Delivering a keynote address on day two of SBC Digital North America, Lycka began by giving a regulatory breakdown of the US and Canadian market, noting that several more states have already joined the “betting club” in 2021 alone.

However, his focus soon turned towards the importance of responsible gambling measures as he highlighted the overwhelming need to introduce “robust consumer protection measures with resolute focus on responsible gambling”.  

He said: “Low and behold, what a seismic shift this has been in just three years. At the same time, as an industry, we have been sketching out a sustainable way forward that will serve us well in the long run. 

“It is becoming ever more evident that the most efficient way of achieving long-term sustainability of the North American sports betting and igaming market is by introducing robust consumer protection measures with resolute focus on responsible gambling.”  

Explaining that there are lessons to be learned from the UK and the wider European market, the SVP warned that states simply cannot “sit on the fence and wait for any storms to blow over” when it comes to problem gambling. 

Instead, he implored the industry to now take the opportunity to “get on the front foot” and take action. He continued: “If there is anything to learn from the UK and the wider European experience, it is that sitting on the fence and waiting for any storms to blow over does not pay off. 

“I strongly believe that the North American industry is best advised to actively engage with responsible gambling matters and tackle them head-on with both enthusiasm and determination. 

“In other words, we might want to get on the front foot right here, right now, in order to prevent the simmering problem gambling concerns from boiling over. 

“Let’s not forget the old sports saying that defences win championships. Shoring up our consumer protection defences will give us an even stronger momentum for further economic development in the North American markets.”

Looking to the future, Lycka explained that the onus to provide help to at-risk customers clearly lies on the betting and gaming industry – highlighting that we must also steer bettors away from the black market.

He challenged the industry to focus on the ways in which the issue of problem gambling can be addressed, noting that we must continuously identify instances which could place gamblers at risk.

Lycka said: “What is the challenger that we’re all up against? It is estimated that overall, approximately five per cent of our customers are at risk of developing a gambling problem. This doesn’t mean that all of them will, especially if we can help it. 

“Clearly, the onus on the industry – being supported by regulators and third party suppliers – is to provide help to at-risk customers. At the same time, we need to cater to the demand of all customers that can, and do, play with us responsibly. We need to do that with the view of steering them away from the black market. 

“Here is our challenge: can we have an attractive product offering while protecting our customers from the scourge of gambling addiction? The answer, I believe, is a resounding yes. Yes we can, and yes we must.

“Exactly because the answer is a resounding yes, now is a high time that we focus not only on continuous identification of the problem that we’re facing, which itself is very important, but crucially and critically also on how it can be solved.”

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Facilitated via BetComply, the crash game developer has been granted a gaming-related supplier licence from Ontario’s gaming regulator, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

This licence marks the first time players in North America will be able to experience Aviatrix’s crash game of the same name, signalling a ‘major milestone’ in the two-year-old game’s growth. 

Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, stated: “We committed to expanding Aviatrix’s regulated footprint, and this is another huge step. We’re already present in many markets across Europe, so it is fantastic to add a province in Canada to the list. 

“We are sure that players in Ontario are going to find Aviatrix every bit as enjoyable as their counterparts elsewhere.”

Aviatrix partnered with BetComply last month, leveraging the latter’s igaming compliance services to continue expanding the reach of its crash game in new markets. 

“Having BetComply at our side as we embark on a huge expansion into regulated markets around the world is priceless,” stated Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix. 

“The team has unparalleled expertise, and is able not only to assist with our day-to-day processes, but also share strategic insight and best practices. We look forward to building upon this partnership as we enter new regulated markets globally.”

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Speaking to CasinoBeats, Ebling explained that incremental products are defined as niche features designed to gain a small segment of the market. For example, when the video streaming service Netflix launched anime on its platform.

Ebling said: “Netflix launched anime and it attracted a unique type of visitor. Because they were one of the few, it grew a really healthy base, [especially] in Asian markets. That led to Netflix producing their own anime content and growing the segment and attracting new users.

“When we look at markets like the UK that are very mature and have been well established and are loaded with content and options, we need to think about how we leverage incremental products to make that 1% gain quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year.”

Ebling also pointed to the more casual player as an example of a market that could be targeted by incremental products.

She said: “Look at crash games and tap games, for example. These are products that have come out in recent years to engage the segment of players that don’t want to spend two hours on their phones. Maybe it is someone who wants to put £20 in on their way on the tube and wants to have a bit of a faster experience or wants to have a different type of experience. 

“They don’t necessarily want to watch reel spins. They want to have a different type of feeling about gambling with watching the plane and trying to bet and have it be more engaging and tying in with some of these other social aspects that we see that are prevalent in everyday life.”

Ebling added that although she believes that increasing regulations is important to protect players, the engagement and entertainment aspect of play “suffers”. As a result, incremental products can be used to “allow players to enjoy the experience that they have and not feel like they are losing that piece of entertainment”. 

Many mature markets are located in Europe, and Ebling also spoke about the stagnation of ideas in the region. 

She stated that most operators in the sector are “very happy to take the game that’s been skinned multiple times and throw it on the homepage”, rather than being creative.

“Igaming’s been around for 30 years but that doesn’t mean that we have to keep the homepage the same,” she explained. “There’s this assumption that if I don’t put this game on the homepage that my site’s going to crash and no one’s going to play.

“Actually what we see is that people really like things that are different. You should have a wide funnel of different products with a really strict way to analyse and look at data to understand what’s working.

“Nowadays, we have AI so you can change the homepage so it’s personalised to the player and you can leverage some of these tools to build a really comprehensive product offering so that a player wants to come to your site and only your site. They don’t need to play across multiple sites because they’re able to find what they want and find something new.”

To hear more about how incremental products can unlock the next 1%, as well as the success of the recent release of AGS’ mechanical stepper in North America, click HERE to watch the full video.

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Navigating the North American online real-money gambling landscape is a formidable challenge for operators. The intricate web of state-by-state legislation can present challenges at every turn, and regulation is constantly evolving. 

Brands face significant hurdles when entering the market, and even after a successful launch, they encounter stiff competition from industry heavyweights, as well as increasing player acquisition costs and marketing demands. 

Social and sweepstake casinos present an enticing alternative for market entry into the US and Canadian territories. Operators able to navigate the state-level legal requirements and intensive third-party compliance reviews gain access to over 40 states and Canada. 

That broad reach across such a wide territory also makes marketing across different platforms considerably easier, allowing brands to reach out to much larger audiences and build a strong reputation. Player acquisition costs are insanely high in the real-money scene as the big operators all compete for market share. By contrast, social casinos are not nearly as impacted by the marketing spend death spiral of traditional operators, making them a much more financially viable option.

Building Trust

America is a nation built on brands. We trust our favorite operators and companies because we know they can deliver a high-class product. This is fantastic for established brands, but it also makes establishing a new brand and building trust extremely difficult. 

Social gameplay sites can be an extremely effective tool for major operators aiming to expand their presence and build trust in this wider market. Building that trust is crucial for casino brands, especially in the US market, where loyalty is fleeting outside the largest market leaders.

Opportunities Outside of the Industry

The social gaming industry offers proven legal and accessible pathways into the US market for online operators and presents opportunities for adjacent industries, such as entertainment, sports, or travel. Leveraging sweepstakes offerings, businesses in the entertainment, sports, or travel industries can tap into the market’s potential. Integrating a fully operational social gaming site with their service has the potential to generate substantial revenue streams and offer customers a new, exciting, and highly engaging entertainment experience.

Operators can also discover a lot about player demands through sweepstakes casinos. A game’s success on a sweepstake platform can provide operators with valuable information about its popularity, offering useful insights into its engagement rates. This data can be extremely valuable to both operators and developers, allowing the former to reconsider their gaming catalogs and the latter to refine their gaming output and make needed changes.

The Future of Social Gameplay Platforms

While the potential benefits of launching a social gameplay site are huge, the idea of launching one can be extremely daunting, especially for operators or brands unfamiliar with the US market. 

Companies looking to enter this space will clearly require industry expertise and a dependable platform. With the right resources, the sweepstakes market’s potential is significant, but businesses must possess the means to capitalise on it. 

Collaborating with established companies that already have a strong understanding of the industry could prove to be an exceptionally effective strategy. For instance, if a tribal casino with no prior online experience wanted to explore entering the social gaming arena, it could do so by establishing a partnership with a B2B platform that provides them with access to all the necessary tools and resources.

Social gaming is one of the most hotly discussed and exciting spaces in the online gaming industry, and we are just beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to its potential.

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The deal will see GAMOMAT enter an initial four US states for the first time, as Bragg agreed to provide the slot provider with debuts in Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Entering the US builds on an existing North American collaboration between the two firms, as Bragg helped the studio take its content live in Ontario in 2022. 

Dietmar Hermjohannes, Founder and Managing Director of GAMOMAT, commented: “The regulated US online market offers significant potential, and we are excited to bring our games to these vibrant jurisdictions. 

“Our team’s commitment to analysing the diverse preferences of US players has been pivotal in preparing a suite of games tailored to meet their demands.”

As a result of the collaboration, US operators partnered with Bragg Gaming Group will be able to offer their players slots such as Feng’s Fortune Flaming Link, Great Grizzly and Lava Lions. 

Matevž Mazij, CEO and Chair of the Board at Bragg Gaming Group, added: “Our partnership with GAMOMAT continues to thrive and we’re thrilled to now be working together in the US GAMOMAT excels at balancing innovation with proven success and we expect great results.”

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Issued on 4 September, Antani introduced a 146-page bill with the sole purpose of legalising igaming in the state. The bill would create a regulatory framework for online casinos to be maintained by the Ohio Casino Control Commission.

Under the terms of the bill, the 11 casinos and racinos currently active in Ohio would each gain permission to offer one online casino offering. 

The bill underlined the remit of the Commission with the OCCC to be made responsible for monitoring and overseeing the introduction of each online casino offering, while approving games set to be offered on every platform. The proposed tax rate for online table games and slots would be 15%, which is lower than the 20% currently applied to sports betting.

Should it go through, Ohio would become the eighth US state to legalise igaming in hopes of gaining similar economic growth that has been witnessed in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia. 

Ohio may also benefit from being one of the most-populated states to legalise online casino gaming, as its population of 12 million places it second out of the aforementioned states – surpassed only by Pennsylvania. 

Ohio obstacles

The bill comes at a tumultuous time in US politics with the approaching election providing an era of uncertainty for legislation. It is expected that the bill won’t be considered by the Ohio Senate before the end of the year. 

Another potential blow to the bill could come from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who showed a disdain for gambling when he expressed his regret over passing the state’s online sports betting legislation in 2021. 

Gov. DeWine referred to “bad actors” and “unacceptable behaviour” that developed as a result of the online betting market launch, following a number of collegiate athletes being “harrassed” by bettors. 

Furthermore, despite issuing the bill, Antani will also be unlikely to take it through the legislative process as his term limits will see him leave office at the end of this year.

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Consecutive periods of growth for the firm’s gaming output was secured by a myriad of key releases, including the success of its Squid Games launch. 

The versatility of the supplier was underlined by its continued success within the Eilers and Fantini report, where its games continue to rank high. 

It marks the acceleration of an upward trajectory for the group as it celebrates a 13th straight quarter of year-on-year consolidated revenue growth.

Furthermore, there was also considerable success with the omni channel strategy of the group, as the Huff N more Puff title enhanced engagement globally for the firm. 

Updating investors, Light & Wonder President and CEO Matt Wilson underlined that the success of the firm is evident when it comes to sales of its units across North America as it looks to continue to expand its “robust portfolio”. 

Looking ahead he did reveal that the firm has rolled out the lion’s share of games now, so will likely see levels normalise as it deepens its assessment of the market. 

He added there will be a renewed focus from the firm on R&D investment as it looks to scale up with the market and outpace the social casino sector, whilst they remain bullish on scaling ambitions.

Furthermore, the igaming efforts of the firm were bolstered by the group’s significant success in North America, as it saw a 6% annual increase to $74m. 

Providing comment to investors, during the firm’s earnings call, Wilson provided further insight into SciPlay, as he revealed that there is “good operating momentum” for the firm as Direct to Consumer took centre stage during the second quarter, taking a “huge step up from Q1 to Q2 in terms of importance”.

He also analysed the competitive impact of the sweepstake market, which is currently under an “interesting legal landscape”, however he did state his belief that, given the nature of the games they are providing, they are competitive for L&W. 

“It’s not something that we intend on participating in, but it is a sector that we are watching very closely”, stated Wilson when quizzed by investors. 

There was also enhanced optimism for new emerging markets as he pinpointed the big three of Japan, the UAE and Thailand as providing significantly positive opportunities for diversification in the coming years. 

Wilson added that there are real opportunities for expansion when they grow beyond the traditional markets already established in Asia. 

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Across the first half of 2024, the media group sold its European and Canadian assets to Gambling.com for $37.5m, rising to a potential $42.5m fee depending on the revenue performance of said assets from April 1, 2024 onwards. 

These assets include Freebets.com, WhichBingo.co.uk, Nettikasinot.com and Vedonlyonti.com, alongside “smaller Europe and Canada properties”. 

As a result of the sale, XLMedia’s H1 financial results focus solely on its North American performance, with minor residual income from unsold legacy network assets.

XLMedia generated $10.4m from its ‘continued business’ in the period (H1 2023: $16.9m), while group accounts registered an impact of $5.2m from discontinued assets.

Trading “in line with management expectations”, North American assets produced $9.8m, a decrease of 40% compared to the previous year’s figures (H1 2023: $16.2m). This decline does meet management expectations due to the company’s restructuring and corporate adjustments. 

The company attributed the North American revenue decline to the positive impact of online sports betting market launches in Ohio and Massachusetts in January and March 2023, respectively. 

Having received an initial payment of $20m and expecting a further $10m payment in October 2024, XLMedia highlighted a stronger cash balance. Cash at the end of June stood at $19.4m after a payment of $3.5m for the final instalment of its 2020 CBWG acquisition.

The company outlined that full year 2024 adjusted EBITDA for its continuing business is expected to be around $5m.  The firm is hoping to benefit from four months of the NFL season – starting in September – and reductions in the central cost base serving the continuing business in H2.

XLMedia expects to return capital to shareholders from the net sale proceeds in Q4 2024, with further details to be announced “in due course”.

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Under the terms of the agreement, BetMGM will integrate a selection of Red Rake Gaming into its various regulated online casino platforms across North America, increasing the supplier’s exposure in markets such as Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 

Nick Barr, Managing Director for Red Rake Gaming Malta, commented: “We are ecstatic to partner with BetMGM, a leader in the rapidly growing North American igaming market. 

“Our games have consistently proven to be strong performers, and we are confident that BetMGM’s players will appreciate the unique experiences that our titles offer.” 

Slots set to gain increased visibility across BetMGM’s active North American markets include Age of Olympus: Apollo, Super 30 Stars and Big Size Fishin. 

Barr concluded: “This collaboration represents a significant step in our strategy to expand our footprint in North America, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”

The move comes as part of Red Rake’s recent North American expansion campaign, with the provider affirming that the deal adds to its “broader strategy to expand its presence in regulated markets across North America, continuing to build on its reputation for delivering premium content.”

Other deals within the studio’s North American expansion efforts include a recent deal with DraftKings, in which the operator agreed to take its slots live across the US and Canada.

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It detailed the record annual gross gaming revenue numbers for Tribal Gaming, declaring $41.9bn for the fiscal year 2023.

FY2023’s figure of $41.9bn is a 2.4 per cent increase on the previous year’s $40.9bn, which was also a new high at the time. Figures come from the audited financial statements of 527 gaming operations from 245 tribes across 29 US states.

Off the back of this, we spoke to Kelli Weaver, SBC’s VP of Relationships for North America, who described the results as ‘massive’ for the sector. 

She added: “It shows the tribes are contenders in the gaming industry. We’re experiencing year over year continued growth.

“We’re an economic powerhouse providing jobs, not just for our own tribal membership, but for the surrounding communities, as well as infrastructure, community services, policing services, roadways, things that we’re doing off of our own lands and out into the community. And it also shows that we’re resilient. 

“From the time that we entered gaming, we had to prove ourselves. And with a number, you know, like $41bn, it shows that we are here and we are definitely a powerhouse in the industry and we’re here to stay. So I’m pretty excited about that.”

She also added that tribes forming their own focused gaming commissions enabled them to be more meticulous in their approach to contracts, tech and the software they are embracing – generally strengthening their connection to the operation side of the industry.  

Weaver added that the pandemic led to the increased embracing of innovation and tech from the Tribal Gaming sector. “Everything has become technology based,” she stated after praising tribes for evolving with the times. 

“We really had to review that and make sure that we were doing it in a safe way. You look at cybersecurity and things that have emerged from the pandemic. You know, we’re on to the next phase, past the digital phase in technology. 

“Now we’re looking at how we protect the data, you know, and I think we just continue. We’re not going to see the end of it. You know, it’s just going to continue to advance. And I think it helps us grow. I think that’s what people expect when they do anything, they expect to be using an app somehow and to have technology at their fingertips.”

Weaver also singled out Michigan as a market that has got things right when it comes to frameworks for ensuring Tribal Gaming can continue to thrive.

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