Online casino Archives

July 13, 2023

Gambling Commission fines Star Racing £594,000

The GB Gambling Commission has issued a fine to Star Racing Limited for a series of anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility failings.

Star Racing, trading as Star Sports, will pay a penalty of £594,000 (€693,376/$772,840). It was also handed an official warning and had extra conditions added to its licence.

Setting out the charges, the Commission listed a number of failings that occurred between March 2020 and May 2021.

AML failures included having ineffective policies, procedures and controls in place at the time. Star Racing also allowed customers to deposit large amounts before obtaining source of funds information and failing to analyse source of funds information when it was obtained.

In terms of social responsibility failures, these included not demonstrating an understanding of the impact and effectiveness of customer interactions in terms of the minimisation of customer risk.

Licence breaches

Specific breaches noted in the case included Paragraphs 2 and 3 o..

July 12, 2023

Kindred expands US presence with tech platform launch in PA

Kindred Group has announced the launch of its proprietary tech platform in the US state of Pennsylvania.

Customers in the state can now access the Kindred-owned Unibet casino and sportsbooks apps.

Unibet has been active in Pennsylvania since September 2019. The brand initially launched as a retail sportsbook in partnership with Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Kindred said the platform provides customers with a better experience, personalised content and products, as well as improved analytics.

Read the full story on iGB North America

July 6, 2023

Bplay and GiG expand in Argentina with Mendoza launch

Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has supported the launch of Boldt Group brand Bplay in the Argentine province of Mendoza.

Bplay initially went live with an igaming offering on GiG’s B2B platform. This will be expanded to also include an online sportsbook in the third quarter.

The launch marks the fifth Argentine jurisdiction in which Boldt Group has partnered with GiG. The two parties were already active in Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and the city of Buenos Aires.

“Bplay continues to provide the best gaming experience for our clients in Latin America,” Boldt Group business unit manager José del Pino said. “This leads not only in the launch of new licences, incorporating new and great games and products, but also improving user satisfaction.”

The roll-out also means GiG is regulated in 30 markets worldwide, with a further seven in development.

GiG commercial director David Bonnefous Saavedra added: “Our excellent relationship with the Boldt Group and the continuing expansion ..

July 5, 2023

Soft2Bet to enter Romania with new licence

Online gambling operator Soft2Bet is to expand into Romania after securing a new licence in the country.

Issued by national regulator Oficiul National pentru Jocuri de Noroc (ONJN), the licence will cover online casino and sports betting.

Soft2Bet said the licence would support its ongoing expansion into regulated markets across Europe and worldwide.

The operator also recently secured approval in Greece, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden,

“We consider the Romanian market as one of the pivotal markets for establishing our foothold in Eastern Europe,” Soft2Bet’s general counsel, David Yatom said.

“Acquiring a local Romanian operating licence marks an important step in our strategic expansion, building upon Soft2Bet’s success in other European markets.

“Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the near future.”

July 5, 2023

Azartia Games secures Portuguese licences

Azartia Games, the company behind the Golden Park brand, has secured two new online gambling licences in Portugal.

The licences will enable Azartia Games to offer online sports betting and games of chance in the country. Azartia will operate via the Goldenpark.pt website.

Both licences were issued by national regulator Comissão de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ).

Azartia joins a host of other brands in securing approval to offer online gambling in Portugal. Other licensed operators include 888, Betway, Bwin, PokerStars and Betclic.

Another approved operator is Casino Solverde, which this week had its licence renewed.

Casino Solverde can continue to offer online sports betting to players in Portugal, as well as a range of casino games.

The casino games available at Casino Solverde include slots, blackjack and French roulette.

Market growth

The news comes after SRIJ last month announced growth in Portugal’s online betting and gaming market in Q1.

Gross gaming revenue (GGR)..

June 23, 2023

Wynnbet launches online casino and sports betting in WV

Wynn Resorts-owned Wynnbet has rolled out online casino and sports wagering in the state of West Virginia.

The joint platform went live yesterday (22 June). Consumers can access slots and casino games such as live dealer blackjack and roulette, video poker and keno.

The Wynnbet Sportsbook will also allow players in the state to place bets on a wide range of leagues and competitions.

In addition, the platform will be integrated with Wynn Rewards. This will enable players to collect points that can be exchanged for real-life experiences and benefits with Wynn Resorts.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 21, 2023

PA gambling revenue continues to rise in May

Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania increased both month-on-month and year-on-year in May to reach a total of $479.4m.

Revenue was 7.1% ahead of $447.8m in May of 2022 and also 0.6% higher than $476.7m in April this year.

Land-based slots remained the primary source of revenue by some distance, generating a total of $210.9m during the month. This was 2.5% more than in the same month last year.

In contrast, retail games revenue declined 7.8% year-on-year to $81.6m.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 21, 2023

Malta regulator cancels MKC Limited’s licence

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has cancelled MKC Limited’s licence after ruling that it breached a number of regulations.

Malta-based MKC had been operating the Betworld247 sports betting and casino site under its B2C gaming service licence. However, the regulatory decision means that it is no longer authorised to offer online gambling via this licence.

Setting out its decision, the MGA said MKC breached regulations 9(1)(c), (d), (i), (l) and 10(1)(a) of the Gaming Compliance and Enforcement Regulations.

Specific breaches included not making required licensing payments to the MGA and failure to meet other financial commitments related to its operations.

The regulator also flagged how MKC failed to meet commitments to customers in a timely manner but did not go into further detail.

“One of the grounds for suspension envisaged in regulation 9 arises and the Authority, in its sole discretion, determines that cancellation of the authorisation is the most appropriate measure,” the MG..

June 20, 2023

NJ gambling revenue continues to rise in May despite land-based declines

Gambling revenue in New Jersey increased month-on-month and year-on-year during May despite the state’s land-based market experiencing further declines.

Total revenue for the month amounted to $470.9m, which was 9.4% ahead of $430.6m in May 2022 and 1.8% higher than $462.7m in April of this year.

Land-based gambling remained the primary source of revenue at $227.3m, but this was down 2.4% from $227.3m last year.

Within the retail sector, slots revenue slipped 0.8% to $172.9m, while table games revenue also fell 7.3% to $54.4m.

In terms of internet gambling, revenue increased by 18.7% year-on-year to $161.4m. Online slots revenue jumped 19.0% to $159.1m, while peer-to-peer poker also edged up 1.7% to $2.4m.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 19, 2023

Sweden’s channelisation rate at “critically low” 77%

A report published by Sweden's Online Gaming Industry Association (BOS) has revealed that 77% of Sweden's online gaming market is channelised, a percentage the association called “critically low”.

Sweden’s channelisation goal – the percentage of licensed gaming offerings it wishes to have on the market – is currently set at 90%.

BOS commissioned Swedish survey organisation SKOP to analyse channelisation rates for online gaming in the country, looking at specific categories such as sports betting and online casino.

Gustaf Hoffstedt, secretary-general at BOS, emphasised the seriousness of the low channelisation rate.

“There is no doubt that the Swedish licensing system is in a serious situation,” said Hoffstedt. “Far too much power has been spent on the part of the state to force the licensed gambling companies to implement measures that have not been well received by gambling consumers.”

He added that reversing this development would require the regulator, Spelinspektione..

June 8, 2023

GB online gross gambling yield reaches £1.30bn in Q4

Online gross gambling yield (GGY) in Great Britain increased 5% year-on-year in the fourth quarter to £1.30bn (€1.51bn/$1.62bn), while GGY for the land-based sector also improved.

The latest gambling behaviour report released by the Gambling Commission covered activity in January, February and March 2023, a period that included the Cheltenham Festival horse racing event.

The Commission said the increase in online GGY was primarily driven by growth in real event betting and slots. The regulator also noted a rise in the total number of bets and spins, as well as average monthly active accounts.

Online real event betting was up almost 13% to £555m, with the number of bets 19% higher and average monthly active accounts 9% up year-on-year. The Commission put this down to the popularity of the Cheltenham Festival and player retention from the 2022 Fifa World Cup late last year.

Meanwhile, online slots GGY edged up 2% to £525m, helped by a 9% rise in the number of spins to 19.5 billion an..

June 7, 2023

Adam Greenblatt outlines BetMGM’s path to profitability

The US sports betting and igaming market is maturing and at BetMGM Adam Greenblatt believes product is the battleground where the leaders will be decided for the market’s next phase.

Adam Greenblatt has led BetMGM, the joint venture between Entain and MGM Resorts since its formation in 2018. It is on track to achieve profitability in the second half of the year.

BetMGM is live in 20 states, as well as Washington DC and Puerto Rico and Ontario in Canada. Since 2018, it could be seen as the only business to consistently keep pace with DraftKings and FanDuel.

It didn’t have the database of the legacy daily fantasy giants. But thanks to the MGM Resorts connection (and without M&A along the way), it’s established as a top tier brand in the US.

Other brands with designs on a top tier position such as Caesars, Bally’s, Penn National and 888, have undergone significant change. They’ve acquired to grow, onboarded new tech or sought out new partners.

This may help each business close the..

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Tag: Online casino