Canada
Support for Sport Betting Infrastructure Continues to Grow in North America
As the legal infrastructure becomes more friendly towards sports betting, specifically in the online space, many companies in the gambling industry are investing in offering more sports betting options. According to a report by the Associated Press, companies like DraftKings are making serious strides in developing easy to use systems available to the public through partnerships with sports leagues. For example, The National Basketball Association and DraftKings had announced a multiyear partnership that will make DraftKings an authorized sports betting operator of the league. In addition, it was reported that BetIndiana and Sportradar, the provider of sports data and content, inked a partnership to bring Sportradar’s real-time sports data and managed trading services to BetIndiana’s mobile sportsbook. These moves did not go unnoticed by investors, as investment firm Morgan Stanley projected back in 2019 that the U.S. market will reach about USD 7 Billion in revenue by 2025, up from USD 833 Million that year. FansUnite Entertainment Inc. (CSE: FANS), Eldorado Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERI), Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS), DraftKings Inc. (NASDAQ: DKNG), Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN)
Of course, sports betting legalization in the United States is a complex issue. It started with New Jersey, which was the first state to make sports betting legal back in 2018. In total, sports betting is legal in some form in 24 states, according to date provided by ESPN. The big prize is, as usual, California, where sports betting in not officially legal yet. Nevertheless, despite the legal challenges, interest in the industry is high. According to a report by MarketWatch, many have invested money into a new exchange-traded fund that tracks the sports betting and online gambling industries. This represents a “remarkable vote of confidence for a fund that’s only a few days old,” said Dave Nadig, a longtime industry veteran now at ETF Database. “I am a fan of this fund. If you believe online sports betting is the next big thing, this fund will capture everything from back-office infrastructure to front-facing retail plays.”
FansUnite Entertainment Inc. (CSE: FANS) just announced breaking news that it is, “pleased to introduce Mr. Harish Narayanan Ramachandran, an experienced gaming executive as a member of the board.
Most recently, Harish spent 4 years at PaddyPower Betfair, one of the world’s largest gaming companies1, as president of their Asia business. He was tasked with expanding their global operations through B2B partnerships with regulated and state owned operators in Asia, establishing government relationships, and attracting licensed B2C operators. As a specialist in strategic M&A, he structured, advised, and facilitated the global strategy and direction on numerous M&A transactions in the online gaming market.
Prior to this, Harish held senior management positions at EdgeMatrix in Singapore, Com2us Corporation in South Korea, Nokia in APAC, Cryptologic in Asia-Pacific and Paddy Power Betfair in Dublin, Ireland.
‘Mr. Ramachandran brings a wealth of experience to our board of directors having assisted one of the worlds largest betting operations enter and scale their international expansion in Asia,’ said Darius Eghdami, Chairman and CEO of FansUnite Entertainment. ‘As we look to enter new markets, Mr. Ramachandran brings decades of experience in global market expansion along with extensive knowledge leading strategic mergers and acquisitions that our team will utilize as we prepare for our international growth strategy.’
‘As a member of the board, It’s an honour to be advising the innovative team where my experience within the global gaming market can be utilized to support FansUnite,’ said Harish. ‘FansUnite has developed strong betting technology and is quickly gaining global recognition through their recent successful M&A transaction with McBookie. I look forward to providing my knowledge and expertise to assist in the growth of FansUnite.’
Harish will advise the company in various matters, including: international mergers and acquisitions strategy, government relations, and establishing and executing on new market expansion and partnership opportunities.”
Eldorado Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERI) announced last year that it had completed its previously announced transaction with William Hill PLC (LON: WMH) whereby William Hill US will serve as Eldorado’s sports betting operator for a period of 25 years at its properties in jurisdictions where sports betting is legal. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Eldorado received a 20% equity stake in William Hill US as well as 13.4 million ordinary shares of William Hill PLC (LON: WMH). Eldorado also secured the right to monetize its equity in William Hill US in the event William Hill US completes a public offering or through a conversion of the 20% equity stake to William Hill PLC shares or cash at William Hill’s discretion after five years. Eldorado Resorts’ Chief Executive Officer, Tom Reeg, commented, “Extending our long-term relationship with William Hill partners Eldorado with the world’s leading provider of in-casino, mobile and online sports wagering to launch sports wagering across our current platform of 26 properties at such time as legislation is enacted and regulatory approvals are obtained. Based on our long-term experience in Reno, we believe that the addition of sports wagering to our entertainment offerings will drive customer visitation and create a new revenue stream at our properties while enhancing our existing gaming and non-gaming revenue.
Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) announced earlier in March that it had partnered with Vaix.ai to offer sports bettors personalized recommendations and tailored betting choices through the OpenMarket product suite. Vaix.ai will offer an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model through OpenSports that enhances the sports betting experience. By providing sports, league, team, event, and market recommendations to bettors in real-time, the companies aim to further personalize sports betting through Scientific Games’ OpenMarket solution. OpenMarket is the industry’s first one-stop content marketplace, giving Scientific Games’ partners access to top-tier sports betting intelligence, data feeds and tools without the need for complex integrations and financial agreements.
DraftKings Inc. (NASDAQ: DKNG) is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirits of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. The Company announced this month that it is partnering with Bay Mills Resort & Casino to enter into a new market access deal, subject to the receipt of all applicable licenses and approvals, that will bring the number one-rated mobile sportsbook to sports fans across the state of Michigan. The DraftKings Sportsbook mobile app is currently available in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. “Through a commitment to provide customers with a premier sports betting experience, DraftKings is happy to partner with Bay Mills Resort & Casino,” said Ezra Kucharz, DraftKings’ Chief Business Officer. “The Great Lakes State presents a number of gaming opportunities and we look forward to collaborating with Bay Mills to provide residents with the best-in-class experience DraftKings is known for.”
Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN) designs, develops, and operates integrated resorts. The company’s Wynn Palace segment operates 424,000 sq. ft. of casino space with 323 table games, 1,011 slot machines, private gaming salons, and sky casinos. In recent years the Company also partnered with sports betting operators. For example, earlier in 2018, Wynn announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with BetBull Limited (“BetBull”), a Europe-based digital sports betting operator, to pursue sports betting opportunities in the emerging U.S. market. The strategic partnership will position both parties to capitalize on the developing U.S. opportunity by combining Wynn Resort’s nationally recognized brand with BetBull’s digital sports betting operations capabilities and technology. In conjunction with the formation of the strategic partnership, Wynn Resorts will make a minority equity investment in BetBull. Wynn Resorts will own 22.5% of BetBull on a fully-diluted basis upon closing of the investment which will occur in due course subject to customary closing conditions. Moelis & Company LLC acted as financial advisor to Wynn Resorts.
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Andrew Cochrane Chief Business Officer of GiG
GiG increases Ontario market presence, powering the launch of Casino Time
Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG), has announced the launch of Casino Time, powered by its award winning iGaming platform and pioneering real-time rules engine LogicX, with revolutionary sportsbook, SportX soon to follow, to further extend its footprint in the regulated Canadian province of Ontario.
The launch of Casino Time carries extra significance, marking only the second time that on-demand, regulated online Bingo has been made available in Ontario. The new Bingo product vertical, launched alongside a strong Casino offering, will be boosted by GiG’s new sportsbook, SportX, as part of a planned release later this year.
GiG has focused its solutions on driving exponential growth in revenue for operators with its highly scalable iGaming platform, offering localised third party content and leading suppliers for the Ontarian market. GiGs peerless gamification layer creates an optimised and immersive casino experience tailored to regional preferences, swelling client retention and player engagement.
Canadian owned and operated, Casino Time is a joint venture amongst leading retail operators in Ontario’s Charitable Gaming sector, delivering Bingo, Slots and Live Dealer Casino Games. Promising a personalised service and community experience, Casino Time is continuing its long-standing partnership with local charities, introducing its joint fundraising model into the iGaming space for the first time.
Now coming towards the end of its second year of licensed operations, Ontario has emerged as one of the largest iGaming markets in North America, second only to New Jersey according to data supplied by Vixio. The first and as yet only Canadian province to launch a regulated market, Ontario boasts more than 1.6 million active player accounts spread over 40 plus operators, generating €1.3 billion in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) in its first year of trading, with this data supplied by iGaming Ontario.
Andrew Cochrane, Chief Business Officer of GiG, said: “GiG continues to set the pace with a strong cadence of brand launches in 2024, and I’m pleased that when operators are seeking platform solutions in regulated markets, GiG is leading the pack. Our partnership with Casino Time, will help deliver something new and exciting to the Ontarian market, and further helps to demonstrate the flexibility of our solutions, adapting to match the regional aspirations of our partners to deliver growth.”
D’Arcy Stuart, CEO of Casino Time, said: “We are thrilled to partner with GiG as the core technology provider of our iGaming platform. Their powerful suite of player engagement tools, as well as diverse content and regulatory integrations, underpin our ability to serve and delight our player community. Our hybrid online and offline customer network, as well as unique bingo offerings, will drive exciting opportunities as the platform and the marketplace continues to grow.”
Glitnor Group, operating under the LCKY Group in Ontario, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). Glitnor Group’s luckycasino.ca brand sportsbook will feed into IBIA’s world leading betting integrity monitoring platform. The operator joins over 50 companies and 125 leading sports betting brands in IBIA and further cements the association’s position as the leading sports betting integrity monitoring body in Ontario and globally.
David Schwieler LCKY Group CEO, said: “At Glitnor Group, we’re dead serious about keeping our betting games fair and square. That’s why teaming up with IBIA is a big deal for us. We know how crucial it is to protect the spirit of sports, and we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and work closely with the IBIA to make sure sports betting stays exciting, speedy, and above all, fair.”
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “I am delighted to welcome Glitnor Group as IBIA’s latest member in Ontario. Glitnor and IBIA share a common goal to maintain the integrity of the sports betting marketplace and to protecting consumers and sports from match-fixing. Ensuring product integrity is paramount to our approach and we look forward to integrating Glitnor within our leading global sports betting integrity monitoring system.”
IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.
Through the IBIA global monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members have over $300bn per annum in betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.
IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in 2028. IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in the province. All online sports betting operators licensed in Ontario are required to be part of a betting integrity monitoring body.
IBIA’s 2023 annual integrity report detailed 184 alerts reported in the year, which represents a decrease of 101 (or 35%) on the revised 2022 figure of 285 alerts. IBIA alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctioning of 21 clubs, players and officials in 2023, an increase on the 15 sanctioned in 2022.
The post Glitnor Group expands IBIA’s betting integrity presence in Ontario appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Bragg Gaming Group Inc., a global B2B gaming technology and content provider, announced that Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ronen Kannor, has notified Bragg’s board of directors (Board) that he will resign from his position to pursue other career opportunities, effective June 3, 2024. The Company confirms that the search for a replacement CFO has commenced.
Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board, commented: “We thank Ronen for his dedication and commitment to Bragg over the past four years and for his unwavering service as a pivotal member of the leadership team.
“During his tenure as CFO, the Company has undergone huge positive transformation including being uplisted to the Toronto Stock Exchange, dual listed on the NASDAQ and successfully completing two acquisitions, all while reporting consecutive years of revenue, gross profit and adjusted EBITDA growth. We wish Ronen all the very best in his future endeavors.”
Ronen Kannor commented: “It has been an honor to be part of the Bragg team which has successfully navigated many challenges and continued to deliver consistent growth over the past four years. I thank the Board for their support throughout my time with Bragg, and I am now fully focused on ensuring a smooth handover to my successor.
“Special thanks goes to my finance team, who work tirelessly to deliver the positive change and financial growth that the Company continues to achieve. I wish them and all of my colleagues continued success with Bragg now and in the future.”
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