Synot Games has entered into an igaming distribution deal with online casino operator Wunderino.

“Adding our games to the Wunderino online casino is a true privilege and a great omen of exciting things to come before the end of the year. Both teams have worked on this with full dedication and a common goal in mind: Providing the best to the players,” Martina Hrabinska, CCO at SYNOT Games, said.

Wunderino was launched in the spring of 2016 by i-gaming veterans to offer more than just the “regular” casino experience by focusing on innovative user experience and entertaining gamification elements in addition to a large selection of games.

Merkur Gaming is going to implement new initiatives and strategies to recover from the Impact of COVID-19.

Merkur Gaming’s chief executive, International, Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, is at the forefront of supporting the Merkur Board and bringing to fruition new initiatives for the short term and also the strategies that will be necessary as more familiar business levels resume. “We are not on holiday and we are not sleeping” he said “we are working very hard to support our customers, in whatever they need, during these difficult times.”

Mr. Isaakidis went on to explain a brand new initiative that is just one example of the efforts being made to support Merkur Gaming’s customers.

He said: “What we will be bringing to our customers, starting in early November, will be a live stream presentation from our showroom in Luebbeke. This is not a ‘virtual’ event. Our invited customers will each be hosted by their own, familiar, company representative, and in real time. They will be able to see our new products, our new cabinets and our new games, discuss them one-to-one, ask any questions they have and so get a very valuable first insight into what will be available from Merkur Gaming. I promise you, it will intensive and it will be exciting. Exciting for us to be able to see our customers’ reactions and exciting for them to be up to speed with what we are very confident will be major hit products on gaming floors soon.”

Mr. Isaakidis went on to talk about where gaming is taking place successfully at present. “We are, of course, encouraging the industry to ‘Restart with Merkur’ and, in quite a few locations, that is already happening. Our business in Eastern Europe, in the Balkans particularly, is as healthy as it can be in the current situation. In Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia gaming entertainment is doing well. The recent announcement of the new gaming law in the Ukraine is truly exciting and we want all our customers and business partners to know that Merkur is coming, and we expect to be a major supplier there. Early 2021 will see the first installations in the Ukraine and there will be some exciting new developments in Bulgaria also.

In our home market, Germany, casino operations are doing well and the Gauselmann Group’s mainstay, the many gaming arcades that we operate, are active and providing players with the high class gaming entertainment that they have come to expect. In this the existing regulations that gaming arcades must comply with have helped meet the primary need of keeping both players and our staff safe and well. It is mandatory to provide ample space between each gaming machine and that, combined with the highest levels of social distancing, sanitation and protective shielding from machine to machine, has given our loyal players the confidence to return, and in ever increasing numbers.

Despite all of the difficulties of the past months the entire Merkur Gaming team is looking forward to the challenges, and the opportunities, that lie ahead. We have always been passionate about our place in the national and international gaming industry and, right now and into the future we are focusing on keeping that passion and looking forward to what will certainly be a bright future.”

The online gambling market in Spain has grown 17.7% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2020.

Total gross revenue of €208.9m (£189.2m/$245.2m) for the three months to June 30 represents a 4.2% decline compared to Q1 2020, however, while advertising spend by licensees dipped significantly during the period.

Sports betting revenue was €68.1m, which represented a 20.8% year-on-year decline, and a 38.4% drop from Q1. Pre-match, fixed-odds staking fell 49.0% to €288.9m, with in-play wagers down 39.6% to €698.6m, as total stakes across all products and bet types declined 40.4% to €1.05bn.

Strong performance from online casino offset the betting vertical’s declines, and suggested players had shifted from one vertical to the other. Revenue grew to €93.5m, a 36.5% improvement on the prior year, with customer stakes up 25.3% to €2.86bn.

This was largely down to slot play, with the product accounting for €51.9m of casino GGR, up 30.4% year-on-year, and more than 19.9% quarter-on-quarter. Live roulette continued to grow strongly, contributing revenue of €27.0m, a 75.7% jump from Q2 2019.

Poker saw revenue almost double, rising 97.4% to €38.2m, while bingo also enjoyed a strong quarter, with its contribution climbing 66.9% to €5.0m.