Sky Bet’s latest sports gambling market has come crashing to the ground without a parachute. The gambling operator had recently introduced “Commentator Bingo” as a way to branch out into other gambling avenues, but it turned out to be a complete dud. The company, per a report by SBC News, has announced that it has shelved the idea after receiving a serious amount of backlash, pulling it just ahead of this Sunday’s English Premier League game between rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

Commentator Bingo was presented as a way for gamblers to place bets on “exact words and phrases” that commentators might use during the game. Sky Sports is broadcasting the game, with Martin Tyler, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher set to provide the commentator, and Twitter apparently exploded with criticism over the concept. However, some of the backlash may have been misdirected, as it’s possible that some Twitter uses erroneously linked Sky Bet with Sky Sports, even though they’re two separate and independent companies. 

Sky Bet was probably more concerned about the high-profile criticism it received for Commentator Bingo than it was over the reaction of Twitter users. Carolyn Harris, a U.K. Member of Parliament and the chair of the Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group, was not impressed with the activity and told The Athletic that it was “astounding, unbelievable and predatory.” She added, “Where are the limits? What are the boundaries on what these companies are going to take a bet on? I am aghast that they try to find a betting opportunity in every minute of the day.”

Possibly unaware of how the new gambling option would be taken, Sky Bet has most likely just reignited anti-gambling flames in the U.K. The country has already been cracking down on how gambling operators manage their activity and a number of new policies have been introduced over the past two years that limit revenue-generating possibilities. Offering options such as Commentator Bingo are not against U.K.’s gambling laws; however, operators should now expect that to change in the very near future.

Playtech Sports is gaining more ground in Europe. The gambling software developer has struck a deal with Danske Spil to introduce new virtual sports gambling products, helping Denmark’s national lottery operator expand its lineup. The products are reportedly in place already and offer a variety of options that will appeal to all types of sports gambling enthusiasts.

Danske Spil has chosen eight titles to offer, including soccer, basketball, tennis, greyhound racing, horse racing, motorsports, cycling and competitive running. The operator will provide simulation-based odds for the virtual products, giving gamblers the ability to study the finer details of the event before placing their bets. Danske Spil CEO Pernille Mehl said of the new content and the deal with Playtech, “We are pleased to launch a new product vertical in our product portfolio. It is a different product than the classic lottery, which hopefully can attract new customers to our business.”

Playtech has already seen its novel offerings introduced to GVC, MansionBet and OPAP. A year ago, it added its QUANTUM digital gambling solution to OPAP’s platform, a move that proved to give OPAP a strong boost as the gambling industry continued to be pummeled by COVID-19. Playtech creates its virtual sports offerings with the assistance of advanced motion capture film recording, which has become exceedingly popular since it was introduced.

Playtech’s Director of Virtual Sports, Richard Andrews, adds about the new relationship with Danske Spil, “We’ve seen player engagement for our virtual sports outmatch even our most optimistic expectations in recent months, and we’re delighted to announce that Danske Spil has launched our innovative virtual sports portfolio. We’re thrilled to offer the industry’s most exciting simulation of live sports available with our latest collaboration. Danske Spil have customised the product specifically for their Danish players and we have no doubt it will prove to be a strong revenue driver and a firm player favourite.” Danske Spil took a hit last year because of COVID-19 and the new options should help it find renewed support. The first half of 2020 brought a 7.8% reduction in revenue compared to the same period a year earlier, even though the company was able to limit its profit losses to just 2.9% year-on-year. Much of that loss was due to the pause in sports activity in the half, which led to fewer sports wagers, and Danske Spil was able to rely on its lottery options to help offset some of the losses.

If there’s any doubt that a POGO (Philippines Offshore Gambling Operator) exodus is happening, we need only look to the real estate sector to find out the truth. The Lobien Realty Group (LRG) is warning Metro Manila vacancy rates could nearly double in 2021, at the rate operators are currently leaving the city.

In a media briefing, LRG chief executive officer Sheila Lobien noted the city closed 2020 with an 8% vacancy rate. “We feel that in the next few months, this can be double digit 12 percent to probably 14 percent vacancy rate… because many office buildings are being vacated. The exit of POGO affected the market’s vacancy rate,’’ Lobien said.

There will be a huge knock-on effect from this to landlords. Rental rates are expected to drop anywhere from 25 to 30%. Lobien explained that current rates have remained high thanks to some crafty budget management by property owners:

“[Rates] have not reflected the decrease due to the POGOs’ contractual agreements of about a year’s worth of security and advance deposits, which protected the landlords’ rent income during the lockdowns and despite the numerous lease pre-terminations.”

If there’s any doubt that a POGO (Philippines Offshore Gambling Operator) exodus is happening, we need only look to the real estate sector to find out the truth. The Lobien Realty Group (LRG) is warning Metro Manila vacancy rates could nearly double in 2021, at the rate operators are currently leaving the city.

In a media briefing, LRG chief executive officer Sheila Lobien noted the city closed 2020 with an 8% vacancy rate. “We feel that in the next few months, this can be double digit 12 percent to probably 14 percent vacancy rate… because many office buildings are being vacated. The exit of POGO affected the market’s vacancy rate,’’ Lobien said.

There will be a huge knock-on effect from this to landlords. Rental rates are expected to drop anywhere from 25 to 30%. Lobien explained that current rates have remained high thanks to some crafty budget management by property owners:

“[Rates] have not reflected the decrease due to the POGOs’ contractual agreements of about a year’s worth of security and advance deposits, which protected the landlords’ rent income during the lockdowns and despite the numerous lease pre-terminations.”

Entain’s plan to buy up Enlabs AB has just hit a major roadblock. Texas hedge fund Alta Fox Capital Management, 3.3% shareholder of Enlabs, now says they’ll refuse to sell for the offered price, and they’ve gathered enough support to stop the purchase.

Under the terms of the proposed deal, shareholders would receive SEK 40 (£3.50) per share. In a letter to their fellow shareholders, Alta Fox Capital wrote, “This offer materially undervalues the company, represents a negligible premium of 1.1% to the pre-offer trading price, and has unusual circumstances that make us question why Enlabs’ Chairman, Niklas Braathen, accepted such an inadequate offer.”

They go on to conclude:

“The fact that Entain will compensate Braathen as a senior executive post-deal and that the CEO of Entain just announced his departure is highly unusual. It leads us to conclude that while this is a good deal for Entain, it is a bad deal for NLAB minority shareholders. Alta Fox has retained legal counsel to protect our interests in this matter and has spoken with other large shareholders, a portion of which have signed in support of this letter and represent over 10% of total shares outstanding.”

In the fast-moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly. We also roundup the latest slot game releases for you every Wednesday.

BetConstruct Optimizes Backoffice for Mobile Use

The sportsbook and online casino supplier is among the fewest who provide operators with a complete set of products and services on a self-hosted platform. Adapting the controls to smartphone browsing is the next move towards providing operators with a maximum comfort in using BetConstruct solutions. The seamless integration of backoffice into mobile is, first and foremost, part of catering to the needs of operators and bridging the agility gap.

Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) can’t catch a break. The South Korean casino operator with three gambling properties in the country has been trying to get things back to normal after COVID-19 forced it to halt operations last year, and a plan to reopen its venues at the end of December was thwarted. It pushed back the relaunch a few days, to January 4, but that didn’t work out as planned, either. With South Korea still combatting the coronavirus through strict countermeasures, GKL is now extending its shutdown once again, this time until early in February.

GKL’s three foreigner-only casinos were closed for all of December – the two properties in Seoul closed on November 24 and the Busan venue followed on December 1. At the time, the number of positive COVID-19 tests was constantly rising, sometimes with more than 1,000 new infections recorded each day in December. However, with South Korea implementing strict safety and health measures, the numbers are dropping rapidly and, according to information available this week, there are now only about 366 new infections. 

While the reversal is a good sign that the country’s measures are working, what can happen if restrictions are lifted too soon has already been seen. Across the U.S. and parts of Europe, new explosions of infections have been reported after restrictions were relaxed, forcing many areas to go back on more restrictive lockdowns for extended periods of time. South Korea continues to operate under what it calls an “alert level 2.5,” which provides several requirements. Gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited and any social establishment has to close at 9 PM. Masks are required everywhere, except outdoors, and city-to-city public transportation is expected to operate at reduced capacities. 

The announcement of the new extension, which will be in place until February 4, also brought with it a hint at the financial damage GKL has suffered due to COVID-19. The company said yesterday that it will most likely record a loss in total casino sales of around $24.9 million as a result of the closure. This is based on the average daily net sales GKL recorded for the third quarter of last year.