Casino aggregator and platform United Remote has appointed Jessica Walker to its senior management team. 

In her new Malta-based role, Walker will be leading United Remote’s sales and international development, under CEO and industry veteran Jeremy Fall. She will be responsible for both commercial development in present key markets, and nurturing new territories. 

Walker was previously Head of Media at Malta-based global iGaming event producer SiGMA, and before that she was Head of News at NEWSBTC and Producer-Presenter at BloxLive TV – the world’s first dedicated DLT and FinTech news network. 

Welcoming Walker to the company, United Remote Group CEO, Jeremy Fall, said:

“Jessica Walker is an outstanding appointment for United Remote as we extend the influence of our advanced technologies to operators and partners around the world. 

“I am thrilled to welcome Jessica to United Remote’s senior management team, a highly skilled and experienced woman who will be a key team player in helping us to drive our future development and to achieve our ambitions. Her commitment to United Remote is another mark of confidence in our technology platform and our growth potential.”

While Walker herself added:

“I look forward to being part of this exciting company’s innovative approach and supporting United Remote’s rapid growth in the marketplace and our strategy is to support our business development going forward by identifying and getting ahead of customer needs and desires.”

United Remote recently underwent intensive restructuring, to position itself to better embrace innovation, resulting in major technology and enterprise investments. The company says it has also significantly reshaped its organisational structure, to provide added-value to operators. 

In addition to hiring Jessica Walker, the company has also appointed Volke Rohde as Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Serafino Vaccino as Head of Legal and DPO, Andreas Rauer as Head of Information Security and Internal Audit, Kevin Norville to Human Resources, Joe Griffin as Head of Research & Development, and Daniel Cass as Account Manager. 

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Gambling and financial services tech supplier Playtech saw revenue tumble 23% in H1 2020, as the COVID-19 crisis hit business hard. 

Reported revenue for the six months up to 30 June 2020 dropped to €564M, with adjusted EBITDA falling 16% to €162.3M. Meanwhile, reported profit crashed 81% year-on-year. 

Unsurprisingly, Playtech’s B2C business was hit hard, with revenue plunging 41% to €253.5M, due to the mass global cancellations of sports events from mid-March, and closure of retail betting venues.

The company’s B2B business fared significantly better during the period, with revenue dropping a comparatively small 13% to €229.7M, with adjusted EBITDA falling 43% to €63.2M. 

In Italy, Snaitech saw revenues crash by 46% to €215.5M, but the crisis did serve to increase the popularity of online play, with the operator’s online revenue surging 37%.

Playtech’s TradeTech division, which it is looking to sell, managed to buck the trend and grow revenue by 123% year-on-year, to €87.3M, with adjusted EBITDA notching up an incredible 544% increase to €52.8M. 

During the period, the company received a New Jersey license, and launched with bet365 in the US, and also signed new agreements in Guatemala and Costa Rica. 

Reflecting on the first half of 2020, Playtech CEO, Mor Weizer, said:

“The attitude of our people coupled with the resilience and diversification of our technology-led business model has delivered a strong first half performance during an extremely challenging period for the industry.

“These strengths, combined with early decisive action to focus on the safety of our employees and protect the Group’s cash flow, has placed us in a strong position to benefit from the recovery and to capture the exciting market opportunity in the US and Latin America.

“The extraordinary trading conditions during the pandemic have brought us closer than ever to our licensees and we have seen even greater demand for our products, with an increased focus across the globe on intelligent software and personalised player journeys and protection tools.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Playtech’s experience during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is pretty much what we’d expect, with traditional sports betting and retail getting hammered, while online play and new technologies saw demand surge.

The question for the entire gambling industry now is, with the crisis looking likely to drag on for many more months, or possibly years, and many countries facing the prospect of a tsunami of unemployment as furlough schemes are withdrawn, will we see a significant drop in gambling spending as people are forced to curtail spending?

‘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

Game development studio Evoplay Entertainment has expanded its global reach through a content deal with Casoony. 

The integration provides Casoony with access to Evoplay Entertainment’s complete portfolio of more than 100 games, including Football Manager and Raccoon Tales, along with the RPG-inspired title, Dungeon: Immortal Evil.

In addition to the supplier’s premium slot, roulette and poker offerings, its games are also live on social casinos in diverse global markets including Latin America and Germany. 

Commenting on the partnership CBDO at Evoplay Entertainment, Vladimir Makakchi, said:

“Launching with a dynamic rising-star who holds similar ideals to us in terms of global growth is incredibly exciting. 

“Our portfolio aligns perfectly with the exciting gamified approach Casoony offers to its players, and with acquisition and retention more important than ever – I’m confident that our range of eye-catching titles will prove to be a real hit.”

While MD at Casoony, Alexander Salheiser, added:

“Evoplay Entertainment’s acclaimed portfolio is jam-packed with a wide variety of world class gaming titles, so we are thrilled to have integrated the supplier’s content. 

“The studio’s unique offering is ideally suited to our hugely popular social casino, and we anticipate this to be the start of a highly productive commercial relationship.”

AYO.NEWS says:

AYO.NEWS’ own Simona Pinterova recently caught up with Evoplay Entertainment’s Yanina Kaplya to talk about the future of online slots, marketing to millennials, and the potential offered by a regulated Ukrainian gaming market. 

‘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

Online casino operator SuprNation has been awarded an Isle of Man gambling license.

SuprNation is headquartered in Malta and runs three brands, Voodoo Dreams, NYSpins, and Duelz. Already licensed in Malta, Sweden, and the UK, the acquisition of an IoM license will further strengthen its position in the global gaming market. 

Isle of Man-based professional solutions company SolutionsHub assisted SuprNation in acquiring the license. 

Commenting on the news COO of SolutionsHub, Nick Wright, said:

“Our experience and close working relationship with the Isle of Man government meant we were able to help the SuprNation team work through the process quickly and efficiently and we are delighted that their application was successful.

“We look forward to seeing SuprNation continue to thrive and look forward to supporting their future efforts.”

While Co-founder of SuprNation, Henric Andersson, added:

“The Isle of Man licence is among the world’s most respected gambling licences and offers our players the highest levels of assurance when it comes to safety and security.

“At SuprNation, we have built our reputation on our innovative, creative and elegant tech but also the integrity of our offering, so obtaining the OGRA licence made perfect sense to us.

“Our sites are already a favourite destination for millions of players and this move allows us to continue to grow into new markets across the world.”

And Digital Isle of Man Chief Executive, Lyle Wraxhall, welcomed the operator to the island’s igaming community, saying:

“Digital Isle of Man are excited to see such an innovative and exciting operator join our well-established ecosystem of gaming content providers. 

“It is great to see yet another operator find their way quickly and efficiently through the licensing process under the expert guidance of SolutionsHub. 

“The new and unique products and games that SuprNation are bringing to the market is a great addition to the industry and as an Agency we look forward to seeing their continued development.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Though the Isle of Man has long been a major player in the iGaming and tech industries, we’re now starting to see collaboration between government, in the form of Digital Isle of Man, and private sector companies, really start to bear fruit. 

And, it’s not just iGaming and sports betting either – the Isle of Man is also targeting blockchain and esports. In fact, in July, the crown dependency appointed Chris Kissack as Head of Esports at Digital Isle of Man. 

Just last week, SolutionsHub helped Dutch casino games developer Stakelogic expand its Isle of Man presence. 

Should Malta be worried? 

‘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

Live casino supplier NetEnt has expanded capacity at its Malta studio, and entered a new agreement with EveryMatrix. 

Responding to increased demand for its live casino products, NetEnt has added three new standard blackjack tables in its Qormi studio, Malta, and agreed a deal to provide dedicated tables to CasinoEngine, the iGaming integration platform from EveryMatrix. 

Discussing the news Director of NetEnt Live, Andres Rengifo, said:

“Given the recent achievements of NetEnt Live it made sense strategically to expand operations of our Malta studio, building capacity for the future projected growth. Meanwhile, by securing a key reseller partnership with EveryMatrix, we have strengthened our position within the live casino industry as a trusted supplier for dedicated business.”

While CasinoEngine COO, Amund Stensland, added:

“NetEnt is a valuable partner to our business, and we are pleased to expand our existing partnership in live casino. The new blackjack tables are a valuable asset for our clients, and we are certain they will deliver amazing entertainment. EveryMatrix is a flexible provider, always looking to offer operators the entertainment options they need to grow.”

AYO.NEWS says:

With the closure of land-based casinos around the world for much of the 2020, and more people looking for online entertainment, it’s only natural that the demand for live casino services has increased, and NetEnt is clearly looking to capitalise – being in the process of trying to acquire live casino provider Evolution Gaming, which would massively increase its footprint in the vertical. 

‘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

The Swedish gaming industry was hit by the COVID-19 crisis in Q2 2020, with gross gaming revenue falling to its lowest level since January 2019.

According to the Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, licensed gambling operators reported a 4.1% year-on-year decrease, from $7m USD to $6.7m – this despite online gambling increasing 3.6% year-on-year to $4.1m. It all adds up to the lowest GGR since the launch of the regulated gaming market in January 2019. 

Hard hit by closures and restrictions were Svenska Spel’s lottery and gaming machines, which took a 8.5% revenue hit to $1.5m, though the resumption of operations did allow for a 14.7% recovery over Q1 2020. Indeed, Svenska Spel’s Casino Cosmopol chain remained closed for the period, generating no revenue at all. 

Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), the online gambling operator association has also again called for action to block payments to unregulated gaming sights, urging Spelinspektionen to investigate the level of channelisation in the market. 

BOS itself has estimated the online channelisation rate, a key performance indicator as to whether or not the regulated market is working, as 85%. It has suggested that, if Spelinspektionen isn’t willing or able to undertake its own investigations into channelisation, it should treat BOS’s figures as official. 

AYO.NEWS says:

What can we say? With the COVID-19 crisis hitting land-based operations so badly, logic would suggest we should have seen a bigger shift to regulated online operators (not excessive gambling, just customers moving from land-based to online) in a market as affluent as Sweden. 

However, it seems the negative publicity from certain elements of the Swedish government, combined with significant unlicensed competition, has dampened things considerably. And, with Shekarabi’s insane ‘temporary’ restrictions introduced in July, we should brace for more disappointing results in Q3 2020. 

‘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