Sportsbook

The New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) has hailed a ‘new era for Kiwi punters’ after launching its long-awaited fixed odds betting portal. Operating under the ‘New Zealand TAB’ domain – www.TAB.co.nz, the new racing platform is powered by Scientific Games’ OpenBet as lead systems provider, supported by Paddy Power Betfair. Launching TAB NZ’s new property, NZRB Chief Executive John Allen stated that …

Industry watchdog UK Gambling Commission has confirmed its reappointment of Trevor Pearce to the Board of Commissioners for a second term of four years, from July 1 2019 to June 30 2023. Pearce has 40 years of prior experience in law enforcement with the Kent County Constabulary as well as  the National Crime Squad, Serious Organised Crime Agency, and National …

Industry-specific, compliance software ‘SafeComply’ will launch this 2019, seeking to help industry stakeholders meet new compliance requirements and standards. The new software incumbent is founded by former Betsson AB Group Counsel Abby Rachel Cosgrave, who states that in 2019 industry operators will have to adjust to new compliance demands set across multiple jurisdictions. Cosgrave warns leadership, that the stakes are …

Expanding its digital presence, Athens-listed gambling group OPAP has confirmed that it has agreed to acquire a further 51% stake in Stoiximan Group for €95 million. Issuing a market filing, OPAP confirms that it will undertake the transaction through its ‘OPAP investments’ subsidiary which will acquire the Stoiximan equity from operating company GML Interactive. Gaining the majority shareholding in Stoiximan …

Malta-based industry venture capital firm Optimizer Invest has moved to restructure and realign its operations, separating its asset management and consultancy divisions. In connection with the separation, Optimizer Invest informs that its corporate shares in Stockholm-listed Catena Media and Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) will be redistributed to senior partners – Henrik Persson Ekdahl, Andre Lavold and Mikael Riese Harstad.  The …

The governance of FTSE250 bookmaker William Hill Plc has this morning confirmed that it has secured approval of ‘all necessary authorities across related jurisdictions’, to complete its €270million acquisition of Stockholm-listed MRG Group. The transaction which has been approved by MRG governance was first propositioned on 31 October 2018, with William Hill seeking to boost its European regulated markets profile, …

Bet.Works has confirmed that it has been granted one of the first concurrent Gaming Laboratories International GLI-33 / GLI-19 certifications for sportsbook operations. In gaining this certificate, the US-based igaming and sportsbook platform supplier has successfully completed pre-compliance testing of its sportsbook platform against the “GLI-33: Event Wagering Systems” standard. Bet.Works Founder and CEO David Wang commented: “We are pleased …

New industry data science and engineering development studio ‘Graphyte AI’ seeks to solve online betting’s ‘in-play customer personalisation conundrum’,  a key dynamic for sector leaders in 2019. Graphyte AI is founded by the enterprise team of former Ladbrokes Coral sports data and customer insights directors’ Damien Evans (CEO) and Rob Davis (CTO), delivering relevant personalised experiences administered within betting’s live environment, optimising end-to-end …

The Maltese Gaming Authority (MGA) has launched the first of its two-phase Sandbox Framework for the acceptance of Virtual Financial Assets (VFA) and the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) within the gaming industry. During the initial phase, the MGA will accept applications for the use of DLT Assets, directly or via third party service providers, by its respective licensees. …

MGM Resorts International has vowed to cut costs, improve efficiencies and prepare for a period of growth as announced in its new company-wide ‘MGM 20′ initiative.  The company is striving to grow from its previous profit growth initiatives implemented in 2015, and expects to deliver annualised Adjusted EBITDA uplift of $300m (£238m) in aggregate, consisting of $200m (£159m) by the end of 2020 …