Casino equipment maker and digital gaming content provider International Game Technology Plc (IGT) has announced that its board of directors is “evaluating potential strategic alternatives” for the group’s global gaming and PlayDigital segments, “in order to unlock the full value of IGT’s portfolio.”

“IGT’s board of directors is considering a broad range of potential alternatives, including but not limited to a sale, merger or spin-off, as well as retaining and further investing in the global gaming and PlayDigital businesses,” the firm said in a Thursday press release.

Lottery Giant Behind IGT Name

Formerly known as Gtech S.p.A. and Lottomatica S.p.A. until a takeover of Si Red’s Las Vegas, Nevada-based IGT in 2015, the group is a multinational gambling company that produces various gambling technology including slot machines. While the company is headquartered in the UK, it maintains major offices in Rome, Providence, Rhode Island, and Las Vegas, and is controlled, with a 51 percent stake, by De Agostini, an Italian company founded in 1901.

The overall company, which includes the world’s largest lottery supplier by gross receipts, generated over $400 billion in revenues.

IGT’s chief executive, Vince Sadusky, said in a statement that the company remained “focused on the execution <of its> growth objectives and multi-year goals” as outlined in November 2021, and is reviewing and evaluating strategic alternatives for the gaming and digital segments. At that time the company noted its digital and betting businesses were to be included in a potential public listing of assets.

“Regardless of the outcome of this process, IGT is well-positioned to deliver on its long-term growth and profit targets,” noted Sadusky in the Thursday announcement.

Mediobanca, Deutsche Bank, and Macquarie Capital have been brought in as financial advisors in concert with Sidley Austin and White & Case acting as legal counsel for the potential public listing.

Global gaming revenue for the group for the first quarter of 2023 was up more than 21% compared to a year ago at US$389 million. Digital and betting segment revenues stood at $47m one year ago and have risen to $55m. The first three months of the year generated $23m in net profits for shareholders with revenues up nearly 1% and just brushing past $1.06b.

The company would appear to be flush with cash and an increasingly powerful credit profile. From January 1, 2023, to the end of the first quarter, net debt dropped from $5.15b to $5.12b as the company started the year with “significant cash flow generation and further improvement” in its credit profile.

No Decisions Have Been Made

On Thursday, the company noted that “No decision has been made regarding any alternative, there is no timeline for the review and there can be no assurance that the exploration of strategic alternatives will result in any transaction.”

Marco Sala, the executive chair was quoted in the information release: “Over the last three years, IGT has sharpened its strategic focus by reorganizing around core product verticals, monetizing non-core assets, reducing structural costs, and significantly improving its credit profile.”

Sala added: “We believe the intrinsic value of IGT’s market-leading businesses and diversified cash flow profile is not currently reflected in our stock price and the timing is right to assess opportunities that may enhance value for IGT’s shareholders.”

Stock prices were up at the close of trading on Thursday nearly 4% after the announcement at $31.50.

For decades, Gtech/Lottomatica competed and sometimes cooperated with Scientific Games, the other world lottery leader. However, Scientific Games restructured and rebranded itself to Light & Wonder. Major changes included the sale of its lottery business which still retains the Scientific Games name for about $5b and offloaded its sportsbetting business for about $800m. Light and Wonder’s stock price closed more than double that of IGT at $66.97 Thursday.

Source:

IGT mulls possible sale, spin-off of gaming, digital units, GGRAsia, June 9, 2023

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MGM Resorts International’s increasingly forward-looking marketing strategy has resulted in it taking another run at getting a lucrative, young, and digitally active target audience into its Las Vegas casinos.

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the Paradise, Nevada-based hospitality and entertainment giant has rolled out a new policy that allows guests to take selfies and videos of themselves “playing slot machines, table games and poker for personal use” in its Vegas casinos.

MGM’s new policy permits guests to do so at its nine Vegas properties, namely Aria, Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Park MGM, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

MGM is targeting “those who are seemingly inseparable from their phones and social media”

On Sunday, the LVRJ stated MGM is targeting “those who are seemingly inseparable from their phones and social media,” and follows last month’s launch of its policy allowing content creators to stream gameplay in Nevada provided they have prior approval. Should the new video and selfie policy prove a hit, MGM may introduce it across its casinos in other cities.

For selfie-takers heading for MGM’s Vegas casinos, the LVRJ listed a litany of dos and don’ts issued by an MGM representative. Guests can use their devices to film short clips of slot play that are for their own personal use. Longer videos and livestreaming, the latter never allowed in poker rooms, however, need pre-approval from MGM.

The policy also calls on its potential new casino guests to be mindful of others, not to disrupt guests or casino business when filming, and to leave the tripod, halo, and other fancy camera gear at home.

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On June 12, Groove Gaming, the fastest-growing content aggregator worldwide based in Curacao, announced that it has updated its company logo, color scheme and website to a new web domain www.groovetech.com and created new operator tools. Also, Groove Tech introduced its new game studio, GrooveStudio, and turnkey offering, GrooveOn, in addition to the re-brand.

New tools to help operators:

These new updates and easy-to-use tools have been developed by the company to help operators further determine their success, involving smart data capabilities that provides operators with worthy insight into player trends and content so operators can offer players the content they want. In addition, via a smart-data enabled back-office, operators now have the opportunity to more efficiently collect data on the outcomes of many initiatives on a single screen, while a new AI lobby is currently in the process of being created and is expected to be launched later this year. In addition, the tool is relatively easy to use and there are many opportunities to find new content.

Moreover, the company’s back-office has undisturbed access to other key differentiators for casino brands, like tournaments and free spins, which can be quickly implemented to influence market behavior and cause excitement around casino brands that converts into game time and sustainable profit streams.

Reorganization of the brand platform:

Groove Tech has also reorganized its brand platform, making Groove its comprehensive commercial brand with GroovePlay aggregation and the new GrooveOn turnkey service. However, this new flagship brand has a refreshed color palette, mainly to display the next generation technology and services the company now offers. The company’s team hasn’t stopped trying to improve its service vision and mission and is working to launch easy-to-use technology that helps maximize casino ROI via the application of data-driven AI that is able to identify the best games for every market and individual casino brands.

The upgraded technology stack is a key part of the brand’s rejuvenation and operators such as GreenFeather, Topia and Super Sonic have already started moving their casinos to the upgraded platform.

GrooveStudio:

Over the past seven years, Groove has entered into alliances with over 100 content partners, and those partnerships have helped the company prove itself as a reliable and competitive platform supporting a significant cluster of casino brands. Additionally, Groove continues to grow its game library, adding over 100 new games every month, ranging from time-tested classics to modern titles and bingo, sports wagering, casino games and content compatible with lottery providers.

Part of the latest business strategy behind the Groove brand, the company has unveiled its own dedicated game studio, GrooveStudio, which has a portfolio of 32 slots, table and crash games with 10 new games in production.

Gambling is legal in ND, with various forms of gambling regulated by the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office. The state established a regulatory body, the North Dakota Racing Commission, in 1983. In 1987, the state legislature authorized the creation of a state lottery, and in 1989, charitable gaming was also legalized. Keep reading to know more.

Online Gambling Laws in North Dakota and Other Activities

In North Dakota, there’s no online gambling regulation. However, entering an online casino from the state is not suggested. In this extract, we are going to focus on the online gambling laws in North Dakota and other legal activities. So as to make it easier for you, we have prepared the table below:

Numerous residents utilize offshore betting sites due to the lack of online gambling regulations. Still, to avoid trouble with the law, it’s not recommended to take the risk. The state regulators enforce strict measures against any illegal online gambling operators within the state, and they could start penalizing players as well.

If you’re interested in online gambling, you should know there are six US states where online gambling is legal: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In case you’re visiting New Jersey, it’s always good to rely on the best NJ casino sites. This way, you can be sure you’ll play on licensed and safe platforms.

Main ND Gambling Laws

According to ND gambling laws 12.1-28-01 et seq.; 53.06.1-01 et seq., betting on horse and dog races is allowed, but casinos are only permitted on Native American reservations in compliance with federal law. The state also permits other forms of gambling, such as skill-based contests, pull-tab games, and sports pools organized by charitable organizations. See further information below:

If you are into horse racing, you might be interested in knowing that this sport in North Dakota takes place at the Chippewa Downs and the North Dakota Horse Park, both located in Fargo. Bettors can place wagers on races through off-track betting sites, simulcast facilities, or online platforms.

Among the North Dakota gambling laws you can also find the lottery laws. North Dakota’s state-run lottery offers scratch-off tickets and drawings. The state’s tax laws regarding gambling winnings mandate that 26% of all lottery revenue should be allocated for state funds and projects like public education. 50% of the revenue should be awarded as prizes to winners.

The North Dakota Lottery oversees the state’s lottery system, including the selection and licensing of retailers, training their employees, and ensuring compliance with regulations. They also pay out high-tier prizes to winners and assist retailers in promoting lottery games. Besides, the North Dakota Lottery conducts five multistate games, which are Powerball, Mega Wild Card 2, Millions, 2by2, and Hot Lotto.

North Dakota Offshore Online Gambling

Gambling laws in North Dakota are strict and limit most forms of gambling within the state. As we previously said, it isn’t advisable to gamble on offshore gambling sites. Besides, IPs will most likely be detected. Therefore, in most cases gamblers won’t be allowed to play on US sites from NJ, for instance, a state where online gambling is legal.

You must know that if you are able to register and play at any website from a state which hasn’t legalized online casinos, it will most probably be a scam. Therefore, individuals participating in offshore online gambling do so at their own risk. All this being said, offshore websites often operate in countries with more relaxed gambling laws and regulations.

It’s worth noting that in 2006 the US federal government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). This law prohibits US banks and financial institutions from processing payments related to online gambling activities. While this law does not make online gambling illegal, it has made it more challenging for individuals to make deposits and withdrawals from online gambling sites.

In summary, North Dakota’s gambling laws limit most forms of gambling within the state. While there are no specific laws prohibiting offshore online gambling, individuals should exercise caution when participating in these activities. It is also essential to understand the potential legal and financial risks associated with offshore online gambling.

Responsible Gambling in North Dakota

ND gambling laws have a strong focus on responsible gambling. All licensed gambling establishments in the state are required to implement responsible gambling programs and resources for their customers, as mandated by the state’s Gaming Commission. This includes providing information about problem gambling, offering self-exclusion programs, and training employees to recognize signs of problem gambling.

Moreover, North Dakota gambling laws mandate policies and procedures to prevent underage gambling and verify the age and identity of all customers. The state also offers a voluntary self-exclusion program that allows individuals to ban themselves from all licensed gambling establishments in the state for a minimum of one year and up to a lifetime.

Responsible Gambling Organizations in ND

The ND’s commitment to responsible gambling practices is reflected in the programs and resources available to individuals and the regulations that licensed gambling establishments must adhere to. All in all, responsible gambling in the USA is taken seriously in the state, and gambling laws in North Dakota are designed to protect vulnerable individuals from the negative effects of gambling.

The final section of our article on ND gambling laws focuses on responsible gambling associations. It’s essential to play with caution and awareness of the potential risks involved. Nevertheless, you can also count on some RG organization that aid players who require support. We have listed the most prominent ones below:

Keep in mind that the best way to cope with a gambling problem is by talking about it with your closest relatives and/or friends. Having your beloved ones support you along with professional help can end with the issue effectively and potentially fast. Remember to always gamble for fun, not for necessity.

Frequently Asked Questions

As we conclude our article on North Dakota gambling laws, we understand that you may still have some questions. Therefore, we have prepared a FAQ section that addresses some common concerns. These answers are concise and direct, allowing you to navigate to the relevant section for further information quickly. Find them below:

Ivan Toney has said that missing out on selection for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was a worse punishment than his eight-month ban from soccer. The Brentford forward admitted to 232 breaches of the English Football Association’s (FA) betting rules earlier this year.

The allegations came to the surface shortly before the England World Cup squad announcement. Manager Gareth Southgate and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham both said the 27-year-old’s omission was for footballing reasons and not related to the betting investigation.

FA ultimately didn’t dish out punishment until the end of the season

He believes the timing of the FA announcing the investigation was “a bit spiteful” as it came only days before the naming of the England squad. The FA ultimately didn’t dish out punishment until the end of the season.

Toney was in excellent form leading up to the tournament and finished the English Premier League season with 20 goals. He now is unable to train with his team until September and cannot play until January 17, 2024. The Northampton native received a reduced ban due to his addiction to gambling.  

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