Gambling tech outfit Playtech has inked a new long-term agreement with UK-listed gambling operator GVC Holdings PLC, which will see Playtech supply its services and products to all GVC brands, both in existing and new markets, for the next six years.

The new deal, announced on Wednesday, expands the scope and duration of the current partnership between the two companies. Under the deal, Playtech’s products and services will be integrated onto the GVC platform for delivery to the GVC’s U.S.-facing joint venture with MGM, ROAR Digital. This means that GVC’s brands, many of them for the first time, will have access to Playtech’s suite of content and products.

Playtech BGT Sports will also continue to supply GVC’s Ladbrokes Coral unit with software for its self-service betting terminals located in Great Britain, Ireland and Belgium. GVC CEO Kenneth Alexander said, “The added flexibility around migration of technology platforms enables us to accelerate the integration of Ladbrokes Coral.”

The new tie-up with GVC demonstrates Playtech’s emphasis on “growing its relationship with existing clients by expanding into new geographies and/or additional products.” Playtech recently signed a multi-year extension with News UK to operate Sun Bingo for up to 15 years.

LeoVegas has long envisioned the idea that one day they would be the leading brand when it came to e-sports betting and online gambling, and it looks like they have taken one step closer to reaching that reality with the announcement that the Swedish Gambling Authority have issued a five year license to open up an online casino and sports betting site. This site launched Tuesday under the name pixel.bet.

As a part of the announcement, Pixel Digital Ltd was granted the license to begin the betting operations. This is actually the second license that the LeoVegas group has been granted by the Swedish government.

In the statement, it was made clear that dominating the live casino and online gambling venues is the goal for pixel.bet. This, according to the company, will begin by focusing on Sweden and other Nordic areas before expanding across the globe.

Speaking at a press conference, Eirik Kristiansen, the CEO at Pixel Digital, explained that the license gives the company the opportunity to open up the esports betting market to those in Sweden who have a passion for the gaming tournaments. He added that this opportunity will help to “position us for continued expansion internationally.”

Ainsworth Game Technology Limited saw a mixed second half last year. It’s post-tax profit increased 25% to reach A$12.1 million (US$8.6 million), but its revenue dipped 2% to A$118 million (US$84.66 million). Normalized profit after tax dropped 47% over the same period a year earlier to settle at A$7.2 million (US$5.16 million), supported by a gain of A$5.8 million (US$4.1 million) due to currency movements. The company’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) climbed 21% to A$29.7 million (US$21.3 million), but its Underlying EBITDA, which is calculated based on the inclusion of currency impacts, dropped 11% to A$23.9 million (US$17.14 million).

The Australian-based company was hit hardest at home. Sales dropped substantially and its domestic revenue dropped 47% to A$19.7 million (US$14.13 million). Profit was just A$2 million (US$1.43 million), which included a A$1.3-million (US$932,560) one-time write off of older gaming cabinets.

On the other hand, revenue in North America jumped up almost as much as domestic revenue fell. It increased by 40% to A$53.8 million (US$38.59 million) and profit increased 47% to A$21.6 million (US$15.49 million). The increases were made possible by a 38% increase in unit sales, which reached 1,342. Elsewhere around the world, revenue increased 6% year-on-year to A$8.8 million (US$6.3 million), but most of this was due to a major contribution from its largest shareholder, Novomatic.

Ainsworth expects it can do better and is looking forward to proving it during the second half of its fiscal year. The company’s CEO, Danny Gladstone, explains, “Though I am disappointed with 1H19 results I expect that new game releases will improve performance on our installed base and create revenue opportunities. In 2019, while recognizing the intense competitive landscape, we will continue to pursue development initiatives and actively recruit experienced game developers and utilize third party developers to harness the best of our internal capabilities with external expertise. This strategy is expected to create diversity in product offerings over time with an increased level of investment in R&D activities.”

In about two years, the six gaming concessions in Macau will begin to expire—some in 2020 and some in 2022. Since the concessions cannot be renewed, as such, and entirely new concessions would need to be awarded, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests that this would be an ideal time for Macau to try make a push for more non-gaming operations among those casino operators who want to seek a new concession.

The goal, according to the IMF, would be to promote non-gaming tourism. Macau has already set out on a mission to include tourism activities beyond gambling, so the idea already has a strong foundation. The IMF stated in a report this past Monday, “With all six gaming concessions expiring in 2020 and 2022, the authorities have the opportunity to further advance their growth strategy and should craft the new regulations with stronger incentives for operators to expand non-VIP tourism.”

The organization added, “To accommodate the higher number of tourists under a mass-market and non-gaming model, infrastructure plans should advance in order to ease supply-side bottlenecks. Some of these areas are expanded entertainment, convention and exhibition options, hotels and retail, including via integrated resorts and family-oriented facilities.”

The Macau economy is swayed by what happens in mainland China. Economic and financial policy changes in the mainland could impact Macau’s success and the IMF points out that a number of factors—including banking sector exposures, the trade war between the U.S. and China and more restrictive global financial conditions—could hinder Macau’s future growth if the city doesn’t diversify its tourist portfolio.

Ireland lawmakers began reviewing a piece of legislation to provide guidance to the gambling industry in 2013. The Gambling Control Bill (GCB) would update the country’s gambling laws and seemed to be an important bill at the time. However, six years later, the GCB has done nothing but collect dust, repeatedly passed over by other pieces of legislation that lawmakers have determined were more important.

The GCB remains stuck in the mud as lawmakers are still unable to reach a consensus on how to regulate the gambling industry in the country. It saw a little movement in 2017 when it was put back on the Dáil’s agenda, but then it slipped back once again, buried under a sea of other bills.

David Stanton, a junior justice minister, promised that he would create a gambling regulator to oversee the industry until a more suitable alternative, such as what was suggested in the GCB, was approved. That was in 2017 and there is still no gambling regulator.

The gambling laws in Ireland were introduced almost a century ago. The Betting Act of 1931 and the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1956 control wagers now, but both of these were created well before the digital age and are not able to compensate for the myriad of changes seen since each was put into place.

The largest fine ever levied by the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) was $5.5 million. That was against Cantor Gaming, now known as CG Technology, in 2014 for a history of illegal betting activity. That fine has now been blown away by the penalty to be paid by Wynn Resorts for its lack of oversight in controlling its founder and former CEO, Steve Wynn, as he allegedly wasn’t able to control his sexual urges.

Wynn Resorts is going to have to forfeit $20 million to Nevada for not investigating claims of sexual misconduct against Steve Wynn. The fine was expected to be announced yesterday and the NGC was able to comply.

Wynn will be able to hold onto its gambling license in the state, which will allow it to recuperate the $20 million relatively quickly. In handing down the penalty, NGC Commissioner Philip Pro stated, “It’s not about one man. It’s about a failure of a corporate culture to effectively govern itself as it should.” He added that the commission acts as “guardians of the integrity of gambling” and that it has the responsibility to ensure that casino operators “don’t do things that bring disrepute on the industry.”

The company got off easy. Two of the commissioners on the board, Deborah Fuetsch and John Moran Jr., had wanted to slap Wynn with a larger fine, but they didn’t specify what that penalty could have been.

MGM China Holdings is losing two of its top executives, with announcements of their departures appearing back to back on subsequent days. The company’s chief financial officer (CFO) announced his departure last Thursday and, a day letter, non-executive director William Scott was out. These changes come following several other high-level movements at MGM China’s parent company, MGM Resorts, but don’t appear to be indicative of any internal issues taking place within the gaming giant.

Scott, in addition to being a non-executive director, also served on the company’s nomination and corporate governance committee, a position he held since March 2011. He was also the GM at Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality, Ltd., a company formed between MGM Resorts and Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, mainland China’s hospitality department.

No specific reason was given for Scott’s departure, but the company indicated that it was amicable. Per filing regulations, since he was an authorized representative of the company, his departure was required to be reported to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where MGM China is listed.

Last Thursday, MGM China announced that Dan D’Arrigo, the company’s CFO, was leaving. He has also resigned from the company’s board of directors, but will stay with the group for a month in order to allow for a smooth transition of responsibilities.

The president of the Philippines may not want further casino expansion in the country, but this isn’t stopping Galaxy Entertainment from moving forward with its plans to launch a resort on Boracay Island. President Rodrigo Duterte shut the gate on new casino projects in the country early last year – especially on Boracay – but Galaxy believes that the rules don’t apply to the international gaming operator.

Galaxy had announced a project on Boracay even before Duterte stepped in. When the island was shut down in order to be cleaned up after years of negligence, the company waited patiently until it was reopened. They received a shock when the curtain was lifted six months later and Duterte dropped the hammer on any new developments.

According to Galaxy’s vice chairman, Francis Lui, the company is ready to move forward on Boracay. It has proposed a $500-million casino resort on the island, for which the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) issued a license early last year. Lui told Inside Asian Gaming that the project has not yet been totally scrapped. He said, “It’s always been one of the top five beach islands of the world and we truly want to be part of it and make sure we would be able to elevate it back to the same position as before.”

Duterte asserted last November that the ban on Boracay casinos came from “the voice of the people,” which was the same as “the voice of god.” He further stated, “If it is the wish of the population that they do not want a casino, then there will be no casino.”

Playtech plc (“Playtech”) today announces that it has signed a new long-term agreement with GVC Holdings PLC (“GVC”). Under the agreement, Playtech will provide its leading services and products to all GVC brands, in existing and new markets.

This represents a significant extension in scope and duration to the current arrangements with the group. Through a portfolio of global and local established brands, GVC has one of the largest online gaming businesses in the world. For the first time, many of GVC’s brands will have access to Playtech’s proven suite of content and products. Playtech and GVC have also agreed to work together to integrate Playtech’s products and services onto the GVC platform in order that they can be made available to the MGM-GVC JV, ROAR Digital.

In addition, this partnership will see an extension of the agreement for Playtech BGT Sports to supply Ladbrokes Coral with the software for its suite of self-service betting terminals throughout Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, and Belgium.

Playtech’s expectations for 2019 Adjusted EBITDA, announced on 21 February 2019, remain unchanged.

“The hardest tumble a man can take is to fall over his own bluff.”

― Ambrose Bierce

There will be extensive commentary on the state of New Hampshire‘s lawsuit against the DOJ reversal of opinion regarding the Wire Act (18 USC 1084). But the most important aspect of the whole controversy is scarcely discussed at all: why? And especially, why now?

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