Casino & games Archives

October 25, 2022

American Gaming Association CEO on the rebirth and renewal of US gambling

Bill Miller could argue that his tenure has seen the most transformative period for the gaming industry since the American Gaming Association was established in 1995. He talks to Robin Harrison about sports betting, gaming expansion, Covid-19, safer gambling and the illegal market in this exclusive interview.

When Bill Miller took charge of the American Gaming Association (AGA) in January 2019, the US commercial gaming industry was poised for a period of explosive growth.

Legal sports betting, thanks to the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), was rapidly spreading across the US.

The industry as a whole posted its fifth consecutive year of revenue growth for that year, with 2019’s total breaking records at $43.6bn.

The industry generated $10.2bn in gaming taxes for state and local governments with 21 of 25 commercial gaming states posting year-on-year revenue growth. This sum covers annual education costs for 832,000 elementary and secondary scho..

October 24, 2022

Online slots boost German gambling tax revenue to €596.1m in Q3

German gambling tax revenue came to €596.1m in the third quarter of 2022, a year-on-year increase driven mostly by growth of online slots.

The total German gambling tax take was up by 15.5% year-on-year.

Of this total, €123.2m came from online slots. This was up drastically from Q3 of 2021, when operators paid only €32.7m in taxes during the first quarter under Germany’s new Fourth State Treaty on Gambling.

As part of the new regime, online slot operators must pay 5.3% of stakes in taxes, which has been a major source of controversy.

Only a small number of operators were licensed to offer online slots in Germany in Q3, but a transition period is in place which means that operators will not face enforcement action as long as they keep to the rules of the State Treaty and pay gambling taxes.

Online poker tax income was €8.0m, slightly more than double the total from a year earlier. Like slots, online poker is also subject to a 5.3% tax on stakes, and – with no licensees yet – the en..

October 19, 2022

Sports betting growth drives PA gambling revenue up 7.9% in September

Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania increased by 7.9% year-on-year in September following a 77.7% jump in sports betting revenue.

Total gambling revenue for the month amounted to $448.5m (£399.5m/€459.1m), which was ahead of $415.7m in September 2021 and also 5.4% higher than $425.4m in August of this year.

Retail slots remained by far the main source of revenue for operators in Pennsylvania during September, though revenue from this area of the market fell 0.2% to $198.5m. Retail table games revenue was also down 2.9% to $81.6m.

However, these declines were more than offset by growth in almost all other sections of the state’s market, including sports betting where revenue rocketed from $28.3m in 2021 to $50.2m this year.

Of this total, $43.0m came from online wagering, with the remaining $7.3m generated at retail sportsbooks. Sports betting handle was also up 11.5% year-on-year to $645.2m.

Valley Forge Casino Resort and FanDuel moved into first place in the sports betting market in..

October 4, 2022

Following the numbers on free-to-play

There’s no shortage of businesses in the free-to-play space, but Tally’s focus on data – perhaps influenced by its top executives’ time spent outside of gambling – makes it stand out. Fresh off a $4m funding round led by Acies Investments, Daniel O'Boyle speaks to CEO Brad Vettesse and COO Rupert Huelsey about the business.

There are some tried-and-tested business models for free-to-play betting-related games to bring in money without taking any real bets.

Some products offer paid unlockables, such as features or extra credits, which players can use real money to access.

Brad vettesse

Others exist as as entertainment in itself, usually used as a way to keep players coming back to betting sites, acting more as a piece of acquisition or retention software for operators.

But perhaps not enough attention has been given to the typical business model of most free-to-use products and services these days: gathering customer data.

So, is this type of data still a mostly untapped reso..

September 21, 2022

Betway fined £400,000 for marketing on “children’s webpages”

Online gaming operator Betway has been fined £408,915 ($463,178/ €467,776) by the Gambling Commission for marketing on “children’s webpages”.

The regulator determined that the Super Group-owned brand was marketing on the children’s pages of the West Ham United Football Club’s website, breaching Commission rules on socially responsible advertising.

The Commission said that the operator’s logo – which linked to its website – appeared on a page on the West Ham site which offered the option of printing off a picture of a teddy bear for children to colour in. It was visible on this page between 14 April 2020 and 6 November 2021.

Additionally, between 24 October 2021 and 15 November 2021, a similar logo that linked to Betway’s homepage was featured on the “Young Hammers at Home” page of the club’s site.

GC director of enforcement, Leanne Oxley, said the regulator had no reason to believe Betway was targeting children deliberately, but that the rule breach was still serious.

“Protecting ..

September 2, 2022

Simon Hammon’s lessons from a lifetime in slots: The present

Simon Hammon, recently named chief executive of Relax Gaming, insists he’s not a typical “product guy”. But the games released under his watch, like Starburst during his time at NetEnt, have had a massive impact on the industry. In the second part of a three-part interview, Hammon offers advice for businesses in the crowded slots space of today.

Simon Hammon’s success at NetEnt ultimately took him to Relax Gaming. In part one of this series, Hammon outlined how the move might have looked to some like a “step down”.

But since joining, the business has been growing strongly. For the second quarter of 2022, revenue was up 20% quarter-on-quarter to £5.2m, with six new titles rolled out and the Dream Drop jackpot feature going live.

Its partner base expanded to 15 new operators in that same period, while 132 studios were integrated into its RGS, while its reach extended to Italy and Spain, with a licence for Ontario setting it up for entry to North America.

That business-minded view has..

August 18, 2022

Penn exercises options to acquire remainder of Barstool

Penn Entertainment – the business formerly known as Penn National Gaming – has exercised its option to acquire all remaining shares of media brand Barstool Sports.

Penn acquired a 36% stake in Barstool for $161.2m in 2020, after which it rebranded its sportsbook product to bear the Barstool brand name.

The operator would then increase its stake in Barstool beyond 50% – paying $62.0m for a further 14% stake – within three years. Penn was also granted immediately exercisable call rights that would allow it to acquire the remainder of the media business, “based on a fair market value calculation”.

In February of this year, Penn then revealed that it planned to exercise these options and control the entire Barstool business by early 2023.

Read the full story on iGB North America

August 17, 2022

GiG CEO: Rationale for Sportnco deal proven by Q2 performance

A full quarter’s contribution from Sportnco has aided Gaming Innovation Group’s international expansion drive, and while new opportunities emerge in the Americas, Europe is also playing a key role in its growth trajectory.

Gaming Innovation Group’s (GiG) first quarter results for 2022 set a new high point for revenue, for the second consecutive reporting period. The supplier has now extended that winning streak to three quarters, reporting a 37.1% year-on-year jumping in revenue to €22.1m (€18.6m/$22.5m).

GiG Media, its affiliate division, continues to grow rapidly, but for the three months to 30 June, the platform business’ performance was the standout performer. Revenue grew 43.1% to €7.3m, reflecting a full quarter’s contribution from Sportnco.

Richard Brown, GiG CEO

Sportnco’s impact in Q2

In the wake of the first quarter results, chief executive Richard Brown talked up the anticipated impact of adding a proven sportsbook to GiG’s portfolio. Following Q2’s figures, it certa..

August 4, 2022

GB gambling revenue drops in June as almost all sectors struggle

Gross gambling revenue in Great Britain dropped by 13.6% month-on-month in June, new figures from the Gambling Commission show, as almost all types of gambling experienced a significant decline.

The regulator published data based on reports from operators making up 80% of the GB online gambling market and 85% of the retail betting shop market, building on its earlier online-only reports launched in 2020. As such, the absolute figures reported do not include the entire market within these verticals.

Month-on-month, online gross gambling yield was down by 13.2% to £370.2m in June. The total was also a drop of 20.0% from the highest monthly total of the year, recorded in January. Revenue was, however, higher than March, when sports betting revenue experienced a sharp drop that was likely related to special officers around the Cheltenham Festival.

At the same time, revenue from retail bookmakers was down as well, by 5.6% to £181.7m.

Revenue from almost every single gambling vertical wa..

July 26, 2022

Comtrade pens platform supplier deal with Stanleybet Romania

Gaming software supplier Comtrade Gaming has announced a new platform deal with online sports betting and gaming operator Stanleybet Romania.

Under the terms of the agreement Comrade will supply its iCore igaming platform to the Bucharest-based business.

Comtrade chief commercial officer Steven Valentine explained that the iCore platform integrates a number of features, including “real-time bonusing, dynamic segmentation, real-time push messaging, and many more player engagement tools.”

“When someone decides to migrate their platform, they put a lot of trust of their existing business on you,” said Valentine.

“We have shown on many occasions that we are the smart choice for a growing operator. Having done many tier 1 migrations in the past, we have now made our igaming platform more accessible to small and mid-size operators who have outgrown their current solution.”

“With our flexible approach to individual client needs, we are a very reliable choice for operators looking to impr..

July 26, 2022

Comtrade pens platform supplier deal with Stanleybet Romania

Gaming software supplier Comtrade Gaming has announced a new platform deal with online sports betting and gaming operator Stanleybet Romania.

Under the terms of the agreement Comtrade will supply its iCore igaming platform to the Bucharest-based business.

“When someone decides to migrate their platform, they put a lot of trust of their existing business on you,” said Valentine.

“With our flexible approach to individual client needs, we are a very reliable choice for operators looking to impro..

July 20, 2022

Italy’s online sports betting revenue dips in May, while casino holds steady

Italy's igaming revenue declined to €276.4m in May from April’s €292.2m, mostly due to a dip in online sports betting.

Online sports betting revenue continued its downward trend, dropping below the €100 million mark for the first time since October 2021. This is compared to €153.5 million from May 2021. This drastic year-on-year drop is partially explained by restrictions that were in place on the retail sector in May last year, prompting more customers to bet online.

However, retail sports betting also suffered a sudden decline on a month-on-month basis after a period of stability, coming down from €83.5 million in April to €66.4 million in May.

In contrast to the betting figures, casino revenue ticked slightly upwards to €161.8 from €155.1 million. As a result, the igaming revenue product split swayed heavily away from sports betting, taking up only 35.3% of the market in May as opposed to 40.7% in April.

The drops in market share that the biggest four online casino operato..

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Tag: Casino & games