Industry Awards
Jumbo Appoints New CFO as Financial Results Climb
Sharing its financial results for the six-month period ending December 31, 2023, 1H23, Jumbo Interactive also confirmed Jatin Khosla has begun his new role as chief financial officer.
Revenue for 1H23 reached $73.9m, up 18.4% over the 1H22 figure. Underlying EBITDA was also up 15.5% to $35.1m.
Jumbo CEO and founder Mike Veverka said: “1H23 was a tough comparative period with three $100m+ jackpots including a $160m Powerball. We are very pleased with the solid 1H24 revenue growth in lottery retailing despite slightly lower ticket sales and subdued jackpots. Looking ahead, the second half of FY24 has started extremely well with a record $200m Powerball in February, our best draw to date.
“Despite the final step-up in The Lottery Corporation service fee, disciplined cost management and strong revenue growth resulted in lottery retailing EBITDA margin expansion in the half. Revenue growth from our international subsidiaries was in line with our mid to high single digit growth expectations, with these businesses now representing almost 20 per cent of group revenue.”
Kholsa was announced as the interim CFO last October, but now he officially takes on the role.
Baltics
HIPTHER Announces the BALTIC & Scandinavian Gaming Awards 2024 Shortlists
HIPTHER, the leading event organizer for Gaming and Technology industries in Europe, is excited to announce the Shortlists for the Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards (BSG Awards), that will honour iGaming industry excellence in the Baltics and Nordics regions for 2024.
Hosted under HIPTHER’s Pioneering GameTech Event in the Baltics, the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit, the BSG Awards recognize and celebrate the achievements of the very best of the iGaming industry, as voted by their peers.
The Final Vote will be cast at the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit by the participants of the conference, and the Winners will be crowned at the BSG Awards 2024 Ceremony that will take place during the event on 4 June 2024.
HIPTHER is thankful to all the esteemed industry professionals who voted online and decided the Shortlists across a series of streamlined Categories covering iGaming Operators, B2B Providers, and Connected Services such us Testing Laboratories and Payment Service Providers.
View the Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards Shortlists
Baltic & Scandinavian Gaming Awards – BSG Awards 2024 Categories
Baltics: Operators Categories:
- Best Online Casino in the Baltics
- Best Sports Betting Operator in the Baltics
Baltics: B2B Categories:
- B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Baltics
- Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Baltics
- Rising Star in Baltic Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports
- Rising Star in Baltic Sports Betting Technology
- Best Sports Betting Provider in the Baltics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Baltics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Best Slots Provider in the Baltics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Best Live Casino Provider in the Baltics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Rising Star in Baltic Online Casino Technology
- Connected Services – Best Payment Service Provider in the Baltics
- Connected Services – Best Testing Laboratory Provider in the Baltics
Nordics: Operators Categories:
- Nordics: Best Online Casino in the Nordics
- Nordics: Best Sports Betting Operator in the Nordics
Nordics: B2B Categories:
- B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Nordics
- B2B Providers (Sports): Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Nordics
- B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Nordic Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports
- B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Nordic Sports Betting Technology
- B2B Providers (Sports): Best Sports Betting Provider in the Nordics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Nordics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Best Slots Provider in the Nordics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Best Live Casino Provider in the Nordics
- B2B Providers (Casino): Rising Star in Nordic Online Casino Technology
- Connected Services – Best Payment Service Provider in the Baltics
- Connected Services – Best Testing Laboratory Provider in the Baltics
- Connected Services – Best Hosting Provider in the Baltics
Congratulations and best of luck to all the Shortlisted Companies!
See you in Tallinn & the MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit 2024 – Register Now
Industry Awards
Gibraltar Gambling Commission Attends International Olympic Committee and UEFA Workshop
A representative from the Gibraltar Gambling Division, who specialises in sports integrity matters, has attended a high- level workshop hosted jointly by the International Olympic Committee and UEFA at Olympic House in Lausanne Switzerland. The cost of the trip was funded by the international sports governing bodies.
With both the Olympics and the Euros being held later this year, the meeting was an opportunity for all stakeholders, including gambling regulators in a number of jurisdictions (including Gibraltar) to discuss a coordinated strategy to identify suspicious betting activity and to prevent match (competition) fixing on a proactive basis.
In 22/23, the Gambling Division received 42 betting integrity reports from gambling operators, 13 requests for assistance from the Olympic movement Unit of the Prevention of Manipulation of Sports competitions and was involved with a large number of disseminations to domestic and international sports governing bodies (including FIFA and UEFA); as well as engagement with law enforcement authorities.
Last month, the GFA hosted a UEFA Seminar on match fixing in Gibraltar which was also attended by representatives from the Gambling Division.
Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner Andrew Lyman said: “Sports integrity work and liaising with stakeholders on match fixing is an important, but often unseen part of our work. Operators are obliged to report suspicious activity in this area and the Gambling Division applies its expertise to enhance intelligence and support the lawful flow of information to the appropriate authorities, including sports governing bodies, for further investigation.
“The manipulation of sports competition by spot fixing or match fixing undermines the very essence of fair and unpredictable sporting outcomes. The forthcoming Gambling Bill will introduce a criminal offence of cheating at gambling which will serve to further deter such activity.”
Industry Awards
SiGMA Group Acquires Majority Stake in iGaming Academy
SiGMA Group has announced it has acquired a majority stake in iGaming Academy, which offers vocational and compliance training in over 25 jurisdictions, to more than 60,000 gaming professionals yearly, for an undisclosed figure.
This acquisition is set to greatly complement their current portfolio by embedding various forms of industry education throughout SiGMA’s global event schedule and online network.
Eman Pulis, Founder of the SiGMA Group, said: “The acquisition comes at a perfect time for us. We’ve been working closely with iGaming Academy for many years now. I love what Jaime and the Conexus Group have built and look forward to supporting this growth with new initiatives and a wider offering of educational programs globally. The industry is crying out for more talent and regulatory insight, with new markets continuing to regulate. As a result, we want to be very active in this business.”
Robert Dowling from Conexus Group said: “Conexus will remain actively involved in the iGaming Academy and our clients will continue to receive the outstanding training they expect from this brand,” said Rob Dowling, CEO of The Conexus Group. “We are confident that this strategic acquisition by SiGMA will allow the iGaming Academy to expand and improve its services offering to better serve the evolving training needs of the iGaming industry.”
Jaime Debono said: “This acquisition marks a major milestone for iGaming Academy – our mission has also been to educate the industry – both on key regulatory compliance topics as well as vocational training for existing and new markets. With the support of SiGMA Group, we will be able to accelerate this strategy through their global event calendar, enrich both training and event content and reach a much wider audience than ever before.”
Vinicius Moraes de Carvalho, Investment Partner at Ikigai Ventures, said: “The acquisition of IGA is another important milestone for SiGMA’s vision. IGA’s extensive training library rounds up our offer of services for the igaming industry by allowing us to be at the forefront of educational and regulatory tools for the market. We have strong confidence in Jaime and his team and are thrilled about the next chapters.”
iGaming Academy will continue to work in their current organisational structure with Jaime Debono remaining as company CEO and continuing to work alongside his team.
The deal will continue to see the management at iGaming Academy at the helm, with SiGMA’s corporate governance and marketing arm supporting the business to go from strength to strength.
Following the acquisition, the iGaming Academy is setting up an office in Cyprus to build its online offering and content development. In addition, its revenue streams will also be bolstered through new affiliate partner deals. More courses will also be made available in multiple languages, thus meeting the global demand for training.
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