Stay informed and elevate your gambling experience through our fresh casino news, in-depth game reviews, and informative insights. Discover a world of exciting opportunities.
Stay informed and elevate your gambling experience through our fresh casino news, in-depth game reviews, and informative insights. Discover a world of exciting opportunities.
Boyoko Names Karhu as Chief Executive in Leadership Reorganization – Marketing & Partners – iGB
The online gambling affiliate site has named Joonas Karhu as its new Chief Executive as part of a broader leadership shakeup.
Karhu, previously the Chief Business Officer, has been elevated to Chief Executive and will be in charge of day-to-day operations, overseeing strategic planning and implementation, propelling growth, and supervising resources and development.
He will succeed Boyoko co-founder Toni Halonen, who will assume the newly created position of Chief Product Officer, concentrating on enhancing products and user experience.
“Over the past four years, I have observed the company evolve into a prize-winning, market-leading online gambling affiliate organization with operations in global markets,” stated Karhu.
“I have collaborated closely with Toni as Chief Business Officer, and I am certain that I can take over the business and continue to propel it forward to even greater triumph.”
Halonen added, “In Joonas, we have discovered the ideal individual to take on the role of Chief Executive; he understands the business and has unmatched knowledge and experience of the market.”
This fresh framework allows me to focus on my passions—technology and search engine optimization—and ensure Bojoko continues to break boundaries in technology and user experience.
The Minister of Culture, Media, and Sport, Lucy Frazer, addressed a gathering organized by the “Gambling with Lives” movement. She emphasized the allure of gambling and its influence on the industry.
Frazer, who assumed her position as Culture Minister recently, stated that the allure of gambling contributes to the persistence of gambling habits among those struggling with gambling issues.
She mentioned attending a meeting with the Lived Experience Advisory Board and reviewing the House of Lords report titled “Gambling Harm: Time for Action,” which provided her with insights into the impact of temptation on individuals grappling with gambling problems.
“I listened to some profoundly affecting narratives, and I was struck by the variety of their experiences,” Frazer remarked. “One individual lost over £1 million. Another never wagered more than £1 per spin.
“One young individual began gambling at the age of 11. Numerous individuals attempted to self-exclude but discovered that the allure of gambling made it challenging to abstain.”
**Postponement of White Paper**
Frazer also acknowledged the repeated postponements in the release of the forthcoming Gambling Act Review White Paper, the government policy document that will outline the direction for future legislative changes.
The fresh Culture Minister, Michelle Donelan, addressed worries about postponements to the government’s gambling white paper, assuring those present that it is a top priority for her and the Prime Minister.
Donelan recognized the dissatisfaction caused by the frequent changes in leadership supervising gambling policy. She underlined her dedication to releasing the white paper soon, but also suggested that she needs time to fully grasp the complexities of the matter.
Donelan emphasized the vulnerability of young people and the disastrous impact gambling can have on both individuals and their families.
The gathering, organized by the group “Betting with Lives,” aimed to raise awareness about the negative impact of gambling on mental well-being and push for regulatory changes. Liz Ritchie, co-founder of the organization, declared that there is at least one gambling-related death each day.
The state of Wyoming saw a surge in online sports wagering during the month of October.
Wyoming’s online sports betting market reached a new peak in October, with bettors placing a total of $21.2 million (£16.9 million/€19.5 million) in wagers. This surpasses the previous record set in September of this year, marking a significant increase in activity.
The October figures represent a 23.4% jump compared to the same period last year, demonstrating a consistent upward trend in participation. Revenue generated from these bets also hit a record high, reaching $2.3 million for the month.
This revenue figure represents a 15.0% increase compared to October 2022 and a substantial 53.3% increase from the $1.5 million generated in September 2023.
Taxable betting revenue also achieved a new peak, reaching $1.4 million. This represents a 21.7% increase compared to October 2022 and a remarkable 172.6% increase from the $517,523 generated in September.
Wyoming bettors collected a total of $19 million in winnings from online sports betting, while the state also saw a record high in tax revenue, reaching $141,087.
DraftKings emerged as the leading operator in the market, capturing $12.5 million in bets and generating $1.4 million in revenue. FanDuel followed closely behind, securing $4.9 million in bets and $402,961 in revenue.
BetMGM’s online sports betting revenue reached $3.5 million, with $378,344 in revenue generated. Caesars, on the other hand, trailed behind with $378,622 in bets and $73,028 in revenue.
Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) is set to enter the Wyoming market soon, following its acquisition of PointsBet US’s operations within the state.
The sports behemoth, Fanatics, has acquired PointsBet Wyoming LLC.
Earlier this year, Fanatics’ FBG unit agreed to purchase Fanatics’ American operations. In June, the two entities finalized a $225 million agreement, which was endorsed by PointsBet investors.
As each state grants permission, more US state businesses will be transferred to FBG. PointsBet asserts that everything is progressing as anticipated.
This week, FBG initiated its online sports wagering platform in Virginia, signifying another milestone in their takeover of PointsBet US.
Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has significantly increased its long-term aspirations – aiming for roughly €65 million (£54.7 million/$65.9 million) in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in 2024 – following a record-setting period after the acquisition of Sportnco.
GiG established a €65 million EBITDA objective for 2024, Sportnco contributed to a record-breaking second quarter.
These outcomes – for the second quarter of this year – are the first to include sports betting provider Sportnco. GiG acquired Sportnco for €51.3 million (£43.2 million/$56.7 million at the time) at the start of the quarter, following an agreement in December.
The organization saw record revenue of €22.1 million, up 37.1% year-on-year. While the acquisition aided the business, GiG also stated that total revenue grew organically by 24.0%.
Media – including GiG’s affiliate brands – continued to comprise the majority of revenue, at €14.8 million, up 35.1% year-on-year, and 5.0% higher than the record set in the first quarter.
Of this, €9.8 million came from publishing brands, with the remaining €5 million from paid media. New launches in the sector included a brand focused on the Ontario iGaming market, while the business also noted the diversification of its paid media strategy, including new acquisition channels such as advertising on streaming service Spotify.
Gigantic Enterprises executives declared they will persist in concentrating on diversifying player recruitment channels and penetrating new geographical areas. They will also continue to strive for enhanced profitability in the overall sector, which remains a central focus for the business division.
Platform service income also experienced a rapid year-on-year increase, fueled by the acquisition of the sports betting provider, Sportnco. The enterprise generated €7.3 million in revenue from platform services, reversing the downturn experienced in the preceding quarter prior to the acquisition.
Gigantic Enterprises CEO, Richard Brown, stated that one of the advantages of the acquisition is that it presents more opportunities in the sports betting-dominated US market. Subsequent to the agreement, the supplier has entered into sports betting-led agreements with companies such as Crab Sports in Maryland.
“Previously, we were more inclined towards wagering and casinos, which was restricted to a few states,” Brown remarked. “However, now, with the quality of sports betting being high, we are able to pursue it more extensively.”
Gigantic Enterprises’ board declared that the acquisition has boosted demand for the company’s services.
“Following the acquisition of Sportnco, the scope of the business has broadened, resulting in heightened interest in combined solutions from both new and existing clients,” the board stated.
“A substantial portion of the current sales channels are concentrating on combined products, which represents a positive commencement following a full quarter of collaboration.”
GiG also indicated that if the entire operations of the sole remaining white label client, SkyCity, were included in earnings, the provider would have produced €11.7 million in platform service earnings and €26.5 million in total earnings. Nevertheless, adhering to standard white label accounting practices, GiG only incorporates a portion of the income it receives in its own profits.
The cost of sales was €227,000, leading to a gross profit of €22.9 million. After subtracting marketing expenses and other operational expenses, GiG reported EBITDA of €7.7 million, a rise of 47.4% year-on-year.
However, a rise in depreciation and amortization meant that EBIT only increased slightly to €2.4 million. Although the firm also incurred €2 million in interest expense, much of this was offset by foreign exchange, resulting in a net profit from continuing operations of €2 million, following a small loss last year.
Looking forward
Given GiG’s enhanced cash position following the release of its results, Brown stated the company might seek additional acquisitions, particularly as there are numerous areas where deals could be made.
“We believe there will be strong cash considerations and cash conversion in the coming years,” he said. “If there’s value-adding mergers and acquisitions, we’ll pursue it. One of GiG’s strengths is that we’re strong in multiple areas, so there are many acquisition opportunities.”
Moving forward, while GiG’s revenue projections for this year remain between €87 million and €90 million, its long-term outlook is displaying a positive change.
The firm previously predicted double-digit organic annual revenue expansion and a 40% EBITDA margin by 2025. Nevertheless, it now anticipates around 20% revenue growth by 2024 and a 50% EBITDA margin.
The enhanced margin is partially attributed to cost-cutting measures in the platform business, anticipated to save €8 million. Of this, benefits from the Sportnco deal will contribute approximately €6 million.
This implies the company expects revenue of around €130 million and EBITDA of around €65 million by 2024, excluding the influence of new acquisitions.
GiG’s stock price jumped after the results were publicized. It closed yesterday (August 15) at 19.71 Swedish Krona (equivalent to £1.58 / €1.87 / $1.90) and has climbed to 21.68 Swedish Krona, a 10.0% increase, at the time of this writing.
The Mississippi Gaming Control Board reported that the state’s gambling earnings decreased for the third consecutive month in June.
Sports betting in Mississippi generated a total of $25.1 million in June, a decline from $43.1 million in June 2021 and $29.2 million in May 2022.
The state’s casinos earned $2.1 million in revenue for the month, a 34.4% drop from $3.2 million in June 2021 and a 47.5% decrease from $4 million in May 2022.
Coastal casinos remain the most popular gambling destination in the state, with gamblers placing $17.3 million in sports bets in June, resulting in $1.3 million in revenue for the casinos.
Central casinos saw $4.5 million in player spending in June, generating $464,667 in revenue, while northern casinos recorded $3.3 million in wagers and $339,142 in revenue.
Baseball was the most popular betting option across all venues in June, with coastal casino customers wagering $8.8 million, central casino players $1.5 million, and northern casino players $1.3 million.
The Mississippi Gaming Control Board also reported that the state’s casinos had a collective win rate of 8.30% in June.
**PASPA Repeal: Payment Methods – Adapting to Change**
Since the repeal of PASPA a year ago, the American market has witnessed considerable alterations and expansion from authorities, participants, and operators alike.
Nevertheless, the journey has not been straightforward, and many inquiries remain unresolved – how will newer verticals like esports progress? How will the Wire Act impact transactions between states? What are the difficulties and possibilities for mobile payments?
Establishing a secure environment for operators and players is a crucial element of this developing market, safeguarding all interested parties while gaining the confidence of the public and regulatory bodies.
This online seminar will examine the most significant advancements in the US sports betting sector, including:
– Whether and how the revised DOJ opinion will influence payments
– How the market has progressed over the past year
– How operators can optimize approval rates
– Are operators prepared for payments?
iGB, in collaboration with Bayes Esports Solutions, is thrilled to present a selection of matches for some of the most prominent esports tournaments. This assists companies in entering the esports industry, which is gaining momentum at a rapid pace.
This week’s premier event is Tencent Games’ LDL 2020 Summer Season, encompassing a total of 25 matches. This League of Legends competition, managed by the Chinese technology giant Tencent Games, showcases teams from China. It commenced on June 10th and will continue until August 23rd. 26 teams are engaged in a round-robin format.
Several matches have already concluded. Suning-S triumphed over All Combo 2-1, and V5 87 emerged victorious against SDX Gaming 1-0.
League of Legends reigns supreme as the most popular game this week, with LDL 2020 followed by Turkey’s Akademi Ligi, featuring 20 matches, and then the League of Legends European Championship Summer Season, with 15 matches.
The ESL National Championship 2020 Season 1, a Dota 2 competition, is the next event on the schedule. It will continue until August 22nd. The group stage is in progress, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals, while the bottom two teams will compete in the quarter-finals.
In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), we need to keep track of the Perfect World Asia League Summer 2020 schedule. It will feature 12 matches over the next seven days. Teams from China and Taiwan will compete in the tournament, which will end on July 19th.
Look below for the complete list of matches this week, organized by game, competition, and number of matches.
This list is not definitive and may be subject to change. Discover more about the esports directory here.
Bayes Esports Solutions is a leading provider of esports data, serving data owners, consumers, and service providers. The Berlin-based company has created BEDEX, the world’s first independent esports data marketplace for in-game data.
## Competing Groups – Promotion & Collaborations – iGB
Zack Thomas-Aquino had a chat with Charlotte Emery, the Head of Branding at William Hill. She’s keen on using the sense of togetherness and rivalry that football brings to be a part of the company’s new marketing campaign.
**Opposing Teams**
Honestly, it’s the competition that makes the game thrilling. Scoring a goal is fantastic, but it feels even better seeing the other team’s supporters downcast and disheartened.
You could call it a distinct identity. To have your own group, you need to know who you are – but even more importantly, who you’re not. Yes, the feeling of unity can be stronger because of what you are, but maybe just as important is what you’re not.
**Returning Home**
Charlotte Emery, Head of Branding at William Hill, has placed this strategy of emphasizing community and competition at the heart of the company’s new season advertising plan.
“We’re kicking off a new football season, all the old rivalries are going to be back – and then we have the first ever winter World Cup, where you go from competing with your friends to being on the same team, your opponents become your country,” Emery said.
“Then we return in January, back to the team competition. So it’s like a really nice, different cadence that you can use to talk about.”
Previously, many of the same football components were utilized in advertisements as this year: the field, companions, the charming Caroline, Jermaine Jenas – however, the emphasis was more private and individual, reflecting the gradual relaxation of the UK’s strict confinement.
“What we were commemorating was that feeling of unity – we were emerging from lockdown, and we were simply reminding people how wonderful it is to be together, and sports and games are a part of that, but it was more about those ties of camaraderie, coming back together, those old jokes you tell every time, like the jokes about those individuals moving the vehicle,” she stated.
Magnificent
This time, the catchphrase of the day is magnificent, the sensation William Hill is attempting to generate is large, daring, irresponsible, and celebratory.
“As we entered this year, we thought, ‘We have emerged from lockdown, we desire to capture the same positive sentiment, but now we want to celebrate ourselves, we are about to have the greatest, most extraordinary, most magnificent football season ever,” she said.
“We wanted to capture that feeling surrounding football and truly demonstrate that we comprehend what it feels like to be a fan. We discuss this season being extraordinary, magnificent, because we have just witnessed the Lionesses’ greatest ever Euros.”
Thats why we say this season is extraordinary, the sport itself is extraordinary, but this season more than ever feels like something is about to occur, and some remarkable extraordinary stories have already occurred, like the Lionesses.
We desired to capture that feeling in our work and advertising. So we’ve produced a collection of ads and resources that discuss the extraordinary nature of football.
Another new facet of the campaign is a greater focus on the variety of football.
We brought back some of the friend groups from last year’s campaign, and we’ve also included some new characters because we wanted to ensure we were truly reflecting the variety of football.
So we have a grandfather with his granddaughter who is in her twenties, you feel like they’ve been doing this together for a long time.
William Hill’s brand strength stems largely from its high street presence. Through its chain of physical betting shops, the brand has become a very noticeable brand in the UK betting industry.
I believe the strength of our brand comes from our high street presence – retail gives us a very strong presence. We’re an established brand, and while we don’t like to linger on the past, we’ve been around for a long time.
Emery believes the brand’s future will depend on the operator leaning into its strengths.
Were certain that our robust groundwork will pave the way for sustained expansion and achievement. We’ll maintain our forward momentum and strive to make football more equitable for all.
Our racing heritage is extensive and deeply significant to us, but we acknowledge that excelling in football is paramount.
Placing football at the heart of our approach could be a wise decision – after all, rivalry is what fuels excitement.
Caesars Entertainment has launched its inaugural retail sports betting facility at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Washington. The company has plans to establish additional locations at the Spokane Tribe Casino and the Chewelah Casino.
The Washington State Gambling Commission has issued a sports betting permit to Caesars Entertainment, enabling the establishment of a Caesar’s Sportsbook at the Muckleshoot Casino.
Previously, Caesars Entertainment had reached an accord with the Muckleshoot and Spokane tribes, who possess ownership of the Spokane Casino and the Chewelah Casino.
Caesars Entertainment has declared that the sportsbook at the Muckleshoot Casino will be the most extensive of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, featuring four live wagering windows and nine self-service betting terminals. The company also intends to provide on-site mobile betting through the Caesar’s Sportsbook application.
Peruse the complete narrative on the iGB North America website.
Flutter Entertainment has declared that it is rebranding its PokerStars VR virtual reality social casino product to Las Vegas Unlimited.
This is a part of a broader, more thorough makeover of the free-to-play game.
The product was introduced in 2018 by PokerStars, enabling players to sit at virtual poker tables with companions, communicate in real-time, and interact with their environment. Since Flutter acquired the PokerStars brand in 2021, the game has been expanding.
This includes adding blackjack, roulette, slots, dice games, and rocket rush, as well as Spin & Go poker and metaverse poker competitions. Las Vegas Unlimited also utilizes ToxMod AI real-time chat monitoring tools to assist users in playing the game.
Modernized features for Las Vegas Unlimited players
The newly redesigned Las Vegas Unlimited features a modernized 3D virtual cityscape, private player suites, and extravagant casinos. PC players can also join other players on Steam VR and Meta Quest VR without the need for a headset.
“As we approach our fifth anniversary, we are incredibly enthusiastic to see how far our game has progressed,” said James O’Reilly, VR and Innovation Director at PokerStars.
Our journey began with groundbreaking virtual reality poker trials, and we’ve evolved into a flourishing entertainment center. We provide a diverse selection of games and experiences, all set in captivating environments that are home to a dedicated community of players.
We’re more than just poker, and we’re more than just VR. Infinite Las Vegas is our upcoming major venture, and there are many more exciting things to come.
