G3Newswire EMEA NEWS
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SWEDEN – HAUSHALTER JOINS EVOLUTION GAMING Evolution Gaming has appointed Todd Haushalter, one of the highest- profile names in the global casino gaming industry, as its Chief Product Officer. Haushalter joined Evolution on September 1 from MGM Resorts International, where he previously held the Las Vegas-based role of Vice President of Gaming Operations.
Jens von Bahr, CEO of Evolution, said: “We are thrilled to have attracted such a well-respected star of the gaming world to Evolution. Todd’s vast experience in the land-based sector, his knowledge, his ideas and his US and global track record are all a perfect fit for Evolution as we move forward, and as many operators focus on convergence. He is a top addition to our team and will be instrumental in driving Evolution prod- uct innovation and delivery, and penetrating new markets in the Live Casino sector.”
Haushalter added: “I’ve worked closely with Evolution before – on the Shuffle Master deal that resulted in side bets being integrated into Evolution’s Live Blackjack, and on other game content. I’m familiar with the company and the Evolution product portfolio and very excited to be joining up with the world’s leading Live Casino provider. This is a different chal- lenge for me in a hugely important sector – and I can’t wait to get started.”
GERMANY – MERKUR GAMING APPOINTS WESSLER Merkur Gaming continues its expan- sion course with the appointment of Markus Wessler as new Sales Director. The sales expert is going to strengthen the international sales team at Merkur Gaming.
“Markus Wessler is an internationally experienced market expert with almost 20 years of experi- ence of the gaming industry. I am sure that he will enhance the brand Merkur Gaming with his expertise and profession- alism and I am pleased that he joined our team”, explains Athanasios ‘Sakis’ lsaakidis, Senior Director International Sales.
UK - LONDON HEADS UP ARISTOCRAT EMEA PRODUCT Aristocrat Technologies has appointed experienced industry professional, Iain London to the newly created post of Product Management and Business Development Director – EMEA.
Iain brings over 20 years of gaming industry experience spanning both operations and supply in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific, relinquishing his most recent position as Vice President, International for Zitro.
Having started his operational career with Sun International, Iain rose quickly through the ranks, gaining international experience and going on to hold various senior management posts with companies such as Casino Magic and Max Bet Gaming. “During my career I have often had links with the Gauselmann Group and I am more than happy to be part of this successful global player,” said Mr. London.
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NOVOMATIC EYES CASINOS AUSTRIA
Speculation is growing that Austrian slot giant Novomatic wants to further increase its shareholding in Casinos Austria Austria - Operations
Speculation is growing that Austrian slot giant Novomatic wants to further increase its share- holding in Casinos Austria, the group that had long held monopoly rights to run casinos in Austria, by buying more shares from Vienna Insurance Group.
Any bid by to stage a full-on takeover will face stiff investigation from Austria’s competition watchdog BWB. The antitrust authority has said it won’t not simply ‘wave through’ the planned acquisition of an almost 40 per cent stake in Casinos Austria. BWB Head Theodor Tanner said:
“I cannot imagine that we will wave through this project.”
Instead the regulator will demand an in-depth investigation. For long excluded from its domestic market, Novomatic would take its standing in Casinos Austria to 39.5 per cent following the acquisition of an 11.4 per cent stake in Uniqa. As well as looking to secure the 11.35 per cent stake from insurer VIG, Novomatic is hoping to close in on a 9.44 per cent share from Schelhammer & Schattera.
Novomatic has been steadily building its share in the Austrian operator which is structured
extremely complicatedly with shareholders bound by syndicate agreements should a share- holder wish to sell of shares. Novomatic recently acquired shares from Maria Theresia Bablik Privatstiftung equating to a 16.8 per cent stake in Casinos Austria as well as with Leipnik- Lundenburger Invest Beteiligungs for its 29.6 per cent stake, which equates to a stake of 11.34 per cent in the Casinos Austria.
Harald Neumann, chief executive of Novomatic, said: “By way of these transactions we will be able to contribute as a solid Austrian partner with international expertise and become a part of a sustained shareholding structure of the Casinos Austria.”
As well as the investigation the BWB, which could force Novomatic to offload some of its assets, the deal will also have to be approved by the European Union in Brussels, as the revenue threshold is more than €5bn.
Finland Game Lounge has signed an agreement to acquire a prominent Finnish affiliate’s domains, including
nettikasinovertailu.info,
netticasino.eu,
onlinecasinofindr.com,
nettipokeri.eu,
nettiveikkaus.eu and
nettibingo.eu for a price of €1,2M. In addition to incremental earnings, both Cherry and Game Lounge will gain a strong strategic position in Finland and profit from a larger and more significant presence in the market. The acquired affiliate sites will give marketing support to Cherry’s existing brands and upcoming white labels as well as significantly reducing costs for acquiring new customers.
GBG partners with Playtech to embed online ID intelligence
UK GBG has signed a deal with Playtech to offer a number of its licensees instant, global ID ver- ification through its cutting- edge IMS platform.
The deal will ensure that a number of Playtech’s customers are offered instant access to the world’s leading identity intelli- gence solutions without the need for further integration or technical infrastructure.
The addition of GBG’s ID verifi- cation tools to Playtech’s core IMS player management plat- form means that certain opera- tors can now also perform instant identity verification across more than 4.3bn global
individuals, supporting future growth and ensuring responsi- ble gaming at all levels – and for all jurisdictions.
Peter Murray, Head of gaming at GBG, said: “In the gaming sector, operators are keen to build an environment of trust that protects both player and business. That starts with the collection and verification of the personal data that gets shared across a player’s lifecy- cle.
“In the sector, we have seen the uplift in player acceptance rates to be as much as 23 per cent when instant, robust ID verifi- cation is embedded into the onboarding process. And when
you factor in all the complexity of trying to match foreign lan- guage and address formats, only GBG can really offer a truly global solution.
Shimon Akad, COO, Playtech, said: “It is our goal to support our operators with true end-to- end, Omni-Channel solutions, offering a seamless player experience across all channels and devices. We partner with the very best in our industry to ensure our licensees can imme- diately and securely integrate with the most robust and inno- vative tools available. That service begins with player onboarding but also includes campaign management, fraud and risk management and transaction monitoring. Working with GBG, we are able to offer the best identity intelli- gence solutions on the market,” concluded Mr. Akad.
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