Wire EMEA
Entain buys Unikrn's esports Betting Tech
Entain makes its move into esports with the acquisition of Unikrn, a relatively recent start-up focused on esports wagering.
Te transition to new ownership will result in a temporary hiatus of Unikrn’s services, but the company’s plan to resume operations in 2022.
UK ESPORTS
Germany - Online losses not reimbursed After two rulings by the Munich and Duisburg regional courts, the Euskirchen District Court has decided that a participant in online casino games is not entitled to reimbursement of his gaming losses from an online gaming provider. The player had participated in online casino games in 2020 and claimed that the range of games was illegal in Germany and that he only found out about it after participating. Therefore, he reclaimed his gambling losses from the provider.
Lawyer Maximilian Kienzerle, who works for Hambach & Hambach Rechtsanwälte, said: “The Euskirchen District Court dismissed the lawsuit because the plaintiff violated laws by participating in the game and thus made himself liable to prosecution. Due to the terms and conditions of the provider, the plaintiff knew about the legal situation. Nevertheless, the plaintiff remained inactive and accepted a violation of Section 285 of the Criminal Code with approval. In addition, the plaintiff had made his stake voluntarily and in return received a chance to win from the provider.”
UK - Strive Gaming has named former Kambi Chief Commercial Officer, Max Meltzer, as CEO. Following his appointment, Mr. Meltzer will now lead Strive Gaming and ensure it achieves its
mission of becoming the number one iGaming platform provider in North America driven by technology and the knowledge and experience of its senior team.
Belarus - SOFTSWISS is breaking records SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator achieved €232m in GGR in July, doubling the €100m figure reported by the brand in November 2020. The solution’s growth has been attributed to a stable increase of Game Aggregator clients in the European and CIS regions, with LatAm set to follow. The SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator has been actively signing game content distribution partners in recent weeks, with Blueprint and Spadegaming joining a portfolio of over 150 game providers.
Slovakia - Streamer blamed for Twitch ban Slovakia has banned Twitch after a single Slovak language streamer was accused of illegal gambling. Slovakian Twitch streamer, dDandis, is one of a growing number of users to attract an audience by live-streaming while playing e-poker. The account had attracted over 35,000 followers before the entire Twitch platform was banned in Slovakia for violating the country’s gambling-related laws. The fate of Twitch does not appear to be uncommon in Slovakia — websites that offer or showcase gambling without a licence have been blocked in the country before.
P8 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Entain, one of the world’s largest and most successful publicly traded betting and gaming companies, is purchasing Unikrn, a well-known industry leader merging esports and wagering into strong, on-demand experiences including virtual esports, on-demand streamer betting, PVH & PVP betting.
"Unikrn was built on the efforts of true believers," said Unikrn CEO and co-founder Karl Flores. "From the beginning, we knew that gaming is the future of entertainment and that, with special attention, wagering could give gamers and esports fans more excitement in their passion.
“We're proud of what we've built with our partners, investors and global team, and can't wait for Entain to empower us for round two!"
Te transition to new ownership will result in a temporary hiatus of Unikrn’s services, but the company’s plan to resume customer-facing operations in 2022. During this down time, Unikrn will be developing more innovations, platform improvements and additional off- platform assets to revolutionise the gaming space.
Unikrn added: “Unikrn will spend the rest of 2021 and 2022 transitioning into operations within Entain and building more revolutionary new experiences for gaming and esports fans.
“We wouldn’t have been able to start this new chapter without you. All of our fans and users helped signal to major providers that gamers are a serious demographic that need serious attention.
“Entain's acquisition of Unikrn’s gaming and wagering assets is a major investment into gaming that we think will ultimately benefit our users and the gaming space. We know our return will bring exciting improvements and additions that’ll make your mouth water.”
Commenting on the suspension of Unikrn services due to the acquisition, Mr. Flores commented: “Te transition is going to include some development and regulatory changes which require Unikrn to go offline until sometime in 2022. You won’t be able to access any Unikrn products during this time, and all customer accounts will be closed. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our dedicated fanbase."
Czech Republic SYNOT Group attains GLI-11 certification
Te SYNOT Group has been certified by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) according to the GLI-11 standard. Tis certification covers SYNOT’s slot machine gaming system titles Firebird Red, which is compatible with the company’s UP1-24 and Eclipse cabinets.
“Tis is a very important milestone for the SYNOT Group. Te GLI-11 certificate opens the door to world destinations. In many of them, this certificate is required by the local legislation and it is therefore not possible to operate there without it. In addition, this is not our first experience with GLI, a globally respected certification laboratory. We really appreciate this cooperation,” explained Miroslav Valenta Jr., Sales Director of the SYNOT Group.
Obtaining a certificate is not an easy task. Companies must meet a host of requirements in order to certify their products - especially
in regards to the security of the applicable gaming system and compliance with a multitude of standards concerning land-based operation, etc.
“Our companies conduct business in dozens of countries around the world, so we have experience with many different legal regulations, which we always fully respect. Quality is key for our products and thanks to that we are successful in obtaining new certificates, which provide us with greater opportunities for further expansion into particular countries and continents,” added Mr. Valenta Jr.
UK
We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort and Betfred Sports have signed an agreement to bring sports betting to Arizona residents. Te companies will partner to build a state-of-the-art, Las Vegas-quality retail sportsbook at the recently opened We-Ko- Pa Casino Resort in Fort McDowell, Arizona while also launching mobile and online betting under the Betfred Sports brand. Mark Stebbings, Betfred Group CCO, stated: “Arizona is an amazing opportunity for Betfred Sports to continue its expansion in the US after successful launches in Iowa, Colorado and Pennsylvania. We look forward to working with our fantastic partner, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, to leverage our 50 years’ experience to bring the best options to Arizona sports fans.” Te formal launch is contingent on licensing and regulatory approval and is planned for late 2021.
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