Online gaming, media and solutions company Enlabs has resumed operations in Latvia after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. 

Land-based gambling was temporarily banned in Latvia on 22 March, and all online gambling licenses were suspended on 6 April. However, following the passing of a new bill on 5 June, the state of emergency was officially lifted on 9 June, and both land-based and online gambling operations may resume. 

Commenting on the news president and chief executive of Enlabs, George Ustinov, said:

“Latvia is back. Now we can continue to provide the best service and entertainment to our customers. We have worked hard to make the customer experience even better, and are now looking forward to launching updated and improved products. The Enlabs team has shown fantastic energy and solidarity during the long period, and I want to thank them all for their efforts.”

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s certainly positive news to see restrictions being lifted in more countries, but as we pointed out when reporting on the lifting of gambling advertising restrictions in Spain earlier today, companies should remain cautious, because there is a high likelihood that further lockdowns will be necessary later in the year. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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Gambling technology supplier Playtech has partnered with Swedish operator Svenska Spel Sport & Casino. 

The agreement will see Playtech provide Svenska Spel with its portfolio of online casino and live games for the regulated Swedish market. Players will be able to enjoy leading titles including Buffalo Blitz and several games within the Age of the Gods series, and more slots will be launched through the rest of the year 

Commenting on the news Head of Online Casino, Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, Niklas Örtbrant, said:

“Due to the speed and efficiency of the integration project, we have been able to integrate our external wallet system smoothly resulting in a seamless launch.”

While VP Casino, Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, Jonas Nygren, added:

“We are very happy to have Playtech on-board and look forward to be offering their games to our players. We believe Playtech’s existing and upcoming portfolio has much to offer, including the Age of the Gods suite of games which already have proved popular at launch. 

“Playtech also brings exceptional innovation within the Live segment, which allows us to expand this important category for our players.”

And, COO of Playtech, Shimon Akad, commented:

“This is a key new partnership for Playtech. Svenska Spel Sport & Casino are the Swedish market’s leading operator, and with Playtech providing content across both online Casino and a burgeoning area such as Live Casino, it will provide a compelling offer to its customers. 

“It also serves as a perfect example of Playtech partnering with industry leaders in regulated markets to expand and underpin new and innovate offerings.”

Staying with Playtech, earlier this month, the company issued a statement taking “full responsibility” for the serious failings at the now defunct PT Entertainment Services (PTES) that led to a customer tragically committing suicide. 

Meanwhile, May Svenska Spel launched IGT’s cashless gaming product, allowing customers to fund their Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) play from their smartphones. 

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A new online casino is causing a stir among industry professionals, with its clever parody branding. 

Soon-to-launch, Malta-licensed Mr Vegas has revealed its logo to be a top hat wearing lion, in green. As anyone familiar with the iGaming world will immediately recognise, the new casino is poking fun at two other well-known iGaming operators, namely LeoVegas and Mr Green. 

However, based on the reaction from many in the industry, it seems the concept of parody is unfamiliar to some, with the logo prompting bitter quarreling and accusations. 

But, based on what I remember from studying visual communications and graphic design at university, and my life experience since, it’s quite clear the Mr Vegas creative team has done nothing wrong.  

Sure, there’s a lion. But does it look like the LeoVegas lion? No. 

Yes, it’s wearing a top hat, but Mr Green wears a bowler hat. 

The logo is green. So what? My favourite colour is green. 

So, basically, by using a simple but clever combination of visuals, but without copying any elements at all, and certainly without trying to mimic/clone other branding to trick consumers, the Mr Vegas team have pulled off an excellent, and clearly very effective, branding coup! 

I’d call that innovative and refreshing in an industry that churns out clone after clone in terms of product, and is dominated by branding that makes the websites of building societies and insurance companies look exciting by comparison. 

In fact, maybe that’s the problem. As I’ve said before, spending some time working in the iGaming industry in Malta opened my eyes to a severe lack of creativity and humour (though, I suspect this is more often due to lack of vision at the management level, rather than in design teams themselves). 

Industry press releases are full of words like “innovative” and “groundbreaking”, but in reality, it’s been a long time since I saw anything in terms of online casino branding that genuinely made me smile – and rarely does an online casino launch generate this much discussion these days! 

Hats off to Mr Vegas. 

This article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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Publishing firm XLMedia has confirmed it is planning to offload the majority of its Finnish-facing casino assets, along with some other sites. 

The Jersey-based company has instructed Akur Capital to commence the sales process, and says the move is in line with its strategy to refocus its publishing portfolio towards regulated and high-potential markets, with the goal of building more sustainable and stable growth. 

Any proceeds from the sales will be used, together with the company’s existing balance sheet, to pursue its strategy through the acquisition of content-rich, highly engaging sites in such markets. 

Discussing the move CEO of XLMedia, Stuart Simms, said:

“XLMedia has set out a clear transformation strategy to deliver the next phase of growth. We have already made significant progress with reshaping the organisation, reducing our cost base, strengthening the leadership team and building our core people skills and technological expertise.

“The sale of our Finnish-facing casino assets will reduce the reliance on unregulated markets and accelerate the delivery of our strategy, providing additional capital for the acquisition of attractive assets in regulated and high growth markets, such as the burgeoning US sports market. I look forward to updating our key stakeholders over the coming months.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Again we’re seeing the once coveted Nordic markets gradually wane in importance as operators, suppliers, and affiliates alike look to the vast growth potential of the United States and other emerging gambling markets. 

Staying with XLMedia, in May the company announced cost cutting measures, including staff cuts, as it attempted to save USD $5 million. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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Kindred Group’s 32Red online casino brand has announced a partnership with Fast Track. 

The agreement will involve the casino integrating Fast Track’s CRM (FT CRM) platform to power its player engagement. 

Commenting on the news Head of UK Customer Marketing at Kindred, Mike Kirwan, said:

“We have had many in-depth discussions with the FAST TRACK team and have been impressed by their attention to detail and the flexibility the FT CRM platform offers. We are confident that our team will be able to further enhance our player engagement using the platform’s extensive features.”

While Co-Founder and CEO of Fast Track, Simon Lidzén, added: 

“We are looking forward to working with 32Red. They have a fantastic reputation for innovation, along with the wider Kindred Group, and we expect that they will use the flexibility we offer to their advantage with some unique custom integrations.”

Staying with Kindred, just yesterday we reported the Group has launched the “Fair Sports 4 All” project in partnership with the European Football for Development Network (EFDN). 

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Greentube, the NOVOMATIC Interactive division, has launched its slots portfolio with Estoril Sol’s online platform in Portugal. 

The online casino operator initially integrated Greentube’s top 30 slots, including titles like Book of Ra™ deluxe, Lucky Lady’s Charm™ deluxe, Sizzling Hot™ deluxe and Lord of the Ocean™, and will be integrating more titles soon, including a selection of Greentube’s interactive content. 

The launch involves a partnership with Belgium-based provider Gaming1, which supplies the casino platform supporting Estoril Sol’s online business, ESC Online – which was the first licensed online casino to go live when Portugal launched its regulated market in 2016. 

Commenting on the partnership CGO and CGO at Greentube, Michael Bauer, said:

“As a distinguished operator in the Portuguese market, launching with Estoril Sol’s online platform marks another significant step in our expansion strategy and adds another reputable brand to our local client portfolio. 

“Thanks to the existing popularity of our top games in Portugal’s resort casinos, we have quickly established a vast player base in the online sector, which is shaping up to be a pillar of our European business.”

While CEO at Estoril Sol Digital, Rui Magalhães, added:

“Greentube offers a unique blend of both classic and innovative titles which capture a range of customer segments from traditional slot fans to modern players, making its portfolio the perfect match for our platform. 

“As a casino that has a strong land-based heritage, Greentube’s collection of retail favourites will make an important addition to our online offering as we look to accelerate growth of our digital brand and offer our customers a premium interactive experience.”

Staying with Greentube, last month we reported the company had expanded its Romanian footprint through a partnership with Baumbet. 

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