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IGT Selects Sightline’s JOINGO as its Preferred Mobile Casino App Solution

International Game Technology (IGT) is deploying Sightline Payments’ proprietary mobile loyalty platform, JOINGO, as its preferred mobile app solution for casino operators that are leveraging IGT casino management technology.

A Sightline press release notes the agreement builds on the existing delivery of cashless gaming solutions using Sightline’s digital commerce platform Play+ and IGT’s suite of products including the IGT ADVANTAGE casino management system, the Resort Wallet and IGTPay cashless solutions, and the PlaySports platform.

IGT’s SVP Global PM VLT, Systems, Payments & Poker, Ryan Reddy, stated: “As the adoption of cashless solutions continues to grow in our space, questions around mobile app strategy come up more and more. Working with Sightline to offer their industry-leading mobile loyalty platform allows us to answer those questions while giving us the chance to focus on what we do best, providing our partners the best products to deliver the best experience for their customers.”

Sightline’s SVP Mobile, Kirk Olson, added: “Sightline is constantly looking at ways to innovate to improve the customer experience. Expanding our relationship with IGT enhances our ability to transform the casino gaming industry. Leveraging IGT’s leadership across the gaming industry with Sightline’s best-in-class technology will provide casinos nationally with an innovative, guest-friendly experience that will accelerate the adoption of cashless gaming.”

JOINGO enables casino brands to create their own unique mobile apps and the solution is being utilized by nearly 100 casinos across the U.S. JOINGO’s cloud-based system allows operators to send targeted messages, create geofences, and view advanced analytics through personalized and interactive mobile campaigns.

In October, IGT and Sightline announced Play+ as a funding method for IGT’s land based cashless wagering solutions, Resort Wallet, and IGTPay. By adding Play+ into IGTPay, players can fund their Resort Wallet accounts via Play+ and then use those funds for gaming and entertainment at casino properties.

Both companies’ solutions were recently honoured at the 2021 Global Gaming Awards, where IGT received the Product Innovation of the Year for its Resort Wallet and IGTPay solutions and Sightline’s Play+ was named Payment Solution of the Year.

New IWG e-Instant Game Goes Live with BCLC

Lottery games provider Instant Win Gaming (IWG)’s new eInstant game featuring second-chance prizes has gone live with its long-term partner, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).

BCLC is the first to begin offering the InstantReplay-enabled game, which features a jackpot prize that is awarded through a second chance drawing, notes a press release.

InstantReplay is available within IWG’s InstantRGS platform, which has been integrated with a number of lotteries across Europe and North America.

“We see InstantReplay as a fantastic addition to a lotteries toolkit. Second chance drawings are especially well suited for traditional lottery players purchasing eInstants for the first time,” said IWG CEO Rhydian Fisher. “InstantReplay builds upon our recently released InstantPulse which updates eInstant visuals at pre-set moments, and InstantJackpot which adds progressive jackpot prizes to eInstants. Credit to the great team at BCLC for being the first to offer an InstantReplay-enabled eInstant.”

OLG Brings its Retail “Pick” Games Online

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has announced that it has launched its popular selection of retail “Pick” games on its website.

OLG has made Pick-2, Pick-3, and Pick-4 available to all Ontario-based players on olg.ca and its mobile app, adding to the growing number of games available on its digital channels.

Similar to the retail versions of the games, players still have a chance to win twice-daily jackpots ranging from $99 to $5000. Winnings from the online versions of the games will go directly into the players’ OLG.ca wallet.

Pick-2 is the most simple version of the game on offer, giving players a daily chance of winning a jackpot of $99 from picking any two-digit number. Pick-3 runs on a similar format, but players must pick a triple-digit number, with the opportunity to win 50 per cent of the total sales for the draw during the day. Pick-4 asks players to pick a quadruple-digit number, offering players the chance to win a $5000 jackpot.

“We are obsessed about our players, and that’s why we want to provide variety to their online gaming experiences by adding our Pick games to OLG.ca,” says Dave Pridmore, OLG’s Chief Digital and Strategy Officer. “If our customers enjoy their online gaming experience, that helps make our business stronger and our ability to give back to the people of Ontario even greater.”

Sports Betting and Responsible Gaming Discussed at SBC Summit North America

As Canada gears up to launch its revamped and expanded sports betting market, potential operators are preparing their plans. Part of that involves embracing sponsorship opportunities and partnerships with leagues, teams, media, and so forth.

While advertising hookups are a tried and tested method and will appeal to Canada’s vast market of bettors and sports fans and help capitalize on Bill C-218, they can also potentially expose vulnerable citizens and populations.

At the recent SBC Summit North America, a Player Protection Symposium was held to discuss these issues, featuring sponsorship and speakers from the likes of IGT, Sightline Payments, Entain, Sportradar, and Caesars Entertainment.

During the “The Importance of Player Protection: A View from the Top” session hosted by Epic Risk Management, IGT’s newly anointed President of Sports Betting, Joe Asher, stressed that the increase of advertising will “clearly” lead to an increase in people with problem-gambling issues, and that everyone involved with the continued rollout of sports betting in Canada and the U.S. must help to combat that.

Asher admitted it’s “a very complex and complicated issue” to resolve fully due to the number of operators seeking market share in jurisdictions like Ontario. He suggested one solution could be media companies limiting the number of sports betting commercials they air, perhaps with gaming operators bidding for airtime during programming hours.

Meanwhile, GeoComply founder Anna Sainsbury noted that while legislators in new sports betting markets legislators quiz operators on issues like age and ID, geolocation, and responsible gambling, the company is seeing that systems and processes in the industry aren’t supporting responsible gaming as holistically as they are with things like random number generators.

“I think, as the industry is opening up… we have this opportunity to put responsible gaming into the fundamental platforms that we have to ensure compliance and integrity in the rest of our systems,” Sainsbury said.

Certainly, educating both players and companies is key.

In the “Exploring the Converging World of Media & Betting” session, Jason Logan, senior industry analyst for Covers, noted there is “a lot of bad information” for gamblers. Covers’ coverage and offerings, he said, are aimed primarily at educating players that there are smarter options and methods when it comes to betting on sports.

During a separate session, “Player Protection with Innovation & Technology,” Sightline Payments SVP of Strategic Development & Government Affairs, Jonathan Michaels, stressed that while gaming operators have done well in adding responsible gaming tools to apps, land-based operators must not forget their duties.

“What we’re really focused on is how do you bring that similar experience, the tools to be able to reach responsibly, into the brick-and-mortar setting,” Michaels said.

That was echoed by Melissa Etherington, vice president of partnerships at Gamban, who emphasized that companies must acknowledge that problem gambling can’t be addressed haphazardly.

And Carolene Layugan, responsible gaming program director for Caesars, noted that it’s not just about having technology and automated systems in place, but also ensuring that staff members have the tools and knowledge to identify signs of problem gambling.
 

Check out more from the SBC Summit North America here.

IGT, Scientific Games, DraftKings Win Big at First SBC Awards North America

The inaugural SBC Awards North America were held last week on the final evening of the SBC Summit North America in New York City and DraftKings, IGT, and Scientific Games were among the big winners.

Most notably, DraftKings was named the Sportsbook of the Year and BetMGM was awarded Casino Operator of the Year.

Meanwhile, the independent judging panels selected Bally Interactive as Rising Star of the Year and Entain as Socially Responsible Operator of the Year. PointsBet took the Marketing Campaign & Sponsorship honor and GAN collected the Social Gaming Operator prize.

Rush Street Interactive’s Richard Schwartz was named Leader of the Year and Scientific Games was recognized as Employer of the Year. Scientific Games also took home a second prize in the form of the Lottery Supplier of the Year title, while Evolution claimed the Casino Supplier title.

IGT PlaySports also enjoyed a successful evening in the supplier section, winning both the Platform Provider and Land-Based Betting & Gaming Product honours, and taking silver in the Industry Innovation of the Year category won by ArdentSky.

Among the other winners were OpenBet, which collected the Sportsbook Supplier award. Sportradar won the Sports Data / Living Betting Product category, Sightline Payments triumphed in the Payment Solution section, and Nuvei won the Payment Innovation prize.

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of event organizer SBC, said: “Competition for the SBC Awards North America was fierce across all the categories, underlining the staggering progress made by the industry here over the past three years. Huge congratulations to all the winners selected by our independent judging panels. To have succeeded against such a high standard of opposition is a real mark of quality that the team from the victorious companies can be very proud of. We’d like to thank all the SBC Awards North America sponsors for their support and for helping to make this such a fantastic occasion. We’re already looking forward to the second edition of the Awards in July 2022.”

AGEM Index Ends Streak of Record Growth With First Decline Since July

The AGEM Index‘s run of setting new monthly records is over as it suffered its first decline since July 2021 in November.

The Index had set a new record high for the last three months in a row, culminating in a benchmark of 1,077.92 points in October 2021. However, in November, it fell by 117.72 points to 960.19, a 10.9 per cent decline.

Still, year over year, the Index is up 328.47 points for a significant annual growth rate of 52 per cent, representing a strrong rebound from the pandemic-affected difficulties of 2020.

The Index is at its highest levels in history, tripling in value since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

AGEM notes that all AGEM Index companies reported decreases in stock price over the period, and that the recent decline in the overall index can be attributed to a number of factors, including rising concerns of the omicron COVID-19 variant which trigged stock sell-offs, poor quarterly earnings performances, instability in the U.S. dollar exchange rates, and rising inflation.

Of the AGEM Index companies, Aristocrat suffered the largest decline, with a 5.5 per cent drop in overall stock price resulting in a minus 48.00-point contribution to the AGEM Index. Meanwhile, Scientific Games’ 20.1 per cent decline in stock price resulted in a 27.11-point drop for the overall index.

The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) produces the monthly AGEM Index that comprises 13 global gaming suppliers throughout the world. A total of nine suppliers are based in the United States and are listed on the NYSE, Nasdaq, or OTC market, while two trade on the Australian exchange, one on the Tokyo exchange, and another trades on the Taiwan OTC exchange. The index is computed based on the month-end stock price (adjusted for dividends and splits) of each company and weighted based on approximation of market capitalization.

North Bay Cascades Casino Set to Open in Early 2022

Gateway Casinos and Entertainment’s Cascades Casino project in North Bay, Ontario, is now expected to open for business in early 2022.

The official opening date of the casino, which had initially been scheduled to open in 2020, will be announced shortly, reports the North Bay Nugget.

The site of the casino broke ground in 2019 before construction was derailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Work resumed in April 2021 the Nugget reports things are looking “encouraging” for an opening date in 2022.

“It’s on schedule and we’re quite focused and pleased with the progress we’ve made” said Rob Mitchell, director of communications and public affairs for Gateway Casinos. “We believe strongly that North Bay will be a great market for us.”

The casino project is expected to cost $31 million and create up to 300 jobs when open.

The North Bay casino is currently in the process of hiring staff for its opening in the new year and will be hosting a virtual job fair from Dec. 7 to 15. Available positions include shift managers, card dealers, cooks, bartenders and kitchen staff, technicians, cleaning crews, and more.

Mitchell said he has been in constant communication with North Bay Mayor Al McDonald’s office and local MPs to ensure everything remains on schedule for the 2022 opening.

IGT Lottery Operations Recertified by World Lottery Association

International Game Technology (IGT) has announced that its lottery operations, including its ilottery program, have been recertified by the World Lottery Association (WLA) for WLA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Standards and Responsible Gaming Framework for Suppliers.

Thoe responsible gaming standards were created by WLA to minimize the impact of problem gambling by promoting a worldwide accreditation program for gaming industry operators and suppliers.

“Responsible gaming is engrained into the fabric of what we do at IGT. From our products to our people and programs, it remains at the forefront of all decisions,” said Wendy Montgomery, IGT SVP, Marketing, Communications and Sustainability. “This recertification from WLA reinforces our leadership and commitment as a responsible vendor, as well as demonstrates the effectiveness of our responsible-gaming technologies that we provide to our lottery customers worldwide.”

“IGT is one of the most influential responsible gaming leaders in the gaming industry,” said Mélissa Azam, WLA Senior Corporate Social Responsibility Manager. “Its decades-long responsible-gaming commitment spans the company’s products and solutions and is a key component of its corporate culture. The WLA fully supports this recertification for IGT’s lottery operations.”

A WLA-approved assessor, EY, conducted the assessment of IGT’s lottery operations to determine its WLA recertification and provided an independent auditor’s report on IGT’s alignment with the eight sections of the WLA standards, including research, employee programs, product and service development, remote gaming environment, advertising and marketing communications, client awareness, stakeholder engagement and reporting.

Auditor General Review Suggests Legal Risks Around Ontario’s Private iGaming Market

Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk’s review into the planned iGaming market in the province found that it could face legal challenges.

The Criminal Code of Canada currently bans all commercial gambling unless it is conducted and managed by a province, and the government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) is currently the only legal provider of iGaming in the province.

However, Ontario is intending to open the market to private operators in early 2022 in a process managed by the iGaming Ontario subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. In the annual Auditor General’s report released on December 1, Lysyk noted that proposed model could create some legal problems down the road as it could ultimately see a lot of power and risk bestowed upon private-sector operators in the market.

“As a result, there is legal risk with respect to whether iGaming Ontario meets the ‘conduct and manage’ threshold set out in the Criminal Code,” the report stated. “Consideration for whether a province has illegally delegated the ‘conduct and manage’ function in a gaming scheme to a private entity has been the subject of past legal challenges in Canada. We conclude that iGaming Ontario’s business model could be subject to legal challenges.”

Lysyk recommended the provincial government “take appropriate steps to ensure compliance with the Criminal Code” before the launch of its planned iGaming market, expected to be in the first quarter of 2022. She also raised concerns about the governance structure of iGaming Ontario and about how the entity plans to ensure the integrity of games, writing that the AGCO holding regulatory responsibilities over both iGaming and iGaming Ontario’s lottery schemes creates “inherent conflict” between iGaming Ontario’s goal of generating profit-based revenue for the province and the AGCO’s goal of effectively administering regulatory oversight of the gaming sector.

RELATED: AGCO Opens iGaming Registration System to Operators & Suppliers

The auditor added there is “limited public information” about the specific steps iGaming Ontario will take to ensure the integrity of games offered by private-sector operators, noting that those key responsibilities have been entrusted to the private sector.

Lysyk recommended removing the governance and operating responsibilities for iGaming Ontario from the AGCO and potentially transferring iGaming Ontario’s reporting relationship to the Ministry of Finance.

“The government will take any additional steps it considers necessary to address any legal risks associated with the proposed framework for Internet gaming in Ontario,” the government said in response to Lysyk’s recommendation. “Given the approach taken to date, and that any risks associated with a conflict of interest between the functions of the AGCO and iGaming Ontario have been addressed through the structure and requirement for supplementary policies, the benefits of maintaining the status quo outweigh the operational risks and fiscal impacts of establishing a new reporting structure for iGaming Ontario.”

The government also noted the AGCO has developed integrity standards for the iGaming market, including that all games have to be tested and certified by an independent lab, and has set up an iGaming Compliance Unit.

Scientific Games Bringing ELK Studios Content to Canada

Scientific Games is boosting its iGaming portfolio by acquiring Swedish games developer ELK Studios and distributing its content in Canada and the U.S., as well as continuing to strengthen its position in the UK and Europe.

The studio’s games are already live via Scientific Games’ OpenGaming platform.

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, ELK specialises in mobile games, and has launched titles such as Wild Toro II, Katmandu, and Cygnus. It has also created X-iter, a feature that allows players to engage with a range of predefined game scenarios and modes.

Following the acquisition, it will continue to develop new content independently, albeit with the added benefits of Scientific Games’ scale and reach, game IP, and data analytics.

“Acquiring ELK Studios demonstrates once again our commitment to make targeted, value enhancing investments designed to advance our cross-platform content capabilities,” Scientific Games’ president and chief executive Barry Cottle said in a release. “The highly synergistic combination of their top-ranked games and our leading OpenGaming ecosystem offers exciting distribution opportunities in the U.S. and Canada.”

“We see it as the perfect time to join the Scientific Games team, given that our ambitions to grow through innovation and into the U.S. and Canada are in total alignment,” added ELK chief executive Filip Säfbeck. “This acquisition offers us a solid base to bring to market a wide range of exciting new slots more smoothly than ever to online casino partners across the globe.”

The acquisition is the latest in a line of Scientific Games deals in recent months as it looks to expand its digital and iGaming portfolio and cement its market position. The company recently agreed to purchase live dealer specialist Authentic Gaming, marking its first foray into the vertical, and it also added gaming content studio Lightning Box in August.

That’s all part of Scientific Games’ strategy after it sold its lottery business to Canadian investment firm Brookfield Business Partners and divested its OpenBet sports betting business to IMG owner Endeavor in September, in order to shift towards operating as a pure gaming business.