The Kenyan regulatory board suspends 81 lottery account numbers

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The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), working in conjunction with Safaricom PLC, has suspended 81 pay bill numbers for various unauthorized radio and television promotions over an eight-month period ending in August.

 

The Board’s Director Peter Mbugi said the suspension that took place between December 202o to August 2021 is part of the ongoing crackdown aimed at curbing the rampant betting and gaming in the broadcasting space.

“These activities by the media have harmful impact on the public and especially children,” – he said.

While citing the economic effects brought forth by COVID-19, Mbugi decried that a majority of radio stations in particular had resorted to exploitative and unauthorized gambling so as to remain afloat.

Mbugi said the Board is working with the Communication Authority (CA) with a view of establishing harmonized guidelines and procedures relating to adverts and programming on gaming aired by radio and television stations.

“This will ensure the two agencies work together to reign in any media house violating gaming, lottery and the betting advertising guidelines,” – he said.

Members of the National Assembly are also considering amendments to the Gaming Bill 2019 to tighten the law on betting and gaming activities in the country. The Gaming Bill 2019 is currently before the Committee of the Whole House.

Maryland sports betting delayed before NFL kickoff as regulators craft rules

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Despite the General Assembly having passed the sports betting bill and the Governor signing it, the Maryland Lottery Commission still works to develop rules on terms such as who can and can’t apply for gaming licenses. That process only got started this summer. The news comes as the 2021 NFL Season is set to attract a record number of American bettors.

Sports betting in Maryland is seeing a delay, despite the General Assembly having passed the bill and the Governor signing it, as regulators still work to develop rules.

The Maryland Lottery Commission is finishing regulatory details, including terms on who can and can’t apply for gaming licenses, with their work having reportedly only starting this summer despite the bill having been signed into law for some time now, reports FOX5.

According to the news source, several fans in the state are disappointed at sports gambling not being yet available in Maryland with only one day to go until the NFL Season kickoff. The delay could see Maryland losing out to other states.

Finalizing regulatory details is essential to the proper launching of betting in the state. Moreover, it also means the state itself might not see any gambling revenue in the first few games.

According to Maryland Matters, the rules are critical to ensure winners get paid in time. In accordance to the local news website, as many of the companies stepping forward in Maryland are new, the obligation of part of the state regulators is further raised.

Maryland has named, upon the bill’s passing, 17 entities as sports gaming sites, including casinos such as Horseshoe Casino, Live! Casino, MGM, and Hollywood Casino. Three stadiums –Oriole Park, M&T Bank Field and FedEx Field– are also set for gaming.

Sports gambling companies in the state will pay a 15% tax on their proceeds, which will go largely to public education. The bill will grant nearly 100 licenses in total to the state’s six casinos, racing tracks, stadiums, off-track betting facilities, as well as to mobile and online sports betting apps. Nonpartisan analysts estimate that the state could bring in about $17 million per year.

The news of the delay comes as the American Gaming Association says, according to a new study, that a record 45.2 million Americans plan to wager on the 2021 NFL Season, figures that represent a 36% increase from the 2020 season.

“The enthusiasm of bettors for the upcoming NFL season highlights the remarkable growth of the industry over the past three years,” said Bill Miller, President and CEO of AGA. As of this new season, 111 million Americans will be able to wager in a legal way.

888 to acquire William Hill’s non-US business for $3.03bn

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Holdings has entered into an agreement with Caesars Entertainment to acquire the non-US business of William Hill for a total of £2.2bn ($3.03bn).

As stated by 888, the acquisition aims to create a global online betting and gaming leader by combining “two of the industry’s leading brands,” representing a transformational opportunity for the company to “significantly increase its scale, further diversify its product mix and accelerate the upward shift of its revenue growth profile.”

The combination of the two groups is expected to deliver pre-tax cost synergies of at least £100m per year, with 888 noting that annual revenue and adjusted EBITDA for 2020 would have been $2.5bn and $464m respectively.

“The acquisition of William Hill International is a transformational and hugely exciting moment in 888’s history,” said 888 CEO Itai Pazner. “This transaction will create one of the world’s leading online betting and gaming groups with superior scale, exceptional brands, increased diversification, and a platform for strong growth.

“William Hill is an iconic sports brand, making it the ideal complement to 888, one of the leading global online gaming brands. Our strategies are also complementary, being digitally led, customer focused, and committed to player protection and raising industry standards around safer gambling.

“We have been incredibly impressed with the William Hill management team, and I look forward to working with them and the wider William Hill team to create great products for our customers, driven by best in class technology, powerful brands, and benefitting from our significantly enhanced scale.”

Caesars said that the transaction is subject to receipt of the approval of 888 shareholders and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Deutsche Bank and Linklaters LLP represented Caesars on the transaction.

888 Chair Lord Jon Mendelsohn commented: “This acquisition is an incredible opportunity to combine our world-class gaming brand with a unique and iconic sports betting brand to create a global leader in the online sports betting and gaming industry.

“We believe the acquisition will create significant value for shareholders, creating a combined business with leading technology, products and brands across sports betting, gaming and poker, supported by top quality management talent from both businesses.”

Pragmatic Play set for African expansion with intelligent gaming deal

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Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider to the iGaming industry, is now distributing its premium products to the first one of Intelligent Gaming’s tier one operators going live with immediate effect.

 

Supabets are one of South Africa’s largest and most innovative wagering operators and are proud to be the first operator in the country to offer the incredible suite of products offered by Pragmatic Play.

A renowned operator in the region, Intelligent Gaming’s players will gain access to Pragmatic Play’s repertoire of high-quality slots such as the popular John Hunter series and its range of Megaways™ games, including Power of Thor Megaways™.

Also, to debut on Intelligent Gaming’s platform will be the supplier’s Live Casino content, including classics table games Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat, as well as the innovative gameshow inspired Mega Wheel and the thrilling Mega Roulette. Intelligent Gaming are also set to take Pragmatic Play’s virtual sports and scratch cards offering.

The partnership marks Pragmatic Play’s continued momentum in South Africa and comes on the back of diligent compliance work undertaken to ensure the smooth and timely delivery of the project.

Yossi Barzely, Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, said:

“South Africa is yet another region that is key to our development goals so it’s exciting to get on board with a partner such as Intelligent Gaming. Their insight and experience in the market is essential and we’re thoroughly looking forward to working with them.”

Intelligent Gaming CEO, Marc Plaxton-Harrison said:

“Intelligent Gaming are extremely excited to introduce Pragmatic Play to the South African market – it has a tremendously diverse content offering filled with quality titles. The entire Pragmatic Play team have been very agile and hands on and are set to be a strong force in the market here.”

Currently producing up to five new slot titles a month, Pragmatic Play also delivers Bingo games as part of its multi-product portfolio, available through one single API.

TVBET goes live in Kenya and Nigeria via Sahara Games

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The world’s leading provider of live-streaming games, TVBET continues to expand in Africa through a partnership with Sahara Games. 13 live games of TVBET are already available for players at Sahara Games Kenyan and Nigerian websites. With this deal, the provider will be able to strengthen its position in the region, while the operator will be able to offer even more opportunities to its players.

 

The expanding TV games provider company is committed to offering products that meet the needs of its customers while continuing to expand its network of partners in various countries. This time, TVBET has launched its products at two regional Sahara Games’ websites, and now its games are available for Kenyans and Nigerians. TVBET products are high-quality live card and table games and lotteries. Professionally hosted by fully trained and experienced TV presenters, TVBET beams the games live using the cutting edge webcam and HD streaming technology.

Sahara Games operator is a part of Sahara Game Technology Corporation. The Sahara Game Technology Corporation is an omnichannel gaming company offering sportsbook and casino games for both land-based and online players.

Sроrts орtiоns listеd оn thе Sаhаrа Gаmеs wеbsitе inсludе betting on football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and other “traditional” sports, betting on virtual sports, e-sports, various casino games, live casino, etc. Now clients of Nigerian and Kenyan Sahara Games may enjoy the full kit of TVBET live games.

TVBET sees amazing prospects in a new partnership with Sahara Games since it helps the provider to expand its presence in South Africa. Herewith, Sahara Games has the opportunity to diversify its portfolio with top-notch TV games.

Besides, if you want to learn more about TVBET products firsthand, you can visit stand J61 at IGB Live, which will be carried out on 28 September — 1 October 2021 in Amsterdam. Book a meeting with TVBET representatives in advance via sales@tvbet.tv.

About TVBET
TVBET is a well-known B2B provider offering top-notch live betting solutions. Its portfolio includes 13 easy and fast card games and lotteries, which have been adapted for the online streaming format. TVBET games are broadcasted all around the globe from a single studio located in Warsaw, Poland. All the events go live with minimum breaks between them of less than 2 minutes. The API- integration makes it possible to adjust its interactive frame to any platform.

Paysafe and Betfred USA agree expanded partnership to include Income Access

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Specialized payments platform Paysafe has agreed an expanded partnership with Betfred USA Sports, the wholly-owned US subsidiary of UK-based bookmaker Betfred Group.

The deal sees Betfred USA Sports build on an existing relationship to plug into the affiliate marketing software of Income Access, Paysafe’s marketing technology and services provider, for the upcoming launch of a multi-state affiliate program.

The firm currently leverages the Skrill USA digital wallet for its Iowa online sportsbook, and credit and debit card payment processing via Paysafe’s payment gateway for its online sports-betting brand for the Colorado market.

Both online gaming brands were unveiled in September 2020 and followed the launch of respective retail sportsbooks earlier that year.

With its market presence and strong brand recognition, Betfred USA Sports claims to be well positioned for continued growth in the regulated US igaming space. The launch, scheduled for later this year, of its Income Access-powered affiliate program will support that objective.

The operator will utilize a robust reporting and tracking platform to nurture relationships with marketing partners in both the digital and retail space. The program is set to first launch in Colorado with additional states forthcoming.

Income Access will use its technology to help Betfred USA Sports strengthen its acquisition efforts across multiple regulated states. The platform will also allow the operator and its affiliates to collaborate more effectively in promoting a comprehensive range of wagering options across American and international sports.

Tara Wilson, Chief Operating Officer of Income Access, said: “This expanded partnership is an incredible opportunity for Paysafe to build on our momentum in the US market, while working to support our flagship American partner Betfred USA Sports’ long-term growth and success.

“For Income Access, this marks another important step in showcasing our ability to drive meaningful collaboration between our partners and affiliates in the regulated US sports betting space.”

Bryan Bennett, Chief Operating Officer of Betfred USA Sports, commented: “As we continue to ramp-up our online operations across the US, Paysafe and Income Access are valuable tools to meet customer needs while tracking and scaling our affiliate marketing program. We look forward to continuing the relationship as we eye our launches in new jurisdictions.”