The Independent Panel brought together, for the first time, a mix of industry representatives, harm minimisation experts, police, experts in cybersecurity and privacy, academics, community organisations and a person with lived experience of gambling harm.

Specifically, the Independent Panel examined the feasibility and acceptance of implementing cashless gaming technologies in clubs and hotels in NSW to gain insights from the technology to inform the Roadmap report.

Independent Panel for Gaming Reform Chairperson Michael Foggo said the panel’s Executive Committee has put forward an ambitious roadmap for gaming reform for the government to consider.

“This has been challenging and complex work, and I thank each of the panel’s 16 members for their time, expertise and enthusiasm over the 16 months of the panel’s work, and for contributing their views to developing the recommendations,” Mr Foggo said.

“The trial of this new technology was an important step to better understand the benefits and challenges for its implementation, giving technology providers, venues, patrons and government insights on operational issues tested in the real world.

“The trial learnings, advice from experts, research and evidence have informed the recommendations and safeguards to manage gambling harm and money-laundering risks and inform reasonable implementation timeframes to minimise impacts on industry.

“The roadmap also includes recommendations to progress the government’s commitment to reduce the overall number of gaming machine entitlements in NSW, as well as removing unnecessary complexity and further streamlining existing gaming regulatory regimes.”

The Independent Panel provided the government with separate advice on issues including mandating facial recognition technology to identify self-excluded patrons, and the establishment of a statewide exclusion register with third party exclusions.

The Executive Committee noted that further work needs to be undertaken by the government in developing its preferred approach to gaming reform.

Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd expects its second-half profit before tax to be down sequentially, despite an increase in revenue.

The Australia-listed firm said it anticipated profit before tax for the six months to December 31 – excluding currency exchange impacts and one-off items – to be in the range of AUD8 million (US$5.2 million) to AUD10 million. That would be in comparison to the AUD14-million profit achieved in the first half this year.

Revenue for the July to December period is expected to “show an estimated growth of 12 percent” compared to the AUD121.4 million reported in the six months to June 30, Ainsworth said in a Wednesday filing.

The company said the estimate was “based on preliminary management forecasts, subject to period end closure and audit procedures”.

“These results reflect the positive momentum achieved across the business,” stated the firm.

It added: “All geographical regions experienced solid growth in the period apart from the digital segment which suffered an initial decline following the reduced contributions from Game Account Network Ltd (GAN), following the acceleration of revenue arising from the termination of exclusivity arrangements reflected in the first half of calendar year 2024.”

Ainsworth however noted that gross margins were “negatively impacted” compared to the first half of 2024, “which was the primary factor contributing to the lower profitability experienced in the period”.

The firm said it expects full-year 2024 gross margin to be “approximately 62 percent” compared to the reported margin of about 67 percent in the first half this year.

“The forecasted margin has been adversely affected by a range of factors, including product mix of products sold within Latin America, competitive market conditions and the under recovery of production variances expensed in the current period,” noted the gaming supplier.

Ainsworth’s chief executive, Harald Neumann, said: “I am encouraged by the growth in revenue in the period and expect growth to continue in coming periods as we release the next suite of game offerings across our global markets.”

Mr Neumann said the initiatives undertaken by the company were showing “progressive improvements in game performance” within the markets where the company operates.

“Additional game releases and hardware initiatives are expected to maintain the growth experienced in coming periods,” added the CEO.

In Tuesday’s filing, Ainsworth also said it had “experienced a cybersecurity incident,” which was “currently under investigation and assessment”.

“Despite some disruptions experienced in internal business systems and operations, through cautionary measures implemented, it is currently not expected that this incident will have any material adverse impact on the forecasted results” for the second half this year, stated the firm.

Australian wagering giant Tabcorp selects French supplier PandaScore as its dedicated esports data and odds provider

One of Australia’s biggest operators, Tabcorp, has partnered with specialist esports supplier PandaScore to expand its esports offering in Australia.

Tabcorp will initially incorporate PandaScore’s esports data and odds services for the Big 3 esports titles: Counter-Strike, League of Legends and Dota 2. Tabcorp is keen on integrating the full suite of PandaScore titles, markets and products to drive future expansion in esports.

The agreement will see Tabcorp offer an expanded range of markets and market lines, including PandaScore’s lucrative player markets.

Powered by PandaScore’s market-leading esports products, Tabcorp’s multichannel distribution will see its levelled up esports offering available over digital and physical options, including web, mobile app, betting shops and terminals in licensed venues.

For Tabcorp Trading General Manager, David Beirne, “this partnership with PandaScore is invaluable to our investment in esports. It gives us access to dedicated esports trading and odds creation services for the most popular titles, with eyes to build out a full esports offering fit for the next generation of bettors. This partnership is another step in creating the ultimate sports entertainment experience for our customers.”

Oliver Niner, Head of B2B at PandaScore stated that he’s “very excited about working with one of the biggest operators in Australia. Tabcorp is an Australian institution with outstanding visibility and market penetration and a pedigree for success. Rolling out our best-in-class esports products to a market leader in Australia builds on our existing successes in this market, and it’s one we’re confident we can continue fostering growth in.”