A study commissioned by the trade association American Gaming Association and conducted by Oxford Economics reports that over the period 2014 t2017 the US gambling industry improved its contribution to the US economy by 10 percent to $261 billion.
Gambling-related companies delivered $40.8 billion in federal, state and regional government tax revenues, with the federal government benefitting most at $18.6 billion.
The industry provided jobs for almost 1.8 million people, including 727,000 posts directly involved in gambling.
“The industry’s tax revenue alone provides enough funding to hire 692,000 new teachers,” said Sara Slane, the AGA’s senior vice-president of public affairs in presenting it to the public, commenting that the numbers are set to grow following the recent Supreme Court decision which has liberalised and widened the availability of sports betting.
Oxford noted that $89 billion of consumer spending at casinos – including $73 billion of spending on gaming – was considerably more than the $76 billion spent on attending sports events last year.
See the full Oxford study report here
Virulently anti-gambling politician and UK Labour Party deputy leader, Tom Watson has managed to grab the media spotlight again this week with a rant against gambling, calling for a “whistle to whistle” ban on gambling advertising during live sporting events; a threat to stop the use of credit cards in gambling if Labour returns to national government; and a call for Premier League football clubs to halt gambling sponsorship deals or have it done for them, should a Labour government come to power.
Watson described problem gambling in the UK as a “national emergency” and suggested that gambling operators be forced to pay an additional 1 percent of GGR levy for the treatment of such persons.
“Current gambling regulation is not up to the job of protecting addicts and those at risk of addiction,” Watson claimed. “Gambling companies have to take more responsibility for harm caused by their products and contribute more to research and treatment.
The other side of the House was unimpressed, with Conservative Party vice chairman for policy, Chris Skidmore, commenting:
“Labour liberalised the gambling market when they were in power, and have admitted that they were wrong.
“We are correcting Labour’s mistakes – ensuring tighter rules on gambling advertising, increasing protections around online gambling, launching a multi-million pound awareness campaign, commissioning research on the harms of problem gambling, and slashing the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals, which were introduced under Labour.”
SkyBet boss Richard Flint welcomed the idea of a levy, but said banning advertising and credit card payments would not work.
The New Hampshire state lottery has become the sixth US state lottery to take iLottery ticket sales online and offer instant-win games to state residents.
The state Legislature passed laws authorising the online activity in June last year, enabling New Hampshire to join other progressive states with iLottery activity such as Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
New Hampshire’s technology partner on the iLottery operation is NeoPollard Interactive LLC, which has previous experience in powering the Virginia and Michigan online lottery enterprises.
The company’s turnkey iLottery 360 solution enables New Hampshire to sell online Powerball and MegaMillions draw tickets, along with eight instant-win games, all accessible via desktop and mobile channels…. provided the punter is within state borders defined by geo-location technology.
NeoPollard Interactive general manager Liz Silver commented to local media that the new iLottery project would increase the lottery’s sales across all channels through cross-selling, and provide “new insights into player preferences and behaviors.”
Charles McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire state lottery, added that the iLottery initiative represents a major element in enhancing the direct interaction of players with the lottery offering.
Legislation to protect the Western Australian provincial lottery Lotterywest from competition from “synthetic” lottery operators like Lottoland (see previous report earlier today) has reportedly been introduced to the provincial parliament and includes wide-ranging enforcement powers for the provincial Gaming and Wagering Commission…and provision for fining WA residents up tp A$2,500 for transacting with such secondary lottery operators.
WA Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia told regional media that the legislation will beef up the regulatory powers of the Gaming and Wagering Commission, including the authority “…to act in the event of some other unforeseen disruptive betting process coming onto the market; they can just outlaw it immediately.”
In an initial reaction to the legislative proposal, Lottoland Australia chief executive Luke Brill reiterated an earlier position statement when he said that his company was law-abiding and would seek through innovation to change its business model in order to remain compliant with provincial and federal law (the federal ban on secondary lotteries is effective from early next year).
Interestingly, the new proposals also legislate against sports betting companies holding licenses from non-WA sources setting up retail outlets anywhere in Western Australia that link to corporate sports wagering websites.
It’s a move apparently designed to target a majority of Aussie sports betting operators who take advantage of the Northern Territory jurisdiction’s more operator-friendly fees and regulations.
FanDuel’s newly operational sportsbook at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey is already facing claims that it is withholding a total of $138,000 from three players, justifying its actions by pointing to T&Cs which cover technical and human error.
Anthony Prince, one of the aggrieved punters, alleges that he made an in-game wager on Sunday that should according to his betting ticket odds, have paid out $82,610 on a $110 wager. The bet was laid with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining in the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders contest.
The match was, as predicted by Prince, won by the Broncos in a last-seconds field goal, but when Prince tried to claim his win he was told the odds pricing was in error and therefore would not be honoured.
According to Prince, the operator eventually offered him $500 and skybox seats for three New York Giants games. He refused, taking up the issue with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
“They said their system had a glitch in it and they’re not obligated to pay for glitches,” Prince told local reporters.
Two friends of Prince, Mike Guerriero and Chris Calcano supported his allegations in the media, claiming that they received $56,325 in their FanDuel account on Sunday after making the same plus-75,000 wager online. By Monday morning, FanDuel had revoked the pay-out, replacing it with a minuscule return on revised minus-600 odds.
FanDuel Sportsbook has reportedly been investigating the incidents, making the following statement:
“The wager in question involved an obvious pricing error inadvertently generated by our in-game pricing system. Specifically, near the end of the Sunday afternoon game between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders, the odds for the Broncos (who had the ball and were trailing by two points at the time) to win were +340 (bet $100 to win $340). The next play, the Broncos completed a 26-yard pass to position themselves to attempt a 36-yard field goal to take the lead in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, clearly positioning the Broncos as the favorite to win.
“At that moment in the game, our system updated the odds and erroneously posted a price of +75,000 on the Broncos to win the game (bet $100 to win $75,000) when the correct odds for the Broncos to win the game at that point in time were -600 (i.e., bet $600 to win $100).
“A small number of bets were made at the erroneous price over an 18-second period. We honored all such bets on the Broncos to win the game at the accurate market price in accordance with our house rules and industry practice, which specifically address such obvious pricing errors. We have reached out to all impacted customers and apologized for the error.”
According to its in-house T&Cs FanDuel is not required to pay out on Prince’s ticket, at least not at the +75000 odds; the rules, which players agree to accept, cover faulty bets caused by technical and human errors, and the company is only required to pay Prince at the “correct” odds, which were -600 at the time he placed the bet.
However, it appears that FanDuel went beyond that by offering Prince an additional $500 and tickets to three New York Giants games. He declined to accept that offer when it was originally made.
The issue generated plenty of social network and media attention and comment.
The New Jersey Division for Gaming Enforcement, as the regulator confirmed the issue was under investigation; according to the regulations currently in force FanDuel has five calendar days from the occurrence of the incident to file an “incident report” and resolve the issue.
Online casino operator Omnia has integrated payments provider Trustly’s new ‘Pay N Play’ technology to instantly recognise verified customers, allowing them to deposit and play in seconds, and withdraw funds in less than five minutes.
Omnia is one of only a handful of casino brands to use the innovative payments method in this way, enabling pre-KYC checked Swedish customers to instantly deposit and enjoy Omnia’s casino content using a unique individual bank ID.
Each player in Sweden must first undertake KYC checks with their bank and, once verified, receive a unique bank ID number. This enables Omnia to instantly recognise fully compliant and age-verified players, who simply use their ID to log into the site and deposit in a matter of seconds and withdraw winnings in under 5 minutes – the fastest deposit and withdrawal method available today, the operator claims.
Using Trustly will be the only way for new customers to deposit, ahead of Sweden’s regulated online gaming market opening in January 2019.
Omnia’s leadership includes Sam Hobcraft, former director of gaming at Betfair and MD-Casino at PokerStars.
Founded last year, Omnia’s mobile-first offering has been built using the latest AI software and tech stack to both reward players and ensure they play responsibly. Designed to provide constantly responsible gaming functionality with mandatory deposit limits, Omnia’s mission is designed to be the most upfront, clear and simple customer-friendly platform on the market, the company said in a press release Wednesday.
Omnia founder Hobcraft, said: “We have adopted this method as we see it is as the future of payments and sits squarely with our compliance focus for Omnia. Using Trustly’s unique bank ID system the player registration process will become almost non-existent, and we will only need to capture a few details and allow the player to agree to the appropriate T&C’s.
“The major benefit is that every Omnia player will already be pre-checked, age-verified and compliant, meaning instant access to all of our games, and withdrawals in just five minutes. Very few online casinos are offering this product in this way right now putting us one step ahead.”
Riot Games, a major California-based video game developer, has unveiled its new League of Legends exclusive stadium called “Lol Park.”
The new facility is located at Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and can host up to 500 people, who sit in a circular arena surrounding a central stage where professional players duke it out live on games.
Due to the audience’s seats being in close proximity with the stage, the fans are able to better experience the excitement around the action, which is also screened on giant LED screens. The screens allow quality entertainment regardless of being at the front or back of the stage.
Other facilities include coach and commentary boxes and an player interview zone for post-match interviews.
Lee Seung Hyun, the representative of Riot Games Korea, said in a launch statement, “I only hope that LoL Park can provide a unique experience. The League focused stadium is more of an arena style than a studio. I have made sure and prepared this place to be a pleasant space for players. In addition, I did my best to set up various attractions and comfortable facilities for the audience who might visit here.”
Online casino group ComeOn in the Cherry Group has announced the launch of Blitzino.com, a new online casino brand that pledges to live up to its lightning-fast title.
The enterprise operates under a Malta licence.
Lahcene Merzoug, CEO of ComeOn, said in a launch statement: “After launching Snabbare and Hajper in Sweden and Nopeampi in Finland, our desire was to bring this business model to Germany.
“As the name suggests, the experience for the customer is faster and easier than anything previously available on the market, so with Blitzino the customer can start playing instantly and access their winnings in lightning speed.”
The promise of a tax revenue bonanza from the recently liberalised US sports betting market has prompted a councillor in the Washington DC city-state to propose that fellow councillors join him in legalising sports betting as increasing numbers of individual US states literally run with the sports betting ball.
Councillor Jack Evans proposed a bill legalising sports betting in the District of Columbia this week, urging fellow councillors to join him in ensuring that safe, regulated and taxable sports betting is made lawful.
“We can be first and get a lot of money or 51st and not get any,” Evans warned. “Today, we take the first steps towards capturing this exciting new stream of revenue, instead of watching District resident dollars fill the coffers of other jurisdictions.
“The District of Columbia will be the leader in a fast-growing industry. The city should take advantage of our ability to act before the Maryland or Virginia legislatures to create a thriving sports betting market, which will attract consumers to the District and generate revenue for District residents.”
Evans’ bill reportedly enjoys the support of others on the council, notable Mayor Muriel Bowser and council chairman Phil Mendelson, who have assisted in drafting the Evans proposal.
A senior member of Mayor Bowser’s staff told local reporters:
“The Mayor supports council member Evans’ efforts to make sports betting a viable revenue source for our growing needs. Sports betting can help us fund critical programmes, create jobs for District residents and allow visitors and commuters to further participate in our economy.”
The Evans bill proposes a 10 percent tax rate based on GGR, along with a $50,000 fee for a five-year licence. Athletes, coaches and referees would be prohibited from placing bets, while a maximum wager limit that has still to be decided would be set.
Regulatory oversight would be the responsibility of DC’s chief financial officer, as is the case with the DC lottery.
Mobile betting operator Kwiff, owned by Easton Gate Gaming, has been criticised by the UK Advertising Standards Authority following a complaint that its advertising condones or encourages gambling in an irresponsible fashion.
The material in question featured a number of customers aged 25 and over who offered Kwiff testimonials that suggested the services offered were “quite a buzz” and “exciting”.
The ASA seized particularly on the word buzz, finding that it is “commonly associated with the experience of problem gambling,” and warned Kwiff not to publish the material again, or any of a similar nature.
Kwiff’s previous encounter with the ASA involved a promo featuring odds that where not in fact offered by the operator (see previous report).
Sportsbet.io has launched its Soccer Centre, a data-driven area of the site dedicated to giving its loyal player base all the real-time information they need to make better and more informed betting decisions.
The disruptive sports betting brand, operated by the Coingaming Group, launched the new product due to the popularity of its World Cup Centre. This proved to be a massive draw for players providing them with the ultimate betting experience prior to, and during, this summer’s festival of football in Russia, the operator said in a press statement Wednesday.
The new Sportsbet.io Soccer Centre enables customers to access real-time news, data, markets and offers to help them study the most up-to-date statistics and make more informed betting decisions.
Less experienced punters have the chance to make better decisions, while more studied bettors can access everything they need in one place, whether on desktop or mobile.
Players can view a timetable of current and future events, read real-time match data with regularly refreshed news and alerts, and access the most popular bets, plus all the relevant offers including free bets and casino offers.
Sportsbet.io plans to increase the number of ‘Sports Centres’ to five expanding its reach and customer choice to tennis, basketball, cricket, American football and baseball.
Joe McCallum, director of sportsbook at Sportsbet.io, said the new service has launched in a good space, with the new football season hotting up across all the major European leagues and players still assessing each team’s chances of silverware, mid-table mediocrity or the dreaded drop.
Virtual games specialist Kiron Interactive has agreed a deal to supply its full portfolio of products to the UK and Isle of Man-licensed online gaming operator, 138.com.
The Asian casino and sportsbook operator, which is now also focused on the UK and global emerging markets, will benefit from Kiron’s fully hosted and managed turnkey virtual sports betting solution.
Kiron’s remote gaming server (RGS) features an innovative player interface and extensive fixed-odds betting on virtual sports such as football, horse racing and greyhound racing, ensuring maximum engagement and entertainment.
Steven Spartinos, CEO of Kiron Interactive, said: “138.com boasts a wealth of experience in Asia and that’s sure to prove important now they are live with their new platform in the UK and other markets. Our RGS offers a wide range of sports such as football, various forms of racing and even winter sports, all of which are sure to prove popular with players across a wide range of markets.”
Darren Howland, head of product at 138.com, added: “Kiron not only offers some of the most realistic virtual sports content on the market, but also a considerable number of betting options to sit alongside its offerings.”
European online gambling software and games developer NetEnt has applied to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) for a licence to provide its online casino games to state-licensed operators.
Pennsylvania is the second large US state to regulate online casino and with almost 13 million people, it is the fifth largest state by population. The state has a long tradition of gambling on the land-based side, with players generating relatively high gross game revenue per capita, a statement from NetEnt revealed Wednesday.
Erik Nyman, managing director NetEnt Americas LLC, said: “We have enjoyed success in New Jersey and believe that this will continue in Pennsylvania. We will launch with a mix of our table games, video slots, jackpot games and unique features like free spins that have been greatly appreciated by our customers and their players. Our ambition is to be live in Pennsylvania as soon as the market opens.”
RealTime Gaming has unveiled its new online slot, a scuba diving themed, five reel game titled Scuba Fishing.
The game features RTG’s “27 Ways Pay” feature, backed by reels full of Swordfish, Marlins, Sea Bass, Urchins, Oysters and Coral spin on its five reels. The Shark symbol is Wild and expands to cover the entire reel when it appears on the middle reel. This triggers the Re-spin feature. The stacked Wild sticks for the re-spin to improve chances of another win.
Multi-national sports and gaming group GVC Holdings plc announced Wednesday that it has joined the US National Council on Problem Gambling’s President’s Circle and will to help fund a major new study into the prevalence of gambling in the US and potential problems associated with it.
GVC has made a long-term commitment to NPGC, which is the world’s longest established NGO dedicated to addressing issues surrounding problem gambling. The President’s Circle initiative is part of NCPG’s strategic commitment to act as the national advocate for programmes and services to assist problem gamblers and their families. Through its membership, GVC will support NCPG’s ability to provide the advocacy, awareness and assistance needed to promote responsible gaming behaviours and address areas of problem gambling.
Additionally, as part of its membership with NCPG, GVC will help to fund ‘The National Survey of Gambling in America’, a major new study which aims to identify the prevalence of gambling within the US and establish a baseline for the levels of problem gambling behaviour. Through the research it is hoped that all stakeholders will be able to gain a better understanding of the issue.
GVC’s CEO Kenneth Alexander said:
“Joining the NCPG’s President’s Circle reinforces our commitment to ensure that GVC promotes the highest standards of responsible gaming while ensuring our customers can enjoy our products in a safe environment.”
Keith Whyte, NCPG Executive Director, added:
“We warmly welcome GVC to the President’s circle. As a global leader in online gaming, GVC’s experience and operational excellence are a huge asset to NCPG and we look forward to working with them to develop and affirm national standards in responsible gaming.”
Synthetic lottery provider Lottoland, already besieged in Australia by political and established lottery brands, faces more difficulties this week following a statement from the Western Australian provincial government that it is about to introduce legislation banning secondary lotteries such as Lottoland.
The move is expected this week, when legislation is introduced into the provincial parliament as politicians commit to protecting the local Lotterywest offering and try to minimise harm to potential problem gamblers.
Provincial premier Mark McGowan said this week that secondary lotteries are eroding the customer base of Lotterywest, which provides hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to worthy organisations each year.
Organisations like Lottoland, however, take from the community but don’t give anything back, McGowan claimed.
“Lotterywest needs to remain strong because it provides those community grants and support,” he told reporters.
“That’s why we have to bring in this legislation, to protect Lotterywest and make sure those organisations like Lottoland don’t get a foothold here.”
WA Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia said determined punters would still be able to use synthetic lotteries but he expected those organisations’ market share would fall dramatically.
He said the state government also planned to stop live odds advertising at sporting events such as AFL matches at Optus Stadium, but the ban wouldn’t apply to race tracks.
Laws banning synthetic lotteries cleared the Australian federal parliament earlier this year (see previous reports).
Formula One motor racing has announced a sponsorship and data rights deal with Interregional Sports Group (ISG) that it said will enable the development of live in-play betting in the sport.
Quoting the Financial Times, the Reuters news agency reported that the deal to sell betting sponsorships was worth at least $100 million over five years.
Formula One’s commercial rights holder is John Malone’s U.S.-based Liberty Media, who took full control in January last year.
In a company statement Tuesday Formula One advised:
“As part of the deal, ISG will have the right to sub-license betting partnership rights to select betting brands around the world, subject to regulations.”
The agreement includes regionalised branded on-screen graphics, physical and virtual trackside signage and integration across F1’s digital and social platforms.
The Financial Times report revealed that ISG would pay an upfront fee to Liberty and recoup that money through separate deals with gambling sponsors.
The partnership also involves Sportradar Integrity Services, which will assist ISG and gambling companies to use data to create markets and spot any suspicious betting patterns.
Sean Bratches, the sport’s managing director for commercial matters, said the deal would make the most of data generated at races worldwide.
“Data and sponsorship partnerships like this are common practice across almost all premium sports and this is the latest step in our mission to make Formula One the world’s leading sports entertainment experience,” he said.
“This deal allows us to develop new and exciting ways for Formula One fans around the globe to engage with the world’s greatest racing spectacle, while ensuring integrity with best practice oversight from Sportradar.”
Formula One has 21 races worldwide this season and some of the countries visited have local laws that ban or restrict gambling advertising during live events.
Skyrocket Entertainment, a company launched earlier this year to acquire exclusive rights to feature films for use in games development (see previous report) has announced the appointment of industry veteran Graham Martin as its chairman.
Martin has wide management experience with Bonne Terre, the operator that became Sky Bet, and Probability Games Corporation.
Skyrocket founders Sean O’Kelly and Richard Clarke took the opportunity to reveal that the company has already acquired the exclusive gaming rights to 75 feature films, with more to follow soon, and is now engaged in game development and signing up operational partnerships.
O’Kelly claims that the company has signed several agreements with operators and platform providers, and will have its first games live by the first quarter of 2019 with themes ranging from comedy to war drama.
He said these will probably be previewed at the ICE Totally Gaming expo early next year. The range of game types will include social and real money games with slots, instant games, bingo and lotto.
Gamstop, the joint Gambling Commission and Remote Gaming Association initiative to introduce a UK-wide self-exclusion scheme for troubled online gamblers took another step forward this week with the appointment of Jenny Watson as head of the National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme.
Watson has an impressive c.v. that includes management experience as head of the UK Electoral Commission.
The full implementation of the Gamstop initiative has been bedevilled by delays since it was unveiled in June last year with a launch date scheduled for end 2017 (see previous reports).Teething problems appeared to hold that development up, with the target date being revised to Spring 2018.
Gamstop operational head Katie Reynolds-Jones says a soft launch actually began in April this year and has achieved a “significant” response, although she was not in a position to release statistical details. She has revealed that the full formal launch is still on for this year, when the focus will be on raising awareness of the scheme amongst consumers.
In the meantime Watson has revealed that her immediate priority is to bring on additional independent board members and commence an initial evaluation of the self-exclusion scheme based on the first six months of operations.
As recently as May this year the Gambling Commission wrote to the RGA expressing concern regarding the effectiveness of the Gamstop scheme, with executive director Tim Miller noting that he had yet to see proper evidence of the system’s full capability.
Miller was also concerned that Gamstop apparently did not synchronise its list of registered users with companies’ promotional mailing lists in order to ensure that self-exclused gamblers did not receive promotional material.
At the time a spokesperson for GamStop, which is funded by online gambling companies, said the system was still being fine-tuned and would be reviewed to see whether user details could be safely linked to marketing lists without compromising personal data.
The basic concept of the scheme remains a system that enables UK consumers to exclude themselves via a single website process from all online gambling operators that are licensed by the Gambling Commission.
Online gambling games and software developer NetEnt took a bold step forward Tuesday, announcing the beta-launch of its own affiliate business.
Utilising a brand-new games section at www.netent.com, video slot fans will now be able to try out all the NetEnt games…and be advised of bonus offers from NetEnt operators.
In a company statement NetEnt said that the goal is to create a place where players can enjoy its complete portfolio of games for free, while operators can offer traffic-driven bonuses to players that are interested in playing for real money. Offers and bonuses from Leo Vegas, Casumo, Cashmio and ComeOn will be available to NetEnt fans through the beta-launch which starts Tuesday.
Working with affiliates is a proven method for operators to reach new customers in a cost-efficient way, the company says, noting that the strategy is rapidly growing and has been successful in verticals like travelling and e-commerce.
Therese Hillman, CEO of NetEnt, opined: “This is both an important and natural step for us, positioning us in an attractive part of the value chain, as we continue to offer the ultimate entertainment experience. This new strategic initiative is a great way for us to strengthen our relationship with both operators and players.
“We know that we create entertaining slot games and our brands have a strong position on the market with a lot of fans and dedicated players. Through our affiliate site we’ll be able to supply operators with traffic and provide Netent fans with great content and offers when they play our games.”
On the new site NetEnt fans can enjoy the full portfolio, play their favourite games, find similar titles through playlists and themes and then go on to play the games they like with secure and trustworthy affiliated operators.
Click here to visit the new site
Games from online slots provider Red Tiger Gaming are now live on White Hat Gaming’s casino content platform, according to a Red Tiger announcement Tuesday.
Popular games Dragon’s Luck, Esqueleto Mariachi, Mystery Reels, Rainbow Jackpots, Totem Lightning and Treasure Mine have been made available, with more due to be released in the coming weeks.
Gavin Hamilton, CEO of Red Tiger Gaming, said the deal with White Hat will enable Red Tiger to significantly increase its international reach.
“They’ve developed a strong network of operator partners and we’re sure our wide range of games will prove to be a big hit with their customers,” he said.
Sydney-based Big Time Gaming announced Tuesday that it has licenced its patented and trademarked Megaways mechanic to UK-based online gambling games developer Storm Gaming.
Storm Gaming will be combining the facility with some of its brand licenses including I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, The Chase and Tipping Point to take its slots to the next level and deliver a superior player experience.
The partnership allows Storm Gaming to design and develop its own games using MegaWays, which debuted in Big Time Gaming’s Dragon Born over three years ago.
Blueprint, another licensee of MegaWays, has enjoyed success leveraging BTG’s IP, and Storm are sure to follow suit with a range of interesting products penned for land-based and online deployment Q1 2019, a statement from Big Time Gaming claims.
MegaWays is a random reel modifier system that allows any given spin to produce a different number of symbols across the reels, so players can experience a totally different game with every spin.
Big Time Gaming has cornered the market with this innovation with games like Bonanza, White Rabbit and Extra Chilli, and will be launching Who Wants to be a Millionaire in November.
Nik Robinson, Big Time Gaming CEO, said: “We’re looking forward to seeing how Storm use the MegaWays mechanic. Storm has some highly entertaining IP licenses that will work with MegaWays.”
Steve Murray from Storm Gaming, said: “The MegaWays concept is remarkable; it provides for and delivers exciting game play on a whole new level. We shall be using MegaWays on new Storm concepts and licensed IP with a number of launches set for the coming months.”
European Casino Association vice-chair Prof Dietmar Hoscher addressed a conference hosted in Malta by think tank European Association for the Study of Gambling this week, calling for stronger national governmental enforcement measures against illegal operators, and claiming that the incidence of illegal online gambling is rising.
Hoscher acknowledged that illegal gambling has been effectively countered in some countries, but said that much remains to be done at national government levels throughout Europe.
The lack of effective enforcement leads to an undermining of consumer protection measures and regulatory efforts at national level, and puts tax contributions and funding for good causes at risk, he said, adding that unregulated and illegal activity also invites criminal participation and money laundering.
“Policy-makers, regulators and all stakeholders involved need to join forces and stop the provision of illegal online gambling,” Hoscher suggested.
“This requires strengthened enforcement of national gambling legislation through blacklists, IP blocking and payment blocking, as well as cooperation with online platforms and intermediaries. There is clearly a need and willingness to cooperate between regulators, the licensed gambling industry and other stakeholders to effectively tackle the issue.”
Scout Gaming has named the management team for its fantasy sports and test-bed subsidiary FanTeam, which was launched in 2014 with the goal of ultimately listing it publicly as a standalone sports betting company.
Andreas Ternström, CEO of Scout Gaming, announced Monday that Ellinor Kilegran has been appointed CEO at FanTeam, noting that she has extensive industry experience and was previously group expansion manager at LeoVegas working directly with their new market entries, acquisitions and growth. Prior to which she was part of a casino start-up from inception.
She will be supported by a group of experienced former industry managers, many with experience at LeoVegas, including Edward Sedvall (CTO), Edward Eklund, (Chief Digital Strategist), Ola Wallin (CPO) and Andreas Ericsson (CFO).
“We are delighted to have recruited a strong and experienced management team to lead FanTeam going forward. We see great potential for a successful standalone operator journey for FanTeam and I’m convinced that we couldn’t have found a better team to conduct it,” said Ternström.