Industry News
KamaGames and Hard Rock International Announce Joint Partnership With Launch of All-New App
KamaGames, the largest European social casino operator, has announced the launch of a new app in partnership with the iconic global brand, Hard Rock International. The new app, titled Hard Rock Blackjack, contains the most popular casino-style games in the KamaGames portfolio.
The stand-out feature of Hard Rock Blackjack is the inclusion of high calibre, 3D versions of classic casino table games including roulette, craps, baccarat and of course, the core title within the app, blackjack. In addition, this all-new app will include a number of other casino-style games such as slots and video poker, familiar to even the most casual of players.
Hard Rock Blackjack also includes a fully comprehensive and market-leading social poker game based on the Pokerist Texas Poker model, currently the third-largest social poker game in the world. In addition to the much loved Texas Hold’em Poker, a number of other poker-based titles have also been added to the app including fan-favourites Set Poker and Split Bet Poker.
As well as the strong line up of social casino games, Hard Rock Blackjack will also play host to a range of competitive poker tournaments including Sit’n’Go, Shootout, multi-table tournaments (MTT) and weekly tournaments all of which have experienced long-standing success among KamaGames’ existing user base, a success that both KamaGames and Hard Rock International anticipate to be replicated among the millions of Hard Rock International customers.
Alongside tournaments, the app offers unique Party modes and poker game variations to excite players of every skill level as well as providing a host of different ways to encourage a feeling of community. Social interaction between players will be made possible via a range of creative chat options such as in-game instant messenger, animated emojis and the ability to send gifts back and forth throughout the many highs and lows of a game.
Commenting on the new partnership, Hard Rock’s Kresimir Spajic, Senior Vice President of Online Gaming & Sports Betting, stated: “We are excited to announce this partnership and the release of the highly sophisticated Hard Rock Blackjack app, a perfect expansion of our free-to-play games portfolio and a major draw for both current and new Hard Rock customers. The exciting table games, multiplayer functionality and availability in 28 different languages will empower us to stay regularly connected with our guests in a new and creative way between visits to our Cafes, Hotels and Casinos around the world.”
Spajic added: “Hard Rock has seen positive results leveraging free2play mobile games to extend the legendary experience guests have come to expect from the 262 Hard Rock ensues around the world into a digital format to both deepen relationships and drive incremental brand engagement both online and at our real-world venues. Partnering with KamaGames and their industry-leading technology in the social casino space gives us the opportunity to amplify the reach of our social casino portfolio with best-in-class casino gameplay and global availability.”
KamaGames CEO, Andrey Kuznetsov explained: “For KamaGames, this partnership holds an unparalleled opportunity for growth. Using our expertise, which has been honed over many years in the social casino industry, we are confident that we have created a product that will offer true entertainment value for Hard Rock International customers. KamaGames is very proud of the product we’ve brought to the market with Pokerist Texas Poker and are happy to share this technology with Hard Rock to provide their loyal customers with a high-quality product which will give them even more opportunities to interact and engage with Hard Rocks iconic, globally recognized brand, leading to a continued positive relationship and greater brand loyalty”.
Whilst the Hard Rock Blackjack portfolio is already extensive at its launch, throughout 2020 and beyond, the partnership between KamaGames and Hard Rock International is expected to generate a variety of cross-promotional campaigns and projects, as well as incorporating even more new slots, game modes, tournaments, and events into the app.
Industry News
Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising
The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.
Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRV’s Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.
By using influencers and terms like “free money”, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointer’s findings.
Pointer’s research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as “fast money” and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.
Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.
With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.
Compliance Updates
UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024
The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.
This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britain’s high streets.
Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.
This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.
The latest operator data shows:
- online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was £1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
- real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to £453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
- slots GGY increased 16 percent to £680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
- the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from £4.20 to £4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
- LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to £533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.
Industry News
Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director
Xace has announced that Petra Maria Poola has joined the company as Group Commercial Director.
Petra brings a wealth of experience from the iGaming industry having formerly held roles at several iGaming companies such as Yolo, Relax Gaming and SiGMA. She will lead the commercial growth of Xace and its group companies, including crypto and iGaming focused xda.io, helping to drive strategic initiatives across banking, fintech and iGaming solutions.
In her new role, she will mainly oversee the growth of the group’s sales, marketing and account management functions, ensuring a cohesive strategy that supports Xace’s ambitious expansion plans.
“I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter with Xace, and work alongside such a talented team and management. Transitioning into the fintech space, while still connected to iGaming, presents an exciting opportunity for growth and learning. I’m looking forward to applying my expertise to help Xace and its group companies achieve new heights commercially, while gaining deeper insights into the fast-evolving world of fintech,” said Petra Maria Poola.
Reuben Abel, CEO of Xace, said: “Petra’s extensive background in the iGaming sector, combined with her commercial acumen, makes her a valuable addition to the Xace team. She will play a crucial role in expanding Xace’s market presence and enhancing its suite of services tailored to the specific needs of the iGaming and fintech industries.”
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