Educational programs offered by the independent charity that supports people affected by gambling harm, GamCare, together with YGAM, the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust, are already showing positive changes, a new report reveals.

YGAM and GamCare Train 24,000 Professionals

GamCare joined forces with YGAM to provide invaluable training for teachers and youth workers. Overall, the duo has now trained more than 24,000 professionals that now understand the signs of problem gambling and can help young people who may be impacted by problem gambling.

In their latest report, YGAM and GamCare noted that their Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Program is expected to reach an estimated 2 million young people. So far, the program has reached more than 48,000 young people, but that number is expected to grow significantly, considering that 10,000 teachers have received training.

Citing collected data, YGAM said that 99% of the youth workers such as teachers and other delegates that have received training can now confidently spot signs of problem gambling. Additionally, 97% of the people that received training admitted feeling confident to approach young people and discuss the topic.

Similarly, 97% of the delegates that participated in the training “could signpost and support young people if they have concerns,” YGAM reveals. Finally, 97% of the delegates that participated in the training admitted to better understanding the impact of gambling harm on young people.

Education about the Risks of Gambling Is Important

GamCare’s senior manager, Alexa Roseblade, deemed education an inseparable part when it comes to dealing with gambling harm. She added that all young people in the UK should go to at least one education session. This, according to Roseblade will help the youth “make informed choices about their participation in gambling.”

“Alongside YGAM, we passionately believe that education on the risks associated with gambling is an essential part of tackling gambling-related harms, and that every young person in the UK should receive at least one education session on it.“

Alexa Roseblade, senior manager at GamCare

Kyle Riding, YGAM’s head of the national education program, added that training so many professionals marks a milestone moment for the program. He added that the program includes not only teachers but youth leaders and other individuals that may help young people by raising awareness and providing support. Finally, Riding said: “There continues to be huge interest and demand for the training and resources and I’m confident we will continue to achieve our objectives to effectively safeguard and support millions of young people.”

New South Wales is set to introduce a voluntary cashless gambling system, in spite of calls for an obligatory one. Crime specialists had previously proposed going cashless as a way to fight financial crime.

NSW Divided Over Cashless Gaming

A report by the NSW Crime Commission previously outlined the possible benefits of introducing a mandatory cashless gaming system to the state’s gambling venues. The commission believes that replacing cash payments with a gaming card scheme would help to curb the rampant crime in local pubs and clubs where money laundering is commonplace.

However, the proposition has met fierce resistance from the aforementioned pubs and clubs, which oppose the introduction of cashless gaming. In the end, amid strong pressure from opponents of gambling, Chris Minns, leader of the opposition, announced that the Labor party is inclined to trial cashless gaming.

Depending on the results the trial yields, the Labor party may support an expansion of the scheme. Minns explained that what he wants to see is evidence that cashless gambling works. This way, the government would be also able to see whether the scheme has a negative impact on local clubs.

A Less-Effective Voluntary System May Be Trialed

Experts expect the government to launch a trial program in select venues. However, even in these cases, cashless gaming may remain voluntary. This, according to supporters of the scheme, is a huge problem as it would undermine the efficiency of the measure. They pointed out that billions of dollars are laundered in pubs and clubs, which is why drastic action is needed.

While Minns explained that the system needs to remain voluntary so as to not hurt the revenues of clubs and pubs, experts from the Crime Commission said that a voluntary card will do next to nothing about money laundering. Even worse, a hybrid system risks facilitating money laundering as it would allow evildoers to exploit the cashless card scheme.

Stu Cameron, CEO of Wesley Mission, noted that Victoria’s iteration of cashless gaming failed to work precisely because of the voluntary aspect. According to him, there is no reason not to introduce a mandatory system.

Meanwhile, Alex Greenwich, Sydney’s independent MP, scrutinized the opponents of the new measure. He previously critiqued ClubsNSW’s lobbying and accused the political parties of pandering to the union’s demands.

However, Minns is adamant about his refusal to introduce cashless gaming as a mandatory measure unless further evidence is provided.

Spinway has entered into a partnership agreement with Gaming Innovations Group (GiG) to officially launch its offering in the Canadian province of Ontario. The online casino has gone live and will operate through GiG’s platform. The local players will have access to SpinAway’s variety of online casino games.

GiG Awarded a License for Ontario in July

In July 2022, GiG received regulatory approval and obtained a supplier license for Ontario from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). It is authorized to operate its B2B sportsbook and player account management (PAM) platform in the said Canadian province.

In addition, previously, GiG announced it had been awarded “interim authorization” to operate in Pennsylvania and intended to move to Keystone State.

Representatives of SpinAway stated that GiG’s technology was specifically designed to support SpinAway’splansfor market expansion in North American regulated markets and around the world.

A spokesperson of SpinAway commented that they were “delighted” for having been able to accomplish their plans for expansion in Ontario by entering into a partnership with GiG. The online casino operator was confident that the brand would be successful in the province.

We have been vocal about our commitment to growth in regulated markets and making sure our technology is suited to the demands of helping both new and existing partners expand their operations.

Nicola Fitton, chief operations officer, GiG

Fitton also added that GiG was very excited about supporting SpinAway to launch its offering in Ontario and was very proud of the partnership agreement and the future cooperation between the two companies, promising GiG to facilitate its technology and excellent reputation.

GiG Cooperated with L7 Entertainment

Before SpinAway’s launch, last week, GiG helped L7 Entertainment enter Ontario through its LuckyDays brand. The said brand is currently active with its online casino offering on the GiG platform in Ontario.

This was the second market launch for L7 Entertainment and GiG after an earlier launch in Sweden.

Ontario’s Market Performance Results

Last month, the market performance results for Ontario for the second quarter, released by iGaming Ontario, provided an almost CAD 2 billion increase compared to the first-quarter results.

The total bets amounted to $6.04billion for the period until September 30 without promotional wagers being factored in, which is a significant growth given that the first quarter results were $4.07billion.

Leading distributed gaming operator and preferred partner for local businesses in Nevada, Montana, and Illinois, Accel Entertainment, has published its operating and financial results for the third quarter than ended September 30. The NYSE-listed company has reported a 108% net income increase to $22.4 million in Q3 2022 compared to $10.8 million in Q3 2021. The company’s total revenue also went up 38% from $193.3 million in Q3 2021 to $266.9 million in Q3 2022.  

Adjusted EBITDA and Net Debt Numbers

The supplier that carries an IGB license since 2012 and a PGCB license since November 2020 has also posted an adjusted EBITDA of $41.1 million for the third quarter, marking a 9% rise from the same quarter last year when the adjusted EBITDA was $37.6 million. Accel Entertainment also signaled a rise in adjusted net income from $17.3 million in Q3 2021 to $18.9 million in the third quarter of the current year. Accel’s report also mentioned a 109% rise in debt on a year-on-year basis, with $309 million in net debt mostly triggered by the company’s $160 million borrowings on its credit facility during the second quarter. The company also acquired the amusement assets of VVS for $9.5 million along with River City Amusement Company’s assets for $2.8 million during the third quarter. 

The company’s chief executive officer Andy Rubenstein expressed Accel’s pleasure to be ending “another strong quarter” with the same focus on their growth strategy. Rubenstein added that the company’s “solid performance” obtained in spite of the “inflationary pressures” comes to further prove the power and resilience of their locally-based business model. On top of strengthening its foothold in Nebraska, Accel plans to keep assessing and harnessing its growth opportunities throughout the US while returning capital to its shareholders. In May, Nevada’s Gaming Control Board recommended a two-year license to be granted to Accel Entertainment. 

Accel Has Reasserted Its 2022 Locations & Gaming Terminals

The video gaming Terminal Operator has also reaffirmed its 2022 locations and gaming terminals. At the end of the year, Accel expects to count between 3,550 and 3,600 locations spread throughout the country. As of September 30, Accel had a total of 3,517 locations, marking a 38% increase compared to last year’s third-quarter number.

The rise was mostly attributed to the acquisition of Century Gaming. As for the number of gaming terminals, the company anticipates finishing the year with around 22,700 to 23,200 terminals. At the end of the third quarter, Accel had a number of 22,429 gaming terminals, going up 68% compared to last year’s numbers for the same quarter.

Being one of the top favorites to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it’s no surprise that England is projected to finish first in Group B. It seems that the real question is who will finish second – the US, Wales, or Iran?

In this post, we’re going to examine the chances of all four teams of Group B, sharing our top predictions along the way.

2022 World Cup Group B Winner Prediction – England (-227)

England to finish in first place in Group B seems like a sure bet. The Three Lions have the most expensive roster of all the teams traveling to Qatar, not to mention that they’ve been playing amazing soccer in 2022.

We know this, but so do the bookies, which is why they’re giving only -227 on this wager. A bet with more value is the one focused on who’s going to finish in second place in the World Cup Group B. So, who’s going to be? The short answer is the United States. For a longer answer, check out the next section.

Group B Runner-Up Prediction – United States (+200)

It’s been a while since the United States Men’s National Soccer Team was this strong. It seems that the Americans have at least one star player in every position on the pitch. Their biggest stars, however, are in the offense. Christian Pulisic, the forward for Chelsea, is their superstar, followed by Giovanni Reyna of Borussia Dortmund, and Timothy Weah of Lille.

The USMNT also have a couple of decent players in the midfield, while their defense doesn’t look that strong. This is why we expect the Americans to score, but also concede a lot of goals during the group phase of the World Cup.

The attacking-minded strategy probably won’t work against England, but we think the US will outscore Wales and Iran. As a result, the USMNT will get to the knockouts from the no.2 position in Group B.

Best Group B Prop Bet – Iran Not to Qualify for Knockouts (-455)

Even though we think the US will get to the knockouts, we can’t say we’re 100% sure of that. The reason is that Wales is also in Group B. We do believe the Americans are better than the Welsh, but the Dragons have some really special players on the roster.

Their captain Gareth Bale is the best example, the man who scored the winning goal for Los Angeles FC in the final moments of the 2022 MLS Cup.

We might not be 100% sure which team will advance to the knockouts, but we’re sure that Iran will not. In fact, we see Iran as the most likely candidate to finish bottom of the Group B table. We even think this team might finish its 2022 World Cup journey with a 0-3 record.

The global sports betting, gaming and entertainment provider, Flutter Entertainment, released Wednesday its latest trading update outlining the company’s performance in the third quarter. In its latest report, Flutter recorded strong revenue growth for the three months ended September 30, 2022.

Flutter’s Revenue in Q3 Soars to £1.89bn

The company’s total unaudited revenue for the period hit £1.89 billion ($2.16 billion). When compared to the same period in 2021, when the total revenue halted at £1.44 billion ($1.65 billion), this result marked a strong growth of 31%. A breakdown provided by Flutter reveals that the total revenue was significantly boosted by an increase in gaming revenue. The overall gaming revenue in Q3 2021 was £534 million ($611.7 million), while this year, it soared by 40% to £748 million ($856.8 million).

Additionally, Flutter pointed out that its sports revenue increased as well during the third quarter of this year. In total, Flutter’s sports revenue in Q3 2022 hit £1.14 billion ($1.31 billion), marking an increase of 26% from the £906 million ($1.03 billion) reported for the corresponding period in 2021.

The Company’s Boss Predicts Further Growth    

Besides strong growth in revenue, Flutter acknowledged an increase in the average number of monthly players for the three months ended September 30, 2022. In the third quarter of 2021, the average number of monthly players was 7.8 million. In contrast, for the third quarter this year, the number of average monthly players increased by 23% to 9.6 million.

“We are really pleased with our performance in our US division since the start of the NFL in September where we are now averaging over 1m players on a regular NFL Sunday. In addition, we are seeing an increase in customer retention rates as our parlay products continue to grow in popularity, boosted by the start of the NBA season.“

Peter Jackson, chief executive at Flutter Entertainment

Flutter’s chief executive, Peter Jackson, said that the company enjoyed a solid performance in Q3 and reported strong revenue, as well as an increase in the average monthly players. He added that the company’s US-facing operations continue to deliver strong revenue and enjoy increased levels of player retention and acquisition. Finally, Jackson acknowledged that Flutter is positioned well for further growth thanks to its growing customer base and geographic diversification.

“As we look ahead our product and geographic diversification, as well as our recreational customer base, position us well for future growth,“

added Jackson

The Operator’s US-Facing Operations Soar, Australia Dips

Flutter provided a breakdown per market revealing that its operations in the US have seen a significant uptick. The revenue from the company’s US market segment in Q3 this year hit £598 million ($684.8 million), marking a significant growth of 114%.

The company’s international operations also saw an increase in revenue, reporting £466 million ($533.7 million), up by 56% when compared to the £299 million ($342.4 million) result from Q3 last year. Within the UK and Ireland, Flutter reported a slight increase in revenue. While UK and Ireland online revenue increased by 5% to £443 million ($507.3 million), the revenue from the retail operations dipped slightly by 3% to £66 million ($75.6 million).

In contrast to the overall positive results, Flutter’s revenue in Australia decreased by 17% to £319 million ($365 million) from £370 million ($423.4 million) in Q3 last year. The company said that the decrease was the result of lower levels of player engagement in combination with a 60% country lockdown and unpleasant weather conditions for racing. Despite the dip in Australia, Flutter kept a leadership position within the growing US market. The global company pointed out that FanDuel is currently the number one sportsbook operator in the country with a 42% market share.

The administration office of the German state Saxony-Anhalt has given an online slot machine license to state-owned land-based casino operator Sächsische Spielbanken. Thus, the operator has become the first state-owned company to receive such a license.

Sächsische Spielbanken Is the First State-Owned Gambling Operator to Receive a License for Slot Games

Sächsische Spielbanken has become the 13^th gambling operator in Germany to receive a license allowing it to offer online slot machine games, following licenses allocated to Admiral, Tipico, and Rootz, among others. 

The operator, however, is the first state-owned entity to receive a license from the Saxony-Anhalt state administration office.

Under the granted license, Sächsische Spielbanken is going to offer online slots through its website Sachsenlotto.de. The website will be available throughout the whole country. 

Germany legalized online casino and poker games on July 1, 2021, after the proposal for a new gambling treaty received support from all 16 German states. Before the approval of the new legislation, only sports betting was available online in the country.

So far 13 operators have received slot machine licenses. The most recent additions, that were awarded licenses in October, were Interwetten, which is going to operate interwetten.de and lasmegas.de, and the Novomatic subsidiary Admiral, which will operate admiralbet.de.

In September, Malta-based Rootz also entered the German online slot machines market with a license issued by the Saxony-Anhalt regulator.

According to the current gambling regulations introduced in 2021, the state of Saxony-Anhalt became the home of the new gambling regulator and, thus, the Landesverwaltungsamt Sachsen-Anhalt was founded and assumed responsibility for overseeing the expanding gambling market in the country and the issuance of licenses.

Germany’s Market Expansion Surrounded by Controversy

13 online slot machine licenses have been granted so far but with poker things have not been looking so good. 

Operators have not been too willing to apply for a license due to the too-strict regulations included in the State Treaty on Gambling.

According to the introduced legislation, there is a cap of €1 ($1) on the stakes a gambler can wager per slot spin and a maximum wagering limit of €1000 ($1027) per month. 

Additionally, gambling operators are obliged to pay taxes on the stakes wagered on slot machines and poker games equaling 5.3%.

Deutsche Sportwettenverband (DSWV), which is the association that represents the gambling industry stakeholders in Germany, has argued that these rules make it very difficult for gambling operators to generate meaningful revenue. 

Consequently, according to DSWV, fewer gambling companies would want to enter the German market taken aback by the stringent legislation.

The affiliate industry plays a crucial part in driving traffic to operators’ sites and increasing their audience. With new markets opening up, it is becoming even more important to find the right affiliate partner to optimise the traffic in a particular region and also by product. Apidae Digital recently launched apiRank, a new tool providing operators with a refined and vetted list of the Top SEO affiliates in their chosen market and for specific products, significantly saving resources and optimising the company’s affiliate strategies. We spoke to Matthew Fleri Soler, Acquisition Marketing Consultant at Apidae Digital, to find out more about the current affiliate landscape.

Could you tell us a bit more about your new product apiRank and the reasons you developed the tool?

Having worked in the affiliate industry for 10+ years, the recruitment of new partners was always an important part of operators’ core strategy in order to see continued and healthy growth of the affiliate program. Sourcing new affiliates however was always time-consuming and resource-heavy, so we developed this tool to make the whole process less cumbersome. In short, apiRank helps operators identify the top affiliates in any market and by product, presenting a list ranked in order, saving operators time and resources to focus on more important tasks.

Is navigating the affiliate jungle mainly an issue for smaller operators as larger companies now often have dedicated affiliate teams?

I would say that this tool can help both smaller operators as well as larger ones. On the one hand, apiRank can help smaller start-ups to immediately understand which affiliates would be best contacted and onboarded, whereas larger and more established operators can use the tool when they are set to enter new markets, to vet existing partners, prioritise which are given more importance from a budget planning and deal negotiation perspective, as well as reach out to any that they may potentially have missed.

What would say is the biggest challenge for operators trying to optimise their affiliates’ strategies in today’s environment?

In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges that an affiliate manager faces is understanding the sources that companies are using to send traffic to their affiliate program and brands, thus making it very difficult for them to analyse the performance. With ApiRank, affiliate managers will be able to pinpoint specific sites which have a strong SEO ranking across the different verticals that they target. apiRank enables affiliate managers to have more visibility over the positioning and performance of their affiliates.

Is the US going to be a focus market for you and do you envisage affiliates will have the same importance there as in Europe?

For the time being, we have focused on Scandinavia, India, Spain and LatAm, and have not yet covered the US but we might consider it in the future depending on the demand from our clients. Currently, we are seeing a lot of interest in LatAm and although we now service what we believe are the key markets, we will be adding more regions in the coming months. It all depends on the feedback we receive and where we see the most interest.

As well as adding more markets, can we expect more features to be introduced to apiRank?

Yes definitely. Although we believe that this tool will significantly improve the process for affiliate managers’ sourcing as well as understanding the potential of new affiliates, there is one more piece of the onboarding puzzle which is a bit more complicated to solve and that is the contact information of the affiliate in question. We have a few ideas of how we can resolve this, but we didn’t want this to stop us from launching the first version of the tool.

As the product gets more established, there are a few things that we have in mind that can further improve this process as well. We think we have developed a tool that will save operators a lot of time and resources as they navigate the busy and somewhat confusing affiliate landscape. We are excited to launch it to the market and to help our partners optimise their growth strategies. 

The leading iGaming industry content provider, Pragmatic Play, expanded its reach in South Africa after signing a new partnership. The company announced Wednesday that it joined forces with World Sports Betting, the premier sports betting operator.

World Sports Betting and Pragmatic Play Ink New Deal

Under the new deal, Pragmatic Play agreed to provide an array of its portfolio for the leading operator. As a result, the company will offer its award-winning slot titles such as the recent smashing hits Striking Hot and Happy Hooves. The terms of the new deal will bring popular titles such as Sweet Bonanza as well.

World Sports Betting will benefit from tapping into Pragmatic Play’s live casino titles. This will bring leading games such as Blackjack, Roulette and Boom City, the company’s recent innovative title. In addition, World Sports Betting’s collaboration with the leading iGaming content developer will bring other RNG products including the highly-popular Scratchcard titles Queen of Gold Scratchcard and Wolf Gold Scratchcard.

“World Sports Betting is excited to announce the partnership with Pragmatic Play. Its product is going to be a great addition to our existing offering, and we look forward to being able to roll this out shortly.“

Warren Tannous, CEO at World Sports Betting

World Sports Betting’s CEO, Warren Tannous, said that the company is delighted to join forces with Pragmatic Play. He outlined that Pragmatic’s content helps expand World Sports Betting’s portfolio. Last but not least, Tannous said that the company is looking forward to introducing the leading content to its players soon.

Pragmatic Continues to Expand Global Presence

Irina Cornides, Pragmatic Play’s chief operating officer, acknowledged that the company identified the strong potential of the growing gambling market in Africa. She pointed out that expanding further creates new growth opportunities for Pragmatic while at the same time expanding the reach of its products. Cornides added that the company is excited to join forces with World Sports Betting and offer its content to the operator’s growing client base. Finally, she said that the company is “very excited to see the reception our content receives from players.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with World Sports Betting and to deliver multiple verticals to their player base through this agreement.“

Irina Cornides, chief operating officer at Pragmatic Play

Thanks to the recent deal, Pragmatic Play expanded the reach of its products. What’s more, the company boosted its growth within the gambling market in Africa. The latest deal reaffirms the company’s plan for further expansion. In fact, only recently Pragmatic Play inked a deal with NorthStar Gaming for the regulated gambling market in Ontario, Canada. As a result of the deal, multiple titles from Pragmatic Play will power NorthStar Bets, NorthStar Gaming’s brand.

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