Pragmatic Play has expanded its Live Casino reach with a content supply deal with online gambling operator 1xBet

Pragmatic Play has signed another gambling operator to roll out its brand new Live Casino offering, the supplier announced in a Wednesday press release. The company has recently inked a Live Casino supply deal with 1xBet.

Under the terms of the deal, Pragmatic Play will craft a fully customized and branded Live Casino solution for the operator and its players. Said solution will feature branded equipment for conducting Live Casino activities, tailored game types, and preferred dealing styles, among other things.

The Live Casino offering will be delivered from Pragmatic Play’s new Live Casino studio in Bucharest, Romania.

Commenting on securing another client for its newly added product, Pragmatic Play Chief Commercial Officer Melissa Summerfield said that signing 1xBet is an “important milestone” for the company that underlines their “live casino offering’s ability to stand out in a crowded marketplace.”

Ms. Summerfield also hailed their Bucharest-based studio for providing operators “with unparalleled opportunities for improving acquisition and retention while boosting their autonomy with the ability to host live promotions and set their own tournaments.”

Of their new partnership, representatives for 1xBet said that they are “thrilled to be rolling out Pragmatic Play’s custom solution” and that the supplier’s “professional and creative approach coupled with 24/7 support and risk management services sets Pragmatic Play’s offering apart.”

Romanian License

Pragmatic Play announced last month that it has received a Class II license by the Romanian National Gambling Office (ONJN) to operate its its new Live Casino studio in Romania’s capital Bucharest.

The new studio has a capacity for 43 tables and for further future extension. With the recent authorization by the ONJN, the facility is fully licensed to provide both digital and land-based gambling operators with a “unique and flexible solution” that is fully compliant with regulations.

Pragmatic Play’s Live Casino offering currently includes Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, and Live Baccarat. The company said last month that player-favorites Live Speed Roulette, Live Auto Roulette, and Live Baccarat Super Six are, too, already on the roadmap.

Live Casino is a vertical Pragmatic Play has just ventured in, but the company has expressed confidence that their solution “will reach and surpass the highest industry standards.”

The Live Casino content supply partnership with 1xBet was the second one unveiled by Pragmatic Play in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the company announced that it has signed a similar deal with major online gambling operator Interwetten. Just as with 1xBet, the Interwetten partnership will grant Pragmatic Play and its Live Casino solution access to multiple gambling markets, most prominently the lucrative German-speaking ones in which Interwetten has been a staple name for more than two decades now.

The past year has been particularly busy for Pragmatic Play. The supplier has signed major commercial agreements with the likes of GVC Holdings PokerStars, Kindred, and Casumo, among other big industry players, and has closed the acquisition of virtual sports content provider VSoftCo.

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Pariplay looks to cement itself in Sweden’s re-organized gambling market through partnership with Svenska Spel’s digital arm

Online gaming technology company Pariplay announced Tuesday that its complete library of online casino games will go live with Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, the online gambling operation of Sweden’s state-run operator that previously held the monopoly over the provision of gambling services in the country.

The deal will also see Svenska Spel add Pariplay’s newest release – Lucky Vegas, which the supplier is set to debut today. Svenska Spel’s online casino will be the exclusive provider of the game for a period of two weeks, that is until June 11.

News about Pariplay’s new Swedish deal came shortly after the company announced that it has extended its footprint to the regulated markets of Italy and Bulgaria. The company has also recently obtained a license from the gambling regulator of Romania, which will enable it to soon launch its titles in the local market. In addition, Pariplay has taken steps to expand into Denmark, Portugal, and Spain.

Cementing Presence in Sweden

Commenting on the newly inked deal, Pariplay Commercial and Marketing Director Richard Mintz said that partnering with Svenska Spel Sport & Casino helps them cement their presence in the region and “highlights our drive for forward-thinking innovation.” The agreement also comes as part of the company’s strategic goals for 2019, which include “continuing to collaborate with the leading operators in the industry’s biggest regulated markets.”

Jonas Nygren, VP Casino at Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, added that “having already enjoyed success across many other regulated markets, we feel Pariplay’s diverse collection of games will complement our existing product offering” and provide players in Sweden with “even more exciting gaming experiences.”

Svenska Spel’s Market Leadership

Sweden re-organized its gambling market on January 1, 2019 in a manner that allowed international gaming and betting companies to service local customers in a regulated environment by obtaining a license from the local regulator, Spelinspektionen. Around 70 operators have so far been licensed by the regulatory body and more will join the space in future.

To claim its share of the revamped market, Svenska Spel launched its digital operation Svenska Spel Sport & Casino on January 1. The new brand quickly cemented itself among the leaders in the local gaming space, largely due to the company’s already large customer base from its previous status as the state gambling monopoly.

In its quarterly report, Svenska Spel said that its digital business has increased 14% year-on-year since the launch of its Sport & Casino operation and that mobile sales spiked more than 21% during the first three months of 2019.

Svenska Spel quickly pulling ahead of many of its commercial competitors drew criticism from those. Earlier this year, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), a trade body representing more than 20 international operators that have been licensed to provide their services in Sweden, filed a complaint to the Swedish Competition Authority, arguing that Svenska Spel has improperly exploited its lottery monopoly to encourage customers to check out its online casino and sports betting product.

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Another delay hits the Hellinikon casino resort project, Greek regulator extends deadline for license applications to end of June

Greece has extended the deadline for submitting applications for a license for the development and operation of a casino resort near Athens to June 28, Reuters reported. Interested bidders previously had until May 31 to notify the Hellenic Gaming Commission about their interest to run a casino complex as part of a larger, €8 billion, integrated resort.

The Greek gaming regulator said on Monday that that previous deadline would be extended to June 28, but did not disclose the reason behind its decision.

Casino News Daily reported earlier this month citing information from local news outlet Kathimerini that the commission could extend the license application deadline due to zoning issues and pending ministerial decisions. It also became known that companies interested to participate in the bidding process have told the Greek gaming commission that they needed time to review the zoning plan for the property.

This is the third deadline extension for companies to submit their bids for the casino portion of the larger integrated resort scheme. The Hellenic Gaming Commission finally launched the bidding process in February after multiple previous delays. The regulator set an April 22 deadline, but then pushed it back to May 31.

Hellinikon

When the winning bidder is finally selected they will be granted a 30-year license for the development and operation of a casino complex that, as mentioned earlier, will be part of a larger integrated resort.

The larger property, along with its gaming resort, will be located at the site of the former Ellinikon International Airport near Athens. Greek real estate firm Lamda Development has been selected as the preferred developer of the €8 billion mega-complex.

The redevelopment of the former airport into Hellenikon, as the project is dubbed, is part of Greece’s privatization program under its third bailout.

It is believed that the casino portion of the resort has attracted the attention of major gaming and hospitality companies such as Hard Rock International, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, and Genting Group. Las Vegas casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corp. is too believed to have expressed interest in participating in the mega-resort scheme, but may now reportedly be losing interest due to the multiple delays hampering the project’s progress.

A successful bidder for the casino license will be expected to possess experience in operating a facility with no fewer than 100 table games and no fewer than 500 slot machines. The company that will be granted the license will also have to invest at least €1 billion into the endeavor.

As for the larger resort, it will occupy around 620 hectares of land and will feature luxury residence buildings, hotels, a yachting marina, retail space, MICE facilities, dining outlets, and multiple attractions, among others.

While it is still unknown when the resort will be launched, it will certainly face heavy regional competition from Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s City of Dreams Mediterranean, a €550 million integrated resort currently under development in the Republic of Cyprus. Construction on the property commenced in April and the luxury complex is expected to open doors in 2021.

City of Dreams and Hellenikon will compete for pretty much the same clientele – wealthy gamblers from the Middle East and East Asia.

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Finnish TV channels and radio stations could lose their licenses if found to be airing adverts of illegal casino, betting operations

Finland’s National Police Board and the Finnish Transport and Communications Authority (Traficom) said earlier this week that they would step up efforts to crack down on TV and radio ads of illegal gambling operations.

Under Finnish law, the state-run Veikkaus is the only operator authorized to provide gambling services on the territory of the Scandinavian nation and the only one that is allowed to advertise its products across Finnish media.

The company was formed in early 2017 through the merger of three operators – horse racing operator Fintoto, Finland’s Slot Machine Association (RAY), and lottery operator Veikkaus. The Finnish gambling monopoly’s operations have suffered for years from international operators who have been luring customers away from regulated operations, despite the rules and regulations in place.

Local news outlet Yle reported earlier this week that the Police Board and Traficom’s looming clampdown would affect not only unlicensed gambling operators, but also TV channels and radio stations that air gambling adverts of unlicensed operators. A TV channel or a radio station can thus have their licenses revoked by watchdogs, if they are caught to have repeatedly violated regulations concerning the promotion of gambling products.

Health and Welfare Institute Demands Stricter Rules

News about the Police Board and Traficom joining forces to clamp down on ads of unlicensed gambling products arrive shortly after the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare – Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos (THL) – urged Veikkaus to bring its marketing campaigns in line with the nation’s existing health policy communications.

According to THL, the wording of the gambling operator’s ads sends messages that do not provide enough information about the risks associated with gambling, but only encourage people to gamble. The Institute further elaborated that gambling ads should be treated and therefore regulated in the same manner as alcohol and tobacco ads, that is products that carry a high risk of harming consumers.

THL also noted that measures restricting Veikkaus’ marketing activities should be introduced. With annual marketing budget of €50 million, the gambling operator is one of Finland’s largest advertisers.

Recent Survey Says Lawmakers, Veikkaus Not Doing Enough to Protect Gamblers

According to the results of a recent survey commissioned by the nation’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and conducted by Statistic Finland, Helsinki University, and problem gambling prevention group Peliklinikka, there have been certain gambling-related issues that have deepened over the past several years.

The survey’s results showed that while the number of problem gamblers has declined, the situation of people showing excessive gambling habits has worsened and intensified over the past two years. One of the reasons driving that trend is the fact that more and more people prefer gambling online to going to nearby supermarkets, bars, and casinos where they can gamble on regulated gambling machines.

Earlier this year, residents of the country started a petition, urging Veikkaus to remove its gambling machines from grocery stores and petrol stations. THL has, too, previously reached out to the operator with a similar demand.

Veikkaus Ups Its Online Game

While it is still unknown what Veikkaus will do about the growing concerns over its gambling machines, the company has revealed that it indeed intends to reshuffle its business by reducing its table gaming operations across Finnish restaurants and boosting its digital gambling arm. The move comes as part of Veikkaus’ strategy to present local gamblers with a competitive product that will lure them away from unlicensed international operators.

The company has said that it plans to invest between €4 million and €8 million into adding new online casino games and refurbishing its online gambling business. As part of the reshuffle, Veikkaus forged late last year content supply deals with NetEnt and Yggdrasil Gaming. The operator is set to go live with games by the two suppliers in the coming months.

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Vietnam’s crackdown on illegal gambling rings continue, and they put a stop to two major operations recently. More than 30 have been arrested or brought in for questions for two online gambling rings, VNExpress reports.

Police arrested 19 in the northern province of Hung Yen on May 23, shutting down an operation that had over 100 bookmakers and volume worth VND2 trillion ($86 million). The alleged leader of the operation, Pham Cong Bang, was 29 years old, with three accomplices operating out of a rented house in Thai Binh province.

They didn’t run their own site, that would be too easy to catch. Instead, they opened sites with international gambling sites and acted as brokers for locals who wanted to make bets.

In another raid on the same day, police in Hai Duong announced they were investigating 16 people for gambling crimes. Their operation is a bit different, using software provided by the suspects to play online dice and card games for tokens which can be sold for cash. Police suspect the opation is worth VND 1 trillion ($43 million).

This continues the Vietnamese crack down on online gambling, which remains illegal in the country. In April, police arrested 22 and seized hundreds of devices associated with the Fun88 brand. That operation, which mirrored the Philippines-licensed gambling site of the same name, was worth a reported $1.2 billion.

Despite online gambling being illegal, casinos are still legal in the country. Hoiana resort, operated by the Suncity group and located in Quang Nam province, is set to open in 2019. Corona casino, operated by Upffinity and located in Phu Quoc, opened in January and has been permitted to accept locals for gambling.

That’s made possible by a three-year trial the government has created to allow hand-picked casinos to cater to locals. That’s could be an exciting aspect for many Vietnamese, who previously haven’t had many legal options.

Phu Quoc is still very far for most though, located distantly from the major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. With the majority of the population unable to travel so far to satisfy their gambling urges, police are likely to have a few more illegal online operations to contend with until more options are created.

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