Tag: Gaming

The industry we didn’t expect

As the industry prepares to gather at iGB London, conversations are increasingly shaped by data, market signals and long-term strategic thinking. Yet the most important shifts are not always the ones making headlines.

With unique visibility into the market from different vantage points, Robin Harrison of Worldgaming (formerly Clarion) and Alexandra Kavelich of SOFTSWISS come together to discuss how trends emerge, how businesses distinguish meaningful change from noise and what today’s industry should be paying closer attention to.

1. Worldgaming (formerly Clarion) and SOFTSWISS observe the market from very different vantage points. Because you see the industry through different lenses, I’m curious: what are the earliest signs of change that you’re noticing today?

Robin

Robin harrison, global content director b2b at worldgaming

There are a few different ways to interpret this question. This might be quite obvious, but the centre of gravity for the industry is shifting. Much of the ..

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SPA considers regulation of betting in Brazil a success

The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) points out that the regulated betting environment in Brazil is positive compared to the period without control of the activity. This assessment was made by the deputy secretary of monitoring and supervision of betting at SPA, Carlos Renato Xavier.

While participating in the “Future of Betting in Brazil” panel, Carlos Renato Xavier took stock of the first full year of betting regulation.

In his view, this period demonstrated the measure’s complete success.

“Regulating the betting sector in Brazil is already proving to be a successful solution when compared to the long period without rules,” the undersecretary said.

“The existence of a regulated environment, characterised by ongoing state involvement and the SPA’s focus on consumer protection regulations, the preservation of the public interest and the industry’s health, reduces conflicts and prevents problems from escalating due to a lack of oversight.”

He further noted that since regula..

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Entain to divest 20% of its CEE business with full exit planned

Entain plans to unlock shareholder value through a gradual exit from its Polish and Croatian businesses.

Entain has agreed to sell a 20% stake in its CEE business, marking the first step in a planned full exit.

On Thursday, Entain made the announcement that it had agreed to sell a 20% interest in Entain CEE to EMMA Capital, its joint venture partner.

The deal features a €395 million ($448.6 million) payment on the completion of the deal, plus an additional payment in early 2027 to reflect Entain CEE’s FY26 performance.

The total cash consideration is approximately €425 million, implying an enterprise value of €2.1 billion for Entain CEE. Entain will utilise the net proceeds to reduce its outstanding debt.

The deal to sell the 20% stake is expected to be completed in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

Following the conclusion of the deal, Entain’s shareholding will drop from 67.5% to 47.5%, while EMMA Capital’s will increase from 22.5% to 47.5%. The remaining 10% will stay ..

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Brazilian organisations support federal government crackdown on illegal betting

The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) and the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) expressed their support for the government's decision to combat illegal betting by suffocating payment institutions.

On Friday, President Lula signed a decree adopting a series of measures to combat illegal betting and strengthen the regulated market in Brazil.

For the ANJL, the measures represent another step forward in protecting the regulated market. They are the result of an ongoing process of institutional cooperation between the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), representatives of the regulated sector and other actors involved in the regulation of the sector.

According to data released by the minister of justice, Wellington César Lima, at a press conference on the subject, 25.2 million Brazilians bet on illegal websites. For the president of the ANJL, Plínio Lemos Jorge, the number shows the scale of the challenge and justifies the strengthening of the anno..

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Major national operation exposes billion-dollar illegal betting scheme in Brazil

Operation Conto da Sorte is the government's first serious initiative to combat illegal betting and will be intensified to ensure the sustainability of the legal iGaming market in Brazil.

On Thursday, the Federal Revenue Service launched Operation Conto da Sorte, a joint action with state Public Prosecutors’ offices that revealed an illegal betting scheme involving 37 companies and an estimated financial movement of BRL50 billion ($9.7 billion).

The information was confirmed by the Minister of Finance Dario Durigan and by official statements from the federal government. He stated that there is zero tolerance for illegal bets.

The operation executed 14 search and seizure warrants in Pernambuco, Ceará and São Paulo. The focus was on collecting documents and media, and verifying the actual structure of the companies under investigation. In addition, the court ordered the freezing of up to BRL145 million in assets. This amount may be used to compensate for damages resulting from th..

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Online slots growth pushes Lithuania gambling revenue to €116m in H1

Gambling revenue in Lithuania increased 12.6% year-on-year to €116.0m (£99.3m/$126.7m) in H1 with a strong online performance mitigating a decline in land-based revenue.
Figures from the Lithuania Gaming Control Authority show H1 revenue was clear of the €108.5m reported in the same period last year.

Starting with the online market, revenue for the channel climbed 12.5% year-on-year to €72.2m. Player spending increased by 8.7% to €1.05bn, winning $973.1m in the process.

Slots reign supreme in Lithuania online gambling market
Category A online slots – games with unlimited winnings – were undoubtedly the star of the show in H1. These slots generated €53.5m in revenue, more than any other segment across both the online and land-based market in Lithuania. Player spending on these machines also hit a market-high of €627.7m, up 6.2%.

For Category B online slots, with maximum stakes of LTL1 (€0.3) and wins limited to 200 times customer bets, revenue was flat at €1.8m in H1. In addition, o..

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Betsson, Galera.bet and F12 file Brazil betting applications as submissions hit double figures

Betsson, Galera.bet and F12.bet have joined the growing list of betting applicants in Brazil almost a week after its final regulations were published.
There is less than two weeks until the government’s 20 August initial submission deadline, which guarantees applicants in the first wave will receive a licence by the market launch date.

Betsson, Galera.bet and F12.bet have this week joined the likes of Betano and Rei do Pitaco, who made their submissions in May and July respectively.

Swedish operator Betsson moved into Brazil in 2019 by acquiring a 75% stake in Brazilian sportsbook operator Suaposta. Betsson has invested heavily in Brazil – LatAm accounted for 23% of the operator’s regulated revenues in Q2.

“I think that we have the possibility of tackling [Brazil] quicker than the big brands,” Betsson managing partner for Brazil Andre Gelfi previously told iGB. “We have a good product, we are a very respected brand. I think reputation is a critical aspect of our industry.”

Galera…

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Brazil gambling regulation complete as government publishes final ordinances

With less than five months until the anticipated launch date of the legal betting market in Brazil, the final gambling regulations have been outlined in ordinances published by the ministry of finance’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA).
The four-phase regulatory rollout set out in April is now complete and the launch of legal gambling in Brazil is on track for 1 January 2025.

Jump to:

Online games

Monitoring and inspection

Money allocated to the state

Responsible gambling, including a ban on influencer advertising

Sanctions for non-compliance

Operators have been submitting their applications for licences, with the total number of requests now at six after NSX Group’s Betnacional filed its application on Thursday (1 August) with less than three weeks to go until the 90-day initial window of preference closes.

Operators who apply before 20 August will have their applications prioritised by the SPA and ensure they are processed by the expected launch date of the market.

Those..

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UKGC data: Record quarter for gambling activity in Britain

Great Britain’s online gross gambling yield (GGY) increased by 12% year-on-year to £1.46bn (€1.73bn/$1.87bn) in Q2, with the total number of bets and spins reaching a record high for the second consecutive quarter.
Players in Britain placed 24.5 billion bets and spins in Q2 (April to June), representing an increase of 11% on last year and a new quarterly record since the UKGC began publishing player data in 2019.

Breaking down the UKGC data, online slots were the primary source of GGY at £642m, noting a rise of 10% from last year. May proved the busiest month for online slots gaming with GGY hitting £217.9m.

Consumers placed a total of 22.4 billion spins during the quarter, which is up 12% on last year. However, slot session length was marginally shorter at 17 minutes, compared to just under 18 minutes in the previous year.

As for how many people were playing online slots, total active players in this segment hit 13.3 million for the period. This represents a year-on-year increase..

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Caesars’ Big Brazil and Sportingbet apply for Brazil licences

Sportingbet and Caesars Sportsbook’s Big Brazil have submitted their licence applications in Brazil, becoming the fourth and fifth operators to do so.
Sportingbet applied for a Brazil sports betting and igaming licence on Thursday (25 July). The following day, Caesars Sportsbook’s licensee Big Brazil joined Sportingbet, Betano, Superbet and Rei do Pitaco in submitting its application.

In applying during the initial 90-day window of preference, Sportingbet and Big Brazil have ensured their applications will be prioritised by the ministry of finance’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA).

The SPA guarantees that operators who submit their applications by the 20 August deadline will have their applications processed by 1 January 2025, the anticipated launch date of the legal market.

Licences will last for five years and will cost BRL30m (£4.6m/€5.4m/$5.9m) in fees. Those who receive a licence will be able to offer gambling via three skins. Meanwhile, operators who fail to secure a lice..

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Investment year paying off for BetMGM as H1 NGR hits $1bn

With revenue reaching $1bn in the first half of 2024, BetMGM expects growth to accelerate in H2, underpinned by Angstrom’s product capabilities and leveraging its omnichannel opportunities through MGM Resorts.
In a trading update published today (29 July), BetMGM chief executive Adam Greenblatt described 2024 as an investment year, focused on improving customer acquisition and enhancing player experiences.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, iconic quarterback Tom Brady and Hollywood star Vince Vaughn starred in BetMGM’s Super Bowl commercial
Net gaming revenue (NGR) for the six months to 30 June grew 6% year-on-year. Despite no new state launches revenue grew 9% year-on-year in Q2, following a slower first quarter.

This showed the strategy of investing in players gain momentum, Greenblatt said, with BetMGM exceeding its acquisition and retention targets for the six-month period. This was helped by a successful Super Bowl campaign featuring Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and Vince Vaughn and a ..

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Pagcor dismisses fake memo ordering imminent POGO closures

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) has dimissed a fake memo for local government units to immediately terminate the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Picked up by Pagcor, the fake memo states all POGOs must be shut down by the first week of August. The memo features Pagcor logos and was fraudulently signed by Jessa Mariz Fernandez, head of the regulator’s offshore gaming licensing department.

The memo refers to Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr announcing the decision to ban all POGOs during his State of the Nation address on 22 July. During the address, he said all POGOs should close by the end of the year.

On Saturday (27 July) Pagcor dismissed the memo in a statement that said it was a forged version of an earlier memorandum issued by Pagcor on 23 July.

The genuine memo did not give a definitive date for POGO closures. It instead said closures were “pending finalisation of the details and process of winding down”, adding tha..

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