Simona and Nadav Tamam, Director of Gaming at Dynamic Yield.
Simona talks with Nadav Tamam, Director of Gaming at Dynamic Yield. As competition in the iGaming industry increases and players get more sophisticated, personalization offers a clear way to improve retention and conversion, but why are so many operators still not embracing it? Simona and Nadav discuss the perceived barriers and real opportunities for the gaming industry.
Fantasy sports provider Scout Gaming has entered a distribution partnership with NetEnt, giving NetEnt’s customers access to Scout Gaming’s complete product offering.
Net Ent, which has over 200 integrated B2C operators on its platform, says Scout Gaming’s offering is currently being integrated on its platform.
Discussing the partnership Scout Gaming CEO, Andreas Ternström, said:
“I am proud that we, as selected Fantasy Sports- and “Player Performance Odds” provider, can sign this agreement with NetEnt, who are expanding its business to also include distribution. It is a pioneering deal and a clear sign of NetEnt’s true innovation ability.
“This means that our products reach operators and end consumers in the shortest possible time frame, since most of the integration will already be in place. NetEnt has a global reach and many of our most prioritized customers can be found within their distribution network.”
While Director of NetEnt Connect, Rob Fell, added:
“Scout Gaming is a great addition to NetEnt Connect. The type of content they bring to the table is real in line with our ambition to widen the Connect portfolio and adding games that neither NetEnt or Red Tiger provides. We look forward to make Scout Gaming content available to our connected operators.”
Staying with Scout Gaming Group, just a couple of weeks ago we reported that Swedish online gaming, media and solutions company Enlabs had invested SEK 10m (almost €1m) in the company.
The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has launched phase one of its investigation into the proposed Flutter-Stars Group merger.
Flutter Entertainment and The Stars Group announced they had reached an agreement to merge last October – a move that could create one of the most powerful gambling businesses in the world. To put it in perspective, Flutter and Stars combined would have generated £3.8bn ($4.66m) in revenue for 2018 (pro forma basis).
However, given the scale of the deal, which is worth some £11bn in market capital, and the market share the new entity would hold in important markets like the UK and US, it is sure to come under intense scrutiny from regulators, including the CMA.
The CMA has now commenced the initial phase of its investigation, and has invited any interested parties to comment by the 18th of February. Specifically, it will be looking at whether or not the proposed merger would “result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services.”
If the CMA decides not to intervene, the merger is expected to complete in the second quarter of 2020.
AYO.NEWS says:
Given the scale of the business that will be created if the merger goes ahead, it wouldn’t surprise us if the CMA insists the new firm offloads some of their brands in order to get the green light. As we’ve previously reported, there has been speculation that Flutter might be willing to sacrifice Paddy Power in order to let the new entity keep brands that are strong in the rapidly growing US market, like The Stars Group’s BetStars and Sky Bet.
AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.
William Hill-owned online casino Mr Green has issued an ‘urgent request’ to its UK affiliates, instructing them to stop all advertising immediately.
The operator said the dramatic move was due to ‘recent changes in compliance,’ and ordered affiliate partners to immediately terminate all advertising related to Mr Green casino.
In making the request, Mr Green stressed that UK affiliates are still permitted to promote Mr Green UK Sports. The company also said it was working to resolve the issue and will let affiliates know when they can promote the casino product again.
Mr Green is the flagship iGaming brand of MRG Group, which was acquired by William Hill at the beginning of 2019 for €270m. The move was part William Hill’s strategy to grow its international presence – and also conveniently gave it a fully functional operating base within the EU, in Malta, ahead of Brexit.
AYO.NEWS says:
Such a dramatic move would suggest Mr Green has found something seriously non-compliant going on. Will we see it give the green light for UK affiliates to promote its casino offering again, or will this be a permanent shift – after all, given the draconian regulatory environment enforced by the UKGC and ASA in the UK now, the potential liability faced by operators is verging on the insane!
AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.
This month the United States Marshals Service (USMS) will be auctioning over 4,000 confiscated Bitcoins (BTC).
The USMS is a federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Justice, and the Bitcoin was confiscated during the course of various federal criminal, civil and administrative proceedings.
According to its official website, the agency will attempt to sell approximately 4,040 BTC (worth around $37.4m at current market prices) at auction this month. Bidder registration is open from the 3rd to the 12th February, with the auction set for the 18th.
The Bitcoin will be divided into four lots, consisting of 2,500, 1,000, 500, and 40.54069829 BTC each.
However, before you get too excited, be aware the feds want a $200K deposit to take part in the auction! Of course, they promise they will return it to non-winning bidders within five business days of sending the BTC to the winning bidders.
Its not the first time the USMS has auctioned off Bitcoin. In January 2018 it sold more than 3,800 BTC and a further 600 BTC the following October. Other countries, including the UK and South Korea have also auctioned off confiscated Bitcoin.
AYO.NEWS says:
It makes you wonder if it wouldn’t be a better idea, in terms of public interest, for governments to tuck away any confiscated Bitcoin as a long-term investment. Still, with a $200K deposit, there’ll probably be a limited number of bidders, and institutional investor will get a steal.
AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.
Asia-focused games distributor QTech Games has merged with games reseller Epic Media, as part of its strategy to take games to market across emerging territories.
Following a recent partnership involving Ezugi’s live dealer portfolio, QTech Games has emerged as an all-inclusive service provider for global operators, especially focusing on developing spaces that require comprehensive but localised products.
The merger deal will cover every component of QTech’s digital one-stop shop made available, including slots, table, instant win, virtual sports and live casino games.
Epic Media is headed by Staffan Lindgren, co-founder of NYX (now part of Scientific Games), and Ulf Norder, former Director of Development at Yggdrasil.
Commenting on the partnership Chairman of the Board at QTech Games, Markus Nasholm, said:
“We’re thrilled to have finalised this milestone merger with Epic Media, and delighted to have the combined experience and expertise of Staffan and Ulf on board. To have two of the most successful people in the gambling join QTech Games is a ringing endorsement of all our team’s hard work in recent years.
“It’s been another year of sustained growth at QTech, and their partnership will prove invaluable as we grow further and faster in more international markets. It’s also a real validation that QTech adopted the correct strategy from the outset with our ‘two cornerstones’ model.
“Firstly, beyond the fantastic games, fully owning the technology sets QTech apart, which enables us to offer a number of flexible features which no competitor can rival. And secondly, outside of Asia, we’ve secured strongholds in virtually all the margin markets, demonstrating organic growth across channel and border.”
While Strategic Adviser to the Board, Staffan Lindgren, added:
“I’ve been active in Asia for a long time but this is the ideal time to consolidate my hard-won experience in a more structured way with QTech Games.
“QTech is clearly the leader in Asia, and other key growth territories are quickly falling in line. Their propriety technology means they’re the only aggregator that is not just delivering fantastic games but also adding engaging features (such as QT Play’s AI-powered recommendation engine, alongside their Tournament and Jackpot elements) which make QTech’s position in the market unique.”
And VP/Director of Sales, Ulf Norder, explained:
“For me, having previously been more active in Europe’s ‘margin markets’, this role is a perfect opportunity. QTech Games is the only company that has been active in all such markets. Indeed, they’re not just an Asian aggregator but are also attracting clients from all over the world. Latin America, Eastern Europe and they’re already in position to stake a firm claim in the Indian market, stealing a match on the competition.”
Game developer Yggdrasil has announced a partnership with open architecture specialists Black Cow, that will see its GDK platform integrated into Yggdrasil’s new GATI solution.
GATI gets a boost from Black Cow
Yggdrasil’s GATI powers its YG Masters Program, which enables studios and developer partners to gain instant access to game engines and a rapid route to new markets.
It is the first GDK partnership for Yggdrasil’s newly launched publishing division – which the company says offers customers “the keys to its kingdom.”
The partnership will see Black Cow build game engines for ‘best-of-breed’ studios joining the YG Master’s program – with the Games Development Kit (GDK) platform integrated into Yggdrasil’s new Game Adaption, Tools and Interface (GATI) solution.
Yggdrasil franchises and decentralises
Yggdrasil’s new strategic approach will see it franchise its entire business, including both current and future content, and its gamification, advanced platform technology and new GATI product. The company says it will enable partners to instantly create their own unique, end-to-end iGaming offering, supported by and in partnership with Yggdrasil.
The model will allow franchise partners located in significant markets to build games, then sell them back for global distribution via YG Masters. Thanks to standardised architecture and consistent game frameworks (GATI), partners will also be able to choose games from the YG Masters program to offer to their own players.
Yggdrasil says this Decentralised Aggregation is a “game-changing disruptive force that has the potential to revolutionise the content supply chain and business growth drivers.”
The current three core value propositions for the Publishing arm are: YG Franchise (platform IP licensing) YG Masters (game development and distribution program), and YG Game IP (game IP licensing).
Discussing the developments Head of Partner Strategy & Sourcing at Yggdrasil, Stuart McCarthy, explained:
“I’m delighted to be able to announce our partnership with Black Cow. Our revolutionary GATI solution allows studios and game developers to build directly onto our platform, thus benefitting from our global distribution, promotional tools and regulated market adaptors while taking control of their roadmap and retaining complete protection of their IP.
“By adding Black Cow’s proven gold standard GDK technology for studios looking for game engine build we believe we have created the perfect go-to solution for any game studio looking to quickly, efficiently and securely get their games to market.”
“Black Cow is honoured and excited to be partnering with Yggdrasil in its new Publishing venture. By integrating our GDK into GATI we provide an efficient and rapid way for prominent game developers to build and distribute their games into Publishing’s valuable universe.”
AYO.NEWS says:
Let’s be honest, despite a lot of hot air and marketing talk, its been a long time since we saw anything remotely resembling ‘revolutionary’ change in the iGaming sector. But, Yggdrasil’s dramatic shift to a franchised and decentralised business model really is interesting and clearly has the potential to shake things up.
AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.
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