4 March 2020, South Africa – Digitain, undoubtedly one of the leading sports betting and casino platform providers engages with Vegas Kings, the exclusive iGaming design and development agency, to redesign their corporate website and assist the brand in communicating a more direct lead / conversion orientated site whilst making it more effective and easier for the user to get in touch and make meetings for conferences and new business alike.
A fully bespoke responsive website design was delivered and launched in record time just before ICE London 2020.
Vegas Kings was commissioned to conceptualize the new look / feel and art direction to carry the brand’s new 2020 vision.
Redesigning the entire website for desktop and mobile responsive formats, Vegas Kings managed to communicate the companies state of the art technology, trading tools and ground-breaking strategies.
SBG Sports Software is excited to announce the opening of its new North American operation based out of Chicago, IL. headed up by recently appointed VP of Sales and Business Development, Joe Schrimpl.
SBG Sports Software Incorporated will strengthen SBG’s growth in Major League Soccer and US motorsports series whilst offering enhanced local support for existing customers. This investment comes as a direct result of increasing demand for SBG’s next generation sports analytics applications RaceWatch, MatchTracker and Focus.
The appointment of Joe Schrimpl represents a strategic move to expand the SBG product suite to support additional elite sports across North America. Schrimpl is joining with over 20 years of award-winning success in sales and operations throughout the sports technology space. Schrimpl served in various capacities for over 7 years at XOS Digital Inc, serving as Account Manager to numerous professional and collegiate football, basketball and hockey teams for video and data analysis and instant replay. Schrimpl was also a part of National Championship Football staffs, directing the Video and Operations Department at the University of Southern California for nearly 7 years. Schrimpl began his career in sports technology assisting Football, Basketball and Soccer staffs at the University of Miami, Fl and Drake University respectively.
SBG’s global leadership position in professional sports is reflected by customers in 40 countries across 4 continents, with local partners in Spain, Germany, Japan and Australia. A new base in Chicago gives SBG access to elite sports throughout the US and Canada, perfectly located to further enable customer support and new market development across 3 time zones.
Gareth Griffith, CEO of SBG Sports Software comments on the expansion into the US: “Over the last few years we have been applying SBG technology with great success in elite level sports including Formula 1, Premier League football and Six Nations rugby. It has been a long-held ambition to expand into North American sports, which I have personally followed enthusiastically for many years. We are delighted that Joe Schrimpl is joining us to lead our US organisation. His appointment reflects our continued commitment to industry expertise, and we look forward to making significant impact in the US market.”
Joe Schrimpl: “I’ve been in the sports technology industry for many years and SBG’s reputation and position within the market is second to none. Coaching and analysis staff are in constant pursuit of that competitive edge and they deserve a technology partner that is equally competitive, dependable and innovative. SBG brings a unique and unparalleled approach to elite sports data and visualization applications to the US sports industry. I’m thrilled to be joining the SBG Team.”
4 March 2020: The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has joined forces with arbitration bodies the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) and eCOGRA to establish measures to inform and advance the customer betting dispute resolution decision- making process. The approach relates to circumstances where customer winnings are not paid for the period where a sporting event is under investigation.
Previously, when frustrated consumers have approached arbitration bodies they have had to request updates from operators on each customer claim on a piecemeal basis throughout the year. This has involved considerable administrative time and effort on behalf of arbitration bodies and operators, with some cases taking over two years to be completed as sports bodies undertaken investigations into potential corruption. Under the agreement, IBIA will seek updates on all outstanding cases of suspicious betting it has reported to sports twice a year. Arbitration bodies will then contact operators using the same timeline.
Khalid Ali, CEO of the International Betting Integrity Association, explained: “The approach is aimed at improving information sharing on the status of suspended accounts linked to potential match-fixing. Sports have been supportive, which is vital as the process relies on feedback on their investigations. IBIA members want to do all they can to stop corrupters from benefiting financially and will continue to suspend accounts where appropriate. However, it is recognised that not all suspicious betting is corrupt and that innocent consumers should not be penalised.”
Richard Hayler, Managing Director of the Independent Betting Adjudication Service, said: “We welcome this considered and proportionate response to a problem that IBAS had raised with the IBIA. We are optimistic that the system will alleviate some of the difficulties previously caused where customer accounts and balances have been suspended – or bets left unsettled – for indeterminate periods, during which ADR providers could offer no practical advice or information to claimants. The solution developed by the IBIA will expedite this process. It will reassure our adjudicators that important investigations remain active and encourage operators and those investigating to review whether every bet on a suspicious event needs to be treated the same way. It showcases both the benefits of ADR providing feedback to the industry and the ability of collaborative work to deliver practical service improvements.”
26 February 2020, MALTA (Press Release) – Lottomart, the app-based lottery operator, have partnered with FAST TRACK to further their impressive player engagement offering.
Lottomart is a UK-facing lottery brand with a big focus on the player experience. The lotto betting app puts user experience at the forefront, and offers some revolutionary features such as a ‘boost’ function for lottery purchases.
Ashley Lang, CEO of Lottomart, said: “We are a technology-led company with ambitious plans for how we can really offer a different experience to our players. FT CRM will allow us to achieve everything we need, in an efficient way.”
FT CRM is a real-time player engagement platform that allows operators to streamline working processes across their organisation while providing exceptional customer engagement.
NetEnt increases its UK footprint via an agreement with Betfred. A wide range of award-winning games has already been launched and are now available to Betfred’s large player base.
After a successful direct integration, a wide range of NetEnt games has been launched with Betfred in the UK regulated market.
“We are obviously delighted to partner up with one of the leading UK operators with their large base of dedicated players. I’m certain that the Betfred players will enjoy our games with unique features and that our tools will help Betfred grow their business within online gaming,” says Andy Whitworth, Managing Director, NetEnt UK Ltd.
“NetEnt is and has always been known for the quality of their games. I think the upcoming roadmap looks very interesting and we look forward to offering both the classics and exciting new titles at Betfred,” says Andrew Horne, Head of eGaming, Betfred.
Global platform provider strengthens European footprint
27th February 2020 – Leading platform provider Digitain has launched its award-winning product offering in Romania and Portugal.
After receiving dual certifications from one of the UK’s most reputable laboratories, Gaming Associates Europe Limited, Digitain can now provide Portuguese and Romanian partners with its market-leading sportsbook and casino platform.
The move further boosts Digitain’s extensive international reach, with the double bill of Gaming Associates accreditations enabling the company to supply its sportsbook across markets where EU-based regulators do not mandate individual compliance checks.
Reference is made to the announcement published by Gaming Innovation Group Inc. on 14 February 2020 regarding divesting its B2C vertical to Betsson Group and the notices of Written Resolutions from Gaming Innovation Group Plc. to the bondholders relating to each of GIGLTD01 (ISIN NO0010787120) and GIGPLC02 (ISIN NO0010858400) published 14 February 2020.
The proposed resolutions were today adopted with the requisite majority, see attached notices from Nordic Trustee AS. The written resolutions approve to use the proceeds from the divestment to repay the 2017 – 2020 bond and to extend the repayment from the maturity date in March 2020 until 22 April 2020.
Expected completion of the divestment of the B2C vertical to Betsson is mid April 2020, due to the necessary time to finalize the ongoing compulsory regulatory approvals from merger control authorities.
For further questions to the Bond Trustee, please contact Ellen Søiland, soiland@nordictrustee.com.
”I’m happy to once again report a quarter undergoing solid growth, revenues increased by 117% to mSEK 10.0. We are experiencing an accelerating global demand for Scout Gaming’s products, which has resulted in an increased client activity both in terms of number of clients and number of products launched on each client.
Scout Gaming Operator Trading Index which illustrates the underlying client activity amounted to 1035, which is more than a tenfold increase since initiation and compared to the corresponding quarter previous year an increase amounting to 66%. The current growth is a result of previous signed agreements and proves that we are starting to experience results from previous investments in product and organization.
EBITDA improved from mSEK -15.8 to mSEK -8.1. Cash flows from operating activities improved from mSEK -11.2 to mSEK -2.6 during the current fourth quarter. We have a situation where we both have positive operational cash flow and EBITDA result within reach but also facing great growth possibilities.”
Extract from CEO Andreas Ternstrom’s commentary to the Year-end Report.
Malta, 27th February 2020 – Online Casino and Sportsbook Betzest announced a new partnership with leading payment provider Pay4Fun offering instant, safe transactions for online iGaming industry In Brazilian market.
Pay4Fun are already available on Betzest cashier for both deposits and the withdrawal of winnings, offering real-time payments for players.
Online sportsbook and Casino Betzest continues increasing its operations since its launch in July 2018. Betzest is quickly becoming one of world’s leading online gambling company offering best sports betting and casino games.
Marius Filip, Founder/CMO at Betzest, said: We are thrilled to conclude another new partnership with Pay4Fun. This innovative and safe payment provider will play a vital part in helping Betzest to facilitate transactions in Brazilian market. A big thank you to our Betzest team for this great achievement and to Pay4Fun Team for their constant support during the process. We’ve had a tremendously pro-active start to 2020 with a remarkable collection of world-class payment and casino providers on the way. I’m certain the best is yet to come.”
STS, the largest bookmaker in Poland, has extended its sponsorship agreement with Futsal Ekstraklasa. The contract is valid until June 2022. Under this agreement, for the next two and a half years, STS will be an official bookmaker of top-class futsal competitions. The bookmaker thus significantly strengthens its presence in Polish sport and continues to sponsor national league competitions.
The agreement also provides for the STS brand to be displayed during the matches of top-class futsal competitions – the bookmaker’s logo will appear on things such as LED banners, video materials and live TV broadcasts. The contract also provides for the publication of common content on the website and on various social media platforms of the Ekstraklasa and its clubs.
“Extending the cooperation with Futsal Ekstraklasa is another stage of strengthening the position of STS as the preferred bookmaker among football fans. Apart from cooperation with the Polish national football team and top football clubs, we engage in activities in other fields related to this sport. The agreement with Futsal Ekstraklasa fits perfectly into our long-term sponsorship activity,” Mateusz Juroszek, President of STS.
STS is known as a committed sponsor. Currently, it is conducting measurements of the volume of fan cheering in all 14 PlusLiga teams. The bookmaker has carried out numerous unique projects together with fans and clubs from all over Poland, including the replacement of K. Hamalainen’s jerseys, kolorujeMY (colourINC), Koszulka na Basel (A T-shirt for Basel) or preparing a special tifo display for Artur Boruc’s last appearance in the Polish national team. Moreover, together with Jagiellonia and Pogoń Szczecin, the bookmaker organised a vote on the graphic design of new coaches for two clubs. STS also organised a number of activities for volleyball, handball and basketball fans.
Roar Digital, LLC – the joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings – announced today that BetMGM, a leading mobile sports betting app, is now accepting wagers throughout Indiana. BetMGM is entering Indiana through a market-access agreement with Boyd Gaming.
“Introducing BetMGM in Indiana is a significant development for Roar Digital and MGM Resorts,” said Scott Butera, President of Interactive Gaming for MGM Resorts. “Indiana has a rich history in professional and amateur sports and a strong fan base. We believe that the sports betting opportunities offered by BetMGM, and access to MGM’s world-class entertainment offerings and resorts, will be well-received.”
BetMGM offers unique product features, such as in-app, livestreamed sports events from around the world. In conjunction with today’s launch, Indiana bettors will enjoy promotions only available within Indiana, affording ample opportunity to bet on professional as well as collegiate sports through a variety of pre-match, in-play and player proposition wagers.
“We’re excited to launch BetMGM in a state as passionate about sports as Indiana is and look forward to seeing fans in the state take advantage of our unique in-app offers,” said Adam Greenblatt, Chief Executive Officer, Roar Digital. “Indiana marks an incredibly important expansion for us as we look to solidify our presence in the Midwest and continue to bring BetMGM to new states in the US.”
Indiana is BetMGM’s third U.S. market entry, following New Jersey and West Virginia. Available for download on both iOS and Android and accessible via desktop, BetMGM leverages an exclusive betting engine that allows fans to place bets quickly and with ease. Sports bettors have access to a wide assortment of betting markets on BetMGM, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, soccer, tennis and combat sports.
On March 5, Minsk iGaming Affiliate Conference 2020 will address the key CPA marketing trends in the gambling niche. Event will feature 11 presentations and 2 panel discussions with experts from Georgia, Greece, Armenia, the Czech Republic, Israel, Malta and Bulgaria, in addition to speed dating and meeting cards. And that’s not all!
MiAC 2020 Afterparty with CPA.BY
This year, MiAC 2020 can boast an awesome collaboration with its friends and media partners – CPA.BY. It is the largest Belarusian community of arbitrage specialists that organizes meetings, educative meetups and get-together with never-ending conversations about traffic.
Joint party will take place after the conference at Klumba Cocktail Bar at 6 Zybitskaya str., Minsk. Enjoy lots of hookahs, a standing buffet, wine, whiskey, shots and classic cocktails.
It’s been a busy 12 months for ZenSports, the mobile peer-to-peer sports betting marketplace where anyone can create and accept sports bets with anyone else in the world without the need for a centralized bookmaker.
After launching its sports betting app in March 2019, the fast-growing startup closed $675K in October 2019 as part of a broader $1M+ Seed Round. With its continued rapid growth, the startup started receiving inbound interest from additional angel investors in December 2019, and decided to open up a new round of funding to accommodate those interested investors. In just 10 weeks since then, the company syndicated and closed an additional $770K+ in funding across multiple angel investors.
Here’s how this new funding round played out according to ZenSports Co-Founder & CEO, Mark Thomas, “After officially closing our $1M+ Seed Round in October 2019, we felt more than comfortable that we had enough funding to execute on our growth strategy for 2020. However, we had numerous angel investors who approached us about putting more money into our company. We decided to offer a time-boxed raise without a target amount for these investors who approached us and shared our vision of how decentralized, peer-to-peer sports betting using cryptocurrencies was the future. We were fortunate to have a lot of choices in the investors we decided to ultimately bring on board, and we’re thrilled to be working with them as we continue to grow and scale ZenSports.”
ZenSports
The new funding will be heavily invested into paid customer acquisition channels. According to Thomas, “Up to this point, we haven’t spent any money on paid marketing to acquire new customers. Instead, we’ve focused on optimizing the post-customer acquisition and retention funnel through constant product iteration and via our SPORTS Rewards Program. We’ve got incredibly loyal customers who are very active on a daily basis in placing bets in our app. It’s now time to get very aggressive in growing our overall customer base via paid marketing.”
To help accomplish this, the company recently hired an experienced marketer, Mark Saldana, to become the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer. Mark brings a wealth of digital marketing experience to technology and consumer brands and will be an integral piece to the company’s revenue and growth plans.
The U.K.’s favourite online bingo site, Gala Bingo, has debuted its Bingo Like a Boss campaign, unveiling a new leading lady, Gloria, a gloriously sassy woman who slays life whilst casually playing bingo.
The first of four ads (available here) stars Paisley Billings from TV show, Tattoo Fixers, as Gloria and features the character playing Gala Bingo on her phone whilst simultaneously shredding an electric guitar solo… using her feet! Inspired by Gala Bingo’s seamless and exciting gameplay, this advert (named ‘Toe Jam’) and the remaining three will encourage watchers to ‘bingo like a boss’ whilst outrageously living life to the full.
Supporting the TV ads, which run from 24th February to 16th March, is a digital campaign, as well as continued sponsorship of ITV’s The Chase and Channel 5’s iconic Aussie soaps, Neighbours and Home and Away, displaying Gloria’s ‘boss-like’ adventures both at home and down under.
With the aim of disrupting the category and inviting a new younger audience to experience the online game, the introduction of Gloria adds a fresh, modern edge to the brand, whilst maintaining relevance with its existing players. This is just one facet of Gala Bingo’s rebrand which includes an updated logo and tone of voice, a cleaner, refreshed look and colour palette, and a new approach to digital.
Agreement Provides William Hill Online Sports Betting and Online Casino Gaming Access in Michigan
William Hill to Provide Retail Sports Betting Services to Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel and Leelanau Sands Casino in Northern Michigan
LAS VEGAS (February 24, 2020) – William Hill, America’s leading sports betting company, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (“GTB”), a federally recognized Indian tribe, announced today a long-term partnership. William Hill will be GTB’s exclusive provider of online sports betting and online casino gaming throughout Michigan, with plans to open a retail William Hill Sports Book at Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel this year, pending regulatory approvals. The agreement follows the signing of legislation in December 2019 legalizing both sports betting and online gaming in the state.
The William Hill Sports Book will be located in the current Onyx Sports Bar at Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, with a satellite location at Leelanau Sands Casino. Both are expected to open prior to the 2020 football season, pending regulatory approvals. William Hill plans to launch Online Casino Gaming and Online Sports Betting when permitted under Michigan regulations.
25th February 2020 – Creative development studio BF Games has extensively expanded its footprint across several markets after taking its entire slots portfolio live with iGamingPlatform (iGP).
BF Games’ 53 titles are now available on iGP’s GameHub and accessible to its network of nearly 100 operator partners in 85 different countries.
Titles include classic hits such as Book of Gods, Stunning Hot, Crystal Mania and Hot Classic, as well as new titles Cosmic Dream, Bonnie & Clyde, Aztec Adventures and Road Cash.
iGP’s aggregation engine, GameHub, offers a variety of content from leading game providers and the supplier holds a licence in Malta and Curacao.
25th February, 2020: NetGaming, the creative casino games studio, has partnered with EveryMatrix in a deal that boosts the supplier’s access to important markets around the globe.
NetGaming’s engaging slot collection, including the immersive hit Infinity Battle, is set to be integrated across EveryMatrix’s entire white-label portfolio via the aggregator’s CasinoEngine iGaming Integration Platform.
NetGaming’s premium game content is available in 26 languages and can be operated with 41 currencies.
Pallavi Deshmukh, CEO at NetGaming, said: “We are delighted to sign with EveryMatrix, as the company’s strong distribution capability enables us to expand across a range of key territories.
Scientific Games Corporation and Golden Nugget, LLC, a leading US casino operator, have agreed to expand their iGaming partnerships in a new multi-state, multi-product, multi-channel agreement. Building on a long-term partnership, Scientific Games will provide its solutions to Golden Nugget across multiple states through 2024 and potentially beyond.
Scientific Games will supply Golden Nugget with its OpenGaming™ in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and, as regulations allow, potentially other states that legalize iGaming in the future. Golden Nugget will benefit from the Open Gaming System™ content aggregation platform, portal, and player account management solution to enhance its iGaming presence.
Golden Nugget has also selected to utilize the full OpenSports™ product suite and world-class managed trading services from Don Best Sports. The deployment of OpenSports™ will start with mobile sports betting in New Jersey with additional states included as new states launch. There is also an option to roll out OpenSports™ in retail locations across multiple states including New Jersey, Mississippi and Nevada.
Thomas Winter, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Online Gaming for Golden Nugget, said, “We have a long history with Scientific Games, and their technology is a cornerstone of our sports betting and iGaming strategy. We’re thrilled to continue working with them to bring a consistent and best-in-class experience to our players across multiple products, nationwide.”
Jordan Levin, Group Chief Executive, Digital for Scientific Games, said, “Following Golden Nugget’s transition to our solutions, we look forward to launching Sports on top of our long-standing player account and iGaming relationship. Golden Nugget has a wide player base across the U.S., having pioneered the iGaming space in New Jersey from its earliest days, and we’re excited to power their sports betting and iGaming presence, providing a seamless and reliable end-to-end betting experience.”
Scientific Games has provided sports betting solutions since the late 1990s and currently serves a total of 35 sports betting customers in 16 countries. Scientific Games is among the first to be certified by the World Lottery Association as a responsible gaming supplier and is the first sports betting supplier to join the Global Lottery Monitoring System, which ensures the integrity of sports betting worldwide.
A record-setting January pushed Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks to the brink of $100 million in lifetime revenue. But even with a strong start to the New Year, Pennsylvania still has much ground to gain to catch New Jersey and Nevada, according to PlayPennsylvania.com.
“Pennsylvania’s momentum is growing, and January shows that the state’s sportsbooks can sustain it even as the NFL season winds down,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com. “Pennsylvania will likely remain the nation’s No. 3 market for the foreseeable future. But it is becoming clearer that it will one day challenge Nevada and New Jersey as the largest legal sports betting market in the U.S.”
Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks accepted a record $348.4 million in wagers in January, breaking the $342.6 million record set in December up dramatically from $32 million in January 2019, according to official data released Wednesday. $308.6 million, or 88.6%, of the state’s January handle came online.
January’s bets produced a record $31.6 million in gross revenue — up from $17.5 million in December. That produced $7.78 million in state taxes. With January’s gains, Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks have now generated $116.4 million in gross revenue since launching in November 2018.
“The opportunities for growth are abundant for Pennsylvania,” Gouker said. “It’s population base is a huge advantage. Infrastructure issues have slowed the state’s development. But the industry is unquestionably getting past its growing pains.”
FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge Casino remains the market leader with $153.1 million January bets, down from $154.5 million in December. That yielded $8.1 million in taxable revenue, up from $7 million. But DraftKings at The Meadows grew to $58.7 million in January from $35.9 million in December. That produced $2.8 million in taxable revenue, up from $732,883.
The online market could soon get a shakeup. Penn National Gaming is acquiring a stake in Barstool Sports and with it, a recognizable brand for its online casino and sportsbook, which will presumably launch later this year.
“DraftKings has been aggressively marketing itself in Pennsylvania, and it is making some headway in its attempt to catch up with FanDuel. But it still has a long way to go,” Gouker said. “Meanwhile, the expected launch later this year of the Barstool-branded online casino and sportsbook will add intrigue to a market that has been predictably controlled by the two most recognizable brands in online sports betting.”
The retail market was led by Rivers Philadelphia’s $7.4 million handle, down from $7.7 million in December. That yielded $1.1 million in revenue, up from $590,177.
Online casinos The retail market was led by Rivers Philadelphia’s $7.4 million handle, down from $7.7 million in December. That yielded $1.1 million in revenue, up from $590,177. Rivers-Philadelphia led the way with $3.5 million in revenue on $146.4 million in wagers.
The roster of online casinos grew to seven in January. FanDuel Casino debuted on Jan. 24, generating $2.1 million. FanDuel was followed by the launch of BetAmerica less than a week later.
“The online casino market should get a real jolt from FanDuel’s entrance,” Gouker said. “Integrated within FanDuel’s market-leading sportsbook app, the FanDuel Casino is ideally positioned to leverage its success as a sportsbook into success as an online casino.”
Triple Group One winning jockey, Hayley Turner OBE, has today been announced as MansionBet’s racing brand ambassador.
Considered the most successful UK female jockey of all time with over 1,500 flat race wins, and a respected TV racing pundit, Hayley has a huge influence in the world of racing.
The partnership will see Hayley working closely with the online sportsbook to produce engaging content across the company’s website and through its social channels, as well as becoming a regular feature on the new MansionBet blog.
Having recently announced the expansion of their racing sponsorship for a second year; with over 60 events throughout the UK and Ireland, Hayley’s knowledge and passion for the sport will allow MansionBet to engage with a valuable customer base and strengthen the brand across these markets.
