Gaming Archives - Page 2 of 19

March 27, 2024

Leading US operators launch Responsible Online Gaming Association

Seven of North America's largest operators have joined together to launch the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) in a bid to promote responsible gaming (RG).

ROGA is aiming to promote best RG practices among the industry. BetMGM, Bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital and Penn Entertainment are all collaborating.

According to the launch announcement, the companies involved represent over 85% of the legalised online sports betting and igaming industry in the US. They have pledged more than $20m (£15.8m/€18.5m) to support ROGA’s objectives over the first year of its existence.

Dr Jennifer Shatley will serve as ROGA’s executive director, tapping into her 25 years of experience within the industry and extensive work as an RG executive to facilitate widespread education on the topic.

Shatley’s work with ROGA will take place alongside her role as president of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, as well as her position as a member of t..

March 21, 2024

Penta working with JP Morgan to explore “strategic options” for Fortuna

Investment group Penta Investments is working alongside JP Morgan to explore the potential sale of Fortuna Entertainment Group.

Penta is exploring its options for Fortuna, which currently operates in Poland, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, running sites and betting shops under the Fortuna, Casa Parulior and PSK brands.

Any sale of Fortuna could purportedly be worth up to €2bn (£1.7bn/$2.2bn), according to Reuters which broke the news. Penta acquired a 79.8% stake in Fortuna in 2017, having first bought into the company in 2005, before launching a takeover bid in 2018.

While not ruling out an exit, Penta is evaluating alternatives that would best help the development of the Fortuna franchise, the business told iGB, while ensuring sustainable growth and the creation of long-term value.

“As discussions are in their early stages, it’s premature to speculate on the specific outcomes,” Penta said. “However, the possibility of a majority sale remains within the realm of..

March 21, 2024

Peru receives 145 licence applications for online gambling in 30 days

Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) received 145 requests for operator licences over the first 30 days after Law no 31557 came into effect.

Law no 31557, which regulates online gaming and sports betting, went into effect on 9 February.

Operators had until 10 March to apply for a licence. Mincetur had warned those already active in the Peruvian market that they could face a fine of up to Sol990,000 (€245,394/£212,401/$257,838) or criminal prosecution if they did not apply.

That initial application process has now closed for companies already active in Peru. The country’s minister of foreign trade and tourism, Juan Carlos Mathews, confirmed 145 requests had been received from both national and international companies. Those not previously in the Peru market can continue to apply.

peru’s sports betting and igaming regulations were approved in october

During the initial 30-day period period, 144 linked service providers were registered with seven international cert..

March 20, 2024

Pennsylvania igaming revenue reaches record $184.9m in February

Online gambling revenue in Pennsylvania hit a record $184.9m (£145.3m/€170.1m) during February, although the state reported year-on-year declines across almost all other markets.

Total gambling revenue in February amounted to $499.1m. This was 9.3% ahead of $456.8m in Pennsylvania last year but 1.6% behind $464.4m in January this year.

Retail slots remain the largest source of revenue in the Keystone State, generating $202.7m, only marginally lower year-on-year. This was despite a decline in the total number of slot machines from 25,708 to 24,962.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, revenue from land-based table games increased by 2.9% to $76.6m.

Online slots and table games growth in February

Turning to the Pennsylvania online market and total igaming revenue was 40.5% higher at $184.9m, compared to $131.6m in 2023.

Online slots revenue jumped 35.6% to $125.9m, while internet table games revenue hiked 56.7% to $56.6m. There was, however, a slight decline in online poker revenue, wi..

March 19, 2024

Michigan sports betting handle drags down February gaming totals

Michigan gambling operators saw an overall dip in receipts and revenue in February, according to the latest report from the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

The combined $218.5m in icasino gross receipts and sports betting handle was down 4.8% compared to January. The $188m taken in by online casino was the highest in state history. This broke the January record of $181.9m in gross receipts.

Combined adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for February was $182.1m. Online casino operators took in $169.2m in AGR, a 3.1% increase compared to January, and digital sports betting had AGR of $12.9m, a 31.3% decline compared to January.

A total of 15 operators were live for online casino in February, along with 13 sports betting platforms.

Tribal operators made $3.9m in payments to governing bodies for February.

Sports betting handle was $402.6m, compared to $577.4m in January. The slump is not unusual, as February may feature the Super Bowl, but it does not have a full slate of NFL games every week..

March 19, 2024

Australia’s ACMA requests blocking of another eight gambling sites

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued blocking orders for a further eight websites after ruling they breached gambling laws in the country.

ACMA named Lucky7even, 50 Crowns, Rockwin, Bitdreams, Mr Pacho, Casino Infinity, Zota Bet and Spicyjackpots as sites to be blocked. It said each site was operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

The organisation did not go into detail about specific breaches of the Act. However, it did set out how it can take action if a website has committed a certain offence.

These actions include providing banned interactive gambling services to Australian players, such as online casinos, slots and in-play sports betting. ACMA may also request blocking if a website offers gambling without a licence, or publishes adverts for other unlicenced services.

While ACMA cannot actually block sites, it can request Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to do so.

Since ACMA made its first request in November 2019, s..

March 18, 2024

Delaware reveals year-on-year igaming and betting growth in February

Delaware has posted a year-on-year increase in online gambling and sports betting revenue during February.

Looking first to igaming, revenue in February hit $3.9m (£3.1m/€3.6m). This was up 254.6% from $1.1m in Delaware last year and, interestingly, 14.7% ahead of January’s $3.4m total.

Video lottery games accounted for $2.8m of all revenue, with online table games at $1.1m for the month.

Spending-wise, players bet $117.2m online in February, including $68.4m on video lottery and $48.8m on table games. This was up 208.4% year-on-year and also 13.5% ahead of $103.3m in January.

Delaware Park generated the most igaming revenue during the month, posting a total of $2.1m. Harrington Raceway placed second with $1.0m, then Bally’s Dover on $717,119.

Delaware sports betting handle rockets 236.6%

Turning to sports betting, revenue for this sector amounted to $560,449 in February. This was 82.8% ahead of February 2023 but 68.6% behind $1.8m in January.

As for betting handle, this reache..

March 15, 2024

ATG calls on banks to help combat “worrying” Sweden channelisation rates

Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp’s (ATG) channelisation report for Q4 has shown a continuation of worsening channelisation rates in Sweden.

ATG’s report estimated channelisation rates for gaming to be between 69%-82% in Sweden during Q4. This falls well behind the Swedish’s government’s target of 90% channelisation to legal operators.

The channelisation rate has fallen since the third quarter of 2023. ATG believes there is little sign of the trend being halted.

ATG found visitor traffic to unlicensed operators has increased tenfold since 2019. The research also highlights that out of 20 unlicensed sites with the highest Q4 visitor traffic, 19 shared the same platform providers as licensed operators.

Additionally, of the 20 black-market sites included in the report, none were on the Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen’s banned list.

“It is a very worrying development and our investigation shows that more still needs to be done to keep the unlicensed companies away,” ATG chief executive ..

March 14, 2024

Genius Sports announces move into free-to-play games vertical

Genius Sports has announced the launch of interactive free-to-play games for its operators, which include the likes of Betway and Bet365.

Genius’ free-to-play offering will include weekly and matchday games, tournament games and daily retention games. These are intended to meet purposes such as activating a sportsbook brand and delivering segmented daily player interaction.

Genius will also offer bespoke free-to-play solutions to meet operators’ objectives, including gamification strategy design, as well as custom game development.

Additionally, Genius is integrating its advertising solutions, helping operators to drive players from free-to-play games into their sportsbook. Genius will use advanced analytics and reporting in its advertising sector to assist operators in measuring paid media impact.

Genius aims to enable operators to boost customer acquisition and loyalty.

The provider’s launch aims to enable operators to boost customer acquisition and loyalty. Josh Linforth, Geniu..

March 8, 2024

Betsson rolls out flagship brand in Italy

Betsson Group has set out plans to expand its presence in Italy with the launch of its flagship Betsson brand in the country.

The Italy-facing Betsson will feature an online casino offering including slots, table games and live casino. Players will also have access to sports betting on the new website.

The group has been active in Italy for more than a decade via its StarCasinò. This brand will continue to operate alongside the new Betsson website.

Betsson said the launch forms part of its ongoing strategy to expand its flagship offering into new markets. This includes expansion in Latin America, where it holds licences in Argentina and Colombia, with plans in place to build on this.

“Italy has grown significantly in importance for Betsson,” chief commercial officer Ronni Hartvig said. “We believe this is an opportune moment to introduce our flagship brand, Betsson, to the market.

“By consolidating our operations under the unified Betsson brand, we aim to harness the power of sc..

March 7, 2024

Montenegro’s electronic payments ban raises industry concerns

Amendments to Montenegro’s gambling laws that would ban the use of electronic payment methods are leading to concerns among the country’s gambling sector, with Montenegro Bet representative Jovana Klisić saying the industry is “at a crossroads”.

The amendment to Article 68f of Montenegro’s gambling law will see a variety of electronic payment methods, such as ebanking and mobile payments, disabled when it comes to depositing into betting accounts.

The changes now mean bettors in Montenegro have two options should they wish to bet online. Players can enter a betting shop and place a monetary cash wager which then transfers online funds into their accounts. Alternatively, players can pay via card, but only on a terminal in a betting shop.

The provisions have caused agitation in the Montenegrin industry, with gambling companies concerned over the amendment’s impact on business. A petition calling to halt the change received 25,000 signatures, around 8% of the country’s electorate, in j..

March 7, 2024

ICE and iGB Affiliate reveal record attendance figures in 2024

Clarion Gaming has announced that both its ICE 2024 and iGB Affiliate 2024 last month set new records for attendance, with the events drawing visitors from 164 countries around the world.

ICE took place at the ExCeL London from 6-8 February and iGB Affiliate 6-9 February at the same venue. Together, the 2024 events drew a record 52,345 unique attendees in total.

Unique attendance at ICE reached an all-time high of 45,050, up 12% from the previous year. Meanwhile, iGB Affiliate attracted 7,295 unique visitors, representing a new record and a 27% increase on 2023’s total.

Visitation figures, which measure the number of person days attendees spent at the ExCeL, topped 100,000 for the first time in the exhibition’s history.

The events recorded visitors from 164 nations worldwide. Excluding host country the UK, Malta had the most visitors at 3,364. The US followed on 1,913 and Bulgaria with 1,659.

“February’s historic editions of ICE and iGB Affiliate were what I would describe as ‘I w..

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Tag: Gaming