ONLINE NEWS
IWG partners with Playtech I
WG has partnered with Playtech, the world’s leading omni-channel gaming company, in a deal which significantly improves the reach of its instant win catalogue. Under the agreement, IWG’s
content has been integrated onto the Playtech Bingo Network, enhancing the platform’s instant win offering. Playtech’s global network of operators will now have
access to leading IWG titles including the award-winning Cash Buster series. Rhydian Fisher, CEO at IWG, said: “Our commercial business continues to go from strength to strength and partnering with one of the leading platform providers in Playtech is a very important deal for us. Playtech has a wide network of operators and opens the door for us to expand our
Relax Gaming and AGS partner up R
elax Gaming and AGS have announced a reciprocal platform-to-platform agreement. Under the terms of the
agreement, Relax Gaming and AGS will become key distribution partners to global operators for each other’s game content. Popular products from AGS and its selected
partners will be made available to Relax Gaming’s growing network of operators, with AGS reciprocating by hosting games from Relax Gaming and its Silver Bullet and Powered By studios. This is a significant development within the platform aggregation industry, in which two highly respected platforms join forces to widen distribution to their operator bases. Relax Gaming Chief Executive Officer Daniel Eskola said, “We are proud to have forged this
deal with AGS and we look forward to being the foremost distributor of this exciting product portfolio in Europe’s regulated markets. Following its recent acquisition of Gameiom,
AGS is poised to release its proprietary game content that has seen success in the U.S. land-based casino markets. Along with a growing library of partner titles, the AGS iGaming Platform features more than 1,000 quality games to offer to the online global industry.
European lotteries pool liquidity M
embers of the new Lotteries Entertainment Innovation Alliance (LEIA), a joint venture between the national lotteries of Denmark, Finland, France and Norway, are open to welcoming other operators seeking shared liquidity opportunities, according to chief
executive Morten Eriksen. The venture has been established by Danske Lotteri Spil, La Française des Jeux, Norsk Tipping and
Veikkaus, with each holding an equal stake. Through the project, the quartet aims to enhance their online product range and explore initiatives that can drive revenue growth and pool liquidity, with Eriksen, who joined Norsk Tipping as director of distribution in 2014, appointed to oversee the new entity. Eriksen said: “This has been under discussion for a while, but the growth of digital has provided a lot of challenges for state lotteries. I think there is a future for alliances like this and we are open to bringing in more companies. Joining forces makes us more competitive from an innovation perspective – and it also shares cost and reduces risk.” Aside from Erikson, a chief technology officer and a head of commercial operations have also been hired from Norsk Tipping and Veikkaus respectively, although their appointments are yet to be publicised. The company’s headquarters will be in Hamar, Norway. The LEIA’s chairman, Veikkaus CEO Olli Sarekoski, added: “Consumer behaviour in the lottery
industry is changing rapidly, which requires faster development and adaption from both the operators and suppliers.” The move towards shared liquidity by lottery operators in northern Europe comes after Portugal joined France and Spain in a shared poker liquidity network in May.
48 DECEMBER 2018
international presence while also greatly improving their instant win portfolio with our award-winning content.”
Angus Nisbet at Playtech, said:
“IWG is one of the first suppliers to benefit from the Playtech Open Platform, our new, industry leading content aggregation technology. We are thrilled about this partnership, as it exemplifies Playtech’s mission
with this new platform – to drive innovation in the gaming industry and provide unparalleled access and capabilities to users.”
Online dominates UK spend N
early half of the £1.56bn (€1.78bn/$1.99bn) that was spent on marketing by gambling companies
in Great Britain last year was invested online, with
television advertising accounting for just 15% of the total. According to Gambling Advertising and Marketing Spend in Great Britain 2014-17, a report published by strategic consultancy Regulus Partners, overall marketing expenditure has increased by 56% since 2014. Direct online marketing in 2017, including banner ads and paid search, amounted to £747m, almost double the £400m that was spent in 2014. Other forms of online marketing also grew in
prominence, with social media spend rising from £42m in 2014 to £149m in 2017m, while affiliate marketing climbed from £282m to £301m. Although television advertising investment increased
from £155m to £234m over the three-year period, this is some way behind direct online marketing. Sponsorship, which covers football shirts, horse racing and other events, doubled from £30m to £60m. Regulus also said that other offline advertising such as print newspaper ads
and billboards fell 9% from £94m in 2014 to £70m in 2017, as companies turned their attention to online channels. Between 2014 and 2017, spending on lottery advertising dropped, falling £3m to £88m, as a result of a decline in spending across all channels with the exception of social media, which jumped from £2m to £9m. In contrast, commercial online marketing spend for
betting, casino games, bingo and poker was up from £912m to £1.47bn. Direct online marketing led the way with £725m spent, followed by affiliates with £295m.
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