Industry News
Tennis Integrity Unit Briefing Note: January – March 2020
Increase in first quarter match alerts linked to suspension of tennis
Between January and 22 March 2020 the TIU received a total of 38 match alerts through its Memorandums of Understanding with the regulated betting industry. This compares to 21 alerts for the same period in 2019, a year in which the fewest alerts were recorded since data was first published in 2015.
The increase of reported matches in the first quarter of 2020 is an indication that the entry levels of professional tennis were deliberately targeted by corruptors, as the sport moved towards suspension due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In anticipation of heightened integrity concerns when tennis resumes, the TIU, in conjunction with the governing bodies of tennis, is developing an education and awareness campaign to inform and support players, officials and tournament staff. Further details will be announced in due course.
TIU match alert policy
- every alert reported to the TIU is recorded, assessed and followed up as an indicator that something inappropriate may have happened. It is important to appreciate that an alert on its own is not evidence of match-fixing;
- there are many reasons other than corrupt activity that can explain unusual betting patterns, such as incorrect odds-setting; well-informed betting; player fitness, fatigue and form; playing conditions and personal circumstances;
- where analysis of a match alert does suggest corrupt activity, the TIU will conduct a full, confidential investigation.
New CEO joins the TIU
Jonny Gray became the first Chief Executive Officer of the TIU when he joined the organisation in mid-February. A former Colonel in the British Army and senior partner with Control Risks, he will be responsible for implementing the integrity recommendations of the Independent Review Panel, which include the establishment of a new, independent integrity organisation with a separate legal personality.
TIU Education update; Australian Open, WTT $15,000 pilot, online education during suspension of tennis
January’s Australian Open saw more than 650 officials, main draw and junior players receive integrity briefings and one-to-one sessions ahead of and during the tournament. Bespoke education sessions were also delivered to ATP coaches and the ATP’s international group tournament directors’ workshop. In February, a pilot Education outreach project took place at the ITF World Tennis Tour combined $15,000 event in Heraklion, Crete. This new initiative included presentations and an integrity pledge campaign for players, coaches, officials and tournament staff. More than 100 players received face-to-face education, alongside all tournament officials.
Colombia became the second nation to complete the TIU’s integrity criteria as part of the ITF Recognition of National Training Centres Programme. Six further nations are being supported as they work towards certification.
During the suspension of tennis the TIU team has continued to deliver its comprehensive education programme, including online 1-2-1 sessions for WTA Rookie players and Grand Slam Development Fund grant recipients.
Disciplinary code rules strengthened for Provisional Suspensions
Amendments have been introduced to the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), to strengthen the rules relating to the Provisional Suspension of individuals suspected of serious corruption offences. With effect from 1 April 2020, a Covered Person charged with a criminal offence or the subject of criminal proceedings, can be immediately suspended by an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO). The individual subject to the provisional suspension retains the right to appeal that decision to the AHO.
A further amendment clarifies that a decision to impose, or not impose, a Provisional Suspension cannot be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The final change allows a Covered Person subject to a Provisional Suspension to appeal for that suspension to be lifted after a period of 90 days, rather than the previous term of 120 days.
Disciplinary decisions – January to March 2020
Between January and March three players – Jonathan Kanar, Joao Olavo Soares de Souza and Patrick Keane – were subject to disciplinary sanctions for breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program. In addition, an appeal decision was received for Argentinian player Nicolas Kicker:
- https://www.tennisintegrityunit.com/media-releases/jonathan-kanar-suspended-and-fined-after-admitting-corruption-offences
- https://www.tennisintegrityunit.com/media-releases/lifetime-ban-and-200000-fine-joao-olavo-soares-de-souza-after-conviction-match-fixing-charges
- https://www.tennisintegrityunit.com/media-releases/independent-anti-corruption-hearing-officer-reduces-nicolas-kicker-suspension-recognition-player-education-support
- https://www.tennisintegrityunit.com/media-releases/patrick-keane-suspended-and-fined-betting-tennis-offences
These sanctions have previously been announced and are included here as a retrospective record.
Industry News
Maximising Your Cross-Market Appeal
With Bitblox introducing an entirely new breed of crypto-based price prediction games to the iGaming industry, we talked to CEO, Brandt Page, to discover how combining elements of both chance and skill with lightning-fast betting rounds has helped improve their cross-market appeal.
When Bitblox was first established, our core concept was relatively simple; we didn’t just want to provide players with a new twist on an existing format like slots or casino games, but instead sought to create an entirely new vertical that combined elements of chance and elements of skill.
One of the main drivers behind this decision was the fact that we wanted our releases to appeal to as broad an audience as possible – and I think from the figures we’ve seen so far, we’ve already had some notable success on that front in terms of the players that are engaging with our games.
Funnily enough, I was recently talking to the Head of Marketing from one of the operators that we work with and they told me they were struggling to place our games optimally. Initially, they’d put them in with crash and instant win content, but they soon discovered a lot of their in-game traffic was coming from sports bettors. A move to the sports betting tab followed, but the exact same-thing happened with casino players, leading to the games eventually winding up on the front page.
As this was going on, our games were continuing to post solid numbers with the customers who bet on both sports and casino – and all of this engagement was coming without there being any additional promotion from us or the operator. So why was it that our games were performing so well across these different player segments? I believe there are a number of contributing factors.
First and foremost, having this hybrid model of games of chance and games of skill that I’ve already mentioned has placed us in a fairly unique position within the iGaming industry. On the one hand, the simple premise of our Bitcoin-based titles – coupled with their attractive designs and intuitive UI – makes them highly accessible to casino players who are just looking to have fun.
On the other, the fact that Bitblox games aren’t based on RNG and are instead pinned to the real-time movements of the Bitcoin market certainly resonates with a sports betting audience. As they have the ability to follow the charts and use this information to inform their decisions, they definitely feel they have more control over the outcome than if they were playing a traditional slot.
Another key aspect of our cross-market appeal is the fast-paced nature of all Bitblox releases. With casino players being accustomed to the quick wins and instant gratification of slots and crash games and sports bettors also showing a growing preference for in-play wagering, we’ve ensured each game round is resolved quickly and that there are multiple opportunities for betting.
When we first launched Up or Down?, which features one-minute betting rounds, we soon learned that even this timeframe is too long for some players. This resulted in us developing Up or Down? Turbo – a game which kept the same mechanics as its predecessor but reduced the betting window to 20 seconds – and this has gone on to become one of our most successful titles.
Keeping all this in mind, one of the things I’m most excited about is the upcoming release of our latest game, 3 in a Row, as I think this is a title that really ties everything I’ve talked about so far together. Designed to look like a slot machine, 3 in a Row challenges players to correctly predict how the Bitcoin price will move over three separate 20-second windows for even bigger payouts.
Intended to appeal to casual users and serious sports bettors alike, players can elect to either spin the reels for fun and select a random price sequence or use the bet builder feature to put together their own custom prediction. With the latter essentially functioning like an accumulator bet, players can select up to three possible combinations – i.e. Up/Up/Up, Up/Up/Down etc – and only one result needs to land for them to win, ensuring they stay engaged until the final seconds.
I believe that 3 in a Row can help build on the strong foundations we’ve laid down with casino and sports bettors and provide operators with another popular option that offers significant cross-market appeal. Based on what we’ve seen from previous Bitblox releases, the audience for titles that combine elements of chance and elements of skill is definitely out there – and I’m looking forward to our unique brand of crypto-based games being enjoyed by even more players in future.
Industry News
Gaming Corps to launch with lotteries in the USA via EQL games deal
In-demand content provider extends reach into largest iGaming market in the world with its full suite of games made available via iLottery aggregation platform
Gaming Corps, a publicly-listed game studio based in Sweden renowned for creating industry-leading games, has made its debut in the US market through a breakthrough agreement with leading lottery provider, EQL Games.
The distribution agreement will see Gaming Corps’ full suite of games made available to EQL Games’ powerful iLottery Aggregation Platform, developed to provide lottery operators across America with direct access to a portfolio of proprietary and third-party games.
Following the integration, EQL Games’ lottery operator partners will be offered proven Slots, Table Games, Multiplier Games, Mine Games and Plinko Games, as well as titles under Gaming Corps’ innovative and trademarked Smash4Cash™ series.
The deal and integration come at a time of growing demand among online lottery operators in the US for non-traditional content, a format that Gaming Corps has excelled in, especially with its Smash4Cash™ games, which have been a hit with players in global markets.
EQL’s aggregation platform has been developed to allow online lottery operators to quickly and easily access content from multiple game studios simultaneously through one integration and one commercial agreement.
Its iLottery Aggregation platform simplifies the process of adding new games to an online lottery brand across regulated states. In addition to the third-party content provided via its aggregator platform, EQL Games has a portfolio of in-house titles.
This includes games produced under licence with Team USA which were rolled out by several state lotteries for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this year, with new titles being planned ahead of the Winter Games in Milan (2026) and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles (2028).
Juha Kauppinen, CEO of Gaming Corps, said: “The USA has always been somewhat of the holy grail for game developers like us, which has been further emphasised as markets in several states have become regulated. The potential in the American market is enormous, and the impact for us is a bit difficult to assess, but we have great hopes for the collaboration with EQL Games, which has an impressive platform towards U.S. lotteries.
“We believe it will have a significantly positive impact on our revenues. I would like to personally take the opportunity to thank EQL Games and Brad Cummings for the collaboration, and we are now working hard to complete the integration so that all our games will be offered to EQL’s customers via their platform.”
Brad Cummings, CEO of EQL Games, added: “Including Gaming Corps as a supplier to the EQL Games iLottery Aggregator is an exciting step forward in our mission to offer unique, high-quality content to state lotteries. Gaming Corps’ expertise in iGaming, along with their unique game portfolio, fits perfectly with our vision of enhancing the lottery experience through dynamic and engaging content.”
Industry News
Public Voting Starts for Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0
The highly anticipated Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0 has officially entered the public voting phase as submissions are closed.
More than 70 game providers have turned in over 160 submissions, including Tom Horn Gaming, Pragmatic Play and RubyPlay. Public voting involves enthusiasts casting their votes to pick the winner of the Game of Public Choice category.
The Public voting phase ends on December 1st 23:59 GMT+4.
Concurrent to public voting, the first phase of private voting also starts during which all participants who have submitted entries get the chance to vote for one favourite in each category. An international auditing company oversees this phase to eliminate duplicate votes and self-votes. This phase ends on November 19, 23:59 GMT+4.
The second phase of private voting will also take place with a jury of industry experts making their decisions based on the shortlist picked by participants during the first phase.
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