Speaking on the second day of CasinoBeats Malta Digital as part of the Leaders Panel, Smith went on to praise her ‘loyal’ and ‘dedicated’ staff and how there have been lessons learned from the situation. 

She added: “We focused a lot on the esports side and took the opportunity, every crisis is an opportunity and made our esports side stronger. We did start the focus on the casino and did some last minute stuff for the virtual side.

“We’ve been able to maintain our own and I think for me the most interesting part of the COVID process is seeing our loyal and dedicated staff. We have over 500 employees worldwide and everything happened overnight.

“The mental health of the employees for me I worked around the clock, not just how they were dealing with work but how they were dealing with themselves. People didn’t really think how children were responding.”

Joining Smith on the panel was Petra Zackrisson, CCDO, Betano Stoiximan, Americo Loireiro, director at Solverde, Marten Forste, COO of LeoVegas and William Scott, director of Warrenside who was moderating the session.

The conversation shifted towards casinos, both online and land-based, to see how companies have been affected by the crisis, with Loireiro noting his company saw an increase in registrations during March.

He said: “What we saw during the March period was a real increase in registrations, we saw a large number of customers looking for different alternatives. Customers that have never played online before. 

“We also saw that land-based customers were looking for the same products online.”

Asked by Scott if companies will be able to maintain the recently acquired players or if they will migrate back to physical casinos, Loireiro added: “Before COVID, 14 per cent of the customers from land-based, bet online. After, what we saw was an increase from the land-based database and around 35 per cent of those customers played online for the first time.

“Right now those 35 per cent of online players represent only five per cent of active players online.

“What happened with land-based (in Portugal) is that we opened the doors three weeks ago with a lot of restraints so that killed the local aspect of the business.

“Land-based, we are seeing a 65 per cent increase in revenues, it’s quite a lot. 

Echoing Loireri’s findings on social interaction, Zackrission added: “We have just recently ran a small survey to see what it would look like because we could clearly see the trend. 70 per cent of them had never been online before and this, of course, had a massive impact on us just in terms of educating those customers.

“We also asked the ones who did not come back, because there was a substantial amount of them that just dropped, which was 50 per cent. They claimed that they would come back but claimed they were missing certain things, they were missing the social interaction.”

With eyes firmly fixed on the near future, Forste expressed that he’s looking for regulators to implement ‘predictability and measures’ taken on facts instead of the ones that are currently in place. 

He said: “We, as a company, like the fact the market is regulated but in order for it to work there needs to be a certain amount of predictability and the UK reg has shown that with the measures that have been imposed on that market have been for a secure purpose and we can all understand that.

“In Sweden unfortunately it’s a bit of a disappointment so far from what we’ve seen. The changes, as of tomorrow, are not based on fact or does not serve a correct purpose. It’s actually allowing non licensed operators to take a bit of the market.

“I’m a bit surprised to see that it’s also only impacting casinos which is a bit disturbing when we don’t see that activity has increased in that market.

“What I am looking for is predictability and measures taken based on facts instead of the ones that we see right now.”

The panel continued to discuss the challenges that currently face the online gaming sector and future opportunities of companies adapting to the COVID-19 crisis and how technology may play an important role in the future.

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.

Find full details of the event, 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/

The post Paris Smith: Every crisis <br> is an opportunity appeared first on CasinoBeats.

With over 35 years of Nevada race and sportsbook expertise, Manteris was responsible for the development of the state’s first computer networking of race and sportsbooks in the late 1980’s, and has acted as a prominent policy contributor to a number of regulatory boards.

The Hall of Fame ceremony is being held on 25 April 2019 at Sky Room in Manhattan (330 West 40th Street) and is part of the closing party of the biggest dedicated sports betting conference in the US – Betting on Sports America – which is being hosted at the nearby Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey.

Former NJ senator Chris Christie was confirmed as the first new member of the Sports Betting Hall of Fame last month, with Manteris the second to be announced.

Manteris has a very colourful history in the world of sports betting, having played an integral role in developing and overseeing Station Casinos’ 16 new or remodelled sportsbooks.

Rasmus Sojmark, founder and CEO of Sports Betting Community, said: “We are really pleased to be able to welcome Art Manteris to the Sports Betting Hall of Fame.

“So many people in the industry had good things to share about Art given his longevity and legacy in the sports betting industry. He will be recognised as a key driver of sportsbook development in the US, including on mobile, and prominent contributor to gaming regulation across the country.”

Manteris added: “Technological development has played a key role in furthering sports betting across the US, and I am glad I was able to play a role in that. I am delighted to be recognised by the sports betting industry for what we have built in Nevada, and look forward to seeing what the future holds for the US industry.”

The purpose of the Hall of Fame, first established by SBC in 2016, is to honour, preserve and perpetuate the names and outstanding accomplishments of personalities who have added true value to the sports betting sector.

The Hall of Fame’s esteemed members are Mark Blandford, Carsten Koerl, Howard Chisholm, Paris Smith, Fred Done, Vigen Badalyan, Pontus Lindwall, Fabio Schiavolin, Warwick Bartlett, Norbert Teufelberger, Constantinos Antonopoulos and Chris Christie.

The post Sports Betting Hall of Fame to induct Art Manteris appeared first on CasinoBeats.

As a provider of omni-channel solutions for gaming and betting operators worldwide, the company’s games range is now elevating Pinnacle’s offering, allowing players to now enjoy draw based games such as Lucky Six, Next Six and Lucky X as well as in Virtual Sports Betting Games Greyhound Races, Virtual Greyhound Races, Virtual Horses and Virtual Motorcycle Speedway.

Carlos Vargas, NSoft Business Development Manager stated: “We are thrilled to be part of Pinnacle’s two decades of success with the signing of this agreement. I feel confident that their customer base will enjoy our products and this liaison will be very beneficial for both parties.”

The brand is available to players in over 200 countries around the world, offering the best possible odds. Pinnacle has focused on building trust with the betting community through its integrity, its values and by providing a level of customer satisfaction to compliment its unbeatable odds.

The company is fully licensed and regulated by the Government of the Netherlands Antilles, which requires the company to have the funds available to honour the winnings of its customers at all times.

This collaboration enables NSoft to further introduce its premium content and boost its operations. NSoft has outlined its ambitions to continue innovating and has already lined up a range of new products.

Paris Smith, Pinnacle CEO added: “Pinnacle is very excited to add Nsoft to our product portfolio. NSoft is known in the gaming and betting industry as a provider of innovative online games, and through this new partnership, we continue to enhance our customers’ experience with complete and world class virtual game offerings.”

The post Pinnacle enriches offering with NSoft partnership appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Pinnacle, a high-profile e-sports betting operator, also offers slots, live casino and table games in a number of European markets.

Caroline Danielsson, account manager at Betsoft, said of the distribution agreement: “Pinnacle has a longstanding reputation for player satisfaction in sports and e-sports betting, so when it began to significantly improve the quality and variety of its slot games, the company chose its partners carefully.

“We are proud to see Betsoft’s games added to Pinnacle’s carefully curated portfolio and we are confident that players will find our standards of quality and choice compelling.”

Under the agreement, Pinnacle will also gain access to new Betsoft games as they become
available.

Pinnacle CEO Paris Smith commented: “Betsoft is one of the most recognisable names in the igaming industry and we are thrilled to be working with them.

“Today and tomorrow, we want to offer our players the best possible experiences: that means embracing the newest innovations, and integrating the best and most popular games.

“We strongly believe that our partnership with Betsoft will be essential in
achieving all those aims,” said Smith, “and we look forward to a long and productive relationship between our two businesses.”

The post Betsoft Gaming content live with operator Pinnacle appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Popular titles such as Jungle Books and Pumpkin Smash will be made available to its customers for the first time, while Pinnacle, one of online gaming’s most established brands, will also have access to Boost, Yggdrasil’s collection of in game promotional tools, and Brag, its social sharing tool, to help support and promote the slots.

Paris Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Pinnacle, added: “In a highly competitive sector, content is king, and it is essential that we add games from top developers such as Yggdrasil.

“Yggdrasil slots are instantly recognisable, but what has really impressed us is the arsenal of promotional tools that help us boost retention and engagement.”

Yggdrasil also recently made the move into the Danish market, following a similar link up with Jackpotjoy Group brands Vera&john and InterCasino.

Under the terms of the deal, the full portfolio of Yggdrasil titles will be offered to customers in Denmark.

Fredrik Elmqvist, Chief Executive Officer at Yggdrasil, said: “In what is still a relatively young industry, Pinnacle has been offering world-class online gaming to its customers for almost 20 years. It enjoys a loyal following of dedicated players who we are certain will enjoy Yggdrasil titles.

“This is the latest major commercial signing for Yggdrasil, as we continue to add scale to the business and enter the next stage of our development.”

The post Pinnacle to receive Yggdrasil portfolio appeared first on CasinoBeats.