Category Archives: Press Releases

Return Of Live Sports, Season Simulations Gives Strat-O-Matic Board, Digital Baseball Games A Record Setting Run

Strat-O-Matic Baseball

With baseball, basketball, hockey and others back on the fields, courts and ice, and football training camps underway, fans have been able to enjoy live sports that the COVID-19 pandemic has denied them. With hopes high that the delayed seasons can continue through to their conclusions, fans’ enthusiasm for Strat-O-Matic (www.strat-o-matic.com) baseball board and digital games set records for sales and engagement, according to numbers released today by the market leader in sports simulations.

For the period of March through July 2020, Strat-O-Matic sales far surpassed the same time frame in 2019:

  • Baseball Board and Windows platform sales are more than 70% higher
  • Baseball Board game product sales are more than 85% higher
  • Baseball Windows platform sales are more than 50% higher
  • Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365 sales are more than double
  • New Members on Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365 are more than 200% higher

And this past month, as the pro squads were returning, interest in Strat-O-Matic baseball was even more pronounced, as compared to July 2019:

  • Baseball Board game product sales were more than 80% higher
  • Baseball Windows platform sales were more than double
  • Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365 sales were more than double

The Strat-O-Matic daily baseball season simulation also brought the company unprecedented attention from popular sports and entertainment personalities and media outlets:

““I am proud our incredible team was able to pivot in this complex market,” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic President. “We are thrilled live sports have come back, and through the pandemic, simulation’s crucial place in sports has become clear. 

“We look forward to providing more entertainment and connection for sports fans,” he added. “Strat-O-Matic has been and will continue to be the bridge to fill holes as professional sports leagues awaken and occasionally pause as our country moves through this difficult time.”

American Cornhole League World Championship Cards Launch TOPPS NOW ACL Series

Samantha Finley, Derrick King

Cards depicting eight singles and doubles American Cornhole League (ACL) World Championship winners issued today on the TOPPS NOW® platform captured an exciting weekend of action and helped launch the partnership between the cardmaker’s partnership with ACL. The cards are available for purchase until Tuesday, August 18, at 1 p.m. ET at https://www.topps.com/cards-collectibles/topps-nowr.html?property=23309. Future TOPPS NOW cards will be produced for other major events sponsored by ACL, which promotes and develops cornhole as a sport for any age and any skill level.

The eight World Championship cards celebrate the following accomplishments:

  • Jamie Graham, Pro Singles World Champion
  • Derrick King / Trey Burchfield, Pro Doubles World Champions
  • Sarah Cassidy, Women’s Singles World Champions
  • Jamie Graham, ACL Man of the Year
  • Maya Cupp, ACL Woman of the Year
  • Cheyenne Renner / Sarah Cassidy, Women’s Doubles World Champions
  • Samantha Finley / Derrick King, Co-Ed Doubles World Champions
  • Ryan Windsor / Isidro Herrera / Brandon Corwin / Devon Harbaugh, Crew Cup World Champions

The World Championship cards follow a set of eight in the TOPPS ACL Pro Invitational Pack featuring the league’s top stars, and special TOPPS NOW cards commemorating last week’s “Grudge Match” between longtime UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce fighter Jorge Masvidal and ACL pro Cody Henderson, as the first available to collectors and fans of the sport.

“The TOPPS NOW platform is a great way to introduce collectors to the personalities that have driven the growth and success of cornhole and the ACL,” said Jeff Heckman, Topps’ Global Director of Ecommerce. “The World Championships gained a lot of attention, and we are pleased that fans have been excited about our first foray into the sport.”

In cornhole, teams alternate tossing 16-ounce bags of corn kernels towards a raised platform with a hole in the far end. The lawn game has grown into an international phenomenon, with ACL having established the rules and regulations to govern the sport, create and manage special events and foster its growth generally.

Russian Poker adds to BetConstruct’s live games range

Amid the major gaming enthusiasm this summer, BetConstruct adapts the popular poker variation to its Gaming Suite as a new live casino addition.

The elaborate software design that went into the game development allows for an unlimited number of players at a single table since Russian Poker is played against the house. 

Тhe context of the game is reduced to poker hands making it more a casino-based game than poker. This innovation from BetConstruct will deliver continuous betting actions with multiple gaming options and combination varieties within a single gameplay.

While it’s the freedom of switching and drawing cards to secure a winning combination which is at the heart of the player engagement, the operator’s major interest lies in having a strong representative for the casino in the face of a croupier. BetConstruct’s professional dealers are playing the game with just the right amount of skill and thrill to encourage a longer gameplay and more bets from players.

ASEAN Gaming Summit Postponed to 2021 Q2

Given the continued uncertainty and travel restrictions due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, Asia Gaming Brief has decided to postpone this year’s ASEAN Gaming Summit to Q2 2021.

“While it was a difficult decision to postpone our 4th edition past the 2020 calendar year, we felt it was the correct call to make to ensure our delegates’ safety and to give enough time for the industry to regain its balance,” said Luis Pereira, managing director of Asia Gaming Brief.

“This will also prompt us to concentrate on delivering a truly outstanding event in 2021. We’ll be going for a hybrid approach – A live, physical conference for those local to Asia, with unique and exclusive content and activities specially catered to a digital audience too. In the meantime, Asia Gaming Brief remains committed to improving and expanding its full range of services to the Asian gaming industry” Pereira continued.

Asia Gaming Brief will continue to provide its timely AGB Webinar Series – inviting experts to explore the most pressing developments in our industry.

Work hard, play hard: Parimatch means business in esports

When Parimatch looks for ambassadors, they favour the bold; Connor McGregor, Mike Tyson, and most recently, Daniil ‘Zeus’ Teslenko. However, while the former two are revered for their physicality, Teslenko is famous for equal shows of fighting spirit in esports – a market that Stepan Shulga, Head of Esports at Parimatch, believes will be in the top three for sports betting by 2021.

Parimatch has shown its ambition to remain at the forefront of the esports betting market with the appointment of Counter Strike 1.6 and CS:GO legend Daniil ‘Zeus’ Teslenko as brand ambassador.

Sticking to its philosophy of signing ambassadors who share the brand’s abundance of fighting spirit, Parimatch’s announcement of Teslenko signifies a continued belief that esports will continue to move up the charts as a sports betting market, and Stepan Shulga, Head of Esports, wants Parimatch to remain a leader of it.

“We have long been at the forefront of the burgeoning esports industry, recognising its growth potential early on and paying it the same amount of attention as traditional sports. A significant proportion of R&D at Parimatch is focused on developing esports features to dramatically enhance user experience, which is why the brand is considered to be one of the top esports bookmakers,” he explained. “Having ambassadors in different sports is a great practice, but we think it’s especially important to have ambassadors that exemplify our values of fighting spirit. Daniil is a unique sportsman, his career spanned two parts of the history of the legendary game Counter-Strike, he was the world champion in version 1.6 and reached the same heights in the current version of CS:GO. To do it twice, in different eras, shows more than just talent; it displays an elite mentality, and that’s why we brought Daniil on board.”

Gaming in Holland announcement

Safety top priority at September Gaming in Holland Conference.

The long-awaited Remote Gaming Act will finally enter into force in early 2021, followed six months later by the opening of the regulated Dutch online market. 

Learn of the latest developments at the upcoming Gaming in Holland Conference on September 22 in Amsterdam.

During your visit, your safety is our foremost concern!

FreeslotsHUB looks for new faces on board in marketing & research

FreeslotsHUB is recruiting three candidates to be a part of the new Marketing & Research Department in Melbourne, Australia. The recruits who will assemble this team are a Middle Project Manager, a Marketing Analyst/Consultant, and Intern.

FreeslotsHUB, an Australian based startup company in the field of the gaming industry, continues to evolve to deliver more high-quality slots to players all over the world. The company is taking the next step in the industry by hiring three new faces to create the Marketing & Research Department. The company aims to generate its casino research department to understand customers better, respond to market changes faster, and provide outstanding services to players.

Jeremy Smith, FreeslotsHUB Senior Business Project Manager, stated: “We are always glad to welcome talented and inspired people in our team to help us expand our business and enable the startup to provide outstanding services to all its players.”

The positions open for recruitment are:

FreeslotsHUB looks for new faces on board in marketing & research

FreeslotsHUB is recruiting three candidates to be a part of the new Marketing & Research Department in Melbourne, Australia. The recruits who will assemble this team are a Middle Project Manager, a Marketing Analyst/Consultant, and Intern.

FreeslotsHUB, an Australian based startup company in the field of the gaming industry, continues to evolve to deliver more high-quality slots to players all over the world. The company is taking the next step in the industry by hiring three new faces to create the Marketing & Research Department. The company aims to generate its casino research department to understand customers better, respond to market changes faster, and provide outstanding services to players.

Jeremy Smith, FreeslotsHUB Senior Business Project Manager, stated: “We are always glad to welcome talented and inspired people in our team to help us expand our business and enable the startup to provide outstanding services to all its players.”

The positions open for recruitment are:

FreeslotsHUB looks for new faces on board in marketing & research

FreeslotsHUB is recruiting three candidates to be a part of the new Marketing & Research Department in Melbourne, Australia. The recruits who will assemble this team are a Middle Project Manager, a Marketing Analyst/Consultant, and Intern.

FreeslotsHUB, an Australian based startup company in the field of the gaming industry, continues to evolve to deliver more high-quality slots to players all over the world. The company is taking the next step in the industry by hiring three new faces to create the Marketing & Research Department. The company aims to generate its casino research department to understand customers better, respond to market changes faster, and provide outstanding services to players.

Jeremy Smith, FreeslotsHUB Senior Business Project Manager, stated: “We are always glad to welcome talented and inspired people in our team to help us expand our business and enable the startup to provide outstanding services to all its players.”

The positions open for recruitment are:

EveryMatrix recruits Erik Nyman to establish US presence

Technology provider EveryMatrix recruits iGaming executive Erik Nyman to join its Leadership Team and lead the opening of the company’s first US office.

Erik Nyman will lead EveryMatrix’s expansion in the US market by building the organization as President Americas. With over 10 years of experience in the online gaming business, Erik is specialized in new market entries and strategic deals. His leadership and business acumen played a pivotal role in establishing NetEnt in the US.

CasinoEngine, the company’s iGaming and Integration Platform, will be the leading product for the expansion, following its massive success in several European markets.

Ebbe Groes, Group CEO of EveryMatrix, comments: “Expanding into the US is the next step for the organization. We have a strong European presence, very experienced teams, premium products on both casino and sports, so tackling more regulated markets is a logical strategic move for us.

European Gaming Congress merges with CEEGC to discuss 2020 in pioneering free event

Hipther Festival sets its sights on bringing together gaming, AI, fintech and blockchain

Thursday, 05th August 2020: European Gaming, Central and Eastern Europe’s leading betting and gaming media platform, is set to merge its two key conferences this year into a week-long digital extravaganza.

With the virtual edition of the European Gaming Congress 2020 taking place between Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th October, delegates will also be granted free access to the wider Hipther Festival taking place throughout the week from Monday to Friday, encompassing the fintech, blockchain and AI crossover.

Billed as Europe’s largest gaming compliance meeting of the year, the virtual European Gaming Congress will bring together EU / EEA and Balkan heavyweights to discuss the continent’s latest developments.

National Lacrosse League to Hold Virtual 2020 Draft September 17th

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the longest-running and most successful professional lacrosse league in the world, today announced that the 2020 Entry Draft will be held on September 17th at 7:00 ET.  For the first time in league history, the Entry Draft will be done virtually.

Following the recent NFL, MLB, and WNBA Drafts, the NLL is just the fourth professional sports league to produce a fully live virtual draft.  The NLL will transmit live feeds to B/R Live, NLL’s YouTube channel, and Facebook (@NLL).  With real-time coverage expected from over 30 virtual contributors, the production will leverage a combination of technologies from vendors AviWest, VMix, TVU Anywhere, Zoom, and LTN. The production will also use the new Clearcom IP based intercom app called Agent IC to handle the complex communications required to execute a virtual live draft.

“As a league that always thinks digital-first, we are excited to be able to use state-of-the-art technology to hold the 2020 Draft online for all fans to watch and participate in,” said Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “As we continue to wade through the challenges, we are all facing today we would have liked to offer the newest rising stars a live experience.  But we know that the entire event and team, player, and fan experience will be first-class.”

The NLL will be using Telescope Inc.’s interactive platform, CONNECT Live, to enable real-time on-air integration of Twitter fan comments and high capacity hashtag poll results powered by at-home users across the nation.

Commissioner Sakiewicz is scheduled to announce the first pick, which belongs to the New York Riptide. Returning from last year’s coverage that garnered hundreds of thousands of viewers, the broadcast team for the draft will include Devan Kaney (@DevanKaneyTV) as host, joined by Teddy Jenner (voice of Colorado Mammoth @OffTheCrosseBar), Stephen Stamp (NLL Draft Expert @StampLax), and Tabitha Turner, floor reporter for the Georgia Swarm (@TabTurnerTV1). Additional participants and contributors to the 2020 NLL Draft Selection Show will be announced at a later date.   The 2020 Draft Selection Show will be produced by the NLL in association with Joel Kitay Productions, showrunners for the 2019 NLL Draft.

“We are all looking to the future and the start of the 35th season of the NLL and the Draft will be a great next step towards that point. The level of young talent coming into the league is unprecedented and The Draft will be the first time many of these athletes get a chance to be recognized on such a platform. It will be a great night for the players, the NLL, and our sport.”  said Peter Schmitz, President, Professional Lacrosse Players’ Association (PLPA).

Draft Logistics

In terms of eligibility, all players 21 and older who have never participated in NCAA lacrosse are eligible to be selected in the Entry Draft. Additionally, all players who have either exhausted or forfeited their NCAA eligibility are draft-eligible. For the 2020 NLL Entry Draft, all NCAA players who have exhausted four seasons of eligibility and may return to play a fifth NCAA season are eligible to be selected. 

Draft Order (as of August 5th, 2020)

  1. New York
  2. Rochester
  3. Vancouver
  4. San Diego
  5. Calgary
  6. Colorado
  7. Philadelphia
  8. Georgia
  9. Buffalo
  10. Toronto
  11. Halifax
  12. Saskatchewan
  13. New England

First Round (as of August 5th, 2020)

  1. New York
  2. Rochester
  3. Vancouver
  4. San Diego
  5. Calgary 
  6. Georgia (from Colorado)
  7. Saskatchewan (from Philadelphia)
  8. Georgia
  9. Buffalo
  10.  Georgia or Buffalo (from Toronto)*
  11. Halifax
  12. Saskatchewan
  13. Georgia (from New England)
  14. Halifax
  15.  San Diego
  16.  Philadelphia

*Conditional pick – Georgia has until September 1, 2020, to opt to choose this pick (10th in 2020) or receive Toronto’s first round selection in the 2022 Entry Draft. After Georgia chooses, Buffalo will receive the remaining Toronto first round pick.

Dates for the start of the 35th NLL season will be announced in the Fall. 

Join the first after the legalization gambling exhibition Ukrainian Gaming Week 2020

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov signed the draft law 2285-d about legalization of gambling business, which was adopted at second reading on July 14, 2020, according to the publication on the governmental website. On July 28, the document was sent to the President Volodymyr Zelensky for signature.

The large-scale industry exhibition Ukrainian Gaming Week 2020 organized by Smile-Expo will be the first big gambling event after the legalization. The event will take place in Kyiv on October 6-7. Exhibitors will present cutting-edge gambling solutions, discuss subtleties of the Ukrainian gambling law, advantages and prospects of the market.

Conference and top speakers

The event will offer an industry-specific conference, featuring international gambling experts, Ukrainian lawmakers, and representatives of specialized organizations. Top speakers are:

CoinGeek Conference Live 2020: Registration available and first speakers announced: Wall Street strategist Tom Lee and Best-Selling Author & Economist George Gilder

Last held in London (Feb 2020), the 6th CoinGeek Conference debuts in New York after visits to Hong Kong, Seoul and Toronto. Business and technology leaders from around the world will take the stage to discuss the future of blockchain technology. The conference will highlight the stunning growth of the Bitcoin SV (BSV) ecosystem, The Bitcoin SV ecosystem has rapidly grown to over 428 known Bitcoin SV projects and ventures worldwide.

BSV’s is already enabling enterprise applications for banking, gaming, social media, supply chain, healthcare, artificial intelligence and more industry sectors. CG: Live will highlight how BSV is the one blockchain that can do it all: One World, One Chain.

Already booked are two renowned keynote speakers:

Thomas Lee is a Managing Partner and the Head of Research at Fundstrat Global Advisors. He is an accomplished Wall Street strategist with over 25 years of experience in equity research, and has been top ranked by Institutional Investor every year since 1998. Prior to co-founding Fundstrat, he served most recently as J.P. Morgan’s Chief Equity Strategist from 2007 to 2014. He is a frequent speaker on CNBC, Bloomberg News and Fox Business News.

Fun88 partners with Caribbean Premier League 2020

Breakout T20 partnership set to drive deeper engagement amongst cricket fans across the globe.

4th August 2020, Trinidad – In a sports-starved world, the latest edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will serve as a global festival witnessing several nations competing over a landmark cricket championship. Adding more flavour to this season, Fun88, a leading online gaming operator, is proud to be named as the official partner of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League.

This strategic partnership will bring cricket enthusiasts closer to the action than ever before. One of the most significant features of the partnership will be to create exciting content for fans to enjoy, alongside spicing up the championship with a competition that will give fans the chance to win the prize of a lifetime.

The month-long T20 cricket tournament (18 August – 20 September), blended with the colourful carnival experience of the Caribbean, will provide an opportunity for millions of viewers to create a deeper engagement in sports. The CPL is known as one of the best cricket leagues in the world, featuring some of the best teams, such as the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Jamaica Tallawahs.

BetMGM signs with PGA TOUR as an Official Betting Operator

Wikimedia Commons-Cem0030

The PGA TOUR announced today that BetMGM has signed a multi-year content and marketing relationship to become an Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR.

By joining the TOUR’s Official Betting Operator program, BetMGM will have rights in the United States to use PGA TOUR marks, rights to advertise within TOUR media and TOUR partner platforms, plus content and video rights allowing BetMGM Sportsbook platforms to create pre-game and post-game betting programming, as well as distribution of highlights to users who have placed bets.

“BetMGM is part of a premium brand that is deeply connected to golf through sponsorship of various PGA TOUR players and tournaments,” said Norb Gambuzza, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President, Media and Gaming. “Through the power of the BetMGM brand and resources, this new relationship will help accelerate our sports betting strategy, and enable the TOUR to reach new fans and further engage current fans who enjoy betting on golf.”

The PGA TOUR is one of the most popular offerings on BetMGM’s platform. Currently available for download on iOS and Android, the BetMGM mobile app offers the latest betting odds, enhanced offers and multiple betting formats, from money line and point spread bets to parlays and futures. BetMGM is currently licensed for sports betting in seven states including Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada as well as West Virginia, and has plans to be in eleven states by the end of 2020.

Matt Prevost, BetMGM Chief Marketing Officer said, “We look forward to working with the PGA TOUR to integrate great experiences for BetMGM customers. BetMGM’s advanced betting technology, combined with the PGA TOUR’s world-class competitions and iconic players, will not only advance the TOUR’s position at the forefront of professional sports, but the entire betting industry as well.”

BetMGM has access to existing sponsor relationships with several members of the PGA TOUR, including Max Homa, Jimmy Walker, Kevin Na, Pat Perez, Ryan Moore, Joel Dahmen and Boo Weekley.

Following the Supreme Court’s repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, the TOUR instituted an integrity program in collaboration with Genius Sports to protect its competitions from betting-related corruption. Later that year, the TOUR announced a global partnership with IMG ARENA to license its official, live scoring data to betting operators all over the world.

The PGA TOUR is a Platinum Member of the National Council on Problem Gambling, committed to industry-leading responsible gaming practices.

Football Index partners with beBettor on Affordability

28th July 2020, London 

Under the partnership, Football Index will use beBettor’s geo-affordability data to provide an automated and scalable solution for considering customer affordability. The affordability data beBettor provides, enables operators to tailor customer interactions to the individual and protect customers from gambling related harms associated with spending beyond their means, whilst respecting customer privacy. beBettor affordability checks also identify those most at risk, such as those on the bankruptcy or insolvency registers, to safeguard those who need it most.

This announcement is just one of the Safer Gambling measures recently introduced by Football Index. In June 2020, Football Index launched their new Gambling Awareness Initiative with Nottingham Forest Football Club, highlighting the importance of safer gambling and helping to educate football supporters within local communities about the issues associated with gambling and how to get support.

Adam Cole, Football Index CEO and Founder, said: “We’re excited to announce partnering with beBettor in this critical area of affordability. Their geo–affordability check allows us to understand more about our customers earlier. This partnership further strengthens our safer gaming frameworks and illustrates the importance we place on player safety, which is at the heart of our business,”

Football Index partners with beBettor on Affordability

28th July 2020, London 

Under the partnership, Football Index will use beBettor’s geo-affordability data to provide an automated and scalable solution for considering customer affordability. The affordability data beBettor provides, enables operators to tailor customer interactions to the individual and protect customers from gambling related harms associated with spending beyond their means, whilst respecting customer privacy. beBettor affordability checks also identify those most at risk, such as those on the bankruptcy or insolvency registers, to safeguard those who need it most.

This announcement is just one of the Safer Gambling measures recently introduced by Football Index. In June 2020, Football Index launched their new Gambling Awareness Initiative with Nottingham Forest Football Club, highlighting the importance of safer gambling and helping to educate football supporters within local communities about the issues associated with gambling and how to get support.

Adam Cole, Football Index CEO and Founder, said: “We’re excited to announce partnering with beBettor in this critical area of affordability. Their geo–affordability check allows us to understand more about our customers earlier. This partnership further strengthens our safer gaming frameworks and illustrates the importance we place on player safety, which is at the heart of our business,”

Caleta Gaming embarks on Mexico adventure with new bingo games

30/07/2020 – Premium development studio Caleta Gaming continues to expand its presence across Latin America with the launch of three new Mexican-themed bingo titles.

The games – Señorita Cavalera, Saga Loca, and Señor Taco – feature a range of fantastic bonus rounds designed to keep players engaged.

Señorita Cavalera includes two bonus games: a frightful ‘Path of Candles’ bonus, and the ‘Funny Dancing Skulls’ bonus; Saga Loca features a comic multi-level ‘Bounty Hunter’ bonus where players must search for ‘El Coyote Loco’; and Señor Taco includes a ‘Spicy Taco’ bonus in which the player must be careful to avoid including too much pepper.

Rocio Moitino, sales manager at Caleta Gaming, said: “Caleta Gaming’s unparalleled experience across Latin American markets means we are perfectly positioned to deliver this innovative and engaging Mexican-themed content.

Locals gaming in Korea likely — but not imminent

The Covid-19 pandemic may be a trigger for South Korea to rethink its foreigner-only casino policy, as the country’s casinos struggle with a lack of tourism revenue.

That was the view shared by two experts on Asia Gaming Brief’s latest webinar session, which studied investment opportunities in the Korean gaming industry.

“This Covid is giving us a hard time and because of the situation I think maybe it’s time to rethink about South Korea’s foreign-only casino model,” said Nicholas Kim, investment director at the Incheon Free Economic Zone, which is home to Korea’s first IR.

The full-length recording of the AGB Webinar can be found here.