News

Jokerstar has picked up a licence to offer online slots throughout Germany.

Germany.- After a long delay, the online slot licences are positively flying out in Germany. Relative newcomer Jokerstar is the eighth business to gain a licence. It’s been approved to operate via jokerstar.de.

Jokerstar was founded by the land-based gaming hall operator Kling Automaten last year and is a smaller operator than most of those who have gained licences so far. Gauselmann Group already has several licences for its brands, while MyBet and Tipwin have also gained licences.

Novomatic’s subsidiary BluBet Operations gained a licence for its novoline.de domain last week. It already had a licence for its Mernov joint venture with Merkur.

Germany’s new online gambling legislation came into force on July 1 last year, introducing a tight regulatory regime for slots with a €1 stake limit and a 5.3 per cent tax on turnover. Licensing has been slow, with the first online slots licences not issued until earlier this year.

The first operator to receive a licence was Mernov, a joint venture between Merkur and Novomatic that has since changed its name to Deutsche Gesellschaft für Glücksspiel (DGGS). Licences followed for Tipwin and Mybet in June. The state of Saxony-Anhalt has since said that it has approved another nine operators but didn’t name them.

Saxony-Anhalt’s State Administration Office remains responsible for online slots and poker licensing until the new regulator Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL – The German Federal States’ Joint Gambling Authority) takes over on January 1, 2023.

With its licensing process taking so long, some eight applications have been withdrawn – including that from Kindred’s Unibet which has turned its back on Germany for now due to the slow licensing progress and the tight restrictions in the regulated market. Only one application has actually been rejected by the office.

The State Administration Office recently said it had referred 25 online gaming operators to the public prosecutor’s office for offering gaming without a licence in the last year. It said it had checked 871 websites and investigated 148 cases of illegal gambling and 90 cases of illegal gambling advertising.

Meanwhile, the GGL has already taken over enforcement duties, taking steps to begin to block IP addresses and payments to unlicensed operators. The regulator also plans to devise an early detection system for gambling harm and to create a centralised complaints and whistleblowing system that the public will be able to use to report gambling “irregularities”, advertising violations and suspicions of illegal gambling.

The investment and management company will provide advisory, business, and development services to PDX Slots’ North American operations.

US.- The investment and management company SCCG Management has signed an agreement with remote gaming server PDX Slots to provide advisory, business, and development services for its North American operations.

SCCG founder and CEO Stephen Crystal said: “We are very excited to partner with PDX Slots, their RGS solution is scalable and easy to build on, empowering developers to create games focused on optimizing retention in the regulated icasino market. We have a great presence in the online casino industry at SCCG. Our best-in-class resources and services, paired with PDX’s product, will fill a major gap in this growing industry.”

PDX Slots CEO Chris Housel added: “SCCG was a natural fit with our aligned goal of launching the next generation of retention oriented content in the North American market. Together we’re excited to help new studios go-live and to help operators better engage their players.”

Sports gamification company Low6 recently signed a partnership with SCCG Management to enable it to use the firm’s help in sourcing and facilitating sports betting operators that want to use its technology.

SCCG Management has also signed a deal with licensing service company, Innovum Technologies. The companies will launch InnovaLinq, a platform that simplifies licence application, renewal and reporting processes for the igaming and sports wagering industries.

The approval takes online gambling in Uruguay one step closer to legalisation.

Uruguay.- The Uruguayan senate has passed a bill that would legalise online gambling in the South American country. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for its consideration. The move comes after Uruguay passed a bill banning offshore online gambling sites in 2017.

If the bill is passed, it will allow online gambling to be regulated by Uruguay’s General Directorate of Casinos, which currently regulates land-based gaming within the Ministry of Economy and Finance. A register would be created to monitor online gambling providers.

The bill also includes provisions for the creation of a fund that would direct between 5 and 8 per cent of income to gambling harm prevention and treatment. Meanwhile, financial penalties for breaches of regulations have been set between UYU$10,000 (€245) and UYU$100,000 (€2,450). Operators could also lose their licences for serious breaches. The law would come into effect a day after being approved by the executive.

Uruguay has a population of 3.47 million, with more than 40 per cent living in the capital Montevideo. Uruguay created a national lottery in 1819 and has land-based casinos and gaming halls.

Elsewhere in South America, Peru has legalised online gambling and sports betting. President Pedro Castillo signed Bill 31,557 into law this week. The legislation introduces a 12 per cent tax on net income to be shared among the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, and the Peruvian Sports Institute and the public treasury.

Uplatform looks at how mobile technology has benefited the iGaming industry.

Press release.- In today’s technologically advanced world, consumers have a checklist of characteristics they use to decide with whom to do business. The first item on the list is mobile accessibility. As the number of bettors heading online grows, the global iGaming industry is no exception when it comes to accessibility.

With more and more bettors considering smartphone compatibility and accessibility in addition to the variety of content and payment choices, there has been a lot of progress made in iGaming. Bettors increasingly use mobile devices for online betting due to their active lifestyles.

Thanks to convenient access to the internet and mobile gambling apps, around 55 per cent of bettors use their mobile devices to bet online. Making mobile applications and mobile-friendly websites a must-have for betting operators.

Also, in many developing countries around the world, mobile betting is the only way to enjoy iGaming. The low cost of mobile phones and affordable internet access has made it the most popular method to participate in online betting. For example, in Kenya, 88 per cent of players have used their mobile devices for placing bets or playing casino games.

Going by the Numbers
Data indicates that players are increasingly turning to mobile devices as a preferred betting experience. The following statistics prove that the industry is definitely on a roll and mobile betting apps are one of the primary reasons for the industry’s unprecedented growth.

Among young adults under 35, mobile phones remained the most popular method of accessing online betting in 2020, according to the Gambling Commission.

Online betting is nearly equally popular among men and women, with 56 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women placing bets online.

The use of mobile devices by female bettors is more frequent than that of male bettors, which is interesting to note. Mobile devices are used by approximately 55 per cent of women to place bets.

The trend is toward Apps
As more companies focus on offering their services to the mobile market, they are developing native apps. Betting companies no longer need only a mobile-friendly website. Most players now prefer mobile apps whether they want to bet on sports or play casino games.

In an era where people’s attention spans are shortening, mobile apps improve and maintain player interaction by reducing the chances of them being sidetracked. Dependable mobile apps with fast live streaming and mobile-optimized interfaces provide players with an enjoyable betting experience, consequently contributing to operators earning more profits.

As outlined in the opening of this article, mobile accessibility is a must these days.

Delivering an easy-to-use, intuitive, and enjoyable gambling experience 24 hours, 7 days a week is something that stands out as one of the advantages of mobile gambling apps. By using high-quality apps, players can place bets online fast and safely at anytime from anywhere without the need to visit land-based casinos or bet shops.

It is essential to provide players with all kinds of betting options. Despite this, mobile versions of betting websites remain practical and effective for many reasons, including broader reach, easier marketing, affordable traffic, easier maintenance, and accessibility across a wider range of devices. However, mobile apps remain a must-have. Here are the reasons why:

Advantages for the players
Accessibility
Sports betting apps provide players 24×7 access to a variety of bets. All they need is a reliable internet connection for a seamless betting experience. Smartphones enable players to access any betting website regardless of the time zone.

Less data-intensive
Apps use less data than websites since they only download the required content from remote servers when they need it, not unnecessarily consuming additional cellular data. So in the regions with expensive mobile data or unstable internet connection such as Africa, or some parts of Latin America, mobile apps are more preferable.

Maximization
Since apps store their user data on local storage devices, loading this data takes no more than a few seconds. On the other hand, websites usually store data on a web server. Data access speed is dependent on internet connectivity, with mobile apps offering an advantage in areas with poor or erratic internet connections.

Usability
iGaming websites are frequently inferior to apps in terms of interface. Fitting them into a small screen is challenging. Thus, to provide players with a great visual design that is convenient and stable and provides players a seamless navigation interface throughout each step of their betting journey, it’s essential to offer mobile Apps. iGaming applications are also better appropriate for novices because of their user interface.

Security
Nearly all mobile betting apps launched by top names in the iGaming industry are fully secured. These apps come with advanced security features and end-to-end encryption. There is no chance of any hackers accessing the bettors’ personal details and generating any financial or data risk. Every user accessing apps developed by Uplatform can enable two-factor authentication. Even if the player’s password is compromised, they will be unable to log in without a fingerprint or FaceID. The bettor may set the preference whether to remain logged in in the system or log out after they end their session.

Advantages for the operators
Security
To prevent fraud and increase the security of the apps, software providers implement more security features. Since mobile applications are less prone to cyberattacks, it benefits both operators and players.

Advantageous for regions with slow or expensive internet
A low proportion of households in regions such as LATAM or Africa have access to PCs, so the majority of people access the internet through smartphones. There are also fewer barriers for bettors to interact with using apps to place their bets because they use less data than websites. So it’s vital to have a mobile app for your project if you want to be successful in such markets and other regions, regardless of infrastructure.

Increasing retention
Thanks to simple, intuitive design, the player knows exactly what to do when they open an app. From straightforward 1-click registration to banners and pop-up notifications, a bet-friendly design and UI enables players to maintain their attention without pausing and rethinking the navigation process. Using apps, players also receive notifications even when they’re not betting, which results in a higher retention rate, thus keeping players focused on the most important task, placing bets. User-friendly design and engagement methods ultimately lead to a satisfying player experience and higher retention rates.

Trust and relevance
A mobile presence is necessary to remain relevant in today’s market. Most consumers’ first option when dealing with a brand is to download their mobile app. Brands that offer mobile apps are also perceived by players as more trustworthy, reliable, stable, and care about their players, which makes them a better choice.

Wider coverage of players
Some people prefer a desktop version, others like a mobile version, and some like apps. Therefore, multiple options should be offered to satisfy all preferences and increase the number of registrations and active bettors.

Improving live-betting experience
Betting via an app while watching a game provides greater convenience. Currently, 46 per cent of sports betting GGR is generated by live betting, proving it to be one of the most popular activities among bettors.

Final words
A range of options is essential for players to access your sports betting or casino website, and no particular version is more important than another. Access to all channels, including desktop, light desktop, mobile, apps, SMS, and Telegram, enables you to reach a broader audience and attract more players.

But just like a future without smartphones is unimaginable, it is difficult to think of a betting industry without them.

All players and markets can benefit from Uplatform‘s fully featured and light versions of betting websites. Additionally, Uplatform develops quick, adaptable, safe, and user-friendly apps to meet the iGaming industry’s needs.

Uplatform’s bespoke mobile applications optimize the player’s UX with a sleek, mobile-friendly design, giving a seamless mobile experience while keeping the processes simple and secure.

Applications developed for Uplatform clients are also highly customizable and integrate all the necessary content, languages, and payments, providing a single registration and shared wallet across all channels.

Registrations, deposits, and withdrawals have never been easier for players, and they genuinely appreciate the complete convenience.

The likelihood of players using casino or betting applications on their mobile devices has increased, and iGaming apps now compete for players’ attention in terms of usability and accessibility. Easy-to-use, fast, and reliable mobile applications are flourishing.

Given the abundance of betting apps, the competition is intense. If you’re looking to ensure your iGaming enterprise remains trustworthy, relevant, and continues to profit and grow.

Then be sure to take advantage of Uplatform’s cutting-edge technology and keep one step ahead of the competition.

The new partnership extends the SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator’s offer with Vibra Gaming’s game portfolio.

Press release.- SOFTSWISS, the leading software provider for iGaming, signs a global content distribution deal with Vibra Gaming. The new partnership extends the SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator’s offer with Vibra Gaming’s game portfolio and makes it available for more than 260 iGaming brands worldwide.

Vibra Gaming is a game provider founded in Latin America, one of the most fast-growing iGaming markets at the moment. SOFTSWISS is now focused on strengthening its positions in the region, looking for new clients as well as quality and popular content to complete the varied Game Aggregator portfolio. Therefore the partnership with Vibra Gaming, an award-winner and one of the leaders among gaming operators in LatAm, is another step towards that goal. The team behind Vibra Gaming worked on integrating games into the Game Aggregator and is now ready to share new content on the worldwide market.

Nikita Keino, Partner Managers Team Lead at SOFTSWISS, comments on the deal: “We are confident that the collaboration between the SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator and Vibra Gaming will be productive for both sides. This deal was made possible greatly owing to the partner managers team’s work developing the Game Aggregator in the Latin American market. The iGaming market is growing rapidly in this region, and, as one of the leaders in the industry, we strive to provide our clients with an extensive portfolio of games and quality software products.”

Ramiro Atucha, CEO at Vibra Gaming, noted: “We are delighted to join forces with the SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator. Working with this global content aggregator is an excellent opportunity for Vibra Gaming to expand our potential in established markets and growing markets. Our experience, deep knowledge and expertise in the field, award-winning, localised slot and table game content will help us in this way.”

The SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator unites over 13,000 games from 175+ game studios that can be integrated into casino, sports betting, and poker brands via a single integration. In addition to game diversity, the Game Aggregator offers a high level of service and credibility, confirmed by positive client feedback and industry awards. The Game Aggregator recently became the winner of the EGR B2B Awards 2022, having been claimed Aggregator Platform of the year.

SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator now certified for Spain
A few days ago, SOFTSWISS also revealed that its game content aggregation software will be able to offer its services in the Spanish-regulated market.

The Game Aggregator went through a security audit conducted by Asensi Technologies, a DGOJ-accredited testing company, and certification laboratory. As part of the audit, Asensi tested each individual technical integration with a game provider entity.

Certification by Asensi and the DGOJ (Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego), Spain’s main regulatory authority for land-based and online gambling, means that the Game Aggregator can now offer services to licensed gaming entities in Spain.

For local operators in Spain, an integration with a game developer or studio normally means passing a similar security audit and acquiring certification. Therefore the more game providers the operator wishes to add, the more time and resources they have to spend on every single integration.

The new provider has picked up an Isle of Man Software Supplier licence.

Isle of Man.- The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has granted an igaming software supplier licence to OpenBox Gaming, a new provider that will supply a portfolio of online casino games from internal and external suppliers to licensed B2B gaming partners and B2C operators.

Openbox Gaming CEO Richard Hogg said: “We are excited to be able to continue in our mission to deliver gaming content to regulated jurisdictions worldwide and see this as a major step in achieving those objectives. We selected the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission due to its established and proven reputation and its robust licensing process, which provides the ideal platform for our expansion into regulated markets.”

Tony Ure, the Isle of Man’s head of egaming, digital, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Openbox Gaming to the Island. Ensuring that the Island has a supportive ecosystem for gaming companies to operate their business, whilst maintaining our reputation as a highly regulated jurisdiction that prides itself on player protection is key to continuing the growth of this sector on the Isle of Man. I wish Openbox Gaming every success with their future ventures.”

Openbox Gaming describes itself as a new supplier in the igaming marketplace started by a group of industry experts with a track record in casino game development in Europe and Asia. Its games library includes games that are popular in the Asian Market through an exclusive agreement with KX Gaming, MP Gaming and V8 Gaming. It is also able to integrate third-party content to more than 3,000 websites in Asia.

Plans revealed for new Isle of Man casino complex
Plans will be put forward for a new casino complex in Douglas, on the Isle of Man. The property development company Altostratus Limited will propose the construction of a three-storey entertainment centre, car park and offices.

If the proposal gets the go-ahead, it’s expected that Sefton Group’s Palace Hotel & Casino, which is located on the Douglas Promenade, would become the main tenant, moving its gaming operations from its current location.

The Best Western hotel would remain where it is, but gaming operations would expand to occupy two of the three floors in the new venue. It would also feature a sports bar, conference rooms, events areas and “all the stuff that goes with a modern casino”, Sefton Group chief executive Brett Martin said.

The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. It has its own gambling regulator, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, which has seen interest from gambling firms in moving to the island.

This year the regulator has issued software supplier licences to online gaming technology provider 3 Oaks Gaming and to Hacksaw Gaming.

A court has approved the status of the Nigerian Lottery Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Lottery Trust as the sole regulator in Nigeria.

Nigeria.- The Nigerian federal government has successfully defended a lawsuit against the Nigerian Lottery Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Lottery Trust fund. The victory confirms the regulator’s status as sole gaming regulator in the country, dismissing complaints from Lagos and other state governments. It is hoped that the result could end arguments among bookmakers and state governments over multiple taxation.

Confronted by competing bodies at the national and state level, the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers had lodged Case FHC/L/CS/15992020 in order to determine which was the legitimate regulator of gaming activities and thus resolve issues involving multiple taxes and licensing fees payable to the different bodies.

Ruling on the case, the Honourable Justice I.N Oweibo of the Lagos High Court found that the federal government should be the sole regulator of gaming operations because the Nigerian constitution considered lottery as an exclusive activity to be legislated by the National Assembly.

Nigeria to acquire central monitoring system for gambling
The minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, George Akume, has said that the Nigerian government will soon acquire a central monitoring system for gambling in the country.

Speaking at the first National Gaming Conference organised by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Akume said the system would improve the commission’s performance and revenue generation. Akume added that the Nigerian gaming industry could play a key role in funding the government’s poverty alleviation programmes.

The online gaming content supplier Spinomenal has been licensed to offer services to gambling operators in the British market.

UK.- Britain’s Gambling Commission has granted two B2B licences to the Israeli online gaming content supplier Spinomenal. The licences have been awarded to two companies: Panda Bluemoon and SubTech, allowing them to offer services to gambling operators in the British online gaming market.

Panda Bluemoon and SubTech will both trade under the Spinomenal brand. The British licence approval is the fifth for the company following licences in Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden. The company will launch its Retro Gaming Studio products in the market.

Spinomenal was founded in 2014. It develops games in-house and also offers access to third-party products via its Spinomenal Aggregation Platform.

Spinomenal head of partnerships Olga Sirokha said: “Securing our UK gaming licence is a huge moment as it allows us to share our outstanding slots library with partners working in this prestigious market.

“Our Retro Gaming project is gaining momentum all the time and we expect this to accelerate now we’re able to target UK-licensed operators with its range of classic entertainment products.”

Gambling Commission fines Smarkets for AML breaches
Last week, the Gambling Commission issued a formal warning and £630,000 penalty to online betting operator Smarkets for a series of AML failings. The regulator said the operator had failed to conduct adequate checks on players’ sources of funds and had failed to identify or interact with at-risk customers.

The operator, which is based in Malta and runs the SBK sportsbook, found that a customer had been able to deposit £395,000 over four months without appropriate checks on their source of funds. Another customer was able to transfer “significant levels of funds” between accounts without the matter being investigated.

Smarkets will now be audited to check the implementation of its anti-money laundering and social responsibility policies and procedures.

Earlier this month, the Gambling Commission issued LeoVegas with a warning and a £1.2m penalty for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failings. The regulator found that the Swedish operator had “not sufficiently taken into account the Commission’s 2019 guidance on customer interaction” and had not enforced its policy of interacting with customers who displayed signs of gambling harm.

Announcing its Q2 results, the operator revealed the negative impact of its exit from the Netherlands last year.

Sweden.- LeoVegas has released its Q2 results, posting revenue of €98m. Revenue was up by just 1 per cent year-on-year, held back by the operator’s exit from the Netherlands when the regulated market launched in October 2021. It said that excluding the impact of its exit from the Netherlands, revenue was up by 9 per cent year-on-year.

However, the operator said it has applied for a Dutch licence and hopes to re-enter the Netherlands market by the end of this year. Meanwhile, in April, LeoVegas went live in Ontario, Canada.

For the second quarter, EBITDA was down 45.1 per cent year-on-year at €5.3m. Operating profit was €570,000 and net profit €407,000 – a drop of 62.4 per cent. The number of new depositing customers was down by 10.9 per cent at 158,149, although returning depositing customers rose slightly despite the Netherlands exit.

For the six months ended June 30, revenue was €196.4m, up 1.5 per cent. EBITDA was down from €43.3m to €20.2m and net profit was down 70.5 per cent at €4.6m.

MGM acquisition
LeoVegas said that its proposed acquisition by MGM was advancing “according to plan” in spite of the Swedish Economic Crime Authority’s investigation into insider trading in LeoVegas shares. The €576m deal was reached in May and the acceptance period ends on August 30.

President and CEO Gustaf Hagman said: “It seems likely that the bid will be accepted, which would lead to the company’s shares being delisted from Nasdaq Stockholm later in the year.”

He added: “The expansion project in the US and New Jersey was paused at the end of the quarter due to the ongoing bid and the initiatives and obligations that MGM already has in the US market.

“The assessment is therefore that the most responsible course of action is to pause the expansion until we know whether the bid on LeoVegas will be accepted. If a launch is made possible in the future, we will be able to resume the US expansion with a short start-up period.”

Earlier this month, the British Gambling Commission issued LeoVegas with a warning and a £1.2m penalty for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failings. The regulator found that the Swedish operator had “not sufficiently taken into account the Commission’s 2019 guidance on customer interaction” and had not enforced its policy of interacting with customers who displayed signs of gambling harm.

Nearly 45,000 people visited the temporary venue last month.

US.- Rockford’s temporary Hard Rock casino received 45,000 visitors in July, according to the Illinois Gaming Board. That’s the highest monthly figure yet and compares with 37,000 in June. The temporary casino in Rockford City, Illinois, opened last November.

Rockford’s mayor, Tom McNamara, said the city has received more than $1m from the casino, receiving 70 per cent of the casino’s tax revenue.

He said: “Prior to this casino, not only did citizens want a casino for 30 years, but we had citizens going to Indiana, going to Wisconsin, going to Iowa to gamble, so all of this money was fleeing the state of Illinois and specifically fleeing the city of Rockford and I think we’re seeing right now how of that money was fleeing.

“Hard Rock: An Opening Act” is located at Giovanni’s Restaurant and Convention Center at 610 N Bell School Road. It hosts more than 600 slot machines, a sports bar, and a restaurant.

Hard Rock is hoping to open sportsbook venue at the temporary facility. The company still needs licensing and approval from the state, which it hopes to have by the end of the year in time for large sporting events like the NFL’s Super Bowl.

The temporary casino will remain in operation for two years while construction takes place on the permanent Hard Rock Casino Rockford at the site of the former Clock Tower Resort on E. State Street. Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International, said that the $310m casino project would provide 1,200 permanent jobs and an additional 1,000 during construction.