Senate Bill 1017, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, aims to keep jobs and gaming revenue within the state. At the same time, positioning Rhode Island as a hub for live streaming casino games.

However, a critical question remains: who can Rhode Island stream to?

Most iGaming States Require In-State Studios

Currently, most states that allow live dealer online casino games require the games to be streamed from studios located within their state borders. Those states include New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Connecticut.

That requirement aims to create local jobs while ensuring regulatory oversight. For example, Evolution operates studios in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and inside the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut.

The two states that do not require in-state studios are West Virginia and Delaware. The Mountain State streams from Pennsylvania, while Delaware streams from New Jersey.

As the two have already established relationships and existing setups, it’s unlikely that they seek new out-of-state partners.

Where Will Rhode Island Find Streaming Partners?

While Rhode Island can now stream live dealer games beyond state lines, it’s unknown whether Delaware or West Virginia casinos will be interested. If the state gets Evolution, the global leader in live dealer casino games, involved, there could be a better chance.

Evolution recently entered Rhode Island through a partnership with Bally Casino. However, that deal includes only slots, not live dealer games.

Still, if the partnership expands to live dealer games and the cost to stream is reduced compared to other setups, Rhode Island could successfully partner with Delaware or West Virginia online casinos.

It’s also important to note that the new law permits international streaming to markets where the law allows it. Unlike the US, many countries do not require casino game streaming to be within their borders.

However, entering these markets will require local licensing, partnerships, and compliance with each country’s gaming laws. Evolution’s global presence could simplify this expansion if it begins operating live dealer studios in Rhode Island.

Ciccone Also Attempted to Change RI’s Sports Betting Model

While Senator Ciccone’s effort to expand virtual gaming was successful, his separate proposal to reform Rhode Island’s sports betting system failed last month.

Earlier this year, the Senate Majority Leader introduced legislation to expand the current one-operator system to a multi-license system with up to five operators. That effort aligned with a Spectrum Gaming Group report that recommended Rhode Island expand to up to six operators.

The Senate passed Ciccone’s bill, SB 748, with a 30-3 vote in early June. However, once it reached the House, it never received a committee hearing.

The lack of action was unsurprising to many. In May, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi indicated that he won’t discuss market expansion in 2025. The House Speaker’s refusal is because the contract of IGT, the operator of Sportsbook Rhode Island, does not expire until next year.

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The gaming operator announced that it will be showcasing its extended partnership deal with the NHL with a new live dealer game, debuting ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Caesars Digital SVP & Chief iGaming Officer Matt Sunderland, commented: “Customising our online casino offering to provide experiences true to the Caesars brand remains a key area of focus for us. 

“The launch of Caesars NHL Blackjack is an exciting moment that enhances our ability to provide our players with an eye-catching game custom to their interests. 

“Adding the NHL Shield to our live dealer content is only the beginning as we continue to expand our partnership with the League to launch more NHL-branded iCasino games for our online casino platforms.”

Caesars NHL Blackjack is the result of a renewed partnership between the NHL and Caesars. Last month, the two entities agreed to a multi-year deal to keep Caesars as an official sports betting and gaming partner of the league.

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The link-up between the two entities will see BetGames titles, including its lottery games, as well as its Wheel of Fortune, become accessible to Avento players under its five casino brands – Slot V, Frank Casino, Mr Bit, Aplay Casino and Drift Casino. 

“As a highly ambitious company, it’s always great to enhance our reach by partnering with popular operators,” explained BetGames’ Europe & Asia VP, John Paul Rowland.

“We’re delighted to have partnered with a vibrant and rapidly growing company like Avento, allowing us to deliver our exciting games to more players.”

Once rolled-out, the integration of BetGames’ titles is said to “significantly enhance” the firm’s product offering, with the deal extending across all active markets.

The link-up follows on from BetGames’ recently introduced simplified bet slip for its Wheel of Fortune and Classic Wheel products, as well as its improved Dice Duel features. 

A spokesperson for Avento added: “We’re excited to have reached an agreement with BetGames, one of the industry’s most innovative studios.

“Having its games integrated onto our casino brands, will permit us to attract a wider range of players and allow us to grow in key markets.”

BetGames’ Avento link-up kick-starts a new month which saw the company team-up with Betway in the one prior after the firm released a branded lottery studio as part of its partnership extension. 

The latest studio, the third bespoke project developed and supplied for Betway, is said to be the first green screen variant that BetGames has created and is based on a version of the firm’s flagship lottery title – Lucky 7.

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Upon the launch of the offering, the igaming operator will also see the expansion of its games portfolio in Ontario, marking the first investments in the BetMGM Casino platform since its launch in the province on April 4. 

Matthew Sunderland, VP of Gaming, BetMGM, explained: “BetMGM is proud to continue Ontario launch celebrations through the rollout of our dedicated live dealer studio and the expansion of our slot and table games portfolio on BetMGM Casino.

“Through our live offering, the goal is to strengthen Ontarians’ touchpoints with our iconic, black-and-gold BetMGM brand. By more than doubling our games count through in-house, exclusive games, and relationships with our partners, we’re pleased to bring a larger piece of what’s become the industry’s best portfolio in the US to our new players in Canada.”

Upon its launch in Ontario, BetMGM Casino offered a collection of Evolution titles through its live dealer studios in Europe. The brand has also announced the studio launch of its own, built in partnership with Evolution. 

BetMGM’s private studio is home to six live casino blackjack tables, and players will continue to have access to the full Evolution portfolio of online live casino games and games shows, Evolution First Person games, and NetEnt and Red Tiger online slots.

In addition to the aforementioned, BetMGM has also released 108 new slot and video table games on its platform, including 30 exclusive titles such as MGM Grand Millions, Premium Blackjack Pro, and Mega Mirage Magma. 

This latest update also features games from BetMGM partners NetEnt including Divine Fortune, Gonzo’s Quest, IGT’s Cleopatra, Wheel of Fortune Megaways, Pariplay’s Jackpot Fortunes, Spirit of Mustang, and Pragmatic Play’s Cash Bonanza, Treasure Wild. 

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Under the terms of the deal, BetCity will gain access to Stakelogic Live’s roulette, auto-roulette, blackjack and baccarat titles as well as “exclusively Dutch branded tables that will celebrate the pair’s collaboration by displaying the BetCity logo”.

“Having already successfully launched Stakelogic slots at BetCity in 2021, we’re delighted to double down on our deal and make the full suite of Stakelogic Live games available to Dutch players as well,” said Stephan van den Oetelaar, CEO at Stakelogic.

“With a range of upcoming Dutch speaking branded tables designed specifically for BetCity.nl, we’re sure these immersive live dealer games will prove every bit as popular with players as our slots have done and that the new deal will strengthen BetCity’s position as one of the market’s top providers of quality live casino games.”

At the end of 2021, BetCity.nl set out plans to develop “a strong Dutch live casino offering”. To do this, the operator selected Stakelogic as one of the main brands to spearhead this expansion.

Last month, Stakelogic received an ISO 207001 accreditation for its live products, following “a series of rigorous tests”. 

The accreditation, which was carried out by a third-party auditor, highlighted that Stakelogic Live’s data protection procedure met some of the “highest security standards set by the International Organisation for Standardisation and the International Electrotechnical Commission”.

The award of ISO 27001 accreditation to Stakelogic Live means that both operators who host the company’s live casino games and the players who play them can do so knowing that the information security management systems that underpin them are “among the safest in the online gaming industry”.

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Under the terms of the partnership, the company’s dedicated tables, which are served by native Dutch speaking dealers, are now available to players at JVH group’s Jack’s Casino & Sports – jack.nl. 

“Evolution and JVH have been delighted with the success of the Jack’s Casino online offering since launch,” stated James Jones, head of business development at Evolution.

“Adding a dedicated environment was always seen as a natural progression to further enhance choice and player engagement. 

“It has been proven over many years that Evolution’s localised, native speaking tables create a really strong rapport between game presenters and players, while also boosting brand loyalty and, indeed, many other KPIs.”

The opening of the dedicated environment follows the launch of Evolution’s live games and first person RNG games at Jacks.nl on 25 November 2021 of the new Dutch online market. Newly licensed slots titles from Evolution brands NetEnt and Red Tiger were also added to the online games line-up in November.

Eric Olders, CEO and chairman of the board at JVH, added: “Operators and players have waited a long time for the opening of the regulated Dutch online gambling market. 

“We are pleased to offer our players the richest possible choice of online games, from live dealer casino classics to a new generation of live online game shows, soon to be extended with speed blackjack, and a huge choice of slots titles too. In addition, players can enjoy our high-end sports betting offerings. 

“Our dedicated live casino environment, with our Dutch native speaking dealers and host desk, enriches the experience for our online players still further, as they are spending a great time at the online version of Jack’s Casino.”

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As part of the deal, Super Spade Games’ portfolio of live dealer products will launch across the group’s operations.

“Parimatch is an industry leader with a widely admired product offering,” explained Albert Climent, co-founder of Super Spade Games. “We are thrilled about this partnership. Our state-of-the-art live casino options will make for a strong addition to Parimatch’s acclaimed offering. 

“As we continue to execute our ambitious commercial roadmap globally, we look forward to an amazing partnership with Parimatch”

In addition to the aforementioned, the deal sees Parimatch bolster its gaming catalogue, which consists of titles from a host of suppliers which includes digital versions of table games such as Andar Bahar and Teen Patti.

Anton Rublevskyi, CEO at Parimatch, added: “Super Spade Games’s impressive live dealer options match perfectly with our world-class casino offering, and we have no doubt its content will be well received by a wide variety of players.”

The integration with Super Spade Games follows on from Parimatch’s recent partnership with Stakelogic last month, which saw the operator gain access to the slot supplier’s complete portfolio of titles. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Parimatch players gained access to the provider’s classic slots and modern video slots, including titles such as Extreme Megaways, Hero Clash, Black Gold 2 Megaways and Mystery Drop.

Moreover, CasinoBeats recently spoke to Nataliia Hilevych, CEO at Parimatch Ukraine, who explained the opportunity for the firm in its home nation, eight months after gambling was re-legalised and the company becoming Ukraine’s first licensed betting and casino operator. 

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Catchick, who will work alongside Vytautas Kacerauskas, who will continue as vice president of product development and innovation, joins after leading product development and consultation in his most recent role in the gambling industry, and brings over 20 years of experience within the sector.

“We are delighted to welcome aboard Ian, his experience and knowledge represent a huge asset, allowing us to diversify our portfolio and strengthen our growth plans going forward,” stated Andreas Koeberl, BetGames CEO.

“We are looking forward to working with him and utilising his know-how in the development of multi-channel and digital strategies as we continue to create the unique gaming experiences we’re renowned for and beyond.

“I especially want to thank Vytautas for his incredible efforts as interim CPO in the last months, and I’m more than happy that he will continue as one of our creative masterminds.”

Catchick is lauded as boasting an “extensive understanding of global markets” that will “be a crucial part of the company’s ongoing expansion plans,” having worked in the UK, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, Belgium and Spain.

Beginning his career with the UK lottery operator the Camelot Group, he has held director roles with Gala Coral, Ladbrokes and Playtech and was also formerly the chief product officer of OPAP. 

These positions have seen him amass a broad range of experience in both B2B and B2C across a mix of sports betting, casino, bingo and lottery products.

Catchick added: “I’m excited to join BetGames and embark on a new challenge in my career. I‘m looking forward to getting started and supporting the company’s impressive success that it has achieved globally.

“BetGames is an award-winning brand that excels in bringing one-of-a-kind entertainment products to the industry and that’s just the kind of platform that offers great potential for me to spearhead its ambitious plans.”

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Spoiler alert: COVID-19 has brought tangible changes to the market. Until recently, the majority of African players preferred to place bets and play casinos at land-based points. However, the pandemic had a significant impact on the gaming sector, altering the situation radically. 

Quarantine and restrictive measures have forced players to go online. Moreover, the GGR of land-based casinos and bookmakers has also suffered due to the fact that the flow of tourists from Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and China was limited. Prior to COVID, tourists brought a huge share of revenue to bookmakers and casinos.

But after a year of the pandemic that caused the closure of land-based casinos and betting shops in Africa, online gambling platforms began to flourish. The number of new registrations in online casinos is increasing every day which will lead to a dramatic rise in the number of mobile gambling games in the next two years. 

Mobile gambling – the new normal? 

In Africa, smartphones and mobile apps have emerged as the new gaming platforms. Players are increasingly choosing to play on the go, so mobile casinos will soon replace desktop platforms. 

Together with high-speed Internet connections, we believe that 2021 and 2022 will mark the start of a new era of mobile gambling.

Mobile technologies, including both 3G and 4G communications, have also undergone rapid development in recent years. According to The “Africa Gaming Market – Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020-2025)” report, mobile gaming generates close to half of the gaming industry revenue. 

Every year, the number of young people in Africa is increasing, and by 2050 Africa’s population aged between 0 – 24 years will grow by nearly 50%. If current trends continue, TVBET believes that this will result in smartphones and mobile internet becoming the new norm – replacing desktops.

GSMA Intelligence studies also show that South Africa has about 98.6 million mobile phones out of a total population of 57.7 million – that equates to approximately 1.71 mobile phones per person. All this will lead to the fact that game developers and operators should think more about optimising their online games for smartphones and offering content which is convenient to use primarily on mobile devices, not computers.

What do players like?

As recent polls show, circa 75% of the population in Africa has gambled at least once in their life. In that same poll, more than half of the respondents called gambling ‘an exciting time spending’. 

The research showed that African bettors have a penchant for wagering on sports such as football, rugby, golf, cricket, athletics and horse racing. But more interestingly, many bettors across Africa have been shown to enjoy the Bingo lottery.

At the same time, more and more Africans are familiarising themselves with TVBET’s unique live games. Our games combine everything that African bettors love – betting and lotteries. 

Following some internal research, we found that the most popular TVBET live games for the first quarter were Keno (with 60% of all punters preferring this game), Wheelbet (12%) and 7Bet (11%). 

We have taken into consideration the development of our products, which can be tailored to suit mobile devices – something which we believe will help elevate the player experience and not affect the quality of the games themselves. 

Therefore, TVBET games offer the perfect solution for online bookmakers and casinos in Africa who want to stay afloat and attract more customers.

According to Emily Asava, our Africa Sales Manager, TVBET’s decision to make the games compatible with mobile devices makes us the ‘perfect match’ for players across Africa. 

She said: “Lotteries still remain the most preferred vertical among African punters throughout decades. Each of our games is uniquely developed with this in mind, the reason why we continue to gain popularity within the region. 

“We have made betting and interaction with our games to be simple, fun, and easily accessible through our solution that is compatible with the most general of mobile devices, making TVBET the perfect match for players in the African region.”

At TVBET, we’re confident in our belief that those bookmakers and casinos who want to grow in Africa and attract a flow of players should pay special attention to the development of mobile applications and user-friendly sites that don’t suffer lag on smartphones. Paying attention to live games will also make sure that African players are not left feeling indifferent or wanting more from their betting experience.

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One such company whose RNG mechanics are delivering a “100% fair and transparent” to players through its B2B partners is live games supplier TVBET, who believes a subtle approach to random outcomes is the key to success when it comes to engaging your audience.

“We strive to incorporate RNG into all of our games and are confidently moving towards achieving this,” explained TVBET CEO Peter Korpusenko. “After all, this is what will ensure the fairness and transparency of the results of the game, which is extremely important for the players.”

So, how has TVBET ensured both fairness and transparency for its games? When it comes to building confidence among its players, the supplier explained that it has transferred two more of its games onto the platform which supports RNG mechanics. 

In addition, these two games – War of Elements and JokerBet – have also acquired Gaming Laboratories International certified shufflers, which guarantees that they have passed the RNG mechanics examination. 

War of Elements takes place around the clock between a player and the dealer. Praised by the supplier for its simple rules, once the player and dealer are each given a card, the player must then predict which card is highest before both cards are compared. The game offers betting options on the result, colour, suit, and the exact value of the next card. 

Meanwhile JokerBet uses a regular deck of 52 cards plus two jokers. At regular intervals during the game, players are offered the chance to predict the next card to be drawn from the deck. Similar to War of Elements, the game offers a range of options for betting, including the exact value of the next card, suit, colour of the card, number or picture.

With the addition of GLI certified shufflers, the live games provider believes that this should have a positive impact on player confidence in the results of the provider’s live games.

Korpusenko continued: “We aim to make an interesting, and first of all, certified and honest product. Therefore, we are making every effort in this direction. This is an important step and part of our mission to make the game comfortable and the results of it undoubtful. Everything is done to please the end consumer.”

These two new GLI certified games bring the total number of live games from TVBET which carry the test-lab’s mark of approval to eight, with War of Elements and JokerBet joining 1Bet, 5Bet, 7Bet, Lucky6, WheelBet and FruitRace.

TVBET added that it has huge plans in the pipeline for this year as it aims to implement equipment that supports true RNG mechanics for all 12 live games in its portfolio.

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