March 2022 - Bookiecity

Division sales boost downsized Sportech to profitability in 2021

Sportech recorded revenue of £22.9m in 2021, a year in which it sold off many business divisions, with these sales powering the business to a £34.5m profit.

All of Sportech’s revenue, expense and income figures for 2021 and its comparison figures for 2020 removed parts of the business which were sold, before counting these as discontinued operations. These included the Global Tote business, which was acquired by Betmakers in June 2021, and Bump 50:50, which Sportech agreed to sell to Canadian Banknote in February 2021.

This downsizing led to Sportech removing its shares from the London Stock Exchange and moving to the Alternative Investment Market, after which CEO Richard McGuire and chief financial officer Tom Hearne stepped down from their roles.

As a result, the revenue figure of £22.9m was up 32.1% from the restated figure given for 2020.

Sportech chief executive Andrew Lindley said that while the business was now small for a publicly traded company, he believed it was the righ..

March 31, 2022

Spanish GGR dips despite 25.8% growth in stakes in 2021

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Spanish gross online gaming revenue came to €815m in 2021, down 4.2% from 2020, but stakes grew by more than 25%, suggesting the decline may be more linked to trading than the country’s marketing rules.

According to figures from regulator the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), this came despite the fact that players deposited €2.77bn during the year, which was 216% more than in 2020, while turnover rose by 25.8% to €27.17bn.

For the first time, casino was the largest driver of online GGR, bringing in €407.1m in 2021, up 16.0%. Online casino revenue has grown year-on-year in every year in which DGOJ has recorded data.

Breaking this online casino revenue down further, slots brought in €241.4m, up 23.0%, while live roulette revenue grew 18.6% to €120.6m. Blackjack revenue was €23.2m, down 5.7%, while for RNG roulette this figure dipped by 27.2% to €22.0m.

Revenue from betting, which was previously the leading vertical, was down 16.2% to €305.9m, the lowest figure since ..

March 30, 2022

ESA Gaming set to launch in Denmark after certification

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Online gaming supplier ESA Gaming has received certification to launch its EasySwipe titles in Denmark.

The business said its EasySwipe casino games act as an addition to an operator’s sports betting offerings, giving operators the opportunity to cross-sell from sportsbook to casino.

ESA Gaming reports that EasySwipe has seen a 20% conversion of sports players, a 5% increase in screentime and a 3% increase in sports revenue since its inception.

EasySwipe currently has seven titles, including Fruit Staxx and Goal Mine, with more to be added throughout 2022.

“We have had a fantastic start to the year, adding new games to our portfolio and boosting our presence in several markets,” said Zorica Smallwood, director at ESA Gaming.

“Through this certification we will be able to partner with Danish operators and introduce local players to our innovative content which offers lightweight design and easy game-play that enables operators to create a new vertical without impacting the sports b..

March 30, 2022

Pinnacle’s B2B division secures new Malta licence

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Pinnacle Solution, the B2B arm of sportsbook operator Pinnacle, has secured a licence from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

The new licence will enable Pinnacle Solution to provide its services to sportsbook partners within the MGA’s jurisdiction.

Pinnacle said the permit would support its growth plans, with the business seeking new partnerships in a number of new territories, with particular focus on Europe and Latin America.

Pinnacle Solution currently services more than 50 sports wagering operators in markets around the world.

“We’ve made great efforts to ensure our trading practices and technology stack can be scaled quickly, openly, and transparently in order to give our sportsbook partners a first-class service that delivers the enhanced hold and revenue performance they’re after,” Pinnacle chief executive Paris Smith said.

“Obtaining the MGA licence is proof that our expert teams have developed products that meet the market’s demands and high standards, and we’re now looki..

March 29, 2022

FanDuel withdraws daily fantasy product from Ontario

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FanDuel will withdraw its daily fantasy sports product from Ontario from 1 April, in line with the Canadian province’s regulations for when its online betting and gaming market opens to licensed operators.

Ontario is set to launch licensed sports betting and igaming on 4 April, ending a state monopoly. Earlier this month, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) released a guide for operators that revealed that businesses which apply for registration before the 4 April launch must cease operations in Ontario from the moment their registration is approved by AGCO.

FanDuel is among the operators that has received a licence, and as a result it has opted to withdraw its daily fantasy sports brand, including both free and paid games, as this vertical is not permitted under the new regime.

The operator did note, however, that its daily fantasy sports brand would still be available in other provinces.

All entries submitted prior to April 1 will run as normal, with all winnings ..

March 29, 2022

PMU enters Senegal with National Lottery deal

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French horse racing operator Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) has entered Senegal through a partnership with the country’s National Lottery (Lonase).

The omni-channel partnership will allow customers to place bets on horse races offered through PMU, with the same payouts as PMU customers receive in France.

PMU’s betting platform in Senegal will be powered by online sportsbook and technology provider Honoré Gaming, which PMU has extended its existing partnership with.

Honoré Gaming allows operators to target French-speaking countries in Africa through its sportsbook solutions.

“We are delighted to be extending our existing partnership with PMU to facilitate its agreement with Lonase and to allow bettors in Senegal to wager on the same races and with the same payouts as PMU’s players in France,” said Christophe Casavova, chief operating officer at Honoré Gaming.
“Africa is one of the fastest-growing online betting markets in the world and we have helped operators enter French-speaking market..

March 28, 2022

Unibet prepares for Ontario launch after securing igaming licence

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Kindred's Unibet brand has detailed its plans to launch in Ontario, having received a licence to do so.

This marks Unibet’s seventh licence in North America.

Kindred will launch its online gaming and sports betting products through Unibet under Ontario’s open regulatory model.

Ontario’s online gaming market will launch on 4 April and will be overseen by iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

“This is an exciting day and a significant milestone for both Kindred and Unibet,” says Amanda Brewer, country manager Canada, Kindred Group. “We are proud to have received permission to launch in Ontario on the first day the market opens and look forward to building long-term relationships with our customers and partners.”

Several other operators secured licences ahead of the market launch, including Bet365, Flutter-owned FanDuel and PointsBet.

“Ontario is full of sports teams and passionate fans, which is no surprise given the history and ..

March 28, 2022

FuboTV appoints Ahn as first chief business officer

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Sports streaming service and betting operator FuboTV has appointed Henry Ahn to the newly created role of chief business officer.

Based in New York City, Ahn will oversee FuboTV’s content strategy and licensing, as well as business development. He will report directly to FuboTV co-founder and chief executive David Gandler.

Ahn will transition from his current role on FuboTV board of directors in order to take on the new position. He has been a member of the FuboTV board since July 2020.

Ahn previously spent more than two-and-a-half years as president of distribution and content partnerships at Univision Communications, while he also spent almost seven years as president of content distribution and marketing for Scripps Network Interactive.

His other roles have included executive vice president of TV networks distribution for NBC Universal, senior vice president of affiliates sales at NBCU Cable Networks and director finance and administration at NBC Cable.

“I am thrilled to be wor..

March 25, 2022

KSA chair: Dutch online market may be smaller than expected

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René Jansen, chair of Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), said that early data suggests the country’s online gambling market may be smaller than initially expected in terms of player numbers.

Jansen (pictured) commented on the regulator’s annual report for 2021, which was released last week and included data about player numbers, advertising and unlicensed play. In this report, the KSA noted that 634,000 online gaming accounts had been created between the vertical launching in October 2021 and the start of March.

Jansen noted that when multi-account play is considered, it suggested that the number of players may be lower than expected.

“Please note: this does not mean that there are so many players (on legal sites) in the Netherlands,” Jansen said. “An unknown number of players have an account with several providers. So there are (probably considerably) fewer than 634,000.

“This is an important insight, because earlier estimates have been made of approximately 1 million D..

March 25, 2022

Missouri sports betting bill passed to state senate

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A bill that aims to legalize sports betting in Missouri is heading to the state senate after it passed its final house reading yesterday (March 24).

House Bill 2556 was first introduced on January 19 and was first referred to the Special Committee on Public Policy. It was sponsored by Representative Dan Houx.

It was one of several sports wagering bills that progressed through the Missouri state legislature in March.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Month: March 2022