Armenia has imposed a ban on gambling advertising during the Coronavirus pandemic that has swept the globe.

The new measures were announced by Armenian Deputy Justice Minister, Vahe Danielyan, as the country battles the spread of COVID-19.

According to reports, scientific, educational, sports and cultural programmes sponsored advertising will be allowed but the advertising of gambling, sweepstakes and strip clubs will be strictly prohibited.

The country is trying to curb gambling as it fights COVID-19. Armenia has already imposed many restrictions on gambling advertising in recent years. In 2018, the government changed rules to only permit gambling commercials to air between 10 pm and 6 am.

Russian Casino Tigre de Cristal has announced the completion of its renovation, which includes the addition of a new luxury VIP room. The news comes just days after Summit Ascent Holdings, the majority owner of the casino, reported a 15% increase in gross gaming revenue for 2019.

“We are excited to apply our extensive experience in the rolling chip business to move up the value chain at Tigre de Cristal and have been rapidly making alterations and improvements to attract and retain our discerning clientele. We are also excited to announce that the construction of our luxurious new Suncity VIP room at Tigre de Cristal is nearing completion and will welcome VIP guests soon,” Alvin Chau, chairman of Suncity Group Holdings, said.

“Later this year, we expect to add approximately 30 hotel rooms through an extension to the existing property, thereby mitigating our shortage of rooms on peak weekend times and expanding our lodging capacity by approximately 25%. In addition, a new private club, a new hot pot section in the Pan-Asian restaurant and a stand-alone noodle bar are being added to the property’s amenities. We are also proud that the Company managed to post its second consecutive year of profit growth, and our majority-owned operating property maintained positive EBITDA expansion during this period of transition,” Alvin Chau added.

Award-winning provider trials exclusive tournament with real-time betting

Leading platform provider Digitain has secured exclusive betting rights for the first in a series of table football tournaments set to be run in collaboration with the Table Football Federation of Armenia.

In a revolutionary move for sport and gaming, Digitain’s team will provide real-time odds in collaboration with a major national operator to deliver the first worldwide table football match that offers live betting.

Testament to Digitain’s reputation as one of the world’s most innovative sportsbook providers, the deal will see the provider bolster its industry-leading credentials further by pioneering yet another new vertical.

With several entertaining games played in parallel every 30 minutes during a week-long competition totalling 400 matches, betting markets will initially be available for domestic customers only.

Hosting the matches in its own state-of-the-art studio, Digitain is also set to live stream the event in conjunction with other international sporting fixtures, with plans to collaborate with upcoming international tournaments to take its offering worldwide.

Participants from Digitain’s international operator network will also be able to get in on the action as it goes global with both pre-match and live betting for table football in 2020.

Harutyun Vardanyan, COO at Digitain said: “At Digitain, we’re all about delivering the next generation of sportsbook by ensuring our partners are always ahead of the game when it comes to differentiating themselves from the competition.

“We are delighted to become the world’s first supplier to offer live odds and streaming for table football to an international audience.  The sky is the limit for this sport’s untapped potential, so we are proud to lead the way in this exciting new vertical. Players far and wide consider themselves to be masters of the sport, and we are confident that our offering will do wonders for attracting even more players given its global popularity.”

In total, Digitain’s sportsbook powers more than 100 global partners’ betting operations, covering 65 sports, 7,500 leagues, and offers more than 3,000 markets.

Fully customised for the varied challenges of live betting in diverse legislative environments, Digitain’s comprehensive package of solutions received multiple awards for excellence in 2019, including the RGW, CEEGC, BEGE and EGR Awards.

It also offers odds on 35,000 live events each month, while its casino solution has 3,000-plus games from major casino suppliers (including Novomatic, Microgaming, NetEnt and Playson).

For a live product demo of Digitain’s Table Football, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRwnAJKjQUI&feature=youtu.be