Pierre Lindh, Managing Director of Ambassador Events, organiser of iGaming NEXT Malta, explains why they choose not to host any mass conferences in 2020 despite being legally allowed to do so.

On 1st of July, the public health emergency declaration was lifted in Malta. Mass events are once again allowed without restrictions. On the 15th July, the airport opens to the world (albeit we still don’t know what restrictions on quarantine etc. will be in place). 

For us as an event company, this must be great, it means that we can now move ahead and do whatever we want again, COVID-19 is defeated and everything is sunshine and rainbows…. Or is it? 

Well, that is not exactly the reality. Even though Malta is practically virus free for the moment, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the near future. What will happen once the airport re-opens? What will happen when the climate becomes milder in autumn? We’ve seen new spikes in other countries already. The reality of the situation is that we simply don’t know, and if there is anything  that we have learnt from this pandemic so far, it is that when we try to make any form of prediction, the virus chooses a different path.  

Even the health ministry themselves are open with the uncertainty, fearing an autumn which might see a resurgence of the virus, and combining COVID-19 with a potentially bad influenza season, might bring the healthcare system to its knees.  

Therefore, together with our partners, we have taken the decision to postpone our in-person mass-events iGaming NEXT & iGaming IDOL which were scheduled to take place at the end of September, to next year. We just cannot promote the events in good faith.  

To echo Mark Cuban; “How corporations act during the corona pandemic will define them for the coming decade”.  

Instead, our incredible team has been working really hard during the last 3 months to transform our organization and adapt to the new climate.  

Our brainstorming sessions have led us to launch three new projects which we are really proud over. We set out to create a digital strategy which was not just a temporary replacement while we wait for in-person events to begin again. No novelty, no nonsense, just valuable digital events. No, we wanted to create next generation projects that truly give value to the industry, transcending COVID-19 itself. These types of events inevitably are the future, together with in-person events.  

Therefore, we are really proud to launch our three new digital projects that will bring us into the future: 

iGaming NEXT: Podcast 

The Primary podcast of the iGaming industry, with new episodes and senior guests each week discussing current hot potatoes. 

iGaming NEXT: Power Hour 

The industry’s weekly digital gathering point for compact insights and networking by the brightest minds of the iGaming industry. 

iGaming NEXT: Online –Adventure of Change 

The primary digital conference of the iGaming industry with 10,000 delegates spanned over three days with 70+ high level speakers, taking place 13-15th October 2020 

All three projects will be free to attend. The Podcast has already launched and become the biggest podcast of the industry with some episodes exceeding 10,000 minutes streamed, showcasing the hunger this industry has for knowledge. The weekly Power Hour is launching on the 3rd of July, and the Online event is set to become the biggest digital event of the iGaming industry in 2020! 

You can read more about these projects at our brand-new website – www.igamingnext.com  

iGaming NEXT has set a clear-cut target to become the leaders in the digital sphere, and because we are now postponing our in-person events until next year, this gives us the opportunity to focus all our resources achieve just that. The game is about to begin, are you with us?  

 – Pierre Lindh, Managing Director of Ambassador Events, organiser of iGaming NEXT Malta

AYO.NEWS says:

We absolutely agree with Pierre, and think the team behind iGaming NEXT is doing the responsible thing. 

As we’ve been pointing out frequently over the last few weeks, despite some areas lifting lockdown restrictions, the global spread of COVID-19 is increasing, the World Health Organisation (WHO) itself has explicitly warned “the worst is yet to come,” and local city and statewide lockdowns are being reintroduced in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Portugal, South Korea, China and other countries. 

Quite clearly, with such uncertainty and a very real threat of more waves hanging over us, it would be irresponsible to go ahead with physical events for the foreseeable future. Not only are there clear health risks, but it is unfair to expect both exhibitors and attendees to fork out for travel, hotels, marketing material, stands etc, for events that stand a very real chance of being cancelled at the last minute, and potentially leaving those people stranded far from home. 

We feel iGaming NEXT’s switch to an entirely online format for the time being is by far the most responsible, and innovative, course of action, and one that will pay dividends when this crisis is finally truly over. 

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

LeoVegas has strengthened its presence in Finland, launching GoGoCasino in the market. 

The Finnish launch follows a successful debut in Sweden in March 2019, and the operator says it plans to roll the brand out in more markets soon. 

GoGoCasino is aimed at customers who prioritise speed and simplicity, and was developed by a small team using existing resources within the LeoVegas Group. 

It has been launched on the same multibrand proprietary platform as LiveCasino.com – which is aimed squarely at the Live Casino niche, and follows the Group’s strategy of launching a number of customised brands that appeal to very specific target groups. 

Commenting on the launch LeoVegas CEO, Gustaf Hagman, said:

“GoGoCasino is the first new brand to be launched on our proprietary multibrand platform, and it is exciting to see that our customers appreciate the product and experience.

“The fact that GoGoCasino has done so well in the regulated market in Sweden shows our ability to use our proprietary technology to create new, appreciated brands with economies of scale and synergies across the group.

“Finland is the first new market for GoGoCasino outside Sweden, and I am looking forward to scaling up the brand internationally.”

AYO.NEWS says:

With so many online casinos available to players, they can afford to be picky, so the multi-brand approach, specifically targeting niches, is becoming an increasingly popular choice for operators. Of course, with this “long-tail” approach, the trick is remaining efficient with use of resources. 

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) is set to go public following its $745M (USD) acquisition by Landcadia II. 

Landcadia II has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire GNOG from Tilman J. Fertitta’s Landry’s Incorporated, and intends to list it on the Nasdaq exchange – which will make GNOG only the second publicly traded online casino company in the United States. 

The acquisition is expected to be completed in Q3 2020, at which point acquisition company Landcadia II plans to change its name and Nasdaq trading symbol to GNOG. 

GNOG’s valuation of $745 million is based on 6.1 x GNOG’s estimated 2021 revenue of $122 million, and the deal is expected to involve a mix of cash and equity. Landcadia II will also be taking over $150M of GNOG debt. 

After payment of the purchase price, debt repayment and transaction fees, Landcadia II/GNOG is expected to have a balance sheet of at least $80M, and pro forma equity market capitalisation of around $700M.

GNOG’s current owner, Tilman Fertitta, will continue as CEO and chairman of the company after acquisition, and Thomas Winter will also remain as president. Fertitta Entertainment, Fertitta’s holding company is also co-sponsor of Landcadia II, along with Jefferies Financial Group Inc. 

Discussing the acquisition Co-Chairman of Landcadia II and CEO of Jefferies LLC, Rich Handler, said:

“GNOG is one of the best positioned companies to capitalize on this massive online gaming opportunity in the US. We at Jefferies couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Tilman and bring this great opportunity to the public markets.”

While Tilman J. Fertitta added:

“Golden Nugget is one of the most time-honored brands in the gaming business today. When customers hear the name Golden Nugget, they know they are dealing with a trusted online gaming business. 

“Thomas and his team have done a remarkable job, are the best in the industry, and with this transaction, will have access to growth capital to allow for the rapid expansion of the business.”   

GNOG has been operating in New Jersey since 2013, and in 2019 generated net income of over $11M. 

AYO.NEWS says:

This deal is certainly a vote of confidence in the potential of the US online gaming markets, and given the current global economic crisis – during which iGaming has performed extremely well – we’re sure there’ll be plenty of appetite from investors when GNOG goes public. 

Staying with the New Jersey online casino sector, last week Ainsworth Game Technology entered an exclusive partnership with Roar Digital, the joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings. 

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Specialist virtual games provider Kiron has become the first supplier to provide online virtual content in South Africa.

South Africa-based Kiron’s Jika Sports brand, which offers localised versions of the supplier’s virtual football and horseracing products, was first launched with South African retail operators in September 2019, but will now be available to online players at major brands including Hollywoodbets, Supabets, Betway, and World Sports Betting.

Jika soccer is available in English, Italian, and Spanish league formats, while Jike Racing features Kiron’s market leading suite of racing games, including horse racing, motor racing, jumps, and greyhounds. 

Discussing the news co-CEO of Kiron, Steven Spartinos, said:

“Being the first to go live online in our home country with Jika Sports is a great milestone for us and our team, giving testament to the value proposition presented by our strong games portfolio and localised offering.

“South Africa has a long established and successful track record as a key regulated market internationally and the positive uptake of Jika Sports demonstrates the growing demand for fresh content among both players and operators locally.”

Kiron was also the first virtual supplier to go live in the Spanish online market, launching with R. Franco Group’s online brand Wanabet in November 2019, and just last week became the first to introduce virtuals to the Colombian market, going live with Betplay. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the real-life sports still severely disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in many regions, and the real prospect of further outbreaks and lockdowns, virtual sports are becoming a necessity for operators, and Kiron seems to be leading the pack. 

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

888 Holdings has revealed that adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (AEBITDA) for 2020 will be ahead of previous expectations.

The London-listed company has emerged as one of the strongest performers on the FTSE 250 index, with average daily revenue for the year-to-date 34% higher year-on-year. 

888 attributes the success to an increased level of customer acquisition in the second half of 2019, and its shift towards online gaming – which was significantly accelerated during the COVID-19 crisis over recent months.

Reflecting on the performance Chief Executive of 888 Holdings, Itai Pazner, said:

“We are pleased with 888’s trading during the year-to-date which has resulted in the board now anticipating that adjusted Ebitda for 2020 will be significantly ahead of its prior expectations. This performance builds on 888’s strong customer acquisition during 2019 and our continued focus during recent years on entertaining a greater number of recreational customers.

“888 is well positioned to continue to benefit from a potential long-term shift towards online services that we have seen accelerate across several consumer industries during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

However, the Gibraltar-based operator did sound a note of caution, pointing out that a prolonged period of global economic uncertainty could lead to lower discretionary spending by consumers. 

Staying with 888 Holdings, last week the company announced a global partnership with Betgenius, covering both in-play and pre-match content. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Given the unparalleled damage the COVID-19 crisis has wreaked on most industries, it’s encouraging to see this announcement from 888. It also underlines the wisdom of some of the changes the company made in the run-up to the crisis, which put it in a much better position to weather the storm than some of its rivals. 

Of course, we would have to concur with the warning about a prolonged economic crisis. After all, though online casino, virtual sports, and esports betting is doing very well right now, we should bear in mind that many workers haven’t actually lost their jobs yet due to companies getting emergency government support – especially in Europe. When that support is withdrawn, the true economic picture will emerge…

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Multi-channel supplier of 24/7 betting services, SIS (Sports Information Services), has acquired the full shareholding of 49’s from GVC and William Hill. 

SIS will take ownership of 49’s live draws product and its virtual horseracing brands Portman Park, Sprint Valley, and Steepledowns, plus virtual greyhounds from Brushwood and Millersfield. 

The acquisition has expanded SIS’s product portfolio and fits within its existing 24/7 racing channels that have proved successful with both retail and digital betting operators. 

SIS says it is also developing a range of new numbers and virtual content which will be part of the 49’s brand, and that acquisition complements its progress in launching new products, including its esports competitive gaming product that recently launched with bet365. 

Discussing the acquisition CEO at SIS, Richard Ames, said:

“49’s has a long history of supplying high quality, market-leading content to UK and Irish bookmakers and the product range is much loved by consumers. Over recent years, SIS has successfully extended the brand worldwide and it makes perfect sense to now take the further step of acquiring the business. We have great plans for the brands and will announce shortly a range of new and extended products as part SIS’ numbers product strategy.”

While Chairman of 49’s Limited, Mike Jones, added:

“We’ve worked in partnership with SIS for the last 20 years and they are uniquely positioned to be able to further expand the 49’s brand internationally. We look forward to seeing how they build on the excellent work the team has done over the last few years to position 49’s as a leading numbers product.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Despite the gradual resumption of live sports, it’s clear that many companies have been spooked by the COVID-19 crisis, and the spectre of more waves and lockdowns, and are keen to invest in expanding their virtual and non-live sports offerings. 

‘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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020