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Published in its Interim Performance Report, covering the six months to 30 June 2020, the figures showed that the MGA issued a total of 20 notices of regulation breaches in H1, as well as 11 warnings.

Some nine administrative fines were handed out to operators, while two licences were suspended by the regulator.

Among the operators that had their licences cancelled in H1 were bSupporter, Pick Mater, Dorobet, The Daily Fantasy Football Company and Watch World Luxury, a Malta-based watch retailer.

In terms of financial settlements, Blackrock Media agreed to pay a penalty of €2.3m (£2.0m/$2.8m) for operating a gaming service without the necessary authorisation.

The report also included online gambling figures for the period, with some 303 licences issued. A total of 196 were B2C gaming licences, while 111 were B2B critical supply licences.

The number of active player online accounts climbed 11.8% year-on-year to 17.2m, while new active player accounts also increased 12.3% to 7.6m.

Slots were the most popular form of online gambling for type 1 games, with 77.4% of gaming revenue generated via these games in H1, compared to 18.4% on table game and 4.2% other games.

Some 74.8% of online sports betting revenue came through football wagering in the period, while peer-to-peer poker was by far the most popular form of gaming in Type 3, accounting for 90.8% of revenue in this category.

The MGA collected €24.6m in online gambling tax during the half, the highest six-monthly total since the second half of 2018, when €24.9m was paid by licensees.

In terms of land-based gambling, casinos took a hit due to the temporary closure of facilities as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). Player visits slipped 54.6% year-on-year to 192,351, while new player registrations fell 64.1% to 26,176.

Land-based casinos paid a total of €3.9m in tax during the first half, less than half the €8.0m contributed in the same period in 2019.

Controlled gaming premises also took a hit in H1 due to Covid-19 measures, with player visits down 39.3% and tax contribution falling 42.0%. Commercial bingo player visits also decreased 54.1% to 38,190, with tax payment down 52.3% to €118,344.

In terms of Malta’s National Lottery, sales fell 36.5% year-on-year to €30.7m in H1, with operations again hampered by Covid-19 closures. A total of €4.0m was collected in gaming tax from National Lottery operations, down 34.4% on 2019.

Analysing the performance of the market as a whole, the MGA said a total of 313 companies were active by the end of H1, operating via 318 licences. Some 8,009 people were employed across the industry – 7,196 online and 813 in land-based gaming – and operators paid €33.7m in tax, down 16.3% year-on-year.

Universal Entertainment opened the Okada Manila property in the Philippines in December 2016, and has seen performance grow steadily since. 

While the resort was shuttered as a result of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic between March and September 2020, Universal explained that it had implemented a number of measures to boost its earnings power. 

This included reducing fixed expenses and ramping up marketing. These measures will now remain in place after ongoing restrictions, such as a 30% capacity limit, are eased to benefit future margins. 

As a result, Universal will now explore a potential listing either on the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange, designed to further grow its IR business and increase the corporate group’s value. 

To support these plans it has struck agreements with US and Japanese financial advisory firms in preparation of a potential listing. 

As part of this process the operator is working to identify a SPAC through which it will list, investigating legal and tax ramifications, and whether a listing would require a change in its capital structure. 

Universal did not give any indication as to when it may announce a combination and timescale for listing, though said it was likely to happen some time in its 2021.

It would become the latest gaming business to go public through a SPAC transaction, following the likes of DraftKings, Golden Nugget Online Gaming and Rush Street Interactive. 

Fertitta Entertainment, the parent company of the brick-and-mortar Golden Nugget operator Landry’s, is also listing through a combination with Fast Acquisition Corporation.

The business also announced its financial results for 2020. While its pachinko machine sales business saw revenue increase, the closure of Okada Manila meant revenue dropped 27.3% year-on-year.

The Malta-based casino platform and game supplier said it has expanded its partnership with Videoslots to provide its games to the operator’s customers in Denmark.

Nolimit said that Videoslots marks the second operator with which it has entered into the Danish market, where it will now offer its slot games such as Deadwood, Punk Rocker and Tombstone.

“Videoslots and Nolimit City have enjoyed a strong partnership for over two years now,” said Malcolm Mizzi, commercial director at Nolimit City.

“It’s a partnership that we’ve been very happy with so far and it’s exciting to see us both entering a new jurisdiction together, which for us also means a stronger foothold in the Danish Market, which we value deeply.”

William Ahlberg, head of casino at Videoslots, added: “Videoslots and Nolimit City has had a stellar partnership for almost two years now. We’re both happy and thrilled to enter the Danish market with our partner and will hopefully get to cut the ribbon on more markets together ahead.”

The organisations first partnered in 2017, in a deal which saw Nolimit deliver games via its in-house technology platform, with each slot made available on desktop, mobile and tablet.

Videoslots came under fire in January, as it was issued with an injunction from the Swedish Gaming Authority for allowing players to use reverse withdrawals to circumvent Sweden’s SEK5,000 (£436/€496/$600) weekly deposit cap.

The operator’s Swedish licence was extended until 31 December, 2023 in 2019, after appealing the Gaming Authority’s decision to limit its licence to a two-year term.

EPIC, the CSPPA and mental health bodies Kindbridge and Rise Above the Disorder will provide mental health support services and education for players potentially at risk, and will work internationally with Entain and the company’s non-profit charity, the Entain Foundation.

The operator said its strategy for sustainability and growth underscores its commitment to delivering the highest possible levels of player safety and protection across all its markets.

As part of its safer gambling strategy, the Entain Foundation supports customer protection through a mix of education and support projects, as well as research and data analysis.

Each of its new partner organisations seeks to bridge the gap between demand and availability of affordable professional, individual therapy and care, the operator said.

EPIC Risk Management is an international consultancy specialising in the prevention of gambling-related harm, and already works with Entain. Its partnership will now be expanded to address video gaming and esports.

The CSPPA is the worldwide association for professional players of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive video game, which is among the world’s most popular esports titles.

The association aims to safeguard, protect and promote professional Counter-Strike players’ interests, working to secure the best possible working conditions for the players.

Kindbridge is the world’s first teletherapy company focused specifically on the treatment of gamblers and gamers struggling with their mental health. The US-based mental health services organisation provides access to online professional mental health counsellors and specialised support services.

Rise Above the Disorder (RAD) is a non-profit universal mental health care system, covering the cost of mental health care for tens of thousands of people around the world. RAD has been celebrated by the United Nations for having helped over 36,000 people receive free mental health support.

“We are committed to supporting initiatives that encourage responsible gambling and gaming in every way we can,” Martin Lycka, senior vice president for American regulatory affairs and responsible gambling, and trustee of the Entain Foundation US, said.

“The vast majority of people enjoy playing for fun and have no problems whatsoever, and we want to leverage our capabilities to offer them additional experiences whilst keeping all our customers safe.”

“These new partnerships are initial steps in this and other new directions as we both expand our offer to customers and the protections we put in place to protect the very small number who may be at risk.”

GVC Holdings rebranded as Entain in December last year, after the proposal was overwhelmingly supported by its shareholders.

In January, the operator appointed Jette Nygaard-Andersen as its new chief executive, after Shay Segev stepped down from the role to become co-CEO for sports streaming platform, Dazn.

Revenue for the six months to 31 December 2020 is expected to come in around AU$72m. While this would represent a 71% improvement on the second half of its 2020 fiscal year – when operations were disrupted by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic – it also represents a 33% year-on-year decline. 

Over the reporting period Ainsworth saw its North American performance improve, with revenue from the region totalling AU$41m in H1, compared to AU$21m in the previous six month period. This again remained down year-on-year, however, with the supplier generating in AU$51m in H1 2020. 

This was driven by improved revenue from leasing and rental of its machines, which grew 10% from the prior fiscal year, while its historical horse racing (HHR) products made a positive contribution. 

Australian revenue, meanwhile, more than doubled to AU$19m, thanks to a strong performance from newly launched products.

However, Latin America continued to be adversely affected by high novel coronavirus (Covid-19) transmission rates, leading to more venue closures and restrictions. 

“Given the uncertainties and deferrals of purchasing decisions caused by the pandemic within this region, further reductions in revenues are expected in the short term before a return to pre-pandemic activity levels, impacting timing of expected cash flows,” Ainsworth said. 

As a result it expects to make a material non-cash impairment charge on its business in the region. 

While the improvement in US and Australian revenue is expected to help underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation reach $6m – excluding currency translations and one-off items – the business is set to post a loss for the period. 

Ainsworth’s first half pre-tax loss is expected to come to approximately $14m, though this excludes a currency translation loss of $14m, due to the strengthening of the Australian Dollar against the US Dollar. 

The unaudited result remains subject to further review before it is finalised, with a full breakdown of first half performance expected to be released on 25 February. Audited results will then follow in March

The consolidation came into effect from yesterday (February 11), with Class A shares expected to commence trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange from February 18, following the completion of the consolidation.

The business said the consolidation will see one new Class A share issued for every 10 currently outstanding Class A shares, with the same ratio to be applied to its special voting shares.

As such, theScore expects its 434,425,695 Class A shares to be consolidated to 43,442,568 shares, while the 5,566 special voting shares will be consolidated as 557 shares, subject to rounding for any fractional shares.

theScore said no fractional shares would be issued, with shares with fractional interest of 0.5 or greater to be rounded up, and lower than 0.5 rounded down, to the nearest whole number.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Under the deal, live team and player statistics captured by FIBA LiveStats, the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) live data collection tool, will power the NBL website, broadcasts, fantasy product and fan engagement strategy.

FIBA Organizer, developed via a partnership between Genius and FIBA, will also continue to digitally manage and automate the running of each NBL season.

In addition, Genius has been granted non-exclusive rights to both capture and distribute official live NBL data with licensed sportsbooks worldwide.

“The NBL continues to expand its digital footprint across the world and this has been one of the fastest growing parts of our business as a global league,” NBL chief commercial officer Brad Joyner said.

Genius Sports commercial director in the Asia-Pacific region, Thomas Klingebiel, added: “We believe NBL’s commitment to putting official data at the heart of their entire digital offering has been crucial to their rapid growth in recent years, setting a precedent for basketball leagues and federations worldwide.”

Genius has been working with the NBL since 2015.

The extension comes after Genius last week also agreed an exclusive data deal with the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) ahead of the North American motorsport series’ inaugural season.

Noer moves up from his role as country manager for Sweden at Soft2Bet, which he joined in 2020, to a position that will also oversee Norway and Finland.

“I’m honoured to be named Nordics regional manager at Soft2Bet, and look forward to making the role my own,” Noer said.

“Our award-winning product offering has won deserved plaudits from across the industry, and I can’t wait to continue assisting the business in its efforts to maintain that success over the long-term.”

Prior to working at Soft2Bet, Noer was country manager for Sweden and Denmark at Casumo, which he joined in 2017. He has also worked as brand manager for Danske Spil and Betsafe’s Danish operations.

Soft2Bet chief executive Boris Chaikin said Noer would help the supplier extend its reach through the Nordic region.

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Peter Christian Noer as our regional manager for the Nordic markets, which remain a key area of focus for us as we maintain the expansion of our international reach,” Chaikin said.

“Having performed impressively as our country manager for Sweden, we have no doubt that Peter will continue to play a key role in helping us succeed in the Nordic territories and beyond.”

Soft2Bet received its licence from Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen in December 2019.

It first launched its Yoyo Casino brand in the jurisdiction in March 2020, and then launched its CampoBet brand in the Swedish market in July.

Last week, the business also received a licence from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) for its Frumzi casino brand.

In February 2020, the country’s legisature, the Seimas, passed a law that introduced mandatory warnings about gambling-related harm on all gambling advertisements from 1 July that year. The bill was passed by consensus after no objections were raised at its first reading.

The country’s Gambling Supervision Service initially determined that the law did not apply to sponsorships. However this week, a year after the first law was passed, the Seimas passed another law clarifying that certain sponsorships that resemble traditional advertising will be covered.

The Supervision Service has now outlined the exact cases when a sponsorship does and does not require a warning.

It said that warnings are not required where an advertisement is worn on the clothing of a sponsored person or team, nor is it required at an event where the person or team is participating. It is also not required if the name of an event or team is sponsored.

However, the warning is necessary if a message does not refer to a specific event in which a sponsored person or team partakes and the time and place at which the event occurs. It must also exist if the sponsorship message contains more than the brand name and trademarks, particularly if the message includes a mention of the types of gambling services offered.

The regulator also ruled that these deals can only be referred to as “sponsorships”, and not “partnerships” or similar language.

Under the agreement, Sportradar will utilise its ad:s full service, data-driven marketing solution to exclusively manage the advertising inventory within the Forza Football live score app.

Sportradar will utilise its knowledge of bookmakers’ marketing requirements to optimise Forza Football’s advertising placements, prioritising native, odds-first integrations and enabling personalised messaging through its Marketing Cloud platform.

In addition, Sportradar will supply Forza Football with its API-based statistics data, offering a selection of tools to further develop the content offering.

“Forza Football’s unprecedented engagement represents huge marketing potential for brands and Sportradar is the perfect partner to find brands that can utilise our strong brand and highly engaged users all over the world,” Forza Football co-founder and chief executive Patrik Arnesson said.

“This will let us focus more on what we know best, product development. Over the coming years we aim to redefine and reinvent what a live score product is and can be.”

Rainer Geier, chief product officer for sports entertainment, Sportradar, added: “The ad:s platform is unrivalled in its ability to deliver efficient and highly targeted marketing campaigns for bookmakers, truly highlighting the value we can add to their business.

“We’re excited to be working with Forza Football and helping them realise the full potential of their brand.”