MGA Games, an expert in localized gaming products for global casino operators, has been selected as the latest partner of Caravel Entertainment, a company creating innovative, safe and trustworthy experiences for gambling enthusiasts.
MGA Games Supplies Caravel’s Brand with Content
Under the agreement with Caravel, MGA Games will supply Moosh, one of the operator’s online gambling brands, with iGaming content. As a result, the Portuguese online casino company will be able to offer exciting games to its fans, featuring characters such as Paolo Futre, Chef Chakall, Diego Miranda, Carolina Mendes, Ana Catharina, Fanny Rodrigues and Teresa Guilherme.
This deal will allow MGA Games to expand its footprint while providing Moosh with engaging content to offer to its customers. The companies have been keen on expanding their iGaming footprint, which is why the deal was welcomed by both parties’ teams.
Javier Lanfranchi, MGA Games’ sales director, commented on the matter. He said that he feels honored that Moosh opted to pick MGA Games as its latest partner in Portugal. Lanfranchi promised to not let down Moosh and its customer base and promised to provide the operator with content that will surprise its users.
We are sure our Portuguese Celebrities and wide and varied catalog of slot games will impress their players.
Javier Lanfranchi, sales director, MGA Games
Lanfranchi also reaffirmed that MGA Games’ content is produced with the utmost care using the best technology available. As a result, its games provide mobile players with intuitive solutions and tools that enhance the overall gaming experience. Example solutions include the Triple View system and sequential downloading.
MGA Continues to Push Forward
A week ago, MGA Games announced the beginning of its expansion in Africa through an agreement with Premier Bet. This made MGA Games one of the pioneers on the continent, allowing it to tap into a market that has been somewhat neglected by many big companies.
Seeking to engage African casino lovers, MGA Games powered Premier Bet’s content offering with a rich variety of games, including hit titles such as Buffalo Bingo, Sweet Home, Bingo Sea, Magician, Roma Bingo and Calaca Party, among others.
While untapped markets are of great interest to MGA Games, the company has also been working hard to consolidate its presence in established jurisdictions as well. To that end, in December, the supplier inked an agreement with SOFTSWISS, adding content to the latter company’s aggregator platform. As a result, SOFTSWISS partners will be able to access MGA Games’ rich portfolio of iGaming titles.
British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the corporation conducting gambling on behalf of the province of British Columbia, announced it has appointed Mark Goldberg as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Vice President of Business Technology.
Support Operations, Grow Tech
The appointment of Goldberg as CIO and VP of Business Technology effective January 23, 2023, is set to bring more than two decades of information technology industry experience and transformation leadership to BCLC to support operations across lottery, casino, and sports betting.
Pat Davis, president and chief executive officer of BCLC, was pleased to welcome Goldberg to the team at BCLC, hailing his “demonstrated success in leveraging information technology to grow and scale business objectives for global companies,” convinced that Goldberg’s credentials will contribute to work aimed at delivering “truly exceptional player experiences.”
Goldberg will be positioned in BCLC’s office in Vancouver but will have to travel regularly to the company’s head office in Kamloops where more than a third of BCLC’s Business Technology division employees are based as continuing the company’s commitment to growing its tech sector presence will be his key responsibility.
“This is a key role, as technology truly underpins every facet of our business,” said Davis, highlighting the overarching nature of technology spanning across “the systems that enable the purchase and validation of lottery tickets, … the complex network of slot machines” at BCLC’s casinos and community gaming centers, and providing the infrastructure of BCLC’s regulated gambling website, PlayNow.
Just days ago, BCLC announced that the PlayNow.com product powered by OpenBet’s Player Account Management (PAM) and sportsbook solutions became available for players in the Saskatchewan province of Canada.
Changes to the Management Team
Goldberg’s most recent role was as Vice President of Information Technology and Global Real Estate and Facilities at the social media management platform Hootsuite, where he had worked for four years. His career also features roles at various companies in the travel and hospitality, consumer products and heavy equipment industries during which he had to develop and enable transformation strategies.
The appointment of Goldberg is the next high-profile addition to the management team at BCLC after the appointment of Davis as President and CEO last year. Davis replaced Lynda Cavanaugh who was a temporary appointment to the role the Board of Directors made at the beginning of 2021.
By the time of Davis’ appointment, BCLC Board Chair Greg Moore confirmed two other appointments, Dan Beebe, who joined the company as its new Chief Operating Officer and Sandra Austin, who assumed the role of Chief People Officer.
PlayCherry Limited, a provider of sports betting products, joined the German Sports Betting Association (DSWV), a union of sports betting providers founded in 2014. This was announced by the association earlier today.
PlayCherry Joined the German Sports Betting Association
PlayCherry is one of the licensed providers in the regulated German market. The company has permits to operate the sports betting portals sunmaker.de, comeonwetten.de and mobilebet.de.
By joining the DSWV, PlayCherry joins a community of like-minded providers, all working together to develop the sports betting sector in Germany. As a member of this organization, PlayCherry will commit to joining forces with other companies and overcoming the various challenges the industry is currently facing.
Jürgen Reutter, the company’s chief executive officer, shared his thoughts on the matter. He announced that his team is very happy to be accepted into the DSWV and is glad to be a part of this community of providers.
Reutter noted that Germany is a core market for his company, despite being a fairly young regulated market. PlayCherry shares DSWV’s vision to grow the sector and expand sports betting’s popularity among people in the country.
As a member of the organization, the provider promised to work hard and provide customers with entertaining and safe sports betting products. Reutter concluded that he is happy to have the DSWV’s backing in this.
The DSWV Welcomed PlayCherry on Board
Mathias Dahms, the president of the DSWV also voiced his thoughts on the matter. He welcomed the newest member of the association, praising PlayCherry for joining the cause of establishing a flourishing and safe regulated sports betting market.
Dahms applauded PlayCherry for its decision and said that the experienced provider will be a valuable addition to the association thanks to its experience with other regulated jurisdictions.
Speaking about the current state of gambling in Germany, Dahms noted that things are in a state of upheaval right now, resulting in many challenges for sports betting providers. Because of this, it is important for industry members to stand united and help each other to create a healthy well-regulated market.
Speaking about regulation in Germany, the country’s new federal gambling regulator, the GGL, just took over from its predecessor, the Saxony-Anhalt State Administration Office. The GGL, which has had a degree of authority since last summer, quickly became known for its harsh measures when it comes to dealing with unlicensed operators.
The GGL now seeks to expand its team as it continues to fight the black market.
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) announced that Belgian online gambling operator Napoleon Sports & Casino has joined the association’s newly-established expert group on cyber security.
Collaboration on Cyber Security Matters
By joining EGBA’s cyber security expert group, Napoleon Sports & Casino became the first operator not a member of the association to collaborate with the industry’s body on cyber security matters.
Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, was excited to welcome “the newest participant to EGBA’s industry group on cyber security” and its Belgian market expertise, highlighting the group as “a valuable platform for operators to share practical information and solutions about the latest cyber security threats and vulnerabilities,” as well as “contribute to a more joined-up industry approach.”
Haijer also used the occasion to turn to other operators which may have an interest in joining the group, asking them to contact EGBA “if they wish to be considered for participation to the group.”
Launched last year by EGBA, the cyber security group seeks to promote among its members the highest standards in cyber security by providing a forum for operators to share information and expertise, together identify the latest online security threats and provide resolutions to potential vulnerabilities to prevent cyber incidents and encourage the implementation of the industry’s best practices.
On behalf of Napoleon Sports & Casino, executive director Tom De Clercq outlined one of the company’s strategic priorities is to provide “a trusted and safe environment” to its players, and that critical to that business objective is to ensure that customer data is secure.
“Today’s increasingly complex and interconnected online gambling environment requires a coordinated response to prevent and respond to cyber-attacks,” De Clercq continued, stressing that the reason for Napoleon to join the cyber security group is “to exchange best practices and help drive initiatives within the industry” that will address online threats and ensure “a safe, secure, and protected entertainment environment to players.”
Comprising cyber security experts from EGBA members, among which some of Europe’s leading online gambling operators, the group operates by a Memorandum of Understanding and is open for participation to all online gambling operators in Europe who are willing to comply with EGBA’s principles aimed at maintaining the highest cyber security standards.
Player Protection from Gambling Harm
Besides protecting player data, EGBA is committed to protecting players from developing gambling harm, and last month came up with a proposal to the European Committee for Standardization, which called for the creation of standard markers for gambling harm.
After a month of contemplation, the Committee for Standardization (CEN) approved the proposal and gave EGBA the green light to begin the development process of these markers.
After a long, twelve-month battle against thousands of other players, AJ “sacakewalk” Sacher handily finished atop the 2023 WSOP.com Player of the Year leaderboard for Nevada and New Jersey players to win $10,000 in cash, $1,500 in online tournament tickets, and an exclusive WSOP.com Player of the Year ring.
Sacher follows in the footsteps of both Mike “BrockLesnar” Holtz, who won it last year, and YK “LuckySpewy1” Kwon, who won WSOP.com Player of the Year in 2020. Additionally, he joined fellow 2022 winner David “DrKool” Kuder, who was named the first-ever WSOP PA Player of the Year.
PokerNews recently caught up with Sacher to not only get his thoughts on the victory but also to learn more about the man behind the screen name.
Former Dealer David “DrKool” Kuder Named First-Ever WSOP PA Player of the Year
From Magic to Poker
Sacher, pronounced like soccer, lived in California and Chicago before moving to Vegas about 10 years ago. In his late teens and early 20s, he was a professional Magic: The Gathering player, content creator, and streamer. Now 32, Sacher grinds online poker.
“I come from a card-playing family, so I was always picking up various games,” he told PokerNews. “We still play big card games at family reunions and the like. I ended up falling in love with Magic, and playing that competitively is like training at altitude for poker; there’s a big overlap in the skill sets required for each like weighing odds and inductive reasoning, but Magic is a lot more complicated and ever-changing. That’s why there are a lot of very successful poker players–much more so than me–that come from competitive Magic.”
AJ Sacher playing cards when he was young.
When he was around seven years old, Sacher played poker for the first time, but it wasn’t until his late teens that he discovered online poker. He ground up a small bankroll on Full Tilt Poker, but two days before he turned 21, Black Friday hit.
“While traveling for the Magic Pro Tour, I became good friends with a Japanese pro, Shuhei Nakamura, who also played poker,” Sacher continued. “Since most major Magic tournaments are in the US, he would come here a lot. Rather than take the approximately one-billion-hour flight home only to board another flight back a few days later, we would just come to Vegas together instead. We’d grind live cash during the week before flying to the next Magic tournament on the weekend.”
He continued: “To put multiple very long stories irresponsibly short, I moved to Vegas to play full time, but, upon arriving, I immediately got burgled and my roll was stolen. I was robbed multiple times after that as well, so I have had to start over from zero a few times. Over the next few years, I would play off and on, moving from live cash to online tournaments when WSOP.com became available. When the pandemic hit, I committed to playing full-time again.”
Unlike some players who set out to win POY from the start, Sacher’s run came towards the end when he realized was near the top of the leaderboard.
“I definitely thought it would be cool to do and definitely checked the leaderboards from time to time, but I’m a big ‘keep your goals actionable, and trust the process’ guy, and I don’t think POY is the type of thing you can really plan for; you just have to put in your volume and work, and at the end of the year, if the results are there, then they’re there.”
AJ “sacakewalk” Sacher
He continued: “It ended up being way too good of a sweat. The race was pretty insane as it really came down to the wire. I actually had a sizable lead by mid-March, but that’s way too early to start watching the scoreboard, which was proven true when I unexpectedly had to take over two full months off. By the time I came back, it was already clear it was going to be a two-horse race between Qinghai “011POKERDR” Pan and myself, but I assumed the gap insurmountable. After a few good months to grind back to the front, I took a big weekend off in October for a family wedding and all he did was go and win a bracelet. I somehow managed to wrestle the lead back by the end of November, but it stayed extremely tight the rest of the way, flip-flopping multiple times.”
Sacher was fortunate to finish the year with a good week and eke it out with a win of less than 300 points. For context, the difference between second place and third was 16,855 points.
“After thousands of hours over 365 days, I had a margin of victory of just one third of one percent,” said Sacher. “It doesn’t get any closer than that. I even got the poetic honor of locking it up by personally knocking him out of the last relevant tournament of the year.”
Place
Player
Points
1
AJ “sacakewalk” Sacher
75,030.75
2
Qinghai “011POKERDR” Pan
74,768.35
3
Angel “ChromeKing” Lopez
57,913.04
4
Krista “Pollux” Gifford
57,542.61
5
Tony “Panoramic” Dunst
52,243.85
6
Ryan “WhosYourDodd” Dodd
52,082.59
7
Jonathan “Art.Vandelay” Dokler
48,853.98
8
Chris “Basile28” Basile
47,681.14
9
John “Relevancy” Ripnick
43,883.57
10
Thomas “Zebra_Debra” Sabatino
42,584.62
So, what’s next for Sacher?
“I’ll be playing this year, at least for the foreseeable future,” he said. “I don’t have a ton of interest in live poker these days, but I’m not indignantly opposed to it by any means; if the right opportunity were to come along then it’s definitely possible, but it’s not in the plan as it stands. As cool as it would be to go back-to-back, realistically speaking it doesn’t seem very likely. It’s a question that’s basically impossible to answer until like November, but if I can get in enough volume, then who’s to say?”
Sports data and technology company Genius Sports announced a new agreement with TSN that will see the network’s newly-launched TSN+ streaming product deliver augmented broadcasts of NFL games.
Revolutionize Viewer Experience
The cutting-edge broadcasts from the NFL on TSN+ will be powered by the league’s official data partner, Genius Sports, delivering augmented streaming to revolutionize the viewer experience, beginning with the upcoming NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl LVII.
“TSN+ allows fans to go deeper into TSN’s world-leading live sports portfolio with augmented feeds, multi-casts, and additional featured content from our marquee properties, including the NFL,” commented vice president at Bell Media Sports Shawn Redmond, excited to partner with Genius Sports and deliver “these world-exclusive, data-enhanced augmented broadcasts to TSN+ users.
The new direct-to-consumer streaming product available on TSN.ca and the TSN app will feature Genius Sports’ full suite of augmentation tools to provide viewers with a new way to enjoy sports even more than before. Genius Sports is already utilizing these augmentation tools for audiences of competitions such as the NFL, EPL, NBA, March Madness, and others.
Hailing these broadcasts as “a unique marriage” between Genius Sports’ “state-of-the-art technology” and “an innovative new platform to deliver a football first for Canadian NFL Fans,” chief executive officer of Genius Sports, Mark Locke, was thrilled to enter into this partnership with Bell Media’s TSN.
“The NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl are world-renowned and we’re proud to be providing our full suite of broadcast augmentation tools to help bring fans closer to the action, transforming the way every play is experienced on TSN+,” Locke concluded.
Data and Insights Overlay onto Live Action
Combining play-by-play statistics with data-driven insights, the augmented NFL feeds on TSN+ will offer fans an entirely new viewing experience, utilizing graphic overlays, visualizations and other techniques to ensure a more immersive experience.
Genius Sports’ technology will overlay key player statistics, including the number of completed passes, rushing, passing and receiving yards, onto the live action, displaying route trails, radar maps and other on-field augmentation to further enrich the viewing experience.
As the exclusive television broadcast partner of the NFL in Canada, Bell Media’s channels TSN, CTV, CTV2, and RDS will all deliver NFL games across Canada in all of the league’s broadcast windows. Augmented NFL feeds will be exclusively available on TSN+.
BET99, a Canadian-based online sports betting and gaming operator, will also stream live in Canada all NFL games via a Genius Sports license, while in the US, a new Watch & Bet video streaming option via Caesars Entertainment will allow fans to watch all NFL games live on their mobile phones.
SimWin Sports, the metaverse’s first digital sports league, has penned a new agreement with Sports Illustrated, a source for sports news, highlights and analysis. As per the deal, the latter company will be designated as the virtual league’s official presenting partner.
SimWin Teams Up with One of the Greatest Sports Authorities
As SimWin Sports’ partner, Sports Illustrated will provide the metaverse-oriented brand with branding opportunities and integrations. The current agreement further blurs the lines between traditional and digital sports, allowing sports fans to experience more varied content.
SimWin is a company that leverages the metaverse to simulate virtual games across many of fans’ favorite sports. As such, the league features many beloved sports celebrities, allowing fans to enjoy more of their favorite sports and providing bettors with more events to wager on.
SimWin features teams that are owned by actual sports celebrities. Famous active users include Jerry Rice and Marshall Faulk from the National Football League and Magic Johnson and Tracy McGrady from the National Basketball league.
Sports Illustrated, on the other hand, is a sports media company that provides fans with news about the latest developments in the world’s biggest leagues. The brand is owned by Authentic Brands Group, which is excited about the potential of the current deal.
Dan Dienst, Authentic’s executive vice-chair of tactical opportunities, commented on the new development. He noted that Sports Illustrated is a company that lies in the intersection of sports and culture, meaning that expanding into the metaverse is the logical next step in its evolution.
As the “most trusted brand in sports,” Sports Illustrated is excited to explore the opportunities digital sports have to offer. Dienst added that Authentic will continue to explore more sports, media and web3 opportunities and is excited to join forces with SimWin. He concluded that Authentic is proud that it will now own teams on the platform.
SimWin Sports’ chief executive officer, David J Ortiz, also commented on the agreement, noting that his team is delighted to join forces with Sports Illustrated. Ortiz lauded the latter brand as a true authority in sports and culture. He noted that he is happy to see that SI’s team is interested in the metaverse, continuing its foray into the digital sector.
As for SimWin, Ortiz said that the partnership will provide his team with an exceptional opportunity to enhance its presentation and broadcasts. In addition, the deal would make it possible to optimize engagement with the fervent Sports Illustrated enthusiasts.
In the calendar year 2022, the combined revenue of slot machines, table games, sports wagering, iGaming, video gaming terminals (VGTs), and fantasy contests totaled $5.2 billion compared to $4.7 billion in 2021.
iGaming Was the Main Contributor to the Record Revenue Growth
One of the main drivers of this revenue increase was the growth in iGaming. In 2022, iGaming revenue reached $1.4 billion, a 22.6% increase from the previous year. This growth can likely be attributed to the increasing popularity and convenience of online gambling options.
Another major contributor to the overall revenue increase was the continued growth of sports wagering. In 2022, sports wagering revenue reached $401 million, which is 17.9% higher than the number reported in 2021. This trend is in line with the nationwide growth of sports betting as more and more states legalize and regulate the activity.
Retail slot machine revenue also saw an increase in 2022, reaching $2.4 billion. This marked a boost of 4.51% when compared to the previous calendar year. The top-performing casinos in terms of slot machine revenue were Parx Casino, Wind Creek Bethlehem, and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. However, even though it held the top spot Parx Casino suffered a revenue decrease of 3.81% in comparison to 2021.
Naturally, the record total gambling revenue for 2022 resulted in a record combined tax revenue, which reached $2.1 billion. This was almost 11% higher than the $1.9 billion collected in 2021.
Overall, the PGCB’s report highlights a strong and growing gaming industry in Pennsylvania, with revenue increases across multiple sectors.
December Results Also on Record High
Together with the financial results for the whole of 2022, the PGCB posted the results for December, which also revealed record numbers. The combined total revenue generated from all forms of gambling, including fantasy contests, was $475 million, an increase of 16.9% compared to revenue generated in December 2021. This is the highest monthly total to date, surpassing the previous record set in March 2022 by 3.3%.
Hollywood Casino Morgantown posted the highest revenue increase of 151.2% compared to December 2021. Valley Forge Casino Resort had the second-highest with a boost of 70.6% compared to the same period last year.
Retail slots revenue also saw a slight 1.29% increase in December 2022 in comparison to December 2021, reaching $198 million. On the other hand, iGaming slot revenue enjoyed a significant boost in December 2022, reaching $91.6, which marked a 33.12% increase from December 2021.
Revenue from sports betting also experienced a small uptick in December, reaching $754 million. This was just 0.59% higher than in December 2021.
In total, tax revenue generated through all forms of gaming and fantasy contests in December 2022 was $192 million.
Earlier this month, the leading gambling operator was one of the three that received a notice of violation by the gambling watchdog in Ohio. Besides Caesars, early in January, DraftKings, as well as BetMGM received such a notice. The Commission’s main issue with the operators’ ads was that they “lacked required problem gambling message” and at the same time promoted “free” bets falsely.
OCCC Approves $150,000 Fine for Caesars
Now, ABC6 revealed that following a meeting on Wednesday, the OCCC approved a $150,000 fine against Caesars. The gambling watchdog explained that the operator did not comply with the regulatory framework for advertising in the state. In detail, the Commission pointed out that Caesars offered “free” bets, which is currently prohibited in Ohio.
The watchdog cited the current regulations which do not allow the promotion of the so-called “risk-free bets” or “free” bets, considering that in order to receive that incentive, customers need to lose real money first. Additionally, the OCCC flagged that the operator’s marketing materials did not include a message that seeks to prevent gambling such as details to an approved hotline for help.
Eric Hession, Caesars Digital’s president and Jeff Hendricks, Caesars Entertainment’s SVP of regulatory compliance, were both present at the meeting. Speaking with the regulatory body, Hendricks explained that the company has set up a system that allows only pre-approved materials to be used for advertising for Caesars Sportsbook. He pointed out that in this particular case, the company’s affiliate did not follow this regulation, which resulted in the termination of their agreement.
Hendricks did not reveal the name of the affiliate that was involved in the case. Still, he said that if the affiliate had used Caesars’ approved materials, those would’ve complied with the regulations. What’s more, Hendricks reaffirmed Caesars’ position for complete compliance in Ohio saying: “We aggressively went out and made sure this was a top priority.”
The meeting and the fine against Caesars come after only recently, the stakeholders in Ohio said that breaching gambling ad rules cannot be the new normal. Jessica Franks, the Commission’s director of communications recently spoke to NBC4 and said it is disappointing to see gambling operators advertise betting to individuals below the age of 21. Franks reminded that this is against the regulations for advertising currently in effect in Ohio. Additionally, she criticized the operators for agreeing with the regulations but then breaching them, saying that their actions did not match their words.
The new chair has substantial sports betting and management experience, making him a valuable addition to the RMG team. Grant received warm welcomes and pledged to become a worthy successor to former chair Roger Lewis. Grant’s expertise and passion for the sport will help secure RMG‘s place as the leading British horseracing supporter.
Former Chairman Lewis Is Now Free To Leave
Grant’s hire is a great relief to Racecourse Media Group, as the company struggled to find a replacement for the departing Roger Lewis. The now-former chair had to postpone his plans and remain with RMG for a few extra months to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities. The company’s management team expressed gratitude for his contributions and wished him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
I would like to pay tribute to Roger Lewis for a very effective and successful stewardship of RMG.
Nevin Truesdale, RMG Board non-executive director and The Jockey Club CEO
The new chairman steps into the shoes of a well-regarded and successful predecessor. Since his appointment in 2019, Lewis saw RMG’s license fees and dividend payments rise from £45 million ($55.5 million) to over £110 million ($135.7 million). His input was instrumental in securing several high-profile agreements. Despite the high expectations, Grant’s impressive skill set makes him more than ready for the task.
Grant Is a Respected Professional
Conor Grant has over two decades of experience in the sports betting industry. Starting as a manager at Paddy Power in 1998, he moved on to several other operators, expanding his skills and knowledge. His longest tenure was with Sky Betting & Gaming. Over ten years, he rose from head of sportsbook product management to COO, cementing his position as one of the sports betting market’s leading professionals.
Grant joins RMG after a two-year tenure as Flutter UK & Ireland CEO. The industry veteran previously expressed his intention to take a break and spend some time with his family, but RMG’s proposal appears to have won him over. An avid racehorse owner, Grant perhaps considers the new position an acceptable middle ground between remaining in the industry and taking things a bit easier.
The Board Welcomed Grant With Open Arms
The RMG management team welcomed Conor to the RMG Board, lauding his substantial expertise, hoping it would help the company accomplish its strategies and overcome potential challenges. The board believed the new chairman’s experience as CEO would be instrumental in developing the business and ensuring the prosperity of its shareholder racecourses.
(Connor) is perfectly positioned to take RMG forward and help build and strengthen our relationships across the industry.
Adam Waterworth, RMG Board non-executive director and Goodwood Estate MD of Events
Such a positive reception should encourage Grant as he embarks on the next leg of his professional journey. With the blessing of his predecessor and RMG about to announce record 2022 results, he should be in a perfect position to impart some of his vast knowledge and industry insights while reserving time for himself and his family.
