Greek lottery and betting operator OPAP swung back into profitable territory in the third quarter although its retail operations have once again been shut due to pandemic precautions.

Figures released Wednesday show OPAP generated revenue of €391m in the three months ending September 30, a 0.7% fall from the same period last year but more than triple the Q2 2020 sum. Pre-pandemic cost controls allowed earnings to inch up 1.5% to €105m while net profits rose 8.3% to €52.8m.

OPAP’s Q3 benefited from the reopening of its retail operations in June after COVID-19 forced the closure of its lottery, betting and video lottery terminal (VLT) networks in March. Numeric lotteries remained broadly negative in Q3 thanks to retail capacity restrictions, with revenue down 9.3% to €179m, while the Instant & Passives segment fell 14.1% to €27.1m.

Betting enjoyed no such slump, rising nearly 14% to €104.6m as major leagues resumed play following their pandemic suspension. Live betting accounted for 45% of Q3’s total, with 35.5% of live bets now coming via Playtech-powered self-service betting terminals.

The Premier League passes the quarter-mark this weekend as the 10th game for most clubs takes place. With three points on offer, only goal difference separates Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the top of the league, while at the bottom, winless West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United will face each other.

Let’s take a look at a couple of the games which have most bearing then provide our betting predictions for all 10 games.

Everton vs. Leeds United (Saturday, 5.30pm GMT kick-off) 

One of the games of the weekend, Everton host Leeds for the first time in top-flight action for 16 years. The Whites won’t be encouraged by what happened when they last visited Goodison Park in the league campaign, when defender Steve Watson was adapted to midfield in stunning fashion as he scored a hat-trick and The Toffees made things very sticky for Leeds.

UK gambling revenue took a small dip in the 12 months immediately preceding the pandemic outbreak despite a surge in lottery activity.

Figures released Thursday by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) show total gross gambling yield (GGY) of £14.2b in the 12 months ending March 31, 2020, a modest 0.6% decrease from the same period 12 months prior. This marks the second year in a row in which overall GGY has fallen from the previous year.

The reporting period concluded 11 days after the UK market entered its (first) pandemic lockdown, so the wholesale upheaval since that unblessed event isn’t reflected here. But the period does include the dramatic reduction of stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBT) in betting shops from £100 to just £2 that started April 1, 2019.

Total GGY minus lotteries was down 4.5% to £10.2b, as National Lottery sales rose 10.4% to £3.4b while other lotteries shot up 13.2% to £611.6m. Lotteries (both online and retail) accounted for 28.2% of the market’s overall GGY.

The winner of the 2020 partypoker Caribbean Poker Party Main Event is Peruvian poker pro Diego Ventura, and he did it in style as he won the top prize of $879,894.  

Going ‘wire to wire’, Ventura led after his Day 1 flight, the end of Day 2 and was the last man sitting with chips from his home as he dominated the event with merciless skill and power.  

On a day which will always be remembered for the passing of another Diego, Ventura proved himself to be as untouchable on the felt as Maradona once was on the football pitch. Entering the Main Event for $5,300, Ventura made it look easy as he became the fifth and surely greatest CPP Main Event champion.  

The final day started off with Ventura leading the way by some distance, sitting with 300 million chips when his nearest rival had 193 million and third in chips had less than half the chip leader’s stack. That dominance by the Peruvian never ended, with three players busted before the first break even began.  

Players are suffering more muscle injuries than ever in the Premier League this season due to the shortened English football season. It’s not only in the EPL, however, as the problem is just as rife in the Football League. In a season that has been truncated by COVID-19, what can the average manager do to prevent these happenings and lessen the risk while maintaining high levels of match fitness? 

To find out, we spoke again to somebody who knows about football because they work within it. The Secret Coach knows plenty about players fitness, having helped players of various ages cope with the physical stresses and strains of the game we all love. They’re a professional football coach in English football… who will remain anonymous. The Secret Coach has worked with some of the biggest names in the game, been through the coaching badges and is currently part of the coaching team at an English league side… and that’s all we’re telling you. As ever, this week, The Secret Coach pulls no punches! They start by explaining to us exactly how it works at the top level.  

“All teams have improved sports science departments these days, crunching the numbers of players’ GPS and fitness data so there is a lot more help and guidance for managers,” says The Secret Coach. “Pre-season is a gradual build-up, with some players not at optimum fitness when the season starts due to international tournaments and holidays to allow for rest. This season, that has not happened, with minimal preparation and players thrown into lots of games. That robustness has not been built up over time.” 

The gradual process would usually have seen players catching minutes at intervals in a pre-season that allows them to build up to full fitness. Instead, Premier League players got four weeks off since the end of the preceding season due to Project Restart.  

Quebec’s provincial gambling monopoly is refuting allegations that its casinos are facilitating money laundering by organized crime figures.

Le Journal de Montreal issued a series of reports this week alleging that the Casino de Montreal had “rolled out the red carpet” for multiple individuals linked to organized crime, including Stefano Sollecito, a reputed mafia figure who gambled millions at the casino despite declaring annual revenue in the mid-five-figure range to Canadian tax authorities.

The reports claim that Sollecito (pictured) and other crime figures have been showered with perks by Loto Quebec-managed casinos, including comped hotel rooms, restaurant meals, concert tickets and rounds of golf. Figures like Sollecito were members of the Casino de Montreal’s rewards program and were granted access to its swankiest VIP lounges.  

A 2019 report by Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) pegged the gambling sector as the country’s third-most popular means for organized crime to launder proceeds of illicit activity, behind only private businesses and underground banking operations.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

What, you thought the always-busy UFC was going to take the American Thanksgiving weekend off? Not hardly. There’s a Fight Night card on Saturday night again from the organization’s Apex facility in Las Vegas and it’s headlined by a non-title matchup of American heavyweights in Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. The main card is set to start at 10 p.m. ET and is available on ESPN2/ESPN+.

The current heavyweight champion is Stipe Miocic, who isn’t expected to fight again until March at the earliest and most likely against No. 1 contender Francis Ngannou.

The 29-year-old Blaydes could get his title shot at some point in 2021, though, as the Oklahoma native (who hasn’t fought for a UFC belt) is 14-2 and has yet to face Miocic. The only two losses for “Razor” were to Ngannou by early-round TKOs.

Canadian sports bettors are rejoicing after their government confirmed plans to authorize single-event wagering, although fixed-odd race betting fans may be miffed at being left out of this party.

On Thursday, Canada’s Minister of Justice David Lametti confirmed Wednesday’s rumors that the federal government would amend the Criminal Code’s sports betting provisions to eliminate language restricting provincial gambling monopolies to parlay wagers.

Specifically, Lametti is proposing to allow provinces and territories “the discretion to manage single-event sport betting in their respective jurisdictions and offer Canadians an opportunity to place bets in a regulated environment either online or in physical facilities.”

Lametti said the proposed changes would “help create a safe and regulated environment” for Canadian bettors, while “taking profits out of the hands of organized crime.” Lametti also suggested the changes would encourage operators to “work with Indigenous people to strengthen their participation in the gaming industry.”

The Europa League returns tonight as clubs such as A.C. Milan, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City are all in action in the fourth gameweek of the competition.  

Who will take a giant step towards qualification for the knockout rounds and who will be left wondering if their next two games might be their last in the tournament? Let’s take a look.  

Napoli vs. HNK Rijeka (8pm GMT kick-off) 

There’s bound to be a very special atmosphere in Naples, regardless of whether fans will be able to attend the game in any way. The passing of perhaps Napoli’s most influential player and the greatest of all-time in Diego Maradona, who died yesterday aged just 60, has plunged the entire city into mourning.  

The Europa League returns tonight as clubs such as A.C. Milan, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City are all in action in the fourth gameweek of the competition.  

Who will take a giant step towards qualification for the knockout rounds and who will be left wondering if their next two games might be their last in the tournament? Let’s take a look.  

Napoli vs. HNK Rijeka (8pm GMT kick-off) 

There’s bound to be a very special atmosphere in Naples, regardless of whether fans will be able to attend the game in any way. The passing of perhaps Napoli’s most influential player and the greatest of all-time in Diego Maradona, who died yesterday aged just 60, has plunged the entire city into mourning.  

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.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly.

Swintt games now live on Videoslots

Supplier’s full portfolio available to operator’s players

International cricket returns, with three matches commencing this week. Australia take on India at home in Sydney, while across the Tasman, New Zealand will be hoping to start their summer off on a positive note, with a win over the West Indies in their T20 series. 2019 World Cup winners, England will do battle against South Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant a major shift in the international cricket calendar, with the players only recently returning after a stint in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). Below are our odds and match tips on all three games.

Australia vs India

Australia welcome back star batsmen Steve Smith into their line-up for their opening fixture against India in Sydney. Australia have not played together as a side since a 2-1 series win over England in September. The Aussies will be hoping that mercurial all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and keeper Alex Carey can continue their stellar form with the bat. Maxwell and Carey combined for a 212-run partnership to seal a win for the Aussies, in their last outing against England. Australia are expected to field both Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, with all-rounder Mitch Marsh set to be sidelined for the summer through injury.

Online cockfighting appears to be on the fast track to legalization and regulation in the Philippines, but it was bound to have some push back. Although legislators are making the first steps to making the activity safer and easier to tax, the Catholic Church has now come out against the activity, while local authorities continue to make arrests.

The Bishop of Balanga, Ruperto Santos, has come out against online cockfighting, locally known as e-sabong. “What we need in this time COVID-19 is spiritual recovery, moral ascendancy, not promotion of vices and proliferation of any form of gambling,” he said in a November 24 interview. “This online sabong will never be blessing to our country, as it will only be source of problems in the community and division in the family.”

If it was up to him, legislators would “enact laws which will serve our people and save our country, not because of money nor to satisfy one’s addiction.”

Bishop Santos opposed to construction of a cockpit in his own Bataan province, just across the bay from Manila. “It is such a disgrace and very disappointing to know that in this critical time of the coronavirus pandemic, there are people who are planning to construct a cockpit in Barangay Imelda in Samal,” he said in October. “Will that cockpit help our people, especially in the middle of a pandemic when people are even struggling to put food on their tables? Absolutely not.”

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) still has Steve Wynn in its sights, despite the fact that he was ousted from Wynn Resorts, the casino company he founded. The regulatory body wanted to place a lifetime ban on him following the major fallout from his sexual misconduct scandal, but Wynn asserted that it couldn’t. The case went to court and, last week, the NGCB was handed a defeat when a judge decided that it, along with the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC), didn’t have that level of authority. Now, the NGCB might try to appeal that decision in hopes of keeping Wynn out of Nevada’s gaming scene.

The NGCB had argued that Wynn was “unsuitable to be associated with a gaming enterprise or the gaming industry as a whole” when it presented its case before Clark County District Court Judge Adriana Escobar. However, Escobar decided that, because Wynn had given up control of the company in 2018, the board no longer had any legal grounds for going after him. Escobar explained in his ruling, “Because [Wynn] has no material involvement, directly or indirectly, with a licensed gaming operation, this Court finds that [gaming regulators] have no jurisdiction to impose discipline or fines against [Wynn].”

Wynn has always denied any wrongdoing and has tried to avoid the topic of his sexual appetite as much as possible. However, he was still forced out of the company, opting, in his words, to resign in order to save the casino operator’s reputation. He tendered his resignation and subsequently sold off his entire stake in the company, which gave him a massive windfall that he used to purchase a $43-million mansion in Florida’s secluded city of Lantana. 

The NGCB wanted to hit Wynn with a financial penalty and has tried to pin him down on five violations, all of which allegedly occurred while he was leading the company. Despite his claims of innocence, Wynn Resorts was ultimately determined to have been involved in some type of shady action with him and had to pay a total of more than $55 million in fines in Nevada and Massachusetts. Since he’s no longer involved in the state’s gaming scene, though, Escobar feels that he can’t be held accountable for any alleged improprieties. The NGCB will weigh its options and decide whether to appeal that decision when it meets on December 2.

COVID-19 has Greece-based gaming company Intralot scrambling. It continues on a downward trajectory that began a couple of years ago and which has cost it $51 million this year alone, and more losses are coming. According to a company update Intralot just shared, it is preparing for another hit and is now pulling out everything it has in its bag of tricks to keep any further financial damage to a minimum. 

Per an announcement on its website, Intralot indicates that it expects to take a hit of up to $33 million at its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) level. As a result, it is now using “all available measures that could help alleviate the impact of the pandemic.” Among these measures are employee furloughs, term negotiations with suppliers, travel restriction, and “securing our liquidity utilizing different governmental support programs across jurisdictions.”

Earlier this year, Intralot announced that the first half of 2020 brought losses of over $51.2 million as a result of a 55% decrease in group revenue that had been reduced to $200.2 million. Not only has it been impacted by the continued COVID-19 threat, but it also lost several key deals in Bulgaria and Turkey that stripped it of some solid moneymakers. Intralot hopes the new measures, which will need to be implemented by all of its groups around the world, will help the slide lose momentum. 

In addition, Intralot most likely won’t be seeking out any new expansion possibilities in the near future. It added in its announcement that it was temporarily suspending all planned investments, which already had $14.3 million of the company’s money earmarked. At this point, it would appear that Intralot is going to put the company in a holding pattern until everything on the ground starts to settle. 

The average person spends 90,000 hours working over a lifetime. Research published last year in the JAMA medical journal indicated that life expectancy is now declining, having dropped from 78.9 years in 2014 to 78.6 in 2017, after having increased steadily for the previous decade. This can only mean one thing – everyone is working too much and not playing too little. Fortunately, there is a solution that should appeal to many people. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that it’s possible to still be productive and effective, even if you don’t shlep to an office building every day, and working remotely has begun to attract a lot of attention. There are plenty of countries now where it’s possible to enjoy life more, even as you plug away on the computer to meet the boss’s erratic deadline changes.

Iceland has long been a supporter of remote employment, having introduced a Work In Iceland program years ago. Initially, it was only for those living in Europe, but has been expanded to welcome anyone who doesn’t need a visa. Feel free to drop in for up to six months and work remotely, but be prepared – only those who make $88,000 or more a year need apply, according to Bloomberg.

If dealing with the cold doesn’t sound appealing, there’s a tropical alternative. Head to the Cayman Islands, where remote workers can stay for up to two years. Prop up against a palm tree on the white sandy beaches and tap away at the laptop keyboard while running your toes through the sand. This can potentially be a good alternative for couples, or families with children, as couples have to show they earn at least $150,000 a year, $180,000 for families. Individuals, however, have to show income of at least $100,000.

Antigua and Barbuda is making it a little easier for remote workers than either of the first two. Through its Nomad Digital Residence program, you can live and play in the Caribbean paradise for up to two years, as long as you earn $50,000 or more a year. The $1,500 application fee is money well-spent in order to get out of the cubicle and onto the beach.

Betting on Sports America Digital

SBC is swinging its attention back to sports in America with another high-level digital conference. This conference will have senior operators, regulators and sports organizers breaking down the status of sports betting in America as we approach 2021.

Along with great talks and SBC’s state of the art platform, attendees will also have the chance to network with each other and visit the expo hall. With 2,500 delegates, 130 speakers and 40 exhibitors, this is an important event as sports betting in America continues to expand.

What: Betting on Sports America Digital