Optimove expands realtime data capabilities with acquisition of event streaming technology vendor, Axonite

NEW YORK, Feb, 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Optimove, the Science-First Relationship Marketing Hub, announced today that it acquired Axonite, a leading mission critical, realtime event streaming vendor. This acquisition completes Optimove’s new database infrastructure, Optidata, and will provide its clients with access to its realtime customer data platform (CDP).

optimove-expands-realtime-data-capabilities-with-acquisition-of-event-streaming-technology-vendor-axoniteAxonite has been developing its event streaming framework since 2015 facilitating connections between systems and building realtime workflow automations. Axonite’s platform rapidly simplifies the process of building, deploying and running realtime, large scale, event-driven customer-centric business applications based on any kind of data stream.

With the combined offering of Optimove and Axonite, marketers around the world will benefit from a variety of capabilities, including:

Realtime Customer 360 Data Sync: Create a highly adaptable two-way continuous synchronization between Optimove and any other system or database in the organization (such as customer care, loyalty, finance) to enrich brand’s unified customer profiles, and share them in realtime across the organization, keeping all systems in sync and up-to-date.

Realtime Self-Optimizing Journeys: Create and maintain a “realtime state” for each customer, including their behavior and activity, while leveraging Optimove’s self-optimizing algorithms to power realtime customer-led journeys. These journeys take into consideration the predicted uplift of all campaigns each customer is eligible for and serves them with the optimal one.

External Event-Based Triggers: Utilize Optimove’s robust customer insight and segmentation capabilities to trigger specific campaigns to customers based on external events such as favorite products being back in stock or changes in odds or jackpot status.

“As relationship marketing evolves, marketers are looking to empower customers by providing them with contextually relevant, self-generated experiences.”  Said Pini Yakuel, Optimove’s CEO and Founder. “Adding Axonite’s ability to process tens of thousands of events each second to Optimove’s capabilities, will give marketers the tools to realize their vision of realtime customer-led journeys.”

“Having a framework that unifies events and cross-references them with historical data to build a continuously up-to-date single customer view, and push updates to other systems in realtime, is a key use case for the customer data platform of the future.” Said Yuval Shefler, Axonite’s CEO. “Merging Optimove’s Relationship Marketing Hub with our event streaming framework will create a future-proof CDP, catering to the ever-growing list of realtime marketing needs, solving tomorrow’s problems, today.”

This acquisition comes at the back of a strong 2019, in which Optimove grew its North American business by 70% YoY as well as doubled its customers in APAC. Optimove has expanded its enterprise clientele by adding household brands such as Staples, Zee5, Paper Source, and Quidco.

About Optimove:

Optimove is the Science-first Relationship Marketing Hub. With a realtime Customer Data Platform at its core, Optimove autonomously transforms customer data into actionable insights, helping customer-centric businesses drive measurable growth. The company’s unique technology suite enables the smart orchestration, measurement and optimization of highly personalized multi-channel campaigns, at scale, resulting in improved customer experience, retention and lifetime value. Optimove is used by hundreds of leading brands of all sizes, including Staples, Deezer, GVC, Family Dollar, Groupe Dynamite, Paper Source and Sweaty Betty. Optimove employs over 260 people in its New YorkLondonSingapore and Tel Aviv offices.

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FanDuel to Migrate to Scientific Games Sports Betting Platform, Sources Say

Wagering and DFS operator FanDuel has picked Scientific Games to power its sports betting and online casino operations in the US amid nationwide rush toward legalized sports betting, according to sources familiar with the matter.

FanDuel’s sports betting operations are currently supported by GAN’s back-end platform and IGT’s sportsbook technology.

The market responded accordingly to news about a potential partnership between the two companies, sending Scientific Games shares up more than 8%.

Sources have told Bloomberg that under the terms of a potential deal between FanDuel and Scientific Games, the latter company would provide a sportsbook platform for the sports betting operator in the states where it already takes wagers as well as in ones that are yet to join the US legal athletic gambling stampede.

Sports betting has surged across the nation after the US Supreme Court struck down a long-standing federal ban on the practice in May 2018. FanDuel, which started out as a daily fantasy sports operator, quickly jumped on the wagering bandwagon and took the early lead in key markets, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Despite its leadership, FanDuel’s sportsbook has experienced some technical issues during major sports events in recent months, which could have prompted the operator to start looking for a technology partner with a more sophisticated platform.

Scientific Games Deal Might Not Be Imminent

According to separate reports, a deal between FanDuel and Scientific Games might not be imminent, even though the two companies have recently engaged in talks over a potential partnership.

However, it is understood that FanDuel has held similar discussions with other sports betting technology providers in recent months.

Scientific Games powers sports betting operations via its OpenBet platform, which it added to its existing offering in early 2018.

The Las Vegas-headquartered B2B services and solutions provider announced the acquisition of NYX Gaming in the fall of 2017 and closed the $631 million transaction in January 2018. The deal included all NYX Gaming-owned technology solutions, with the OpenBet platform being among them.

Scientific Games could not have chosen better timing to boost its sports betting technology offering as the US Supreme Court authorized states to legalize athletic gambling, if they felt inclined to do so, just several months after the acquisition of NYX Gaming.

FanDuel’s owner, Flutter Entertainment, has been using some OpenBet technology across its Paddy Power and Betfair brands in Europe.

Aside from looking for ways to maintain its sports betting leadership, FanDuel has also been looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of online casino-style gaming in an increasing number of US states.

Last month, the operator launched its first FanDuel Casino app in Pennsylvania, where first legal online casino operations went live this past summer. The FanDuel Casino app currently has limited offering with about a dozen slots and table games, but the operator is set to add more titles in the coming weeks and months.

Source: FanDuel Picks Scientific Games for Sports Betting Tech

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Japan Ruling Party Lawmaker Faces New Indictment in Snowballing Casino Bribery Case

Japan’s widening casino bribery scandal just got worse as news that the senior ruling lawmaker at the heart of the case was indicted on a new charge hit the headlines earlier today.

According to the latest of a series of indictments, former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member Tsukasa Akimoto allegedly received JPY2 million from Chinese online sports lottery firm 500.com, despite being well aware of the fact that the company was seeking preferential treatment in Japan’s casino bidding process.

The indictment reads further that the lawmaker took a trip to 500.com’s Shenzhen headquarters in late 2017, the expenses for which – around JPY1.55 million – were covered by the gambling company.

500.com opened a Japanese office in the summer of 2017 and partnered a local tourism agency shortly after that to jointly explore opportunities to build an integrated casino resort in the Hokkaido province.

As part of a complex process for the legalization and introduction of casinos within larger integrated resorts, the Japanese government plans to issue up to three gaming licenses.

Mr. Akimoto, who up until October 2018 served as Senior Vice Minister in charge of drafting the policy paving the way for the introduction of integrated casino resorts, was arrested on December 25, 2019 on suspicion of taking bribes from 500.com to spearhead the gambling firm’s bid at winning a casino license.

The embattled lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing.

Mr. Akimoto Accepted Luxury Goods from 500.com during Macau Trip

Japanese news outlets reported last week that Mr. Akimoto accepted luxury items purchased by 500.com during a trip he took to Macau in late 2017. He visited the Chinese special administrative region to inspect one of its many casinos. The trip to Macau took place as part of the lawmaker’s visit to 500.com’s corporate headquarters.

At a shopping mall in Macau, Mr. Akimoto allegedly accepted luxury items that 500.com purchased for him. The lawmaker admitted to taking the items and told investigators that he was going to buy the items that were worth more than JPY100,000 himself, but the 500.com side insisted on paying for those.

Mr. Akimoto further noted that it was “within the scope of commonly accepted social norms” to accept the items from his hosts.

As mentioned earlier, Mr. Akimoto was arrested on December 25 and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office has leveled multiple charges against him since then. According to previous indictments, the lawmaker received JPY3 million in cash from 500.com in September 2017 and was treated to a family trip to Hokkaido in February 2018, the expenses for which – JPY760,000 – were covered by the Chinese gambling firm.

Of its latest indictment, Mr. Akimoto told investigators that the JPY2 million he received was remuneration for delivering speeches during events organized/sponsored by 500.com. The lawmaker also said that he had instructed his secretary to ensure that the costs for his trip to China and Macau were covered by his side.

Mr. Akimoto is the first incumbent lawmaker to be indicted in Japan in more than a decade.

Source: Japan lawmaker at center of casino bribery probe indicted on new charge

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Pragmatic Play Readies for Busy ICE London with New Virtual Sports Range

Pragmatic Play, just as the whole iGaming industry, is gearing up preparations for the upcoming ICE London, one of the biggest events on the global gambling conference calendar.

At Stand N8-120, the online casino content provider will display the newest additions to its multi-product portfolio that are set to be released over the course of the year and become available with Pragmatic Play’s operator partners and across content aggregation platforms.

News emerged earlier this week that Pragmatic Play would look to strengthen its foothold in particular major markets with the roll-out of language-dedicated roulette tables that would join the provider’s rapidly growing Live Casino range.

Pragmatic Play is set to unveil the three new roulette tables – Roulette Russia, Roulette Germany, and Roulette Italy – during ICE London, which will take place between February 4-6 at ExCel London.

Aside from the new roulette products, conference delegates will also be able to get a first look at the content provider’s new Asian Live Casino studio. The 2019 edition of ICE London was exactly where Pragmatic Play first announced that it would venture into the lucrative Live Casino sector.

While the company has been paying quite a lot of attention on growing and improving its Live Casino offering, it has also been expanding its other product ranges.

Peaky Blinders Slot Teaser

Pragmatic Play last week announced that it has partnered gaming content creator Endemol Shine Gaming, a division of global content creator, producer, and distributor Endemol Shine Group, for the rights to produce gaming titles for hit BBC drama series Peaky Blinders.

The first Peaky Blinders game will be an online slot and will be released in the coming months. Pragmatic Play will reveal a teaser of this first game during ICE London.

As part of its strategy to be a truly multi-product supplier, Pragmatic Play will soon venture into another sector of the global gambling industry – Virtual Sports. Its first Virtual Sports products are set to be unveiled soon to join the company’s existing portfolio that includes online slots, Live Casino, and bingo.

The first Virtual Sports titles that will form the newly created range will include Horse Racing, Penalty Shooting, and Fantastic League. Pragmatic Play will provide more information about its Virtual Sports offering during the upcoming ICE London.

Commenting on their participation in one of the biggest conference events of the year, Pragmatic Play Head of Marketing Roxana Nazalu said that “ICE is already a highly anticipated event in the iGaming industry, but the launch of a new vertical on our side makes it even more exciting.”

Ms. Nazalu went on that the addition of a new vertical will certainly “drive traffic to our stand, opening doors for new partnerships and bolstering up our position as a multi-product supplier.”

Source: Pragmatic Play To Show Off New Product Offering During Ice London

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Barclays Spend Millions on Underperforming Ritz Club Casino amid Ritz Sale Reports

Billionaire twin brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay have recently ploughed millions into the iconic Ritz Club amid reports that they have entered the early stages of a deal for the sale of The Ritz Hotel.

The Ritz Club is a high-end casino located in the basement of The Ritz. It features some of the most popular table games. While previously a hot spot for wealthy gamblers, the gaming facility has now been underperforming for an extended period of time.

According to corporate documents, the Barclay twins have spent £8 million on the gambling salon after entering initial stages of offloading The Ritz to interested investors. It is still unknown whether The Ritz Club would be part of the sale deal.

According to company records, the casino has not turned a profit since 2016 due to ongoing regulatory pressure on the UK gambling market and a decline in the number of high rollers from the Far East.

The Ritz Club posted a pre-tax loss of £8.9 million for the year to December 31, 2018. In 2017, the gambling salon recorded a £11.3 million pre-tax loss, but the Barlcays spent £10 million on the operation.

The billionaire businessmen bought The Ritz along with its casino for £75 million in 1995. Aside from the Ritz Club, the property also features 111 hotel rooms and 25 suites, a range of food and beverage outlets, and the iconic Palm Court which hosts the famous Traditional Afternoon Tea at the Ritz.

Sale Reportedly Under Way

It emerged earlier this month that the Barclays were reviewing interest from a Saudi Arabian private investment firm to sell The Ritz. While the amount offered for the five-star hotel in London’s West End was not disclosed, it is believed that the billionaire brothers are asking for at least £750 million for the property.

According to reports, investment group Sidra Capital was the party interested to buy The Ritz from the Barclays. The company is headquartered in Saudi Arabia with offices in Jeddah, Riyadh, and London.

Sidra has been looking to enter London’s hotel sector for some time now. In 2018, the company lost a bid to acquire Grosvenor House on Park Lane. It currently owns a number of properties across the UK, including Kinnaird House near Trafalgar and St. James’ Squares in the British capital.

The firm has additionally invested in buildings across Scotland on lease to Sainsbury’s as well as a Travel Lodge near Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport. It also managed property in the Netherlands, the US, and the UAE.

Speculations that the Barclays were looking to sell The Ritz have been floating around since last October when it emerged that the twin businessmen had been approached with unsolicited bids for the property. Sources further noted that the luxury hotel’s current owners might be ready to offload it, if they received a high enough offer.

The potential sale speculations were further fueled by the fact that the property’s latest financial accounts included valuation for The Ritz. Its estimated value stood at around £800 million and reflected the hotel’s freehold tenure, prime location not far from the Buckingham Palace, the quality of the building, the brand name, and the casino lease.

Source: Barclay twins sink £8m into casino as buyers circle The Ritz

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