Archives February 2024

American online casino operator Rush Street Interactive Incorporated has announced that it is planning to launch into the Canadian province of Ontario from early next month after being registered by the jurisdiction’s gaming regulator.

The Chicago-headquartered firm used an official Thursday press release to detail that its application with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario could allow its mobile-friendly online casino and sportsbook at BetRivers.ca to go live for aficionados living in Ontario from as early as April 4. The company stated that it already runs a free-play version of this service aimed at those in Canada’s most populated province and now intends ‘to satisfy all remaining regulatory requirements’ in order to be ready to roll out a real-money compatriot.

Proper pledge:

Rush Street Interactive Incorporated is also behind the Colombia-facing domain at RushBet.co as well as the Pennsylvania and New Jersey-licensed PlaySugarHouse.com site. The firm’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Schwartz, used the press release to declare that the move into Canada will serve as ‘an important milestone’ and show the commitment of his company towards ‘operating only in legalized markets where we pay local taxes.’

Read a statement from Schwartz…

“We are now one step closer to launching the BetRivers.ca real-money online casino and sportsbook in Ontario and bringing unique betting options such as our innovative peer-to-peer slot tournaments and same-game parlays, fast payouts and award-winning customer service to the province’s millions of residents. Our free-play social gaming platform has experienced strong traction in Ontario to date and we look forward to offering those players similarly entertaining and responsible experiences when our real-money offerings come on April 4.”

Confident challenger:

The notice from Rush Street Interactive Incorporated was followed by a declaration from Swedish competitor LeoVegas AB that it had similarly been registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The Stockholm-headquartered iGaming enterprise disclosed that this move should analogously allow it to begin offering online casino, live-dealer and sportsbetting entertainment to punters in the Canadian jurisdicton via its RoyalPanda and LeoVegas-branded domains from as soon as April 4.

Tempting territory:

The Chief Executive Officer for LeoVegas AB, Gustaf Hagman, used an official Monday press release to proclaim that his firm now intends to complete ‘the necessary onboarding steps’ so as to further grow its presence in an Ontario market that currently accounts for approximately 13% of its total revenues. The boss additionally asserted that his company’s domain at LeoVegas.com is already ‘the third most well-known online casino brand in the Canadian market’ while its RoyalPanda.com site ‘has shown strong growth’ to indicate its services are ‘appreciated by North American customers.’

A statement from Hagman read…

“Our full focus now is to complete the process and we look forward to launching in a regulated environment. Given our track record and knowledge of operating in regulated markets, we continue to have high expectations and ambitions for continued growth in the Ontario market.”

Pioneering provision:

Finally, prominent online casino games developer Play‘n GO has revealed that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario recently awarded it with a supplier licence, which means that its titles will be able to be deployed by any of Ontario’s certified iGaming sites. The Malta-licensed innovator used a Monday press release of its own to note that this accreditation is to additionally allow such Canada-facing domains to feature its wide range of video slots including the five-reel Rise of Olympus, Tome of Madness and Book of Dead advances from next month.

Expansion exercise:

Magnus Olsson (pictured) serves as the Chief Commercial Officer for Play‘n GO and he pronounced that regulated iGaming markets are ‘vital’ to the business strategy of his firm and ‘the industry as a whole’ as these help to ‘ensure a safe gaming environment for players’. He subsequently divulged that his company’s entry into Ontario represents only the first stage in its ‘North American entry strategy’ as it soon intends to begin making its innovations available to punters in selected jurisdictions of the United States ‘for the very first time.’

Olsson’s statement read…

“Ontario is an important province representing some 40% of the population of Canada and we look forward to players there enjoying our games. With Ontario’s regulated market opening, followed by our entry into the United States, it’s set to be an exciting year for Play‘n GO.”

On the heels of its first slot release for the month of March, Swedish slots specialist Quickspin is now live with SkillOnNet’s popular operator partners.

Under the terms of the content integration first announced in early January 2020, the Playtech Group subsidiary’s full suite of games can now be engaged by way of the provider’s online casino partners, including white label brands such as the UK-focused operator, PlayOJO, along with AHTIGames, and LuckyVegas, the latest brand to launch via the SkillOnNet platform.

Games access:

The deal allows their players to enjoy such Quickspin classics as Easter Emeralds, Big Bad Wolf and Sakura Fortune, as well as more recent hit releases like Sticky Bandits: Wild Return, and reactor game Golden Glyph.

Additionally, players will be able to access all of the Stockholm-headquartered studio‘s new releases going forward, according to the official press release.

For SkillOnNet, Michael Golembo, said…

“We have curated one of the largest game portfolios in the industry which will now be strengthened with the addition of Quickspin and their awesome games. Quickspin is renowned for creating chart-topping slots that deliver a thrilling and exciting player experience and we are delighted to be able to offer them to our operator partners and their players.”

Chief Commercial Officer for Quickspin, Paul Myatt, added…

“SkillOnNet powers some of the most popular online casino brands in the world and we are thrilled to be able to offer our games to their players. Our games combine stunning graphics and illustrations with smart math to deliver a market-leading player experience that has seen our slots top charts at casinos in Europe and beyond. We believe they will be just as popular with SkillOnNet’s operator partners and, more importantly, their discerning players.”

Welcome to the jungle:

As mentioned, Quickspin just released its latest video slot, Panther’s Reign, that transports players to the Amazon for a once-of-a-lifetime adventure where the big cat is the king of the jungle. In addition to exciting features such as the random, Wild Spray, the high volatility game also offers a maximum win potential of 5,202x the stake.

SkillOnNet Network adds iconic brand:

Meanwhile, SkillOnNet recently signed an exclusive agreement with leading mobile gaming company Gaming Realms for its iconic Slingo brand. The deal not only significantly expands its global footprint, but also gives the site’s players access to more than 3,000 additional games from some of the industry’s top developers.

Veteran operator Prime Gaming, owner of top brands such as MegaCasino.com and ICE36.com, will market Slingo on the SkillOnNet Network.

Commenting on the strategic deal in an official press release, Chief Financial Officer for Gaming Realms, Mark Segal, said…

“SkillOnNet is behind some of the most successful online casino brands in the world and we wanted to leverage its technology and experience to drive Slingo.com forwards. Through SkillOnNet’s platform and licences we know we can operate in new markets around the world with utmost compliance. This marks the start of a new chapter for Slingo.com, one that we believe will be a great success for the brand.”

A fiery new online slot game has been released by Red Tiger, offering players a new game within the Power Reels series. Phoenix Fire is now live, a 8×6 slot game featuring a Super Wild, extra spins and more extra spins, with win potential reaching over 1,900x!

Features of the Game:

Once Phoenix Fire is loaded, players will see the grid is huge, thanks to the 8×6 layout. All wins will pay adjacent from anywhere on the reels, so players can earn matches in a less traditional sense. Look for the extra spins symbol to earn more spins in the game. Three or more symbols on the reels will trigger more spins for players at no cost!

The online slot also includes the Phoenix Wild which will turn adjacent winged symbols into wilds. The Phoenix may decide to activate which will turn all the winged symbols on the grid to go wild. When this happens, the winged symbols are hit with fire and open up to become wild symbols with any new wins shown.

According to Red Tiger Gaming…

The new Phoenix Fire Power Reels game can be played via several devices. The developer configured the game so that it would work via desktop, tablet and smartphone. Players can easily access the Red Tiger game on the go or from home, in several available languages.

Joining Mega Pyramid:

Phoenix Fire now joins other new games by the provider, including Mega Pyramid. Released in late July, Mega Pyramid features classic Egyptian symbols on a 5×4 grid. Players can earn mega wins in the game of more than 5,000x.

Activate the Pyramid Eye in the game to see the top of the pyramid come to life, choosing one symbol to highlight. The chosen symbol will then become cloned to help player earn more wins. Extra spins are also up for grabs with 10 spins provided when three extra spins symbols are seen on the 1^st, 3^rd or 5^th reels.

CasinoDays.com is now live! The premier online casino of Rhino Entertainment, this new site launched this week on the suite of platform technologies of Pragmatic Solutions. The new B2C iGaming group was founded by veterans of the industry and has been anxiously awaiting to start offering services via the new site.

Choosing Their Partner:

For Rhino, they chose Pragmatic Solutions as their provider as they offered a full-stack solution that helped push the timeline to market at a faster pace. They also provided a solid foundation technologically that would benefit not only CasinoDays but also future brands of online casinos the company plans to launch.

Managing Director, Ross Parkhill, commented on the partnership by stating: “My partners and I have extensive experience with platform technology and had a very clear brief for what we needed for Rhino Entertainment multi-brand business strategy.  Pragmatic not only qualified with the quality of their platform but also had a partnership mentality to supporting our business and has been responsive to our demands for CasinoDays.  We are raising the bar for online casino entertainment and we choose a partner that was fit for the challenge.”

Visitors to the venue will find the brand offers gaming solutions for players located in several regions in varying languages. The site offers a nice selection of top-tier games.

Partnering with Relax Gaming:

Speaking of casino games, it was just this week that Rhino announced they had partnered with Relax Gaming for its new casino brand. The Malta-based provider will be supplying its larger portfolio of games to the site.

Due to the agreement, CasinoDays will offer proprietary slot games of Relax including Money Train, Hellcatraz and Temple Tumble, among many others. The deal also includes third-party content such as those from Fantasma Games and 4ThePlayer.

British online casino and sportsbetting solutions innovator SBTech has announced the signing of a ‘landmark’ deal that has seen it partner with Danske Spil A/S in order to help the Danish national lottery operator launch a new virtual offering at Youbet.dk.

Licensed by the Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom, SBTech described the new online casino and sportsbetting domain as ‘a best-of-breed casino hub’ that will eventually offer in excess of 1,000 games alongside a range of ‘live casino products’ developed by studios from around the world.

SBTech declared that Youbet.dk is utilizing its sportsbook engine to offer ‘unparalleled event coverage and in-play betting’ as well as numerous types of proprietary wagers and unique features such as Add2Bet, Pulse and Action Betting. The firm stated that the new domain for players in regulated markets is moreover employing its Chameleon360 online casino platform with a plethora of analysis, regulatory reporting, anti-money laundering, payments and management features.

Richard Carter, Chief Executive Officer for SBTech, described the partnership with Danske Spil A/S as ‘another major milestone’ for his firm as it endeavors to cement its position as a ‘leading provider of fully managed platform solutions and services to state lotteries and major operators in regulated markets worldwide’.

“I look forward to working closely with Danske Spil A/S and to building the success of this exciting new brand,” read a Tuesday statement from Carter.

For his part, Niels Erik Folmann (pictured), Chief Executive Officer for Danske Spil A/S, detailed that SBTech had shown ‘a profound understanding of our needs’ throughout the request for proposal process and has met its needs ‘for a partner that will drive the success of our new brand through cooperation and co-creation’.

“The sportsbook and casino platform looks good as does the roadmap for new features,” read a statement from Folmann. “We are now taking the next step towards faster growth by adding a new brand to our portfolio, targeting players who demand a deep sports and casino offering.”

American land-based and iGaming behemoth Scientific Games Corporation could reportedly bring in up to $3 billion via the upcoming float of its global lottery division on the Australian Securities Exchange.

According to a report from GGRAsia, the Las Vegas-headquartered firm may commence this initial public offering before the end of the week in hopes of garnering up to 14 times the lotteries arm’s most recent earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization. As such and the source detailed that Scientific Games Corporation is expecting approximately $974 million of the cash to come from ‘cornerstone’ investors after earlier telling prospective backers that the enterprise holds a 69% share of an American market thought to currently be worth roughly $101 billion a year.

Considered course:

Scientific Games Corporation reportedly began talking about a possible divestiture of its lotteries business in June following the completion of a comprehensive strategic review. The Nevada company purportedly declared that such a move could potentially allow it to ‘drive long-term sustainable value’ and de-leverage so as to reduce a deficit that currently stands in the region of $9.1 billion.

Lucrative likelihood:

GGRAsia reported that the coming move from Scientific Games Corporation could represent one of the most lucrative non-privatization floats the Sydney-headquartered bourse has ever seen and place it in the same territory as the almost $4.3 billion undertaking completed by the government-backed Medibank Private Limited in 2014. The around $7.4 billion initial public offering from telecommunications giant Telstra Corporation Limited in 1997 purportedly remains the largest such action for the Australian Securities Exchange while Latitude Financial Services holds down the top spot so far this year at about $1.9 billion courtesy of its own late-April listing.

Proposed procurement:

Scientific Games Corporation reportedly pronounced in June that it was investigating the possibility of spending as much as $1.9 billion in order to purchase the 19% stake in online casino games developer SciPlay Corporation that it does not already hold. This Nasdaq-listed target was spun off in 2019 and offers a portfolio of seven core titles encompassing the popular Gold Fish Casino, Jackpot Party Casino, Quick Hit Slots and Hot Shot Casino social titles as well as the casual Bingo Showdown, 88 Fortunes Slots and Monopoly Slots innovations.

Deliberate disposal:

More recently and Scientific Games Corporation reportedly struck a deal a little over three weeks ago to sell its OpenBet sportsbetting platform to Californian entity Endeavor Group Holdings Incorporated in exchange for $1 billion in cash and associated stock valued at about $200 million. This purportedly came exactly a year after American billionaire businessman Ronald Perelman offloaded his 34.9% stake in the company to a club of new investors that included Australian investments specialist Caledonia.