The company’s entrance into the Peruvian market marks not only a continued trend of expansion in Latin America but also on a global scale. This is the third new market the developer entered this year.

Entry into the Peruvian Market

iGaming developer specialist MGA Games will be supplying more than 200 products with the new contract, enabling NG Gaming to greatly expand its own offerings to Peruvian players. The partnership will cover a wide variety of offerings from video bingo games, through themed slot games to popular table games, such as roulette.

Javier Lanfranchi – director of sales at MGA Games – was cited in multiple outlets, saying that the greatest value the company provides to fans of its games is the sheer variety of the company’s portfolio. This should enable Casino Olimpo.bet to expand its reach, with the partnership itself enabling MGA Games to expand theirs into the region as well.

Peru’s market is currently blossoming, thanks to the recent legalization of online gaming and sports betting last August, so it’s definitely a good opportunity for MGA Games to capitalize on the market’s sustained growth. This means the partnership marks another big step for both sides, and Lanfranchi was cited saying the company was proud of being a part of Peru’s gaming journey.

It’s not only operators and suppliers driving the market, however. With so many new game opportunities opening up to Peruvian players, AstroPay saw the opportunity to launch prepaid Visa cards in the country. The company’s focus on iGaming and betting makes for a perfect synergy and enabled it to offer gaming-oriented solutions.

MGM’s Sustained Expansion

The other LatAm country that the provider set foot in recently was Colombia. MGA Games partnered with Betfair to bring its famous offerings to the operator’s platform in the country. Castle Slots, Golden Throne, Gold Mermaid by Renata Gonzalez, Lucky Dragon, Wild Africa and other titles were already available for players to enjoy on the go.

MGA Games hasn’t neglected other parts of the world with its Latin America expansions, however. On the contrary, the suppliers have been on a roll recently, and it has entered three new European markets since last September when it entered Italy with the Microgame deal. This was followed in November by a new partnership with Videoslots Casino, expanding content into Spain as well.

Towards the tail end of January, we saw neighboring Portugal adding to the list of European countries that MGA Games has set foot on as well. The supplier struck a contract with Caravel and will be catering to the needs of one of its online gambling brands – Moosh. It was also the second new market MGA Games had entered this year, with the Peru expansion being the third. The first one, however, was on an entirely different continent – Africa. MGA Games partnered with Goat Interactive and its Premier Bet gaming brand. The market has often been considered underserved and ripe for major brands to conquer, which is exactly what companies such as 888 Holdings or Betway have already started doing. This, in turn, fuels the need for content, where suppliers come in.

The company revealed Wednesday it expanded its leadership team by appointing Riviere to the position of chief people officer. The appointment is with immediate effect and sees Riviere bring more than 20 years of experience. In her role as a part of Sportradar, she will spearhead the company’s human resources management and strategy. As chief people officer, Riviere will oversee Sportradar’s leadership development, workplace culture, as well as talent management. She will play a pivotal role in the company’s talent acquisition. In her new position with Sportradar, Riviere will report directly to the company’s CEO, Carsten Koerl.

“I’ve been truly impressed with the emphasis Sportradar’s executive team places on building an engaged, inclusive and high-performing culture.“

Severine Riviere, chief people officer at Sportradar

Sharing her excitement, Riviere said that she is impressed with Sportradar’s focus on building a strong and talented team. She pointed out that she will leverage her extensive experience to help the company develop new strategies that seek to retain and engage with talented individuals. Finally, Riviere predicted that those strategies are expected to help Sportradar’s continuous growth.

Riviere Brings Extensive Experience to Sportradar

Before joining Sportradar, Riviere was a part of Fyffes International. During her tenure with the company, she helped implement strategic changes that improved efficiencies. At the time, Riviere held the position of chief human resources officer.

Throughout her career, she has held senior-level positions within the HR vertical as a part of global B2C and B2B businesses with headcounts between 5,000 and 85,000 people. Under Riviere’s guidance, companies were able to develop and implement innovative strategies that ultimately boosted their growth.

“Severine’s passion for people and excellence in the People Services practice will be a tremendous asset to Sportradar.“

Carsten Koerl, CEO at Sportradar

Sportradar’s CEO, Koerl, added that Riviere brings unique passion within the people practices vertical, making her an invaluable asset for the company. Finally, he predicted that her expertise will have a significant positive impact on Sportradar’s culture while the company continues to grow within the sports realm.

Nevada’s previous total market revenue recorded was during the 12 months that ended on December 31, 2021, when the state reached $13.40 billion.

Land Slot Machines Contributed to the Record

Now, the new $14.8 billion record was achieved with the help of revenue generated by the brick-and-mortar slots in the state. Those accounted for over two-thirds of the total revenue with $10 billion. Penny slots accounted for $3.59 billion, while $5.12 billion was generated by multi-denomination slot machines.

In December 2022, Nevada’s overall revenue reached the $1.31 billion mark, signaling a 13.9% increase compared to December 2021. The December 2022 figure was also 7.4% higher compared to November 2022. As for slots revenue in December 2022, Nevada reached the $803.5 million milestone. 

Revenue from the table, card, and counter games in 2022 reached $4.83 billion. Around $1.29 billion was generated by blackjack games, while $1.18 billion came from baccarat games.

As for the month of December 2022, revenue from the table, card, and counter games reached $511 million.

Revenue from Sports Betting 

Revenue generated by sports betting which is calculated along with table, card, and counter games reached $446.7 million in 2022. Out of the amount, $203.4 million was generated by mobile sports betting operations.

Approximately $165.6 million of the total sports betting revenue came from soccer bets while basketball bets generated $118.7 million. Baseball bets generated $80.4 million, followed by hockey bets which added $19.2 million and parlay cards which brought an extra $10.2 million to the total revenue.

In December 2022 alone, revenue from sports betting in the Silver State stood at $55.2 million. Out of this amount, $18.1 million was generated by mobile sports betting activities. 

The Strip Generated Over $8.2bn of Nevada’s Total Revenue in 2022

Compared to 2021, The Strip alone recorded a 17.1% revenue boost compared to last year’s figure of $7.1 billion. As for the revenue total reached by The Strip in December 2022, the state’s Gaming Control Board revealed it reached close to $814.2 million. 

The figure was mostly triggered by the special events held in the state throughout the month, featuring Las Vegas Raiders games, the National Finals Rodeo, the PAC-12 championship soccer game, and an important Ultimate Fighting Championship fight. 

Slot machines generated revenue of $405 million in December 2022, while baccarat winnings marked a 25% rise during the month as compared to the Strip’s figure recorded in December 2021. 

Control board senior economic analyst Michael Lawton expects the numbers for January and February 2023 to go up compared to 2022, when the results were affected by the Omicron variant.

Last December, Nevada upgraded its gambling regulations to help prevent cyber attacks. 

At the start of the year, the Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended a series of legislative changes that would allow betting on esports. 

The new channel, launched by ARC and its recently-acquired subsidiary, is called ARC Media International (AMI) and is centered on broadcasts of live racing content.

AMI and Vermantia Leverage CAP to Launch a New Channel

The content on AMI will include flat and national hunt races broadcast live from ARC’s sixteen racecourses, as well as from a selection of independent tracks. The channel’s live content is expected to feature as many as 700 annual fixtures from famous tracks, including Ascot, Doncaster and Lingfield Park.

Vermantia’s Complex Automated Production (CAP) service, a unique proprietary solution that automates complex actions in a remote way, will be employed in the operations of the AMI channel. As reported by Vermantia, its in-house system blends rich racing and betting information that is communicated to customers through appealing graphics. Fans are further engaged by live racing commentators and analysts that provide tips to the passionate viewers and bettors.

ARC and Vermantia wasted no time rolling out the channel in many major sports betting markets. The service is already live across many notable operators in Europe, the United States and South Africa. Thanks to the aforementioned CAP service, the channel can be quickly implemented into any retail sportsbook in the world.

AMI Is a Great Tote Betting Service

Menelaos Ladopoulos, the chief technology officer of Vermantia, commented on the agreement. He noted that his team is committed to producing best-in-class technology and is glad to provide operators with a comprehensive racing service for Tote betting.

We are always in line with the growing demand from the market for premium quality and fast-paced racing, which is powered with a fully automated service and zero-hassle for the operator, making it the most complete offering of its kind worldwide.

Menelaos Ladopoulos, CTO, Vermantia

Meanwhile, Mark Kingston, Arena Racing Company’s director of media and technology, said that the AMI channel seeks to be a premium betting channel at an international level. He noted that the new service is a well-rounded blend of quality racing content, reliable betting data, fresh design and cutting-edge automation tech.

Its success has been seen from the beginning, being already adopted by multiple influential operators in the US, Europe, and South Africa.

Mark Kingston, director of media and tech, ARC

True to Kingston’s words, the channel is already available with certain operators, which have so far been content by the service. One of these satisfied customers is Woodbine Entertainment, which praised the channel for its flawlessness.

The company reported rising interest in its products during the first three rounds of the National Football League Playoffs. It also noted that some of its niche markets have been very active, with one of the biggest markets being the “Who will score a touchdown on this drive?” bet.

Many Were Interested in Micro-betting

The market offers nine selections to punters, including QB, RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, WR3, TE and “other player”, as well as a “no touchdown” option. During the first three rounds of the playoffs, interest in these products increased substantially. For reference, 65 touchdowns were scored during the twelve games of the rounds.

The market recorded $1.5 million in betting handle during the aforementioned period, emphasizing the popularity of this offering. According to statistics provided by the B2B company, 26% of the clients of its partnering operators placed at least one wager on this market.

Other drive-focused markets people were interested in included Simplebet’s unique Script market. This market had payers guessing whether the play will be a run or pass and if the play results in a first down or not. The Script market was almost as popular, recording a handle of $1.3 million.

The last niche market Simplebet noted as a successful one was the “will this kickoff result in a touchback” market. According to the provider, fans adored the instant gratification aspect of this offering.

Fans Adored the Instant Gratification Aspect of Micro Bets

Simplebet’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Chris Bevilacqua, commented on the markets’ success, calling January a “banner month” for his company.

He noted that the College Football National Championship Game ensured a strong start of the year for the micro-betting specialist. The NFL Playoffs, meanwhile, kicked off with a bang and created a momentum that was maintained throughout the three rounds.

We saw an incredible amount of action on our highly detailed markets, and with points being scored seemingly every drive, more and more bettors wanted a piece of the action, and our markets proved to have the most uptime for the ordinary bettor who is looking for instant gratification.

Chris Bevilacqua, CEO, Simplebet

Bevilacqua added that the amount of traffic his team saw from some of its biggest partners, including industry-leading companies such as Caesars Entertainment and bet365, is a testament to the success of these offerings.

Simplebet offers exciting micro-betting products for some of the most popular sporting leagues. The company is popular not only for its products but also for its commitment to integrity, which saw it join the IBIA a few days ago.

ClubsNSW decided to part ways with its chief executive officer Josh Landis following his controversial comments about New South Wales (NSW) Premier Dominic Perrottet’s religious beliefs and chief advocate for the Centre for Gambling Reform, Tim Costello, believes it was the right decision.

Decision Was Appropriate

Landis, who was sacked on Tuesday, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Premier was acting merely on his “conservative Catholic gut” when advocating for the gambling reforms, an issue he has “very little understanding” for.

“I think they’ve made the right decision in sacking Josh,” Costello told Sky News Australia on Wednesday, backing Perrottet’s “unwavering commitment” to reforming the sector and increasing the level of protection for the vulnerable.

Costello claimed that Landis, who was among those who have heavily criticized the Premier over cashless gaming cards in the past two months, has done so while dismissing all evidence that suggested the need for cashless gaming as a problem gambling tool, including two Productivity Commission reports.

Support for Cashless Cards

NSW Crime Commissioner Michael Barnes was among the first to advocate for the cashless gaming card solution, citing evidence from the Report into Money Laundering via EGMs in Pubs and Clubs and urging MPs to introduce cashless transactions for electronic gaming machines.

Later on, cashless gaming cards received the support of NSW Police Commissioner, Karen Webb, who said that tougher measures would be necessary if authorities want to stop dirty money from flowing throughout the state’s pokies machines.

Earlier in January, Unions NSW leader Mark Morey also backed the introduction of cashless gaming cards as a problem gambling tool and urged Labor to support the reform before the state election in March 2023.

Apology Did not Save the Day

Perrottet, who has committed to reforming the gaming industry by introducing cashless poker machines and a ban on political donations from pubs and clubs, reacted to Landis’ comments, calling them “incredibly inappropriate and offensive,” arguing that he was pursuing a harder line out of his belief that it was “the right thing to do,” not his Catholic religion. The Premier also stated that such comments should merit a resignation the next morning.

Landis issued an apology for his words, claiming that he had misspoken while answering the question and should have not made reference to the Premier’s religion. He also added that “this was not a premeditated comment or an intentional attack on the Premier personally” but the apology could not save his position at ClubsNSW.