Monthly Archives: November 2017

Mare Balticum Gaming Summit 2018, the right time to address the industry in the Baltic and Scandinavian region

29 November 2017 – Riga, Latvia – The inaugural edition of Mare Balticum (Baltic Sea) Gaming Summit Riga will be held on the 8th of May at Astor Riga in Latvia.

The Baltic and Scandinavian region provide a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to online gambling. The regulations in the region have been carefully adjusted and the current status of the markets show good investment potential. The region is known to adapt quickly to changes and it’s flexible towards involving digital innovations. This is why the Baltic and Scandinavian region is good adopter of quality measurements that insure the online and land based gambling co-exist.

Focus on Latvia

With the recent changes in the licensing fee which came after Latvia’s parliament announced that the license fee for live casino services in the country will now be set at €400,000 ($475,900) per year.

Lightning Box and High 5 Games enter partnership

Sydney, 29th November 2017 – Slot design specialist Lightning Box has secured a new agreement with High 5 Games, one of the pioneers of social casino gaming.

The Australian supplier becomes High 5 Games’ first ever external content partner, with the initial deal set to include five titles that will launch exclusively over the next 12 months on High 5 Casino.

Chilli Gold will be the first Lightning Box title to go live on 7th Dec 2017, followed by Silver Pride (known as Silver Lion in Europe) in early 2018.

Both titles already have a strong following in the US land-based casino market, having enjoyed successful integrations with Incredible Technologies and Everi.

Italian gaming service provider Microgame S.p.A. in deal with Prima Networks, powered by Microgaming

MALTA – Prima Networks, powered by Microgaming, has signed a deal with Microgame S.p.A., the leading Italian gaming service provider.

Founded in 1999, Microgame offers a wide range of services to the Italian online gaming market, from single turnkey solutions to full outsourcing. Fully licensed in the regulated market, the company develops and offers high quality products and services with focus on the needs of all parties involved: gaming operators, distribution networks, affiliates and players. Its total network in Italy spans 130 different brands and over 650,000 accounts, in total dealing with 120 million transactions per year.

Prima Networks has signed a reseller agreement with Microgame. Through the deal, Microgame and its partners gain access to the largest game portfolio in Italy, with over 250 slots and table games from Microgaming, including Immortal Romance, Mermaids Millions, Thunderstruck and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider™. Microgaming content is available to Italian operators through the Quickfire platform.

Loraine Schoevers, Director of Prima Networks Limited, comments: “Microgame has the largest footprint in the regulated Italian market, so this deal is a strategic step for Prima Networks. The Microgame network is expansive, so we will extend the reach of Microgaming content significantly within the region. And with Italian online gaming revenues rising year-on-year, it is a very important market for us; this reseller agreement with Microgame will undoubtedly increase our market share.”

Oulala partners with Bravio

DFS firm targets Indian mobile markets via partnership with B2B&B2C Australian tech group

Perth – 29th November 2017 – Oulala, the daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator and B2B provider, will expand its monetised platform via its new partnership with Bravio, initially seeking to penetrate the relatively untapped Indian mobile market networks.

The latest expansion of the European daily fantasy football site is a white label agreement between OulalaGames Limited and the TSX focused Bravio Gaming Limited, the Australian registered B2B and B2C provider of online digital entertainment.

Bravio are currently pursuing a TSX listing, recently completing a company milestone via the successful transaction to acquire Mobimedia India, a mobile marketing agency which implements and manages strategic integrated mobile marketing campaigns for corporate clients and brands. The acquisition further expands Bravio’s database, offering direct access to 250 million Indian mobile phone users.

ASA stops Paddy Power’s “Papa Loves Mambo” ad broadcast

British advertising watchdog Advertising Standards Authority has ordered bookmaker Paddy Power to stop airing a controversial advertisement that promotes gambling in the workplace.

In a ruling posted on its website, ASA found that the bookmaker has breached the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) when it aired the “Papa Loves Mambo” ad, which showed a casino security guard singing  while playing Paddy Power Casino on his mobile device.

“The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form. We told Paddy Power to ensure their ads did not feature gambling in a working environment,” the ASA ruling read.

The complaint against the latest Paddy Power advertisement stemmed from two concerned citizens who claimed that the ad was socially irresponsible because it implied it was acceptable to gamble in the workplace.

Russian tax plan to weigh heavy on Summit Ascent: Union Gaming

Hong Kong-listed casino operator Summit Ascent is bracing itself for the Russian Duma’s plans to hike gaming taxes throughout the Russian Federation by next year.

International brokerage Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd. warned on Wednesday that Summit Ascent’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for 2018 may take a hit by as much as 6 percent should Russia gives the greenlight to tax gaming devices.

“Primorsky (Vladivostok) already set taxes at the high-end of the federal range, and should the bill be passed and Primorsky choose to remain at the high-end, this would have an ~HK$11 million impact on our 2018 EBITDA estimate (6% below our current forecast). There is further speculation that tax rates could be adjusted higher still post-2018,” Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen said in a note.

Russia doesn’t impose taxes on gross gaming revenues but the government earns from the imposition of taxes on gaming devices.

Fitch: Mass market will continue to fuel SEA gaming in 2018

The gambling market in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region will remain robust next year with the mass market providing the needed fuel in the region, international credit-debt watcher Fitch Ratings said.

In its latest not, Fitch has made a forecast that the SEA mass market segment will continue its stellar performance on the back of a strong Chinese tourism expenditure.

Chinese tourists with big pockets will remain to be the number one international visitor in the region, according to Fitch.

“Fitch believes Chinese tourism expenditure is a key driver of gaming performance in Southeast Asia. Chinese visitors were the largest segment by nationality in Singapore in the first eight months of 2017, at 19 percent of total arrivals,” Fitch senior director Alex Bumazhny said.

Matt Davey: Just do the basics

In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Matt Davey of NYX Gaming Group gives us a company update and shares how the company innovates their offerings.

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Argentine province plans 10.5% tax on online gambling deposits

Argentina appears to be mirroring the United States’ approach to regulating online gambling, with individual states taking the lead due to federal inaction.

On Monday, Argentine media outlet La Voz quoted Osvaldo Giordano, finance minister in the central province of Córdoba, saying that the provincial government would begin taxing online gambling activity in January 2018. The government plans to include the measure in the Budget Law debate that commences this week.

Giordano said the plan is to impose a 10.5% on customer deposits, with credit card companies acting as the collection agents. The government expects to raise ARS 75m (US $4.3m) from this activity in 2018, which Giordano admits is “not an important amount, but we are going to set a precedent.”

The budget doesn’t make too many exceptions as to what forms of online gambling it plans to tax, specifically mentioning sports betting, slots and pretty much every type of casino table game, going as far as to finish off its list with the word ‘etc.’

Impressive results achieved by Sigma 2017 with stimulating panel discussions, spectacular displays and riveting performances

The fourth edition of iGaming conference SiGMA has just concluded, showing a bigger and more involving formula than ever before. It attracted thousands of operators and iGaming professionals at the MFCC, proposing interesting industry trend discussions and plans for the future.

The multinational company BtoBet, sponsor at SiGMA 2017, surprised all attendees with its Technifying iGaming Tour 2017 and portal. It also amazed the public with an unprecedented dancing performance, where 5 international talented and flexuous dancers – Anna Armato, Georgia Evans, Liz Strini-Brown, Patrick Laera and Gianluca Blandi who is also the choreographer – were astonishing interpreters of the importance of a trusted and flexible technological partner to follow on the iGaming floor. 

The concept expressed by the dancing show at SiGMA was further explained and discussed in Room A, dedicated to Sportsbook & eSports, where BtoBet’s chairman Alessandro Fried was the key speaker on the panel “Time to move to your own iGaming platform”. There he shared his vision about the importance of “collaboration” and “trust” for operators seeking platform providers that have the capability to aggregate all the available content while providing players with a seamless customer journey.

Commenting on operators’ needs, Fried highlighted: “Any decision to share player data – including names, personal data and preferences – must not be taken lightly, since this is giving insight into the heart of any operator’s business. For this reason, when choosing a technological partner and adopting software that has not been developed in-house but outsourced, it is crucial to consider only providers with an open, independent and foresighted approach.”

Super Early Bird set to close on ground breaking ICE VOX

The Super Early Bird discount for ICE VOX, the nine-strong conference programme which runs alongside the world’s biggest gaming exhibition, closes on Friday 1st December at 4pm GMT. The ICE VOX Super Early Bird provides delegates with a saving of up to £600 on a programme that features high calibre, senior participants and 110 tier-one speakers delivering 70 hours of learning.

Featuring nine tracks and a combination of speakers drawn from both within and outside the gaming space, ICE VOX has been curated to provide ‘front foot’ thinking on the issues of the day and, in the process, provide delegates with the insight to shape and enhance their businesses. Previewing ICE VOX, Clarion Gaming’s Sadie Walters said: “We work closely with colleagues in the gaming space in order to ensure that ICE VOX is tackling the most important issues facing the industry and, as a result, have included three new tracks comprising eSports (6 February), Blockchain and Sports Betting USA (both 7 February). John Parker, Head of Sport at M&C Saatchi will be part of the eSports debate and shining a light on a leisure pursuit which has a global audience of 385 million and which is projected to grow to 600 million by 2020.  The implications for an industry keen to engage with the over-18 Generation Z audience are profound.”

She added: “One of the really important aspects of ICE VOX is the fact that it’s not a learning event in isolation. The fact that delegates can learn about the latest trends and then go down to the ICE show floor and speak directly with the innovators responsible for the latest products represents a win-win scenario and is unique to ICE London.”

The nine tracks of ICE VOX 2018 comprise: Monday 5 February: World Regulatory Briefing (day one); The International Casino Conference: Tuesday 6 February: World Regulatory Briefing (day two); Data Science & Personalisation; eSports: Wednesday 7th February: Blockchain; Cybercrime & Security; Modernising Lotteries; Sports Betting USA.

Fedor Holz wins PokerStars HR; Paul Vas Nunes wins second Sunday Million

Two tales of excellence from the dirt track at PokerStars with Fedor Holz winning the opening event of the High Roller Series, and Paul Vas Nunes winning the Sunday Million for the second time. 

In a week when an unidentified online poker player posted a graph showing $7.4m in online poker winnings, earned over a five year period, without ever really working on my game outside of the tables, Fedor Holz reminded us that cumicon isn’t the only enigma in poker.

While cumicon is an inspiration to the serial procrastinators and lazy bastards in the world, Holz is the complete opposite. The German star, who has earned $26.5m in live tournament earnings in the same timeframe, has developed a worth ethic that’s smarter than anyone has ever created before, and at a time when people tell you the game is harder than ever to beat.

For now, unless you are a close confidant of Holz, the tinted windows on the tricks of his trade hide the secrets. All we can do is peer into his world hoping for a scrap of something.

EPL review week 14: United beat Watford; Leicester beat struggling Spurs

Part one of a two-part midweek Premier League round-up begins with a look at Man Utd’s win at Vicarage Road, and Leicester coming into a run of form after beating Spurs at the King Power.

Watford 2 v 4 Man Utd

The red half of Manchester reduced the deficit of the blue half to five points after putting four past Watford on a goal-splashed evening at Vicarage Road.

United had lost their two previous away games against Huddersfield and Chelsea, but there were no signs of nerves as United removed the Hornets sting with three goals in 13 first-half minutes.

Tatts hails “strong” lottery growth despite Lottoland criticism

Australian lottery and betting operator Tatts Group saw its profit jump double-digits in its fiscal Q1 thanks to a strong performance across its digital operations.

On Tuesday, Tatts issued a trading update which showed group revenue of A$743m (US $564.6m) in the three months ending September 30, a 6.8% rise over the same period last year. Earnings improved 9.6% to A$128.2m, while net profit after tax from continuing operations shot up nearly 15% to A$67.2m.

The company credited the gains to an increased focus on cost controls, as well as lottery customer enthusiasm driven by larger than usual jackpots. While the number of jackpots over A$15m during Q1 was unchanged from last year, the average size of each of these jackpots was A$7.5m higher, including two mega-pots of A$50m.

As a result, Tatts’ mainstay lottery revenue was up 8.8%, driven by even stronger digital lottery sales, which improved 29.6% year-on-year, boosting digital to 16.4% of all lottery sales.

Pennsylvania online gambling reawakens RAWA supporters from their slumber

The decision by Pennsylvanian authorities to legalise online gambling has prompted RAWA supporters to write to the Department of Justice reminding them that the world will end if they don’t stop people gambling online.

America confuses me.

We both speak the same language (even though Las Vegas poker dealers continually threaten to eject me from games for not speaking English when it’s my only language), and our way of ‘living’ is very compatible. But sometimes I feel like I’ve walked into Dunkin Doughnuts to ask for a Kale smoothie.

Take the United States of America for example.

Munich court ruling dooms Germany’s lottery monopolies

A German court has declared state lottery monopolies to be unlawful, potentially opening the door for international operators while injecting further confusion into the country’s overall gambling market.

Last week, the Administrative Court of Munich issued a ruling that upheld a complaint brought by a Bavarian firm that had been blocked from obtaining permission to operate a lottery in the administrative district of Upper Palatinate.

As detailed by MBL-HSG attorney Martin Arendts, the unnamed operator got the runaround from the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, which stated that the plaintiff wasn’t qualified to operate a lottery in the state, despite the plaintiff submitting several revised applications intended to satisfy the state’s increasingly opaque and shifting justifications.

The Munich court ultimately concluded that the state’s desire to retain its lottery monopoly ran contrary to Article 56 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which guards against the protectionist impulses of EU member states. The EU permits its members to maintain gambling monopolies that are designed to keep problem gambling under wraps, but only under certain circumstances.