Bet365 operator Hillside Sports has been fined SEK1m (approx. €98,000) by the Swedish gaming regulator Spelinspektionen, for offering bets on a football match in which most players were minors. 

The offending match was a friendly played between Kronängs IF and Mariedals IK on 28 March, 2020, in which 24 out of 34 participants were under the age of 18. By offering odds on the game, Bet365 breached Chapter 8, Section 2.2 of the Swedish Gambling Act. 

Responding to the fine and warning, Hillside said it had believed it could legally offer bets on the fixture because it was not specifically an underage match, and that it was just an “unfortunate coincidence” that the majority of the players turned out to be under 18. It has now taken the decision to stop offering bets on lower-division friendlies to avoid the risk of it happening again. 

However, Spelinspektionen says it was clear that the Swedish Gambling Act prohibited betting on the match, and the breach was serious. But, the regulator has accepted it was a one-off incident, and has acknowledged that the operator has taken action to avoid it happening again.

Following its recent deployment in Singapore, Internet Vikings has set up a new virtualization platform in Malta. 

The expansion enables the company to offer hosting services to iGaming operators registered in the country, known as the iGaming capital of Europe.

According to the rules of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) whereby remote gaming operators may have their gaming equipment and servers located anywhere in the EU/EEA, a forensic live copy of the players’ database, financial transactions database and gaming transactions log database must be located in Malta. 

In other words, in order to obtain Maltese registration, licensees need to establish a node in Malta for the purpose of replication of essential regulatory data. Moreover, the information security level must be recognized by ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certificate.

With their ISO 27001 certification achieved on March 2 and the implementation of a new hosting location for virtual servers, Internet Vikings is now fully compliant with the MGA regulations and thus able to offer their services to Maltese-registered operators.

“Now, with Internet Vikings having deployed its infrastructure in Malta, which is a strategic place for online gaming companies, we cement our position as a leading provider of hosting and related services for the iGaming industry.” – said Victor Jerlin, Internet Vikings’ CTO.

Peter Ekmark, CEO at Internet Vikings, added: “The addition of a new datacenter in Malta expands Internet Vikings’ capacity to offer premium hosting services. The iGaming industry has specific customer and regulatory requirements and demands a bespoke service that we are dedicated to providing.” 

Internet Vikings consistently adds points of presence to its global network; alongside datacenters in Stockholm, Amsterdam, Taipei, Singapore, Sydney, Oklahoma City, and São Paulo, the platform in Malta strengthens the company’s position as a frontrunner in the field of cloud hosting for the iGaming industry.

Staying with Internet Vikings, in late January the company announced the appointment of Karin Thunholm as its new Chief Financial Officer. 

Crypto-first sportsbook Sportsbet.io, Southampton Football Club’s main partner, is donating its shirt sponsorship and £10K GBP to the Saints Foundation for the Easter Sunday match against Burnley. 

The Saints Foundation logo will feature on the front of the team’s shirts during the match on Sunday 4 April at St Mary’s, and the shirts will be auctioned after the game to raise more funds for the foundation. 

With fans still unable to attend the match due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Saints Foundation is asking fans to instead donate the £10 they would normally spend on tickets to the charity (you can donate here). Sportsbet.io is also going to match the first 1,000 donations up to £10,000. 

Over the past year the Saints Foundation has missed out on around £300K of expected fundraising income, despite its services being desperately needed. 

David Thomas, Southampton Football Club’s Chief Commercial Officer commented: “We are incredibly grateful to Sportsbet.io for this unique opportunity that they are providing to Saints Foundation. Their generosity will help raise both awareness and vital funds so that our charity can continue to support the local community through these difficult times.

“No doubt the thousands of participants who Saints Foundation support annually will be immensely proud to see the team take to the pitch displaying the charity’s logo on Sunday 4th April.”

Joe McCallum, Head of Sportsbet.io, said: “Supporting local communities in these difficult times is important and it is our absolute pleasure as partners of the Saints to help raise awareness for the club’s charity. The work Saints Foundation has been carrying out over the past year is invaluable and we’re here to support them every step of the way.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Kudos to Sportsbet.io for this one. Football clubs and charities alike have both had a very difficult year, and with the crisis looking set to continue, the support of sponsors like Sportsbet.io is more crucial than ever. Let’s hope the lawmakers grasp this before they implement any punishing sponsorship bans.

Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) has entered a multi-year partnership with the NFL’s Denver Broncos. 

Under the deal, EEG will be the Bronco’s official esports tournament provider, and will operate Madden NFL esports tournaments through its Esports Gaming League (EGL) platform. 

Like similar deals made with fellow NFL teams Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles, Esports Entertainment Group will leverage player imagery within the Broncos local market, and will also work with Broncos players to create custom videos to promote tournaments and be featured in the Broncos extensive ongoing digital marketing efforts spanning social, email, mobile, and online channels.

“We are quickly becoming the go-to solutions provider for the esports programs of major sports franchises,” said Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group. “We are excited to add the Broncos to our growing roster of top-tier professional sports organizations and look forward to helping the team strengthen connections and engagement with their loyal fans.”

“The rising popularity of esports has led to the launch of high school and college esports programs across Colorado,” said Brady Kellogg, Denver Broncos Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. “Partnering with Esports Entertainment Group will provide us with the platform to deepen and increase engagement with our fans. We look forward to a mutually rewarding relationship, featuring exciting tournaments at Empower Field at Mile High and unique interactions with Broncos players.”

AYO.NEWS says:

EEG really does seem to be dominating the field when it comes to providing esports solutions for sports teams in the traditional big US leagues. In addition to the NFL’s Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, and Philadelphia Eagles, EEG has also signed deals with the MLS’ Philadelphia Union, and LA Galaxy, and the NHL’s LA Kings.

The SBC Digital Africa conference and exhibition is set to feature a speaker line-up of 60 senior executives and specialists, all ready to share hard-to-find information about the continent’s best opportunities for betting and gaming operators.

The agenda for the event on 30-31 March 2021 includes sessions that examine the future of the markets in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire, and deliver insights on key issues such as payments technology, marketing strategies and the growth of esports.

A roster of high-level speakers with on-the-ground experience of working in a variety of African markets has been assembled to share ideas about emerging opportunities and practical advice about how to tackle some of the challenges faced by the industry in the region. 

They include a strong contingent of senior representatives of leading operators, such as Dolan Beuthin (CEO, BetMonsta), Dmitry Belianin (CMO, Parimatch International), Jeff Halloran (Managing Director, Sahara Games), Johnson Adewale Foye (Managing Consultant, Westernlottobet), Gadi Shoshani (CMO Africa, 10bet), Simon Burrell (Managing Director – Nigeria, LiveScore Group), and Spencer Okach (Regional Managing Director, BetLion). 

Joining them are a selection of national market experts, including Tayo Atoloye (Country Manager Nigeria, Marathonbet), Jeremiah Maangi (Local Marketing Manager, World Sports Betting Kenya), Harrison Ehiaguina (Country Manager, Interwetten), Kwabena Boakye (Director, Eazibet), and Felix Mulandi (Marketing Manager, SportyBet). 

Maangi said: “SBC Digital Africa brings together key gaming industry players and operators across the African continent. By attending the event, you not only get an opportunity to learn, but also network and interact on key topics that will be discussed.”

To provide regulatory insights, a number of legal and financial experts will be taking part. They include Robin Bennett (Head of Department: Regulatory Compliance, Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board), Adhika Singh (Chief Operating Officer, GRIPP Advisory), Yahaya Maikori (Principal Partner, Law Allianz), David Moshi (Managing Partner, Gaming Advisory Africa), and Garron Whitesman (Founding Partner, Whitesman Lurie Attorneys). 

Offering a wider industry perspective will be Sean Coleman (CEO, South African Bookmakers’ Association), Bimpe Akingba (Executive Secretary, Association of Nigerian Bookmakers), and Ryan Macquet (Founder, Africa Electronic Sports Association). 

The speaker list is further augmented by media and marketing specialists, such as Ricardo Pinto (CEO, Supernovacy), Moritz Boullenger (Managing Director – Nigeria, Pulse Africa), and Roy Bannister (Co-Founder & Executive Director, Gaming For Africa), and product experts, including Imran Bukhari (CEO, Truewave), Alessandro Fried (Founder, BtoBet), Aiste Garneviciene (COO, BetGames.TV), Mark Schmidt (Director of Sales – Africa, Pronet Gaming), and Quinn Olive (Director of Digital Marketing, SuperSeven). 

Olive said: “SBC has always been at the forefront of conferences in the igaming space, and the continued support of emerging markets has made SBC events the gold standard for the industry. SBC Digital Africa will help to highlight the potential that Africa possesses.”

The full speaker line-up and conference agenda is available at the SBC Digital Africa website.

Running alongside the conference will be a 20-booth interactive product display area that features the latest sportsbook, casino and payments innovations from leading suppliers. A programme of networking roundtables will provide further chances for delegates to connect and build new business relationships. 

Click here to register for your free pass for SBC Digital Africa.

Nations Ventures has announced a strategic investment in real-time platform and sports marketplace Obsesh. 

Though financial details have not been disclosed, the venture capital fund, which is majority-owned by We Are Nations, says the investment will help Obsesh develop products, launch its marketplace, and acquire athletes.  

Obsesh, which was co-founded by female entrepreneurs Tracy Benson (Home Depot, Best Buy and Monster) and Jonalyn Morris (Beats by Dre, Disney Interactive and Loot Crate) aims to solves a problem that many of today’s athletes, across both traditional sports and esports, face; that its very difficult to turn followers into paying customers and make a decent living.

Currently Obsesh, which is also backed by Stadia Ventures and Newchip, is focused on traditional sports, though it does have an esports section, giving fans the chance to play video games against their favourite sports personalities. 

Discussing the news, Patrick Mahoney, Nations Ventures General Partner, said: “The Obsesh team is well-positioned in the sports market and has taken a unique approach to a historically ignored group of skilled sports talent. At Nations, we look for companies with a great product, strong team, and a go-to market strategy, and we see Obsesh as having the ability to effectively accelerate across both sports and esports. 

“In addition, we saw right away the synergy with Obsesh and several of our portfolio companies including Insiders, Echelon and A8 esports. We are also already implementing We Are Nations as their scalable merch solution for both retail and custom athlete integrations.”

While Tracy Benson, CEO and Co-founder of Obsesh, added: “From the minute we met Patrick, Dan Cardell and the team at Nations, we knew there was a shared vision to not only build Obsesh as the number-one platform for sports fans, but to take the platform into esports.

“Nations without a doubt hit on the manpower, network and industry knowledge to help us scale our business and accelerate our vision to become the number-one go-to marketplace for all sports.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Though Obsesh has so far focused on helping traditional sports athletes monetise their brands, it’s easy to see how it could make a big impact in the gaming and esports worlds too – where the difficulties in turning popularity into an income are just as great. It will be interesting to see if there’s a noticeable shift in focus for Obsesh over the next year.