SAZKA Group has reached an agreement to acquire Novomatic AG’s 17.19% shares in Casinos Austria AG. This transaction is in the best interest of CASAG to have key and long term shareholders aligned. Novomatic AG will further keep its 11% shares in Österreichische Lotterien GmbH.

SAZKA Group publicly assures and promises to ÖBAG fair Supervisory and Management Board representation for the future, regardless of size of SAZKA Group shareholding in CASAG.

“The previous ownership structure has led to no satisfactory development of Casinos Austria. As the smallest major shareholder, we have therefore decided to sell our CASAG shares in order to allow CASAG a clear ownership structure. It is important to enable a stable and sustainable shareholder structure that secures the company in the long term for the future challenges of national and global markets,” Harald Neumann, CEO of Novomatic AG said.

“We believe it is the best solution for the company. We want to ensure stable positive development for CASAG in a long-term partnership of its two biggest shareholders. We are committed to work jointly with ÖBAG and CASAG team to achieve well-being for its customers, employees and communities we do business with. We are prepared to focus on CASAG business and bring innovations to the market,” Robert Chvatal, CEO of SAZKA Group said.

Kindred Group has become the first commercial community partner of the European Football Development Network (EFDN).

EFDN is a network of professional football clubs, leagues and FAs all over Europe who are committed to their communities and social responsibilities. The network aims to promote the power of football as a tool for social development. EFDN counts more than 85 members.

In spring 2019, Kindred sponsored the EFDN programme “Active Fans” and realised that there is a great overlap in values and ways of working between Kindred and the EFDN.

“We are proud to present Kindred as our first commercial Community partner. There is a natural fit between EFDN and Kindred as we both share the love for football and are leaders in our industries in terms of taking responsibility for the community and in contributing to sustainability. Kindred uses a new sustainability-driven framework for sponsorships and promotes community initiatives through its partnerships with clubs and leagues. At EFDN, we strive to raise the quality and impact of community programmes through knowledge exchange and collaboration,” Hubert Rovers, CEO of EFDN said.

“Together with Kindred, we will further develop the social power of football and will not only promote values like Fair Play and respect, but also education, diversity, social cohesion, and physical activity. Through our partnership, we are certain that we can make a long-term contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and inspire other stakeholders in football to become more sustainable,” Hubert Rovers, CEO of EFDN said.

“We are very proud and excited to be a part of the EFDN network. We feel that the work EFDN do is very important and aligns well with Kindred values. We truly believe that this will be a successful partnership where we will be able to build great things together. For example, we will share our knowledge and experience by developing and implementing an anti-match fixing programme to the extensive network of EFDN member clubs,” Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group said.

Hundreds of leading names from the iGaming industry were in attendance as Greentube Novomatic Interactive were the big winners at the 2019 Videoslots Awards in Malta.

Leading full-service provider Greentube claimed the coveted Golden V, awarded to the provider which has shared Videoslots’ ambition to deliver players with a unique and innovative casino experience.

The ceremony, which was hosted by Terry Hardy, took place at the Konnekt Club Malta and recognised the dedication and talent of some of the industry’s most respected suppliers.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Play’n Go, which was named Best Performing Provider and Evolution Gaming, which landed the Best Live Casino category, while Playtech was named Best New Game Provider at Videoslots.

The Best Performing Game was awarded to Play’n Go’s Book of Dead. Relax Gaming (Temple Tumble Megaways) won the Best New Mobile Game of the year, while Midas Golden Touch received Best New Video Slot.

There were also wins for Nolimit City, and affiliate duo Gamblejoe and Game Lounge, while Red Tiger’s Henrik Ejlertsson was named Account Manager of the Year for all his hard work and commitment.

Ali Atam, CMO at Videoslots.com, said: “The Videoslots Awards returned bigger and better than ever for its third edition and it was great to see so many industry talents celebrated.

“Without our talented partners, Videoslots wouldn’t be what it is today. I hope everybody had the chance to enjoy themselves at our event in Malta.”