GVC Holdings has confirmed and secured its future in Germany, announcing on October 12 that it had received four sports-betting licenses in the country. The company had received the licenses on October 9 for its bwin, SportingBet, Ladbrokes and Gamebookers brands.

The license will allow each of the brands to continue offering sports-betting products in Germany. This allows GVC Holdings to smoothly transition under the new Tolerance Policy.

Under the new licenses, each brand must set a wagering limit of €1,000 euros per month, increasing to €10,000 if criteria are met. A 1% of customers, likely VIPs, may see it further increased to €30,000 with more criteria being met. There are also new strict deposit limits until Know Your Customer (KYC) checks are met, and bonuses have been curbed to a maximum of €100 per year.

Operators must also meet strict responsibility requirement. GVC’s bwin brand joined a chorus of other operators recently decrying that some of the requirements demanded of them have a “unrealistically tight implementation deadline.” Operators were told they would have two weeks to shut off online casino table games, at least until individual states offered licenses, and in-play sports betting markets would have to be reduced.

Industry veterans will instantly recognise the name of Phil Fraser and associate him with the birth of online bingo and affiliate marketing. With that in mind over very own, Becky Liggero Fontana took a stroll with Fraser down memory lane to speak about the evolution of online bingo and affiliate marketing in this week’s episode of The Long Con. 

Fraser cut his teeth at William Hill putting together the British giant’s first online casino in 2000, when the topic of ‘online bingo’ was discussed with William Hill bosses. According to Fraser, “it was a product that would take your comfort zone with a different target audience.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgLc-zQ3GIw?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360]

The presentation to William Hill turned out to be the ‘light-bulb’ moment for Fraser – he saw potential in online bingo. “Why am I telling people about this if I’m not going to do something about it.” That was the moment that Fraser decided to launch the first online bingo site in the U.K. 

Evolution Gaming just scored a nice victory for itself in the U.S. William Hill U.S., the U.S. arm of global sports gambling operator William Hill, is going to begin to offer the company’s live casino solutions through a deal announced at the end of last week. The partnership comes not long after it was revealed that casino operator Caesars Entertainment is looking to acquire William Hill for around $3.7 billion, and the addition of Evolution is going to give the latter a lot more exposure across the U.S. as it continues to look to grow its footprint in the country. 

William Hill U.S. will use Evolution’s products everywhere it has a digital presence. Initially, the solutions will be available in New Jersey, where Evolution has an iGaming studio in Atlantic City, before being rolled out to other locations. William Hill has a total of 113 race and sports gambling-related facilities across the country, including in Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Mexico, Rhode Island and West Virginia. 

Evolution CEO Malta and Chief Commercial Officer Johan Nordstrom states of the new partnership, “We are very proud to have been selected by William Hill U.S. Our Live Casino solutions have been instrumental in helping to make William Hill’s Live Casino a stand-out offering in regulated European markets. We very much look forward to achieving the same high levels of success for William Hill in the United States.”

Evolution is taking the U.S. by storm through a number of key strategic partnerships. Getting aligned with William Hill U.S. – and possibly Caesars as a result – is just one of the major coups for the company. It is also connected with sports gambling operator BetMGM, launched by MGM Resorts and its partners, and has continued to expand across the U.S. It is purchasing casino gaming developer NetEnt for around $2.5 billion, using money that came, in part, from a 97.5% increase in profit for the company over the first half of this year. 

Four teams are left in the race to the National Rugby League (NRL) Grand Final. The minor premiers the Penrith Panthers are set to face off against 2014 winners South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Melbourne Storm are set to face off against 2019 runners-up Canberra Raiders. The Storm and Panthers have both enjoyed a one-week break and will be favourites to move forward into the NRL decider.

After two high-scoring semi-finals, both the Raiders and South Sydney will be hoping to continue their red-hot form against two of the competition’s heavyweights.

Melbourne Storm vs Canberra Raiders

The Melbourne Storm are set to host the Canberra Raiders at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in the first preliminary final. The Storm will be desperate to advance to the decider, with club captain Cameron Smith on the verge of announcing his retirement from the game. The Storm have enjoyed a stellar season heading into the finals, shading Penrith for the minor premiership.

The battle for the Bledisloe Cup is set to be played out at Eden Park this week, after a thrilling opening encounter between the Wallabies and All Blacks. New Zealanders were left shocked as the Australians were able to claw to a 16-all draw in the opening Test match in Wellington. The Wallabies need to win two of the last three matches to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup.

A game of inches….

MORE: https://t.co/mnxYGubX34#BledisloeCup #NZLvAUS pic.twitter.com/b2jnQ1ymO0

— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) October 11, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The push for cashless gaming options for pokies or slot machines in Sydney, Australia is set to hit a snag. Lobby groups for the hotels and clubs association have voiced strong opposition to the ideas, with the costs set to inhibit the growth of new business across New South Wales (NSW) pubs and clubs. Opposition groups are arguing that the structure of the new proposal will increase the costs to small and medium-sized operators.

The proposed changes to state laws would force gamblers to register and pre-load money onto the gaming card. The system would be linked to the state-run self-exclusion database for problem gambling.

ClubsNSW have called the proposal an “expensive solution” being forced onto clubs. ClubsNSW chief executive Josh Landis expressed his doubts to the media. “The industry simply isn’t going to accept blindly any idea that lacks detail about cost impact,” he said.

Former NSW politician Michael Daley remained critical of the proposed scheme. “Some of these measures could devastate pubs and clubs at a time when their survival is under threat and protecting jobs is paramount.”

And then there were four. The AFL preliminary finals will see Port Adelaide face off against Richmond and the Brisbane Lions to do battle with Geelong. Port Adelaide and Brisbane have both enjoyed a well-earned one-week respite, while Richmond and Geelong flexed their premiership credentials with wins in both semi-finals over respective opponents St Kilda and Collingwood.

All four sides have compelling claims to the 2020 AFL Premiership, but only two sides are set to progress to the first AFL Grand Final to be held outside of Victoria for the first time in the competition. Read our AFL match preview and tips below.

Port Adelaide vs Richmond

The defending premiers walked into another preliminary final, thanks to a 31-point win over St Kilda. Richmond will be confident of advancing to their three Grand Final in four years, but will be facing a Port Adelaide side that claimed the minor premiership. The last time that these two clubs met in round 11, the Power were able to come away with a hard-fought 21-point win at the same ground.

An Argentinian manager who has never won a trophy in English football is now the betting favourite to be appointed both the next Manchester United and Manchester City manager.

Mauricio Pochettino has been out of work for 11 months, during which time he has seen his successor, Jose Mourinho, change Tottenham Hotspur considerably during a period dominated by the global Coronavirus pandemic. Flair players such as Dele Alli have been sacrifice by the pragmatic Portuguese, and tougher-tackling midfielders such as summer signing Pierre-Emile Hojberg brought to the fore. This hasn’t been more or less successful, but it has been different.

Pochettino has watched from the sidelines for the length of a full season, and must be itching to return to the fold, if not the Premier League then football in general. He will be refreshed by an extended break, the relief that can only be felt when the immense pressure of a 5-year project fades away replaced by frustration at inactivity, the gnawing knowledge that any longer outside the game and you can lose touch.

Pochettino knew when he left the Spurs job by way of Daniel Levy’s dramatic November 2019 decision, that his ideal role was up the M6 motorway. It seemed highly likely that Manchester United were the model club for Pochettino. His teams’ playing styles mirror the footballing ethos of a club know for their ‘youth, courage and success’.

Game Theory Optimal poker has been a huge subject of discussion over recent years in poker. The proliferation of players who employ the method has been widely reported, and sites that teach the methods have mushroomed with Fedor Holz and Matthias Eibinger’s Pokercode site training players in the elite GTO strategy.

Another player who has hit the headlines for his belief in the methods is Dominik Nitsche. The German four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner pioneered a new poker coaching app in DTO Poker, billed on its website as “the brainchild of the highly successful poker professional Dominik Nitsche and his long-time student Markus Prinz”.

Recent discussions on the popular social media site Twitter have highlighted the gap that still needs to be bridged between the best players and the fans who love to watch them play each other. Add to this the suggested notion that GGPoker’s recent banning of players using RTA (real-time analysis) extends to pre-flop range charts and Nitsche, among others, responded.

Why? Surely now the user base just stops using any charts at all no? I’m sure the guys I know won’t use any charts when playing there moving forward. I don’t see 90% of entire user base using charts in tomorrow’s sunday session. But I guess we’ll never know.

The latest round of Nations League games was vital to each country’s chances of success in the next 12 months, with nations such as France, Spain and England all hoping to add another trophy to their cabinets after a campaign which is taking part in challenging circumstances.

Who did what? Let’s look at those who made the most of the first Nations League game in months and the countries who might wished they’d stayed at home.

England 2-1 Belgium

An entertaining game brought a near-empty Wembley to life as England came from behind to beat the #1 ranked team in the world in terms of International football.

Australia’s gamblers will need to find other funding sources after a local bank became the latest to ban credit card transactions for gambling purposes.

Bank Australia, a Kew-based amalgamation of dozens of local credit unions, recently informed its customers that it would block “all gambling and gaming transactions” on its credit cards effective December 1.

Bank Australia previously included gambling in its list of sectors to which wouldn’t lend cash as part of its responsible gambling policies. The other forbidden sectors include tobacco, fossil fuels, weapon makers and live animal exports.

The bank claimed this shunning of “casinos, online gambling operators or businesses that derive revenue directly from poker machines or sports betting” was supported by 87% of its customers.  

Australia’s gamblers will need to find other funding sources after a local bank became the latest to ban credit card transactions for gambling purposes.

Bank Australia, a Kew-based amalgamation of dozens of local credit unions, recently informed its customers that it would block “all gambling and gaming transactions” on its credit cards effective December 1.

Bank Australia previously included gambling in its list of sectors to which wouldn’t lend cash as part of its responsible gambling policies. The other forbidden sectors include tobacco, fossil fuels, weapon makers and live animal exports.

The bank claimed this shunning of “casinos, online gambling operators or businesses that derive revenue directly from poker machines or sports betting” was supported by 87% of its customers.  

Sports betting activity surged across the US in September, putting even more pressure on states that have yet to launch their legal wagering markets.

Friday saw the release of September’s betting stats from the Indiana Gaming Commission, which show the state’s licensed bookmakers generated betting handle of $207.5m, up from $169m in August and topping the state’s pre-pandemic high of $187m in February. Betting revenue rose 46% from August to a record $14.3m.

Digital channels accounted for $173.2m (83.4%) of September’s handle, while retail wagering rose around 40% from August. DraftKings and FanDuel accounted for 43.1% and 27.2%, respectively, of September’s handle, with BetMGM well back in third with 6.3%.

Shifting to Iowa, the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission also had record numbers to report, as handle totalled $72m in September, up 44% from August and handily beating the state’s previous record of $59.3m set last November. September’s revenue hit $5.2m, up from just $3m in August, but $400k shy of the record set in October 2019.

Online gambling operator Kindred Group is warning investors that it stands to make a lot more money than expected in the third quarter.

On Friday, the Stockholm-listed Kindred issued a preview of its financial performance in the three months ending September 30. The company said gross winnings revenue will likely rise 24% year-on-year to an all-time high of £280m, while earnings will effectively double to £73m-£75m.

It’s worth noting that Kindred’s Q3 2019 wasn’t exactly a stellar period for the company, with revenue down 2% and earnings falling one-third as it adjusted to Sweden’s new regulated market and the loss of its Dutch-facing payment processing options. 

The official results won’t be released until November 6, but investors liked what they heard, pushing Kindred’s share price up 10% by Friday’s close, with a total gain this week of around 15%.  

Australian casino operator Crown Resorts has found itself in even more regulatory trouble as a second Australian state commences disciplinary proceedings.

On Friday, Crown chair Helen Coonan confirmed that the company’s $2.4b Crown Sydney property will start its soft-opening on December 14, months ahead of a report by the New South Wales Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) inquiry into Crown’s suitability to hold a state gaming license.

The inquiry saw dramatic testimony this week from Crown’s largest shareholder James Packer, who acknowledged the company’s numerous anti-money laundering compliance failures in its dealings with high-rolling gamblers and the junket operators who ferry those VIPs to Crown’s casinos.

On Friday, director Harold Mitchell continued the ‘see no evil’ stance adopted by other Crown execs who’ve previously testified to the inquiry, saying he only recently learned specifics on the role junkets play in Crown’s ecosystem and he now hopes “I never hear [the word ‘junket’] again.”  

The esports vertical could very well be the next evolution of sports betting, but how will that affect Africa? The SBC Digital Summit Africa confronted that question in a panel, and looked at how the coronavirus pandemic forced the industry to explore new sectors, with esports coming out a big winner.

While the impact of esports is yet to be fully absorbed in the African betting industry, the panel took some time to explore the growing popularity of esports in Africa. Managing Director of Paradise Games, Sidick Bakayoko, believes the industry in Africa is going through an evolution right now:

“There are going to be a lot of changes in the way people can view video games and the way they can view regular entertainment. I think it’s going to have a positive impact on our industry, which is video gaming, as a whole. I think betting is going to benefit from the new trends.

“For esports betting to explode in Africa you have to have the population and I think we have the numbers, and you have a population that’s growing, and you have a middle-class population that’s growing. I can see a real big parallel between what you can see in Europe or the US. What you can see here is just that it’s going to take a little bit more time, just like seeing the movie industry more than 15 years ago, which is now starting to work very well,” he added.

As predicted, it now looks certain Japan will delay the Integrated Resort (IR) proposal process. Kyodo News reports the central government will push back the application window by at least 9 months.

The original plan was to accept formal applications to win one of 3 IR licenses over a 7 month process start in January, 2021. Sources now say it looks like the window won’t open until fall, 2021.

The decision to delay the process comes down entirely to the logistics of putting in a successful bid, sources say. Operators and local governments have fallen behind their respective selection processes, making very few bids likely during the original window.

Also cited in the report is confusion created around the process by the 500.com scandal and former lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto. Lawmakers taking bribes to help set up casino operations hasn’t been the best look for the entire process.

Germany is undergoing a transformation, introducing changes to its iGaming segment to make it more regulated. While this might turn off some gaming operators (typically only those who would have otherwise not been willing to play by the rules, anyway), the iGaming space is still attracting attention. The latest to want in on the action is a new player, but which comes with a lot of gaming experience. Eyas Gaming is a new online gaming brand created by gaming veterans and backed by the Gauselmann Group. 

Eyas was founded by Joseph Saumarez-Smith, the chairman of Bede Gaming and CEO of Sports Gaming Ltd., Bede Gaming founder Michael Brady and former Rank Group director Adam Joseph. Saumarez-Smith, who is also a non-executive director of the British Horseracing Authority, will serve as the company’s chairman, while Brady and Joseph will be its CEO and COO, respectively. Operating out of Malta, the company is looking to acquire a license in that country, and will also apply for one in Germany when they are offered. 

Saumarez-Smith asserts, “The regulation of the German market is a very exciting time and a huge opportunity for us. The proposed rules for the German market will present some big challenges for all operators but we think that we will be able to build a market-leading product with Merkur that is specific to the German market and the new regulatory regime.”

The Gauselmann Group owns Bede Gaming, so it isn’t surprising that the company would decide to back the new venture. Bede Gaming’s digital platform will drive Eyas Gaming’s operations, which will also include Merkur virtual slot machines that will be made available from Gauselmann’s Blueprint and Edict divisions. Gauselmann purchased Bede Gaming at the end of the first quarter of this year, and the new company will give it a chance to continue expanding deeper into the iGaming realm.