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IGT extends Manitoba VLTs supply

International Game Technology (IGT) is deepening its partnership with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) with a five-year central systems contract extension.

A news release states that the collaboration over the next five years will see IGT deliver an enhanced version of its INTELLIGEN video lottery central system to MBLL video lottery terminals.

INTELLIGEN currently connects nearly 6,600 video lottery terminals (VLTs) throughout Manitoba.

“With IGT’s enhanced INTELLIGEN system, MBLL can easily access insight into the status and performance of its VLT network,” said Nick Khin, IGT Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Gaming. “Developed to respond to the unique needs of our customers, INTELLIGEN supports the volume, complexity and security MBLL needs to operate its thousands of VLTs located throughout the region with confidence and efficiency.”

Under the terms of the extension, IGT will upgrade MBLL’s video lottery central system to the latest version of INTELLIGEN, which includes improved network diagnostics. MBLL will also receive several iLINK Ultras, IGT’s latest retailer site controller that has a separate point-of-sale device and logic box for increased flexibility, and an updated user interface with improved features for the retailer.

As the leader in the regulated video lottery industry, IGT deploys its INTELLIGEN systems worldwide, connecting a wide range of VLTs in a variety of gaming environments. The software is built on IGT’s more than 25 years of central systems experience and offers stable, secure command and control capabilities.

In addition to VLTs and the INTELLIGEN central system, IGT also provides MBLL with commercial casino cabinets, games, and the IGT ADVANTAGE casino management system, as well as IGT PlayCasino games.

FansUnite launches Money Line’s sportsbook

Vancouver-based betting and gaming company FansUnite has launched the online betting platform of its white-label partner, Money Line Sports, on its Chameleon Platform.

Money Line Sports is an Ontario-based SaaS technology company focused on developing licensed, digital streaming content and tools for the growing land-based and online gaming sector. It allows online operators to offer customers solutions including live streaming events, odds, and player stats including aggregating sportsbook data.

In addition to the Money Line sportsbook powered by Chameleon, Money Line offers streaming OTT sports including odds feeds, premium insights and subscription-based live sports streaming. Its sports betting platform will offer a strong portfolio of gaming products including esports and traditional sports.

Money Line will market the new gaming platform to its streaming service subscriber base in countries and regions that are accessible via FansUnite’s Maltese gaming license, and will continue to target new markets as they materialize.

“We are excited to launch Money Line’s platform today,” said Scott Burton, CEO of FansUnite, in a news release.

“Through their extensive reach in a range of betting jurisdictions, Money Line will be able to enter new markets and deliver a complete array of gaming solutions to a large audience. We will continue working with the Money Line team to add new features and products to give their customers new and exciting offerings, and expand their reach.”

NeoPollard adds Pariplay content to Play Alberta

NeoPollard Interactive (NPi) has collaborated with Aspire Global’s subsidiary, Pariplay, to roll out the brand’s new digital gaming content to Alberta, Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis’ (AGLC) PlayAlberta platform.

Enhancing its presence within Canada, the deal will see Pariplay supply the only regulated online gambling website in Alberta with its hundreds of online casino, instant win, scratch card, and bingo games with a single, streamlined integration through its online Fusion content aggregator platform.

“We are excited to enter the Canadian marketplace through our joint efforts with NPi to capitalize on the opportunities that the North American market offers,” said Tsachi Maimon, CEO, Aspire Global. “As a market-leading aggregator of game content, we have established ourselves as a trusted supplier to the industry as we continue to offer the best content in the market. We look forward to continued collaboration with NPi to supply engaging content to AGLC.”

RELATED: Atlantic Lottery becomes NeoPollard’s first North American digital content partner

Pariplay holds licences in New Jersey and West Virginia but the company noted this new collaboration with NPi marks a “major milestone” for the company’s expansion into the North American lottery market.

“We are very excited to work with Pariplay – a well-established and renowned content provider – to further expand the game titles and verticals we offer on Play Alberta’s portal,” added Liz Siver, general manager, NeoPollard Interactive. “As a dedicated partner to AGLC, NPi is committed to continuously enhancing the technology, games, and Power Suite services we offer to give players in Alberta a unified online gaming experience. More importantly, with Pariplay’s wide variety of game content, AGLC has the opportunity to produce incremental proceeds to the good causes it supports throughout the province.”

OLG launches enhanced retail sports betting

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has announced that it is now offering sports bettors in the province “a complete gaming experience” with new sports betting products at retailers under its PROLINE brand.

Players can now place single-event wagers on a variety of sports at approximately 10,000 retailers across Ontario as well as online through the PROLINE+ platform.

Along with single-event bets, the new PROLINE at retail locations gives sports bettors other benefits including new sports, events, and markets to place bets on; system bets that remove the “all-or-nothing” approach of traditional parlay bets; novelty betting such as awards shows; and same-day payouts at retail locations for wins of less than $1,000.

Players can build their bets using the new PROLINE Bet Builder App and complete the transaction by presenting the app-generated barcode to the retailer, or they can continue to use selection slips found at the retailer.

“It is a big day for sports bettors in Ontario,” says OLG President and CEO Duncan Hannay. “OLG is giving our customers a new and exciting sports gaming experience. For the first time, legal single event wagering will be available to sports bettors in Ontario who want to bet on the Super Bowl LVI and many other events. Bets can be made in a safe and secure betting environment in locations hosted by our valued lottery retail partners.”

An OLG release says the new PROLINE products are expected to generate more player interaction at retail locations, contributing to retailer commissions and economic recovery in Ontario.

While Ontario is set to open up its market this spring, 0LG is currently the sole provider of legal in-store and online sports betting in the province. 100 per cent of OLG proceeds are reinvested in Ontario.

OLG has offered parlay sports betting products at retail locations for almost 30 years, beginning with the existing legacy PRO•LINE product launched in 1992 followed by POINT SPREAD in 1996 and PROPS and POOLS in 2004.

IGT earns LGBTQ+ and equality recognition

International Game Technology (IGT) has been recognized for its commitment to LGBTQ+ and equality, being listed on the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality designation after receiving a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).

The CEI assesses corporate policies and practices with regards to diversity, inclusion and equality in the workplace.

“IGT earning the HRC Foundation’s ‘Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality’ designation is a reflection of our commitment to provide a workplace culture that is welcoming, equitable and empowering to LGBTQ+ employees across the globe,” said Vincent Sadusky, IGT CEO. “I wish to thank our approximately 11,000 employees worldwide, especially members of PRIDE with IGT, who together with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion embrace and activate IGT’s core values and contributed to this milestone achievement.”

The HRC measures four key pillars to assess a company’s commitment to equality, including non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility.

“When the Human Rights Campaign Foundation created the Corporate Equality Index 20 years ago, we dreamed that LGBTQ+ workers — from the factory floor to corporate headquarters, in big cities and small towns — could have access to the policies and benefits needed to thrive and live life authentically,” added Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Programs, Research and Training.

“We are proud that the Corporate Equality Index paved the way to that reality for countless LGBTQ+ workers in America and abroad. But there is still more to do, which is why we are raising the bar yet again to create more equitable workplaces and a better tomorrow for LGBTQ+ workers everywhere. Congratulations to IGT for achieving the title of ‘Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality’ and working to advance inclusion in the workplace.”

Since 2018, IGT has implemented an array of policies to make its staff feel equal at work, including gender-affirming medical benefits for transgender employees, competitive benefits for same-sex partners regardless of marital status, and gender-neutral restrooms at major IGT campuses.

“This designation reinforces that IGT’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is focused on impact,” concluded Melissa Pursley, IGT Vice President Co-Executive Sponsor of PRIDE with IGT. “Many in the LGBTQ+ community still struggle to thrive at work, and as a senior leader at IGT and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am proud that IGT has taken consistent steps to ensure that this is not the case for our colleagues.”

Blackjack, roulette prove most lucrative casino games

New figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) have shed light on which casino games are proving the most lucrative.

The NGCB announced last week that the gambling capital of North America’s 400 largest casinos won more from players in 2021 than in any year in history. It turns out that while blackjack continues to be the most popular table game in the casino, the No. 2 game last year was roulette.

Even with new variations of the game that include more double and triple zeroes, roulette’s 424 units statewide collected US$428 million, a 103 per cent increase over last year, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Roulette hold by the casinos was at 19.87 per cent.

Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs for Las Vegas-based Global Market Advisors, suggested that was due in part to shifting customer preferences and enthusiasms for different games and the level of play, as well as new versions of the classic roulette.

Nevada’s 1,958 blackjack tables — by far the largest segment of table casino games — won US$1.13 billion from players in 2021, 75.8 per cent more than in 2020. Blackjack tables won 14.1 per cent of the number of bets wagered.

The most popular slot machine denomination in 2021 was the penny slot, with 47,822 units across the state. They won a total US$3.758 billion from players last year, a 59.7 per cent increase over 2020, and those machines held 9.85 per cent of the money put into them.

The lowest casino win percentage among slot machine denominations in Nevada, and therefore the highest win percentage for players, was seen on nickel slots. Casinos collected just  5.31 percent of the money that went into the machines. The worst bet by the numbers was penny slots, with 9.85 per cent hold and the popular quarter slots, from which casinos kept 8.04 per cent.

At tables and other games, three-card poker proved lucrative as casinos held 31.53 per cent of the amount wagered.

While sports betting revenue was up 69.4 per cent over 2020, casinos kept just 5.46 per cent of money wagered on sportsbooks in 2021.

Bussmann added that while there should be some caution as economic forces continue to put potential headwinds on gaming revenue, there is still room for growth as these segments have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Ontario First Nation contests iGaming plan

After details of the Ontario government’s planned unrolling of its new online gaming market beginning April 4, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN) community says it plans to challenge the decision, claiming it violates a constitutional right to consultation with Indigenous leaders.

In a statement, the MSIFN calls the iGaming plans “deeply flawed” and a move that will financially devastate their economy while setting back decades of community development efforts.

Kelly LaRocca, Chief of MSIFN, called the announcement a “slap in the face of First Nations, and reduces their promises of reconciliation to a joke.”

Scugog Island is home to the First Nation-run Great Blue Heron (GBH) Casino and Hotel.

The First Nation says the provincial government has ignored section 35 of Canada’s Constitution, claiming the Ford government utterly failed to hold formal consultations with Indigenous governments – a violation of its duty to consult and accommodate impacted Indigenous groups.

“The Ford government has recklessly ignored our concerns and has not offered any strategies to address the impact that their inadequate plan will have on our First Nation, our culture and our ability to provide services to our community,” said LaRocca. “We intend to challenge the province’s iGaming scheme in court.”

One of Canada’s largest casino operators, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, has also spoken out against the Ontario government’s plan.

Tony Rodio, CEO of the company which operates 25 properties across the country, said per CTV News he is “disappointed by today’s decision, which puts thousands of good-paying jobs and billions of dollars in government revenue at risk in favour of jobless, offshore online gaming.”

Before the announcement of Ontario’s plan on January 28, a report aligned with Great Canadian and conducted by HLT Advisory had warned the province over its iGaming roadmap.

Ontario’s licensed iGaming market to launch April 4

Ontario’s new open iGaming market finally has a launch date.

The province’s online gaming market is set to go live on April 4, 2022. iGaming Ontario (iGO), a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), will conduct and manage iGaming provided through private operators acting on behalf of the province.

Beginning April 4, private gaming operators that have registered with the AGCO and have executed an operating agreement with iGO can begin offering their games to players in Ontario. A theoretically unlimited number of private companies will operate gaming sites in the market on behalf of the province in accordance with these agreements.

Ontario’s will be the first licensed and regulated iGaming market in Canada and will provide players with a broader selection of legal bookmakers. In contrast, most other provinces have appointed their lottery corporations to oversee new forms of betting. Alberta will allow private sportsbooks, but on a much more limited model than Ontario.

The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) applauded the January 28 announcement.

“This is another major milestone and achievement for Ontario’s gaming industry after sports betting,” said Paul Burns, President and CEO of the CGA. “The move to establish a regulated iGaming market in this province will ensure that the people of Ontario have access to safe and legal gambling options online while encouraging investment and job creation in Ontario. We finally have the opportunity to safeguard the economic benefits that will start to flow to licensed gaming operators and the provincial government.”

iGaming market

Operators wanting to participate in Ontario’s iGaming market as an agent of the province must first be registered by Ontario’s gaming regulator, the AGCO, and then also execute an operating agreement with iGO.

Several of the biggest names in sports betting have already voiced interest and made moves to bring their bookmaking operations to Ontario. Major U.S. players such as BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel are expected to compete in Ontario against domestic rivals such as Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and theScore.

Unlicensed operators will also no longer be able to advertise in the province.

“Operators can start making concrete plans now, and everyone is excited to see what happens,” the CGA’s Amanda Brewer told The Parleh. “There’s no upside to not getting a licence.”

Martha Otton, iGO Executive Director, assured consumers that rigorous standards will be upheld.

“Prevention of underage access, ensuring compliance with applicable laws including anti-money laundering rules and regulations, and measures to enable more responsible gambling are just a few of the assurances consumers can expect in the new market as of April 4,” she said. “Today, most internet gaming by Ontarians takes place on websites not conducted and managed by the province. Our new internet gaming market will give consumers enhanced entertainment choice, support the growth of a new, legal market and generate revenue that can help fund programs and services that benefit all of us.”

The launch will be the culmination of a long-term effort to open up a new iGaming framework, an intention first announced back in 2019. The government, the CGA, and leading advocates have longe stressed that the market will offer more protection for consumers, provide new opportunities for land-based operators, and pull in some of the betting revenues that are currently going to grey-market sportsbooks and gambling websites. The CGA estimates Canadian sports bettors are wagering approximately $10 billion annually through illegal bookmaking operations and more than $4 billion through grey-market offshore sites. By comparison, it’s estimated that just $500 million is wagered through legal provincial sports lottery products.

Ontario has a population of roughly 15 million, which would make it the fifth-largest North American jurisdiction and the second biggest market in the continent’s regulated sports betting and iGaming sector to open to date. It is predicted to generate gross revenues of nearly $1 billion in its first year of operation. Once it launches, Ontario’s iGaming market is expected to be one of the most competitive in North America.

SG Digital, IGT, & Evolution lead North American game charts

The latest Eilers-Fantini Online Game Performance Data Insight Report has shown that SG Digital, IGT, and Evolution outstripped rivals to lead the North American game-rank charts through the final six months of 2021.

This game-rank history aggregates data across monthly reports to give an overall average rank, as well as the number of times that each game and supplier was represented in the group’s charts.

Evolution and SG Digital dominate the top-five rank history with games featuring 40 per cent and 33 per cent of the time, respectively. Evolution drops to 13 per cent when looking at the top 25.

Meanwhile, IGT overtook the group with 23 per cent to finish ahead of SG’s 22 per cent.

The table games ranking is dominated by IGT, which lists two of the top three titles in Blackjack and multihand Blackjack and featured 60 per cent of games in the top five. Evolution, which slotted in behind with 27 per cent, rounded off the top three with Blackjack Surrender.

When it comes to focusing on slots, Evolution’s Bonanza and Extra Chilli iGaming titles sandwich SG’s 88 Fortunes offering at the top of the charts. Each of those has spent all of the past six months occupying spots in the top five.

Through the first six months of performance data collection across the U.S. online casino market, slots accounted for 70.4 per cent of estimated gross gaming revenue (GGR), ahead of table games’ 16.0 per cent. These were followed by live casino’s 8.1 per cent, instant win’s 3.4 per cent, and video poker at 2.1 per cent.

The ranking compares the per cent of total games, or positions, against the per cent of total theoretical revenue generated from those games. A positive share is when the per cent of total theoretical revenue generated exceeds the per cent of total games, while a negative fair share is the inverse.

In the latest rankings, slots and instant win resulted in negative shares due to boasting total games tracked of 84.9 percent (theo win 70.4 per cent) and 4.8 per cent (theo win 3.4 per cent), respectively.

The report also looked at blackjack and found that RNG blackjack accounts for just 17.3 per cent of total blackjack win, while roulette comes in at 59.6 per cent. Evolution’s Live Dealer Roulette currently leads that segment, while IGT’s Blackjack is top in the RNG standings.

Kings Entertainment eyes online growth after CSE listing

Kings Entertainment, the company which owns LottoKings, has outlined its plans to target the online casino vertical in 2022 as it launched on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE).

The firm said it plans to “focus on revenue growth in the profitable online casino vertical, while continuing to grow its core online lottery operations”.

Kings Entertainment has already struck deals with Red Tiger and Oryx Gaming for its virtual games and Evolution Gaming for its live casino content, partnerships which it said has given it access to “world-class” online casino offerings.

It added its that it intends its launch on the CSE to “attract and engage an international player base and expand into the live dealer casino games and sportsbook sectors”.

Kings remain optimistic of “significant growth” over the course of 2022 as it continues to execute on its core lottery strategy and accelerate the expansion of its global casino business.

“As we look back at 2021, we were successful in building a solid foundation that will support significant expansion and position the Company to realise robust future growth,” said Steve Budin, CEO of Kings Entertainment. “We performed well on our KPIs, successfully diversified into casino and enhanced our operations and product offerings. We’ll leverage this success to accelerate our evolution through 2022.”