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In dialogue with Focus Gaming News, the CEO at EGT Interactive explained the company’s strategy through its transformation to Amusnet Interactive.

Exclusive interview.- After six years in the market, EGT Interactive became Amusnet Interactive. In this framework, in a one-on-one with Focus Gaming News, Ivo Georgiev, CEO at (now) Amusnet Interactive, explained the keys to the process. He stressed that the new name brings together the best of the past and the future: it combines the excellence of its already established products and the inclination towards innovation.

What was the driving force that pushed the company to change its name to Amusnet Interactive, after six years in the market?

Yes, for the past six years, we have grown immensely in terms of products, clients’ portfolio, markets presence and business. And most importantly, while we were growing, the team kept the same values and quality of the products and services.

We decided to initiate the change of our name to Amusnet Interactive because we are changing along with the iGaming industry. The new name marks a milestone in our company development. It is a simple way to communicate our brand positioning much clearer, and it is based on our constant desire for innovation.

How does the new name reflect the company’s approach and positioning?

We are proud of where we came from and how much we have accomplished for the past six years. We are the same team striving for excellence with the same mission – deliver the best products and services to the online casino market. 

The new name reflects only on our product development and follows the strategy of combining the classics with the latest industry trends. It will not affect our core beliefs, fantastic products and services we provide. We will just further improve!

What did the process look like?

It’s been a very smooth process since its beginning. Nevertheless, it isn’t over yet because the team continues to execute the transition of changing our name.

The whole process is complex. Many factors have to be taken into consideration. But we overcome it with perfect planning, clear deadlines and responsibilities. As a result, the team and I feel confident and aware of what is coming next.

What can we expect from Amusnet Interactive in terms of new products and markets?

Amusnet Interactive is determent to grow and develop. In terms of products, we will continue to deliver our emblematic EGT Interactive slots but also enrich the portfolio with new product verticals. Great products are coming next in the pipeline as we already began with Live Casino, Amusnet Slots, Keno and Lotto.

Also, we are constantly investigating the possibilities to enter new markets as the regulations are changing rapidly. We are a leading provider on numerous markets, and our Business Development team makes sure we continue strengthening our position.

How has the new name been received by your partners?

We are incredibly pleased with how well the transition goes and the response we receive. Our partners are excited just like us and support the change. We are making sure to answer all questions and share our positioning.

We appreciate their trust and the determination to join us in this exciting journey!

Focusgn.com

The new EGBA group aims to share information to track and resolve cyber security incidents in the gaming sector.

Belgium.- The European Gaming and Betting Association has created a new expert group on cyber security to facilitate information sharing on cyber threats and attacks among its members and to promote cooperation to track and resolve incidents and identify and solve security vulnerabilities.

The group will comprise cyber security experts from EGBA member operators, with a Memorandum of Understanding to allow for data sharing between the different operators. Participation will be open to all members. The group will also seek to research and implement best practices on cyber security.

EGBA secretary general Maarten Haijer said: “We have launched this expert group to encourage and establish a much-needed platform for cross-industry cooperation on cybersecurity issues.

“Cyber criminals are increasingly determined and sophisticated in their efforts to try to hack into gambling websites to steal customer data and money. Cyber threats tend to be cross-border in nature, affect operators in the same ways, and are a common threat to the industry.

“That’s why it is crucially important that operators work closer together to strengthen cyber security protocols and procedures, find common solutions to the latest threats and security vulnerabilities, and implement the highest security standards.”

As examples of cyber security threats that could affect the betting and gaming sector, the EGBA listed distributed denial-of-service (DDoSs) attacks, which use artificial traffic to bombard a website and slow it down, and account takeovers (ATO), where bots mimic legitimate login activity to access player accounts.

It also mentioned odds and price scraping, in which bots scrape odds from multiple websites to make betting decisions; credit card fraud and promotion abuse where bots are used for mass account creation to use promotional offers.

The EGBA said cyber security threats tended to increase during major sporting events, with a 96% year-on-year rise in attacks during Euro 2020, particularly targeting British and German sites.

The EGBA has been supporting the European Union’s plan for a harmonised European Digital Identity (E-ID). The digital ID system will allow EU citizens to guard a range of data, such as name, date of birth, bank account numbers, driving licences and proof of Covid-19 vaccination status in a single electronic wallet.

The EGBA has long pushed for more standardised regulation of consumer protection rules across the European Union, noting the great disparity in online gambling regulation across the bloc.

The company presented a new slot inspired by the Mexican series.

Press release.- All the thrills and drama of the global hit TV series has entered the slot world with Red Tiger’s Narcos Mexico slot. Bringing players a world of fast money and dangerous vices, players have the chance to experience rival bosses and notorious gangsters like never before – the battle is on!

This new game boasts a high volatility where players can take on the cartels with Cartel Wars. Mystery Symbols trigger a battle when landing adjacent to two or more rival territories and the leader with the biggest territory wins the clash and acquires the territory, while the loser falls in a hail of bullets.

Each Marked Territory symbol will increase a global stake multiplier. And the maximum possible total multiplier available stands at 10,500x – and winning just got a whole lot more exciting.

When players win 100x their stake or more, they have the option to exchange 100x their stake for three Cartel Spins with Win Exchange. The chance of winning the gamble is shown through a spinning wheel – the bigger the green segments, the higher their chance to win.

Todd Haushalter, Chief Product Officer at Evolution said: “This is our second Narcos game, with the first one being done by the team at NetEnt. We have had a lot of success sharing IP between NetEnt and Red Tiger, for example with Gonzo’s Quest and Piggy Riches. It’s always exciting working with branded games, and we’ve been part of some brilliant partnerships.”

And he added: “This new Narcos Mexico Slot is a great example of this and it’s going to attract new and casual players in a big way. Narcos Mexico Slot gives players the chance to enter this fast money world in a completely fresh way and we can’t wait to see what players think of it.”

Focusgn.com

SOFTSWISS has prepared detailed analytics on the state of crypto gambling in 2021, and also presented forecasts for 2022.

Press release.- SOFTSWISS was the world’s first company to introduce a cryptocurrency-optimised solution for online casinos platforms in 2013. At the moment, the company holds the status of the iGaming industry leader in crypto gambling. The company shares statistics and reviews on the development of cryptocurrencies in the iGaming industry on a regular basis.

The data provided in the article is a part of the company’s detailed report on the state of cryptocurrencies in 2021. It presents the results of the SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator and the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform.

Crypto bets overview
The increase in the number of bets in cryptocurrencies throughout the year confirms the global trend that the position of cryptocurrencies has strengthened and that they are increasingly more popular among online casinos users. Сompared to January 2021 when the share of bets made in crypto was at 23 per cent, December of the same year shows that number almost doubled to 40.1 per cent. At the same time, the volume of bets in cryptocurrencies over the same period increased by more than 2 times, namely, by 259.21 per cent.

“Cryptocurrencies have long been not just a trend in the gambling industry, but an obvious stage in its evolution. With significant benefits related to transaction speed, as well as wide market boundaries, the use of cryptocurrencies opens up significant opportunities for both players and operators. This leads to their constant growth. Those industry representatives who won’t develop their business in this direction in the near future risk losing a competitive advantage in the “battle” for users. Our statistics clearly demonstrate this,” commented Andrey Starovoitov, COO at SOFTSWISS.

Crypto and fiat currencies
Despite the fact that fiat currencies are still the most preferred option for betting, crypto is gradually but steadily growing in its share. Over the year, the percentage of bets in fiat currencies decreased by 23.6 percentage points: from 88.2 per cent in 2020 to 64.6 per cent in 2021. In its turn, cryptocurrencies showed a growth of 20.1 percentage points.

“Cryptocurrencies have long ceased to be an attribute of IT geeks. This is a global phenomenon and its impact on the global economy cannot be denied. The iGaming market is adapting to a new reality in which cryptocurrencies will become as important (if not more important) than fiat in the next couple of years. Convenience, speed, and usability are their huge advantages. SOFTSWISS took into account all these factors and created an entire ecosystem for its clients, which, in part, is made possible by the Cryptoprocessing solution by CoinsPaid,” said Andrey Starovoitov, COO at SOFTSWISS.

Top cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin still occupies a leading position by a huge margin among altcoins: 80.11 per cent of all crypto bets are made using BTC. According to the share of all cryptocurrencies used, the list of the most popular coins is as follows:

Bitcoin (BTC) 80.11%
Ethereum (ETH) 9.88%
Litecoin (LTC) 4.52%
Download the full report to learn more.

At the same time, the share of Bitcoin by the end of 2021 decreased compared to the beginning of the year: from 83 per cent in Q1 to 72.32 per cent in Q4. This is related to the growing interest of users in such a cryptocurrency as Ethereum. Its share increased from 9 per cent in the first quarter to 14.12 per cent in the last quarter of 2021.

Top crypto providers in the iGaming market
Below is the list of providers actively working with crypto-based on the share of all crypto bets in 2021. According to the statistics, BGaming players most often used cryptocurrencies in games and ensured the share of bets in crypto at the level of 21.10 per cent of the total:

BGaming 21,10%
Platipus 13,53%
Evolution 13,47%
Booming 10,76%
Betsoft 7,08%
To find out more information about the most crypto-oriented games, successful providers within the framework of operating crypto-casinos, as well as statistics on crypto-currencies in the context of GGR, download the full report.

“Cryptocurrency allows casino and dice site operators to work with a young audience. In this regard, the SOFTSWISS Crypto Solution will become an indispensable tool that adapts classical operating models to modern requests. We have every reason to believe that the share of cryptocurrencies will continue to grow this year and, accordingly, will open up even more opportunities for iGaming representatives. In turn, we have experience, innovation and expertise to help both newbies and experienced players in the market to make the most of these opportunities,” summed up Andrey Starovoitov, COO at SOFTSWISS.

A bill legalising both in-person and online sportsbooks in Kentucky now heads to the Senate for consideration.

US.- The Kentucky House has narrowly approved a bill that would legalise in-person and mobile sports betting in the state. House Bill 606, sponsored by Rep. Adam Koenig, was approved in the 100-member House on Friday by a 58-30 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

All Democrats and a slim majority of Republicans supported the measure. Twelve House members did not vote.

HB 606 would allow Kentucky’s licensed horse tracks, including Churchill Downs and Keeneland, to partner with a mobile sports betting operator such as DraftKings, FanDuel, or Caesars.

Licensees would also be allowed to offer in-person sports betting at horse tracks and two other track-owned facilities – such as a gaming hall or simulcast facility — through sportsbooks licensed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC).

Koenig believes sports betting could generate $22m in tax revenue each year for Kentucky. Koenig cited estimates that more than $2bn is wagered illegally on sports each year in the state. Legislation would bring “activities that go on in every corner of this state out of the darkness and into the light,” he said.

If the bill is approved, bettors would be able to wager on professional, college, and amateur sports, with no prohibition on betting on in-state teams. Operators would pay a $500,000 initial application and licensing fee, followed by a $50,000 per year renewal fee.

The sports wagering measure is part of a broad package of gambling-related bills being considered by Kentucky lawmakers.

Delasport has gained certification to launch its products in the regulated Danish market.

Denmark.- Delasport has gained GLI certification in order to offer its online casino, player account management (PAM) and sports betting solutions in the regulated Danish market.

Delasport’s sportsbook offering covers betting for 125 sports, 70,000 pre-match and 40,000 monthly live events across 2,000 markets. It has a functionality stack with bet-builder, cash-out and partial cash-out, personal trader and quick bet suggestions.

Delasport chief executive Oren Cohen Shwartz said: “We are all happy to be entering the Danish market and demonstrating once again our commitment to our market’s availability strategy.

“Delasport’s existing partners can now expand into the Danish market, and we are already on track to gain additional new partners in Denmark. Danish players and bettors will soon be able to enjoy a higher-level of betting experience powered by our market-ready casino and sports betting solutions.”

Last month, the Danish gaming regulator Spillemyndigheden revealed it blocked a record number of unlicensed gambling websites in 2021. It also said that channelisation to the regulated sector had reached a record high.

Meanwhile, Danske Spil has reported full-year gross gaming revenue of DKK4.83bn (€650m) for 2021, a rise of 1.9 per cent from 2020. Lottery accounted for DKK2.79bn, an increase from DKK2.63bn in 2020. Danske Licens Spil’s sports betting and gaming products brought in DKK1.82bn.

The KSA has granted an 18th Dutch gambling licence, allowing 711 BV to offer online slots in the Netherlands.

Belgium’s 711 BV has become the latest online gambling operator to pick up a five-year Dutch licence from the Netherlands’ gambling regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

Becoming the sixteenth online gambling licensee in the new Dutch online gambling market, 711 will offer online slots. It has not yet been confirmed what domain 711 will operate in the country.

Last week, Betca BV and Novamedia gained Dutch online gambling licences. They followed on the heels of Zebetting, which gained a licence last month. More licences are still expected in the next few weeks.

The Dutch online gambling market launched in October with only ten licensees. The KSA has since issued a further eight licences, with JOI Gaming having three.

Meanwhile, the KSA has revealed that more than 10,000 people have registered with the Netherlands’ gambling self-exclusion scheme, Cruks, since it went live. Cruks excludes players from gambling online, or at land-based slot machines and casinos, with exclusion periods starting at six months.

Players can sign up voluntarily but can also be registered by a relative or a gambling operator, pending approval by the KSA.

Spelinspektionen’s interim report on Sweden’s temporary Covid-19 online casino limits has suggested stricter limits “may be preferable” in the future.

The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has published its interim report on the impact of the country’s temporary online casino restrictions which were imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. It found that the impact of the measures was impossible to determine but still said it would support their use in the future.

Sweden imposed a SEK 5,000 (€471) deposit limit and SEK 100 (€10) bonus limit from July 2020 until November last year. It also placed a limit on login time for online gaming. The measures were introduced due to fears that Sweden’s Covid-19 lockdown could cause an increase in problem gaming.

While Spelinspektionen initially criticised the measures as unworkable, it later said it would not oppose a reintroduction of limits in the wake of a rise in Covid-19 cases earlier this year. The plan to reintroduce online casino deposit limits was eventually abandoned, but now the regulator says it will support their use “in the event of future crisis”.

The regulator said the measures introduced in 2020 had strengths and weaknesses but that it was impossible to fully determine the impact they had made due to the fact that Sweden’s regulated online casino market only opened 18 months before they were introduced.

Stricter online casino limits “may be preferable”
However, Spelinspektionen said it believed that for many players the SEK 5,000 limit was too high, and that there were players who spent less than this amount but still gambled “in an unhealthy way”.

It suggested that if the need for limits arises in the future, stricter requirements “may be preferable”. When the government proposed reintroducing restrictions, it wanted to impose a lower limit of SEK 4,000.

While operators apposed the deposit cap from the outset, the regulator noted that surveys suggested the public was generally in favour of the measures. A “Games about money and health” survey of 4,178 people found that 60 per cent supported them. A Svenska Spel study found that 52 per cent of its customers agreed with the measures.

However, the regulator also recognised that a study by Stockholm University concluded that that there was no increase in either online gambling or problem gambling during the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sweden’s government has approved proposals for new safer gambling and consumer protection measures, including new limits on advertising and measures against unlicensed operators.

Under the proposals, there will be mandatory licensing of third-party games and software providers that service Swedish licensed operators and online casino games will be moderated, with the riskiest being subject to enhanced measures to protect young and vulnerable audiences.

The 3rd Annual SPiCE India 2022 will take place from 23 – 25 March 2022 at Goa Marriott Resort & Spa in Goa.

Press release.- There is only one week remaining until the 3rd Annual SPiCE (Strategic Platform for iGaming Conference & Exhibition) India. The conference organized by Eventus International is going to take place at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa from 23 – 25 March 2022.

Following the successful first two editions, SPiCE India 2022 will focus on:

How companies can maximise their growth potential
Explore the innovations and progress made in the industry
Take stock of the rapidly changing regulatory landscape
Understand the challenges and opportunities in the industry
Yudi Soetjiptadi, Managing Director, Eventus International, says, “SPiCE is long overdue due to the restrictions the pandemic has brought forth over the last 2 years. However, now we are ready to come together once again. India is ready and opened its borders to the world, and the world is ready to reunite again in Goa. The wait is finally over, and it’s time to meet, talk shop and relax in the stunning location that is Goa, India.”

To add even more flavour to SPiCE India 2022, Eventus International introduces the following world class exhibitors:

Valueleaf
Valueleaf is a global parallel agency & affiliate network that helps leading brands across the globe grow their Real Money Gaming (RMG) businesses. It provides precise analytics and technology that ensures that clients have a hassle-free experience in creating and running performance marketing digital campaigns.

Whistle
Whistle is a global mobile marketing platform that helps marketers of Real Money Gaming (RMG) businesses execute targeted campaigns and optimize cost through in-depth learnings and analytics.

The mobile messaging service, available on Whistle’s smart portal, allows legally compliant RMG clients in India and abroad, to stimulate gaming interest among customers through promotions and deals. Through MarTech innovations, Whistle has made messaging marketing simple and accessible to all.

Income88
Income88 is a rapidly expanding affiliate program since its launch in 2015. Since then, Income88 has developed its network into a leading affiliate provider partnered with brands operating in Asia’s most robust markets like China, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Income88 offers several benefits to its affiliates. Some of these include competitive commission plans with up to 50 per cent revenue share, no negative carry-over for the succeeding month, no minimum number of active players, and many more.

SA Gaming
SA Gaming is a leading online entertainment platform provider in Asia. Making use of state-of-the-art technology, it offers a full spectrum of Live Games including Baccarat and many more.

Every product is developed by professionals with diligence, and comes with trustworthy support services. SA Gaming’s products are very popular amongst players around the world. They are the winner of the “Asian Platform Provider of the Year” in Malta Gaming Awards and “Live Casino of the Year” at IGA 2020.

PaymentINR.com
PaymentINR.com is a payments and banking technology company that enables businesses in India to collect payments online and make payouts. It supports high volume transactions with instant settlement (T+0), Competitive MDRs and fast chargeback resolution for our clients.

With its user-friendly dashboard, people keep a track of their payments, or get 24×7 support agent to assist them with queries.

The Trinidad and Tobago Gambling Control Commission will monitor gambling activities in the Caribbean nation.

Trinidad and Tobago.- Finance minister Colm Imbert has announced the launch a new regulator, the Gambling Control Commission (GCC), to govern and monitor gambling activities in Trinidad and Tobago.

Stephan Tang Nian, a senior government banking and anti-money laundering (AML) advisor, will chair the regulator’s board of directors.

The GCC is expected to carry out major gambling reforms in the dual-island nation, and particularly to address social concerns over a “proliferation of private member clubs providing casino-style games.”

Its creation was mandated by the approval of the country’s Gambling Control Bill last year. The bill requires the commission create a framework to improve the protection of minors and launch a fund for problem gambling rehabilitation.

It reads: “It is expected that the commission will establish a licensing framework which will aid in minimising the potential for money laundering and terrorist financing due to the stringent criteria that will have to be met in order to obtain a licence to work in the gaming and betting sectors.

“It is recognised that these sectors have the potential to contribute meaningfully and positively to the national economy, if regulated effectively, by creating employment, not only in the sector but in other downstream sectors, thereby creating greater tax revenues.”

Tech and cyber-securities expert Steven Thomas, the managing director at local supplier Prodigy Software, will serve as the commission’s deputy chairman. Both Tang Nian and Thomas will serve four-year terms. The other board members comprise experts in business, gambling, AML, IT and law.