SBC CIS Editorial Team is happy to present a quick recap of the gambling industry events, news, regulations and partnerships that happened last week.
In Georgia, the total advertising revenue of broadcasters decreased by 12.5% in Q1’2023, to 15.6 million GEL (about $6 million), compared to the same period last year. In accordance with the country’s National Communications Commission, gambling advertising restrictions on television and radio are the cause of the decline in advertising revenues. TV channels received 14.1 million GEL from commercial advertising in Q1, which is 2.2 million GEL less than in the same period last year. Upon the initiative of Georgia’s prime minister, new regulations came into force on March 1, 2022 banning gambling ads on TV, Georgian web pages, and outdoors. Only sponsorship agreements are allowed. Prior to the regulation change, a large portion of television and radio income came from gambling operators. The main purpose of the regulation was to ban Georgian citizens under 25 years of age and socially vulnerable groups from online gambling. However, the state’s goal was not achieved, as only business, industry, and the media were harmed.
The Romanian national regulator revoked the licence of slot machines operator Goldprest Impex SRL after discovering the fact of non-payment of the full amount of the licence fee. The Commission stated that the operator paid only 97,753 lei out of 366,573 lei of the operator’s debt. This is 268,820 lei less than the amount stipulated by the Romanian Gambling Law.
The International Esports Federation (IESF) announced a significant expansion of the women’s CS:GO tournament at the Esports World Championship Finals, which will take place in Iasi, Romania from August 24 to September 4, 2023. The four-team kick-off tournament for Women’s CS:GO at the 2022 WE Championship in Bali, Indonesia has received positive feedback, prompting the expansion of the lineup at future events. The IESF believes that eSports should not be limited to gender and welcomes the participation of women in the industry. That is why the federation pays special attention to women’s eSports tournaments and every year works to provide women with the opportunity to show their abilities and take part in tournaments on an equal basis with men. The introduction of the Women’s CS:GO Tournament at WE 2022 was a historic moment for female gamers. This attracted a large number of viewers and was a huge step towards greater inclusion of women in esports. The IESF is committed to empowering female gamers in all competitions, and the Women’s CS:GO Tournament allows the best women’s teams in the world to compete at the highest level.
FAVBET, a Ukrainian sports betting and online casino operator, started to utilise AI in their operations to pursue a number of business goals. Artem Skrypnyk, CEO at FAVBET Teсh analysed the main application methods of artificial intelligence in the gambling industry in general and how FAVBET benefits from using AI and Machine Learning technology in their day-to-day operations.
CasinoBeats announced the launch of its revamped event app — SBC Connect Plus — in time for the upcoming CasinoBeats Summit. App’s users will be able to utilise the power of artificial intelligence to find brands and sessions to visit during the event, schedule dozens of face-to-face meetings, connect with sponsors and exhibitors and set up meetings with professionals that match their interests.
The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) revealed that the association’s index, which depends on the share price of the 12 largest casino equipment companies, reached 971.52 points in Q1’2023. The index rose by 2.7%, or 25.71 points. Compared to the same period last year, it grew by 12.7% or 109.10 points. In April 2023, out of the 12 companies included in the AGEM index, just 6 reported an increase in their share prices. The biggest positive contributor to the index was Crane Co., demonstrating 20.1% growth in their share prices and thus pushing the index up 12.39 points. Everi Holdings was the largest negative contributor to the index, with an 11.4% decline in its share price causing the AGEM index to lose 3.54 points.
Genius Sports expects to enter positive cash flow in the second half of this year, after narrowing its deficit in the first quarter of 2023. The company’s quarterly revenue rose 13% to $97.2 million (Q1 2022: $86.9 million), along with adjusted EBITDA of $8 million, representing a significant increase of 378% from the corresponding loss in Q1 2022 in the amount of $3 million, while the margin was 8%.
EGT Digital games became available to the players of the popular Ukrainian operator FAVBET. Casino visitors will be able to choose their favourite offering among Bell Link, High Cash, Clover Chance high-performance jackpots and five progressive jackpot games.
Endorphina, a leading slots developer, announced a new partnership with Quantum Gaming, a provider of turnkey solutions for the online gambling industry. This partnership opens up new opportunities for both companies to expand their boundaries and reach new heights in the gambling industry. Quantum Gaming provides turnkey solutions for online gambling, including games, payment systems, and more. This partnership gives Endorphina the opportunity to expand its gaming portfolio to meet the needs of Quantum Gaming and their customers.
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