Playzido, iSoftBet Sign Content Distribution Deal

ISoftBet’s partnership with Playzido has become the latest of a series of important deals the internet gaming supplier has penned in recent weeks. Early last month, the business signed online lottery operator Jinni Lotto as a brand new client to assist its own initial foray into the internet casino perpendicular . Under the deal, Jinni Lotto was able to go live with iSoftBet’s in-house titles in addition to using the over 3,000 third-party games on its GAP platform.

Playzido is a part of the Endemol Shine Group and the developer behind the popular Offer Or No Deal series.

Playzido’s Managing Director, Stuart Banks, said that they’re delighted to be working with iSoftBet within their effort to “improve the distribution of Playzido games”. The deal will probably increase considerably the amount of operators that can get Playzido’s “super-brands such as Deal Or No Deal” for the very first time, Mr. Banks went on to say.
The supplier announced later in May that it has expanded its footprint into the Portuguese gaming marketplace through a deal with neighborhood company CasinoSolverde.pt. Under that deal, iSoftBet’s proprietary names as well as third-party games went live with one of Portugal’s largest online gambling operations.
The internet casino content aggregator currently contains over 3,000 games sourced from more than 50 of the industry’s largest third-parties of gambling content. GAP also comes with plenty of advertising and real time gamification tools, such as In-Game, a real time cross-platform gamification coating, which iSoftBet debuted during this year’s ICE in London.

Playzido gaming titles, including flagship Deal Or No Deal Collection, are now available on iSoftBet’s GAP Internet Casino content aggregator

Commenting on their most recent GAP bargain, Michael Probert, Chief Commercial Officer in iSoftBet, said that they are “thrilled to welcome Playzido into the GAP family” as the firm has an impressive content portfolio and some of the most engaging brands in the internet gambling market.
ISoftBet also secured expansion round the Baltics through a recent partnership with Lithuanian online gambling operator TOPsport. The deal, very similar to the prior two, watched TOPsport access the supplier’s in-house titles as well as to the more than 3,000 slots and table games on its GAP articles aggregator.

An Extremely Exciting Step

Mr. Probert added that the partnership with Playzido marks “an extremely exciting step” for iSoftBet and its content aggregator.

Online gambling software companies iSoftBet and Playzido have inked a content distribution deal, under the terms of that Playzido will integrate some of its iconic names on iSoftBet’s Game Aggregation Platform (GAP).
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The partnership between Playzido and iSoftBet will create the former’s titles available to a quickly growing number of internet gaming operators that choose for iSoftBet’s GAP platform. Through various deals, the titles incorporated into the material aggregator are currently available in over 15 regulated markets.

Important Deals

Switzerland issues first four online gambling permits to local casinos

switzerland-four-online-gambling-permitsSwitzerland has formally issued its initial online gambling licenses to four local casino operators and their online technology partners.
The article Switzerland problems first four online gaming permits to local casinos appeared initially on CalvinAyre.com.

There are still a few hurdles before these first four licensees can launch their online operations, as the ESBK should certify the software of every operator’s respective online games.
On Friday, Switzerland’s Federal Council rubber-stamped their acceptance of four casinos’ online gambling permits. The licenses were previously approved by the Federal Gaming Commission (ESBK) ahead of the July 1 launch of the country’s regulated online industry.
There are 21 accredited casinos in Switzerland, a few of which are still awaiting their own permit approval, while others are still taking a wait-and-see approach. This latter strategy is folly, according to Grand Casino Baden CFO Marcel Tobler, who told attendees at this week’s Gaming in Holland conference that operators that pass up this”once in a lifetime chance” would repent not staking out an early claim for the loyalties of Switzerland’s internet gamblers.

Grand Casino Baden will launch online under its Jackpots.ch brand, which has for years operated as a free-play website . The Pfäffikon venue has a deal with Playtech while the Lucerne casino will operate under its own mycasino brand.
Switzerland’s new gaming legislation technically took effect on January 1 but the country’s internet service providers won’t start blocking internationally licensed gambling sites until July 1. (For the record, the ISPs aren’t too delighted about being forced to carry out additional work with no state kicking in certain francs to pay their costs.)

The four casinos therefore honored were the Grand Casino Baden and its sister venue Grand Casino Davos, as well as Grand Casino Lucerne along with the Swiss Casinos group’s Pfäffikon venue.

GiG’s Sportsbook Goes Live with In-House Brand Guts

Gaming Innovation Group’s sportsbook has gone live with the company’s in-house online gambling brand Guts, news emerged on Thursday. The move came as part of GiG’s strategy to reposition Guts as a “sportsbook first” brand.

Guts is one of GiG’s best performing B2C operations. The online gambling brand holds licenses from the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming, and Spelinspektionen, which it obtained late last year to secure entry in the newly regulated Swedish market.

In a press release announcing that GiG’s sportsbook is now live with Guts, the gambling technology company said that new and existing customers are now able to experience “a radically improved UI/UX, fast navigation and importantly, a mobile focused platform.”

The launch of GiG’s sportsbook on Guts came as part of the parent company’s B2C strategy to further improve its two best performing brands – Guts and Rizk. Guts will be repositioned as a sports betting-focused brand, while Rizk will be promoted as a casino-focused operation. GiG has also explained that expansion across new markets and growth in existing ones would be instrumental for delivering its updated B2C strategy.

Improving Its Sportsbook

GiG also plans to further extend its foothold in the sports betting market by further developing and loading its sportsbook with new features. The company has revealed that adding “innovative trading tools, data driven odds together with a full retail and online solution” are among their key priorities.

GiG expects to reach break-even point in the sports betting vertical by the first half of 2020. The company said it intends to achieve this by strengthening its sportsbook by growing its Guts brand, by improving its sports betting solution, and through a focused marketing approach.

GiG’s sportsbook first went live in June 2018 with the company’s Rizk brand. Over the past year, the sportsbook has also been implemented by 11.lv, a brand belonging to MRG’s portfolio of online gambling operations, and most recently by Metal Casino.

Metal Casino first went live with GiG’s Core platform in August 2017. Last year, the brand moved to expand its presence across the sports betting sector and inked a supply deal with GiG for the technology company’s sportsbook. The online casino went live with the sports betting solution across UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority jurisdictions earlier this month.

Last year, GiG also signed a deal with Hard Rock International to power an in-person and digital sportsbook solution for the company’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City property. The casino resort opened doors in June 2018, but it was only early this year that it went live with online sports betting.

While the casino tagged behind other Atlantic City properties in launching sports betting, it was able to debut its operation ahead of the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event in the US.

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Kindred Goes Live in New Jersey, Debuts New Unibet Logo

Online gambling operator Kindred Group has officially gone live in the New Jersey market with its flagship brand, Unibet, through a partnership with Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Kindred inked a partnership agreement with the Boardwalk gaming property last summer. The company then successfully obtained a Casino Service Industry Enterprise License from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. The license enables Kindred’s Unibet to provide online casino games to New Jersey-based gambling customers.

Internet gaming is the state’s fastest growing gambling vertical. According to the latest stats by the Division of Gaming Enforcement, the sector recorded a 52.4% revenue growth during the first four months of the year to $141.1 million. New Jersey went live with online casino games and online poker in November 2013. The state’s digital gaming industry has generated more than $1.1 billion so far.

Commenting on the recent launch into the New Jersey market, Manuel Stan, SVP Kindred US, said in a Tuesday press release that they are thrilled that they “can now offer New Jersey customers a truly great gambling experience on a top technology platform in a sustainable safe and secure environment.”

Kindred has previously signed a supply deal with SG Digital, the Internet gambling arm of Scientific Games, to use the provider’s Open Platform System (a player account management platform) and Open Gaming System (SG Digital’s gaming content aggregation technology).

What’s Next for Kindred in the US?

Kindred said on Tuesday that its US expansion plans are not limited to online gaming in New Jersey. The Malta-based online gambling group has also been eyeing entry in the state’s newly opened sports betting market.

Kindred announced late last year that it has extended its partnership with provider of sports betting products Kambi to also include the operator’s venture into the New Jersey betting market. The company said on Tuesday that its sports gambling operation is expected to go live in the state “in the near future.”

Of their US expansion strategy, Mr. Stan said that the announcement about their New Jersey launch was “the first one in a line of hopefully many more, since we believe in the importance of the US market.” The company official added:

Next in line will most likely be Pennsylvania and Kindred’s strategic partnership with Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Pennsylvania legalized online gaming and sports betting in the fall of 2017 as part of a sweeping gambling overhaul of the state’s gambling industry. SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia together with Rush Street Interactive launched last month Pennsylvania’s first online sportsbook. Online casino games are expected to become available in the state within the next few weeks.

Kindred is set to operate in Pennsylvania through a five-year partnership with Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains, Pennsylvania. The property is operated by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, the gambling business of Connecticut’s Mohegan Tribe.

New Logo for Unibet

In line with its official entry into the US market, Kindred also announced that it has updated the logo of its Unibet brand to “better cater for today’s mobile first environment with high legibility in small digital spaces.”

The logo has been fully designed and realized by the operator’s in-house creative design team. The company said in a Tuesday press release announcing the new logo that its designers were faced with the challenging task to modernize the classic logo while “staying true to Unibet’s heritage.”

The new logo will be used globally, Elen Barber, Chief Marketing Officer at Kindred, said on Tuesday. She went on to say that they believe the change will be “the right mark for the progressive Unibet brand and we are all very excited about what it will bring going forward.”

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John Garner named VP of Finance at Konami Gaming

The changes that have been made at Konami Gaming have been impressive, including choosing a new head of software development in April, when Sathish Anantharaman was brought on board as the company’s newest vice president. Now a new VP is joining the group, as John Garner has joined Konami as the Vice President for Finance and Accounting.

john-garner-named-vp-of-finance-at-konami-gamingIn a written statement, the company explained that Garner will be in charge of fiscal strategy, planning, and processes, not only looking to make short-term gains for the company but also helping it to reach its long-term financial objectives as well.

Meeting the long-term objectives looks to be the driving factor at Konami. Anantharaman was hired because of his pioneering work in a large number of different products that included table games, automation, central monitoring, facial recognition software, and mobile applications. He is viewed as one of the most innovative people within his field, and his addition was clearly geared toward increasing the company’s presence for years to come.

“Sathish Anantharaman has long demonstrated an ability to drive meaningful value for operators and guests through innovative use of technology, creative application development and proven results,” the company said in a statement at the hiring of their new vice president.

Garner comes with his own impressive set of credentials. He has over 30 years of experience in the gaming industry, often overseeing financial strategies for gaming companies across the globe. Now it looks like he will bring his special set of skills and expertise to his new position. “His demonstrated abilities are well-aligned with our strategic vision and growth opportunities,” the company wrote.

Things are clearly looking good at Konami Gaming. The company reported a 5.2% increase in net revenue in the first quarter of this year as compared to the first quarter of last year, thanks in large part to the success of their slot machines. This helped the company go from $284.3 million in the first quarter of 2018 to a total of $331.6 million in the first three months of this year.

The message that Konami is sending is that they are successful now, but are not sitting on their laurels. They fully intend to become one of the leaders, if not the leader in the development of gaming systems as well as developing strategies

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