Developer and operator of casino resorts around the world, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), outlined what progress the business registered on its environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives set out for the 2021-2025 period in its 2022 (ESG) report.

The 2022 ESG report tracks the progress on the ambitious goals LVS has set out for its performance by 2025, striving to reach certain targets based on three pillars – People, Communities and Planet.

“We set targets that push the company to achieve tangible results, and the work we have outlined toward these ambitions has put us on a solid track to reach our goals,” commented Katarina Tesarova, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer of LVS, pointing to a “full range of core priorities” under these three pillars “that have also produced significant impact” and are reflected in the report.

Workforce Development

Sands’ corporate responsibility program through 2025 seeks to invest $200 million in workforce development initiatives, and in 2022, the hospitality operator invested $56 million to reach a total of $113 million since the start of the program in 2021.

Money invested in People in 2022 supported core initiatives aimed at advancing team members and local talents such as the Sands Academy Team Member training and development program and the Sands China financial support, invitational matching, and training and development (F.I.T.) program for small and medium enterprises.

Volunteer Work for Communities

Under the Community pillar in 2022, Sands exceeded the target set out for 2025 by reaching 192,330 Team Member volunteer hours contribution to date. Contributions included extensive volunteer support for Macau initiatives related to the pandemic such as community testing and vaccinations.

The target set for the end of the five-year program is 150,000 volunteer hours in support of local communities and having reached it in 2022, the company plans to set a new 2025 target this year and will reveal the new target in its 2023 ESG report.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Energy Use Reduction

Using its 2018 greenhouse gas emissions reduction level of 17,5% as a baseline for its 2025 emissions reduction goal, Sands reported that its emissions remained significantly below the baseline in 2022, achieving a 50% reduction.

Sands implemented numerous emissions reduction projects while its property visitations were impacted by the pandemic to ensure the business remains on track to meet its 2025 target when visitations are expected to pick up and the business is expected to increase energy consumption.

In 2022, energy use was reduced via the installation of property controls across 3,300 hotel rooms which allowed the consumption to be reduced while guests are away, and the shift from hard-to-convert incandescent and fluorescent lighting to LED solutions.

In addition, the company purchased 151,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy certificates and generated an additional 235 megawatt hours from solar panels, while Sands properties began transitioning their fleets to electric vehicles.

Sands’ ESG achievements in 2022 were recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World for a third consecutive year and the DJSI North America for the seventh time, while Sands China appeared on the DJSI World for the first time and the DJSI Asia Pacific for the second.

Novamedia, a company operating lottery in five European countries, announced its decision to stop investing in online gaming in the Netherlands. The company said that the regulations in the country make it impossible to raise funds.

Novamedia, which is the owner and developer of the Postcode Lottery format, launched iGaming in the Netherlands following the legalization of online gambling in the country.

The company’s online brand, Novamedia Gaminb BV, secured a license back in 2022. Unfortunately, Novamedia said, the market has been getting more tightly regulated to the point of becoming unsustainable for iGaming companies.

Novamedia said that it is no longer able to raise funds in the Netherlands and will therefore “make no further investments” in its Dutch online gaming operations. Instead, Novamedia will focus on exploring new opportunities from within its safe lotteries.

Novamedia has therefore decided to continue exploring opportunities for innovation from within its safe lotteries themselves and, for the time being, to make no further investment in the opportunities that online gaming could offer in the Netherlands.

Novamedia statement

In the meantime, Novamedia will continue seeking to obtain lottery licenses in other key markets.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, is on track with its plans to ban untargeted gambling advertising. The country believes that way too many minors and at-risk people are being bombarded with ads.

Novamedia’s lotteries are currently active in five European countries. The company, also known as Postcode Lottery Group, was founded more than 32 years ago. Within a little more than three decades, Novamedia has managed to raise a whopping $13.7 billion for good causes.

Novamedia recognizes the crucial role of charities in tackling important national and global challenges and believes that it is important to “futureproof” the charity lottery sector and “super-charge” the growth of the vital funding stream.

Novamedia is not happy with the severe limits imposed on charity lotteries. The company believes that removing the restrictions on charity lottery fundraising will free up more money for good causes, helping charity organizations help people who have been impacted by war, crises and disasters.

Novamedia said that it is committed to innovating and channeling players toward its lotteries. This, in turn, will help the company secure more funding for good causes.

The company concluded that it was able to donate a record sum of $936 million to hundreds of charities in 2022 alone. This was all made possible by its record-breaking lottery sales.

The gambling regulator in the UK, the Gambling Commission, issued a new fine against an operator Wednesday. The regulatory watchdog said it imposed a fine against TGP Europe Limited, over breaches related to social responsibility, as well as anti-money laundering (AML). The popular operator is licensed in the UK and is currently in charge of 19 websites including BK8, Kaiyun, Fun88 and 12Bet, among others.

Upon probing the operations of TGP Europe, the Gambling Commission uncovered failures related to social responsibility and AML, which resulted in a £316,250 ($253,150) financial penalty against the operator. Besides the financial sanction, the regulator said TGP Europe will receive an official warning due to the uncovered breaches.

Additionally, the Gambling Commission confirmed that the gambling operator will see additional conditions attached to its license. Ultimately, those conditions seek to ensure that TGP Europe will conduct thorough due diligence checks. Last but not least, the gambling regulator reminded that licensees need to adhere to the regulation and ensure following their obligations.

“Gambling operator TGP Europe Limited will pay a £316,250 penalty for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures. The operator – which runs 19 websites – will also receive an official warning and have conditions added to its license,“

reads a statement released by the Gambling Commission

The GC Uncovers Breaches of Social Responsibility, AML

Describing the deficiencies, the regulator said that the operator did not have a sufficient risk assessment in place for money laundering and terrorist financing. The operator was unable to adequately address risks such as ID theft, when a customer is providing false information or using third-party information. Additionally, the Commission said TGP Europe failed to identify risks related to “complex or unusually large transactions.”

Further AML breaches identified that the operator did not have effective policies and procedures for due diligence checks before engaging in white-label agreements. The regulator also uncovered deficiencies related to the mitigation and consideration of money laundering risks within business-to-business partnerships.

On the other hand, the social responsibility failures uncovered by the regulator included allowing players to gamble despite hitting a safer gambling alert. The Commission claimed that the operator did not intervene in such cases, allowing customers to continue to gamble.

Further breaches included “relying on automated, as opposed to human, interactions when customers hit safer gambling alerts.” At the same time, TGP Europe failed to assess the effectiveness of the interactions or take extra precautions such as engaging with bettors via phone, explained the gambling watchdog.

Global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group Entain has unveiled a new major acquisition. The company said that it has acquired all of the shares of 365scores, a global sports media company.

In the announcement, Entain said that the acquisition has cost it $150 million. In addition, Entain may have to pay up to $10 million in contingent payments.

Entain praised 365scores as “one of the world’s leading scores and sports media companies.” It noted that the business excels in providing scores and sports information. 365scores also provides editorial and social content and sports-focused free-to-play gaming titles.

Currently, 365scores has a fast-growing and engaged global audience of more than 15 million active users, Entain pointed out. The operator also noted that the scores company’s app currently ranks among the top 5 scores apps in the world.

The Acquisition Will Reinforce Entain’s Business

Entain noted that this acquisition will bolster Entain’s business, allowing it to provide better content and interactive offerings to its customers.

The combination of 365scores’ deep expertise in data-driven sports media content alongside Entain’s global scale and market-leading platform capabilities will provide customers with a broader offering of interactive content and experiences.

Entain statement

The company added that this acquisition will help it secure additional growth opportunities that will support its ambitious global strategy.

Entain Continues to Grow and Improve

Three weeks ago, Entain also agreed to buy Sportsflare from Tiidal. The operator is set to acquire all shares of Tiidal’s subsidiary, Tiidal Gaming NZ, which operates Sportsflare.

Sportsflare, being a major provider of wagering products with a focus on the esports vertical, will further reinforce Entain’s offering. The agreement is still subject to approval from Tiidal’s shareholders. The future of the sale will likely be decided at a shareholder meeting scheduled for April 26.

In other news, Entain recently agreed to provide Gordon Moody’s Alumni Project with funding. The initiative, which will be entirely sponsored by the gambling giant’s non-profit arm, the Entain Foundation, will approach problem gambling in a new way.

The Alumni project will see people who have completed gambling treatment help others overcome their addiction. The initiative is a part of the ongoing efforts to further lower the problem gambling rates in Great Britain.

In early March, Entain posted its FY22 results, highlighting a successful year. The company’s gaming revenue sat at $5.17 billion, up 12% year-on-year. Commenting on the results, CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen said that Entain can look to the future with confidence.

The leading iGaming software and sportsbook provider, Altenar, expanded its global footprint after announcing a new strategic partnership in Latin America. The company announced Wednesday that it joined forces with Playbonds, a leading online gambling operator within the LatAm region.

Under the terms of the new comprehensive partnership, Altenar agreed to supply its world-class sportsbook solution for Playbonds. Moreover, thanks to the deal, the operator will benefit from the company’s state-of-the-art software solutions. Ultimately, the new deal is expected to help Playbonds significantly strengthen its position within the region.

Thanks to Altenar’s comprehensive offering for sports betting, the operator will be able to deliver live, as well as pre-match odds for the LatAm region. Additionally, the company’s solution covers sports around the globe including basketball, soccer, volleyball, as well as horse racing.

Leveraging those solutions is expected to help strengthen Playbonds’ position in the region and deliver engaging and exciting experiences for its customers. According to Altenar, initially, the partnership will focus on “specific LatAm markets” but in the future, the duo is expected to expand their collaboration further.

The Deal Marks a Milestone Moment for Playbonds

Without any doubt, the new deal will help boost the reach of Altenar. Currently, the company has a presence in 13 important gambling markets around the globe and holds a certification from the MGA, as well as the gambling regulator in the UK, the Gambling Commission. With the latest move, the company further solidifies its position as a go-to provider of software and content for sports betting and online casino operators.

On the other hand, Playbonds is an operator with more than a decade of iGaming experience. Initially, the company launched its services in 2011 and since then, it proved itself as a trusted operator for the LatAm region.

“To bring sports betting to our LatAm players is a huge moment for us and to form an agreement with one of the world’s best sportsbooks is a massive landmark for Playbonds.“

Pablo Bonifacich, CTO at Playbrands Group

Pablo Bonifacich, Playbrands Group’s CTO, said that the company is delighted to deliver sports betting to Playbonds customers in Latin America. He acknowledged that the partnership marks a milestone moment for the brand and labeled Altenar as a leading sportsbook on a global scale. Finally, Bonifacich predicted that the deal will deliver success for Altenar and Playbonds

“We are thrilled to expand further into LatAm’s market and delighted to partner with Playbonds and provide them with our unique and innovative sportsbook.“

Antonino Barra, head of sales at Altenar

Altenar’s head of sales, Antonino Barra, also approved the collaboration with Playbonds and said that the company is thrilled to join forces with the LatAm operator. Moreover, he said that the deal further boosts Altenar’s presence in LatAm and predicted it will bring exciting experiences for customers in the region.