relationship over the next two seasons,” Shamrock Rovers chairman Ciarán Medlar said.

888 vice president and head of 888sport, Kieran Spellman, added: “The club enjoyed a fantastic season last year and is back fighting for a place in the Champions League for the first time in a decade.

“As a sizable employer in Dublin, committed to Dublin and to the Irish market, we are very much looking forward to playing our part in supporting our local team.”