The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has signed an official worldwide data and associated media rights deal with Sportradar. 

Covering the 2021-2024 and 2025-2028 cycles, the new agreement makes Sportradar the Official Video and Data Distribution Partner for major AFC national team and club competitions. 

Commenting on the partnership CEO of Sportradar, Carsten Koerl, said:

“We are proud to partner with the AFC in this watershed moment for Asian football. With the importance of Asia, we believe that this agreement is a strategic opportunity that will provide Sportradar further leverage in the region with a sport that is growing exponentially in terms of participation and viewership. This puts us in an unrivalled position that will showcase a wider range of services we have to offer to engage more sports rights holders in the region.”

While Patrick Murphy, Board Member and CEO at Football Marketing Asia (FMA), the exclusive commercial partner of AFC for the rights cycles 2021-2024 and 2025-2028, added:

“Innovation has always been key for the new era of Asian football. Enabling AFC data and related media to be distributed in real time and with minimum delay is key in enhancing the fans’ experience, which in turn positively impacts the value of AFC football.”

Staying with Sportradar, just last week the company announced the appointment of Jeffery Yabuki as Chairman of the Board. 

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BotBet has inked a deal with Gibraltar-based free-to-play (FTP) sports game specialist Imprexis Gaming. 

Under the partnership, BtoBet will offer its partners access to Imprexis Gaming’s FTP games portfolio across sporting events in different markets, with the goal of boosting player acquisition, retention, and engagement. 

Commenting on the partnership Chief Marketing Officer at BtoBet, Sabrina Soldà, said:

“The scalable platform and wide selection of content developed by Imprexis Gaming allow our partners to deploy games based on their territorial strategies, allowing for vastly improved acquisition and retention rates. Furthermore, the advanced analytical tools employed allow for in-depth reporting, facilitating game-management and campaigns.”

While Co-founder of Imprexis Gaming, Danny Thomas, added:

“We’re very excited to expand our partnership with BtoBet and give their Sports Betting Operators the edge in acquisition over their competitors. 

“F-T-P jackpot games are now firmly established as the industry’s leading acquisition and engagement tool and with the ever-increasing regulations and restrictions on sign-up bonuses we can’t see this position changing anytime soon. Our products really make a difference, so we look forward to engaging with BtoBet clients and creating custom built, tailor-made solutions perfect for their markets.”

Imprexis Gaming has integrated many major sporting leagues, including the UEFA Champions League, BBL, IPL, NBA, MLB, NFL, Bundesliga, NHL, Serie A, Premier League, LaLiga, UEFA Europa League, The FA Cup, and supports esports including CS:GO, League of Legends, and DOTA 2. 

Staying with BtoBet, last month the company announced it was growing its Latin American presence through a partnership with William Hill in Colombia. 

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UK-based bookies William Hill has reported a net revenue fell by 16% year-on-year during 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 

In a trading update, the gambling giant said group net revenue for the full year came in at £1.32B GBP, and retail revenue fell by 30% on a like-for-like basis, as the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns hammered its betting shops. 

Despite the crisis, the group’s online business actually saw international net revenue growth of 12% on a pro-forma basis, with the successful integration of casino-focused Mr Green helping drive growth. In its home UK market, net online revenue was up 5%. 

However, it was across the pond in the United States that William Hill saw the strongest growth, with the brand going live in five new states, and net revenue in Q4 surging 121% year-on-year. 

Indeed, thanks to the return of most sporting events, the final quarter of 2020 saw the group’s net revenue grow 9% compared to Q4 2019. 

Reflecting on the challenging year, William Hill CEO, Ulrik Bengtsson, said:

“2020 was a year like no other. It tested our agility and flexibility and we delivered, keeping our customers and team safe, whilst materially improving our competitive position through product enhancements and geographical expansion.”

As previously reported, William Hill’s acquisition by Caesars Entertainment, in a £2.9B deal, is expected to close by the second quarter of 2021. 

Staying with William Hill, just two weeks ago the operator announced a partnership with Aspire Global’s BtoBet in Colombia, as it grows its presence in emerging markets. 

AYO.NEWS says:

2020 will likely be the last year for William Hill as we know it, with Caesars having made clear it is only interested in keeping the group’s US assets and will be offloading its European operations post-acquisition. 

All things considered, William Hill has actually fared remarkably well through 2020 – something which is a credit to its efficiency and good management. However, as with other betting operators, questions must surely be asked about the viability of William Hill’s retail estate in the COVID/post-COVID world. 

‘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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London-based virtual sports supplier Highlight Games has secured a Romanian license. 

Following the receipt of a Class II license from the Romanian Gambling Authority, the company can offer its suite of virtual sports products, which includes SOCCERBET in English, Italian, and Turkish versions, and NBA Last 60, to licensed Romanian operators. 

Discussing the news Co-CEO of Highlight Games, Steven Holmes, said:

‘I’m delighted to confirm that our products are now available to our partners in Romania. Europe is a hugely important market for our business, and it’s fantastic to now include Romania in the list of countries in which our games are now available.  

“Highlight Games’ total online turnover in Italy has increased by 455% since the start of the first national lockdown in 2020, demonstrating the continuing growth in popularity of our video virtuals across all channels.  We look forward to recreating the successes we have seen in Italy within the Romanian virtual sports market.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Though many operators have been very quick to assume the worst of the COVID-19 crisis is over, and sports are back to near-normal, the truth is that the pandemic is far from over, and even the vaccines may not be the miracle solution many assume.

As the reality dawns on those operators, we expect to see another resurgence in interest in virtual sports, like those offered by Highlight Games, with brands racing to improve their real-life sports alternatives before the next major disruption.

‘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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Malta-based iGaming events and media company SiGMA Group has unveiled its latest rebrand.

With new visuals, and content now available in 10 languages (including French, Russian, Madarin, Portuguese, and Spanish), the rebrand is in keeping with SiGMA’s shift towards a more global perspective. 

In addition to its flagship European iGaming event in Malta, the company now also runs events covering the Americas (São Paulo), Africa (Cape Town), and Asia (Manila) – although plans for in-person events have been severely disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 

Driven in part by the challenges presented by the pandemic, SiGMA has also evolved into a fully fledged media platform, and has even launched a new academic initiative, SiGMA College, through its charitable arm, the SiGMA Foundation.

Introducing the rebrand, founder of SiGMA Group, Eman Pulis, said:

“Finding synergy between a high output and multiple translations whilst maintaining quality content has been a logistical challenge. Adaptability is a vital skill, one we’ve been able to hone during this health crisis, allowing us to create a forward-thinking site which reflects a more globally-minded gaming industry.”

While COO for SiGMA Group, Sophie Crouzet, added

“Over the last year SiGMA has recruited several new squad members, opening offices in Kiev, and Manila – and our efforts are paying off. This year marks our first foray into North America, with a new office now up and running in Chicago. Once just a local company, SiGMA’s brand now reflects our presence across different regions; a fitting face for the World’s Gaming Festival.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Although the iGaming sector as a whole weathered 2020 remarkably well, the COVID-19 crisis obviously hit event organisers extremely hard, and it’s a testament to the dedication and innovation of the SiGMA team that, this far into the crisis, the company is still thriving and growing. 

‘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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Malta-based gambling company Kindred Group has said Q4 2020 was its strongest quarter yet, with gross winnings revenue hitting £365M GBP (approx. €408M), up 55% year-on-year.

In an unaudited trading update, Kindred said it had seen strong activity across its markets and products, with some 1.78M active customers. The company also pointed to a “slightly higher than normal sports betting margin” of 10% compared to an average of 8.5%. 

The company’s focus on improving operational efficiency and reducing costs helped underlying EBITDA for Q4 2020 rise to around £115M, compared to £30.7M in the same period in 2019. 

Although Kindred saw an increase in marketing spend for the quarter, increased revenue and “improved marketing efficiencies”, resulted in it clocking in at 21% of gross winnings revenue 

Kindred’s year-end report for 2020 will be published on 10 February 2021. 

Staying with Kindred Group, in December 2020 Stefan Lundborg resigned from his role as a non-executive director following the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (SECA) opening an investigation into him for alleged insider crime. 

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