Religa, a Maltese provider of live casino solutions, has made a foray into the Italian gambling market through a new strategic deal. The supplier joined forces with the Italian operator Betflag, agreeing to power it with a selection of live casino games.

Religa Powers Betflag with Games

As per the agreement, Religa will provide its new partner with 12 live casino titles. These will be added to Betflag’s rich selection of iGaming and land-based games. For reference, the operator currently offers more than 580 games to its retail and online fans.

Thanks to the addition of Religa’s live casino games, Betflag will be able to engage more fans in the Italian market. Italy is considered to be one of Europe’s most profitable gambling markets, making it an important destination for companies in the gaming sector.

This partnership will mark the first time Religa has had the opportunity to enter Italy. The company is excited about the launch, which, according to a statement by the company, attests to the quality of its products. Religa received a certification to launch in Italy this year and is thrilled about the opportunity to join the market.

The Italian certification is a testament, once again, to the quality and integrity of our Live Casino product and further strengthens Religa. world-leading position in the live online gaming market.

Religa statement

The Supplier Is Excited about the Launch in Italy

Religa lauded Italy as one of the most developed European markets. Gianfranco Scordato, the company’s executive director of Religa noted that the debut in Italy comes at a very promising moment for the company. He added that Betflag is one of the most successful iGaming companies and that he is looking forward to working with its team. Scordato believes that the new partnership has great potential to make Religa’s products more popular and help it dominate the Italian market.

Laviero Saganeiti, the casino project manager of Betflag, also commented on the new agreement. He is happy to have the supplier’s support and believes the 12 new games will help Betflag distinguish itself from its competition. Saganeiti added that he is sure the company’s loyal players are going to love the new titles. He thanked Religa for the partnership concluding that his team is thrilled to expand the range of table games it offers.

This year was exciting for the supplier as it also received a license to launch in the Baltics. Religa is bullish on expanding its presence in Europe and supplying more operators with its content.

Market-leading platform for enterprise sales engagement Groove and popular gaming content and software provider in the LatAm region Vibra Gaming have inked a new content integration deal. The latter will have its top-performing portfolio content incorporated into the platform of the sales engagement platform that Forrester Research called a Leader in The Forrester Wave Sales Engagement Platforms for the third quarter of 2022. Vibra Gaming will this way get access to a series of fresh regulated markets, further strengthening its foothold around the globe. 

Vibra Gaming’s Localized Titles, Part of the Deal 

According to the terms of the agreement, Vibra will have its top-tier online slots, table games, bingo, classic content and lottery-compatible content added to Groove’s library as part of the GroovePlay platform. The list of games features localized titles such as Wild Gems, Piggy Cash, Mystic Joker, Fruity 7, Popeye, Quake, Patagonia Wild, and Condorito, to name a few. 

On a monthly basis, Groove includes over 100 fresh games to its portfolio with the help of hand-picked studios and partnerships with tier-one operators similar to the new deal signed with Vibra Gaming. Groove has been offering operators its services for the past six years. Its partnerships with a large plethora of important automated Know Your Customer services, payment processors, Artificial Intelligence companies, affiliate networks, and game developers are on the rise. The company’s twin pair of turnkey GrooveOn and aggregation GroovePlay are backed up by one of the most prestigious technical crews in the industry.

Viagra’s chief executive officer Ramiro Atucha expressed the company’s thrill about getting to work with Groove, calling it a “fantastic opportunity” for Vibra Gaming to further boost their potential across mature, growing, and emerging markets.  

Groove Ranked Sevents on TrustRadius’ Enterprise Software List 

At the beginning of the month, Groove was ranked the seventh best enterprise software and number overall in 2022 by TrustRadius during their yearly Best Software Awards ceremony. Groove was the only sales engagement platform that made it to the reputable top. TrustRadius awards rely on direct reviews from verified users. The company’s vice president of research Megan Headley explained that Groove’s customers “consistently recommend the platform” for the ease of use, intuitive user interface, impressive data analytics, and complex activity capture. 

Vibra Gaming Awarded Silver at SBC Latinoamerica Awards 2022 

The company received the Silver prize for its one-of-a-kind Scratch-a-lot product that relies on mechanics found in instant lottery games. Players can fully experience the excitement of the “scratch and win” concept while getting lost in immersive slot gameplay in those jurisdictions that accept lottery products. At the end of October, Vibra Gaming released El Mariachi, its pioneer video bingo game created for Latin American players. During the same month, Groove and SmartSoft Gaming signed a content integration deal.

PointsBet, a leading sports betting operator, has reinforced its soccer offerings ahead of the highly-anticipated 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The wagering company plans to engage fans with more live betting markets, helping them enjoy the soccer tournament to the fullest.

PointsBet Adds More Markets

By leveraging its in-house OddsFactory trading feeds solution, PointsBet will be able to deliver over 130 live market betting options for soccer. This will immediately make it the sportsbook with the most markets for soccer out of all operators in the United States.

In addition, PointsBet players will get to access many one-minute and five-minute Lighting Bet markets. This, according to the company, will include markets such as Goal Scored, Goal Kick Awarded, Free Kick Awarded and Shots on Target.  There will be also many other markets bettors should look out for, the betting company teased.

CEO Aiken Is Excited about the Tournament

Johnny Aiken, the chief executive officer of PointsBet USA, said that the current World Cup event is a very exciting time for his company. He reminded that online sports betting was legalized just a few months before the previous World Cup event, which didn’t leave players and operators enough time to prepare. This time, however, over 100 million people in the country can place sports bets on the internet, providing operators with many opportunities. 

Aiken declared that soccer is now “ripe with opportunities” to tap into live betting. He added that his team is preparing for a huge interest in sports wagering and will leverage the Soccer OddsFactory integration to capitalize on what promises to be a great sports event.

We are investing the necessary resources to make PointsBet the go-to sportsbook for World Cup betting, and we have the technology in place to prove it. Soccer bettors will have more live options with PointsBet than anywhere else.

Johnny Aiken, CEO, PointsBet USA

The Company Will Leverage Its OddsFactory Solution

Meanwhile, Mark Hughes, PointsBet USA’s chief product officer, also spoke the OddsFactory solution. He said that the company’s continuous investment in sports has allowed it to produce up to a whopping eight billion calculations in less than a second. This allows it to have a full suite of live games running at the same time.

Hughes added that the OddsFactory solution makes PointBet capable of delivering an insane amount of live betting options for fans of various sports. This also applies to fans of soccer, who wish to wager during the World Cup tournament.

In other news, a few weeks ago, the company published its Q3 results, which the various CEOs discussed.

While the popularity of sports betting continues to grow and more US states seek to legalize the activity, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released an interesting report outlining how many adults in America plan to place a bet on the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

20.5M Americans Likely to Wager on the World Cup

The World Cup is set to start later this month on November 20 and run through December 18, 2022. As the most-anticipated soccer event of the year, millions of people are likely to bet on the famous tournament. In light of the upcoming launch of the event, the AGA posted the results of its inaugural survey on betting on the World Cup. The latest report released by the Association reveals that an estimated 20.5 million American adults, or 8% of the population, plan to place a wager on the tournament. The AGA estimates that a total of $1.8 billion is likely to be wagered on the 2022 World Cup.

“As the first World Cup with widespread availability of legal sports betting, this will certainly be the most bet-upon soccer event ever in the US.“

Casey Clark, senior vice president at the American Gaming Association

Casey Clark, the Association’s senior vice president, acknowledged that amid the growing availability of legal sports betting in the US, the Word Cup will likely be the soccer event that will attract the most bets. He explained that currently, more than half of the American adult population has the option to place a legal sports wager. This, according to Clark will “deepen American fan engagement in the most-watched sporting event in the world.”

“As the World Cup kicks off, anyone getting in on the action should have a game plan to bet responsibly. That means setting a budget, keeping it fun, learning the odds and playing with legal, regulated operators,“

added Clark

Still, Clark urged bettors to approach the activity responsibly and create a plan. That plan can include learning more about the odds, setting a budget for the activity and using only legal and licensed operators, he explained.

The Majority of Bettors Plan to Use Licensed Operators

The results of the recent probe resonate well with Clark’s words, considering that 78% of the World Cup bettors consider using licensed operators. Some 9.8 million bettors plan to place a wager online, while 6 million will likely “place a casual bet with a friend,” the AGA explains.

On the other hand, 4.7 million are planning to visit a land-based sportsbook location to place a bet, while 4.1 million are after betting with a bookie. Additionally, the study found 3.5 million plan to wager at a fantasy contest or a paid pool.

Developer of innovative, top-tier casino games that are changing the way gamers play online Stakelogic and its subsidiary and provider of live casino games, Stakelogic Live, have joined forces to create a highly innovative live casino product. Called Spin-to-Win, the new plug&play live progressive jackpot system reunites the world of live casino gambling with Random Number Generator slots. The fresh system allows for a jackpot to be randomly triggered to players every few minutes. At any given moment in time, any player could trigger the jackpot while engaged in one of the two Mega Money wheels part of the system. 

Cash Prizes Ranging From €50 to €1,000

The two Mega Money wheels are placed in a state-of-the-art studio with industrial aesthetics. The first of the two wheels consists of different cash prizes starting at €50 and going up to €1,000 spread across 53 segments.

One of the segments is Red. Whenever a player manages to hit any of the 53 segments except for the Red segment, they receive the matching cash prize for the segment. However, when the Red Jackpot segment is hit, they are redirected to the second wheel. The second Mega Money wheel counts 54 segments and it features one Grand Jackpot, eight Major Jackpots, and 45 Mini Jackpots.

Mini Jackpots start at €1,000 with an average value set at €2,500. The Major Jackpot seeds at €5,000 and reaches an average value of €15,000. The mouth-watering Grand Jackpot starts at €100,000 and can reach €500,000 on average.

The Jackpot contribution has been set for 1% and it will be taken from players’ initial bet. Once a jackpot is triggered, the Video Stream instantly switches to the Stakelogic Live Studio scene, allowing players the chance to win cash prizes or reach the second wheel for higher wins.

Integration With Stakelogic Slots 

The new plug&play live progressive jackpot system can be integrated into different slots that are already part of Stakelogic’s portfolio. The company’s chief executive officer Stephan van den Oetelaar proudly spoke about the new system and feature calling them a “major breakthrough”. He also added that the Live casino segment was “already huge” and that growth was set to keep going as planned. Spin-to-Win and Live Progressive Jackpot System will enable casino operators to “tap into this growth” while offering “compelling” gaming experiences to players.

At the beginning of November, Stakelogic decided to power bet365’s Dutch offering with its top content while securing a content reach partnership with EveryMatrix.

Image Source: Shutterstock.com

Qatar vs Ecuador is the 2022 World Cup opener. It might not be the most exciting matchup, but it’s the first game of the tournament, as well as the only World Cup game scheduled for Sunday, November 20.

This is going to be Qatar’s first World Cup game in history, but oddsmakers don’t see the hosts as the favorites. Instead, the odds are leaning (slightly) toward Ecuador. To see what we think is going to happen in the first game of the World Cup, just keep on reading.

Qatar vs Ecuador Odds

Match-Winner

Goals Over/Under

*Odds taken from bet365 on Tuesday, November 15.

When, Where, and How to Watch?

• Place: Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar
• Date: Sunday, November 20, 2022
• Time: 11:00 AM ET
• How to Watch: FOX/Telemundo

Qatar’s World Cup Debut

Qatar is the only team that got to the 2022 World Cup without having to play the qualifications. Qatar booked its place in the tournament simply by hosting it. There’s a big question mark on whether they’d qualify for the tournament if they had to play the qualifiers.

The thing is that Qatar is one of the worst national teams in the world. All of their 2022 World Cup players play for the teams from their national league, the Qatar Stars League. If you haven’t heard of this competition, no one can blame you – it’s far from being an interesting league.

Peter Crouch, a former English soccer professional who now serves as one of Paddy Power’s brand ambassadors, has taken part in yet another initiative with the operator. To celebrate the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Crouch and Paddy Power joined forces to release a festive charity album.

Crouchy Conducts the Classics

It looks like the recent commercial featuring Crouch as a conductor was actually a setup for the release of the new album. And what a payoff this release is!

Titled “Crouchy Conducts the Classics”, the new album celebrates the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup that will, for the first time, coincide with the Christmas holidays. Speaking of first times, this will be Crouch’s first stint as a conductor and will see him lead a 20-piece orchestra. Other than Crouch, the new initiative will also feature Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts as a performer.

To make this release possible, the operator launched a new subsidiary called Paddy Power Records. The performances in the album will be sung by the Paddy Power Choir. The album will include many classic songs with a betting twist, celebrating the holidays and the World Cup.

The album will include the following tracks:

• Crouchy Conducts the Classics Medley (ft. Paul Potts)
• Engerland, Engerland, Engerland
• You’re Not Singing Any More (ft. Paul Potts)
• VAR My Lord
• Super Jacky Grealish
• England Till I Die
• We Love You England (ft. Paul Potts)
• Twelve Days of Football

All Proceeds Will Go to Charity

While the album’s main goal is to excite punters about the upcoming World Cup, it also serves an additional purpose. As announced by Paddy Power, all of the money from album sales will go to fund Stonewall’s pro-LGBT+ efforts in Qatar. Stonewall is a famous charity organization that fights for equal rights for LGBT+ people.

Paddy Power hopes that Crouch and Potts’ popularity paired with the amusing yet festive theme of the album will ensure the album’s success, helping the operator sponsor Stonewall’s efforts in Qatar.

The two celebrities spoke about their participation in the new initiative. Crouch admitted that he had always wanted to release an album and believed this was the perfect opportunity.

The whole team put in a big shift and I’m really happy with the teamwork, dedication and the finished product. With Paddy Power’s bankroll and the people’s support, we hope a Christmas number-one album is coming home… at the very least.

Peter Crouch, brand ambassador, Paddy Power

Potts added that he hopes the snarky album will inspire soccer enthusiasts in England to cheer on England’s team and “give the country the lift they so desperately need right now. He added that he was thrilled to work together with Crouch, whom he has always respected.

ParlayBay is growing its reach globally with a new partnership that will allow it to enter the Turkish and Canadian sports betting and gaming markets. ParlayBay has teamed up with TipoBet365, a respected operator that will now expose the supplier’s products to new audiences in both geographies.

ParlayBay is Happy to Provide TipoBet365 with Excellent Games

As a result, players at TipoBet365 in both of these markets will have the chance to pick from a number of titles including GEKKO, GREYHOUND, RUSH, CUT, BOSS and STREAK among others. ParlayBay has expended considerable effort to create titles that are captivating and worthwhile across the board.

The games feature immersive and player-centric gameplay, and come along with numerous gamification features, such as re-buy, cash-outs and leaderboard features, social tools, and more. ParlayBay makes it easy for players to onboard and experience innovative forms of sports betting products that they are always happy to study.

TipoBet365 Tarik Sezek commented on this partnership and said that his company was excited to be working closely with ParlayBay, and have access to the supplier’s unique titles and games:

Sports betting innovation has been very limited in recent years, however, ParlayBay offers an experience like no other and we cannot wait to go live with such a unique innovative product.

TipoBet365 Tarik Sezek

ParlayBay CEO Patrick Nordwall was similarly pleased with this opportunity and welcomed the operator as the perfect partner for the Turkish and Canadian markets. Nordwall said that it was beyond doubt that his company’s portfolio would strike home with players of all backgrounds and introduce them to micro-betting markets, which is one of the keys focuses of ParlayBay.

“The deal strengthens our ambition to show players an innovative, fun, and engaging sports betting product. This winter everyone will witness our introduction of outstanding sports betting games, offering players a remarkable gaming experience,” Nordwall concluded.

The company has been experiencing continued growth, as has the newly-regulated iGaming industry in Ontario, but that hasn’t come at the expense of being good and humane. Both the company, as well as the region, are expected to continue on their positive trajectories.

GeoComply Continued Growth

GeoComply celebrated the opening of its new office in Toronto – the capital city of Ontario, Canada – just last week, on November 8. An unspecified number of the approximately thirty employees were relocated from the company’s office in Ukraine’s second-largest city – Kharkiv. The company’s news release outlined that Canadian immigration policy had a fast-track option for Ukrainian refugees and that was the driving factor in accomplishing the relocation.

While the company’s Toronto office is important to Ontario’s regulated market by itself, it’s also somewhat symbolic of the company’s sustained growth this year. Its business is focused on ensuring a secure gaming environment and its unicorn status is probably enough indication that it’s doing good. Big gaming names such as FanDuel, DraftKings, and Barstool, all rely on GeoComply’s smart tech to catch cheaters trying to circumvent geo-restriction and place illegal bets that way.

According to a piece by The Logic, written by Aleksandra Sagan in August, the company had approximately 170 total employees in Ukraine. GeoComply has been trying to get most of them, and their families, to Canadian soil and safety from the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Bringing more employees over from Ukraine to its newest office marks the company’s continued efforts to do so.

Ontario Regulated Market Matures

GeoComply was dubbed one of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies and was actually listed as number one on Fast Company’s “The 10 most innovative enterprise companies in 2022” list. It taking a foothold in Toronto has already been reported to have an impact.

Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey was cited by sports betting information outlet Covers, saying that the black and grey markets in the province are starting to “atrophy”. The news comes as Ontario’s “transition period” to regulated online sports gambling ended on October 31, as per the gaming market’s regulator – the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Ontario’s iGaming market may not have been legally defined for long – it launched only in April this year – but this is the most populated Canadian province, and the newly formed regulated industry has been flourishing.

It now has over 35 regulated operators – a direct result of AGCO’s efforts to bring “grey operators” into the regulated fold. Multiple reports from this month have cited that the AGCO has confirmed a total of 17 operators will be leaving its grey market soon, further expanding Ontarians’ options in the not-too-distant future.

We’ve already seen this strategy successfully play out with Pinnacle, which officially launched in Ontario in the latter half of October after receiving a license from AGCO the previous month. The company had reportedly been conducting its operations for a while without a provincial license, so AGCO’s approach to licensing out grey operators was fully applied in this instance. Pinnacle, however, was only one out of the licenses that AGCO granted in September, with October seeing nine additional one-year iGaming licenses being issued. With the 17 more being softly announced, it is safe to say that AGCO has certainly been keeping busy and playing its part in expanding Ontario’s market.