The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has established a data-sharing agreement with the Slovak Football Association. 

As the governing body of football in Slovakia, the Bratislava-based Slovak Football Association (SFZ), has ultimate responsibility for the development of football in the country, and runs its national teams. 

Commenting on the news the MGA’s Sports Integrity Manager, Antonio Zerafa, said:

“The agreement with the Slovak Football Association joins a continuously growing list of data-sharing agreements with international partners from the sporting world. We are proud that through such agreements we are placing ourselves as an important contributor to match-fixing investigations across the globe, and we hope that we can now provide the same level of assistance to the Slovak FA also.”

While Integrity Officer of the Slovak Football Association, Jakub Čavoj, added:

“I hope that this agreement will be very useful for both sides and help us achieve a common goal – protecting the integrity of sport competitions.  For the Slovak FA and police investigations this exchange of information could be important in collecting evidence because many betting companies popular in Slovakia have a Malta gambling license. Sharing best practice and exchange of information is key in the fight against match-fixing.”

AYO.NEWS says:

The MGA has been busy strengthening its monitoring capabilities by forming partnerships with a number of associations recently. In May it announced a data-sharing agreement with the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association (WPBSA), while in April it inked a partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC). In October 2019, the MGA also entered a data-sharing agreement with the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) – the anti-corruption body that covers all professional tennis tournaments.

Meanwhile, at the end of November, the MGA launched its Suspicious Betting Reporting Mechanism (SBRM), making it available to all B2C Malta-licensed operators which offer betting on sports events.

‘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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IGT has announced the sale of its Italian B2C sports betting, gaming machine, and digital gaming business for €950M. 

UK-based International Game Technology PLC (IGT) is offloading its interest in Lottomatica Scommesse S.r.l. and Lottomatica Videolot Rete S.p.A. to Gamenet Group S.p.A., a subsidiary of funds managed by an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, Inc.

The cash deal is valued at €950M, and will see €725M payable at closing, €100M payable in December 2021, and €125M payable in September 2022. 

IGT’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021. 

Discussing the news IGT CEO, Marco Sala, said:

“The transaction enables IGT to monetize its leadership positions in the Italian B2C gaming machine, sports betting, and digital spaces at an attractive multiple to comparable Italian transactions, providing us with enhanced financial flexibility.

“Aligning with our recent reorganization, the favourable rebalancing of our business and geographic mix reframes and simplifies our priorities while improving the company’s future profit margin, cash flow generation, and debt profile.”

Proceeds from the sale will largely be used to pay down IGT’s debt, which stood at some €7.24B on 30 September 2020.

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Global Bet’s new Pro Series of virtual sports games are to be integrated into BetConstruct’s platform. 

The partnership marks a significant expansion for both BetConstruct and Global Bet in the rapidly growing international gaming market. 

Discussing the news CEO of Global Bet, Daniel Grabher, said:

“BetConstruct is already integrated with some of our existing customers using our product as a stand-alone solution. We are confident that the integration will be a great step forward enabling their players a one stop shop experience while maximizing revenues for the operator. We are happy to be partnering with BetConstruct and we look forward to going online within the next couple of days.”

While BetConstruct’s Regional Director in Malta, Kristina Hambardzumyan, added:

“We are thrilled to seal a partnership with Global Bet to provide their state-of-the-art virtual sports solutions to our customers. Their level of visual quality and gameplay is unrivalled in the gaming industry.”

Global Bet’s virtual sports range includes football, basketball, tennis, greyhounds, horse racing, camel racing, and supercars. 

Staying with BetConstruct, in October the company secured a UK license for its virtual sports products. 

AYO.NEWS says:

There’s no doubting that the COVID-19 crisis massively boosted the profile and popularity of virtual sports betting in 2020, but now the question is can it maintain momentum in the face of a full real-life sporting calendar?

However, operators should also keep in mind that, despite the promise offered by the new COVID-19 vaccines, they may not be a ‘silver bullet’ solution, and with the virus still mutating into new strains, there’s always the danger of a relapse to full lockdowns and more disruption to sports. So, it’s probably wise to keep investing in alternatives like virtual sports. 

‘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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BBIN has become the Official iGaming Supplier Partner of top-tier Spanish football club Atlético de Madrid in Asia.

With both BBIN and Atlético de Madrid using red and white for their brand colours, the partnership is well matched, and is said to symbolise their passion and spirit in building a bridge between Europe and Asia, and fighting side-by-side for the future. 

In a statement BBIN said they are confident the partnership with Atletico de Madrid will be a great success, and also wished the team outstanding performances in the future La Liga and major international competitions.

AYO.NEWS says:

With gambling sponsorships now banned in their home market, foreign deals like this are going to be more important than ever for the financial viability of Spanish football clubs and leagues. Indeed, in September, Asia-facing operator M88 entered a major 4-year deal with La Liga. 

‘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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Former speaker of the board at Interwetten and executive at Sportradar, Dominik Beier, has joined sports marketing, events and consulting agency e|motion.

During Beier’s almost two years with Interwetten, the betting operator saw revenue grow by 50% and expanded into several new markets. Between 2013 and 2019, he was with Sportradar, where he led the sales department, oversaw budget planning, and evaluated new projects. 

Welcoming 29-year-old Beier to the team at e|motion, CEO and founder, Herwig Straka, described him as a “real team player and a very entrepreneurial manager.”

Commenting on his new role, Beier said:

“I am very much looking forward to the new challenge and exciting projects at e|motion. I have a long business relationship with Herwig Straka which was always on a very high level of respect and appreciation.

“It is great to see what e|motion group has developed over the past two years, especially within tennis. My aim is to further build on that great basis, strengthen the core business but also develop new business areas within digitalisation or consulting.”

E|motion was founded in Austria in 1991, when it organised the first ATP Challenger tournament in Graz. In 2001 it launched the ATP Champions Tour, and in 2003 introduced the Lipizzan horse gala in Styria, and also began organising international golf tournaments with the BA-CA Golf Open. In the following years, the company also moved into mountain biking, and expanded into Germany. 

In 2019, E|motion led the way in restructuring the ATP tournament calendar between the Grand Slam tournaments in Paris and Wimbledon. From 2020, the company organised the WTA tournament in Berlin, and ATP in Mallorca. 

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India’s Premier Handball League (PHL) has named Dream11 as its fantasy gaming partner, and FanCode as official OTT partner.

The Indian sports industry has not seen active sports for almost seven months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the PHL is looking forward to launching its inaugural season later this month. 

Season 1 of the PHL is set to play at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur from 24 December, with the grand final scheduled for 10 January. Six teams, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, will be competing for the title. 

Though handball is played in schools and colleges across India, the sport has yet to establish a sizable fan base. PHL is determined to change this, and is hoping its partnership with Dream11 and their OTT platform, FanCode, will help encourage the growth of the sport. 

Discussing plans League CEO, Mrinalini Sharma, said:

“Dream 11 is now an aspirational name in the world of sports and we are thrilled to have them associated with us as our fantasy gaming partner. 

“Dream 11 has been a visionary in the world of sports and has successfully infiltrated the Indian household, bringing families and sports enthusiasts alike together. With them as our partners and their OTT platform FanCode as our official OTT partner, we at the Premier Handball League believe that the popularity of handball is secure in times to come.”

PHL India Sports Private Limited is the official license holder of the league, which under the aegis of the Handball Federation of India (HFI) and in association with the International Handball Federation (IHF) and Asian Handball Federation, promises to develop and take this Olympic sports discipline to the next level, ensuring growth and success for the Indian athletes at the global stage.

Handball is currently part of the priority sports listed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme in India. With the Indian team currently ranked 32 in the world, PHL promises to provide a much-needed foundation as the game aims to become an Olympic medal prospect.

AYO.NEWS says:

By partnering with a popular fantasy sports platform like Dream11 from the very beginning, PHL is positioning itself to take full advantage of current trends to catalyse the growth of handball in India. If the league can leverage engagement technology successfully, we might well see handball become a big thing in the country in a comparatively short space of time. 

Last year, Mumbai-based Dream11 became the first Indian gaming ‘unicorn’ – valued at over $1 billion USD. In August, the company also became the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League, after Chinese mobile phone maker Vivo pulled out of its agreement. 

‘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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