BF Games, a developer of premium dynamic iGaming titles, has expanded its reach in Europe with a new deal. The studio inked an agreement with Stanleybet.ro, a leading online operator in Romania. Under the deal, BF Games will supply its new client with a vast range of exciting gaming titles.

BF Games Expands in Romania with Stanleybet

As per the deal, BF Games will power Stanleybet’s content offering with its critically acclaimed games. Some of the titles that will become available to Romanian audiences include hits such as Book of Gates, Buffalo Trail Ultra, Cave of Fortune, Energy Fruits, Hot Sunrise, Stunning Hot Remastered and Wild Jack Remastered, among others.

The current deal continues BF Games’ expansion in Romania, which is a market that the studio has been actively targeting. In September, BF Games agreed to supply games to Superbet, another Romanian operator. Shortly after, the studio minted another deal, this time with Favbet. Both agreements were welcomed by BF Games, which has a profound understanding of what players in the region want and is thrilled to expand its local footprint.  

BF Games currently boasts a rich library of thrilling slot titles that is continuously expanding with new additions. The company is ambitious on creating a vast portfolio of games, allowing it to appeal to the needs of gamers all over the world.

Stanleybet, on the other hand, is a seasoned operator with years of experience in Romania’s land-based and iGaming market. The company opened a retail business in the country in 2004 and, more than a decade later, secured a license to operate online gambling as well. In 2018, the company finally launched its Kambi-powered online gambling site, foraying into the digital sector.

Melcaru Praised the New Deal

Claudia Melcaru, BF Games’ head of business development, spoke about the new agreement. She said that her company is very happy with the deal and is looking forward to powering Stanleybet with games.

We’re thrilled to have signed this deal with Stanleybet.ro and are excited about beginning the next stage of our partnership as we both continue to grow in the Romanian market.

Claudia Melcaru, head of business development, BF Games

She added that her team is always looking to extend the reach of its titles and expand its presence in regulated jurisdictions. Melcaru concluded that she hopes for an exciting future with Stanleybet.

Easter Europe has been a very important market for BF Games. Three weeks ago, the studio went south of Romania, launching its games in Bulgaria through Winbet, one of the biggest operators in the country.

Future Anthem, a company that offers an all-in-one product and leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize the player experience, announced a senior-level appointment Tuesday. The company revealed it hired the services of Emma Ferguson, a veteran in the industry with nearly two decades of experience in recruitment.

Emma Ferguson Joins Future Anthem

Ferguson joins Future Anthem to serve as the company’s new head of people. In her new position, she will spearhead the company’s recruitment efforts within all of its different departments. Moreover, she will collaborate with current and newly onboarded employees as well. By appointing Ferguson, Future Anthem also seeks to boost its expansion in key regulated markets such as North America, as well as Europe.

What’s more, the senior-level hire comes after the company has seen significant success in the last year. In the past 12 months alone, Future Anthem has increased its workforce by 30%. Some of the landmark hires completed recently include Ian Tibot’s appointment as chief product officer, Matt Nichols’ hire as general manager of the Americas, as well as the addition of Julie Haddon to the company’s Board of Directors as a non-executive member.

The Company Continues to Grow

Leigh Nissim, Future Anthem’s CEO, revealed that the company is excited to have Ferguson join its leadership team. He added that Future Anthem has seen significant growth in headcount in the last year. At the same time, Nissim stressed that it is important for Future Anthem to capture the positive momentum and continue to invest in its team members.

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Emma to the team, we have been fortunate enough to enjoy impressive commercial and staff growth over the last year and it’s incredibly important that we now further invest into ensuring our team is the very best it can be.“

Leigh Nissim, CEO at Future Anthem

Nissim added that Ferguson has a rich professional background and a track record in “building teams as well as developing and maintaining a strong company culture.” Finally, the company’s CEO predicted that with Ferguson aboard, the company will be able to reach its next level of growth while expanding its global presence further.

“This is a cohesive team of hugely talented individuals that are incredibly passionate about their roles and the direction the company is heading in.“

Emma Ferguson, head of people at Future Anthem

Sharing her excitement, Ferguson acknowledged that the company has significant potential for future growth. Moreover, she predicted that Future Anthem will further solidify its position as a leader in the industry. Finally, Ferguson said that it is exciting to join the company’s team of professionals at such an exciting time.

Overall, Ferguson has 17 years of professional experience in recruitment. Before joining Future Anthem, she was a part of leading global companies such as Fledglink, Hay Group, UK Creative Services Ltd. as well as OC&C Strategy Consultants.

The following text is contributed by Oliver Niner, Head of Sales at PandaScore.

Every fan has a story of how they came to love their team, their favourite player or a match they’ll never forget. Storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool for any sports or esports organisation seeking to build its brand and grow.

It’s key to any modern content marketing campaign and essential to distinguish and position your brand amongst the competitors. The NBA is an example of sports media and storytelling, be it from the league, the teams and the players themselves. It’s why we see series likeThe Last Dance and the slew of behind-the-scenes shows from major clubs in the Premier League.

It’s established that rich storytelling and content is an effective means of reaching the younger audiences that esports betting serves. And while it’s already used as an acquisition and retention tool, there’s an opportunity to integrate storytelling into the product and betting experience itself in esports.

As suppliers continue to develop their esports betting products, innovations like BetBuilder allow bettors to create their own storylines through your product in ways they haven’t before.

How Betting Taps into Storytelling

Sportsbooks already tap into storytelling through their advertising and the ways they market events to existing bettors and fans. Often this looks like content to build awareness of an event coming up or integrated as part of a promotional offer.

When bettors are meeting up to watch a match at the stadium or on the tv, they’ll tell their friends about the bet they’ve placed and why they’ve placed it. It’ll be a factor that enhances their engagement with the match, not only might they have team pride on the line, but there’s money to be won! It all adds the drama and theatre that makes watching your favourite matches entertaining.

In markets like Italy, where the ban on advertising from gambling-related brands in 2019 meant that operators had to think outside the box. They built media sites that engaged with their players’ favourite sports with the aim to enhance the sports betting experience through storytelling.

Along with the marketing prior to placing a bet, innovations like an esports BetBuilder give operators the opportunity to harness storytelling during and after the betting experience itself.

BetBuilder as a Vehicle for Esports Storytelling

BetBuilders already exist in the sports sector, with bettors having made news headlines with their outrageously unlikely wins, near misses or ‘what was I thinking?’ moments. It’s part of betting’s culture to tell your friends about the bet you’ve placed, how you’ve taken a swing on a crazy longshot bet for the match today, and the rollercoaster of emotions as the game (and your bet) played out.

All of this storytelling happens after the bettor has placed the bet. It’s effectively word-of-mouth marketing that happens after the bettor has completed the customer journey.

BetBuilder opens potential marketing opportunities for operators who want to lean on the features of the product. In a digital landscape saturated with marketing messaging, referrals and recommendations from friends are proving to be the most powerful for acquisition and the hardest to obtain.

In a sector like esports with lower marketing budgets compared to sports, as well as an audience that isn’t as responsive to traditional marketing methods – this kind of peer-to-peer influencing is invaluable. It cuts through the chaff of marketing content that customers see every day and gives them a first-hand account of an experience.

This kind of bettor-first storytelling is yet to be fully harnessed in esports betting, in part out of product maturity and quality. BetBuilder products are a highly effective storytelling vehicle that offers bettors a highly engaging way to bet that enhances their esports experience with greater depth.

For example, there was a big anticipation around the semifinals of the League of Legends World Championship, where the Chinese team, JD Gaming was going against the Korean T1. Not only that, the community was excited to see JD’s player 369 versus Zeus, who is part of the T1 roster. With an esports dedicated BetBuilder, the operators can build a campaign around the story – offer the users a possibility to bet on JD’s win if they support the team, and in the same bet slip, go for Zeus having more kills than 369, because they think the opposite team’s player will score more kills.

It puts the storytelling power in the hands of the bettors themselves, sharing their tales amongst friends in the places they love, about the esports teams and players they love.

Global sports betting brand Betano has become the official Regional Supporter for Europe as part of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 event in Qatar. The partnership was signed with FIFA and Betano will now be working on engaging and exciting World Cup fans across Europe. Betano presently operates in ten countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal, Germany, and the Czech Republic in Europe alone.

Betano Signs Historic Partnership with FIFA

According to FIFA’s head of partnership development, Luis Rodriguez, both Betano and FIFA shared similar values in bringing the best possible experience to fans. “We’re excited to see what they [Betano] have planned to engage fans around the region,” Rodriguez explained. Ultimately, the official saw the Betano partnership as an exciting announcement and the opportunity to enter a new industry.

Kaizen Gaming CEO and co-founder George Daskalakis commented on this opportunity and explained that the company was proud to be the first sports betting operator to team up with FIFA, an important landmark for sports betting entities. He further said:

This collaboration will bring us one step closer to millions of football fans across the globe; our goal is to offer them a responsible sports betting experience of the highest standards that will increase their engagement with FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Kaizen Gaming CEO and co-founder George Daskalakis

Sportsbooks Keen to Get in the Public Eye

Sports betting companies have been working hard to make sure that they boost their visibility during the World Cup in the hopes of driving more serious betting handle. M88 Mansion recently signed with Steven Gerrard who became the sportsbook’s brand ambassador for the event. Meanwhile, companies have been launching all sorts of excellent games and engagement opportunities for the event.

Sorare, an NFT and fantasy platform launched its own free-to-play game to celebrate FIFA World Cup 2022 and give players a chance to engage in the action without spending their own money. Meanwhile, regulators in Europe have been vigilant of how sportsbooks operate and advertise their products in the period between November 18 and December 18, with ANJ passing new recommendations to ensure that operators will be respectful and not induce vulnerable gamblers to place a bet.

Sports bettors in the state of Mississippi bet a total of $56.2 million last month. This shows a noticeable month-on-month improvement but is still lagging behind 2021’s results.  

Bettors Wagered $56.2M on Spots

Punters in the Magnolia State contributed to a total sports betting handle of $56.2 million in October. This represents a 32.7% year-on-year decline. For reference, the sports betting industry in Mississippi recorded a staggering sports betting handle of $83.5 million in October 2021.

As a result of the lower handle, the revenues of sports betting operators in the country also experienced YOY declines. Overall, sportsbooks in the state earned 15.4% less than they did last year and closed the month with revenue of $7.7 million.

The current results show a significant increase (30.4%) from September 2022’s $43.1 million. However, higher win percentages led to lower revenues, leaving bookmakers with only $7.7 million for the period. This also represents a 12.5% MOM decline. The win rates among players who wagered in October sat at 13.7%.

Coastal Casinos Are the Most Popular

The Magnolia State also reported that coastal casinos are consistently more popular than their competitors. According to statistics, these venues earned $35.8 million, which represents almost 64% of the total bets placed. Thanks to this, coastal casinos had collective revenue of $3.9 million.

Meanwhile, central casinos only took $11.8 million in wagers, accompanied by revenue of $2.3 million. Lastly, northern casinos recorded a sports betting handle of $8.6 million. The northern venues are proving to be less popular than their central and coastal counterparts which is further attested by their lower revenue of $1.5 million.

Taking a look at which sports were the most popular, we see that, unsurprisingly, football continues to be in the lead. Thanks to the hype surrounding the new National Football League season, coastal sports betting operators recorded a handle of $21.7 million in NFL bets. This represents 60% of the total handle wagered at coastal properties. Coastal and northern casinos, on the other hand, recorded an NFL handle of $5.4 million and $4.7 million respectively, which is a comparable percentage.

Sports betting handle in Mississippi has been fluctuating for the last few months. In the four months ended July, the handle was continuously declining, driven by seasonal tendencies. In August, handle started rising and continually improved through October.

Image Source: Depositphotos.com (Photo by davidmartyn)

Affiliate services provider to the global gaming industry Gambling.com Group received authorization to provide its services to online sports betting operators in Maryland just days before the state’s official market launch.

Foster Competition to Benefit Consumers

The Vendor Registration Certification issued to Gambling.com Group by the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Commission authorized the player acquisition services provider to offer its services to licensed online sportsbooks starting with the official launch of the online sports wagering market in Maryland on November 23, 2022.

“The expected launch of the legal online sports betting market in Maryland adds to the tremendous amount of positive momentum for the North American online gaming industry in 2022,” said Charles Gillespie, chief executive officer of Gambling.com Group.

Maryland is set to become the fifth North American jurisdiction to launch legal sports betting or casino in 2022, following in the footsteps of New York and Louisiana, which set the tone in January, Ontario, which followed suit in April, and Kansas in September.

Gillespie continued by outlining that what makes Maryland’s approach “the right one” is that the market has low barriers to entry and allows a variety of operators on the market, convinced that such an approach “will foster competition and ultimately benefit consumers as the operators with the best products rise to the top.”

Caroline Smart, vice president at Gambling.com Group outlined the upcoming launch in time for Thanksgiving as a “huge success for sports bettors in the state,” as they will finally be able to place wagers with legal sports betting operators and enjoy the variety of choices and opportunities a robust market as Maryland will present, while Gambling.com Group stands ready to “navigate their new world of options.”

Next Wave of US Online Sports Betting

Besides BetMaryland.com, Gambling.com Group operates Gambling.com, Bookies.com, RotoWire.com and BonusFinder.com, and all its national and international websites will be available for Maryland operators to acquire players.

BetMaryland.com, the website launched by Gambling.com Group in February as a source of trusted, comprehensive, and up-to-date information, conducted a survey in September and revealed that 24% of Maryland adults are likely or somewhat likely to wager once the online sports betting market in the state goes live, while 44% claimed they would be placing bets at least on a weekly basis.

With a population of 6 million, the Old Line State is presenting a market of approximately 2.64 million bettors wagering weekly and Gillespie believes that the company “is well positioned to help operators and customers succeed in this next wave of regulated legal online sports betting in the United States.”

BetRivers, the sportsbook operated by Rush Street Interactive (RSI), announced a controlled demonstration launch in Maryland on November 21, 2022, from 2 pm to 10 pm, ahead of the official launch of online sports betting in the state.

During the demonstration period, Marylanders can register, deposit, wager and withdraw with the BetRivers sportsbook using mobile devices, tablets and desktops, as well as take advantage of the operator’s early registration offer.

Richard Schwartz, chief executive officer of RSI, is content to see this “much-anticipated launch of online and mobile sports betting in Maryland” take place in time for some important sporting events such as the action in the NFL and college football over Thanksgiving, thrilled to be able to present Marylanders with “an exciting sports betting experience…at the touch of their fingertips.”

Once the controlled demonstration period is over and pending receipt of regulatory approval, BetRivers should be in line to go live with the official online sports betting market launch in the Old Line State on Wednesday, November 23, 2022.

NBA and the World Cup

Schwartz also noted that BetRivers will be offering Marylanders many other exciting options besides wagering on football such as single-game parlays on the NBA and college basketball and wagers on the FIFA 2022 World Cup, to let them see for themselves “why RSI and BetRivers have received numerous recognitions from the industry.”

“BetRivers offers an innovative yet simple website and app experience, with more and quicker ways to deposit and withdraw funds, all supported by best-in-class customer service that works hard every day to earn and retain player trust,” he concluded.

Featuring thousands of betting options, including spreads, moneylines, props, futures, same-game parlays, and others, the BetRivers sportsbook is ready to capture the hearts of fans of all major professional and collegiate sports in the state.

In addition to the betting options, the website and app feature integrated betting content and live streaming, seamless payment options and unique bonus schemes and rewards programs, including the industry’s fastest conversion of bonuses to cash, and to mark the arrival of BetRivers in Maryland, RSI is offering first-time depositors a second chance bet of up to $500, on their first bet if it loses.

Recently, RSI signed some prominent figures as BetRivers brand ambassadors, including radio host Bob McCown, veteran sports host Mike Missanelli and sports reporter Natasha Staniszewski to help popularize the brand and engage with its customers.

Chris Matthews, chief executive officer of UK bingo operator Buzz Bingo, announced he would be stepping down from the position at the end of the year.

Really Difficult Decision

Matthews made the announcement that he would be handing over the reins of Buzz Bingo to a new CEO via his LinkedIn profile, stating that making that decision was extremely difficult for him, having spent over 5 years at the helm of the Nottingham-based bingo operator.

“Quite simply, it’s been the most incredible of journeys,” he stated, outlining key business developments such as the rebranding to Buzz Bingo, the launch of Buzzbingo.com, navigating the shutdown during the pandemic, and the subsequent re-launch of operations.

Matthews joined Buzz Bingo in September 2017 having spent over four years as CEO of GO Outdoors. From June 2019, he also serves as Chairman of The Bingo Association and Chairman of the National Bingo Game Association, a role he held until March 2021.

Further commenting on his experience with Buzz Bingo, Matthews paid tribute to the hugely talented individuals he had a chance to work with during his years, feeling that “the biggest privilege of all though has been the opportunity to serve as their chief executive.”

Welcoming His Successor

He then turned to his successor as Buzz Bingo CEO, Dominic Mansour, wishing him “the very best of luck in his new role,” convinced that “he is the right person to be picking up the baton.”

Following Matthews’ decision to step down from the role, Buzz Bingo chose current chief operating officer Mansour to replace Matthews and take the wheel of the business.

Mansour returned the compliments, outlining what “an absolute pleasure to work alongside” Matthews has been since the moment he joined the company in January 2021, paying tribute to what he has learnt from Matthews “as to what it takes to grow and protect” the brand.

Finally, Mansour assured everyone that “the business is in good shape for the future” and he is excited to take the reins and work “alongside the very talented management team and … and hard-working and committed colleagues.”

On behalf of Buzz Bingo, Chairman John Kelly OBE outlined Matthews’ contributions helped the brand navigate “a change of ownership, two ears of pandemic disruption, and a reorganization of the company’s property portfolio.”
“Under his excellent stewardship, the Buzz brand was born, as was buzzbingo.com, both of which have grown from strength to strength,” he added, thanking Matthews for his leadership and wishing him “the best of good fortune for the future.”

Gambling addiction is not something you can just ignore or pass by. Hannah Jane Parkinson, a Guardian columnist, related her story in a press release revealing her gambling addiction and describing the problems that unhealthy gambling causes.

In her piece, she relates how she began to wager. Until several years ago, she had never bought a lottery ticket or entered a casino or raffle. She had zero interest in gambling and odds. However, it all started with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone had to stay at home and had nothing to do. Being housebound brought many problems to players and a third of gamblers started to exhibit addictive behaviors.

Live Match Scores Instead of Twitter Notifications

In the second place, she reveals that before the COVID-19 pandemic she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). On some days, she preferred to stay in bed and not meet other people. She faced difficulties focusing, doing things she usually did, working, and reading, among other things. She had no motivation and even stopped to use her Twitter account despite the fact that previously she had been a keen user. When she felt a bit better and wanted to return to Twitter, she found out that her account was “buried.” Instead of reviewing Twitter notifications, Parkinson began to check live match scores. She replaced her real social life with gambling.

Tennis –the Perfect Sport for Bookmakers

Parkinson started to wager on tennis. This is the perfect sport for bookmakers because there are almost always tennis matches happening. Most tennis players take a month off around Christmas and in January, it all begins. In addition, there are multiple tournaments for men and women, such as the ATP tour, Challenger, and ITF Futures tournaments for men, the WTA tour, the 125 and 125K series, and the ITF (International Tennis Federation) matches for women. She related that in the end, she wagered even on unknown college players.

In her article, Parkinson states that prior to starting gambling, she enjoyed and even played tennis at school. However, when she began to bet, she became obsessed with following tennis matches and tournaments. She watched every single game and knew the personalities and characteristics of the umpires and the tennis players as well.

Parkinson confesses that she tried to quit many times, but without success. She even used her mother’s and sister’s bank cards to wager. She transferred money to their bank accounts and played her money. She had many identities but lost money with all of them.

Gambling Companies Fined, But Still Gained Millions of Pounds

She relates also that many leading gambling companies were fined millions of pounds, such as Bet365, 888 and Betway, for misleading marketing, non-compliance with “equitability, social responsibility, and anti-money laundering measures,” advertising on webpages aimed at children, among other infringements. Nevertheless, the gambling industry is worth billions, and 5% of players are responsible for 70% of the said revenue.

Per UK Health Security Agency, 2.2 million people in England suffer from a form of gambling addiction or are at risk. In 2021, more than 400 people in the UK committed suicide due to gambling-related problems.