A watershed self-restriction on gambling advertising is coming to Bulgaria next year if the proposal made by the Bulgarian Gaming Association (BGA) to the national advertising regulator is approved.

Round Table Discussions

The proposal was made during a round table organized by the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) Tuesday with the participation of the National Revenue Agency (NRA), gambling industry stakeholders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), experts and others.

Participants in the round table agreed that there is a surge in TV advertising of online gambling especially around the broadcasts of matches from the ongoing World Cup, arguing that these ads are necessary to channel people willing to bet toward licensed operators.

Besides the self-imposed watershed restriction on airing gambling advertising from 5a.m. to 6p.m effective January 1, 2023, the BGA’s proposal includes other restrictions related to the content of their gambling advertising campaigns such as mentions of jackpots, money and other material prizes across radio, TV and billboards.

The gambling industry is also ready to stop people under the age of 23 from participating in gambling advertising spots or campaigns and avoid having billboards advertising their products and services in close proximity to schools.

The round table participants agreed on the importance of responsible gambling and the inclusion of the responsible gambling message in every TV or radio advertising spot. Further, industry stakeholders agreed that presenting gambling as a means of solving financial, social, personal or other problems is unacceptable and should be avoided in the future.

Aggressive Ads Should Remain in the Past

On the criticism related to the use of aggressive words urging the public to gamble, the gambling industry body outlined that these messages usually do not come from the licensed operators but from their affiliate partners and that its members agreed to stop collaborating with such partners, which are also responsible for channeling players toward unlicensed operators’ offerings.

Surprisingly, CEM did not come up with any other proposal to tackle aggressive gambling advertising, claiming that it has its hands tied with online advertising. The advertising regulator did not propose law changes either, passing the issue to the parliamentary committee on youth and sports, which will also discuss the topic this week.

The proposal for self-restriction did not satisfy NGO representatives and experts at the round table discussions, who insisted that stringent measures should be taken. Two parental organizations even proposed a blanket ban on gambling advertising.

Other measures put forth included more strict rules for distinguishing land-based gaming venues, raising the age for gambling to 21, mandatory warning implemented in the adverts that gambling may lead to addiction, as well as changes to the Disciplinary Code to include more severe punishments for those who target underage people.

Sports and gaming media agency SBC announced it has established a new division, Sports Sponsorship, and appointed George Harborne as Director of Sports Sponsorship.

Relations with Industry Stakeholders

Harborne will be responsible for building the new division within SBC by focusing on the connections and relations with sports clubs, associations, as well as betting and gaming industry stakeholders, seeking to assist in customer acquisition, activation and strategic development.

“I am excited to bring my experience helping companies achieve their sponsorship and revenue goals to SBC,” Harborne commented, outlining that he was highly motivated to accept the role by “the company’s commitment to developing meaningful business connections within the iGaming and sports betting industry,” as well as its roster of “unrivaled relationships … in this space.”

“I cannot wait to help the team deliver even more value for our clients through this new offering,” he concluded.

In his new role as Director of Sports Sponsorship, Harborne, who has over a decade of sports industry experience under his belt, will be reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer and Founder Rasmus Sojmark.

“We are delighted to welcome George to the team,” Sojmark commented, highlighting Harborne’s credentials and suitability for the role.

‘Accomplished Sports Business Executive’

“He is an accomplished sports business executive skilled in negotiating partnerships and overseeing their development and activation,” Sojmark said, emphasizing Harborne as the right person to lead SBC’s “efforts to find and connect with sponsors and buyers” from the gaming industry.

Harborne’s resume features senior roles across rugby and soccer clubs, including Commercial Director at professional rugby club Salford Red Devils, Senior Manager in the Betting Category at international sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE, Head of Partner Acquisition and Partner Services for English Premier League (EPL) club Aston Villa, Head of Partnerships and Interim Head of Sales at West Bromwich Albion FC, and Senior Partnership Sales Executive at Derby County FC.

His latest role prior to joining SBC was as Director at Yellow Sports Marketing.

“George is a fantastic addition to our team,” said SBC Chief Operating Officer, David Knight, underlining that “his knowledge of sports sponsorships will help SBC’s friends and clients build a lasting rapport with sports teams across the world and add an incremental revenue stream for our business.”

As part of his responsibilities, Harborne will also have to deliver tailored content to audiences during SBC’s leading events, including SBC Summit North America (New Jersey, 9-11 May), CasinoBeats Summit (Malta, 23-25 May), Canadian Gaming Summit (Toronto, 13-15 June), SBC Summit Barcelona (Barcelona, 19-21 September), and SBC Summit Latinoamérica (November 2023).

The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency released its sports betting revenue report for November, the month in which the state launched online sports betting, posting $219 million worth of wagers.

Maryland launched online sports wagering on November 23, featuring seven online sportsbook operators, and for the first nine days of operation, those sportsbooks attracted $186.1 million in wagers, of which $63.8 million in free promotional play.

Commenting on the results, Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin outlined expectations that mobile sportsbooks would “continue to offer a lot of promotional wagers in the coming months,” as the market is relatively new and they crank up their efforts to attract customers.

“There was tremendous pent-up demand, and a lot of people are utilizing promotional offers from multiple operators simultaneously,” Martin continued, pointing to the realization by operators that “this level of promotional play is not sustainable” and will be curtailed by the regulator over time.

The seven mobile operators, Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet, utilized offers featuring a wide range of sign-up bonuses and promotions to attract customers but sports wagering regulations in the state permit unlimited promotional play for operators only during their first full fiscal year of operation. From then on, promotional play should not exceed 20% of a sportsbook’s taxable win registered in the prior year.

Among operators, FanDuel topped the rankings with a mobile handle of $89.9 million, followed closely by DraftKings with a mobile sports betting handle of $69.6 million. The two big boys opened space between them and the chasing pack, as third-ranked BetMGM registered just $15.1 million in mobile betting handle.

Impact on Tax Revenue

Mobile operators registered a 13.9% hold on mobile wagers and based on the 15% tax on their win after deducting promotional play, they contributed with just $4,262 worth of tax revenue. Retail operators generated 99.4% of the state’s tax money, accounting for $700,466 to a total of $704,728 in payments to the State of Maryland in November.

Compared to the tax payment in October, $781,642, tax payments in November registered a decrease of nearly 10%, despite October having no mobile sportsbooks and one retail location less, Long Shot’s in Frederick, which opened on November 18.

Tax money from sports wagering goes toward the state’s Future Fund and is then allocated as financial support for public education programs.

Neccton, a one-stop shop analytical application for online gambling providers, has partnered with Novo Interactive, a subsidiary of Novomatic, a renowned gambling service provider and operator. Under the agreement, Neccton will power Novo Interactive with mentor software.

Neccton Leverages Mentor Software to Help Novo Interactive

The data company will leverage its mentor capabilities to help Novo Interactive bolster its defenses against money laundering and problem gambling. As a result noboline.de and admiralbet.de, Novo Interactive’s online gambling brands, will be able to use Neccton’s solutions to ward off gambling harm and financial fraud.

The mentor software monitors players’ behavior in real-time and warns both the player and the operator when a suspicious pattern has been identified. Thanks to this, admiralbet.de would be able to boost its AML and responsible gambling capabilities.

The mentor software is designed to stop various red flags, such as a sudden increase in deposit frequency or size. Once such a marker has been identified, the software prompts the player to limit their activity. At the same time, it contacts the operator, warning it of the irregularity. Thus, a gambling operator is able to potentially intervene, if it determines that further action is needed.

The Provider Will Help the Operator Prevent Fraud

In addition, the mentor software can help gambling operators spot cases of money laundering or other financial fraud. Novo Interactive will integrate Neccton’s AML capabilities as well, helping it further support its online brand’s business. Neccton’s AML solution is compliant with a large variety of markets, including Europe, Canada’s province of Ontario and many other markets all over the world.

Neccton is aware of the intricacies of the global gambling ecosystem. Because of that, its rule engine is preconfigured for all jurisdictions where individual responsible gambling and AML customization is allowed. The company also offers a variety of other solutions, including anti-fraud capabilities and customer relations management solutions.

Dr Michael Auer, Neccton’s director and head of development, welcomed Novo Interactive to the list of Neccton partners. He stated that his team feels proud to be trusted the gambling company and its brands. Auer vowed to protect the brands’ customers in Germany, as it already does with so many others.

In August, Neccton also teamed up with Pragmatic Solutions, a leading iGaming provider. Under that agreement, Neccton helped Pragmatic Solutions track its players’ behavior.

The company that humanizes data thanks to leveraging AI to deliver personalized experiences for players, Future Anthem, announced Tuesday it expanded its leadership team by hiring the services of Laura Bird.

The Company Appoints Its First-Ever CFO

Joining Future Anthem, Bird became the company’s first-ever chief financial officer (CFO). The announcement comes amid a rapid expansion the company has seen in regulated markets in North America, as well as Europe. Having Bird as a part of the leadership team, Future Anthem seeks to continue growing further and expand its global presence.

In fact, in her new position as CFO, she will oversee the company’s expansion and proactively assist. Additionally, Bird’s duties will include leading Future Anthem’s financial processes including planning. She will also collaborate on different investment strategies together with the company’s Board and its CEO, Leigh Nissim.

“I am delighted to have become part of the Future Anthem family.“

Laura Bird, chief financial officer at Future Anthem

Commenting on the topic, Bird said that it is exciting to join the growing roster of experts at Future Anthem. She added: “Having spent many years working within the industry it’s abundantly clear to me that this is a hugely exciting company with ambitions to match my own.” Finally, Bird said that she is happy to play a pivotal role in the company’s future growth.

Initially, Bird started her career with BDO LLP but she was also a part of NBC Universal, Ocado and Gaming Realms. Throughout her professional career, she was also a part of leading operators such as Ladbrokes where she served as digital financial controller. Overall, she has a rich background with more than 15 years of experience in different positions within the finance vertical.

Future Anthem Prepares for Further Global Growth

The latest senior-level hire doesn’t come as a surprise, considering that Future Anthem has seen significant growth in the last year. What’s more, the company increased its workforce by 30% in the last year alone and added experts such as Matt Nichols and Emma Ferguson to its team.

“Future Anthem has a very clear growth plan that we are delivering on and which is allowing us to attract the best talent from the industry and beyond.“

Leigh Nissim, CEO at Future Anthem

Nissim, Future Anthem’s CEO, added that the company has outlined a clear path toward growth which enabled it to continue growing its team by adding new talent. He predicted that Bird will help the company continue to grow and expand further in 2023. Last but not least, Nissim said that the appointment reaffirms the company’s growth plan.

Leading iGaming content provider Pragmatic Play has expanded its presence in Venezuela through a new agreement with a local operator. The supplier will join forces with Liderendeportes.bet, a local iGaming operator that will help Pragmatic Play’s content reach more Venezuelan gamblers.

Pragmatic Play Powers Liderendeportes.bet with content

Under the agreement, Pragmatic Play will power the South American operator with some of its best titles. As per the deal, the supplier will provide Liderendeportes.bet with hit slot games, immersive live casino experiences and engaging virtual sports products. Pragmatic Play’s suite of content is already live in many LATAM jurisdictions and enjoys a lot of popularity from local players.

As a result of the deal, Liderendeportes.bet will be able to provide award-winning Pragmatic Play classics to its customers, including beloved games such as Sugar Rush and Gates of Olympus. The operator will also be able to engage its fans with freshly launched slots like Reel banks and Fury of Odin Megaways. In addition, Liderendeportes.bet will be able to provide fans with Pragmatic Play’s live casino titles, which include games such as Sweet Bonanza CandyLand and Mega Wheel.

Sports fans, on the other hand, will be able to wager on a rich selection of virtual sports products. These include Force 1 content, horse racing and greyhound racing. All games have detailed 3D renderings of the sports they represent and offer a huge selection of wagering markets.

Both Parties Are Excited about the Deal

Liderendeportes.bet’s team is very happy to include Pragmatic Play content in its content offering. The brand’s president, Felipe Saldivia, said that the current agreement is great news for both the company and its players. According to him, it signals an influx of top industry content that players will now be able to enjoy. Saldivia emphasized that Liderendeportes.bet is committed to providing fans with the best possible casino experiences, as attested by the current agreement.

Victor Arias, Pragmatic Play’s vice president of LATAM operations, also spoke on the deal. He said that Pragmatic Play is just as happy to shake hands with Liderendeportes.bet as the operator is. According to Arias, the new agreement helps the provider secure yet another valued partner in Venezuela.

Again, we’re able to supply a multi-vertical package which is a testament to the quality and revenue-generating potential of our content in several areas.

Victor Arias, VP LATAM operations, Pragmatic Play

The current agreement reinforces Pragmatic Play’s footprint in the LATAM region. The provider is known as one of the most productive companies in the sector and produces up to seven new slot games each month. In addition, the supplier maintains an active virtual sports sportsbook, bingo offerings and live casino games, all available through a single API.