Lottoland

Lottoland has today announced the appointment of Ciara Lally as chief legal and compliance officer. She will join the Lottoland executive team and be responsible for legal, compliance and regulatory affairs.

Lally recently held various senior roles over the past nine years, most recently as group IP counsel, with previous experience gain at the likes of Bwin and BetVictor.

“I’m really pleased to be joining the Lottoland team and can’t wait to meet everyone and get stuck in. Having been based in Gibraltar, I’ve been able to watch Lottoland launch and develop and I really admire how they have done so in such a regulated and competitive environment. I look forward to helping deliver the strategy and seeing the business grow.” – Lally

“I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Ciara as our new Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. Ciara brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Lottoland, that we will benefit from as we grow and deliver our strategy.” – Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland

ARC 

Arena Racing Company has announced the appointments of Bradley Hunt as chief finance officer and Alex Slade as general council as they form part of the senior management team.

Hunt joins from Collinson Group, where he is currently finance director. His previous senior roles include Cinime, Pias Entertainment Group and Rapp. 

Slade joins ARC from Eleven Sport Network where he is currently head of legal, with previous companies include BT Sport and Nickelodeon UK. He will lead on all elements of corporate governance and legal affairs.

“The appointments of Bradley and Alex represent a significant step forward for ARC as an organisation, as we position ourselves for sustainable, long term growth.

“They will both bring significant strengths and experience to our senior management team, which will be of huge benefit across all areas of the company.  We are always striving to approach future challenges head on and these recent appointments, along with the now complete restructure, will allow us to do this.” – Martin Cruddace, ARC chief executive

William Hill

William Hill has announced the appointment of Adrian Marsh as their new chief financial officer after current CFO Ruth Prior announced she would be leaving her position last month.

Marsh joins from DS Smith where he has been group CFO for the past seven years and has overseen their transition from FTSE 250 to the FTSE 100.

“I am delighted to welcome Adrian to the board. As a proven CFO of a FTSE listed company with M&A, deal execution and multi-sector finance experience in US & European markets, he will be able to make a significant contribution to William Hill in the enablement of the strategy and is a great addition to the team.” – William Hill CEO, Ulrik Bengtsson

High 5 Games

High 5 Games have appointed Jesse Cary to the newly created vice president strategy role as the company prepares to launch its social casino into the real money gaming market.

Joining from Bede Gaming, where he served over eight years, the experienced technologist will be responsible for H5G’s igaming platform strategy, advising on technical platform design, platform as a product as well as engineering organisational structure.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jesse to High 5 Games, who will become a real asset to the team as we prepare to launch our first B2C brand in the real gaming market.

“His tech background will be instrumental as we begin to broaden our product offering, especially with the launch of our Brain with Benefits technology that is set to revolutionise the casino experience with a truly personalised player journey.” – Anthony Singer, CEO of High 5 Games.

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In a statement, Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland, said: “We are disappointed with the result of today’s General Meeting.

“With resolution number two [waiving the requirement on Günther Group to make a takeover offer for Zeal] turning out to be very close with only 51 per cent votes in favour and 49 per cent voting against, we do not believe the outcome provides a clear mandate from the shareholders of Zeal to take the transaction forward,” said Birrell.

“Especially given the fact that without the votes of the Lotto24 shareholders this would not have been approved.”

Birrell stressed that Lottoland stands by the reservations it has about the deal, set out in a number of open letters and statements in the last fortnight.

“This highlights what we have expressed all along,” said the CEO, “that the Lotto24 shareholders are the only ones that will benefit from this transaction; and that the transaction is value destroying for Zeal shareholders.”

However, seemingly acknowledging that the matter is now closed, Birrell said that Lottoland would “continue to look at other M&A opportunities and to consolidate our market leading position in the lotto space.”

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The letter, published on Monday and addressed to Dr Helmut Becker and Jonas Matsson, respectively CEO and CFO of Zeal, sees Birrell question the value of the deal; seek more clarity on cost benefit and even goes so far as to infer a conflict of interests, naming Zeal shareholders Gunther Group and Oliver Jaster.

Indeed, Birrell accuses the Zeal board of acting “in the interest of certain shareholders”.

Birrell said the merger, which was approved by the German Federal Cartel Office on December 18, would lead to “value destruction” if shareholders do not “stop the transaction now.” The deal is currently set to be voted upon at the forthcoming Zeal Extraordinary General Meeting, scheduled for January 18, and Birrell called for this to be delayed.

He listed a number of questions, the answers to which he asserted should be provided in the interests of “all shareholders”. The relevant extract is below.

The two-page letter drew to a close with Birrell stating that Lottoland would make an “alternative offer” for “certain assets” of Zeal Network. The CEO said that Lottoland would shortly contact Zeal with details of the alternative transaction, with a view to publishing the offer by January 31.

Birrell said the alternative offer from Lottoland, which has undertaken its own “outside-in due diligence” on the original deal, would result in a “better outcome for all shareholders”.

Update: Read Zeal Network’s response here

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Amid hopes of “long and successful partnership” that will deliver “considerable commercial benefits for both sides”, the alliance will see the igaming developer enhance its reach to more than 17 million users across 15 global markets. 

Nigel Birrell, Lottoland’s Group CEO, said: “Giving our 17+ million customers access to new and exciting content is key to driving our business forward and attracting new players. 

“We are pleased to be working with Boldplay and look forward to getting their range of games live on our site.”

The latest build-out of Lottoland’s online casino gaming suite will feature the addition of a catalogue of almost 100 games, which include titles such as the Cyberpunk-themed Cyborg City and dual ree Warriors & Warlocks.

Furthermore, Boldplay, whose catalogue comprises slots, table games, scratch, bingo and keno, will also integrate a range of features that includes its signature Boldplay Spins, as well as a selection of in-house jackpots.

“We’re delighted to be teaming up with a platform of the stature of Lottoland for a new strategic partnership that will allow us to distribute our premium range of casino content to customers in a number of key markets,” stated Valli Fragoso, Boldplay Chief Executive Officer.

“With Lottoland currently servicing over 17 million players, we’re looking forward to sharing our products with this wide new audience and believe the deal will confirm our status as one the industry’s most sought-after software providers while also cementing Lottoland’s position as a top tier operator.”

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Labeled as a “progressive partnership,” the tie-up with see Spinomenal supply its roster of online casino content to a “16-million strong customer base”. This will include the provision of games such as Majestic King, Demi Gods II, Wolf Fang and Book of Rampage.

This latest agreement alongside Lottoland, which boasts sportsbook, bingo and casino offerings alongside its core lotto products, is poised to “significantly boost” the Spinomenal footprint across a host of “key regulated markets”.

Nigel Birrell, Lottoland’s Group CEO, added: “Giving our 16 million customers access to new and exciting content is key to driving our business forward and attracting new players. 

“We are pleased to be working with Spinomenal and look forward to getting their portfolio live on our site.”

This becomes the latest development of the year for the supplier, with a Lottoland partnership following a similar such deal being agreed alongside Flutter Entertainment’s PokerStars brand last week as well as Greek certification being earlier in the month.

Lior Shvartz, Spinomenal’s CEO, commented: “Lottoland is a highly respected operator that has an influential position within the igaming space. We’re excited about adding our extensive portfolio of games onto Lottoland’s platform and watching the relationship blossom.”

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Each ad in question was witnessed in May 2020, with the former stating that “Lottoland Irish Lottery – Only £2 Here” and “£209m US Powerball Lotto. £56m Megamillions 6for1. Contact us. Play here”.

The first Google ad stated “Lottoland Irish Lottery – only £2 Here” and “Charity Combo for £2. Win-win charity Lotto + BRC Scratch 50% off. Support UK Charities Here,” while the second noted “Lottoland Lotto x5 – Just £1 – 5 chances to win £1 million” and “CAN Your Lotto Do That? Lottoland Can”.

In response, Lottoland said that they had “previously agreed to make changes to their advertising to ensure ads made reference to bets and betting. 

“However, due to problems with third-party ad templates and settings, the ads published did not contain the clarifications which they had agreed voluntarily.”

With reference to Bing, the group noted that due to a default setting all relevant parts of the ad were inadvertently generated by a combination of random words from various online sources that were automatically published. This also resulted in additional clarifications being excluded.

In addition, specific wording was also said to have been taken from their own website and used to create an ad. Bing has since confirmed that the setting has now been deactivated in the UK.

With regards to the first Google ad, Lottoland shared a belief that updates to pinned items within their Google account should have allowed suitable offerings to be generated. 

However, it was added that “in rare instances” this algorithm excludes these due to word count and space issues. They have since ensured that these are included in a way which would avoid such problems in the future.

Furthermore, the latter, a product developed by the group, is an expanded text ad that had omitted certain key words. This has now been discontinued.

“They considered that, irrespective of those explanations, all ads provided clear indications that the offer being advertised related to a service that was very clearly provided by Lottoland,” the ASA noted. 

“They said Lottoland was referenced in all of the ads and that ‘Irish Lotto’ was a known, common shorthand for lottery betting products. They said the ads had not made any reference to the “Irish National Lottery” and therefore were not misleading. 

“They said there had been no real risk of confusion or conflation and that customers would not reasonably consider that they were participating in the National Lottery.”

In its assessment, the advertising regulator considered that in the absence of any qualification, consumers would interpret the term ‘Lotto’ to mean a lottery and that the firm provided an opportunity to purchase tickets for, and participate in, official lottery draws. 

The ASA, in concluding that the ads were likely to mislead, noted the use of the term ‘Lotto’ in all of the ads, as well as specific references to ‘Irish Lottery’ and ‘US Powerball Lotto’. 

“We considered that in that context and in the absence of any qualification, consumers would interpret the term ‘Lotto’ to mean a lottery and that Lottoland provided an opportunity to purchase tickets for and participate in official lottery draws,” the regulator stated.

“Consumers were likely to associate lotteries with contributing to charitable causes, and we considered that the claim ‘support UK charities here’ was likely to reinforce the impression that the service being offered was a lottery.

“However, we understood that the ads related to a service whereby consumers could bet on the result of lottery draws.”

The ad must not appear in the form complained of, the ASA closed, with the company also told to ensure that ads did not mislead by omitting the fact that their service offered the chance to bet on the outcome of a lottery and that references to betting were clear and included prominently.

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As part of the agreement, Lottoland players, said to be around 15 million, will gain access to the supplier’s portfolio of igaming titles, such as Temple Tumble, Snake Arena, and Money Train 2. 

“It’s always a pleasure to partner with the world’s leading online brands that have such an in-depth understanding of their player-base, and consistently have such a huge impact in the market through innovation and a high-quality offering,” Nadiya Attard, CCO at Relax Gaming, noted.

“Lottoland is an operator with enormous status and reach. I’m sure the addition of our extensive portfolio will only benefit that reputation further as they continue to grow and differentiate themselves.”

Alongside the integration of Relax’s in-house games, content from the supplier’s 50-plus hand-picked aggregated partners through its Powered By Relax and Silver Bullet partnership programmes will also become available to Lottoland. 

The deal is set to “significantly boost” Relax’s exposure across key jurisdictions, with the Gibraltar-based Lottoland active in 15 markets, several of which are set to be high-priority markets for both partners.

Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland, added: “Our ideal supplier partner is one that not only can bring something new to our platform but also complements our core lottery product.

“Relax Gaming fits that bill perfectly with its diverse range of proprietary products, which is exactly what we need to meet the demands of our growing player base and to attract new audiences.”

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As part of the deal, Greentube will supply a selection of its games portfolio to the operator, including slot titles such as Lucky Lady’s Charm deluxe, Sizzling Hot deluxe and Book of Ra deluxe, all made available to Lottoland customers under the operator’s UK and Gibraltar licences. 

“We believe that this varied selection of quality online slots offers players a premium gaming experience and will be a welcome addition to Lottoland’s collection of games,” explained Julia Schagerl, key account manager Germany at Greentube. “This deal further cements our commitment to boosting our presence in key regulated markets around the world.”

In addition to the above-stated, newer titles such as Dragon Blitz, Power Prizes – Royal Crane and Twin Spinner Sizzling Hot deluxe will also be added to the site.

Lottoland is an online operator that offers players the opportunity to bet on the outcome of lotteries from around the world, as well as sportsbooks, bingo and casino – the latter set to be “significantly boosted” by the addition of some of Greentube suite of titles.

Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland, concluded: “We’re delighted to expand our ever-growing portfolio of online slots by adding this impressive selection of Greentube games to our casino. 

“Everyone is aware of Greentube’s pedigree, and to have iconic slots such as Book of Ra deluxe on our site will be a welcome boost to our players.”

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Focusing on player protection and harm prevention, leaders within the gambling sector will complete five online modules between November 1-7, covering topics such as customer vulnerability, mental health, safeguarding, customer interaction and support services.

Commenting on the response to the pledge, Niall O’Connor, who works for YGAM as part of the safer gambling training team, noted: “We are pleased to see so many industry leaders committing to this training during Safer Gambling Week. 

“It is really encouraging to see chief executives and directors from across the industry getting involved including representatives from the Rank Group, Gamesys, Playtech, Broadway Gaming and many more. 

“We’re looking forward to building on this to support more customer-facing teams to protect customers and prevent harm.”

The training is said to combine “specialist knowledge, insight and research” to create “comprehensive training programmes”. 

The training has been awarded the City & Guilds Assured status following an evaluation process meaning everyone who completes the programmes will receive formal certification.

“The leadership team at Lottoland are delighted to support this initiative during Safer Gambling Week,” explained Ciara Lally, chief legal and compliance officer at Lottoland. “We are committed to safer gambling and this evidence-led training covers some really important topics that will help us continue to improve our player protection work.”

Split over five days, the first will consist of understanding customer vulnerability in a gambling environment. The second will be related to gambling-relared harm. Safeguarding and managing welfare will be the topic on the third day. The fourth will be tailored to enhanced skills for customer interaction and the fifth will highlight awareness of gambling support services. 

Commenting on its company’s participation, chief compliance officer at Playtech, Ian Ince, added: “We are pleased to be working with YGAM and Betknowmore UK to deploy this new, comprehensive training programme. 

“This learning programme will play an integral role in enhancing the skills of our colleagues to reduce gambling-related harm and safeguard players as well as helping to raise standards across the industry.”

All profits generated from the safer gambling training leaders pledge will be directed back into the YGAM and Betknowmore charities to support its social purpose.

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Working with global climate reduction consultancy Tunley Engineering – which provided a Carbon Assessment – this allowed Lottoland to “fully comprehend and visualise” its carbon footprint in annual tonnes of Carbon Equivalent.

“We are thrilled to have achieved carbon neutral status and to have signed the Climate Pledge,” noted Lottoland CEO, Nigel Birrell.

“At Lottoland we are committed to being socially and environmentally responsible not just for our customers but for our employees too. We are proud to be taking a leadership position in climate change.”

With the assessment and reduction completed in accordance with ISO 14064, Lottoland has now signed the Climate Pledge alongside over 200 other companies globally, further cementing its commitment to a greener future and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 or sooner.

“We’re excited to continue to welcome companies to The Climate Pledge,” said Sally Fouts, global lead at Amazon for The Climate Pledge. “Businesses have played a role in contributing to climate change, but deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases can stabilise increasing temperatures. 

“This is why urgent, collaborative action by companies around the world is needed. Pledge signatories are uniquely positioned to rise to the challenge of addressing climate change and helping to create the low-carbon economy of the future. I look forward to seeing all we can accomplish over the next two decades, together.”

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