Online slots maker Booongo has announced a partnership with platform provider The Ear Platform to significantly extend its reach across Latin America.

Under the terms of the recently signed agreement between the two B2B companies, The Ear Platform will gain access to Booongo’s entire slots portfolio, including hit titles Dragon Pearls and Sun of Egypt and recent release Thunder of Olympus, among others.

Based in Italy, The Ear Platform specializes in the provision of an online gaming aggregation platform that is licensed and certified in Italy and Romania and focuses on multiple markets. Its platform features intuitive user and game bonus management functionality, comprehensive analytics and reporting tools, and content from more than 100 premium game providers.

The Ear Platform also provides tailored solutions for iGaming aggregators and gaming providers as well as white-label and turnkey solutions.

Through its partnership with The Ear Platform, Booongo will now be among the prominent iGaming content suppliers featured on its new partner’s platform.

Booongo boasts an ever-growing portfolio of HTML5 slots games that feature stunning 2D and 3D graphics and are crafted to provide the optimal experience to both desktop and mobile users. The company also offers a flurry of engagement tools that attract, entertain, and retain players of different experience levels.

Looking Forward to a Long and Successful Partnership

Commenting on their content integration deal with The Ear Platform, Booongo Commercial Director Sebastian Damian said that they are very happy to be teaming up with one of the fastest-growing suppliers of iGaming solutions in the industry.

Mr. Damian went on to say that Booongo is in the middle of an impressive period of commercial growth all over the world and that they are looking forward to a long and successful relationship with The Ear Platform.

Andrei Siomlea, Commercial Director at the platform provider, said that they cannot wait to see how Booongo’s diverse portfolio of games that consistently perform well will be received by their clients.

Mr. Siomlea added that Booongo has an exciting roadmap of slots ahead and that the supplier’s products seem to be a perfect fit for their platform.

As mentioned earlier, Booongo’s partnership with The Ear Platform is the latest deal that will expand the slots developer’s footprint in Latin America. In recent months, Booongo has announced deals with the likes of Wargos Technology, Rush Street Interactive, and Rivalo to strengthen its foothold and grow its market share in that extremely attractive region that has seen a lot of activity toward expanding its gambling market over the past few years.

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Codere was born in Spain, making its first appearance 40 years ago through “amusement with prizes” slot machines. Since then, it has grown to include casinos, bingo parlors and more, both in its home country and abroad. As it has grown, it hasn’t lost sight of its roots and continues to be a big part of Spain’s gambling landscape. According to the company’s CEO, Vincente di Loreto, that isn’t going to change, either, and, even as Spain is cracking down on the gambling industry, Codere believes Spain will play an even more important role in the company’s success. 

Codere just wrapped up a two-day virtual conference in Madrid, Spain, where it discussed what’s going on with the company and where it is headed. The “Apostamos x Ti” (We’re betting on you) conference provided a great deal of inside information about the company’s goals, and di Loreto added, “Spain is a key market in which we have high hopes for growth, for which we must redouble our efforts and investments. Of course, there are difficulties and uncertainties, above all of a regulatory nature, but these are challenges that we will face by leveraging our strategic pillars, convinced of the potential of this market beyond the current situation.”

Part of the “regulatory” issues the executive was hinting about is tied to Spain’s government and gambling regulator coming down hard on all forms of gambling. It is implementing changes to how casinos – land-based and online – can advertise and where, and is also forcing sports organizations to sever their sponsorships with casinos and gaming companies. In addition, betting caps introduced as a result of COVID-19 that were meant to be temporary could be converted into permanent limits.

Going forward, gambling TV and radio spots are only allowed between 1 AM and 5 AM, as if gambling were some type of perverse, pornographic activity. This is expected to have an impact on online gaming operators, but Codere is developing a plan that it expects to be able to overcome the obstacles. It plans on engaging more with clients at its land-based casinos and then converting these into online gamblers to give the company a competitive edge against rivals. 

It’s a strategy that should work, given the fact that Codere is the only casino operator with a retail presence in virtually every corner of Spain. Its turnover has increased 16% over the past five years, and the plan will allow it to see even greater growth in its online channels. Codere Chief Operating Officer Alejandro Rodino is as convinced of the plan’s success as is di Loreto, and said during the company’s conference, “We are continuing work to consolidate our leading position in sports betting in the country. In addition, we are redefining our commercial proposal with an innovative approach that allows us to offer more value to our customers. Our omnichannel strategy generates greater customer loyalty in a market that our board sees as a priority.”

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US casino and hospitality giants Caesars Entertainment Inc. and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment are understood to be both facing significant delays in their separate integrated resort projects in South Korea, local news outlets report.

The two companies are reportedly experiencing difficulties to secure capital to complete the mega-schemes for integrated resorts with casinos and other facilities due to the disruptions caused by the global Covid-19 crisis.

Construction of Caesars Korea, which is part of a larger project called Midan City on the Yeongjong Island, just off the west cost of Incheon, has been delayed for eight months after work stopped in February due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The future of Caesars’ Korean project has actually been surrounded by uncertainty since last summer when what formerly operated as Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced a $17.3 billion tie-up with fellow US casino operator Eldorado Resorts. The two companies closed the deal in the summer of 2020 to form Caesars Entertainment Inc.

Even before the merger was finalized, former Eldorado CEO and current CEO of the enlarged group Tom Reeg said that the new Caesars would primarily focus on its US casino properties and that any international expansion opportunity would have to be “stupendous” for them to pursue it.

Mohegan Project on Track for 2022 Launch

Caesars said in August 2019 that it would cap the amount of additional cash it would pour into its $700-million Caesars Korea scheme to $60 million. The company had already spent $80 million at the time. It further noted that the remainder would be provided by outside financing, which it now seems to be struggling to secure.

As for Mohegan, the company plans to build its INSPIRE Entertainment Resort on 1.7 million square meters near Incheon Airport. Phase one of the project is estimated to cost $1.6 billion and is planned to include a casino with 700 slot machines, 150 gaming tables, a 1,250-room hotel, an indoor climate-controlled domed area with a pool and various attractions, dining outlets, retail space, 19,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, and more.

Mohegan CEO Mario Kontomerkos said earlier this year that their Korean project remained on track to open doors in 2022 and that the company was still fully committed to its pre-pandemic international expansion plans.

Mr. Kontomerkos further noted that the pandemic actually showed them that “diversification into the international arena” was crucial for the company.

Mohegan was recently selected as the winning bidder in the race for the development of a casino resort at the site of the former Athens international airport in Greece.

Korean news outlets also reported that there have been disagreements between the two operators and local development partners who demand all outstanding funds to be fully paid and further funding to be secured before construction work at the two planned mega-resorts could resume.

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A British man who won £1.7 million from major bookmaker Betfred in 2018 only to be denied his winnings is seeking a summary judgment in the High Court, saying the two and a half years after his big win have felt like “hell on earth.”

Andy Green from Lincolnshire said he hit a jackpot playing Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven Blackjack with Betfred in January 2018.

After a long playing session on his phone, Mr. Green’s online account was credited with a win exceeding £1.7 million, but when he tried to withdraw the money he had his request denied.

Playtech, Betfred Sign Four-Year Casino, Live Casino, Bingo, Poker Content Delivery Deal

The gambler placed several more bets with his winnings and took a screenshot to prove that he was not able to withdraw the rest. A Betfred director reached out to Mr. Green and told him that the bookmaker rejected his claim to the win saying it was the result of a software glitch.

According to Betfred’s terms and conditions, a document spanning 49 pages, which Mr. Green had ticked when he had opened his account with the operator, it has the right to void all “pays and plays” in the event of a “malfunction.” Betfred pointed out that by ticking the box, Mr. Green had agreed to that. However, the gambler’s lawyers claim otherwise.

Betfred Did Not Produce Evidence to Prove Software Error

Mr. Green’s solicitor, Peter Coyle, said that although the bookmaker’s T&Cs are “incredibly complicated and span across numerous different documents, we are confident that, on their proper construction, the terms simply don’t allow for Betfred to withhold payment.”

When he tried to claim his winnings, Mr. Green was offered instead a £30,000 payment as a “token of goodwill” as long as he agreed not to talk about the incident. Mr. Green refused that offer and the bookmaker increased it to £60,000, which he also refused.

Mr. Green said that “you wouldn’t treat an animal like I’ve been treated by Betfred” and that the last two and a have years since he won the big prize but could not collect it “have felt like hell on earth.”

Betfred licenses online casino games from Playtech. The major gambling provider has refused to confirm the nature of the software malfunction that prevented Mr. Green from being paid out his winnings.

Under UK gambling law, Playtech was obligated to inform the Gambling Commission about the incident. Mr. Green’s solicitor said that the description of the incident that Playtech provided was only four lines long and did not really specify the nature of the glitch.

Mr. Coyle went on that despite his repeated requests, Betfred and Playtech failed to prove there was any malfunction at all.

Mr. Green is suing Betfred for £2 million, including the interest he would have accumulated from his 2018 win. His legal team is seeking a summary judgment from the High Court, which means that a judge could rule on the case without a trial. At this point, the judge has a reserved judgment, which means that they could rule in Mr. Green’s favor without a trial, rule in Betfred’s favor without a trial, or order a trial at a later stage.

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Government officials in Macau are hoping to extend the COVID-19 testing period to 14 days to create further opportunities for tourism in the region.

The Macau Chief Executive Ha Lat Seng met with government officials to discuss the possible options to fight the virus in the local community, reports Inside Asia Gaming.

“A lot of residents have urged us to extend the effective period of COVID-19 virus tests from the current seven days to 14 days, and we proposed this to the Chief Executive at the meeting,” a spokesman said.

“The Chief Executive said the government was studying it as well. The Chief Executive also noted that we had passed through lots of difficulties to reach the current and stable situation in Macau, so we should be cautious about considering any extension. He hoped that residents could understand the government’s decisions and policies on preventive works,” he added.

Extending the testing period for the virus from 7 to 14 days would create opportunities for casino operators to attract interest from the Chinese market, as they look to recoup some profit heading into the final quarter of 2020.

The move comes after the tourism figures for the 2020 Golden Week holiday period were down 90% over the same period as 2019. The stringent social distancing measures enacted in the area have played a major role in the economic downturn, with the trade-off seeing Macau enjoy more than 100 days without any community transmission of COVID-19.

The current health regulations require that all Macau residents and visitors from China must submit a negative COVI-19 test before passing between Macau and mainland China in the sevens of the crossing.

Local government officials are wary of the possibility, citing the increased virus activity in mainland China behind their caution. Macau has struggled to generate the returns of previous years, with Golden week struggling to generate interest from overseas visitors. 

The move comes after the local government announced that it was quarantining all visitors from the Chinese region of Qingdao in Shandong Province. The Chinese city had reported nine cases of COVID-19 in the last two weeks. All visitors from the region will be forced into a mandatory two- week quarantine after visiting the region.

Macau continues to report a major downturn from the Golden Week holiday period. The lack of visitors has forced many casino operators to scale back their operations with a long road to recovery expected to continue well into 2021.

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