Under the six-figure agreement — the exact financing details have not been disclosed — Betway branding will appear on the players’ jerseys and jackets. Betway will also have access to the players for content creation purposes, as well as experiential and social media activities, the press statement says without further clarifying the details.

“Having already had plenty of success with sponsorship in eSports, we are very excited to have signed a new partnership with PSG.LGD. The PSG brand is incredibly strong around the world and their involvement in eSports has already been extremely successful, notably their more recent move into Dota 2 with LGD. The PSG.LGD team has celebrated some early victories on the Dota 2 circuit and we cannot wait to be part of their future success,” said Anthony Werkman, CEO of Betway.

“Betway has always aimed to be at the forefront of the eSports movement, and we look forward to partnering with yet another major player in the space,” he added.

The latest deal expands Betway’s portfolio of eSports partnerships, which currently includes Dota 2 sponsorships with Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) and Invictus Gaming, alongside partnerships with NIP’s CS:GO team, as well as BIG and MIBR. Betway also sponsors a number of CS:GO tournaments, including ESL Pro League, Intel Extreme Masters, ESL One and the BLAST Pro Series.

The newly Betway-sponsored team landed two Majors on the 2017-2018 Dota 2 Pro Circuit, which helped them secure a direct invite to The International 2018, where they advanced to the grand finals but lost against OG in game five.

“We are pleased to welcome Betway to the Paris Saint-Germain family as a jersey partner of our eSports team. The partnership between such a globally-recognised brand and our club is yet another sign of the international appeal of the Paris Saint-Germain brand,” said Sébastien Wasels, Managing Director of the Paris Saint-Germain Asia-Pacific office.

“From now on, Betway and Paris Saint-Germain will shine together around the world to the rhythm of our team’s successes, starting with one of the biggest Dota 2 events of the year this summer: The International, which will take place in Shanghai in August,” Mr Wasels added.

“This new partnership confirms our development strategy in the sport. This is the reward for the ambitious project of our PSG.LGD team. With Betway, we will be able to offer more exclusive content for a wide international audience and engage even more with the Dota 2 community,” added Fabien Allègre, Chief Brand Diversification Officer at PSG.

PSG.LGD has been formed as a partnership between French football club Paris Saint-Germain and Chinese eSports organization LGD Gaming in April 2018. The original team was founded in 2009.

The Betway Group is a provider across sports betting, casino, bingo and poker. Launched in 2006, the company operates across a number of regulated online markets and holds licences in the United Kingdom, Malta, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Ireland. Based in Malta and Guernsey, with support from London, Isle of Man, Stockholm and Cape Town, the Betway team comprises over 1,000 people.

The post Betway partners with Dota 2 team PSG.LGD first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

During the presentation of the contribution, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri referred to the inquiry on the consumption of gambling and gaming services by Maltese residents published at the end of last year by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). Mr Schembri explained that people who engage in gambling are most likely to be young adults or senior citizens and have a secondary level of education, likely to be unemployed, part-time employees or students.

“This is where the work of the foundation comes in by carrying out educational campaigns among the younger generations to instil among them the importance of achieving balance and to actively seek alternatives,” said Mr Schembri underlining how the foundation tends to reach out by means of sports activities amongst other initiatives.

In addition, the RGF has strengthened the self-exclusion processes under the supervision of the MGA. In the meantime, a call centre started to work on a 24-hour schedule, together with the much-needed website and chatline revamp, in order to provide a more user-friendly and eye-catching look at all the services offered, according to the press statement.

“Throughout our daily operations, Maltco strictly adopts responsible gaming principles since we truly believe in having the players’ wellbeing at heart. We want to ensure that our players are entertaining themselves in a responsible manner,” said Vasileios Kasiotakis, CEO of Maltco Lotteries Limited.

Moreover, Mr Kasiotakis also thanked all the stakeholders, agents and assistants for their significant contribution.

Shawn Zammit, General Manager of the RGF, expressed satisfaction with the investment that has been made in the call centre 1777, by which the foundation continues to offer a better free helping hand to those afflicted by the addiction. The Responsible Gaming Foundation started operating the National Gambling Helpline 1777 in September 2015.

The post Maltco Lotteries supports Responsible Gaming Foundation with €50,000 first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The turnkey solution includes the technical platform, services, gaming content, front-end development, CRM, compliance and marketing. GiG will operate the online casino site from Malta on behalf of SKYCITY, offering online gambling to consumers in New Zealand, according to the press release.

GiG will support the expansion of SKYCITY’s growth in its new vertical of online casino, powered by GiG’s cutting-edge technology, flexible architecture and industry know-how.

NZ Regulation on the horizon

All gambling which takes place in New Zealand is regulated by the country’s Department of Internal Affairs, and the New Zealand-based company says the general expectation is that the country will regulate online casino gambling in the foreseeable future.

SKYCITY is a listed company in both New Zealand and Australia and has gained recognition for its tourism, leisure and entertainment services with casino gaming facilities in both countries. There are currently six land-based casinos operating in New Zealand in total, of which SKYCITY owns four.

SKYCITY says it aspires to be the leader in gaming, entertainment and hospitality in its communities while keeping the importance of responsible gaming as one of the cornerstones in its corporate responsibility mission.

The launch of the online casino offering is planned for Q3 2019, therefore GiG does not expect a material impact on its revenues this year. However, GiG expects this partnership to make a “significant positive contribution” to GiG’s revenues from 2020 onward, according to the press statement.

Key component

“SKYCITY is delighted to be partnering with GiG to establish an online casino offering, based in Europe. Growing and diversifying our earnings is a key component of our group strategic plan and developing an online presence to complement our existing land-based casinos in New Zealand will enable us to offer an enhanced gaming proposition for customers,” said Graeme Stephens, Chief Executive Officer of SKYCITY.

“GiG are an exciting and innovative technology company with best-in-class teams, systems, platforms and products and importantly share our focus on responsible gaming and host responsibility. We look forward to working with Robin and the team as we enter an exciting phase of growth at SKYCITY,” the SKYCITY CEO added.

“I am delighted that GiG is partnering with SKYCITY, we share the same high standards and ambitions for a safe, responsible and entertaining gaming experience for the end users,” said Robin Reed, Chief Executive Officer at GiG. “With this landmark deal, we are also entering a completely new continent where we can build on our ambition as the global partner for strong brands in iGaming,” he added.

“We look forward to supporting SKYCITY in its expansion into the online space, where our full suite of products and solutions all form part of a very competitive offering to its online customers. New Zealand is preparing for regulation of online casino gambling and we are there to support our partner further when it happens,” Mr Reed added.

The post GiG partners with SKYCITY Malta on online casino for NZ first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“When we first began exploring the idea of a partnership between GSA and MPI, we found we shared a desire to educate young people about the technical issues that support the gaming business. Further, we wanted to create more awareness of the industry and the standards it challenged us to develop, all while staying alert to the role that new technologies can play especially in Asia,” said Peter DeRaedt, the President of GSA.

Macao Polytechnic Institute is a public institution of higher education with an emphasis on applied knowledge and skills. It offers courses and research possibilities in — but not limited to — gaming and recreation, casino management, business, marketing, e-commerce, and management.

Gaming Standards Association is an international trade association that creates benefits for gaming manufacturers, suppliers, operators and regulators. The company has offices worldwide including GSA Europe in Malta.

The post GSA and MPI mark ten-year partnership ‘milestone’ first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“Referring to Chapter 18, section 12, second paragraph and Chapter 19, section 10 of the new Gambling act, Spelinspektionen has resolved on a warning and imposed a penalty fee of SEK 3m,” the company said in a press release.

The report by Spelinspektionen says that the infringement took place when Spelpaus was newly established as a service and the obligation to apply the function was new to all licensees and that the infringement ceased after a relatively short period of time, the company says.

“Aspire Global shares Spelinspektionen’s ambition to promote healthy gaming behaviour and regrets the turn of events,” the press release underscores.

The post Swedish watchdog fines Aspire Global SEK 3m first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Adjusted EBITDA excluding non-recurring costs totalled €5.82m, an increase of 84%, corresponding to an adjusted EBITDA margin of 36%, the press statement about the group’s year-end report says. EBITDA totalled €4.98m, an increase of 69%, corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 31%.

Net cash generated from operating activities was €4.30m, while New Depositing Customers (NDCs) totalled 74,838, an increase of 106%, the report adds.

“The Group delivered, again, a record quarter in terms of revenue, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a result of substantial, ongoing organic revenue growth amounting to 62% for the fourth quarter and 37% for the full year,” said Charles Gillespie, CEO of the group.

Gambling.com Group Plc is a provider of digital marketing services for the global iGaming industry. Founded in 2006, the group has a workforce of over 80 and operates from offices in Dublin, Tampa, Monaco and Malta.


The post Gambling.com Group revenue ups 63% in 2018 first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“With this licence, we gain the opportunity to offer our product and passion for esports betting to the Swedish market. Moreover, we have added a truly exciting casino experience that we know customers will appreciate. This springboard in Sweden will also position us for continued expansion internationally,” says Eirik Kristiansen, CEO of Pixel digital Ltd.

“During a year when we focus on strong growth but also cost efficiency, it is inspiring to see that pixel.bet are developing well and that we as a Group can benefit from our economies of scale with the sharing of resources and knowledge between our companies,” adds Gustaf Hagman, CEO of LeoVegas Group.

Pixel.bet is an aspiring brand in esports betting, also offering casino and live casino. While Sweden and the Nordics are considered to be the primary markets in focus, LeoVegas maintains a clear potential to grow further internationally.

LeoVegas’ technology development is conducted in Sweden, while operations are based in Malta. LeoVegas offers casino, live casino and sports betting, and operates two global and scalable brands – LeoVegas and Royal Panda – as well as a number of local brands in the UK. The company’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

The post LeoVegas launches new brand ‘Pixel digital’ in Sweden first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Both events took place on 4 February in London, coinciding with the beginning of B2B gaming event ICE London, following each other with a few-hour difference.

“It’s an honour to accept two awards related to our casino product and mobile offering in one evening. These distinguished titles really reflect the hard work and effort that everyone put in during the last year,” said Gustaf Hagman, Group CEO at LeoVegas, following the two events.

LeoVegas believes the “Online Casino of the Year” award comes as a recognition for efforts invested in strengthening the brand portfolio of the group, as well as commending efforts toward implementing responsible gaming strategies. The company adds that the “Mobile Operator of the Year” award aims to celebrate the continual updates to the LeoVegas mobile website and app, in addition to other improvements.

The Global Gaming Awards celebrates the achievements and the innovations of companies from all areas within the iGaming industry, while the International Gaming Awards is another prestigious event that highlights and rewards companies from all tiers of the industry based on a multitude of different categories.

The post LeoVegas bags accolades in London prior to ICE first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

ORYX’s library of casino games is now available across Genesis brands. In addition to ORYX’s exclusive titles, Genesis brands also have access to casino titles such as GivMe Games, Kalamba Games and Gamomat, according to the release.

“Our partnership with Genesis is the beginning of a special relationship that will help us grow as a business,” says Matevz Mazij, CEO of ORYX Gaming. “Genesis owns some of the best casino brands in the market, and we cannot wait to start working together,” Mr Mazij adds.

“We are delighted to add ORYX content to our portfolio and to enhance our customer gaming experience,” says Ariel Reem, CEO of Genesis Casino. “We look forward to growing our relationship with ORYX.”

Bragg Gaming Group has recently acquired ORYX Gaming. Bragg Gaming Group focuses on the newly emerging area of legalised U.S. sports betting and the burgeoning e-sports industry.

The post ORYX Gaming partners with Genesis Casino, eyes growth first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The most recent reregulation was preceded by years of planning and takes place in an environment where Norway and Finland appear to hold strong gambling monopoly. Marching in the footsteps of Denmark, Sweden seems to open up its iGaming industry for private sectors, with the new legislation.

Under the new Swedish gambling law (SFS 2018:1138), companies are due to pay 18% tax for commercial gaming, a 0% tax rate applies for non-profit gambling activities, six different license types are available with prices varying from SEK 400,000-700,000 (roughly €38,200-€66,900), and an 18+ age limit is set for online gambling while a 21+ age limit applies to enter a physical casino, according to a report by gambling.com.

The new legislation is expected to create a safer market, improve consumer protection and game security, as well as provide clear market conditions. In the new environment, players can pause their accounts nationwide with a single action, as well as control tightens over illegal gambling activities.

All eyes on Malta

Malta is home to a handful of international iGaming operators and software providers, who are based in Sweden but carry out the bulk of their operations in the tiny Mediterranean island, so much so that Malta is often referred to as an iGaming hub.

The sector directly accounted for 11.3% of Malta’s gross value added — more than €1.1bn — in 2017 according to NSO statistics, after the country was the first to regulate the market in 2004. In 2017, the watchdog Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) issued a total of 165 new remote gaming licences, according to a report by EY in 2018.

Malta has seen the presence of Swedish software providers NetEnt, Evolution Gaming and Play’n GO, as well as casino operators Mr Green, Unibet, and Leo Vegas. These iGaming giants all have roots in Sweden but are also registered and therefore have operations in the island country. As a result, attention has risen over the market to see how the re-regulated Swedish environment would affect the sentiment in here.

The Maltese iGaming sector also needs to keep an eye out on Spain that has recently approved a remarkable tax cut of 5% for iGaming operator revenues. Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) and LeoVegas have already targeted the market by announcing expansion over there.

The post Sweden reregulates gambling market first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.