Re-regulating at the start of the year under the Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gambling regulator, Wazdan has quickly followed up its permittance to proceed by offering games through a number of operators.

The firm has enabled its games through existing Swedish partners, including Kindred Group, Mr Green, Hero Gaming and more, with the country representing the latest strain in Wazdan’s global expansion ambitions.

Licenses held via the Malta Gaming Authority and UK Gambling Commission have been added to with similar approvals in both Romania and Curacao, with its new certification joining manoeuvres made in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Through quashing its monopoly and opening up the market, following the lead of Denmark, the Swedish Gambling Authority’s main objective is creating a safe and secure entity, with a particular focus placed on improving consumer protection and game security

This latest move by Wazdan continues a busy period of late, with the firm adding a content-based deal alongside online casino and sportsbook operator Betzest last week to a number of similar such agreements

Andrzej Hyla, head of sales at Wazdan, said of the new market entry: “We are excited to announce our Swedish certification, which allows us to strengthen our position in the Swedish market and expand the reach of our games through our existing operators. 

“The Swedish certification opens up doors for our team to increase what we offer our partners, and also to develop new relationships with operators to bring Wazdan high-quality games to the Swedish players”.

At the start of the month eight online gaming operators were penalised SEK 42.2m (£3.5m) by the Swedish regulator, after being found to have permitted betting on sporting events where the majority of participants were under 18 years of age.

The post Nordic expansion for Wazdan via Swedish green-light appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Also issuing a H1 update, NetEnt’s report shows that 4.1 revenue decline in Q2 from SEK 437m (£37.1m) to SEK 419m (£35.6m) contributed to a 3.4 percent drop during the year’s first half, with figures falling from SEK 867m (£73.7m) to SEK 837m (£71.2m).

Driven by fewer players and lower ARPU since the new regulation was introduced at the beginning of the year, outside of the Swedish market, in the 23 jurisdictions that the firm has a presence, revenue grew 1.7 per cent, primarily due to a strong performance in New Jersey, Eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal.

Therese Hillman, group CEO of NetEnt, explained: “The weak development in the Nordic countries continued in the second quarter, particularly in Sweden, where we have seen fewer players and lower ARPU since the new regulation was introduced at the beginning of the year. 

“Looking ahead, we continue to invest in increased game production, a technical platform featuring more functionality, and live casino, in order to defend, and over the longer term increase our market shares in all our markets.”

Operating profit for the first half of the year came in at SEK 256m (£21.7m), an almost ten per cent drop from SEK 283m (£24m), with its second quarter 12.7 per cent dip, to SEK 130m (£11m) from SEK 149m (£11.4), said to be impacted by legal costs as the company “took action to defend the IP rights of one of its most important games”.

The number of game transactions amounted to 10.6bn in the second quarter, representing a decrease of 1.3 percent as compared to the same quarter last year, with mobile games accounted for 64 per cent of game win in the period, up from 58.2 per cent.

Slot games accounts for the majority of the figure with 91.8 per cent, table games made up 7.8 per cent, with the rest accounting for the remaining 0.4 per cent.

Taking a peek at long-term growth strategies, Hillman stressed that live casino is very much falling on the radar: “Now we take the next step in developing our technical platform as we are creating an open platform with new types of functionality and aggregation of third-party content for operators, services that will be launched on a broader scale during 2020. 

“The transformation of live casino continues at full speed and we added several new functions during the quarter to make our product more competitive. The customer response is positive, and we expect growth in the coming quarters from this segment, but it will take a few more quarters before we can see more meaningful revenues.”

The post Live casino on NetEnt radar amid weak Nordic revenues appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Launched in the early part of 2016 and featuring daily updated news, features, interviews, streams and guides about the esports industry, Eurheilu has been purchased by Esports Media Solutions, as Good Games reinvests and streamlines its focus.

Aleksi Halsas, co-founder of Esports Media Solutions, said of the purchase of the site, which has proven popular among enthusiasts in Finland and other Nordic countries: “Our Eurheilu.com acquisition supports our strategy in Finland well, and we are extremely excited about the opportunities it presents us.”

The latest off-loading comes a little over a year after Good Game sold its network of Finnish online casino comparison sites to XLMedia, for a total consideration of €15m.

Good Game now operates just one site, Bojoko.com, which it’s striving to position “as the Trip Advisor of the online casino world”.

Bojoko, which was launched in 2017, allows operators and suppliers to upload their own listings, with players able to leave their own ratings and reviews, the concept has proven a hit with a variety of stakeholders, and has in excess of 320 casinos and suppliers listed to date.

Joonas Karhu, chief business officer at Good Game Limited, explained: “We have spent the past few years building Eurheilu.com into a popular and thriving esports information site and community.

“But as we continue to invest more time and resources into establishing Bojoko as the most popular online casino comparison site in the UK and beyond, the time was right to sell the brand.

“We are thrilled that Esports Media Solutions will be running the site moving forwards, as their passion and expertise will take it to the next level.”

The post Bojoko focus for Good Game after Eurheilu sale appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The company, which also secured significant US moves after obtaining the green light to deliver games in Pennsylvania, securing a permanent New Jersey licence and signing a customer agreement with Parx Casino in the former, saw its Q1 revenues come in at SEK 418m (£344.1m), contrasted to SEK 430m (£354m) the previous year.

Stressing that investments in new games, live casino and new functionality for customers and players places the company in a “good position to defend and, longer-term, increase our market shares,” EBITDA for the January to March period reached SEK 196m (£161.3m) from SEK 182m (£149.8m).

Signing eight new customer agreements during the quarter, as compared to six, operating profit also saw a 5.9 per cent dip to SEK 126m (£103.7m) compared to SEK 134m (£110.3m) compared to 2018.

Commenting on the performance, Therese Hillman, group CEO of NetEnt, commented on the organisations Nordic performance, as well as taking a closer look at Sweden: “In the first quarter, NetEnt’s total revenues decreased by 2.8 percent (-7 per cent in euro) compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

“The Nordic countries accounted for almost the entire slowdown, mainly due to lower volumes in Sweden as the new regulation was introduced at the start of the year. The new rules have impacted our customers and players to an extent that we had not foreseen, and the combined effect of fewer players and lower average revenue per user has led to a weak start on the new regulated market.

“As expected, the new gaming tax lowered our revenues by about 2 per cent in the period. Around 50 percent of total revenues came from locally regulated markets, and excluding Sweden, our revenues in these markets grew by about five percent in the quarter.

“This occurred despite a backdrop of some market weakness in Italy, caused by changes in regulation regarding marketing and gaming taxes. In the second quarter, we are set to launch our games with the Finnish state-controlled operator Veikkaus, and to distribute more games to Norsk Tipping in Norway.”

Before giving a brief US insight: “In the US, we see continuing strong growth in New Jersey, a market that still has much lower online penetration than the Nordic markets and hence the potential to grow for many years to come. For Pennsylvania, the latest estimate is that the market will open in July.”

Furthermore, NetEnt has also vowed to stick to its previous plan of new game releases during 2019, as it was revealed that Scudamore’s Super Stakes, which debuted in March, has been one of its most successful new titles released in the UK: “The new organisation is in place since the start of the year, and we keep working to improve the efficiency and speed of our product development.

“The plan to release 30 – 35 new games this year remains and we continue to develop our new initiatives within affiliate marketing and social casino, which supports our strategy to move closer to the players and should generate new revenues over time.”

The post Nordic struggle brings NetEnt declining revenues appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The country’s regulator the Spelinspektionen has granted the brand a five year gambling licence for online casino and sports betting, becoming the LeoVegas Group’s second such authorisation within Sweden.

Gustaf Hagman, LeoVegas’ group CEO, said of the awarding: “During a year when we focus on strong growth but also on cost efficiency, it is inspiring to see that pixel.bet are developing well, and that we as a group can benefit from our economies of scale with the sharing of resources and knowledge between our companies.”

Pixel.bet, whose initial market focus is Sweden and the wider Nordic region, stresses a primary ambition of becoming the leader in esports betting, which is hopes will complement its casino and live casino offerings within the country.

Eirik Kristiansen, CEO of Pixel digital Ltd, commented: “With this licence we gain the opportunity to offer our product and passion for esports betting to the Swedish market. Moreover, we have added a truly exciting casino experience that we know customers will appreciate. This springboard in Sweden will also position us for continued expansion internationally.”

This follows the regulator sending out a letter to each of its licensees last week, reminding them of their responsibilities when it comes to bonus offers.

Dismissing claims that the law could be perceived to be unclear in any way, regulations of the re-regulated market, which came into force on the first day of 2019, states that operators can only initiate the offer of a bonus the first time an individual accesses the site to play.

The Spelinspektionen, which states that it has received many complaints, questions and comments regarding the gaming companies various bonus offers, commented that license holders are offering customers several different forms of bonus offers, and that in some cases they make unreasonable interpretations of the new law.

The post Scandinavian growth for Pixel digital via new licence appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Securing its fourth and fifth independent studios to sign on to YGS, in AvatarUX and 4ThePlayer, these deals sandwiched CEO Fredrik Elmqvist stressing that the studio partnership initiative is expected to undergo a period of significant growth throughout 2019.

CasinoBeats spoke to Stuart McCarthy, head of studio partnerships at Yggdrasil, who spoke about certain benefits to the programme: “We don’t have to pretend like we have got the monopoly on ideas, that our way is necessarily always going to be the right way,” he stressed.

“Guys like Northern Lights for example have got fantastic credibility in the UK, they have a massive heritage in the UK and they really understand how to deliver UK games, which is not something we’ve traditionally done.

“We find that if there’s a cultural fit there then everything really works nicely”

“And in the same way some of our Asian partners are delivering stuff that we wouldn’t even dream of doing.”

Adding: “We’re getting additional flavours in terms of what we deliver at Yggdrasil. It compliments what we do, and I think that’s where we are going to score some major major wins.

“Because our operators have that appetite, and somebody who wants to be getting game content with a particular German flavour or Nordic flavour, maybe thinks we don’t actually do that, but because we have got master on-board, we can go and find those partners, and bring them on-board in order to deliver exactly what they are looking for.”

Lauding the mutual respect in the formation of partnerships falling under YGS, an element of surprise was issued not on the success being felt but of interest enjoyed outside of Yggdrasil’s core target group.

“It’s not a million miles away from what Netflix are doing”

Upon the establishment of the programme, McCarthy elaborated on if any difficulty had been felt in seeking partners with which to align: “We find that if there’s a cultural fit there then everything really works nicely, we haven’t had anything that doesn’t have a cultural fit yet, but no doubt that day will come at some point when we look at someone and go ‘well, we really like what you do but we don’t feel that we are aligned to work together’.

“Whereas you’ve got guys like Northern Lights for example, we’ve got an instant rapport with those guys, they have nothing but great things to say about our game development, and they’ve been a breath of fresh air to work with and develop games in this way.

“And that seems to be the way with everyone else we have partnered with, everyone has got engaged and is building games and is going ‘wow, this is refreshing’.”

“We’re driving forward, we’re pushing on with flexibility, we’re opening the doors to lots of possibilities”

Such partnerships and collaborations were emphasised as being crucial in the evolution of Yggdrasil, with McCarthy looking at other industries as an example of the potential expansion of the gaming industry as a whole: “If you look at what we’re doing it’s not a million miles away from what Netflix are doing, from what Amazon are doing.

“Netflix are investing in building or making films with production companies … and this is how we see the gaming industry expanding”.

Amongst the instant uplift currently being felt by YGS, with similar such examples existing within both Microgaming and QTech Games, McCarthy offered a brief insight into what the future could hold of YGS: “I think what we will probably increasingly see happen is we will get requests through from operators for particular types of content, or a particular flavour of content, and if we’ve got trusted partners we can say ‘listen, there’s a massive opportunity here and you guys are absolutely perfectly placed to deliver on this, why don’t you guys do it’.

“Maybe Yggdrasil stops making games at some point”

“It’s flexibility, and that’s kind of the whole point of the partnerships we are bringing in here. We’ve expanded out of just the straight masters, we’ve build the server they built the client side of things, but now it’s expanding into a publishing side of the business, where we start to look at more IP related deals, for example where we will take on the heavy lifting of building a game based on someone else’s IP or based around a game that has maybe existed in land-based.

“So that’s what we’re driving forward, we’re pushing on with flexibility, we’re opening the doors to lots of possibilities.”

Amongst all this talk, however, are we witnessing the changing face of Yggdrasil, from developers to occupying a role more associated with that of curators: “We have this conversation regularly, we see how masters goes, maybe Yggdrasil stops making games at some point, and is only about distribution. We don’t see it in the near future, but it’s certainly something that could happen”.

The post Yggdrasil – We are not ruling out anything right now appeared first on CasinoBeats.

RELEASE DATE

Official launch of the game is to take place on Tuesday 4 December, with assets and game information first available to affiliates and publishers in First Look Games’ premium environment.

Currently in the midst of a two week period from which to write review and build content, the title is to then be made available to a series of operators within a number of core markets.

Beneficiaries are set to include the UK, all Nordic countries and Germany, and will encapsulate online casinos from the likes of Vera & John, Betsson, LeoVegas, Betclic and BetVictor.

It will also be made available to operators using content aggregators such as Microgaming Quickfire, EveryMatrix and White Hat Gaming.

THE PITCH

Affiliates and fans of Greek mythology are to be mystified by this latest slot release, which sees the mythical monster, with venomous snakes for hair, turn spins to gold, and not players to stone.

Medusa’s Golden Gaze, a 5×3 reel, 25 pay-line video slot, is “at the higher end of the volatility scale,” and features a host of big win potential for players”.

GAME DETAIL

Medusa’s Golden Gaze sees a free spins feature triggered when three, four or five bonus symbols land on any payline, and awards between a minimum of five and a maximum of two hundred free games.

Furthermore, a reel copy feature comes in to effect when on any spin, reel one contains a full stack of the same symbol. The same full stack can be copied to one, two, three or all four remaining reels. All wins are evaluated after the reel copy feature is completed, with it occurring in both the base game and free spin modes.

WHAT THEY SAY

Bob Schuijt, founder of MB Consulting International and the exclusive online distributor of 2BY2 Gaming video slot content, said: “Medusa’s Golden Gaze combines stunning graphics with smart game mechanics, and a great math model to deliver an exciting and engaging player experience.

“We have combined the popular Greek mythology theme with a high volatility math model to offer players more anticipation, excitement and big win potentials than ever before, including the chance to win up to 200 free spins!

“First Look Games’ premium service provides us with the ultimate vehicle to build traction of Medusa’s Golden Gaze, with affiliates and publishers targeting our key markets.

“This creates a win-win situation for 2BY2 Gaming, the operators and the affiliates and publishers”

Tom Galanis, Director at First Look Games, said: “2BY2 Gaming builds great video slot games, and the launch of Medusa’s Golden Gaze provides a fantastic opportunity for First Look Games’ publishers, and affiliates, to get ahead of the competition to review a game that will succeed in the key affiliate markets of Germany, Sweden and the UK”.

IS A TRAILER AVAILABLE?

Sure is, check out the video below.

The post Launch: Medusa’s Golden Gaze – 2BY2 Gaming appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The boost to the Nordic-facing and Malta licensed firm is to come from a number of iSoftBet’s best performing games, such as Chilli Chilli Bang Bang, Super Fast Hot Hot Respin and latest release The Dalai Panda.

“iSoftBet is renowned for the quality of its games, particularly across regulated markets where its titles are proven performers,” Marcus Lilliehöök, chief executive officer at NoAccountCasino.

“iSoftBet consistently adds top-tier proprietary content to its games portfolio, and we have no doubt this partnership will be extremely successful going forward.”

Furthermore, NoAccountCasino is to also gain access to the iSoftBet game aggregation platform, enabling entry to in excess of 2,000 titles from over 45 third-party suppliers, using a one time integration process.

Certified in more than 12 countries, iSoftBet also details that NoAccountCasino will also be complemented by “a range of cutting-edge marketing tools and gamification features, enabling operators to efficiently manage a variety of game elements, including bonuses and free rounds, from one back office”.

Michael Probert, chief commercial officer at iSoftBet, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with NoAccountCasino, one of the most dynamic and disruptive brands in the Nordic region.

“It is an exciting time for operators in Finland and Sweden, and we are delighted to add our leading portfolio of more than 150 table and slot games to NoAccountCasino’s expanding offering.”

The organisation is currently undertaking a period of growth in both regulated, and soon to be regulated markets, following a recent deal which saw expansions within Georgia alongside Leader-Bet.

iSoftBet also states that it is in the process of securing game and platform certification across several established and emerging territories including Malta, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

The post Nordic growth for iSoftBet alongside NoAccountCasino appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Encompassing a portfolio of “bold, vibrant and colourful slots,” the integration takes the suite of SkillOnNet titles to in excess of 1,400, with players also able to utilise an “AI-powered super-smart game recommendation engine,” to help users find the right game for them.

Via the new deal, players at various SkillOnNet powered online casinos, including PlayOJO, DrückGlück and the recently launched AhtiGames and Cozino, will be able to access titles such as Esqueleto Explosivo and Flame Busters.

Michael Golembo, sales and marketing director at SkillOnNet, said: “Thunderkick designs and develops some of the most creative and visually striking games on the market, that also deliver a compelling and engaging player experience.

“They are a strong addition to the SkillOnNet portfolio, and will be a roaring success with players across all of our online casino brands.”

Thunderkick, launched in 2012, has an aim of “developing games that pack a punch with stunning graphics, super-smooth gameplay and clear, crisp and authentic sound”.

A spokesperson for Thunderkick, added: “We are excited to see another operator take our content. Our content is in high-demand from operators and we are delighted to be welcoming SkillOnNet on board.

“SkillOnNet is an established name in the industry and we are certain our games will be well received by their players.”

This news follows a recent deal struck alongside Prime Gaming, which saw the casino platform provider chosen to launch its challenge brand LuckyMeSlots.co.uk.

The vacation themed offering focuses on players aged 30 and above in the UK, German and Nordic markets, aiming to give “a fun and friendly online casino environment”.

The post SkillOnNet adds thunderous kick to gaming library appeared first on CasinoBeats.

This has been done through the sponsorship of the development and translation of a Gambling Therapy app for the Nordic region, which is free to use and sees an updated version currently available in local language across Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Gambling Therapy, a free, global, multilingual, online service for anyone affected by problem gambling provided by the Gordon Moody Association, details that the app “has been designed to help those that are struggling with problem gambling, by providing easy access information, and straightforward tools, to help gamblers remain in control of their gambling”.

Adele Duncan, chief executive of Gambling Therapy, commented:  “I am delighted that we have been able to enhance and develop further our Gambling Therapy app, and that an updated version has now been launched.  

“Providing this much needed advice and support, now in an additional ten languages, means that we can reach more people who may be affected by their gambling.

“Our GT service is funded by the gambling industry outside of GB, and without their support we would not be able to expand the app usage.”  

Detailing its work in this area, Kindred stresses that if gambling stops being joyful and entertaining, then it “strongly encourages customers to take a break by using responsible gambling tools and to download the free Gambling Therapy app”.

Maris Bonello, head of integrity and player sustainability research at Kindred, added: “We are very happy to now see the Gambling Therapy app in more local languages.

“It is at the heart of Kindred to provide a safe and secure environment for our customers, and we will continue to support projects that minimise the harm caused by gambling.”

This follows a deal recently completed with Pragmatic Play, which sees the gaming content developer’s titles made available to Italian customers via Kindred’s Unibet.it portal.

The post Kindred Group sponsors Nordic focused Gambling Therapy app appeared first on CasinoBeats.