Tag Archives: Online casino

888’s Howard Mittman on Betting 2.0

888’s Howard Mittman on Betting 2.0

Sports betting 1.0 was all about acquisition and, as it moves into sports betting 2.0, product is the key differentiator for sportsbook operators, according to 888 Holdings’ US president Howard Mittman. Robin Harrison hears how Mittman is developing a media-led, content-driven offering that leverages the power of the Sports Illustrated brand.

888 Holdings’ Howard Mittman sees sports betting as a “cultural phenomenon” in the US, sitting at the centre of sports, media technology and betting.

For Mittman, this makes his role at the operator, where he has served as president of US operations since April, a perfect fit.

“Throughout my career, the experiences I have enjoyed the most are ones where I found myself at interesting cross-sections,” he says. “Whether it was technology and culture, fashion and culture, or sports and culture.

Howard Mittman has served as president, US for 888 Holdings since April 2022

“This creates an interesting opportunity to have a perch and a purview tha..

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Kindred set for strong Q4 as Netherlands “exceeds expectations” in Q3

Kindred set for strong Q4 as Netherlands “exceeds expectations” in Q3

Kindred said it is “exceeding expectations” in the Netherlands and expects rapid revenue growth in the final months of the year, after reporting its first quarter of revenue since reentering the market.

In Q3 of 2021, Kindred reported revenue of £277.8m, which was down by 6.9% year-on-year. Almost all of this revenue came from B2C operations, at £271.9m, while B2B revenue – from Relax Gaming – was £5.9m.

The decline in revenue continued to be down to the operator withdrawing from the Netherlands at the start of Q4 2021. While the operator returned to the country during the quarter, generating revenue again, the amount Kindred took in was less than before the country regulated, as was expected.

Kindred said it was “exceeding expectations” with 137,000 active Dutch customers, and brought in around £400,000 per day since launching on 11 July. Chief executive Henrik Tjärnström added that the business had around a 15% market share in the country.

“Thanks to our strong brand awareness, u..

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Ontario report

Ontario report

iGB’s new report on Ontario offers exclusive insight into Canada’s most populous province – and the first to regulate betting and igaming.

When the Ontario market opened in April this year, it wasn’t quite brand new ground.

Anyone in the industry could tell you that the grey market in Canada’s largest province had been thriving for quite some time.

Still, bringing the province from grey to white offers certainty and new opportunities for many.

Six months on, we have a sense of the spoils available. Operators – excluding the lottery – brought in a combined CA$267m in the three months ended 30 September.

The biggest challenge in the province, however, may be marketing rules. Operators can offer bonuses, but may not promote them. As Marese O’Hagan writes in our progress report, that’s been difficult, but it hasn’t seriously dampened excitement about the jurisdiction.

And for now, those complying with the rules still need to compete with some unlicensed brands, which continue to do b..

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Saskatchewan to launch legal online gambling on 3 November

Saskatchewan to launch legal online gambling on 3 November

The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) will launch its new online gambling and sports betting website on November 3, marking the launch of legal igaming in the Canadian province.

PlayNow.com will be operated by the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation (SaskGaming) as the only legal igaming website in Saskatchewan, offering licensed gambling to players on an exclusive basis.

This is in line with an arrangement announced last September, which was agreed by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) and the provincial government.

The PlayNow.com platform will be delivered by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and based on a website of the same name that is operated by the BCLC in British Columbia.

Saskatchewan will become only the third province in which PlayNow.com is active, after its initial launch in British Columbia and also in Manitoba.

To support the launch, PlayNow.com has agreed a sponsorship deal with local Canadian Football League team the Saska..

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

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..

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New Jersey gambling revenue continues upward trend in September

New Jersey gambling revenue continues upward trend in September

Gambling revenue in New Jersey increased for the second consecutive month in September, while the US state also reported year-on-year growth across almost all markets.

Total gaming revenue for the month amounted to $485.0m (£430.0m/€493.0m), up 3.0% from $470.7m posted in August and also 6.9% ahead of the $453.6m recorded in September 2021.

Land-based gambling revenue edged up 1.3% year-on-year to $251.7m, with slots revenue up 2.5% to $186.5m, though table games revenue slipped 1.9% to $65.3m.

Online casino revenue also increased by 10.3% from $122.6m to $135.2m, driven by a 10.7% rise in online slots revenue to $133.0m. In contrast, peer-to-peer internet poker revenue was down 8.7% to $2.3m, making it one of only two markets areas – alongside land-based table games – to decline year-on-year.

The Borgata led the way in igaming, posting $41.1m in revenue for September. Resorts Digital was second on $34.19m, marginally ahead of Golden Nugget with $34.18m.

Turning to sports betting ..

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Nygaard-Andersen: Interest rates won’t stop Entain from acquiring

Nygaard-Andersen: Interest rates won’t stop Entain from acquiring

Entain chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen has said high interest rates will not stop the business from making new acquisitions, and may even “open up new doors”.

Nygaard-Andersen spoke on an earnings call after Entain published a third-quarter earnings update. Revenue was up 2% year-on-year for the group, thanks to both record customer numbers and a favourable impact from currency movements.

When asked whether the new macroeconomic environment and high interest rates would make acquisitions difficult due to the costs of borrowing money, Nygaard-Andersen said that this was not necessarily the case.

“We of course remain vigilant and very prudent,” she said. “But the health of the business remains good. We still have a strong pipeline on M&A and we have opportunities that we will continue to pursue.”

The results came after a busy period of acquiring for the business, with Nygaard-Anderson noting the business agreed nine acquisitions in the past 18 months, including those of Unikrn..

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Lotteritilsynet halts daily fines as Kindred stops targeting Norway

Lotteritilsynet halts daily fines as Kindred stops targeting Norway

Norwegian regulator Lotteritilsynet has paused issuing daily fines to Kindred Group after the operator confirmed its Trannel subsidiary would no longer target consumers in the country.

However, the operator added that it had done so only as a show of goodwill and that it was confident that its legal position was still correct.

Earlier this month, Lotteritilsynet warned Kindred that it would impose a fine of NOK1.198m (£100,106/€114,549/$112,184) for every day that Trannel did not withdraw from Norway.

The daily fine was due to come into effect three weeks after the day that Lotteritilsynet decided to implement the fine. That decision came on 14 September, after it previously warned the operator it would issue fines if it did not exit the market.

The regulator said these fines would only stop when the amount owed reaches Trannel’s annual gross profit, which the regulator estimated to be approximately NOK437m, or when the operator withdraws from the country.

Trannel does not hold a ..

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Ontario regulator to take action against unlicensed operators from 31 October

Ontario regulator to take action against unlicensed operators from 31 October

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has made changes to its Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, meaning unlicensed operators must now exit or face “appropriate regulatory action” and risk having future applications rejected.

The updated standards, the AGCO said, will support the province’s goal of creating a safer, competitive and well-regulated igaming market for the people of Ontario.

The most significant change comes to standard 1.22. Under the new rules, the transition period for unregulated igaming operators and gambling-related suppliers will end. The process was intended to allow those within the unlicensed space to move into the regulated market without causing significant interruption to their Ontario customer base.

However, the new standard establishes that operators and suppliers active in the unregulated market, or have agreements and arrangements with those in the unregulated area, must end their activities here to avoid jeopardising their eligibi..

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Dutch regulator issues 21st online licence

Dutch regulator issues 21st online licence

Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued its 21st online gambling licence, to a business known as Smart Gaming BV.

As yet, little information has been provided about Smart Gaming, which is registered in the Dutch town of Aalsmeer.

The KSA said that it will list the domain name that the business will use as soon as this is known, but Smart Gaming has not yet submitted the domain it intends to use.

The business is the 21st operator to receive a licence to operate in the Dutch online gambling market. It follows the ComeOn Group, which announced that it would launch its flagship ComeOn brand in the Netherlands after receiving a licence last week.

Also last week, the KSA launched a gambling harm prevention research programme, developed by Hague-based health organisation ZonMw. It said that the aim of the scheme will be to gather new knowledge on the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction and gambling-related harms, so it can be formed into new treatment measures.
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