Monthly Archives: April 2020

Betsson weathering COVID-19 storm through grey-market gains

Nordic online gambling operator Betsson AB hasn’t seen a major increase in its online casino revenue, contrary to the current narrative surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figures released Thursday show Betsson generated revenue of SEK1.42b (US$141m) in the first three months of 2020, up 7% from the same period last year. Earnings rose 2% to SEK353m while net income was flat at SEK229.6m.

Sports betting revenue improved 29% to SEK385m, representing 27% of group revenue, up five points from Q1 2019. Betting turnover improved 8% while margins gained 2.2 points to 8.5%. The gains came despite the mass suspension of major sports events, leading CEO Pontus Lindwall to remark on how well the company has responded to the pandemic challenge.

Online casino revenue was flat at just over SEK1b, spoiling the prevailing narrative that frustrated sportsbook customers were migrating en masse to casino products. Betsson said it has noticed an uptick in online casino customers and activity in March and April, although active customers across all verticals suffered a modest decline in Q1.

Sweden’s gamblers face new limits on bonuses, deposits, losses

Sweden’s gamblers are facing tough new limits on their activity after the government proposed temporary rules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, Sweden’s Social Security Minister Ardalan Shekarabi unveiled a set of proposals to limit gamblers’ possible exposure to harm during the pandemic. The proposals will be up for public discussion until May 7 and Shekarabi (pictured) hopes they will take force on June 1 with an expiration date at the end of 2020.

The proposals include a weekly gambling deposit limit of SEK5k (US$500) with a corresponding loss limit for “gaming on vending machines.” It will be mandatory for players to set time limits for gambling with online casino products and vending machines, and bonus offers will be limited to SEK100.

Shekarabi, who warned earlier this month that a corona-crackdown was in the works, said the new rules were necessary because some Swedish online gambling licensees are reporting “strong progress” in online casino activity – “one of the most risky forms of gambling” – due to the current lack of major sports events on which to wager.

Strat-O-Matic Baseball Selected By People.com as ‘Best Board Game for Sports Lovers’ For 2020

Strat-O-Matic Baseball

Strat-O-Matic (www.strat-o-matic.com), the market leader in sports simulations, continued an unparalleled month of growth and recognition this week, being selected by People.com as “Best Board Game for Sports Lovers” amongst their list of iconic games that have gained steam during these unusual times. The list includes other classics such as Monopoly, Candor, Scrabble and Candy Land. The entire list can be seen here https://people.com/entertainment/best-board-games/

“While the events of the last six weeks are certainly not what anyone wanted or expected, we continue to forge ahead by providing quality and engaging content on a daily basis, not just for our traditional players, but for thousands of new consumers of every demographic who have found us for the first time or returned to us after time away,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder and president. “We are honored to make this list. and are continuing to find new ways to have consumers connect not just with us but with each other; a connection that we believe will continue into the future.”

Strat-O-Matic is also continuing to run daily MLB 2020 season simulations at http://www.strat-o-matic.com/2020-season-simulation/ as well as full simulations of the NBA Playoffs. Basketball results and boxscores can be seen at http://www.strat-o-matic.com/2020-basketball-playoffs/

In addition to the recognition, the increased interest is also reflected in sales, traffic and social numbers, which continue on the upswing. Board and Windows games, digital platform Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365, Website traffic, new users and social media have all seen significant boosts over comparable time periods as fans continue to satiate their thirst for baseball, Strat-O-Matic style, connecting with the game and each other across all of these areas.

Some Strat-O-Matic by the numbers highlights include:

  • Baseball Board and Windows platform sales from March 15-31, 2020, are more than 50% higher compared to the same time period in 2019
  • Baseball Board game product sales are more than 60% higher comparing second half of March 2020 to first half of March 2020
  • Baseball Windows platform sales are more than 45% higher comparing second half of March 2020 to first half of March 2020
  • New Members on Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365 are more than 75% higher between March 17-31, 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019
  • Traffic on Strat-O-Matic.com from March 27, 2020, was 472% higher compared to March 27, 2019
  • Since MLB’s scheduled March 26 Opening Day, traffic on Strat-O-Matic.com has been 380% higher compared to the same time frame of 2019
  • Since MLB’s scheduled March 26 Opening Day, new users on Strat-O-Matic.com have been 781% higher compared to the same time frame of 2019

Fans with questions about any facet of the Baseball Daily and Basketball simulations can contact Strat-O-Matic at [email protected].

Cross-sell casino games on your sportsbook with Spearhead’s Slider Games

Spearhead Studios, EveryMatrix’s gaming development company, helps bookmakers optimize their revenues by launching the instant cross-selling opportunity Slider Games. By adding the new feature on their sportsbooks, operators can experience up to 20% increase of their casino revenue, without lengthy and time-consuming development.

Slider Games are classic casino games, such as roulette, videopoker, blackjack, and slots, aimed at sportsbook players who only have short but frequent windows of opportunity to play. Slider Games are specifically designed to be presented outside of the standard casino lobby and accessed via a rapid ‘swipe’ motion on mobile. For the best user experience, games served via the slider are 20% less in size compared to standard mobile versions.

Mathias Larsson, Managing Director of Spearhead Studios, comments: “Sports operators need to focus on tactical and proven measures which can stop them from bleeding revenue. With no extra technical developments required, a fast and easy integration, and top user experience, Slider Games represent an excellent option for sports players.

“We already launched on several operators, and their revenues went up in just a couple of weeks. Bottom line, Slider Games are keeping players on the website by providing real, fun and quick entertainment bites.”

Gambling Industry Announcement and Partnership Roundup – April 23, 2020

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.

BlueOcean welcomes Salsa Technology’s Video Bingos aboard its Gamehub

BlueOcean Gaming has signed an exciting content deal with Salsa Technology to integrate the LatAm provider’s entire portfolio of Video Bingos and slots onto its Gamehub platform.

BlueOcean Gaming is a highly exclusive online casino platform provider, which also delivers white label gambling and mobile gaming solutions. Salsa Technology’s standout titles will be made available to BlueOcean customers through the BlueOcean API accessed via the Gamehub platform.

Is Trademail Bitcoin’s best offramp?

This is a guest contribution by Patrick Thompson, Writer at CoinGeek.com. He explains how easy it is for users to get their Bitcoin SV using Trademail, a RelayX product, making BSV an even more attractive payment option for gambling operators. This article first appeared on CoinGeek.com.

On April 13, RelayX launched Trademail, an innovative interoperability solution built on Bitcoin.

Currently, through Trademail, Bitcoin SV (BSV) users can send BSV to BTC, ETH, USDC, and USDT (ERC20) wallet addresses and exchange their BSV for those digital assets in the process. In other words, through Trademail, a BSV holder can exchange their BSV for BTC, ETH, USDC, or USDT directly—without ever having to send their BSV to an exchange or use a digital currency swap service. Let’s take a look and see how Trademail works.

How to use Trademail

X-Bet.co and BUFF.bet merge and fuel eSports betting IPO

The two eSports betting brands are merging due to a signed deal at the end of February between XB Systems, a start-up organization managing X-Bet.co and one of the strongest white labels of UltraPlay – BUFF.bet.

Since XB Systems operations began in May 2017, the company has grown rapidly within the eSports betting sector under the brand name X-Bet.co. BUFF.bet, on the other hand, is a standalone business affiliated with UltraPlay and powered by its advanced betting solutions.

For over three years XB Systems has been working closely with its platform provider UltraPlay. The effective management team of XB Systems and the surging growth rates on X-Bet.co in terms of betting volume and user numbers encouraged UltraPlay to take the next step and initiate talks to merge BUFF.bet with XB Systems operations and management. Due to the signed agreement, X-Bet.co effectively and fully takes over the management and operations, as well as the domain and all assets of the merged business. UltraPlay will remain the platform provider for the newly formed venture for the foreseeable future.

Mario Ovcharov, CEO of UltraPlay commented: “We believe that X-Bet.co and BUFF.bet will form a great synergy together. With the two sites joined forces and the experienced management team of XB Systems firmly in place, BUFF.bet will undoubtedly go from strength to strength becoming one of the leading eSports betting operators worldwide”.

EvenBet to host online poker tournament at SBC Digital Summit

Award-winning developer confirmed as sponsor for upcoming online conference

April 2020 – EvenBet Gaming has agreed a deal with SBC to become an official sponsor of the SBC Digital Summit, which includes the leading online gaming software developer hosting an exclusive poker tournament for delegates.

EvenBet will be giving attendees the chance to go head-to-head in the digital competition, which will be powered by the company’s industry-leading poker platform.

Starting on the Tuesday, summit delegates will be able to enter a multi-table Hold’em tournament via a password that can be retrieved from EvenBet’s virtual booth in the exhibition hall.

Sportradar delivers sports content and coverage above 2019 levels

Innovative approach to sports products and tournaments drives surge in coverage despite lack of traditional sports

23 April 2020, London – Sportradar, the global provider of sports content and intelligence, today released figures showing that they had sustained their delivery of sports content and coverage despite the lack of live sports globally due to COVID-19, even managing to increase the overall coverage levels compared to the same period last year .

So far in the month of April, there has been an 11% increase in its available sports content compared to April 2019, with coverage of approximately 24,000 matches in total worldwide. In a typical month, Sportradar provides live coverage for approximately 20,000 matches. As a result, Sportradar’s Live Odds coverage is up 30%, while Live Data is up 20% compared to this time last year.

This significant achievement reflects Sportradar’s rapid response to the current absence of live sports and increased appetite for alternative content from customers. The company has pivoted its business to focus on developing a range of innovative and non-traditional sports products, in addition to continuing to partner with leagues around the world.

Nevada plans for the long road to recovery

Unfortunately for the Las Vegas casino industry, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has stolen the spotlight, at least for the moment, in a contentious interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, calling for her city to become a “control group” to re-open the economy. Meanwhile, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has put forward a sensible plan for casinos to start-up, lawmakers are pushing to help struggling operators, and the Hard Rock has given a sober assessment of how long it will take to return to normalcy.

If you haven’t seen Mayor Goodman’s interview yet, the full thing is a cringe worthy 25 minute discussion where Goodman insists Las Vegas needs to get back to business. Underwhelmed with her answers, Cooper at times flat out calls her answers “ignorant,” and encourages her to seek out help and better information.

Las Vegas Mayor offers city as “control group”, “we offer to be a control group” to see how many people die without social distancing. pic.twitter.com/NESE2hActE

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 22, 2020

Pauli Ayras Goes into Poker Masters Final Weekend With the Lead

Two more big Poker Masters events saw Pauli Ayras take the lead and over $2.7 million in prize money handed out to the latest batch of winners.

Event #19

The $25,000-entry no-limit hold’em event had just under $2 million in the kitty and saw 77 entries mean that the top prize awarded to the winner would be $548,625.

A pivotal bust-out came when Jorryt van Hoof, who had earlier led the event, crashed out in 11th place, bubbling the money and missing out on what would have been a vital 8th cash of the series. It would be former leaderboard pacesetter Andras Nemeth who slid into the money places in 10th place, cashing for $77,000.

15 Bigs: Kevin Allen

Kevin Allen is a renowned cash game professional from London. The Tottenham Hotspur supporter has also won huge live events, such as the GUKPT London Main Event for £158,700, which featured Will Kassouf, Ben Jackson and Matt Davenport at the final table.

Renowned for his dedication to poker, he is as tough as they come at the felt, but the ultimate happy family man away from the poker table and his cheeky smile is his regular pose among the Brit Pack on the rail whenever he’s not at the final table himself.

How will Kevin Allen deal with our 15 bigs, though?

If you were to be shot at dawn, what would be your last meal/drink?

DraftKings, FanDuel sued by sore losers

Just because someone can do something doesn’t mean they should do it, especially if they’re not proficient at it. A group of individuals is going after DraftKings and FanDuel in court for their daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests, arguing that customers who lost money participating in the competitions should be reimbursed. They assert that the two sports gambling companies were setting them up to lose, knowing that the less proficient players would never be able to compete with the professionals. That’s something most people would consider common sense.

The complaining began in 2016, as told by Casino.org, after a number of players launched claims against the two companies, resulting in the creation of a federal class-action lawsuit that was heard in the US District Court of Massachusetts. That same year, DraftKings and FanDuel were rebuked in New York by then-Attorney General (AG) Eric Schneiderman, who accused them of offering illegal gambling and fraudulent marketing. His attacks, which included threats of multibillion-dollar fines, led to both companies taking a break in the state. The two resumed operations in New York that same year, but also paid a combined $12 million in fines to make the AG happy.

That Massachusetts case was based on the defense that the two operators had “knowingly misled millions of people” by marketing DFS as a contest anyone could win. However, as the plaintiffs could never become millionaires off the activity, either because they didn’t have the experience or the analytical capabilities to make the best choices, they decided that DraftKings and FanDuel must have been lying.

The lawsuit, which brings together individuals from states such as Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina and Tennessee, asserts, “Defendants thus attracted innocent consumers by knowingly making these false promises and spent hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure it would reach as many consumers as possible.” That essentially sounds like any marketing campaign ever created by any company.

Landing lands multimillion-dollar investment to help offset losses

Things haven’t been going as well for South Korea’s Jeju Island as everyone had planned. The revenue isn’t flowing as freely as had been predicted, and further development is taking longer than expected. The coronavirus certainly hasn’t helped anything, and Landing International Development realized that it needed a little financial boost to offset the dips seen at its Jeju Shinhwa World integrated resort (IR). The casino operator announced earlier this month an impending shares placement, which has now wrapped up and has given the company the working capital it needs, at least for a little while.

Landing had put together 586,979,742 shares to offer through placement, expecting to be able to attract around $17.7 million in investment financing through the deal. According to an update (in pdf) by the company from yesterday, it was right on target, receiving just over $17.68 million. Given the stock market and currency value fluctuations, the amount is right in line with what Landing wanted. The total of shares placed equals 16.67% of the company’s issued share capital and was distributed among six different recipients at about $0.003 per share.

The money will be put to immediate use, with Landing to shore up its gambling operations at the IR. Landing explains in the update, “The net proceeds from the Placing, after deduction of the placing commission and other related expenses, amounted to approximately [$17.7 million] will be used for general working capital of the Group’s gaming business and integrated leisure resorts in Jeju Island, South Korea and interest expenses.”

The injection is a life ring, as the company saw losses of about $90 million in 2018 and $274.7 million last year. Most of that was through the Landing Casino, which has seen significant drops in revenue, and the Jeju resort is expected to overcome those losses – if it can be completed. The project has been met with several delays and needs to ramp up operations as quickly as possible if it is to start generating any type of significant contribution to Landing’s wallet.

Boom Sports gets Penn National iGaming skins, Barstool arrangement

Penn National has come to an agreement with New York-based Boom Sports for the latter to operate a number of iGaming skins for the casino operator across the U.S. According to a press release from Boom Sports from yesterday, the partnership will see it operate mobile sportsbooks and online casinos through the deal, which will remain in place for 20 years once each state signs off on the arrangement. In addition, the company will launch a new product tied to Barstool Sports, which was acquired by Penn National this past January for $450 million.

The new agreement allows Boom Sports to provide its own digital sports gambling and iCasino products under the Penn National umbrella in five states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico and Ohio. In Mississippi and Louisiana, the company will hold first skins; in Ohio, a second skin and Missouri and New Mexico will be home to third skins. Boom Sports will also be open to exploring additional operations in other states.

Boom Sports co-founder and CEO Stephen A. Murphy says of the deal, “This agreement marks a pivotal moment in the history of Boom Sports. As we aim to become the premier technology provider for the real-money online gaming industry, this deal will allow us to unveil our unique sportsbook vision directly to consumers.”

The deal is made even more lucrative for the company, as it doesn’t have to pay anything to Penn National in advance. In return, it will develop a collection of free-to-play games for the casino operator, one of which has already been introduced. That was NASCAR Finish Line, which was presented this past February to car racing fans and is designed to showcase live NASCAR races and eNASCAR competitions. Boom Sports has also agreed to create real-money games and content for Penn National.

Calvin Ayre Foundation donates millions in Personal Protective Equipment to help fight Covid-19

St. John’s, Antigua – Tuesday, April 21, 2020: The Calvin Ayre Foundation (CAF), announced today, that over EC$4 million worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), is en route to Antigua and Barbuda from The People’s Republic of China, to assist the government in its fight against Covid-19.

According to Chairman of the Ayre Group, Ambassador Calvin Ayre: “As Antigua and Barbuda and many other small island developing states struggle to protect their citizenry from this highly contagious and deadly coronavirus, it is becoming painfully obvious that we cannot look to the traditional donors and trading partners for assistance in providing urgently needed PPEs.”

For example, effective Friday, April 10, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), issued a temporary rule stating that it would be allocating “certain scarce or threatened materials for domestic use, so that these materials may not be exported from the United States without explicit approval by FEMA.” The rule covers five types of protective equipment including N95 masks, surgical masks and gloves. This decision leaves vulnerable countries like Antigua and Barbuda with no choice but to seek to acquire supplies from other source markets.

“Thankfully,” Ayre said, “we were able to procure the desperately needed protective equipment from China for our front-line workers in Antigua and Barbuda.”