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Wazdan Expands Its Presence In Italy After Partnering With Goldbet.it

Wazdan, an award-winning slots developer and aggregator based in Valletta, Malta, has entered into a partnership, aka signed a content distribution agreement, with Goldbet.it, an Italian licensed wagering and online casino platform.

Spreading its footprint

wazdan-elevates-italian-igaming-experience-through-a-partnership-with-goldbet-itWith this partnership, Wazdan hopes to expand its presence in the Italian regulated market and introduce its latest content to a brand-new audience. In this regard, starting September 20, 2023, gamblers on the Goldbet.it platform will have access to Wazdan’s popular selection of titles, which are equipped with stunning mechanics, player-centric features and outstanding visuals. Additionally, examples of content that will be hosted on the Goldbet.it platfrom are: Power of Gods™: Medusa, 9 Lions, Black Hawk Deluxe and Hot 777 Deluxe.

Another fact that shows the developer’s commitment to the Italian market is that it was officially nominated at 2 categories at the renowned EGR Italy Awards 2023. The nominations are for the category of Mobile Supplier and Software Supplier category and additionally show the importance of its products in this crucial market.

Commenting on the partnership, Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan, Andrzej Hyla, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with Goldbet.it, one of Italy’s premier gaming platforms. Wazdan has always been at the forefront of innovation, and this partnership allows us to share our passion for cutting-edge gaming experiences with Italian players. Goldbet.it’s commitment to responsible gaming and its dedication to providing players with a diverse and enriching gaming environment align seamlessly with Wazdan’s mission to create exceptional iGaming experiences. Together, they aim to offer Italian players a world-class gaming destination that caters to a wide range of preferences.”

Strengthening its presence

On the other hand, Goldbet.it will enjoy the popularity that comes with combining its portfolio with top content created by Wazdan that is fully customized and tailored to meet its needs and expectations, which means that in the future we can expect the company to further cement its presence throughout Italy and expand its portfolio. It will also improve player commitment by adding new, unseen content to its portfolio.

About

Wazdan is an international slot game provider that combines state-of-the-art technology with an immersive gaming experiences to enable modern player preferences. The company was established in 2010 with a small group of enthusiasts brought together by a passion for innovation in iGaming.

On a mission to conquer the industry, the company has grown significantly over the past few years and continues to add new licenses to its impressive portfolio in key regulated markets around the world. Currently, Wazdan is certified to offer its titles in 20 jurisdictions, including New Jersey, West Virginia, Michigan and Ontario in North America, and European countries such as Malta, the UK, Sweden, Romania, Greece and the Netherlands.

Goldbet.it is very reputable online casino and wagering platoform in the Italian regulated market, as mentioned above. It offers its players high-quality live games, bingo, slots and sports wagering.

Source: “Wazdan elevates Italian iGaming experience through a partnership with Goldbet.it”, European Gaming, October 13, 2023

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Missouri Casinos in St. Louis County Retain Smoking After Ordinance Extinguished

Missouri casinos in St. Louis County were facing a potential smoking ban after local government officials motioned to prohibit indoor smoking at the two gaming venues.

Missouri casinos smoking St. Louis County
A smoker puffs on a cigarette while a person in the background covers their face in an attempt to avoid secondhand smoke. Missouri casinos in St. Louis County will continue allowing indoor smoking on certain sections of their gaming floors after local officials decided against an indoor smoking ban. (Image: Adobe Stock)

St. Louis County borders the independent city of St. Louis. The county is home to two commercial casinos, Hollywood Casino St. Louis in Maryland Heights, and River City Casino Lemay. Both properties are operated by Penn Entertainment, which was Penn National Gaming until a year ago this month when the Pennsylvania-based gaming firm underwent a rebranding.

Dr. Kanika Cunningham, the county health department director, encouraged the casino smoking ban to be implemented. Currently, the two casinos can designate up to 30% of their gaming floors for indoor smoking.

Even if there are partial smoking restrictions, there’s no way to allow for smoke-free air,” Cunningham said before the council in May. “The current ventilation systems can reduce the odor but it does not reduce the level of hazardous exposure.”

Officials representing Penn Entertainment took the other side and petitioned the St. Louis County Council to vote against the proposal to eliminate indoor casino smoking. The company argued that such a regulation would place its two Missouri casinos at a competitive disadvantage with casinos elsewhere in the Show-Me State, including casinos in St. Louis proper and East St. Louis, Il.

Penn’s argument resonated, as the County Council shelved the no-smoking ordinance during its Tuesday night meeting.

Hollywood Casino reported to the Missouri Gaming Commission having 685 employees at the end of 2022. River City reported 610 employees.

Patchwork Smoking Regulatory Environment

Missouri lawmakers took a bit of an atypical approach to regulating indoor smoking when they passed the state’s Clean Indoor Air Law in 2002. The statute prohibits indoor tobacco use in most public and private places, including workplaces, most retail and commercial establishments, schools and places of learning, restaurants that don’t derive the majority of their revenue from alcohol or tobacco sales, childcare facilities, and health care facilities.

Exemptions were provided for bars and taverns, bowling alleys, billiard parlors, and gaming venues like casinos. The state law tasked counties and municipalities with determining whether to allow smoking inside those kinds of businesses. The state statute does limit indoor smoking to no more than 30% of the total indoor floor space.

The state law doesn’t require exempt places from offering indoor smoking areas.

Competitive Landscape

Missouri is home to 13 riverboat and land-based casinos, and all remain with indoor smoking sections. Penn’s two properties are among the most successful of the baker’s dozen of casinos.

During the state’s 2023 fiscal year that ended June 30, River City generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of more than $254.8 million. That ranked second in the state behind only Ameristar Casino Resort St. Charles at $303 million. Penn’s Hollywood Casino ranked third at approximately $243.6 million.

Casinos share 21% of their gross gaming income with the state and, additionally, pay a $2 per person admission tax. River City counted about 4.1 million patrons during the 12-month period, while Hollywood Casino welcomed about 3.7 million guests.

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Spielbank Bad Neuenahr Opens After 2-Year Closure Following Deadly Flood

spielbank_bad_neuenahr_opens_after_2_year_closure_following_deadly_floodGerman gamblers take great pride in their local gaming establishments much like some online gamblers have a favorite “home” website, but much more so. The operators and local officials do too, and they aren’t shy about showing that devotion and affection for the venues. More than brand loyalty, the connection is personal.

The spa town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler is no exception to that rule as can be seen when looking at the recent opening of Spielbank Bad Neuenahr in a new location after a major disaster took the beloved local and regional gambling hall away.

The Night the House Edge was Not Enough

200 people died in Germany and Belgium 2 years ago in a historic flood. Damage to the local casino was so severe, and the insurance coverage to re-open in the same location would only provide about half of what it had for the prior calamity, so officials decided to never rebuild the 7-decades-old casino in the same location.

As described by Weather.com, the water came overnight on July 14-15, 2021. It funneled through sometimes narrow and steep sections, taking with it homes, bridges and roads and leaving behind a mud-covered path of destruction. Some 3,000 of 4,200 buildings along the River Ahr were damaged.

The casino was situated directly on the river Arh.

Instead, they chose to convert a nearby historic train station with neo-gothic architecture into a new casino.

After a soft opening a little over three weeks ago that allowed dealers and new staff to become accustomed to their new digs, Spielbank Bad Neuenahr held an official grand opening for the small but competent gambling spot on July 20, 2023.

During the official opening ceremonies, Michael Seegert, Managing Partner of Spielbank Bad Neuenahr GmbH & Co. KG welcomed local dignitaries and officials to the new location.

In his welcome message, Seegert said: “It’s been a little more than two years since, like countless others in the Ahr Valley, suddenly nothing was the same for us overnight. Our administration building was completely destroyed and flooded and demolished shortly afterwards with all our historical files and documents from 73 years of company history.

“Our gaming facilities and the entire building services on the ground floor of the Kurhaus were smashed and the surroundings of the casino were devastated. The only pleasing aspect was that we did not have to mourn any victims due to the early closure of the casino. But the damage to property was immense and even the maximum compensation from the insurance company was not sufficient to compensate for all the damages. The question arose, so what should we do?”

Management looked at about a dozen nearby locations, and although they didn’t find one with everything they wanted or needed, the team settled for a well-situated location with less space – which meant the number of games would have to be reduced, but all other qualities could be maintained and the historic casino could continue to offer the same level of top-tier service to local gamblers and others nearby who were die-hard fans.

Familiar Location for Most Customers

The train and bus station was already a well-known hub for travelers to the area with 5-star hotels, so footfall was expected to remain strong. This proved to be true as customer traffic from all around began right away during the soft opening and never really waned.

“We came to the only possible decision with the shareholders after difficult discussions that the future of the casino with these latent risks cannot lie in the Kurhaus,” Seegert added. “So, with a heavy heart, we gave up the traditional location and started looking for alternatives in Bad Neuenahr, in Ahrweiler, and in the surrounding area.”

“Since there were only very limited as-built plans from the construction period, we experienced many surprises during the renovation work, and the installation of an air conditioning system, in particular, was a huge challenge that caused us many a sleepless night,” added Seegert. “That’s why we are particularly happy and proud to have a new casino in Bad Neuenahr just two years after the destruction.”

The new location holds about 75 slot machines, two blackjack tables, and two roulettes wheels. The prior location held 16,000 square feet of casino floor featuring 150 slots with 8 table games, and two restaurants.

“All in all, I am very pleased that with the reopening of the casino, we can contribute another piece of the mosaic on the arduous path of reconstruction in Bad Neuenahr and the return to the old attractiveness of the city and the region,” Seegert added.

Seegert praised each and every participant in the arduous venture of finding and preparing a new home for the venue, commending the ‘highest level of commitment and a lot of heart and soul,” shown by employees, project managers, architects, and engineers, city administrators and others.,

Source: Spielbank Bad Neuenahr holds official grand opening, G3 Newswire, July 25, 2023

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Washington State Woman with TB Faces Jail After Casino Visit

An unnamed Tacoma, Wash. woman who refuses to isolate with tuberculosis (TB) has visited an area casino at least once, according to court documents seen by The Tacoma News Tribune.

TB, tuberculosis, Tacoma, Casino Washington state
TB is a life-threatening bacterial infection that attacks the lungs. It killed 1.6 million people worldwide in 2021, but US deaths are rare, and  it can be treated with antibiotics. (Image: MyMed)

The woman, identified in filings only as “V.N.,” has been ordered by the Pierce County Superior Court to isolate and receive treatment for the disease. But thus far, she has failed to comply, The News Tribune reports.

V.N. has had the disease for over a year and has ignored over a dozen court orders.

On March 2, the woman was found to be in contempt of those orders and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Nevertheless, as of April 5, she remained at large and continued to avoid detention, according to court documents filed last week.

At the time of publication, it is not clear whether V.N. has been apprehended by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

Public Consumption

A corrections officer has been assigned to surveil the respondent to “determine her habits in order to execute the warrant in a safe manner,” according to the filings.

The officer “observed a person they believed to be respondent leave her residence, get onto a city bus, and arrive at a local casino,” the documents said.

While TB is a life-threatening bacterial infection that attacks the lungs, frequent visitors to Tacoma-area casinos probably shouldn’t panic. Transmission usually occurs only after prolonged, frequent, or close contact with an infected individual.

That means it is far more likely to be transferred between members of the same household. Even then, 90% of those infected are asymptomatic and cannot pass on the disease. This is known as latent TB. For the 10% who develop active TB, the deathrate is around 66% if effective treatment is not received.

Global Killer

In 2021, the disease killed around 1.6 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Just 526 of those deaths occurred in the US, per figures from the CDC. Washington state averages around 200 cases per year, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD).

Treatment for active TB involves prolonged antibiotics courses of between four and 20 weeks because some strains of the disease are resistant to certain medications. This is something V.N. shows no willingness to be subjected to, according to court filings.

In a blog post days before V.N.’s arrest warrant was issued, the TPCHD admitted that such cases involve a fine balance between the risk to the public and the civil liberties of the patient.

“We are always hopeful a patient will choose to comply voluntarily. Seeking to enforce a court order through a civil arrest warrant is always our last resort,” the health department said.

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