Tag Archives: Gaming

Kindred secures Dutch licence

Kindred secures Dutch licence

Unibet operator Kindred Group has secured an online gambling licence from the Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

The licence, which comes into effect from today (8 June) will enable Kindred to offer both commercial online gambling and betting to players in the country’s regulated market.

Kindred said the issuing of the licence follows an extensive application process including the successful completion of relevant audits.

The group added that it will launch its flagship Unibet brand in the Netherlands within the coming days.

“The Netherlands is a large and important European market and one that we look forward to operating in with a local licence,” Kindred chief executive Henrik Tjärnström said.

“We have been advocating local licence schemes for the past decade, and are thrilled that our newly awarded licence in the Netherlands will allow us to deepen and develop our involvement in the Dutch society, as well as actively contribute to a fair and sustainable gambling ma..

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iGB Live! targets 4,500 visitors for 2022 edition

iGB Live! targets 4,500 visitors for 2022 edition

Clarion Gaming is gearing up for the 2022 edition of iGB Live!, which aims to build last year’s successful return to Amsterdam.

The iGB team has unveiled a new campaign slogan for the 2022 show, with ‘Connect. Converse. Convert.’ designed to emphasise the unique aspects of the event, which runs from 5-8 July at the RAI Amsterdam.

iGB Live! brings together the B2B and affiliate communities, allowing delegates to connect and converse with suppliers, and convert these insights into growth opportunities for their businesses.

Attendees will be able to network with over 4,000 visitors – with a target of 4,500 – and 250 exhibitors during the event.

“Last year’s edition of iGB Live! raised the bar in terms of engagement with an independent satisfaction survey conducted by exhibition research specialists Explori placing it among an elite top 2% when benchmarked against other exhibitions,” said Naomi Barton, portfolio director responsible for the iGB brand at Clarion Gaming.

“For 2022, we ..

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Codere Online debuts first Buenos Aires ad campaign

Codere Online debuts first Buenos Aires ad campaign

Codere Online has launched its first marketing campaign in the City of Buenos Aires after obtaining a licence to offer its services in Argentina’s capital city.

The group has developed its “The next big move is yours” campaign to promote its online gaming, sports betting and online casino services.

Developed by the Italia agency, the campaign will broadcast six spots related to its offering via television and social networks. The campaign begins this month and will continue throughout the year.

Codere said the ads recreate different everyday situations, such as at a bus stop, where players share the excitement of playing games.

Alberto Telias, chief marketing officer of Codere Online, said: “With the launch of this campaign, we continue to strengthen the Codere brand in the region and develop content, experiences and products that, together with the main soccer teams, bring us closer to the local customer.”

Codere Online began operating in the City of Buenos Aires in December 2021..

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Córdoba opens tender process for 10 online gambling licences

Córdoba opens tender process for 10 online gambling licences

Córdoba, Argentina’s second most-populous province, has opened its tender process for 10 online gambling licences.

Participants will bid for one of 10 online gambling licences on offer, with each lasting 15 years.

All bidders must provide their “legal documentation, legal capacity [and] history of technical and economic/financial capacity” to operate online gaming, as well as their offer for a licence fee.

Operators will have until 5 July to submit bids, with plans for licences to come into effect from 14 September.

The licence will allow an operator to offer online casino games and betting on sports, horse racing and certain non-sporting events. Each vertical will be subject to a 10% gross gaming revenue tax rate.

Córdoba – which is home to 3.3 million people – passed a bill to legalise online gambling in January, after it was introduced at the end of 2021. The original version of the bill only allowed for five licences, before this was expanded to 10.

Argentina allows for gamb..

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Swedish gaming revenue up to SEK6.54bn in Q1

Swedish gaming revenue up to SEK6.54bn in Q1

Total gaming revenue in Sweden was up 5.8% to SEK6.54bn in the first quarter of 2022, as growth in land-based casinos and online gaming offset a decline in lottery sales.

Despite being a year-on-year increase, revenue was down 6.8% from the previous quarter.

Online betting and gaming made up most of this total, with revenue growing 7.2% to SEK4.20bn. This was also up 0.3% quarter-on-quarter.

The state lottery – run by Svenska Spel – as well as Svenska Spel’s Vegas brand of slot halls – brought in a combined SEK1.29bn, down 4.4% from Q1 of 2021 and down 23.6% from Q4.

Svenska Spel’s Casino Cosmopol brand of land-based casinos, meanwhile, brought in SEK103m, after no such revenue in Q1 of 2021, when these casinos were closed because of Covid-19. Compared to Q4, revenue was down 28.5%

Charitable lotteries brought in SEK863m, which was very slightly up from the same period of 2021, but down 3.0% from Q4.

Restaurant casinos brought in SEK39m, up from just SEK5m in Q1, but down from SE..

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BetMGM to limit presence in New York until tax rates change

BetMGM to limit presence in New York until tax rates change

BetMGM chief financial officer Gary Deutsch said the business would continue to adopt a “conservative” approach in New York until the state’s “irrational” tax environment changes.

During its latest investor day, BetMGM reiterated its net revenue guidance for 2022 of $1.3bn (£1.06bn/€1.25bn), up from $850m in 2021. Executives also said BetMGM’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the year should be similar to 2021, when the business reported an EBITDA loss of $430m.

However, chief financial officer Gary Deutsch noted that there was a change in the portions of this $1.3bn produced by different states.

“Within this guidance, the revenue mix is different than previously expected,” he said. “We expected lower New York revenue and higher revenue in our other online sports and igaming states.”

Deutsch then went on to outline why BetMGM had taken few steps to establish a foothold in New York. During April, the operator reported $5.0m in revenue from $1..

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GiG: Media rules supreme, but platform potential grows

GiG: Media rules supreme, but platform potential grows

Another record peak for Gaming Innovation Group’s (GiG) media division was the highlight of the supplier’s first quarter results, but the platform arm is poised for a potentially transformational year.

Gaming Innovation Group reported revenue of €19.1m for the three months to 31 March, representing its second consecutive record-breaking quarter.

Key to this was the ongoing performance of its media arm, which reported a 40.0% year-on-year jump in revenue to €14.1m for the first quarter of the year. The affiliate business, chief executive Richard Brown explains, took a massive leap forward with player intake hitting a record 69,800 for Q1, and intake from its paid campaigns up 160% year-over-year.

“We’ve been launching quietly in a number of markets,” he explains. “Over 12 to 18 months, we launch, analyse and optimise. Once we’ve managed to ascertain the optimum return on investment we ramp up marketing spend.”

Richard Brown, GiG CEO

While there has been a marginal decline in pla..

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Lithuanian gambling revenue grows by 90% in Q1

Lithuanian gambling revenue grows by 90% in Q1

Gambling revenue in Lithuania grew 90.0% to €43.4m in the first quarter of 2022, as neither the return of the land-based sector or a wide-reaching marketing ban stopped the online sector from continuing to grow.

Online gambling revenue came to €26.8m, up 16.7% from Q1 of 2021.

The majority of revenue came from slots – which are split between category A and category B machines.

Category A slots, with uncapped payouts and stakes, brought in €15.5m, which was up 24.7% from 2021. This came on stakes of €210.4m.

Category B slots, which limit stakes to €0.50 per spin and have win amounts capped at 200 times the original stake, €683,313, up 57.9%.

Table games brought in €1.6m, up 25.5%, on €19.4m worth of stakes and betting revenue was €9.0m, up 2.1%, on stakes of €125.3m.

Turning to the land-based sector, revenue was €16.9m after the sector recorded negligible revenue in Q1 of 2021 with land-based gaming venues closed.

Again, most of this came from slots. category A machines brought ..

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New shareholder Corvex urges Kindred board to consider sale

New shareholder Corvex urges Kindred board to consider sale

Investment fund Corvex Management has urged Kindred’s board to look into sale or merger opportunities, soon after announcing that the fund now owns 10% of the operator.

The business led by Keith Arlyn Meister issued a statement last week disclosing that it now owns more than 10% of Kindred’s shares and voting rights, in accordance with Swedish regulations.

Now the New York-based hedge fund has outlined what it sees as the best goals for Kindred’s future.

“We are excited to be large shareholders of Kindred. To date, we have had constructive conversations with both the chairman of the board and senior management of Kindred,” Corvex said. “We believe Kindred has built a strategic position in the rapidly growing global online gaming space.

Corvex outlined that the business should retain an advisor to look at possible sale opportunities.

“Given recent developments, we believe the Kindred Board should immediately retain a leading, global financial advisor to evaluate strategic alternati..

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888 shareholders to vote on WIlliam Hill acquisition on 16 May

888 shareholders to vote on WIlliam Hill acquisition on 16 May

888 shareholders are set to vote on 16 May to approve the business’ acquisition of William Hill’s non-US assets from Caesars.

As the William Hill assets are larger than the current 888 business, the merger – agreed in September 2021 – is considered a reverse takeover, and so must be approved by shareholders of 888. In a prospectus to shareholders, 888’s board outlined why it backed the deal, and provided more information about both William Hill and the effect of the Gambling Act review on the combined business.

Shareholders will meet at 10:00 am on 16 May in London to consider the deal. Those who cannot attend in person may apply for a proxy vote by 11 May.

The prospectus comes less than a month after 888 and Caesars agreed to reduce the purchase price to acquire the assets by £250m (€297.9m/$315.0m), with the cash portion of the deal now set at £584.9m instead of £834.9m.

This, it said, was due to a “change in the macro-economic and regulatory environment”. Most notably, it said t..

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