Many of the events are part of the SBC Summit and will take place in venues such as Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL), MEO Arena, Myriad by SANA Hotel and Casino Lisboa. These events are further supported by multiple dinners and parties organised by both SBC and the participating exhibitors and sponsors.

Spanning four days, from Monday, 23 September to Thursday, 26 September 2024 at  FIL, the event will occupy more than 110,000 square metres of exhibition and conference space. It will  welcome more than 600 exhibitors and over 600 expert speakers.

A closer look at nine of the major elements to the event, it is no surprise that SBC Summit is rivalling the famous tech conference Web Summit in its impact on the city. Among the elements on show next week include:

• SBC Summit (main event)
• Affiliate Leaders Summit
• Payment Expert Summit
• SBC Leaders Summit
• SBC Football Championship
• SBC Poker Championship
• ESI Lisbon Esports Conference
• SBC Awards 2024
• INFINITY Lisbon 2024

SBC Founder and CEO, Rasmus Sojmark remarked: “The response to the SBC Summit has been outrageous. The SBC Leaders Summit is fully booked. Same with the SBC Football Championship at Benfica Stadium. We will have a full house at the Poker Championship. We have an industry record of 1,300 guests at our SBC Awards and more than 5,000 people at our Infinity Lisbon closing party. Everyone who’s anyone will be in Lisbon next week.”

SBC is also bringing several globally renowned names to Lisbon next week to allow delegates to hear their unique perspectives on success or enjoy their talents at Infinity Lisbon. Some of these include: 

• Tony Hawk (Legendary Skateboarder, Celebrity & Entrepreneur)
• Sir Tim Berners-Lee (Inventor of the World Wide Web)
• Merab Dvalishvili (UFC Champion, Spribe Ambassador)
• Rubens Barrichello (Formula 1 Legend, Softswiss ambassador)
• Luís Figo (Portuguese Football Legend, Digitain Ambassador)
• Peter Schmeichel (Danish Football Legend)
• Javier Mascherano (Argentinian Football Legend, Smartsoft Ambassador)
• Laura Woods (English Sports Presenter)
• Darude (World Famous DJ)
• Miss Monique (World Famous DJ)
• Don Diablo (World Famous DJ)

Sojmark added: “It’s no wonder there has been such a big demand given the big names we are bringing to Lisbon for the SBC Summit. It’s part of our commitment to build the most rewarding experience possible for our delegates.”

Anticipating the demand for the SBC Summit, SBC enlisted locally-based destination management provider Leading.pt to help manage the move to the new location, and the firm has been pleased with the show’s impact. 

Leading.pt Managing Partner João Paulo Oliveira declared that the interest for hotel rooms in Lisbon had been impressive for a new event in the city. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such strong demand around an event. Lisbon is going to be bouncing with people going to the FIL.”
Get your ticket to the SBC Summit

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Scheduled for noon on Wednesday 28 February, “What’s at stake? Adapting to lower statutory slot limits – A CasinoBeats Summit discussion” will be the first live debate to cover the new changes which see a £2 stake limit imposed on players under 25 and a £5 limit on all other players. 

Ian Perrygrove (CRO, Kwiff), Christopher Dalli (CEO, L&L Europe Ltd) and Tom Banks (Head of Corporate Affairs – UK & Global, Kindred) will be quizzed by moderator Sarah Ramanauskas (Co-Founder, Game Safety Institute) during the live discussion ahead of the CasinoBeats Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in Malta on 21-23 May. 

The measure is part of the proposals in last year’s whitepaper ‘High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age’, published in April 2023. 

After initially considering a range from £2-£15, the new limits are to be implemented as early as September 2024 and have been backed by GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond and Betting and Gaming Council CEO Michael Dugher.

With expectations of the cost to the industry of up to £730m, how will the slot sector and the industry at large respond to these changes? And what has been the experience in other markets with similar restrictions, such as Germany and Greece? 

The issue was also discussed on Monday’s iGaming Daily podcast, featuring SBC’s Content Director Ted Menmuir and Project Director Martyn Elliott. To listen to the episode, click here. 

Sign up for the webinar here and to find out more about the CasinoBeats Summit visit the official website by clicking here.

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The deal will see Reflex Gaming incorporate Yggdrasil’s GEMs to its retail games offering in the UK, available on terminals in betting shops, arcades, pubs and other recreational venues.

Reflex Gaming has been a YG Masters partner since 2020 and has released 11 online titles through the program, with a number of them featuring Yggdrasil’s proprietary GEMs, including the popular Dublin Up DoubleMax and Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox.

Stuart McCarthy, Head of Product & Programs at Yggdrasil, said: “Strengthening our partnership with Reflex Gaming to bring our GEMs to the land-based space is a great milestone for us.

“We have already had great success together, releasing a number of high-performing online titles to players and we are thrilled to now take this to the retail sector. This deal is testament to the strength of our GEMs and the potential it has to take the player experience to a new level.”

Mat Ingram, CPO at Reflex Gaming, added: “We are extremely pleased with what we have achieved as a YG Masters partner in the last few years, and we have been very impressed with how the GEMs have performed on our online titles.

“Bringing the mechanics to UK players through our retail content is extremely exciting for us and we believe they offer great potential also in this space and look forward to further expanding our successful collaboration.”

The partnership extension will see the two companies enhance capabilities as Yggdrasil’s GEMs make their land-based debut and Reflex Gaming can offer its retail customers engaging and proven mechanics from the online channel.

Yggdrasil’s successful GEMs portfolio now consists of Gigablox, MultiMax, GigaRise, Splitz, FastPot5 and DoubleMax, as well as recently introduced WildFight and DuoMax.

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In a statement released late on 20 September, Twitch said that it is introducing new rules next month because current safeguards around gambling content are being circumnavigated and the platform will be issuing a ban on content from websites offering slots, roulette or dice games that aren’t licensed in the US or other jurisdictions that ‘provide sufficient consumer protection’. 

Unexpectedly the Twitch statement specifically cites Stake.com, Duelbits.com, Rollbit.com and Roobet.com as sites that will be prohibited. Sports betting, fantasy sports and poker sites will still be permitted under the current rules which prohibit sharing links or referral codes. 

The new rules will be rolled out on 18 October with Twitch promising to share the specifics on the updates to gambling policy soon to make sure everyone is clear on the changes before their implementation. 

Whether the specifics will include which jurisdictions Twitch deems as providing ‘sufficient consumer protection’ will remain to be seen, but given the default level of protection appears to be a US state licence many of the more established gambling regimes will be confident of meeting Twitch’s standards.

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Cachia joins after nearly two years as CCO at betting giant William Hill and previous roles at Mr Green, including Director of Commercial and Gaming and Head of Commercial. He assumes his duties immediately.

Ross Parkhill, Chief Executive Officer of Rhino Entertainment, said: “It’s fantastic to have someone of John’s ilk join our ambitious group. He has lots of very valuable experience, and I’m sure he will help drive further growth and develop all aspects of our commercial operations.”

The move is part of a restructuring at the company which also sees Kristina Murgovska take on the role of Chief Product Officer.

Murgovska has climbed the ranks quickly at Rhino Entertainment, moving from Head of Product to Director of Product Development in three years. Before joining Rhino Entertainment, she spent three years at Gaming Innovation Group – first as Senior Front End Developer and then as Product Owner.

Parkhill added: “Kristina is one of the sharpest product minds in the business and I am delighted to see her talent recognised.”

Rhino Entertainment specialises in iGaming solutions, supporting leading brands like Casino Days and Buusti Kasino with best in class product development, UI and UX design, and marketing strategies. Based on the Mediterranean island of Malta, Rhino Entertainment believes its dynamic office environment provides employees with exciting and stimulating career opportunities.

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MGM’s offer is a 44.1 per cent premium on the LeoVegas closing price of SEK 42.32. MGM Resorts believes the acquisition of LeoVegas will provide a unique opportunity for the Company to create a scaled global online gaming business.

MGM Resorts’ CEO & President Bill Hornbuckle explained: “Our vision is to be the world’s premier gaming entertainment company, and this strategic opportunity with LeoVegas will allow us to continue to grow our reach throughout the world. 

“We have achieved remarkable success with BetMGM in the U.S., and with the acquisition of LeoVegas in Europe we will expand our online gaming presence globally.  We believe that this offer creates a compelling opportunity that allows the combined teams of MGM Resorts and LeoVegas to accelerate our global digital gaming growth and fully realise the potential of our omnichannel strategy. We look forward to being able to welcome the LeoVegas team to our MGM Resorts family.”

MGM has identified three key reasons for the acquisition; strategic opportunities to accelerate growth and product offerings outside of the US; the presence of an experienced online gaming management team and superior technology capabilities; and a commitment to continued profitable growth given it has operated profitably as a high-growth platform since 2014.

Writing on LinkedIn, LeoVegas CEO and co-founder Gustav Hagman said: “As the largest shareholder, I support the offer MGM Resorts announced today. I see huge potential in what LeoVegas and MGM could achieve together. MGM Resorts have been working on creating the best offline casino experience for a long time, and we’ve done the same for the online experience. Merging the two is a very exciting prospect.

“MGM Resorts has an ambitious agenda and financial muscles that would enable LeoVegas to grow quicker. Together we can make LeoVegas the largest igaming brand in the world! Given these circumstances, I think MGM is a perfect partner – and that’s why I am supporting this offer.”

Headquartered in Stockholm, LeoVegas has licences in eight jurisdictions primarily in the Nordics and rest of Europe. LeoVegas generated 393m euros in revenue and 48m euros in adjusted EBITDA during the last twelve months ended March 31, 2022.

The Board of Directors of LeoVegas has given consent to MGM to offer a management incentive plan for certain key employees of LeoVegas and notes that MGM has obtained a statement from the Swedish Securities Council confirming that the proposed incentive plan is compatible with the Takeover Rules.

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The Gaming Industry for Ukraine initiative aims to raise £250,000 to support Choose Love’s Ukraine Crisis Fundraiser, which supports projects providing vital aid to the refugees that are being created by Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. Donations can be made by clicking the link here. 

Over 350,000 people have fled Ukraine in the past week and Choose Love is raising money for those who are delivering essential aid and services to those still in and fleeing the country, including: emergency medical care, food, shelter, clothes, legal support, support for the LGBTQIA+ community and mental health support. 

There has been a strong desire from all parts of the gaming industry to provide assistance to the people of Ukraine during this testing time. This is why several organisations within the gambling sector have been working together to set up a mechanism to enable everyone to provide assistance to the people of Ukraine via this GoFundMe campaign.

A spokesperson for Gaming Industry for Ukraine explained: “Most organisations employ people from Ukraine, or have done business in the region, shared a drink with them and above all have made friends with them. 

“The global gambling industry is a family and what has become clear over the past few days is the strength of responsibility it feels in providing support to the people of Ukraine, which is why we have started this campaign to allow us to work together to make it easier for that to happen.

“After extensive research, we concluded that Choose Love will make use of the funds raised in the quickest and most efficient manner by assisting those who need it the most.

We know many have launched their own inspiring efforts but we set this up for those who weren’t sure how to get involved and which raise to choose for fast and effective support. By working collectively, we can also show how the industry can be a force for good.”

It is not just cash donations that the campaign is collecting. It is also appealing to companies with leftover and unused promotional merchandise such as power banks, towels, water bottles, and clothing to send them in to help the aid effort.

Many companies will have unused stock from planned promotional activities over the past couple of years for events that didn’t happen and this stock can provide a massive boost for refugees who have left behind all their possessions. Companies wishing to donate this superfluous stock should contact karolinapelc@beyondplay.io.

To make a donation to the Gaming Industry for Ukraine campaign click HERE.

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The Playtech board is unanimously recommending shareholders vote in favour of the deal in a year that has seen an unprecedented level of M&A activity. Aristocrat plans to fund the deal with a £864m equity raising, alongside new debt and existing cash.

Aristocrat believes the deal will provide material scale in online gaming, provide revenue growth, reach a broader range of customers and ‘operate and innovate’ in the European market through Playtech’s Snaitech B2C operation.

Aristocrat CEO and managing director Trevor Croker explained: “The proposed combination would bring together Aristocrat’s world-class gaming content and customer and regulatory relationships with Playtech’s industry leading global online RMG (real money gaming) platform (B2B) and European B2C footprint.

“The combined group would offer a broad portfolio of end-to-end solutions for gaming customers around the world, as well as seamless player experiences, underpinned by a shared focus on responsible gameplay and innovation.

“Additionally, the business will be ideally positioned to unlock sustainable shareholder value by seizing opportunities in the fast-growing global online RMG segment as they continue to open up, particularly in North America.”

Croker said that the offer reflects the strategic potential of the merger in the global sector that continues to migrate online. “Adding Playtech’s talented team with Aristocrat’s established strengths and momentum will create a true industry leader in the global online RMG space, particularly in terms of our B2B capabilities.”

The offer represents a valuation multiple of 11.4x Playtech’s adjusted EBITDA for the 12 months to 30 June 2021 and Aristocrat has already made deals with major shareholders for just over 20 per cent of Playtech’s outstanding shares.

Mor Weizer, CEO of Playtech, said of the transaction: “This transaction marks an exciting opportunity in the next stage of growth for Playtech, and delivers significant benefits to our stakeholders, including our customers, our shareholders and our incredibly talented people. This deal has the potential to enhance our distribution, our capacity to build new and deeper relationships with partners, and bolsters our technological capabilities.

“The combination of our two companies builds one of the largest B2B gaming platforms in the world, with the people, infrastructure and expertise to provide our customers with a truly best-in-class offer across all areas of gaming and sports betting.”

Brian Mattingley, chair of Playtech, added: “In recent years, Playtech has successfully repositioned its world leading gambling technology and operations, expanding in strategically important regulated markets and driving major online B2B revenue growth.

“Whilst the business has made significant progress, most notably in the Americas, Aristocrat’s proposal provides an attractive opportunity for shareholders to accelerate Playtech’s longer-term value.

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The deal represents some interesting business by US gaming giant Caesars Entertainment, which only bought the William Hill Group in April for £2.9bn. This disposal now means it essentially acquired the William Hill US assets for £700m in a market where valuations are high in anticipation of massive sports betting growth. 

Pazner commented: “The acquisition of William Hill International is a transformational and hugely exciting moment in 888’s history. This transaction will create one of the world’s leading online betting and gaming groups with superior scale, exceptional brands, increased diversification, and a platform for strong growth.

“William Hill is an iconic sports brand, making it the ideal complement to 888, one of the leading global online gaming brands. Our strategies are also complementary, being digitally led, customer focused, and committed to player protection and raising industry standards around safer gambling. We are also excited about the opportunities that the Retail business provides and see significant brand benefits to the Enlarged Group from its large estate.”

The deal is expected to deliver ‘significant operating efficiencies’, including pre-tax cost synergies of at least £100 million per year, which 888 says will lead to improved profit margins. On a pro forma normalised basis the Enlarged Group’s annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA in 2020 would have been $2.5bn and $464m, respectively.

888 Chair Lord Jon Mendelsohn added: “This acquisition is an incredible opportunity to combine our world-class gaming brand with a unique and iconic sports betting brand to create a global leader in the online sports betting and gaming industry. We believe the acquisition will create significant value for shareholders, creating a combined business with leading technology, products and brands across sports betting, gaming and poker, supported by top quality management talent from both businesses.”

888 said that the acquisition is expected to deliver ‘substantial value creation’ for shareholders from pre-tax cost synergies of at least £100m per year, along with potential revenue upside from an enhanced customer proposition and product offerings. It currently expects to cumulatively achieve approximately £10m of such synergies in 2022, £54m in 2023, £69m in 2024, and £100m in 2025, including £15m in capex synergies.

William Hill International CEO Ulrik Bengtsson said that the William Hill and 888 strategies are highly complementary with an absolute focus on the product and customer experience. “Scale is increasingly important in our sector and the combination of the businesses will provide a powerful alignment of brands and technology. 

“This transaction is a testament to the progress William Hill has made over the last two years, our unrelenting focus on customer, team and execution and, most importantly, the dedication and commitment of William Hill colleagues. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our colleagues who have made this possible. I look forward to working with 888 as we transition to the new ownership structure.”

In order to fund the acquisition, 888 has obtained fully committed debt financing from J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Mediobanca of approximately £2.1bn, which includes approximately £1.6 billion of term loans and approximately £500m of bridge loans/senior secured notes. 888 has also obtained a fully committed revolving credit facility of £150m.

To create a more beneficial long-term capital structure, 888 expects to raise approximately £500 million of gross proceeds by issuing new equity via a capital raise to be undertaken at an appropriate time, such that pro forma net leverage ratio is under 4x.

Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment, Inc, commented on the transaction: “I’d like to personally thank Ulrik and all of the team at William Hill for their professionalism and dedication while they have been part of Caesars and particularly during the sale process. I am delighted that, as we said we would when we announced the offer for William Hill PLC, we have found an owner for the William Hill business outside the US which shares the same objectives, approaches and longer-term ambitions of that business.”

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The regulator is playing hardball with Rank as it is adamant that gambling operators will face the full consequences of regulatory failures, even if breaches occurred prior to ownership, as was the case here. However it appears that Rank believes that there are both equity and public policy issues raised by this outcome and will be seeking an appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal.

Helen Venn, Commission executive director, said: “This case was the result of planned compliance activity and every operator out there should be aware that we will continue to take firm action against those who fail to raise standards.”

While she said that a good proportion of these failures occurred before Rank took control of the business in October 2019 and that there had been improvements since acquisition, that doesn’t mean that the Commission will take a softer approach: “The Licensee’s culpability, and the requisite penalty reflecting that culpability, cannot be affected by the fact that its shares have now passed from one set of investors to another. The Licensee does not escape or mitigate the consequences of its actions because its shares are sold.”

Daub Alderney, the licensed arm of the Stride Gaming business that Rank Group acquired two years ago, runs aspers.com, kittybingo.com, luckypantsbingo.com, luckyvip.com, magicalvegas.com, regalwins.com and spinandwin.com. Along with the fine, the Gambling Commission has also issued a formal warning for the failures which occurred between January 2019 and March 2020.

The regulator said that social responsibility failings included neglecting to put into effect policies and procedures for customer interaction where it has concerns that a customer’s activity may indicate problem gambling.

In its annual statement last month, Rank revealed that the fine had been almost doubled during the process and that it will be appealing to the higher court against that judgement.

It said: “The UKGC identified concerns regarding Daub’s compliance arrangements in respect of its anti-money laundering and safer gambling controls principally relating to activities prior to its acquisition by Rank. As a consequence, the UKGC levied a £3.0m fine on Daub which Rank does not believe fairly reflects their findings nor takes account of the significant remedial actions taken by Rank following the acquisition. The UKGC has been clear that it is not penalising Rank or suggesting that Rank has been in any way at fault.

“Rather, the UKGC is merely concerned with the licensed entity, Daub, which it considers should pay a penalty for the identified regulatory breaches regardless of whether they pre-date Rank’s ownership of the business. Following an appeal on the size of the penalty to the Gambling Commission’s Regulatory Panel, the fine was increased to £5.9m. Rank considers that there are both equity and public policy issues raised by this case and will be seeking an appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal.”

Among the examples of regulatory failure given by the Gambling Commission include:

• One customer was allowed to lose £43,410 in four months despite displaying problem gambling harm indicators such as using four different payment cards in one day and reversing £133,873 in requested withdrawals.
• During a month-long relationship a second customer lost £40,500 but the operator sent the consumer just two safer gambling messages and a pop up which were not evaluated for effectiveness.
• During a three-and-a-half month period a third customer lost £39,000 but received just one safer gambling message and two pop ups which were not evaluated for effectiveness.
• Anti-money laundering failures at Daub Alderney included having inappropriate policies, procedures and controls in place to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
• One customer was allowed to deposit £50,000 before the operator sought source of funds evidence
• A second customer was allowed to deposit £41,500 in a month without supplying adequate source of funds evidence
• Over an eight-month period a third customer was allowed to lose £53,000 but during that time the only source of funds evidence obtained by the operator was to establish that the customer lived in a house estimated to be worth £233k

The Commission added that Rank Group co-operated throughout the investigation.

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