Monthly Archives: November 2019

NFL suspends Arizona CB Josh Shaw for betting on games

The National Football League has suspended Arizona Cardinals defensive back Josh Shaw for at least the rest of the current season for betting on NFL games.

Late Friday afternoon, the traditional dumping ground for unfavorable corporate developments, the NFL announced that Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw had been “suspended indefinitely through at least the conclusion of the 2020 season for betting on NFL games on multiple occasions.”

Shaw, who is currently on injured reserve, hasn’t played a snap this season. The downtime apparently left him with too much time on his hands and he decided to spend it (and an undisclosed amount of cash) wagering on the outcome of games.

The method by which Shaw placed his wagers wasn’t specified, but Arizona has yet to join the growing list of states that have authorized wagering since the US Supreme Court struck down the federal sports betting ban in May 2018.

Record 11 Kambi partners placed inside Power 50 rankings

A record 11 Kambi partners have been named in this year’s prestigious Power 50 rankings, underlining Kambi’s position as the premium sports betting partner of choice for the industry’s leading operators.

Compiled by respected industry publication EGR Intel in cooperation with professional services heavyweight BDO, the Power 50 grades operators using various key criteria including financial performance, international reach, strategy and market leadership.

This year’s list featured 11 Kambi partners, rising from nine in 2018, including: 888, ATG, Casumo, Corredor Empresarial, DraftKings, Kindred Group, LeoVegas, Paf, Rank Group and Rush Street Interactive.

William Hill is the eleventh Kambi partner in the Power 50, having acquired long-term Kambi customer Mr Green in 2019, while the company also launched a Kambi-powered, Sweden-facing sportsbook under the William Hill brand earlier this year.

Cherry ex-CEO Anders Holmgren beats insider trading charges

Online gambling operator Cherry AB’s former CEO has been acquitted on the insider trading charges that resulted in his dismissal last year.

In May 2018, Swedish online gambling operator Cherry AB sacked its then-CEO Anders Holmgren after he was arrested on charges of ‘severe’ illegal insider trading. Holmgren was accused of snapping up 200k Cherry shares worth around $1.4m between the company’s November 2017 profit warning and its April 2018 announcement that its Q1 results were “better than anticipated.”

On Thursday, Stockholm District Court acquitted Holmgren on the insider trading charges, ruling that the Swedish Crime Authority and Chief Prosecutor Thomas Langrot had failed to prove that Holmgren’s knowledge of Cherry’s performance in January and February 2018 was sufficient for Holmgren to expect Cherry’s share price to jump.

Holmgren told the court that he had a “gut feeling” that purchasing more Cherry stock was a good idea. Holmgren’s feeling turned out to be correct, as Cherry’s share price rose 12% the day after Cherry’s announcement regarding its Q1 turnaround.

William Hill affiliates told to stop promoting US-facing sites

UK bookmaker William Hill has instructed its affiliate marketing partners to stop promoting “unlicensed” US-facing online gambling operators alongside promos for the company.

On Friday, affiliates that work with Hills reported receiving emails reminding them “not to promote William Hill alongside unlicensed US operators on any website.” The email asks affiliates to “immediately” remove Hills promos from those websites or else “we may have to close your account in line with our terms and conditions.”

Hills’ shot across the affiliate bow came just days after the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) issued an advisory bulletin to media outlets regarding “references to unauthorized sports wagering websites.” The DGE wants media to stop referencing internationally licensed online sportsbooks in articles about betting markets on upcoming sports and other events.

The DGE previously warned affiliates to ditch their divided loyalties and threatened reluctant affiliates with “appropriate civil or criminal sanctions” if they didn’t stop advising gamblers to visit sites not holding a DGE license. This warning even applied to New Jersey-approved affiliates who advised gamblers in states other than New Jersey to visit internationally licensed online gambling operators.

South Africa’s Phumelela suffers “worst year” in 22-year history

South African racing and sports betting operator Phumelela Gaming and Leisure is desperate to raise badly needed capital after reporting the worst results in the company’s 22-year history.

On Friday, Phumelela reported a net loss of R95.8m (US$6.5m) in the 12 months ending July 31, as compared to a R151.7m profit in the previous fiscal year. The company said the 12-month period was the “worst year since the business was first incorporated in 1997.”

The company’s revenue was down 7.6% year-on-year, with a 9.7% decline in its mainstay local betting business offsetting a modest gain in its much smaller international operations.

The company noted that its Betting World and Supabets operations had endured an “unusually high number” of customer-friendly football results that kept margins low, while South Africa’s depressed economy – including the 15% VAT imposed in April 2018 – kept a lid on punters’ discretionary spending.

G2E Asia @ the Philippines announces conference program highlights

Manila – November 29, 2019– G2E Asia @ the Philippines, the newest addition to the G2E Asia event series, makes its official debut Dec. 3-4, 2019, at the Manila Marriott Hotel. The show will serve as a gathering place to showcase the latest products, services, and technologies in ASEAN land-based and online gaming markets, while providing a marketing and networking platform to meet peers, grow brand awareness, and build business partnerships.

The concurrently held G2E Asia @ the Philippines Conference Program, led by high-level industry experts and influencers, will deliver two days of thought-provoking discussions that expose critical market topics and trends, including updates on regional developments and practical, cost-effective insights.

Highlights include:

• Ms. Andrea Domingo, chairman and CEO of the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), will deliver the opening-day keynote address.

SiGMA Day 2 recap

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BetConstruct’s Live Casino enters new markets with an accreditation from the MGA

The Malta Gaming Authority has granted its approval for Soft Construct (Malta) Limited trading as BetConstruct, to supply its Live Casino games to the MGA licensed operators and B2C customers.

BetConstruct views Malta as one of the key jurisdictions. Receiving a certification from it powers the company to extend its scope of operation by offering a unique live casino to both local operators and those who also work under the approval from MGA.

“The long-awaited accreditation granted by the Authority widens the path of our operation and the outcomes are yet to be enjoyed.” says Karine Kocharyan, Head of Licensing and Certification at BetConstruct. “Still, this milestone is another firm step made to strengthen our Live Casino and its game development that sees no limits in inspiration and creativity.”

This licence adds to BetConstruct’s attainments in legal field which allow BetConstruct to help its partner operators meet necessary requirements for running an igaming business in different regions.

Hokkaido may drop out of Japanese IR competition

After Japan announced the official timeline for prefectures and cities to apply for an integrated resort (IR) license, it’s been an avalanche of developments from mayors and operators about their hopes to build the next big thing. Bucking the trend is Hokkaido, whose governor has seemingly decided it’s no longer a goal worth pursuing.

Japan Times reports Hokkaido’s Governor Naomichi Suzuki will likely announce on November 29 that Hokkaido is dropping out of the race for one of three IR licenses entirely. But as of November 28, he hadn’t totally made up his mind. “We haven’t reached a conclusion yet. We’ll make a decision after due consideration,” Suzuki told reporters.

Hokkaido businesses have been pushing the prefecture to embrace the IR race, as a major IR development would help their bottom lines in the long run. But residents didn’t agree, and a survey that showed mixed feelings on the topic may have swayed Suzuki’s decision toward ending the campaign.

This isn’t only bad news for those businesses, but also for several operators that were hoping to build in Hokkaido. Mohegan Sun recently announced their plans to start campaigning for the IR license, should Hokkaido win one. They would have been competing with Rush Street, Foxwoods and Caesars Entertainment.