Latest News
Online gambling reaches 44% of sales at Finland’s Veikkaus
Finland’s state gambling monopoly Veikkaus announced a slight dip in sales during Q1 of 2018, partly due to the introduction of new responsible gambling tools.
Figures released this week show Veikkaus generating sales of €805.6m in the three months ending March 31, down 1% from the same period last year. On the plus side, net revenue improved 2% to €256m.
Veikkaus comprises three previously standalone gaming operations – lotteries and sports betting, slot machines and horseracing – that were amalgamated under the Veikkaus banner at the start of last year.
Traditional lottery and keno sales were up 4.2% to €303.5m, while slots revenue (land-based and online) rose 6.7% to €207m.
Combined sports and race betting revenue fell 3.8% to just under €150m due to slack retail betting activity. Retail wagering was down 14.6% while online betting eked out a modest 0.8% rise.
Live betting improved more than one-quarter, but the expected betting bonanza from the Winter Olympics failed to materialize, which Veikkaus blamed on the significant time difference between Finland and South Korea.
Veikkaus’ digital revenue improved by 10% year-on-year, bringing digital’s share of Q1’s overall sales to nearly 44%. Weekly active online customers were up 11.4% to 626k.
Veikkaus claims to have captured “almost 90%” of the country’s overall online market in Q1 but says it recognizes that it needs to compete with internationally licensed operators and thus it has decided to “renew the company’s strategy in 2018 to respond to the strong change in the operating environment.”
In December, Veikkaus announced a new responsible gambling program that, among other things, requires land-based slots players to verify their identity before the machines will operate. To date, roughly 45% of Veikkaus’ 2.1m registered customers have used the new verified card system.
Veikkaus also introduced a new online program that allows users to set deposit and spending limits in advance, and launched a promotional campaign via TV, digital media and land-based venues to alert users to the new program. In March, a Veikkaus survey indicated that 95% of respondents claimed to be aware of the program.
Source: calvinayre.com
Latest News
21VIRAL INTEGRATES EXPANSE STUDIOS GAMES
Standfirst
21VIRAL, a leading games aggregator for the Latin American market, has strengthened its offerings by integrating a diverse portfolio of games from Expanse Studios.
Main Release
21VIRAL has confirmed the integration of Expanse Studios, a leader in online gaming and a subsidiary of Golden Matrix Group Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GMGI) games content portfolio.
The distribution allows 21VIRAL to provide its operator partners with over 50+ games, including video slots, crash games, jackpots, and tournaments; these include Super Heli, God of Coins, Maya’s Treasure, and other leading titles from Expanse Studios.
Christoph Härtel, CEO of 21VIRAL, said, “Expanse Studios’ Games have been leading the way with a forward-thinking focus on gamification, which enhances player experiences with innovative promo tools like free spins, multi-level progressive jackpots and tournaments.
This offers our Latin American-focused operator partners unique, engaging, and revenue-enhancing game content that will appeal to a broad range of players. We look forward to partnering with the Expanse Studios team.”
Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios, added, “”21VIRAL’s reputation for seamless integrations and their expertise in the Latin American market make them the perfect partner for Expanse Studios. Together, we are simplifying operations and elevating the player experience.”
Latest News
New Seasonal Christmas Engine: Soft2Bet’s Latest MEGA Project Brings Holiday Cheer and Results
Soft2Bet, a leading provider of iGaming turnkey solutions, has introduced its latest Seasonal Christmas engine powered by MEGA, designed to captivate players with skill-based gameplay and personalised rewards while boosting engagement and maximising operator returns during the festive season.
In the Seasonal Christmas engine, players take on the role of Santa Claus, guiding him through a snow-filled slope to collect gifts while avoiding obstacles. As they progress, increasingly valuable rewards are unlocked, with boosters providing an extra edge. Players are offered one free attempt each day, with rewards redeemable upon making a deposit.
Yoel Zuckerberg, CPO at Soft2Bet, commented: “the Seasonal Christmas engine is another milestone in our mission to deliver gamification tools that engage players and support operators in achieving their growth targets. By building on the success of our previous MEGA engines, we’ve created a product that not only brings festive fun to players but also delivers tangible results for our partners.”
The impact of the Seasonal Christmas engine:
- Boosts Engagement: Daily free attempts encourage consistent player activity and increased session time
- Flexible Integration: Casino and sports rewards allow seamless adaptation to a wide range of brands
- Deposit Incentives: Bonuses tied to key deposit milestones (5th, 15th, and 25th) sustain campaign momentum.
- Dynamic Gameplay: Daily updates with fresh maps and challenges keep the experience engaging and repeatable
The Seasonal Christmas engine marks another step in Soft2Bet’s commitment to helping operators craft compelling campaigns that resonate with players, drive engagement, and deliver measurable results.
eSports
Abios powers upcoming gaming media platform Apollo with in-play statistics for League of Legends
Abios provides a comprehensive set of League of Legends in-play and pre-match data to support the upcoming gaming ecosystem Apollo
As a leading esports data and odds provider and part of Kambi Group plc, Abios continues to fuel the esports ecosystem by providing the underlying data infrastructure needed for building esports projects at scale. Most recently, it signed Apollo, a US-based gaming media platform that will power its League of Legends vertical with pre-match and in-play data.
It allows the gaming media platform to use in-depth statistics, historical data, and in-play data from top to provide its users with timely esports coverage, stats, and a fantasy vertical.
The League of Legends World Championships amassed a peak viewership of 6.9 million in 2024, the highest recorded in esports history. With the newly announced pan-American league LTA and the success of American teams such as FlyQuest at Worlds, the American League of Legends scene is poised for an upswing in 2025, making it an interesting time to lean into the region.
Anton Janér, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Abios, said: “Our mission is to facilitate the growth of esports by providing the underlying infrastructure and building blocks to make great products come to life.
“By powering Apollo’s esports capabilities, we’re thrilled to support a space for the gaming community where League of Legends fans can easily access exciting insights on matches, teams, players, and events..”
Jacob Franco, CTO of Apollo, said: “I’m very excited to work with Abios to build infrastructure for the gaming community. We aim to be an online resource for all gamers, and integrating with Abios allows us to ensure that our esports coverage is of the highest quality.
“We look forward to leveraging Abios in the future to expand our esports coverage to other titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and DOTA 2.”
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