Tech & innovation – Bookielink

September 9, 2024

Brazil government preparing heavy crackdown on illegal betting payments

Pay4Fun director Ari Celia tells iGB Brazil's ministry of finance has established a new department to target black market operators. He expects Pix blocking efforts to be successful.
Brazil’s government is implementing hefty measures to prevent illegal operators from processing payments ahead of the legal betting market’s launch on 1 January 2025.

The government’s ministry of finance is setting up a team of eight civil servants who will specifically work on preventing illegal sites from taking and receiving payments, according to Celia.

The team will process complaints from the sector and seek to punish unlicensed payment providers and illegal sites.

Blocking Pix payments will be successful
One measure the government has publicly announced is blocking payments involving illegal operators made via Pix, an instant payment service controlled by the Central Bank of Brazil which the majority of the betting market uses.

Regulators in other markets like Germany and across Europe..

August 20, 2024

Revamped product and customer personalisation key to Evoke growth plans

Evoke plc is banking on automation and AI as it embarks on a “total transformation” of the business, says chief executive Per Widerström following disappointing first half results.
Following a profit warning in July, Evoke reported a 2% decline revenue to £862m last week, with adjusted EBITDA falling 26% year-on-year.

“We understand exactly what went wrong and we have taken corrective actions to address the problems,” Per Widerström says of evoke’s h1 results
Widerström did not shy away from acknowledging the operator’s underperformance on Evoke’s H1 earnings call. “[These] results are disappointing and are not acceptable. We understand exactly what went wrong and we have taken corrective actions to address the problems.”

He outlined a range of product improvements, changes to customer lifecycle management and new ways of communicating the overall value proposition for customers in particular.

Product underpins growth plans for Evoke
The product proposition is enhanced by a revamp..

August 20, 2024

Stake.com continues regulated market push with Peru online gaming launch

Crypto gaming specialist Stake.com is expanding its regulated footprint, securing casino and sportsbook licences to launch in the Peru online gaming market.
The rollout of Stake.pe marks the operator’s second regulated LatAm market, after it acquired Betfair Colombia in November last year. This push is going global, as shown by this month’s acquisition of Idealbet, a licensed Italian operator.

“We are delighted to bring Stake to Peru, a country that has a lot of potential for digital growth, which has been evident in recent years,” said Stake’s general manager for Latin America Diana Otalora. “This shows our ambition to provide world-class entertainment to Peruvian customers and to expand our reach in LatAm.”

Boylesports and Inkabet veteran joins for Peru igaming market push
Jennyfer Escobar joins as country manager to lead Stake’s Peru online gaming push. She joins after a short stint at Boylesports, where she served as growth manager, and also spent over six years at Inkabet, acq..

May 10, 2024

FanDuel TV launches new streaming channel

FanDuel TV, the television network of operator FanDuel, has announced the launch of FanDuel TV Extra, a new free streaming channel.

FanDuel claims its new free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel shows more live sports than any other FAST channel currently out there, making it the “premier destination” for sports fans looking to watch and bet concurrently.

FanDuel TV Extra is currently available through streaming platforms such as Pluto TV and the Roku Channel. It’s also accessible through FanDuel’s over-the-top streaming platform FanDuel TV+.

Bettors can access coverage of international basketball from countries such as China and Turkey, as well as football from the South Korean K-League. Also available will be Professional Darts Corporation and PokerStars events.

Having launched FanDuel TV back in September 2022, executive producer and senior vice-president Kevin Grigsby believes the new channel will help with customer acquisition. Grigsby also revealed that it was l..

April 12, 2024

Charting Nigeria’s online gambling growth amid regulatory battles

One of the most exciting emerging global online gambling markets is Nigeria, boasting a youthful population that H2 Gambling Capital forecasts to lead it to gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €675.1m (£576.8m/$717.2m) by 2025. With a legal battle over regulation ongoing, though, how exactly is it achieving its success?

Firstly, it’s imperative to note the demographics of Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa with well over 200 million inhabitants. According to a report from The Economist, that population is predicted to grow to 400 million by 2050, surpassing the US as the third most-populous country on the planet.

Looking closer at Nigeria’s data reveals a hugely youthful population, with figures from the World Factbook outlining that approximately 41% of people in the country are aged between 14 and under, with the average age of a person in Nigeria just 19 years old.

Taking those demographics aspects into account it’s clear to see why there is excitement over how Niger..

April 10, 2024

Solving sports betting – the AI way

The advent of AI-assisted products in the sportsbook space appears to offer up the prospect of an epoch-changing leap forward in risk management. But does it mean that margin volatility will become a thing of the past? Not quite yet, suggest the experts. But the product is developing fast.

Buzz phrases don’t get much buzzier than “AI-assisted”. The mere mention of the phrase either prompts excited optimism about a tech-driven future – or a very real fear of the same.

In the betting and gaming space, the use of artificial intelligence may not quite engender the apocalyptic visions of the AI naysayers in the wider world. But it still appears to offer the possibility of very much changed business practices.

the advent of ai could herald huge change for sports betting, writes Scott Longley

Notably, given the central importance of data to any potential machine learning or AI developments, it is the two leading sports data collection entities that are leading the charge.

The pair launc..

March 5, 2024

EGBA lauds EU’s proposed introduction of digital identification

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has welcomed the European parliament’s approval of introducing a standardised electronic identification method called a “European Digital Identity” (e-ID).

The EGBA-endorsed move would oblige states in the European Union (EU) to issue an e-ID to citizens. This would allow them to authenticate their identity for online services. These e-IDs will be optional for citizens and businesses.

EGBA labelled the European parliament’s approval on Monday a “significant milestone” in providing a safer and more inclusive online environment for citizens in the EU. There were 335 votes in favour, 190 opposing the new regulations and 31 abstentions.

The proposed e-IDs will mean citizens would no longer have to resort to commercial providers to verify their online identification, something that has caused privacy and security concerns in the past.

The hope is that e-IDs will reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft, enhancing security for the EU’..

February 1, 2024

Endeavor to integrate IMG Arena into Openbet

Endeavor has announced it will integrate its sport betting brand OpenBet with its data business IMG Arena under the OpenBet banner, creating a full sports betting ecosystem for operators.

Global sports and entertainment company Endeavor announced the move on Thursday. Endeavor aims to leverage the expertise of OpenBet’s betting technology with IMG Arena’s data.

IMG Arena will operate under the OpenBet banner, offering its data to operators, media outlets and other rights holders.

Jordan Levin, chief executive of OpenBet, will spearhead the company, reporting to Endeavor president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro. Freddie Longe, former IMG Arena president, will remain with the business as a strategic advisor during the transition period.

In the announcement, Shapiro stated this move was in the works for a while following Endeavor’s acquisition of OpenBet. The September 2022 deal was worth $800m (£633.4m/€740.3m).

“When we acquired OpenBet in 2022, we envisioned a holistic ..

January 30, 2024

FairPlay Sports Media announces Quarter4 purchase

FairPlay Sports Media (FPSM) has announced the acquisition of deep-learning neural network Quarter4 (Q4), hoping to “unleash” the full potential of its proprietary data and technology platform.

FPSM underwent a rebrand from Oddschecker Media Group last week and has now announced its first purchase. The price of the deal for the Toronto-based Q4 remains undisclosed.

Q4, founded in 2019, specialises in predicting sports outcomes, as well as providing unique data and content opportunities.

FPSM says the move aligns with the company’s objective to “transform BetTech”, benefitting consumers, publishers and operators worldwide.

FPSM brands will leverage Q4’s prediction technology in combination with the group’s price movement data across “millions of sports events”.

Stuart Simms, FPSM’s group chief executive, declared: “The acquisition of Quarter4 is a significant milestone for our group, giving our various brands the ability to unleash our already market-leading data and tech platform ..

January 30, 2024

Genius Sports announces “first-of-its-kind” Edge automated pricing tool

Genius Sports has announced an automated pricing tool called Edge, which it believes is the first of its kind in the market.

Genius Sports’ tool will allow sportsbooks to maximise profits over “unlimited” sports events and bets. Factoring in real-time liability, Edge can recalculate odds at a fixture and market-type level for maximum profitability, including bet-builder products.

Genius Sports product director Thomas Holland revealed early adopter partners of Edge have enjoyed an 18% average rise in margins. The tool is available now through Genius Trading Services or as a standalone solution.

“The explosion of betting content means sportsbooks offer hundreds of thousands of events every year,” Holland said in the announcement. “This makes it almost impossible for trading teams to truly optimise pricing and ensure they are squeezing maximum margin out of every bet, especially where turnover is highest.

“We’re excited to roll this ground-breaking solution out across our sportsbook p..

January 24, 2024

Home field advantage: Strive creates a PAM for North America

Three years on from entering a crowded, competitive field, Strive Gaming has built a foothold in the North American market. As its roster of clients expands, president Damian Xuereb aims to ride the market’s evolution through a new wave of growth.

Strive Gaming president Damian Xuereb is sure of one thing. “Strive was certainly not a first mover in the US,” he says. But the US market is approaching its sixth anniversary. Strive Gaming has been in play for just half of that.

Established by Xuereb and CEO Max Meltzer, both veterans of the post-PASPA gold rush, Strive knows the market. Coming in three years after the first bets were placed, it has watched what works and what doesn’t.

Strive’s experience of the post-PASPA Gold RUSH Sets up the business for success as the US market matures says president Damian Xuereb

“We had the advantage of understanding the state-by-state nuances in each market,” Xuereb continues. “We had the opportunity to do our research and ensure we built a pro..

January 24, 2024

Road to ICE 2024: Affordability checks looming large amid criticism

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

The Gambling Act review white paper was a huge landmark for the UK gambling industry. The white paper outlined how gambling should be regulated in the UK going forward. Key terms included consultations on stake limits, a mandatory statutory levy for operators and the introduction of an ombudsman.

However, affordability checks have continued to be one of the reviews’ most debated issues. While many in the industry agree with the white paper’s proposals, affordability checks were met with fierce opposition from operators and trade bodies.

The need for affordability checks

Many of the white paper’s proposals were made with the intention of protecting vulnerable groups. Gambling Commission research published in November revealed that one in 40 Britons is a problem gambler.

the long-awaited white paper was released in april 2023

Lucy Frazer, ..

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Tag: Tech & innovation