Matthew Ramirez, Author at CasinoBeats https://casinobeats.com/author/matthew-ramirez/ The pulse of the global gaming industry Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:42:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://casinobeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Matthew Ramirez, Author at CasinoBeats https://casinobeats.com/author/matthew-ramirez/ 32 32 SBC Summit Barcelona: ‘Gaming has to be considered fun, not a scam’ http://casinobeats.com/2020/09/10/sbc-summit-barcelona-digital-gaming-has-to-be-considered-fun-not-a-scam/ Thu, 10 Sep 2020 07:00:30 +0000 https://casinobeats.com/?p=36573 Moderated by Ficom Leisure senior managing partner Christian Tirabassi, a panel titled India – A Balancing Act on day two of the SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital, saw industry professionals come together to discuss the future of the Indian market.  Introducing the landscape in India, Tirabassi stated: “The number of gamers in India today is […]

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Moderated by Ficom Leisure senior managing partner Christian Tirabassi, a panel titled India – A Balancing Act on day two of the SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital, saw industry professionals come together to discuss the future of the Indian market. 

Introducing the landscape in India, Tirabassi stated: “The number of gamers in India today is extremely high. It’s grown from 120m to a forecast of 310m by 2021. The market is divided into a number of legal operators. One is DFS, related to sport which was stopped during lockdown, another is Gin Rummy and the other is poker. This is what is today’s legal market. We understand there is a large unregulated market so there are a number of websites outside the country targeting players.” 

Providing the panel with the consumer’s point of view, Harshit Krishna, director of sales in Europe & LatAm at Probability Gaming commented: “From the consumer’s point of view, India is interesting. We were never in a habit of playing lots of RNG, so people are more likely to play games involving skill. So games like Rummy are more popular than slots for example. 

“The market itself is there and the players are there, but the market is not growing in a legal way. I’m hoping players can bet and that they can trust the operators. When things are legal it will be easier for players to trust and play.”  

Krishna also touched on how the Indian government could benefit from its gambling industry, adding: “If things become legal there could be huge tax income so if gambling activities become legal then it becomes a big revenue for them. As soon as it becomes legal it becomes an income for the state especially the sports betting market.”

Discussing the recent digital growth of the market, Jaydeep Chakravartty, vice president commercials at Markor Technologies, said: “What we have seen is that in the last few years there are a couple of things that have changed which are related to consumer behaviour and the Indian digital ecosystem. 

“A few years ago the government took out 86 per cent of notes in circulation and the public became suddenly very used to digital currencies. The indian market saw a huge digital growth over the last few years also and as a result online gaming has pushed themselves into the market and entered into smartphones.”

Chakravartty also looked to the future, and discussed one main challenge facing the Indian gaming market in its quest to be regulated. 

He added: “One thing that has happened is because of the internet and no regulation there is a lot of fly by operators in India right now. I have seen operators getting into morally questionable techniques. Globally we know betting is part of the entertainment industry, what’s happening in India is that rogue operators are operating gaming scams and not entertainment. 

“I see it being a big challenge on the road to our regulated environment. Gaming has to be considered as fun and entertainment and not a scam.” 

Also looking to the future, Gowree Gokhale, partner at Nishith Desai Associates gave her thoughts on how a potential regulated Indian market should be run: “For brick and mortar I think states can keep it on a state to state basis. On online however I think all states need to have a centralised law. For skill gaming I believe there also needs to be a central law as well as with sports betting. I think this is the best way forward.”

SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital takes place over four days this week (8 – 11 September) and features four main zones – Sports Betting, Casino & Gaming, Payments & Compliance, and Affiliate & Marketing – each of which have their own conference tracks, networking roundtables and interactive expo halls. 

Click here to secure your free pass for the betting & gaming industry’s largest ever virtual event. 

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GVC Holdings backs YGAM’s Parent Hub https://casinobeats.com/2020/08/03/gvc-holdings-backs-ygams-parent-hub/ Mon, 03 Aug 2020 13:30:42 +0000 https://casinobeats.com/?p=34838 Global sports-betting and gaming group GVC Holdings has welcomed the launch of the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust’s Parent Hub. The hub, which was developed with the help of funding from GVC, has been launched to coincide with schools breaking up for summer and is a new portal that is set to provide information, activities […]

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Global sports-betting and gaming group GVC Holdings has welcomed the launch of the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust’s Parent Hub.

The hub, which was developed with the help of funding from GVC, has been launched to coincide with schools breaking up for summer and is a new portal that is set to provide information, activities and support to help parents and carers understand the potential risks associated with gambling and gaming including products such as loot boxes.

Grainne Hurst, GVC’s Group director of corporate affairs, stated: “YGAM is an incredible organisation and its simple, usable resources help parents have honest and open conversations with their children about gaming and gambling. We are delighted to have been able to support its vitally important educative resource hub, which launches at a crucial time, during the summer holidays. 

“GVC’s Changing for the Bettor strategy seeks to advance society’s collective understanding of the risks of problematic gaming and gambling, and we look forward to continuing our support of YGAM’s evidence-led efforts in this area.”

With the launch of the Parent Hub, YGAM aims to Inform parents of ways to build their children’s resilience online and offline, educate parents and safeguard children through the use of online safety settings and increased awareness of how to stay safe and resilient in their environment.

Lee Willows, YGAM’s founder & chief executive, added: “GVC are longstanding supporters of YGAM and we are grateful for their support of Parent Hub alongside operators Lottoland and Playtech as a cross-industry initiative. Our vision was to have an up to date, central expert resource library for parents and carers and extend our successful face-to-face directly to parents, with a fully integrated digital offer, which is phase two of this important initiative.”

In addition to providing resources which underpin informed conversations between parents and children, the hub also provides parents with a number of technical, but easily implementable measures, such as: 

  • Disabling pop-ups 
  • Enabling in-app and on-device parental controls 
  • Setting passwords for in-game purchases 
  • Restricting and disabling in-app purchases 
  • Setting boundaries – for example by setting a monthly spending limit

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Oryx Gaming integrates content on 888 Holdings platform https://casinobeats.com/2020/07/27/oryx-gaming-integrates-content-on-888-holdings-platform/ Mon, 27 Jul 2020 13:02:37 +0000 https://casinobeats.com/?p=34529 A deal has been confirmed between gambling and entertainment solutions provider 888 Holdings and Oryx Gaming that will see its content integrated on 888’s platform across several regulated markets.  As part of the deal, 888 is integrating Oryx’s RGS platform content which will feature proprietary Oryx games and premium titles from partner studios Gamomat, Kalamba […]

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A deal has been confirmed between gambling and entertainment solutions provider 888 Holdings and Oryx Gaming that will see its content integrated on 888’s platform across several regulated markets. 

As part of the deal, 888 is integrating Oryx’s RGS platform content which will feature proprietary Oryx games and premium titles from partner studios Gamomat, Kalamba Games, Givme Games and Golden Hero Games.  

Matevz Mazij, managing director of Oryx Gaming, said: “Partnering with such a premium brand as 888 is an important step for us as we continue to focus on growing and expanding our business. 

“The first half of this year has been strong for us and this deal will see our casino content reach new audiences that we are certain will enjoy the large, diverse and exciting offering we provide. We’ve got no doubt that it’ll prove a hit with the 888 audience.” 

Furthermore, 888casino’s presence across a range of regulated institutions will now see players around the world gain access to ORYX’s premium offering. 

Guy Cohen, SVP B2C of 888 Holdings, said: “Our customers expect the best and most engaging casino experience and, by partnering with Oryx, we continue to strengthen our wide portfolio of premium games. 

“Oryx has a locally tailored approach to games and a strong reputation for delivering top quality content and player engagement tools. We believe their content will perfectly complement our existing offering and help enhance our user experience even further.”

Regarding Oryx, the provider is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority and the Romanian National Gambling Office and its content is certified and approved in 16 major jurisdictions.   

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CasinoBeats Malta Digital: Affiliate licensing Inevitable https://casinobeats.com/2020/07/02/casinobeats-malta-digital-affiliate-licensing-inevitable/ Thu, 02 Jul 2020 16:00:30 +0000 https://casinobeats.com/?p=33413 Moderated by Drihem & Co chairman & CEO Tal Itzhak Ron, a panel titled ‘Acquisition & Personalisation’ on day three of SBC’s CasinoBeats Malta Digital Summit, saw industry professionals come together to discuss the future of the gaming industry.  Opening up the discussion, Assaf Stieglitz, founder of Odds1x2.com, discussed his experience and provided the panel with […]

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Moderated by Drihem & Co chairman & CEO Tal Itzhak Ron, a panel titled ‘Acquisition & Personalisation’ on day three of SBC’s CasinoBeats Malta Digital Summit, saw industry professionals come together to discuss the future of the gaming industry. 

Opening up the discussion, Assaf Stieglitz, founder of Odds1x2.com, discussed his experience and provided the panel with his opinions: “We were established in 2004. We know the technological part and the marketing side of the industry. When we deal with affiliates or B2B partners. 

“In regards to affiliates, there is a lot of demand for regulations and new offers and it’s very overwhelming. I think we should expand the team that responds to these things to give operators a faster approach and responsiveness to the needs. 

“Especially in the UK is what we are seeing is affiliate licensing is inevitable. I think it’s good news for us and it all depends on the requirements and implementation. We have a model that isn’t a good model lets say. What i’m looking for in the UK is that regulatory bodies think before imposing a licensing regime. 

“I think affiliates will benefit from it, and big networks especially with the compliance department and man power. It’s a good change and it’s good for operators as they are liable for actions of affiliates, but if there is an affiliate license then it will lower the burden on operators. 

Discussing his objectives as an operator, Yoav Dotan, founder and Genesis Global, added: “I need to bring value to my affiliate as an operator. Our external marketing is based on affiliates. We are a multi-brand operation and it allows us to focus on targeted affiliates, it’s our core marketing effort. We try to bring them new brands every few months so we have something new and exciting for our affiliate partners. 

“We have a few brands that convert better in different markets, depending on the UI and other factors, but overall they all work. Most of them convert well in general, besides the ones that are specific to certain markets.

“We work directly with affiliates, most are targeted which we also know from many years in the industry. We work with most of the network, we never had many issues, so those networks bring a lot of value to us.”

Joining Stieglitz and Dotan on the Synot Ganes-sponsored panel, part of the Future of Gaming track at the event, were Matan Amoyal, CEO & founder at Boiling Offers and Ron Talmor, CEO at Trafficasino powered by Trafficasa. 

Amoyal commented: “We help bring the right clients and the right marketers for business. We match the best marketer for the vertical that the operating is operating within and set up the best deal so that it’s profitable for both sides. We try to make sure that each marketer has experience in these verticals and knows how to promote it correctly. 

“From the advertiser position, working with a network allows for variety. In that way the advertiser is able to make decisions and have a better understanding as to what are the sources that benefit them most. 

“That way they can see different ways to generate traffic and are able to explore possibilities with different sources and affiliates. With that being said, they have the advantage that working with a network gives them a lot of data. A network can provide them with a higher traffic volume”

Talmor concluded: “What we bring to the table is a team of experts in marketing that save time and professional process. We deal with them and do all the negotiations of the traffic and look to do the best result for each affiliate and operations. 

“We mostly focus to be more innovative with different systems we build in-house to improve traffic day by day. Affiliates then come to us because they know it’s the best in the industry. 

“We need to not just do one thing but focus across the online industry. The main reason we opened he network was to match products and affiliates and that’s what we do.” 

CasinoBeats Malta Digital, delivered in association with Gaming Malta, takes place from 30 June to 2 July 2020 and features 40 virtual exhibitors, numerous networking opportunities, 130 leading speakers, and countless business opportunities for 3,000 senior decision-makers from operators, suppliers, affiliates and other industry stakeholders.

Alongside the exhibition, networking and conference, all delegates also gain access to the full range of entertainment on offer, including free-play slots, daily competitions and a selection of prizes such as iPads and cash.

Find full details of CasinoBeats Malta Digital, including information about how to register and the discounts available on company group passes, at the event’s official website: https://sbcevents.com/casinobeats-malta-digital/.

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Dealing with an industry that is considered taboo http://casinobeats.com/2020/06/30/dealing-with-an-industry-that-is-considered-taboo/ Tue, 30 Jun 2020 15:35:52 +0000 https://casinobeats.com/?p=33255 Delivering the introduction for the closing panel on day one of CasinoBeats Malta Digital, moderator and iGEN founder Enrico Bradamante kicked things off with a discussion of the impact COVID-19 has had on the industry. “Over the COVID pandemic if we look at what has happened in regulated markets in Europe we have seen regulators take […]

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Delivering the introduction for the closing panel on day one of CasinoBeats Malta Digital, moderator and iGEN founder Enrico Bradamante kicked things off with a discussion of the impact COVID-19 has had on the industry.

“Over the COVID pandemic if we look at what has happened in regulated markets in Europe we have seen regulators take steps to curb online gaming. This is the case even in jurisdictions that have set the bar high in terms of player protection and once again our industry is in the spotlight for negative reasons,” it was asserted. 

Taking part in a Reputation Management for the igaming Sector’ panel, Scott Longley, CEO of Clear Concise Media, moved the conversation along to assess the questions that the title poses: “The debate in the UK has worsened over the years. We have had a debate within the public about the proliferation of gambling and online gambling and the extent to which that may or may not have induced a certain amount of gambling harms. 

“The issue now is that the gambling industry, and the online industry, finds itself to be friendless when it comes to politicians and legislature. There has been a tide of anti-gambling rhetoric and measures that has been introduced which has made it a very negative environment for operators.

“It has to be said that at the moment the industry is losing the battle. It looks like we will have further harsher measures introduced likely sooner rather than later. What that suggests is that the pendulum swing will be replicated around Europe in a negative way for gambling.”

These thoughts were echoed by Russel Mifsud, director and gaming Lead, KPMG Malta who added: “Bad news tends to move faster and it only takes one operator to fall foul of regulators to dampen the industry as a whole. 

“We are essentially dealing with an industry that is considered taboo and that is something difficult to change. As we’ve seen in jurisdictions, coupled with COVID, restrictions were always going to get tighter.

“The industry has always approached things in an isolated way, but it’s time where operators come together. You can never change the entire industry, but if you’re able to combine the forward looking visions then that will start to crowd out some of the cowboys.”

Joining Longley and Mifsud on the Gaming Malta-sponsored panel, which forms part of the Working in Malta track at the event, was James Scicluna, partner at WH Partners and Gaming Consultant

Discussing the impact of the UK on the rest of Europe, Scicluna commented: “What we see in Europe to a large extent is differing approaches. It is true that the UK plays an important role in the sense that others look to the UK in terms of policy making and legislating. 

“What has happened in the UK is that this has become a public health issue. To what extent will that be followed across Europe? Well you have Sweden which has gone that way and it’s not unreasonable to think that certain other jurisdictions might follow it through, maybe not to the same extent, but gambling as a health issue has come to the forefront of the regulator mindset.”

Industry veteran George Debrincat looked to the past in search of an answer for the industry’s future. He called back to his personal experiences, concluding: “Gaming already had a bad reputation as an industry and it goes back to the land-based and to casino times. I remember when I first joined, the reaction of my friends was ‘oh god, you are going into gaming’, so it was already taboo at that time. 

“We’ve managed to survive through all the ups and downs and we’ve created a reputation for ourselves and I think it’s a positive one. I think basically we have to look over the years. The industry has been fragmented and everyone has gone on their own. I think we need to discipline ourselves as an industry, gather around a table and try to hammer out something for the industry to present it better in negotiations with the regulatory bodies.”

CasinoBeats Malta Digital, delivered in association with Gaming Malta, takes place from 30 June to 2 July 2020 and features 40 virtual exhibitors, numerous networking opportunities, 130 leading speakers, and countless business opportunities for 3,000 senior decision-makers from operators, suppliers, affiliates and other industry stakeholders.

Alongside the exhibition, networking and conference, all delegates also gain access to the full range of entertainment on offer, including free-play slots, daily competitions and a selection of prizes such as iPads and cash.

Find full details of CasinoBeats Malta Digital, including information about how to register and the discounts available on company group passes, at the event’s official website: https://sbcevents.com/casinobeats-malta-digital/

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SBC Digital Summit: ‘There will always be a conflict between marketing and compliance’ https://casinobeats.com/2020/05/01/sbc-digital-summit-there-will-always-be-a-conflict-between-marketing-and-compliance/ Fri, 01 May 2020 14:30:44 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=30503 Sponsored by Juicy Stakes, day five of SBC’s Digital Summit saw the industry come together to discuss digital marketing, with a specific panel titled ‘The Thin Line Between Marketing And Enticement’ touching on whether the industry needs to become more circumspect in the way it markets itself given the nature of its product offering.  Kicking […]

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Sponsored by Juicy Stakes, day five of SBC’s Digital Summit saw the industry come together to discuss digital marketing, with a specific panel titled ‘The Thin Line Between Marketing And Enticement’ touching on whether the industry needs to become more circumspect in the way it markets itself given the nature of its product offering. 

Kicking off the track discussion, moderator and NEL Advisory CEO Dan Phillips thanked SBC for setting up the summit before introducing the panelists and laying out the points that would be hit throughout the discussion, such as how COVID is impacting the marketing activity within the industry.

Ian Sims, CEO, Rightlander, discussed the initial reaction to COVID-19 and discussed the difficulties and the conflicts caused regarding marketing and compliance: “With COVID there was a big rush initially when people started getting furloughed and we were in lockdown. We were told we don’t want people stuck at home being taken advantage of because they had time on their hands, so we started analysing content and found a few sites that were saying ‘you’re at home try gambling’. 

“I think it was more ill thought out rather than unethical. It was hurried without being thought of and most of the affiliates involved had taken down the messages quite quickly after being contacted. 

“There will always be a conflict between marketing and compliance. You will always get people who decide to push the boundary or not know what they have to do to be compliant. Affiliates in the past were not passionate about gambling but they knew they could make money from the industry. 

“Consequently you ended up with boring content that ranked them well. The challenge for the operator is to find an affiliate that knows what they’re on about and knows what triggers problem gambling and can work to help and educate them. The operator has to take a step back to do this properly and look at the affiliate and what content they are creating before partnering.”

Touching on the aspects of problem gambling and the damages irresponsible actions are causing the industry, RAIG chairman Clive Hawkswood added: “Most people are trying to act responsibly, unfortunately in gambling some are looking for the weakest links. We are judged by the outliers and worst examples and we’ve seen casinos marketed as ‘covid free casinos’ and when people are looking for stories, the mainstream media are looking for those irresponsible cases. 

“Whether we’re seen as being responsible or not is harder during the COVID situation as if we don’t get this right now then it is expected that very bad things will happen in the future of the industry.”

Continuing the discussion of irresponsible industry action, Mathew Symmonds, CEO at Web Analysis Solutions, commented on the current situation and offered a hopeful outcome for the future of the gambling sector post COVID.

“Whenever there is an opportunity to make a quick buck there are people there who will use any situation to their advantage. We use social media for branding but when the crisis hit we saw an affiliate use the term ‘stay home poker’ and there are certain terms which are not right and borderline,” he commented.

“We are hands off on a situation like this. We are mainly football and we don’t want to stray from that because it looks disingenuous because 80 per cent of our audience are return visitors so we are conscious about not changing our offering or our identity as a business.

“I don’t think things like poker will stick because you need a lot of time to play poker. I think poker has more of a chance of sticking than casinos or slots because it’s more of a skilled base and you don’t lose very quickly, it’s an attractive proposition at the moment but I can’t see poker maintaining its levels. I can’t see esports maintaining its levels either, but in reality I don’t think their numbers are too high because the number one most bet on thing for us has been both the Belarusian and Nicaraguan premier league, so still soccer.

“Affiliates will always bend the rules which is why the industry has had to continually regulate and apply stricter rules . I would prefer the industry to be more self regulating and for affiliates to have more structure and be more responsible themselves. Affiliates need to implement CSR themselves to go beyond the rules and say as a company they are going to go further.  Maybe that will come out of this crisis.” 

Joining Sims, Hawkswood and Symmonds on the day-5 panel was David da Silva, CEO, EasyOdds, who concluded: “We look at the COVID disruption as a lull. It will finish and sports will resume. I think things will revert back to how they were. We are using this as an opportunity to do some housekeeping.” 

The SBC Digital Summit ran from 27 April to 1 May 2020 and featured seven conference tracks, a virtual exhibition and virtual networking lounges which attracted an estimated 10,000 delegates logging in from around the world.

 

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Digital Summit: New betting society expected post-COVID http://casinobeats.com/2020/04/29/sbc-digital-summit-new-betting-society-expected-post-covid/ Wed, 29 Apr 2020 13:30:05 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=30370 Changes have been made to the day-to-day operations of industry organisations as the world finds itself in the midst of dealing with exceptional and unforeseen circumstances as a consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis. With this being said, the question remaining as to how business plans get back on track in a post-COVID landscape.  […]

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Changes have been made to the day-to-day operations of industry organisations as the world finds itself in the midst of dealing with exceptional and unforeseen circumstances as a consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis. With this being said, the question remaining as to how business plans get back on track in a post-COVID landscape. 

Moderated by Vixio’s head of global research Andrew Gellatly, a panel titled ‘Lottery in Society – Post-Corona positioning’ saw three lottery industry executives join day three of SBC’s Digital Summit to discuss the impact of COVID-19 and the complications surrounding the impending return to normal operations. 

Providing a somewhat positive view on the virus and the changes it has brought, Marko Stokuca, deputy director of the gaming and game development division at Hrvastska Lutrija, commented: “We in Croatia could say that corona gave us some answers especially regarding the potential of sports and games. 

“Online casino is the main online game in Croatia so we’ve focused on that and tried to maximise online channels and awareness. With lottery games we had a promotion for new registered players who got a welcome bonus for Euro Jackpot resulting in us registering seven times more new players than before. 

“We also decided to push esports as much as possible but we found out that the potential of esports in our market is not good so we can conclude that at the moment in the Croatian market esports is not the substitute for the real thing.” 

Danske Spil’s sportsbook director Jens Nielsen offered a contrasting view of the genre, providing the panel with a Danish update that centred on significantly expanded esports usership. 

“Before COVID-19 esports was already a popular and growing sport in our sportsbook,” he said.  “Every year since we launched in 2014 it has at least doubled in turnover and during the last few weeks it has grown tremendously. Esports has become more and more popular and since COVID it has been stronger and become more popular. 

“Proportionally esports constitutes for much more activity than normal and measuring it we can see its growth in the last few months. We are of course running less sales but we have seen more people are trying it out.”

Nielsen was also able to share his differing experiences, when compared to his fellow panelists, regarding Danske Spil’s operations during COVID due to a majority of shops remaining open. He continued: “Contrary to other countries most of our shops are open because they are located within essential services such as supermarkets. With this being said activity is quite low because normal sports are missing. 

“Of course our shops follow normal rules and recommendations that we see in society now, we have touch screens and we have done everything we can to sanitise and ensure materials are close to the screen for customer use. Clients are now also able to place their bet using a mobile phone as to not use touch screens and we’ve seen a growth in this niche. 

“Society has been shut down and we’re in a phase of slowly reopening which I’m sure is much more complicated. Relating to sports betting most of our shops have been open, however the whole foundation of our business is at a very low level. We look forward to reopening fully, we’ll see when that happens but I’m sure we’ll be ready.” 

Providing a similar positive outlook regarding life post-COVID, Thanos Rigas, trading director at OPAP, spoke hopefully regarding the future and shared some of his industry expectations following the eradication of the virus: “This is a new reality. It is a new world out there because of COVID but we have taken the necessary measures to plan and make sure that customers feel welcome again in our shops. 

“Social distancing is fact, it is there. There are specific amounts of people allowed per square metre for example and we are adjusting to that. It is something new but I don’t think it will change our OPAP shops. I think it will continue to be something very social but what is going to be the new reality remains to be seen. We have planned well but real life will show us the way.

“We’re still going to be offering table-tennis, it’s not something new. In 2004/2005 it was the highest turnover sport per minute. We know this and will keep offering it but we’re going to see a lot more coming from all providers. 

“I expect habits to change. I expect more digital and more contactless transactions. There will be a new society but when it comes down to sports, social games like poker, I think we will see growth. 

“We are in front of an unprecedented situation, but we’re in this together and i’m sure that we can forge a better future in the times to come. I’m fairly confident that despite the hard times we will face, the future will be brighter.”

The SBC Digital Summit runs from 27 April to 1 May 2020 and features seven conference tracks, a virtual exhibition and virtual networking lounges, attracting an estimated 10,000 delegates logging in from around the world.

There is still time to register for the event, with company discounts available: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-digital-summit/tickets/.

 

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SBC Digital Summit: Lockdown brings growth but nothing groundbreaking http://casinobeats.com/2020/04/28/sbc-digital-summit-lockdown-brings-growth-but-nothing-groundbreaking/ Tue, 28 Apr 2020 14:50:08 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=30288 Due to the ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis, the world finds itself dealing with exceptional circumstances. Having continued to operate online in this period, casinos are now seeing an increase in users however questions still remain regarding the future of the industry post-COVID. Discussing their professional experiences through the ongoing health situation, four industry specialists […]

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Due to the ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis, the world finds itself dealing with exceptional circumstances. Having continued to operate online in this period, casinos are now seeing an increase in users however questions still remain regarding the future of the industry post-COVID.

Discussing their professional experiences through the ongoing health situation, four industry specialists took part in a panel titled ‘Marketing Slots in the new Environment’ that was moderated by Square in the Air director James Bennett.

Opening up the panel Ross Parkhill, managing director at Rizk Casino, said: “In terms of casino it’s definitely a good period at the moment. We have experienced solid KPI across the board and more active players. It’s a true indicator that people are seeking other forms of entertainment. We’ve seen a pick up and it is welcomed even though we are in unfortunate times. 

“We haven’t changed much. we’ve tried to keep things in check and we haven’t tried to increase promotions. It is very much business as usual so nothing has really changed on our end, but we are trying to make sure we’re sensible with our campaigns and ensure there is no link to lockdown or anything irresponsible. 

“We have more players but it is no time to be spamming players. It’s already an active market, we have nice campaigns aimed at our players with what they want, we just need to make sure what we’re doing is good and make sure it’s valuable to players and well received. 

“I’m a big believer that players come to play games. Our main driver is entertainment through the game. We can add parts to make it more interesting but they come for games. Using that as a part to attract players is what we do. I don’t think bonuses will go away but there is a financial incentive at the moment not to do bonuses. Things are getting tighter in the industry so it is a good time to start moving away from them. 

“There hasn’t been anything groundbreaking during lockdown. We’ve seen a good increase widespread, a lot of countries are locked down and our key markets are seeing the same measures in place. Across the board we’ve seen more activity and sign ups. Everyone is seeking out entertainment so it’s not too surprising and for us it’s quite global spread.” 

Parkhill was joined on the panel by Endorphina CEO Jan Urbanec who provided a suppliers perspective on the current trends. Urbanec echoed the Rizk Casino MD’s thoughts on an upward user growth: “From the point of view of a supplier we have a macrodata-style outlook. 

“We’ve seen a growth of GGR and number of spins – mainly spins because players have more time to play. Customers who are focussed on casino have also produced a small stable jump up, however, customers that were on sportsbooks prior to the lockdown measures have grown most with us, a jump of around 50-70%, but I would say its short term in this case. 

“Regarding marketing I would say everyone feels that sportsbook players will move by themselves and there is no need to push them, this is wise. Players are sensitive to obvious campaigns, so we decided to market more towards reliability, we don’t want to boast about our products, it doesn’t show good spirit, so we are confident that our marketing giving players confidence in us. 

“We’ve also seen that players tend to move towards classic games instead of new releases. Our classic hits have gone up and we have decided to push marketing this way. We’ve advertised that despite aspects of life being cancelled games are still here, not a push but more of a reminder to players. 

“For us there’s been a general increase across all of our games  From our point of view though, we as an industry need to be careful not to be interpreted as something that is abusing the situation, but with this being said we shouldn’t be afraid to keep our product live. I believe in the future we should remain stable in how we market our message.” 

Joining Parkhill and Urbanec on the Green Jade Games-sponsored panel was William Hill International brand director Neill Simpson and CasinoGrounds CEO Tobias Svensen.

The SBC Digital Summit runs from 27 April to 1 May 2020 and features seven conference tracks, a virtual exhibition and virtual networking lounges, attracting an estimated 10,000 delegates logging in from around the world.

There is still time to register for the event, with company discounts available: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-digital-summit/tickets/.

 

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Scientific Games pens four-year William Hill extension http://casinobeats.com/2020/02/14/scientific-pens-four-year-william-hill-extension/ Fri, 14 Feb 2020 11:30:15 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=27147 US gaming technology organisation Scientific Games has announced it has extended its European and UK sports and casino partnership with William Hill through to 2024.  The four year extension builds on a long-standing partnership that first began in 2007. A statement released by Scientific Games confirmed that William Hill will continue to utilise its sportsbook platform, […]

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US gaming technology organisation Scientific Games has announced it has extended its European and UK sports and casino partnership with William Hill through to 2024. 

The four year extension builds on a long-standing partnership that first began in 2007. A statement released by Scientific Games confirmed that William Hill will continue to utilise its sportsbook platform, including betting engine OpenBet, as well as casino content through Open Gaming System (OGS).

Jordan Levin, group chief executive, digital for Scientific Games, stated: “By choosing Scientific Games, William Hill is reaffirming their commitment and belief in our products, services and team and sending a message that we continue to be a source of competitive advantage for global industry leaders in all regulated markets. 

“We’re really building on one of our strongest relationships. The team at William Hill share an ambition to create next level player experiences and together, across sports and igaming, we’re making that a reality.”

Ulrik Bengtsson, group chief executive officer for William Hill, added: “It’s a pivotal time for sports betting and igaming providers. Scientific Games’ solutions provide us with the flexibility that is key to our growth strategy in the U.K. and Europe and we’re pleased to continue to use their products that will be provided on a flexible and modular basis to power our shared success in the years to come.”

The agreement expands on Scientific Games’ history with William Hill and builds on the technology organisations latest announcement that has seen it provide full retail and digital sports betting solutions in Pennsylvania due to a partnership with Betfred

At the time Keith O’Loughlin, SVP of sportsbook and digital for Scientific Games, concluded: “Betfred is one of the UK’s top-performing bookmakers, and their move into the US will spark growth. Once again, a sophisticated and experienced sports betting operator has chosen OpenSports to responsibly grow its US presence with our maximum reliability, scalability, and performance.”

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WPT Sweepstakes receives Zynga backing http://casinobeats.com/2020/02/13/wpt-sweepstakes-receives-zynga-backing/ Thu, 13 Feb 2020 15:00:43 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=27120 San Francisco headquartered interactive entertainment organisation Zynga has announced that Zynga Poker has partnered with the World Poker Tour. The partnership, which runs from 14 February through to 6 March, will see 15 WPT Sweepstakes players, who complete daily in-game challenges, earn the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the ‘ultimate […]

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San Francisco headquartered interactive entertainment organisation Zynga has announced that Zynga Poker has partnered with the World Poker Tour.

The partnership, which runs from 14 February through to 6 March, will see 15 WPT Sweepstakes players, who complete daily in-game challenges, earn the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the ‘ultimate poker proving ground’, the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

Bernard Kim, president of publishing at Zynga, stated: “Zynga Poker players love competition, and now they’ll get to put those skills to the test at an elite, high stakes tournament. 

“Our players know the ins and outs of the game and how to approach a hand – but with the help of WPT and poker icon Tony Dunst, they’ll have the opportunity to learn from the best how to handle the pressures, etiquette and excitement of a live tournament.”

US-based players can earn up to three sweepstakes entries (one entry per week) by completing tournament center weekly goals in Zynga Poker. Following the three-week contest period, 15 winners will then be drawn from the pool of entries.

The winners are then set to be sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Hollywood, Florida, which includes the $3,500 buy-in to compete in the tournament. Winners will also have the chance to attend an exclusive training workshop run by WPT commentator and champion, Tony Dunst

Dunst added: “Zynga Poker is a great platform for anyone to learn the ins-and-outs of Texas Hold ‘Ems rules, strategies and community. The sweepstakes winners will have a wonderful opportunity to play in one of the best WPT events of the year at Seminole Hard Rock. 

“Zynga Poker has given these players the practical tools to succeed, and I look forward to sharing tips I’ve learned as a WPT Champion to accelerate their respective learning curves.”

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