Online gambling operator 888 Holdings has secured exclusive rights to the Sports Illustrated brand to develop and operate online casino and sports betting products in the US market.

888 has inked a 20-year deal with the owner of Sports Illustrated, Authentic Brand Group, news emerged on Thursday. The Gibraltar-based gambling firm has agreed to pay a licensing fee to its partner and to make additional payments after the product of this new collaboration is launched.

The size of these additional payments will be based on the number of customers the future sportsbook generates.

888 revealed Thursday that the new product would be called SI Sportsbook and that it is set to be rolled out by the start of the new NFL season. The gambling operator’s CEO, Itai Pazner, told investors that they hope to obtain a 5% market share in the states where they are currently offering wagering services.

Mr. Pazner further noted that the Sports Illustrated brand is set to open new doors to both gambling customers and land-based casinos around the US as local partners seem to prefer working with “brands they feel have a higher chance of success.”

Under the terms of the deal, Authentic would have a 4.9% stake in the new joint venture with 888, with the option to increase its ownership to 19.9%. Reportedly, the partnership also includes the potential for the SI Sportsbook brand to be used for brick-and-mortar wagering locations.

New Betting Product to First Go Live in Colorado

888 would debut the new SI Sportsbook brand in Colorado at some point in the second half of the year. Other states will follow. The gambling operator already has agreements to provide digital gaming and sports betting services under the 888 brand in New Jersey, Indiana, and Iowa.

It also supplies wagering technology for Caesars Entertainment’s World Series of Poker brand.

Authentic purchased Sports Illustrated and some of its intellectual property in 2019 in a $110 million deal. The magazine has been around for over half a century with its extensive sports coverage and crisp content, including colorful photography and hugely popular annual swimsuit issue. It generates more than 30 million unique visitors to its website, some of whom 888 officials hope to attract to the upcoming online sportsbook.

888’s deal with Sports Illustrated is the latest collaboration between an established gambling company and a media organization. US sports betting has become an extremely lucrative market since the Supreme Court struck down a long-standing federal ban on the practice in the spring of 2018.

Traditional media companies have been looking for a slice of the pie through partnerships with both North American and European gambling operators with strong presence in the wagering sector. In a slate of such deals over the past several years, Fox Corp. has paired up with former The Stars Group (now part of Flutter Entertainment, while William Hill (now part of Caesars) has partnered with CBS Sports.

Sports Illustrated Is Joining the Online Betting Bonanza, Bloomberg, June 24, 2021

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As Churchill Downs Incorporated continues to evaluate the bids it received on Arlington International Racecourse, the chairman of the Illinois Racing Board (IRB) is seeking a conversation with the Louisville-based gaming company to ascertain their plans once they’ve sold the historic Chicago-area track.

Dan Beiser made those comments toward the end of Tuesday’s IRB meeting. He told the board’s commissioners that he directed Executive Director Domenic DiCera to schedule a call between himself, DiCera, and Churchill Downs representatives.

“Hopefully, it will become a reality, soon,” Beiser said.

The deadline for submissions was last

Churchill officials announced in February the site was up for sale, with CEO Bill Carstanjen saying the track offered “a unique redevelopment opportunity” for interested bidders.

The company has not revealed any information about the number of bids it received, although two groups – one being the NFL’s Chicago Bears – have voluntarily revealed they submitted a proposal.

“Uncertainty” Hurting Arlington Horsemen

The IRB chair said his reason for wanting the call was two-fold. First, Beiser said he wanted to impress upon Churchill Downs officials how the “uncertainty” surrounding Arlington has affected local horsemen. In addition, he wants to see how much the company will be willing to disclose about its plans for both the short- and long-term in the state.

Churchill Downs, which also owns a majority stake in the nearby Rivers Casino Des Plaines, has said it plans to keep the license and wishes to operate a track elsewhere, be it in the Chicago area or downstate.

Back in February, the company said it did not anticipate closing on any sale before the track’s summer meet ended on Sept. 25.

Commissioner: Illinois Needs to Step Up

As Churchill Downs has called the track a redevelopment opportunity and has plans for the racing license, which would have to be approved by the IRB, it seems like a longshot hope that the company would sell the track to an entity wishing to maintain racing.

But IRB Commissioner Alan Henry holds out that hope.

Speaking before Beiser Tuesday, Henry cited comments recently made by former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar to the Arlington Heights Daily Herald that the state has a vested interest in the track since taxpayer money has been invested there.

Henry also noted the Illinois Horse Racing Act, a 1975 law that made it an official state policy to stimulate growth in racing and to ensure it remains competitive.

It’s time for the key players, and that includes the state, to step up and make a deal that will result in the continuation of course, racing at Arlington Park,” Henry said.

Besides the Bears, the other group to come forward is led by former Arlington track president Roy Arnold. That group’s plan involves keeping the track open.

Analysis: Why a Racing Bid Likely Won’t Succeed

Henry expressed hope that a racing-focused bid might be the highest offer. However, even if that happens, it’s likely Churchill Downs would either reject the bid or command a premium price in return. That’s because any entity that would seek to race at Arlington would almost assuredly apply for a casino gaming license.

An Arlington Park casino would be the closest competitor to Rivers.

The 2019 expanded gaming law allowed tracks to apply for casino licenses. However, Churchill Downs, which acquired its stake in Rivers earlier that year, shocked some in the state when it announced it would not apply for a license. Company officials did not cite ownership in Rivers as a reason.

Instead, company officials raised concerns about the tax structure that they said made a casino unprofitable there.

Illinois horsemen, who have battled with Churchill Downs over purses at Arlington in recent years, have expressed skepticism regarding the company’s plans. It has asked the state attorney general, via a letter, to investigate whether Churchill Downs violated state or federal antitrust laws by “quashing the potential” for gaming at Arlington Park.

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San Diego’s once-booming card room scene is no more as the last surviving venue – Lucky Lady – has not long ago closed doors for good.

Local news outlets report that the club’s owner, businessman Stanley Penn, last month quietly sold it to the Family Health Centers of San Diego. Mr. Penn had run the operation on El Cajon Boulevard for the better part of the past four decades before it was shuttered to never again welcome avid card players.

The coronavirus pandemic that forced the card room and other non-essential businesses to remain shut for almost a year seems to have prompted the business’s permanent closure.

Lucky Lady was the last licensed and legally operating card games club in San Diego. The city once hosted more than a hundred of these venues, but a 1983 law passed by the City Council prohibited the sale, lease or transfer of card room licenses, essentially marking the beginning of the end of an era.

In other words, the measure meant that when holders of card room licenses retired or passed away or gave them up, their business would have to close. City officials said at the time that the law aimed to “eliminate the deleterious effects that such establishments have on the safety, welfare, and morals of the city.”

A 1996 state law introduced a moratorium on new card room licenses to cap the size of the sector. There are now 86 active licenses across the state, and San Diego is the only city prohibiting their sale or transfer to another holder.

Legal Trouble

Before its closure last month, Lucky Lady had been San Diego’s only operational card room for six years. Its last competitor – Palomar Casino – was shuttered in 2015 after federal authorities charged more than two dozen people in an international illegal sports betting ring that used the venue.

A year later, in 2016, Lucky Lady’s 83-year-old owner, Mr. Penn, got himself entangled in legal trouble. He was one of 14 people indicted in a federal investigation into an illegal sportsbook that had been operated inside the card room for years.

The main bookmaker, Sanders Bruce Segal, was sentenced to 37 months in prison, while the other individuals involved in the illicit scheme, Mr. Penn included, received probation or time served sentences.

Under the terms of the Lucky Lady owner’s deferred prosecution agreement, he had to make sure to not break any laws for a year. If he had violated the terms of the deal, he could have been sentenced to up to five years in prison.

All charges against Mr. Penn were dropped in April 2020.

Source: Fold‘em: Lucky Lady closure ends card rooms in San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune, June 20, 2021

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Online casino content provider Pragmatic Play has further strengthened its partnership with UK online gambling operator BetVictor by providing it with access to its entire collection of Bingo titles.

Pragmatic Play announced Monday that it has completed successfully a brief integration period and that its Bingo products can now be played by BetVictor’s players.

Hit titles such as Bingo Blast are now available on the operator’s website. Pragmatic Play will also provide its partner with access to its future releases such as the upcoming Reels Room.

The major provider ventured into the Bingo segment a few years ago. With a dedicated and experienced team behind its Bingo product, Pragmatic Play says that it has made sure to provide its clients and their players with customizable features for a tailored bingo experience, while also “pushing the boundaries of innovation” in that vertical.

To make the rollout of its partner’s Bingo content on its site possible, BetVictor has utilized the supplier’s single API integration. It has thus gained swift access to one more vertical from Pragmatic Play and has additionally strengthened its existing long-term business relationship with it.

Originally focusing on the provision of online sports betting services, BetVictor is now a leading online casino operator, as well. The company’s UK-facing website boasts an expansive library of iGaming titles from a number of major content makers and suppliers.

A Testament to Single API Integration’s Strength

Commenting on their latest big news, Pragmatic Play VP of Commercial Strategy & Operations Bhotesh Maheshwari said that it’s fantastic to see their Bingo solution go live with BetVictor so quickly after “we agreed our commercial expansion” and that this is a “testament to the capabilities of our single API integration.”

Mr. Maheshwari added that their multi-product approach enables them to enjoy “deeper partnerships” with international brands and that they cannot wait to see how their Bingo content would be received by BetVictor’s customers.

Last spring, Pragmatic Play scored a Live Casino deal with the UK operator, providing it with access to its portfolio of live dealer titles. BetVictor has also long been offering the supplier’s online slots.

Commenting on adding Pragmatic Play’s Bingo library, BetVictor Director of e-Gaming Turlough Lally said that their partner’s games have impressed them from the outset and that they are very pleased to now be able to present them to their players. Mr. Lally went on to add that they look forward to this integration being “another positive step in our fruitful collaboration.”

Pragmatic Play offers a multi-vertical portfolio that includes online slots, Live Casino, Bingo, and virtual sports, among others. The company currently rolls out up to five new slots per month. Its entire suite of games is available through a single API integration.

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Online gambling software supplier EveryMatrix on Wednesday announced that it has successfully secured an ISO 20000 certification after nearly a year-long review of its internal service management system, procedures, and frameworks.

ISO 20000 is an international quality standard designed by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Generally speaking, the ISO 20000 standard provides tech companies with the opportunity to align their management processes with the best international practices. In addition, such companies can implement a consistent and reliable system that can help them achieve cost efficiency while also building resilience.

The ISO 20000 certification comes as the latest big milestone achieved by EveryMatrix. The company said that it demonstrates and reiterates its commitment to providing the best IT services in place and ensuring these are regularly monitored, tested, and enhanced over time.

It should further be noted that the online casino and sports betting technology provider already holds an ISO 27001 for data security and is fully compliant with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which was originally published in the spring of 2016 and was implemented in May 2018 as a regulation that addresses data and privacy protection in the European Union and the European Economic Area.

Recent Certification Shows Level of Maturity Reached by EveryMatrix

Commenting on their latest big news, EveryMatrix Chief Commercial Officer Stian Hornsletten said that they have been undertaking in-depth internal audits to make sure that their “way of working is delivering the best outcome for our clients.”

Mr. Hornsletten went on to say that securing the ISO 20000 certification demonstrates the level of maturity the company has reached and the responsibility that it has implemented in the work it does for clients worldwide.

The official further pointed out that EveryMatrix places customer satisfaction and confidence in its ability to “deliver a world-class software solution at the top of our priority list” and that “being a reliable partner is not only necessary, but it sits at the core of our day-to-day operations.”

Earlier this week, EveryMatrix celebrated another important milestone. The company secured its first platform client in Mexico through a partnership with local operator Group Foliatti which seeks to launch its first online casino brand.

EveryMatrix is currently licensed in Malta, the UK, and Romania and its products are certified by the competent regulators in more than 15 countries across Europe and Latin America. It is also now looking to expand its presence in the lucrative US regulated online gambling space.

The company last year applied for regulatory approval with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and has recently received Completed Application status from the regulator. It now awaits transactional waiver to enter the Garden State’s market and provide its products and services to locally licensed operators.

Source: EveryMatrix gains ISO 20000 certification, EveryMatrix Newsroom, June 16, 2021

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