Casino content provider Pragmatic Play has finalised integration of its Live Casino portfolio with operator group Kindred.

The development strengthens the existing partnership between the companies, with Kindred already having integrated Pragmatic Play’s slots. 

Kindred will now have direct access to the supplier’s Live Casino portfolio, including the new Blackjack and Roulette Azure tables, the popular Baccarat and Speed Baccarat, and the company’s first game show, Mega Wheel. 

Commenting on the news Vice President at Pragmatic Play, Lena Yasir, said:

“Kindred is one of the largest operator groups in the world and we are thrilled to share our products and innovations with them.

“Direct integration allows us to share innovative products, while delivering a chance for big prizes and higher enjoyment to the operator’s players. We continued getting impressive results from our Live Casino portfolio and we’re eager to see how they will perform with Kindred.”

While Head of Gaming at Kindred, Cristiano Blanco, added:

“Throughout our existing partnership, the stellar work ethic of Pragmatic Play has been rewarding for both parties, and the direct integration of their Live Casino portfolio will allow us to align even closer.

“We know that their state-of-the-art products will entertain our customers for years to come.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Live casino is booming this year, in no small part thanks to the COVID-19 crisis. Just over a month ago, Pragmatic Play extended its live product reach, going live with EveryMatrix. 

But, it’s not all good news for those working in the live casino sector. Earlier today we reported that NetEnt is closing its Maltese live studio, following the company’s takeover by Evolution, leading to hundreds of job losses. 

‘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.

NetEnt has shut its Maltese live casino studio, resulting in “hundreds” of job losses, following its acquisition by Evolution.

According to local media, yesterday morning employees were sent home and told to wait for an email from their employer. Though NetEnt has not officially revealed how many jobs will be lost, the Times of Malta has quoted an unnamed source as saying “a few hundred” employees will be made redundant in the island country. 

Evolution has confirmed that the Qormi studio has been shut, and the formal redundancy process has been initiated for workers. 

Though Evolutions’s acquisition of NetEnt, which valued the company at over €2 billion, had been expected to result in some job losses, the number of redundancies has shocked many. Indeed, just a few months ago, NetEnt had announced plans to extend its Qormi live casino studio to meet increasing demand. 

Given the scale of the expected job losses relative to the tiny country, the government has set up a special helpline for affected staff. The Maltese Economy Ministry is also said to be in talks with relevant entities to help employees transition. Affected NetEnt staff are being urged to register with JobsPlus and call the helpline on 22201251.

The Gaming Malta Foundation is also now talking with other Malta-based operators to help workers find other job opportunities. 

AYO.NEWS says:

What can we say? Given the fact that Evolution already has such an extensive live casino infrastructure including its own studios in Malta, Latvia, Georgia, Romania, Canada, the United States, Belgium, and Spain, and NetEnt’s value really lies in its industry-leading slot games, its Maltese live operation was always likely to be culled. 

Of course, for workers losing their jobs at the height of an unprecedented COVID-driven employment crisis, and just weeks before Christmas, this will be a very uncomfortable time, so we hope other operators will be able to offer opportunities where they can. 

And, as for NetEnt itself… well, axing jobs immediately before Christmas is nothing new. In December 2018, the company axed 55 jobs just days prior to the holiday. 

‘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.

SBC is bringing together the most influential companies in the betting and gaming industry with the launch of the exclusive SBC Leaders operators association.

The group has been formed to provide a forum for the leadership teams of the premier operators to share ideas, promote innovation in the sector, collaborate on major issues, and work to enhance the industry’s reputation.

The membership of SBC Leaders will consist of international operators invited to join as a result of achievements that have helped the entire industry to progress and grow, along with the trade associations that represent the sector in discussions with legislators. 

When considering companies for inclusion,a particular emphasis is placed on work in the fields of safer gambling and customer care, product and technology innovation, and corporate social responsibility, along with new market development and revenue growth. 

The initial cohort of corporate members will be announced shortly, ahead of the first exclusive SBC Leaders networking roundtable at Betting on Sports America – Digital on 2 December 2020, the second day of the virtual conference and exhibition.

The invite-only session will see senior executives from SBC Leaders connect with The Innovation Group’s prestigious Emerging Leaders of Gaming 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 to discuss the future of online betting and gaming. 

SBC is also launching the SBC Leaders Podcast – an interview series featuring intimate discussions with senior executives which will provide viewers a chance to get to know the people behind the success of the industry’s biggest companies.  

Kelly Kehn, SBC’s Global Relationships Director, said:

“To date, the industry has not had a global platform for companies and associations to come together and share ideas about the key strategic issues that they face. SBC Leaders will change that by connecting the world’s most influential companies under one banner to network, collaborate, and work to elevate the overall image of the industry.  

“I’m excited about being able to announce the initial members soon for such a valuable first networking roundtable session. The chance to connect with the rising stars of the industry from The Innovation Group’s Emerging Leaders of Gaming is indicative of the quality of opportunities that SBC Leaders members can expect to enjoy throughout 2021 and beyond.” 

SBC Leaders members will receive a Mark of Excellence, along with benefits including private lounges and networking opportunities at SBC events, exclusive social occasions, and an annual SBC Leaders event. 

They will also receive a dedicated bi-monthly magazine detailing and discussing the latest developments in the global gaming industry and beyond, with the new issue published this week – click here to read.

For further information about SBC Leaders and its plans for 2021, please contact Kelly Kehn, Global Relationship Director @ kelly.kehn@sbcgaming.com.  

Casino platform provider SkillOnNet has partnered with innovative slot studio Green Jade Games. 

The integration means players at SkillOnNet brands, like PlayOJO, Slingo, and Metal Casino, will be able to experience Green Jade’s unique content, which includes KO slots and arcade skill games, such as Hammer of Fortune, Candy Wall, Jade Puzzle, and Casino Blocks. 

Green Jade’s skill-based arcade games combine elements of skill with random number generator mechanics to enable players to win big, even from relatively small stakes. 

After integrating Green Jade’s line-up, SkillOnNet is offering operators more than 3,000 titles, including slots, table games, bingo, live dealer, scratch cards, and skill games. Operators are also provided with responsible gambling tools, localised payment options, game features like tournaments, and 24/7 customer support. 

Discussing the partnership Michael Golembo from SkillOnNet said:

“Green Jade Games has enjoyed huge success with its recent run of games so we are thrilled to be able to offer them to our operator partners for the first time, especially its skill-based arcade titles.

“Content is one of the most powerful ways operators can stand out from their rivals and we want to be able to provide our partners with the widest range of studios and developers to help them do this and in that regard, Green Jade is a great addition to our portfolio.”

While Chief Commercial Officer at Green Jade Games, Mark Taffler, added:

“SkillOnNet has emerged as the absolute market leader when it comes to online casino with the brands powered by its platform among the most popular and successful in a wide range of markets.

“To see our games land in the lobbies of casino sites such as PlayOJO, Spin Genie, PlayMillion and LuckyVegas really is an honor and we believe they will prove to be a huge hit with players, especially those looking for a unique casino experience via our skill-based arcade games.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Though many igaming traditionalists still doubt the potential of skill-based games, it seems clear that younger gamblers want to be more involved with games, and developers like Green Jade and GameCo are leading the way in creating titles that retain the thrill and accessibility of RNG games, with the engagement of skill-based features. 

In June, AYO.NEWS’ Simona Pinterova caught up with Jesper Kärrbrink, Chairman at Green Jade Games, and former CEO of Mr Green and Svenska Spel, to get his take on the future of slots and skill-based games. 

‘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.

ORYX Gaming is set to make its Swiss debut, through a partnership with mycasino.ch by Grand Casino Luzern. 

The collaboration between the Bragg Gaming Group company and mycasino.ch is an important step for ORYX as it continues to pursue its global regulated markets growth strategy. 

Grand Casino Luzern was the second casino to launch an online offering when the Swiss market opened in 2019, and is now the largest online operator in the country. The deal with ORYX means its customers will soon enjoy access to GAMOMAT’s titles, including Crystal Ball, Fancy Fruits, and Ramses Book. 

Commenting on the partnership Managing Director of ORYX Gaming, Matevz Mazij, said:

“The Swiss online market is one that we have had an eye on since the new legislation entered into force in 2019 and we are thrilled to finally make our debut.

“Grand Casino Luzern makes a perfect partner for us as one of the most established operators in the market with a strong online brand and we look forward to working together to build our presence in the country.”

While CEO at Grand Casino Luzern, Wolfgang Bliem, added:

“We have had a strong start to our online operations and are constantly looking for fresh and exciting content to enhance the experience for our growing customer base. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with ORYX moving forward. Our main objective is to provide our Swiss players with pure entertainment at the highest level, and we believe ORYX’s portfolio of games can help us achieve just that.

“GAMOMAT has a broad portfolio of games that appeal to a wide range of players and their features and jackpots are second to none. We are pleased to be the first operator in the country to offer the games through ORYX and are confident that the games will be huge hits with our players.”

Staying with ORYX Gaming, earlier this month the company teamed up with Maxima Compliance, to assist new market entries. 

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Online gaming operator LeoVegas is set to be the first in the industry to allow open banking transactions under PSD2, via its proprietary tech platform. 

The company says the development will allow even more secure and faster payments for customers, directly from their bank accounts, along with lower transaction costs. It will also reduce LeoVegas’ dependence on third party payment providers. 

Discussing the news LeoVegas Group CEO, Gustaf Hagman, said:

“Secure, seamless and fast payments are incredibly important, and the fact that we now – through PSD2 (the Second European Payment Services Directive) – have the opportunity to directly integrate with many European banks, will provide a superior customer experience offered by security and speed.

“Conducting transactions via open banking is also considerably more cost-effective compared with traditional payment methods. There is a high level of activity in our product and technology development organisation, and it is exciting to see all of the innovations we are delivering to our customers. We are first out in the industry with this pioneering payment solution, which will change the entire payments industry in the years ahead.”

LeoVegas has already rolled out open banking payments in the UK, with 10% of new customers already choosing the option. Open banking will now be launched in several of the operator’s core European markets. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Should payment service providers be worried about PSD2 leading to more operators taking advantage of open banking? In the long-run, probably. After all, why pay extra to make things slower and more complicated? The only real issue to uptake is probably awareness. For operators and customers it’s a win-win. 

Staying with LeoVegas, last week the company revealed it is considering raising significant new capital with a senior unsecured bond issue. 

‘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.