ONLINE NEWS
UK Shares plunge at FOBT limit U
K bookmakers’ share prices tumbled after it was reported that the government was set to accept recommendations for a new £2
(€2.29/$2.79) stake limit on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).
Last month, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) published recommendations to support the government with its review of FOBTs, including limiting stakes on slot games to £2 and non-slot games to £30. The report received mixed reviews, with several campaign groups backing the move to
lower the top stakes, but others calling for tougher action. The Times newspaper said that Chancellor Philip Hammond delayed signing off on the limits due to the impact it could have on gambling taxes and how much the government makes from such activities. However, the paper also reported that the Treasury was close to signing a deal, with Hammond nearing an agreement with Culture Secretary Matt Hancock. A source from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) told the Times that the deal could include increasing levies on other forms of gambling to make up for lost funds from FOBT taxes. News of possible deals hit the gambling
Inspired deals in Italy I
nspired Entertainment, Inc. announced that it has signed an agreement to supply its games content to
Novomatic’s Italian gaming platform. In an agreement which extends to 2022, Inspired will supply VLT games content to Novomatic’s platform across its Italian retail estate, which totals over 30,000 terminals. Inspired will initially deploy two games which will be accessible from the main menu, with the potential for further titles and exclusives in the future. Luke Alvarez, President and CEO,
Inspired, said: “Novomatic is one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world, and the combination of our award-winning content with Novomatic’s platform will no doubt deliver a unique and compelling customer experience. Italy is an important market for Inspired, and it’s exciting to be offering our content to more customers in partnership with Novomatic,’ he added.
This announcement was made in tandem with the news that Inspired would also release a range of new and upgraded content in retail venues and online with leading Italian operator, SNAITECH. Mike Tyson Boxing is now available on a mixed Virtual Sports channel across SNAITECH’s Italian retail estate. In addition, a bespoke lane-based version of Inspired’s Rush Sprints 2 product will be added to SNAITECH’s dedicated racing channel. Steve Rogers, Chief Commercial
Officer, Digital Games, Inspired, said: “Mike Tyson Boxing is one of our most innovative and compelling product launches of recent years, and it’s exciting to be bringing it to the Italian market for the first time with SNAITECH.”
Twelve40 integrates Wazdan content
L
eading lottery and instant win provider Twelve40 has penned an agreement with
Wazdan to integrate the provider’s entire games portfolio into its proprietary platform. Wazdan content including video poker, table games and more than 100 video slots such as Wild Guns and Dracula’s Castle will be made available to Twelve40’s partners under the terms of the deal. The partnership will also
provide Twelve40 with access to Wazdan’s catalogue of added value video slot features, including Volatility Level, Double Screen Mode, Unique Gamble Feature and Energy Saving Mode. Nigel Renouf, Business Development Director at
Twelve40, said: “Elevating the services that we offer to our platform partners is a key consideration for Twelve40, and bringing on board Wazdan’s premium collection of top performing slot titles and casino games is a big step in the right direction. We have been impressed by the consistency and quality of their delivery, and we look forward to enjoying a long and productive relationship.” This latest agreement continues
the extension of Twelve40’s platform, having recently integrated Spiffx sports betting games and VSoftCo virtuals.
community, with several major operators suffering an immediate and sharp drop in share price. William Hill’s dropped as much as 14% while Paddy Power Betfair went down 4%. GVC, which owns Ladbrokes Coral, also saw shares drop 7%. GVC’s takeover offer for Ladbrokes Coral was dependent on FOBT stakes in the UK market. The deal included Ladbrokes Coral shareholders receiving 32.7p per share and 0.141 new GVC shares, with a further contingent entitlement of up to 42.8p depending on the government ruling on FOBT stakes.
William Hill completes Australian business sale W
illiam Hill has finalised the sale of its Australian division to CrownBet
Holdings after securing regulatory approval. Last month, Stars Group upped its stake in CrownBet to 80% as the firm signed a binding agreement to acquire William Hill Australia.
72 MAY 2018 The aggregate purchase price for
both transactions was approximately US$315m
(€257.8m). Of this amount, US$234m was payable in cash for William Hill Australia and the remainder payable in around 3.1 million newly-issued common shares of Stars Group for the
increased interest in CrownBet. A week prior to the announcement, Stars Group acquired 62% of
CrownBet for a fee of around US$117.7m. In January, William Hill said it
was considering selling the division over fears a gambling crackdown in the country could hit profit, with Bet365 and Paddy Power Betfair among the parties reportedly interested in a deal.
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