IGT
Signs Digital Platform and Content Agreement with Penn National Gaming for
Online Gaming in Pennsylvania
LONDON, U.K. (Oct. 25, 2018) --
International Game Technology PLC ("IGT") (NYSE: IGT) announced today that the
Company signed a five-year agreement with Penn Online Entertainment, LLC, a
subsidiary of Penn National Gaming's (NASDAQ: PENN) Penn Interactive Ventures
("PIV") for its PlayDigital division to provide a full suite of digital gaming
products, including the platform, and services for the newly regulated
Pennsylvania online gaming market.
IGT is the global leader in gaming.
We enable players to experience their favorite games across all channels and
regulated segments, from Gaming Machines and Lotteries to Interactive and
Social Gaming. Leveraging a wealth of premium content, substantial investment
in innovation, in-depth customer intelligence, operational expertise and
leading-edge technology, our gaming solutions anticipate the demands of
consumers wherever they decide to play. We have a well-established local
presence and relationships...
IGT's digital gaming platform,
PlayCommand, will enable online gaming for Penn National's
Pennsylvania-based customers via its online gaming portal -
HollywoodCasino.com. Penn National will also leverage IGT's PlayCasino to
provide its players with an expansive library of player-favorite slot games
such as Wheel of Fortune®, Elephant King®, Ocean Magic® and
Cleopatra® slots. Additionally, Penn National agreed to deploy IGT's
PlayBingo and PlayPoker online solutions.
"We're excited to leverage IGT's
platform and content for our online gaming launch in Pennsylvania," said
Chris Sheffield, Managing Director of PIV and Sr. Vice President of Penn
National Gaming. "The flexibility and reliability of the PlayCommand
platform, coupled with the proven game library within IGT's PlayCasino, give us
confidence that HollywoodCasino.com will deliver the same caliber of
world-class gaming entertainment that our players have come to love in our
land-based casinos."
"IGT PlayDigital's vast portfolio
of proven digital solutions enables us to quickly address our customers' needs
across online gaming, sports betting and on-premise mobile gaming," said
Enrico Drago, IGT Senior Vice President PlayDigital. "The newly regulated
Pennsylvania online gaming market presents an exciting opportunity for IGT to
extend the success of our PlayCommand platform and PlayCasino to Penn National
as it expands the scope of its entertainment offering."
IGT's PlayDigital solutions for Penn
National in Pennsylvania are targeted for deployment in the first quarter of
2019.
About IGT
IGT (NYSE:IGT) is the global leader
in gaming. We enable players to experience their favorite games across all
channels and regulated segments, from Gaming Machines and Lotteries to Digital
and Social Gaming. Leveraging a wealth of premium content, substantial
investment in innovation, in-depth customer intelligence, operational expertise
and leading-edge technology, our gaming solutions anticipate the demands of
consumers wherever they decide to play. We have a well-established local
presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100
countries around the world, and create value by adhering to the highest
standards of service, integrity, and responsibility. IGT has over 12,000
employees. For more information, please visit
www.igt.com.
About Penn National
Penn National Gaming owns, operates
or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities and video gaming
terminal operations with a focus on slot machine entertainment. Reflecting the
recent completion of the Pinnacle Entertainment transaction the Company now
operates 40 facilities in 18 jurisdictions. In total, Penn National
facilities feature approximately 49,000 gaming machines, 1,200 table games and
approximately 9,000 hotel rooms. The Company also offers social online
gaming through its Penn Interactive Ventures division and has leading customer
loyalty programs with over five million active customers.
IGT CONTACTS:
- Robert K. Vincent, Corporate Communications, toll
free in U.S./Canada (844) IGT-7452; outside U.S./Canada (401) 392-7452
- Michelle Schenk, Global Communications, Gaming
(702) 669-8177
- Simone Cantagallo, (+39) 06 51899030; for Italian
media inquiries
- James Hurley, Investor Relations, (401)
392-7190
SOURCE: IGT.
Veikkaus: Interim Report Q3/2018
Veikkaus Aims at
Strengthening Its Competitiveness in the Middle of a Changing Operating
Environment
HELSINKI, Finland (October 24,
2018)
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- Turnover EUR 2 326.3 million (-2.4%).
- Financial result EUR 752.5 million (+0%).
- Of the turnover, 57.7% came from the points of sale
and 42.3% came from the digital channels.
- Veikkaus revised its strategy to maintain its
ability to channel gaming in the middle of international competition.
- Large 90-million-euro jackpots boosted
Eurojackpots turnover for the start of the year (EUR 222.8 million) to
reach a growth of 33.4 percent.
- Identified gaming represented 44.8 percent of all
gaming (+4.6 percentage points).
President and CEO Olli
Sarekoski:
Gaming is undergoing a strong
shift towards the digital channels. Although Veikkaus holds the exclusive right
to operate gambling games in Finland, the gambling provision in the digital
channels takes place in a competitive market in practice. The Finnish gambling
market totalled an estimated EUR 1 460 million (+0%) in terms of GGR in the
period between January and September.
Veikkaus share of the total
market was ca. 89 percent. The development of the regulatory environment, among
other things, has led part of the gaming to take place with foreign
operators.
Veikkaus Board of Directors
approved the companys new strategic guidelines in its meeting at the end
of August. Veikkaus strategy 2019-2021 will be based on a competitive
monopoly status. The objective is to build Veikkaus into an operator that also
succeeds in international competition. Success in competition and securing our
channelling capacity enable us, for their part, to maintain our exclusive
right. We want to be able to offer games responsibly even in the future,
minimizing the detriments of gaming and continuing to ensure that the gaming
revenue is channelled to the benefit of all of us Finns.
From the perspective of
responsibility, it is important that we can channel digital gaming towards
Veikkaus games, which are subject to gaming restrictions that are unique even
in the international setting.
Our players have been able to manage
their gaming by following the gaming restrictions, to such a degree that
problem gambling has decreased. Our first analyses indicate that the gaming
restrictions have thus functioned properly and in the intended way. It is
estimated that the gaming restriction concept will reduce the gross gaming
revenue from Veikkaus digital channel by 30 million euros a year.
The development of Veikkaus
gross gaming revenue took a downward turn during the third quarter of the year.
Besides the gaming restriction concept, one reason for this was the decrease in
slot machine gaming, which was due to the changes in the structure of the
retail trade. This year, the game group to have performed the best has been
that of Lucky Games, especially Eurojackpot, which has boasted 90-million-euro
maximum jackpots up to nine times during the beginning of the year.
The Ministry of the Interior bill on
the amendment of the Lotteries Act was on a consultation round, which ended on
10 August. According to the bill, decentralised slot machines should be made
subject to comprehensive identification from the beginning of 2021 onwards. In
its statement, Veikkaus paid attention to, e.g., the proposed two-phase
identification procedure, the time schedule of the reform, and the selection of
methods of voluntary identification. We estimated in our statement that the
negative impact on our income would amount to 78170 million euros in
2021, the year when the obligatory identification would be introduced,
depending on the identification solution and the tools of gambling control that
would be adopted.
CONTACT: Veikkauksen mediapalvelu,
puh. 09 4370 7000 (kello 8-22),
www.veikkaus.fi/yritys
SOURCE: Veikkaus press release.
Lottery Holds School Supply Drive for Schools Hurt by Hurricane
Florence
Donations part of
statewide effort, FAST NC, to help schools recover
RALEIGH, NC (October 22, 2018) --
Many teachers in counties hit hard by Hurricane Florence lost all their school
supplies in its floodwaters. Now a statewide effort is underway to help those
teachers restock their classrooms.
Beginning today, lottery players and
the public can join that effort by dropping off donations at one of the N.C.
Education Lotterys six regional offices and claims centers across the
state.
The offices are located in
Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Greenville and Wilmington.
The donations will join those made
by lottery employees and will be delivered to a distribution center for
shipment to teachers who need them. Donations can be any type of school supply
on teachers lists, including paper, notebooks, pencils, markers, and
tissues.
The lotterys school supply
drive is part of its partnership with a statewide effort, called Florence Aid
To Students and Teachers in North Carolina, or FAST NC, created by state
education leaders.
Our employees wanted to
help teachers recover from the losses they incurred during Hurricane
Florence, said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C.
Education Lottery. Hundreds of visitors come into our claims centers
each week. We know North Carolinians like helping out each other in times like
these and we wanted to make it easy for lottery players to join us in this good
cause.
Donations also can be made to the
N.C. Education Fund by credit card on the FAST NC website,
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/fastnc/, or with checks mailed to: N.C.
Education Fund, State Board of Education, 6336 Mail Service Center, Raleigh,
N.C. 27699.
FAST NC will work with local school
superintendents, charter schools, and statewide associations to identify needs
and help meet them.
CONTACT: Van Denton, Phone: (919)
301-3308.
SOURCE: NCEL.
Svenska Spel Prepares for a New Gaming
Market
VISBY, Sweden (October 24, 2018) --
Svenska Spel's third quarter is characterized by a high rate of change when the
Group is preparing for a new gaming market, continued high online growth and a
World Cup that exceeded the goals.
Online gaming revenues are reduced
to 2 125 MSEK, which is 2.3 per cent lower than the same quarter last year.
This is mainly due to Vegas Vegas, which decreases by 56 MSEK or 20 per cent.
In addition, quarterly net gaming revenue is approximately in line with the
previous year. The profit of SEK 1,176 M, a decrease of 2.2 percent, and the
operating margin of 23.1 percent is slightly lower than the previous year
(23.4).
Sales online grow by 22 percent, of
which mobile phone sales increase by 42 percent compared with the same quarter
last year. The World Cup was a big success for Svenska Spel's sports games and
the goals were surpassed both in terms of sales and customer recruitment.
"We show that we are still strong
in the tough competition and that it is possible to combine game joy with clear
gaming responsibility. As the whole of Sweden's gaming company, we look forward
to finally playing on equal terms to the new gaming market after the turn of
the year and to offer games that we and our customers have missed for a long
time," says Marie Loob, tf. CEO of Svenska Spel.
During the quarter, Svenska Spel
continued to share the most million wins in the country and it was written game
history when Eurojackpot's top win fell by SEK 258 million - the biggest game
win ever in Sweden.
Svenska Spel continues the focus on
research on gambling addiction and invests more than 30 million by extending
the agreement with the Research Council and continued support for Sweden's only
professorship in gaming addiction at Lund University.
Customers continue to give Svenska
Spel a high rating and the Group has broadly the highest image value of the
gaming companies.
"I am proud that approximately five
million customers or 52 percent of the Swedish people are positive to Svenska
Spel. But there is a clear downward trend in the whole game industry's
reputation. Our most important industry-wide challenge is to work to enhance
image and reputation. Here everyone has to take their responsibility," says
Marie Loob.
July - September in brief
- Net gaming revenues for the Group amounted to MSEK
2 125 (2 174), a decrease of 2.3%.
- Online gaming revenues online increased by 22
percent, of which the mobile phone grew by 42 percent compared with the same
quarter last year.
- Net gaming revenue for Vegas Vegas decreased by
MSEK 56, a decrease of 20 percent.
- Costs for conversion to new gaming market and GDPR
amounted to MSEK 29 during the quarter.
- Operating profit for the Group amounted to MSEK
1,176 (1,200), a decrease of 2.1%.
- The Group's profit amounted to SEK 1,176 M (1,
202), a decrease of 2,2%.
- The operating margin was 23.1% (23.4).
Significant events during the
quarter
- Eurojackpot fell out with SEK 258 million -
Sweden's highest win ever.
- Norsk Tipping has signed an agreement with Svenska
Spel for the right to use the PLAYScan gaming responsibility tool. The
agreement lasts for six years and amounts to 20 MSEK.
- The agreement with the Research Council assessing
applications and awarding scholarships to deputy researchers has been extended
to 2022 worth a value of 24 MSEK.
- The agreement with Sweden's only professorship in
gaming addiction at Lund University has been extended to 2022 to a value of 7.5
MSEK.
- Agreement signed with Evolution Gaming for delivery
of live casino.
Here you can read
Interim Report January - September 2018 pdf.
SOURCE: Svenska Spel.
Arizona Lottery Launches Two New Fast Play
Games
More Instant Wins Added
to the Arizona Lottery Fast Play Game Portfolio
PHOENIX, Arizona (October 24, 2018)
Arizona Lottery players now have two more opportunities for instant wins
with the new Arizona Lottery Fast Play games: Hot Numbers and $20 on the Spot.
These two games give Arizona Lottery players the chance to win up to $2,000
instantly!
Not only do players love these games
because they know immediately if theyve won, they also have attractive
odds and numerous opportunities to win. Hot Numbers has a total prize pool of
more than $4.8 million and a 1 in 3.51 chance of winning. Players also have a
chance to win up to eight times on a single Hot Numbers Fast Play ticket for
only $5.
When players play the $20 on the
Spot Fast Play game, they can win up to 10 times on a single ticket, up to a
total of $2,000. With a prize pool of more than $730,000 and odds of 1 in 4.52,
players wont be able to resist the instant fun for just a buck!
We are excited to be adding
to our Fast Play game category, Executive Director of the Arizona
Lottery Gregg Edgar said. This instant experience allows our players
to enjoy their two favorite game categories in one ticket and by offering more
state games, the Arizona Lottery has an opportunity to further increase sales,
which will create a significant impact on vital programs that serve Arizonans
across the entire state.
The Arizona Lottery launched this
new category of instant games this year with four different Fast Play games.
Now, Arizona Lottery players are excited to see a growing portfolio of Fast
Play games and the Lottery plans to release new games every quarter.
Hot Numbers and $20 on the Spot Fast
Play games are available for purchase at all Arizona Lottery retailers. For
more information on Fast Play, visit
www.arizonalottery.com.
About Arizona Lottery
Since 1981, the Arizona Lottery and
its retail partners have generated more than $4 billion in net funding in
support of programs that help to improve the quality of life for the people of
Arizona. Proceeds from Lottery ticket sales over $4 million per week
fund programs in education, economic development, environmental
conservation and health and human services.
The mission is to support Arizona
programs for the public benefit by maximizing net revenue in a responsible
manner. Learn more at ArizonaLottery.com
SOURCE: Arizona Lottery.
Historic Mega Millions Jackpot Raises $34.7 Million for
Education in Georgia
ATLANTA, Georgia (October 24, 2018)
-- Georgia Lottery officials announced Wednesday that the historic $1.5 billion
Mega Millions jackpot generated more than $34.7 million in proceeds for
Georgias HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K programs.
In addition, Georgia Lottery players
won big statewide in Tuesdays drawing.
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Winning numbers from the Oct. 23
drawing were: 5-28-62-65-70 and the Mega Ball was 5.
One jackpot ticket was sold in South
Carolina, and 20 tickets worth $10,000 each were sold in Georgia.
The $10,000 tickets were purchased
in: Athens, Atlanta (2), Buford, Conyers, Fort Valley, Hinesville, Kennesaw,
LaGrange, Marietta (2), Pooler, Rising Fawn, Sandy Springs, Savanah, Tallapoosa
(2), Trenton, Villa Rica and Warner Robins.
Additionally, Georgia Lottery
players won more than $8.5 million in prizes since the Mega Millions jackpot
began rolling in July.
As with all other Georgia Lottery
games, proceeds from Mega Millions and Powerball will benefit education in the
state of Georgia.
Georgia Lottery Corp
www.galottery.com
Since its first year, the Georgia
Lottery Corp. has returned more than $19.8 billion to the state of Georgia for
education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational
programs, including Georgias HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgias
Pre-K Program. More than 1.8 million students have received HOPE, and more than
1.6 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten
program.
POWERBALL FAST FACTS
For more information on the Georgia
Lottery Corp., Mega Millions and Powerball, please visit:
www.galottery.com,
www.megamillions.com
and www.powerball.com.
SOURCE: Georgia Lottery Corp.
New
Standards for Complaints Process Put Consumers First
BIRMINGHAM, U.K. (October 24, 2018)
-- From 31 October 2018, were introducing some new standards for
alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers in the gambling industry. An ADR
can help you if youre not happy with the result when you complain to a
gambling business. The service is free for you to use. You can find out how to
contact the ADR provider from the gambling business.
We hope that these standards will
help you to have confidence in the service that ADR providers give you, and to
understand better whats happening to your complaint during the process.
Matt Halden, our Consumer Advocacy Specialist explains more.
In our new standards, we expect ADR
providers to:
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- consider as many complaints as possible, and let
you know quickly if your complaint is one they cant help with
- tell you when they receive your complaint, and
update you when they have all the information from the gambling business that
they need to start looking at it
- keep you updated throughout the process so you know
what stage your complaint has reached
- make sure you know you have a right to ask to see
any information from the gambling business about your complaint (unless this
conflicts with other law or regulations)
- take into account your needs when they contact you,
including any needs around accessibility
- provide information about what happens at the end
of the process, including whether you can appeal
- have a process you can use if you need to complain
about the service you have received from them
We also expect providers to publish
information to help you have confidence in the process and their service,
including information:
- to show you how they are independent of the
gambling business, including information about how they are funded
- about the service they provide, including their
methods and timescales, and performance data to show how they are performing
against targets
Well be monitoring how ADR
providers perform against the new standards, and well take action if we
dont think a provider is meeting them.
SOURCE: Gambling Commission.
Global
Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) and Victoria Police Join Forces to Safeguard
the Integrity of Australian Sports
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (October 24,
2018) -- The Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) and Victoria Police have
decided to join forces and share information regarding irregular betting
patterns in order to detect and prevent sports betting manipulations in
Australian sport. GLMS will be providing Victoria Police with information on
irregular betting patterns or insider betting that is taking place in
connection with sport competitions throughout Australia.
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Commenting on this new GLMS
partnership, GLMS President, Ludovico Calvi states: Working closely
with law enforcement agencies is of key strategic importance for an effective
fight against sport competition manipulations. Victoria Police has significant
experience in gathering intelligence against the phenomenon and I am proud that
GLMS will be contributing to protect sports and its values with a focus on
Australian sport competitions. This cooperation will also further strengthen
GLMS worldwide network and its glocal approach.
Neil Paterson, Assistant
Commissioner of Victoria Police adds "Corruption in sport is a real concern
for Victoria Police and this agreement will allow us to better target growing
trends in match-fixing. We know how much Victorians love their sport and racing
and we want to ensure what they are watching is fair and void of corruption.
This agreement with the Global Lottery Monitoring System continues to
demonstrate Victoria Polices dedication to wipe out organised crime
involvement in these industries and ensure everyone can enjoy all of our
sporting and racing events."
GLMS CONTACTS:
Giancarlo Sergi,
GLMS General Secretary: giancarlo.sergi@glms-sport.org
Evangelos
Alexandrakis, GLMS Deputy General Secretary,
evangelos.alexandrakis@glms-sport.org
About GLMS
GLMS is the state lotteries
mutualized monitoring system on sports betting. It aims at detecting and
analyzing suspicious betting activities that could question the integrity of a
sport competition. Building on six years of experience with the establishment
in 2009 of ELMS with European Lotteries, GLMS went global in January 2015
extending the network to other continents.
GLMS facilitates the sharing of
sports betting information as part of the collective efforts of its members in
ensuring sports integrity globally, and is dedicated to effective cooperation
with all key stakeholders: regulators, law enforcement authorities, sports
organizations.
GLMS currently has 31 individual
Members from 4 continents (Österreichische Lotterien - Austria,
Loterie Nationale Belgium, Hrvatska Lutrija Croatia, Danske
Spil Denmark, Veikkaus Finland, La Française Des Jeux
France, Staatliche Loterieverwaltung in Bayern Germany,
Opap SA Greece, Szerencsejatek Hungary, Islenk Getspa
Iceland, Israel Sports Betting Board - Israel, Lottomatica
Italy, Sisal Italy, Maltco Lotteries Ltd
Malta, Norsk Tipping Norway, Santa Casa De Misericordia da Lisboa
Portugal, STOLOTO Russia, Sportna Loterija
Slovenia, Svenska Spel Sweden, Loterie Romande
Switzerland, Swisslos Switzerland, Nederlandse Loterij, the
Netherlands, Hong Kong Jockey Club Hong Kong, Singapore Pools
Singapore, Ktoto Co South Korea, China Sports Lottery
China, Loto-Québec- Canada, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia
Chile, Banca de Quinielas de Montevideo Uruguay, La Marocaine des
Jeux et des Sports, Morocco, Loterie Nationale du Sénégal
Senegal) and 2 collective Members (European Lotteries Association and
World Lottery Association).
GLMS has 1 associate Member:
Scientific Games Corporation.
SOURCE: Global Lottery Monitoring
System (GLMS).
"Protecting Sport Must Be More Important Than Maximizing
Revenue": Svenska Spel CEO Marie Loob
VISBY, Sweden (October 24, 2018) --
The last quarter shows the success of our sports betting in the World Cup, we
exceeded the goals for both sales and customer recruitment, and mobile phone
growth is still strong. However, we see a continued loss of Vegas vending
machines, down 20 percent compared to the same period last year, which is the
main reason why online gaming revenue is 2.3 percent lower than Q3
2017.
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In previous blog posts I have been
told about the big conversion that Svenska Spel now undergoes . In order to
comply with the competition law regulations after New Year, we divide our
entire business and separate our IT systems. In practice, Svenska Spel's
largest IT project ever.
Therefore, I am proud that we are
able to keep our market positions as well, despite the enormous transformation
we carry out in the background. High customer satisfaction and by far the best
image of the gaming companies we are very proud of.
During the quarter , we decided to
invest more than SEK 30 million in research on gambling addiction . It is a
young research discipline that needs a lot of support and with the help of
research, we hope that the gaming industry will be able to bring even more
effective measures to combat game addiction.
Our agreement with the Research
Council is extended to 2022 and we continue to support Sweden's only
professorship in gaming addiction at Lund University.
Classified
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It feels positive. At the same time,
I am concerned with the clear downward trend in the whole game industry's image
and reputation. The massive advertising from our industry may yield short-term
profits, but it damages the long-term gaming industry's reputation and it's not
good for anyone.
One of the things that definitely
adversely affects the industry's reputation is match fixation.
The gaming companies need to be part
of the solution, not part of the problem and that is why we do not offer games
on youth games, lower divisions with low levels of control or easy-to-play game
types (such as red card cards or first-order games).
We do this both to protect our
customers and to protect Swedish sports.
During the quarter, an 18- and
19-year-old, who in turn, had mutated a 15-year-old to make a match.
The sports magazine reported in the
days in detail about how it worked and all the details there reinforced us in
the perception that it is completely irresponsible to offer games in youth
sports.
We now invite more gaming companies
to seriously join the fight against match fixation by self-cleaning their game
range from items that are easy to manipulate.
Protecting Swedish sports and
healthy gambling must be more important than maximizing revenues in the short
term.
We can not count on raising the
perception of the gaming industry as long as the industry is unable to take
that kind of tough but morally correct decision.
Marie Loob,
CEO,
Svenska Spel
NetEnt
Signs Contract with Svenska Spel Ahead of Swedish Market
Re-Regulation
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (October 25, 2018)
-- NetEnt has entered into an agreement with Svenska Spel Sport & Casino AB
(subsidiary of AB Svenska Spel) to supply a wide selection of its award-winning
online casino games as the re-regulated gambling market in Sweden opens on
January 1, 2019.
Regulated markets form a key part of
NetEnts strategy, and after a thorough qualification process, NetEnt has
been selected as online casino supplier to Svenska Spel Sport & Casino
AB.
On June 7th, 2018, the Swedish
parliament, Riksdagen, approved the re-regulation of Swedens gambling
market. The new legislation comes into force on January 1st, 2019, and NetEnt
aims to be ready to operate together with its partners on the day of market
opening.
NetEnt was an obvious
choice when selecting an online casino supplier ahead of our re-regulated
market entry on January 1st, 2019. We are convinced that NetEnt will deliver
casino games of the highest quality and become a very important partner for
us, says Fredrik Wastenson, MD and Head of Business Unit, Svenska
Spel Sport & Casino.
Henrik Fagerlund, MD NetEnt Malta
Ltd. and Chief Product Officer of NetEnt comments: I am very pleased
that Svenska Spel has selected NetEnt as supplier ahead of the Swedish market
re-regulation. Svenska Spel is the most established gambling operator and the
largest sponsor of sports in Sweden. We really look forward to a close
collaboration to deliver best-in-class digital casino games to Svenska
Spels customers.
The commercial launch of
NetEnts online games with Svenska Spel is expected in the beginning of
2019.
About Svenska Spel
Svenska Spel is Swedens
largest gambling operator, with well-known brands such as Lotto, Triss,
Stryktipset, Oddset, Vegas and Casino Cosmopol. Svenska Spel was formed in 1997
through a merger of Tipstjänst and Penninglotteriet. Svenska Spel is the
largest sponsor of sports in Sweden on all levels. The group also include
Casino Cosmopol and Swedens four international casinos. For more
information, please visit
https://om.svenskaspel.se/in-english
About NetEnt
NetEnt AB (publ) is a leading
digital entertainment company, providing premium gaming solutions to the
worlds most successful online casino operators. Visit
http://www.games.netent.com to try our games. Since its inception in 1996,
NetEnt has been a true pioneer in driving the market with thrilling games
powered by a cutting-edge platform. NetEnt is committed to helping customers
stay ahead of the competition, is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm (NETB) and
employs 1,000 people in Malta, Stockholm, Kiev, Krakow, Gothenburg, Gibraltar
and New Jersey. www.netent.com.
SOURCE: NetEnt press release.
NBA
& MLB Could See Combined $1.7 Billion from Legalized Sports
Betting
Dear Gaming Colleague:
WASHINGTON, DC (October 19, 2018) --
Annual revenues for Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball
Association (NBA) may increase by $1.1 billion and $585 million, respectively,
due to widely available, legal, regulated sports betting, according to
a new Nielsen Sports study commissioned by the American
Gaming Association (AGA).
The study analyzes the revenue
streams that legal sports betting could generate for both professional leagues:
revenue as a result of spending from betting operators on advertising, data and
sponsorship, and revenue generated as a result of increased consumption of the
leagues media and products.
According to Nielsen Sports, greater
fan engagement and viewership could boost the two leagues total annual
revenue from media rights, sponsorships, merchandise and ticket sales,
producing $952 million for MLB and $425 million for the NBA from increased
consumption of the leagues products.
Todays research shows that
legal sports betting could help generate additional revenues of $160 million
for the NBA and $154 million for MLB as a result of spending by betting
operators and data providers. The study projects that gaming operators may
spend $64 million on MLB advertising and $57 million on the NBA which
may directly increase the leagues rights fees by the same amount.
Sponsorship revenues from gaming operators would provide an additional $78
million for the NBA and $62 million for MLB. The NBA and MLB are also projected
to earn $25 million and $28 million from data rights, respectively.
AGA recently released revenue
projections for the NFL and NHL, showing that those leagues and teams stand to
gain $2.3 billion and $216 million, respectively, from widely available, legal,
regulated sports betting. The research generated significant national news
coverage, including by Reuters this morning: "Exclusive: U.S. sports leagues could see $4.2 billion annually
from legal betting."

The four major sports leagues will
earn a collective $4.2 billion from widely available legal sports betting,
further proving that working together with the gaming industry will pay
dividends for all sports stakeholders. Legal sports betting will also create
substantial opportunities for state and local economies, generating tax
revenue, jobs and supporting small businesses across the country.
Regards,
Sara Slane
Senior Vice President of Public
Affairs
American Gaming Association.
Swedish Regulator Appoints Match-Fixing
Coordinator
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (October 15, 2018)
-- Katarina AbrahamssonIn light of the current reorganization of the Swedish
gaming market, the Lottery Inspectorate (which changes after the turn of the
year to the Spelinspektionen) recruited a match-fixing coordinator, Katarina
Abrahamsson, who takes office on October 15, 2018.
"Katarina has extensive
experience from previously coordinating issues between authorities,
organizations, but also from working both nationally and internationally with
regulation and coordination issues. This experience is very important in the
work done by the Spelinspektionen as of January 1, 2019, with regard to the
work against match fixing," says Patrik Gustavsson, Operations Manager.
Katarina Abrahamsson is currently a
lawyer and currently works as a lawyer at the Lottery Inspectorate, where she
worked mainly with the development of regulations and guidelines linked to the
new game regulation. Prior to that, Katarina has worked as coordinator
nationally and internationally at the Energy Market Inspectorate.
With the new game rules, the Game
Inspectorate plays a central role in the fight against match fixing, among
other things, through its mission to lead the council against match fixing. The
Council's task is to promote strategic and operational cooperation in issues of
counter-match fixing.
The anti-match council to be led by
the Spelinspektionen consists of representatives of the Public Prosecutor, the
Police Office and the Government Offices (Ministry of Finance and the Ministry
of Social Affairs). The Spelinspektionen may also include representatives from
the Riksidrottsförbundet and in particular the relevant sports
federations, trade organizations representing license holders who organize
betting and other specially involved organizations.
"Through the new game missile
introduced in the game act, the Lottery Inspectorate hopes that police and
prosecutors will now have better opportunities to claim manipulation of events
with regard to game results," says Patrik Gustavsson.
For more information
CONTACT:
Patrik Gustavsson,
Operations Manager,
E:
Patrik.gustavsson@lotteriinspektionen.se T: 0152-650 185 |
Katarina Abrahamsson,
co-ordinator for match
fixation, E: katarina.abrahamsson@lotteriinspektionen.se T: 0152-650
134 |
SOURCE: Lotter Iinspektionen.
Swedish Gambling Authority to Hold Briefing, 6 November, About
Technical Requirements for Certification of Gaming
Operations
SWEDEN (October 22, 2018) -- Due to
the reregulation of the Swedish gambling market and the new license system the
Swedish Gambling Authority invites stakeholders to a briefing Tuesday November
6th in Stockholm.
A license holder must ensure that
its gaming systems, business systems, routines, RNG and physical
lotteries are evaluated by an accredited organ, Chapter 16, Section 3 of the
Gambling Act (2018:1138).
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The Gambling Authority will inform
on the regulations and general advice (LIFS 2018:8) on technical requirements
and accreditation of bodies for inspection, testing and certification of gaming
operations and its guidelines.
The Gambling Authority has invited
the national accreditation body in Sweden, Swedac, to the hearing. Amongst
other things Swedac accredits laboratories, certification bodies and inspection
bodies in accordance with international standards and regulations. Magnus
Pedersen, Swedac, will describe how the accreditation system is built up with
laboratories, inspection bodies and certification bodies to create the basis
for the application when the gambling company applies for license. Which
enables the gambling companies to demonstrate that they meet the technical
requirements.
This briefing will be held in
English.
The Swedish Gambling
Authoritys regulations and general advice (LIFS 2018:8) on technical
requirements and accreditation of bodies for inspection, testing and
certification of gaming operations and its guidelines will be translated
and a translation will available in the near future.
WHEN: Tuseday November 6th at
9:30 am - 12:00 pm. (Coffe & sandwich will be served at 09:00 - 09:30
am)
WHERE: World Trade Center,
Klarabergsviadukten 70, Stockholm Meeting room: New York
Directions:
https://goo.gl/maps/XtsMr62pGbM2
Register your participation October
31th at the latest:
info@lotteriinspektionen.se
Questions: Please CONTACT:
katarina.abrahamsson@lotteriinspektionen.se
SOURCE: Lotteri Inspektionen.
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