EMEA
EU Approves Casinos Austria Takeover Te EU Commission has approved the joint control of Casinos Austria
Aktiengesellschaft (CASAG) by Sazka and Österreichische Beteiligungs AG
Te EU Commission has approved the joint control of Casinos Austria Aktiengesellschaft (CASAG) by the Czech gaming group Sazka and Österreichische Beteiligungs AG (ÖBAG), without any conditions.
Te EU authority said that the takeover would not raise competition concerns because of its limited impact on the market. Te merger was therefore examined using the simplified procedure.
Te Casinos Austria Group employs around 3,400 people in Germany and abroad, around 1,700 of them in Casinos Austria AG, i.e. in the 12 casinos and the headquarters in Vienna. Te Czech Sazka Group is by far the largest shareholder, holding 55.48 per cent of the casinos. Te Austrian state holding company ÖBAG owns 33.24 per cent.
In September, Casinos Austria International
reported a loss of €10m following a year on year revenue loss of €52.8m due to the pandemic.
CAI said: “Te global economy contracted significantly, especially in the second quarter of 2020, due to the sometimes drastic measures taken to contain the coronavirus. Te land- based gaming industry is one of the industries most severely affected. While the Casinos Austria International Group’s gaming revenues in January and February 2020 were 11 per cent higher than in the previous year, all casinos had to shut down in March 2020. Te management immediately took all measures to curb costs. Fortunately, good gaming revenues have been achieved in the first few weeks since the opening.”
Casinos Austria International has now reopened casinos in Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Denmark, North Macedonia, Australia and Egypt.
Spain Greentube extends responsible gaming package
Greentube is set to implement Neccton’s Responsible Gaming solution across its Spanish online gaming offering, following a successful rollout in the UK.
Te mentor tool, which was first launched with ADMIRAL Casino and has more real-money gaming brands set to follow, helps Greentube identify potentially problematic gambling behaviour in real-time and automatically interacts with players showing harmful behaviour.
Te implementation of mentor with the StarVegas brand in Spain reinforces the company’s commitment to safer play for its customers and cements its position as a responsible global games supplier and operator.
To ensure the highest level of social responsibility and player protection across the board, Greentube will look to roll-out mentor in more markets in the very
near future. Neccton’s new AI- based Responsible Gaming (RG) solution, mentor, tracks specific metrics which could indicate that somebody is spending more than they can afford, such as chasing losses, in-session deposits, failed deposits and cancelled withdrawals, and alerts operators instantly if certain markers of harm are surfacing.
Adam Warren, Brand Manager & Managing Director of the StarVegas Spain and StarVegas Italy brands at Greentube, said: “We take our commitment to Responsible Gaming extremely seriously and we constantly work to enhance and improve our strategies to ensure players use our products safely. Neccton’s mentor solution assures this and offers us an easy tool to spot any potentially harmful behaviour and to intervene when needed. We are very pleased with our partnership so far and we look forward to expanding into new markets.”
Germany
EGT Interactive has entered the regulated German region of Schleswig-Holstein through its long-term partner SkillOnNet. Players at the online casino brand Drueckglueck can now access the provider’s content and access its full suite of video slots. Te local regulator successfully approved EGT's portfolio, and some of the provider’s top-performing video slots have already launched on Drueckglueck, including Shining Crown, 40 Super Hot, Rise of Ra, Caramel Hot, and Dice & Roll. EGT Interactive and SkillOnNet partnership is also set to extend into further territories such as the Spanish iGaming market. Te operator’s brand, Playuzu, is releasing EGT Interactive’s content simultaneously with Drueckglueck. Te provider is looking to further grow the partnership in Sweden, Denmark and Portugal.
GERMANY – Having become one of the first providers to receive the nationwide sports betting license in Germany, both for the online and retail sectors, HPYBET has now received the necessary location licenses for all agents and shops in Rhineland-Palatinate.
André Wilhelmi, Operations Director at HPYBET, said: “We are delighted that we have received the location permits for all shops in Rhineland- Palatinate following the tour operator license. Extensive requirements have to be met for these concessions. Our trained staff as well as our agents ensure that youth and player protection as well as money laundering prevention are guaranteed at the highest level. At this point we would also like to thank our partners for the great cooperation. The disciplined cooperation, the uncomplicated coordination and the timely submission of all necessary documents made our work much easier.”
UK – BetConstruct has announced that it is to provide fantasy sports betting software to UK partners under its UKGC Combined Remote Operating Licence.
BetConstruct has developed a fully customisable feature-rich product, with reliable fantasy data for five sport types and over 20 soccer leagues.
BetConstruct’s full suite of Fantasy Sports, including football, basketball, baseball, American football and ice hockey, is also available to partners operating under the MGA Licence at both B2B and B2C level.
MALTA – SYNOT Games has rolled-out a distribution agreement that will see the integration of its suite of slot titles with the online operator, LeoVegas. As a result of the link-up, players on LeoVegas brands will now be able to access the complete slot suite of SYNOT Games, which includes its recent releases Rock’N’Roll Rooster and Jack & The Mystery Monsters.
“We are ecstatic to have partnered with LeoVegas, a company with almost a decade of industry experience and an acclaimed product suite enjoyed by players all over the world. We have no doubt that our games will be well received across all their extensive network,” Priscilla Gatt, Head of Business Development at SYNOT Games.
“SYNOT Games prides itself on providing high calibre slots, so we are thrilled to have signed with a provider that is everyday gaining in reputation with the creation of their top-tier casino games. Introducing SYNOT Games’ fresh portfolio will be a very exciting prospect. We are confident that this partnership will thrive over time,“ said Johan Ekberg, Casino Operations Manager at LeoVegas.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P13
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