SBC CIS Editorial Team is happy to present a quick recap of the gambling industry events, news, regulations and partnerships that happened last week.
Sports Betting Community reported on the massive success of the SBC Summit North America conference and exhibition, exceeding expectations with over 3,000 attendees May 9 through May 11 at the Meadowlands Convention Center, New Jersey. The event spanned three action-packed days, including informative conferences with over 300 distinguished speakers. In addition, visitors had the opportunity to get acquainted with the exhibition area with 60 stands, as well as take part in active networking events. The event kicked off on May 9 at the Altman Building in Chelsea with an exclusive conference focusing on key issues such as player protection, compliance and leadership. The event was attended by 300 leading industry leaders. The SBC Awards North America was held at the prestigious Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York City, bringing together 600 guests to celebrate the outstanding achievements of operators, affiliates, suppliers and tribal-led companies.
Following the stunning success of the North American Summit, SBC announced its first-ever SBC Summit Tbilisi, scheduled for 23-24 October 2023. This groundbreaking event, organised in partnership with well-respected iGaming and Sports Management organisation SMH, will bring together professionals from the iGaming and sports betting industries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. In 2021 SMH successfully co-organized the SBC Summit CIS event that took place in Kyiv further strengthening the collaboration between the two organisations. The decision to host the Summit in Tbilisi was made in response to the challenges faced by professionals travelling to Western Europe from these regions. Tbilisi offers visa-free travel, a well-developed iGaming industry, and convenient flight connections within a maximum of four hours from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Additionally, the city is only a 4-hour drive from Yerevan, one of the iGaming industry’s tech hubs. SBC Summit Tbilisi comes at a time of great opportunity, as the region has recently seen significant regulatory changes in the iGaming sector. Countries such as Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus, and Uzbekistan have all experienced major updates, even Kyrgyzstan have made some changes that drew the attention of the industry professionals.
William Hill announced that it will donate all Eurovision betting profits to support resettled Ukrainians in the UK. Profits will be donated to Support Ukraine — an initiative that provides humanitarian assistance to displaced Ukrainians living in the UK and their families abroad.
World Happiness Report shared a rating of the top countries with the highest happiness levels. The majority of countries featured in the rating turned out to be tolerant towards gambling. Finland and Denmark top the list of the happiest countries in March 2023, they are ranked first and second, respectively. In both countries, gambling is considered legal. New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland rounded out the top 10. These countries allow and regulate gambling and are also considered to be economically developed. The world’s economic giants, such as Australia, Canada, the USA, and the UK rank 12th, 13th, 15th, and 19th respectively. Only a small number of countries on this list partially prohibit gambling, including Iceland, Israel, Norway, and Luxembourg.
BetConstruct introduced the world’s first game completely based on the blockchain technology — Alligator Validator. It is an innovative game where every transaction is based on blockchain technology, and aims to become one of the leading breakthroughs in the iGaming market. This game combines stunning graphics, cutting-edge game mechanics and the latest blockchain-based payment systems to create an impressive gaming experience. Thanks to blockchain technology, additional layers of security and transparency are introduced into the game, eliminating the need for centralised third parties to control the flow of funds and process smart contracts independently.
STS Group shared details of a favourable start to trading in 2023, allowing them to strengthen their positions as the leading betting group in Poland. STS Group provided an update for the first quarter, noting that the group’s revenue was PLN 153 million (EUR 34 million), which is 7% higher than the corresponding results in 2022, when revenue was PLN 142 million (EUR 31 million). The increase in revenue was driven by first-quarter betting volume of PLN 1.19 billion (€246.6 million) as STS betting opportunities surpassed 2022 results of PLN 1 billion (€220.3 million) despite their exit from the UK and Estonia.
SOFTSWISS published their stats on cryptocurrency rates for Q1’2023. The report is based on data from over 700 gaming brands using the SOFTSWISS platform. Cryptocurrencies accounted for 30% of bets. Players spent 19% more on digital asset gambling than in the first quarter of 2022. Analysts at SOFTSWISS tried to come up with a portrait of gamblers who use cryptocurrencies for betting. The results showed that 65% of the clients of this type of gambling operators are men. 44.9% of cryptocurrency users are aged 31-40, 25.7% are aged 41-50, 12.7% are aged 51-60, and 12.4% are aged 25-30. Interestingly, only 2.6% of young people aged 18-24 use cryptocurrency for gambling. Another 1.6% are aged 61 and over.
Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) launched their new betting platform in Latvia with three operators as clients in a new step of its development program in Europe. William Hill, Mr Green and Fenibet, part of the 888 Holdings portfolio, are the first Baltic customers of GiG Sport, a platform developed by GiG following the acquisition of Sportnco in April 2022.
BetPlay and SmartSoft joined forces to bring innovative non-traditional casino games to Colombia. This partnership with BetPlay, one of the leaders in the online gaming market in Colombia, will allow SmartSoft to significantly expand its business in the country. SmartSoft, being one of the leaders in the development and supply of online casino software, is ready to offer unique products that will become an integral part of the BetPlay portfolio. Cooperation will not only expand the business, but will also enrich the range of online games on the BetPlay website.
CT Interactive and SpinOro announced a strategic agreement, ushering in a new chapter of collaboration and joint development. This partnership, based on mutual trust and shared goals, has great potential to bring innovation and a stronger position in the growing online gambling market. CT Interactive, a major online casino software provider, was founded in 2012 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Since then, the company has made a name for itself with over 200 HTML5 games available on any gaming platform. SpinOro is an innovative gaming service provider offering its partners end-to-end solutions including in-house developed software, original and licensed slots and scratch cards, and an important portfolio of cross-platform games from world renowned game providers.
Endorphina announced its strategic partnership with the Italian company Macaowin. This event opens up new perspectives for both companies and strengthens their positions in the competitive Italian market.
Playson significantly strengthened its partnership with 888casino following the launch of content in additional European markets. As part of the deal with 888casino, 13 of Playson’s most popular slot games will be launched in Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Romania. 888casino, founded in 1997, has over 25 million players playing in over 2,000 fully functioning casinos with a large selection of slots. The 888casino platform provides access to the best casino games with an exciting gaming experience, offering high quality online games. Playson’s portfolio, launched in early 2023, is already well established among 888casino players, and the company expects 13 new games to perform equally well on new markets.
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