The much anticipated regulated Ukrainian gambling market looks set to launch in December. 

Recently appointed head of the Ukrainian Gambling and Lottery Commission, Ivan Rudyi, has confirmed that the country’s legal gambling industry is expected to go live next month, and that the commission is currently working on legislation to set tax rates for the various types of gambling.

Furthermore, Rudyi said the government is expecting to raise around UAH 1 billion (approx. €30M) through the sale of licenses and legal gambling in the first year. 

The commission is now forming its charter and recruiting to fill some 230 positions, and is intending to hold meetings with potential licensees soon.

AYO.NEWS says:

Unlike some markets, cough cough “the Netherlands,” Ukrainian authorities certainly haven’t wasted any time in getting things sorted – maybe it was a good idea to appoint a former military commander the head of the new regulator! 

‘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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Disruptive events and media platform iGaming NEXT has welcomed three new equity holders, with Tim Heath’s Venture Capital fund, Yolo Investments, as well as industry veterans Robin Eirik Reed and Lahcene Merzoug assuming holdings in the quickly expanding company.

The new funding will power the next stage of iGaming NEXT, which has established itself as a modern alternative on the iGaming events circuit. Its content-driven 2019 event hosted in Malta, attended by more than 1,200 delegates, focused upon providing world-class learning opportunities. 

It will host a flagship digital version of the conference between November 10-12, with more than 5,000 delegates expected to attend and keynote speakers including Jason Ader and Todd Haushalter.

iGaming NEXT has also expanded into the media sector, hosting what has already become the iGaming industry’s most popular podcast.

The support of the new equity holders will help iGaming NEXT transition into the next phase of its growth, solidify its brand as industry thought leaders, expand its team and launch additional products.

iGaming NEXT co-founder and Managing Director Pierre Lindh said:

“Attracting support from Yolo Investments, Robin Reed and Lahcene Merzoug underlines how far iGaming NEXT has come in a short space of time, and how much potential there is in this project.

“We felt there was a lot of room for improvement compared to the current iGaming events offering, and found many in the industry shared our view. We’ve committed to producing more professional, content-led events which better serve the needs of a modern, multi-billion euro global industry. We are confident the support and expertise of our new investors will allow us to deliver upon this.”

Yolo Investments GP Tim Heath added:

“During what has been a very challenging year for the events business, we’ve been hugely impressed by the progress of iGaming NEXT. Its forward-thinking approach is delivering intelligent discourse and thought leadership around our industry across multiple channels. We look forward to working with the team to ensure its continued success.”

Industry veteran and iGaming IDOL Hall of Famer Robin Eirik Reed added:

“In NEXT we’re empowering the industry by gathering the most forward thinking and inspiring minds and ideas together, to be shared for the benefit of all. I’ve always believed in openness and connectivity being the key values to making the industry more innovative, sustainable and consumer friendly and as such I am delighted to take part in NEXT”.

Lahcene Merzoug, investor, finished by saying :

“iGaming NEXT brings people together through events and digital channels. Everyone in our industry can now learn and be inspired directly from the most prominent thought-leaders in our sector.

“I have followed iGaming NEXTs development from the start and am glad to now be a part of this journey. NEXTs team has continued to impress me with their accomplishments, not least how they overcame the challenges during COVID and used their unique skills and talents to become a leading player within our industry.”

For more information about iGaming NEXT and its events, please visit: igamingnext.com 

Blueprint Gaming has extended its reach in the regulated Italian market, going live with LeoVegas in the country. 

Certified by the AAMS, UK-based Blueprint is already live with several leading operators in Italy, but the deal with LeoVegas will significantly strengthen its foothold in the important market. 

Following successful integration, LeoVegas’ Italian players can now enjoy Blueprint’s titles, many of which are already land-based favourites in Italy, including Luck O’ The Irish – one of the most popular titles in the Italian retail sector for some time. 

Commenting on the news Director of Marketing and Relationships at Blueprint Gaming, Jo Purvis, said:

“LeoVegas have a great track record operating our games and we’re delighted to be partnering with them in Italy and providing several exciting titles for their online offering.

“Our retail games have been transformed for online to ensure they appeal to a wide range of players. We’re looking forward to supplying LeoVegas players with our compelling content over the coming months.”

While Head of Casino at LeoVegas, James Ford, added:

“Blueprint Gaming’s content is highly regarded in the industry and it made strategic sense for us to enhance our Italian product mix with the addition of its hugely popular retail games, as we will build on our position as King of Casino.

“Our Italian player base will now be able to experience slots such as Luck O’ The Irish and LeoVegas Megaways™ on their desktop and mobile devices for the first time and we’re sure they’ll prove very popular with players.”

Blueprint has been supplying LeoVegas in other markets since 2017.

Staying with LeoVegas, last week the operator reported €88.9M in revenue for the third quarter of 2020. 

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Online slots from developer Booongo have gone live with emerging operator PlayLogiQ. 

Booongo’s complete games portfolio is now available to PlayLogiQ’s customers, including its latest release Scarab Temple, and classics like Dragon Pearls and Aztec Sun. 

The supplier is also providing its full suite of promotional features to the online casinos and sportsbook, offering several ways to boost engagement and drive retention.

Commenting on the news Commercial Director at Booongo, Sebastian Damian, said:

“PlaylogiQ is an exciting operator that we can’t wait to work with, offering a comprehensive portfolio that appeals to players of all demographics.

“Our slot offering continues to grow both in breadth and popularity and we’re very pleased to agree this deal. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with PlaylogiQ.”

While Chief Operations Officer at PlayLogiQ, Margherita Giudetti, added:

“Booongo’s gaming portfolio continues to impress with top-performing games, while the supplier’s Hold and Win titles add a new dynamic to the gaming experience.

“We are very happy to be able to offer their games to our customers and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Booongo, which is based in Curacao and has offices in Ukraine and Taiwan, has also recently partnered with Betsson, Caliente, and Zamba. 

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Canadian electronic music icon deadmau5 stars in Microgaming’s latest online slot title.

According to Microgaming, the new slot was created in partnership with Eurostar Studios and Joel Zimmerman – better known as deadmau5 – and “pushes boundaries with its pulsating blend of music and entertainment.” 

The 5×3 reel slot debuts Drop The Wild™, a new feature which can randomly turn reels 2, 3 or 4 wild with a guaranteed win. It also features Rolling Reels™ and Cube Scatters, which can trigger 10, 20 or 25 free spins with up to a 10x multiplier.

In addition to incorporating the Grammy-nominated EDM star’s music and trademark “mau5head” logo, the game also features visuals from his Cube v3 tour. 

Commenting on the release, Joel Zimmerman, aka deadmau5, said:

“After performing in casinos, having a residency in Vegas, and playing so many casino games, I am thrilled to finally have a game of my own!”

While Director of Games at Microgaming, Andrew Booth, added:

“Joel is one of the most exciting and successful electronic music artists of all time, and his deadmau5 brand is a hit with audiences worldwide, extending far beyond its genre. We’re thrilled to have teamed up with Eurostar and deadmau5 to create Microgaming’s latest branded game, which has performed brilliantly during an exclusive release period with select operators.”

Staying with Microgaming, earlier this month the Isle of Man-based provider said it would be supporting Germany’s new online gaming regulations, and launching a solution to help operators prepare. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Things have been getting a little stale recently when it comes to slots, so it’s cool to see Microgaming spending a bit of money and effort to up the ante – we’re sure this game will find a receptive 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. 

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Gaming operator LeoVegas has reported €88.9M in revenue for Q3 2020, up just 1% year-on-year. 

Despite the marginal rise in revenue, the operator saw the number of depositing customers increase 26%, from 347,464 to 438,691. EBITDA for the quarter came in at €11.9M, compared to €12.7M in the same period last year, corresponding to a margin of 13%. 

However, October revenue came in at €33M – up a healthy 27% year-on-year, despite regulatory changes in the German market dampening things from the 15th. 

The third quarter was, as expected, affected by the controversial ‘temporary’ COVID-19 crisis restrictions in the Swedish market, but LeoVegas also got a boost from the launch of its GoGoCasino and Livecasino brands in Finland. 

LeoVegas also further increased its stake in esports betting operator Pixel.bet from 51% to 85%, and launched Bingo as a new product category. 

Reflecting on the quarter, LeoVegas Group CEO, Gustaf Haman, said he was optimistic that the company’s growing customer base and ongoing cost savings had put it in a positive position to start the fourth quarter, and that the company would see a strong end to the full year. 

AYO.NEWS says:

When an operator is adding record numbers of depositing customers, but seeing only a marginal increase in revenue, it can only mean people are spending less – which would indicate the draconian ‘temporary’ restrictions in Sweden are biting hard. Of course, with the COVID-19 induced economic crisis deepening, it could also mean customers in some markets are starting to tighten their belts. 

‘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.