Monthly Archives: March 2018

Poland picks Playtech as online casino tech supplier, despite links to blacklisted sites

UK-listed gambling technology provider Playtech has won the contract to develop an online casino platform for Poland’s state-owned gambling monopoly.

On Thursday, Playtech announced that it had been selected as the exclusive technology partner for the ‘eKasyno’ offering of Polish lottery and gaming monopoly Totalizator Sportowy. Playtech beat out an unknown number of rival bidders via a competitive tender which got underway last November.

Poland amended its gambling legislation shortly before Christmas 2016, authorizing online casino, poker and bingo products. However, unlike online sports betting, which was open to private companies willing to pay the country’s onerous 12% tax on betting turnover, the new online products are the sole responsibility of Totalizator Sportowy.

The tender for the online casino tech job was supposed to open last August, but was delayed for unspecified reasons. In January, Poland’s deputy finance minister said the delays meant that the eKasyno wasn’t likely to launch until Q3 or Q4 2018.

R. Franco Digital appoints Miguel Ángel Lázaro as new director

Madrid, March 1st 2018.– Miguel Ángel Lázaro has been appointed Director of R. Franco Digital, reporting to the Group’s Executive Manager María José Gallardo. The change will further cement the company as a leading firm within the global gaming industry.

Miguel Ángel has successfully developed his career for more than 18 years in different management positions within the Group’s Technology Division, including the digital area. His deep knowledge of the industry and his expertise within the company make him the right person to lead the Group’s Digital Division.

Alejandro Casanova, former Director of the R. Franco Group’s digital area, will leave his position at the beginning of March. The R. Franco Group appreciates his hard work and commitment throughout the years and wishes him every succ

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Major betting media brands extend partnership until 2020

The two biggest names in betting news have joined forces once again in an enhanced partnership that will run until the end of 2019.

Racing Post and SBC Global have agreed on an extended two-year deal which will strengthen the ties between the two organisations ahead of SBC’s groundbreaking 2018 betting trade events.

The deal builds on the existing partnership which saw Racing Post B2B with a highly visible presence at all SBC’s 2017 events, including Betting on Football, Betting on Sports and the SBC Awards.

The Racing Post Networking Area will once again have a prominent presence at both the Betting on Football and Betting on Sports conferences, while offering delegates the chance to meet clients or partners in a relaxing environment. Racing Post B2B will also have a selection of new and innovative products on show allowing delegates to check out market leading Racing Post content in multiple formats.

Betting on Football 2018 tackles upcoming FIFA World Cup

International football and betting trade conference Betting on Football 2018 is now on its fifth year, and what better way to celebrate its milestone than talk about the upcoming World Cup 2018?

Over 190 of the leading industry movers and shakers are expected to speak at the three-day trade conference taking place at Stamford Bridge starting March 20.

With only three months before the World Cup kickoff, Betting on Football 2018 will discuss everything operators need to know about the biggest sporting event in the world, covering key topics such as engaging customers in a live environment, standing out in the social media battleground and preparing for ‘Life beyond the bonus.’

Jake Marsh, head of integrity at Inform, and Eric Konings, sports betting integrity officer at Kindred Group, will examine global trends in irregular football betting patterns and how bookmakers are working with the league to keep out the match fixers.

Play’n GO in running for three Global Regulatory Awards

1st March 2018 – Omni-channel slots specialist Play’n GO has confirmed its international regulatory credentials with three nominations at the Global Regulatory Awards 2018, run by Gambling Compliance.

The wider compliance team has been shortlisted for In-house Counsel/Legal Team of the Year, Jemal Sudra, Play’n GO’s Technical Compliance Officer is listed for Compliance Officer of the Year, and its Technical Compliance & Information Security Officer Deion Williams will look to win the Data Protection Officer of the Year category.

These nominations come on the back of Play’n GO’s success in working with regulators in various territories to seamlessly certify and integrate its products into locally licenced operators.

Play’n GO is seeking to be the foremost provider to regulated markets and is on a continuous assignment to expand its reach. With the recent additions of Spain and Columbia, its list of regulated market offerings now reaches more than 15 jurisdictions worldwide.

Casino players will be over the moon with Pariplay’s new Chang’e slot

iGaming software provider expands casino slot portfolio with new original game based on ancient Chinese goddess of the moon

1st March 2018 – Pariplay Ltd., a gaming technology company serving iGaming operators, land-based casinos and lotteries, has launched Chang’e – Goddess of the Moon, an original online video slot game. Paying spectacular homage to the ancient Chinese lunar goddess Chang’e, the new Pariplay-developed game allows online casino players across to world to shoot for the moon on their device of choice.

Complete with authentic music and stunning graphics evocative of ancient China, Pariplay’s Chang’e – Goddess of the Moon places players in a mythical, mystical world of chance, where the possibility of good fortune abounds. Boasting 243 potential winning outcomes, the video slot, developed in collaboration with the software provider’s Asian gaming partners to ensure authenticity, features five reels and 20 different lines. Chang’e also boasts a bonus round to further raise player engagement.

Developed for a truly global audience, the game is optimised for more than a dozen different languages, including Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Norwegian, Finnish, Czech, and Hungarian as well as English. Pariplay developed the title in HTML5, allowing play on smart phones and tablets as well as laptop and desktop computers.

iGB Affiliate heads to Lisbon for the autumn affiliate conference

The Lisbon Affiliate Conference will take place on the 17th – 20th October

1st March, 2018 (London) – iGB Affiliate, the most respected information provider for the igaming affiliate market, has announced that its autumn affiliate conference will be moving to Lisbon in 2018.

The Lisbon Affiliate Conference (LiAC) will take place on the 17th – 20th October 2018 and is expected to bring together the key stakeholders in the igaming affiliate industry.

“Our last three years in Berlin have been extremely successful, but we never like to rest on our laurels,” said Shona ODonnell, Event Director, Clarion Gaming.

Blueprint Gaming shows its Irish charm with latest release Wish Upon a Leprechaun

Irish-themed slot packed full with bonus rounds 

Thursday 1st March 2018: Leading UK-based game studio Blueprint Gaming is encouraging players to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in its latest release, Wish Upon a Leprechaun.

The Irish-themed 5×3 slot follows the lovable fairy of Irish folklore as he appears throughout the game’s many modifiers and bonus rounds.

The Lucky Charms Bonus can be triggered on any spin, resulting in our leprechaun friend awarding 1 of 4 modifier rounds, including Infectious Wilds, Colossal Spin, Spin Streak, Bonus Boost or They Think It’s All Clover.

Philippine lottery operator targets $211M systems upgrade bidding in 2018

State-regulated lottery operator Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) may finally get a much needed upgrade for its 20-year-old equipment as it eyes to bid out the $10.91 billion National Online Lottery System (NOLS) project this year.

Sunstar reported that the lottery operator is planning to put the project up for auction in the coming months, as it already sees “a light at the end of the tunnel” on legal cases that prevented the agency from implementing the much needed upgrade in the country’s lottery system.

The case that the PCSO was referring to was the injunction case filed by Philippine Gaming Management Corp (PGMC), a subsidiary of Philippine-listed Berjaya Philippines, in August 2017. Berjaya Philippines, which is 88.26% owned subsidiary of Berjaya Sports Toto Bhd (BToto), claimed PCSO violated its legal rights when it scheduled a public bidding on July 27, 2017. PGMC is one of the PCSO’s service providers, alongside Pacific Online Systems Corporation (POSC).

PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan pointed out that the cases filed against the agency were already nearing its resolution, especially after PGMC had reportedly expressed to cooperate with the lottery operator.

Scientific Games narrows 2017 net loss to $242.3M

U.S. gaming technology provider Scientific Games has cut its net losses by 31.5 percent in 2017, thanks to the solid performance of its three business segments.

In a filing before the U.S. Nasdaq, Sci Games announced that its net loss dropped to $242.3 million in 2017 from $353.7 million recorded two years ago, as the company’s operating income improved while interest expenses shrunk.

Data showed that Sci Games raked in $3.08 billion in revenue last year, an increase of 7 percent or $200.2 million. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization climbed 11 percent to $1.22 billion, compared with $1,103.6 million in the prior year.

Meanwhile, Sci Games’ operating income grew more than double to $393.1 million in the 12months ending December 31, 2017, which included the $69.0 million goodwill impairment.

Becky’s Affiliated: How affiliates can succeed in a rapidly changing environment with Lee-Ann Johnstone

The online gambling affiliate industry is in a state of flux, with affiliate programs tightening their reins, new regulations crashing down on established jurisdictions such as the UK, more and more M&A, new technology, new markets and plenty of competition. Compliance was a major buzz word at the London Affiliate Conference several weeks ago and affiliates new and old are looking for guidance now more than ever.

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Gaming-fueled Macau economy at its fastest pace since 2013

Macau’s economy has come roaring at its fastest pace in 2017, spurred by a robust gambling activity in the former Portuguese enclave.

Data from Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) showed that Macau’s gross domestic product jumped 9.1 percent to MOP404.2 billion (US$50.06 billion) while per-capita GDP amounted to MOP622,803 (US$77,596).

It was the first time that Macau’s registered a high GDP growth since 2013, when the city’s economy grew 11.2 percent. DSEC attributed Macau’s stellar economic performance to the rise of its total exports and services, which included the gaming services in China’s special administrative region.

DSEC reported that Macau’s total exports and services climbed 15.4 percent while exports of gaming services and other tourism services went up by 16.4 percent and 15.4 percent respectively. Moreover, exports of goods rose by 12.3 percent.

STS launches affiliate programme with Income Access

STSpartner programme for Poland’s leading bookmaker to be managed using Income Access affiliate platform

Montreal, QC. March 1st 2018 – STS, the biggest bookmaker in Poland in terms of market share, has launched an affiliate programme in partnership with Income Access, Paysafe’s marketing technology and services provider. The new STSpartner affiliate programme will be managed by STS’ in-house team using Income Access’ affiliate software.

Founded in 1997, STS today holds an almost 50% share of the regulated Polish sports-betting market. The brand’s site allows players to wager online on almost 25 different sports, including football (from the Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and France’s Ligue 1 to international tournaments), tennis, ice hockey and basketball. STS also provides eSports betting, and was the first brand to introduce wagering on competitive video gaming contests to the Polish market.

To support its overall sports-betting offering, the bookmaker provides broadcasts on over 2,000 sporting events a month through STS TV, enabled through media rights contracts with relevant broadcasters.

ICS and The Telegraph launch digital racecards ahead of 2018 Cheltenham Festival

March 1st, 2018 – Leeds: ICS Media Group (ICS) has extended its long-standing partnership with Telegraph Media Group by providing premium daily horse racing analysis with a white-label version of its innovative Before The Off digital racecard product.

The launch means readers of The Telegraph can now access ground-breaking digital racecards that feature premium stats and data, colour-coded analysis, and unique star-ratings for every horse competing in the UK and Ireland.

The Telegraph’s new racecard analysis, launched ahead of next month’s Cheltenham Festival, provides a unique and powerful tool for punters looking to make informed bets and wagers. ICS’ racing experts also provide daily horse racing tips designed at identifying the best value on the market and maximising returns.

Ian Holding, director of ICS, said: “We are thrilled to have launched an exciting new version of our innovative BeforeTheOff.com digital race cards with The Telegraph, which sets them apart in terms of free-to-use premium racing content.