Monthly Archives: May 2022

Following its latest LatAm deal, Pragmatic Play has inked an important milestone deal with global online gambling company bet365 that will see customers of the British brand gain access to the multi-product content providers expansive slot collection.

Lauded by the Malta-based supplier as a hugely important moment, bet365 customers can look forward to choosing from among award-winning titles such as the 2017 hit Wolf Gold,the mythology-themed video slot Gates of Olympus released in February 2021, as well as more recently launched games Chicken Chase and Drill That Gold. Each of which can be accessed in Pragmatic Plays rapidly expanding portfolioof more than 200 HTML5 titles.

Drops & Wins:

Also part of the agreement, bet365 will take part in the providers wildly successful Drops and Wins promotions, including Daily Prize Drops & Weekly Tournaments,which award players extra prizes while playing their favorite game. The concept that started in January 2020, sees Pragmatic Play award players 1,000,000 a month via its operator network which spans slots and Live Casino verticals.

Key Territories Growth:

In addition to the massive UK regulated market, the collaboration also sees Pragmatic bolster its presence in many other important territories. And follows numerous major partnership agreements in recent months between the provider and leading operators in the iGaming industry, including Gibraltar-based gambling company 888 Holdings for adedicatedlive dealerBlackjack studio for its flagship online casino brand,888casino.com andRomanias largest sports betting operator, Superbet, in March and April 2022, respectively.

Significant Scope:

Expressing the significance of the deal, Julian Jarvis, Chief Executive Officer for Pragmatic Play, said via company news

bet365 is a brand that needs no introduction. As the largest operator in our industry, taking our slots live with them is a hugely important moment for us as we continue to grow.

We pride ourselves on our premium, multi-vertical offering and this deal gives us significant scope to grow together with bet365.

Venezuela Moves:

The agreement, as mentioned, is on the heels of the providers new partnership with Venezuelan online casino and betting operator La Troya Hpica which sees three of Pragmatics leading verticals delivered simultaneously to the operators digital game lobbies in the South American country.

In addition to online slots such as Goblin Heist Powernudge,Clover Gold, and the high-flyingSpirit of Adventure, the operators customers in Venezuela will also have access to the providerslive casinoportfolio, which includes traditional card games likebaccaratandblackjack, as well as the game show-inspired title,Sweet Bonanza Candyland, and its virtual sports suite, which offers opportunities for betting on sporting events presented in market-leading real-time 3D graphics, including Fantastic League, Force 1, and Horse Racing.

Fans can also look forward to their favorite games developer launchingits next hit, The Great Stick Up, on May 19th. The high volatilitycrime-themed gameoffers free spins, a sticky mystery symbol and a progressive feature all wrapped up in a5,000x max win.

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Pragmatic Play online slots live with Bet363 - World Casino Directory

It's not easy to have a successful and leading business, but probably even less so in an industry as complex and ever-changing as the iGaming one. However, that's exactly what Ivan Montik, founder of SOFTSWISS, has done with the gaming solutions provider he launched more than a decade ago. "The company has been my primary focus and my biggest passion since 2009," he tells Yogonet. "It wasnt easy, as I had absolutely no experience in the industry and had to learn everything from scratch."

The company has now become a staple of the iGaming industry, empowering partners and clients in a number of areas, including online casino, sportsbook and affiliate marketing. Part of this success responds to the constant introduction of new features, including an early adoption of cryptocurrency in 2013, and the utilization of AI within operations. "SOFTSWISS remains at the forefront of innovation and provides the market with new technologies and ideas," Montik says with confidence.

In this interview with Yogonet, SOFTSWISS' founder reflects on his experience within the industry, the company's values and goals, and future expansion plans. Montik also discusses new technologies and the opportunities they open to operators, plus how his company leverages these developments within its own portfolio.

You have achieved several personal milestones within gaming throughout your career in the industry. How much would you say your personal experience has shaped the company and how do you assess your experience in this industry thus far? What new personal achievements would you like to reach in the future?

My personal achievements are all closely connected to SOFTSWISS, as the company has been my primary focus and my biggest passion since 2009. I have invested a great deal of time into studying iGaming and becoming an expert in this industry. Now I can say that the owner's personal involvement is extremely important in the early stages of developing a business.

It wasnt easy, as I had absolutely no experience in the industry and had to learn everything from scratch: gaming jurisdictions, regulator requirements, player preferences and rules of creating successful games, secure payment processing methods, complicated bank relationships, etc. iGaming turned out to be really complicated, but I was lucky to have people by my side who supported me in all questions and never gave up.

It is really motivating to see brands powered by SOFTSWISS get industry awards in such nominations as Best Casino of the Year, Players Choice, etc. SOFTSWISS itself became the Best Customer Service Company of the Year (2021) according to the International Gaming Awards (IGA) and 5Star Starlet Awards. That makes me very proud of what we have achieved together.

Now we have reached 1,000+ employees, and thats my big personal highlight, but also a big challenge. Running a company of this size requires certain changes in the management strategy, but staying flexible is my favourite motto, so Im ready for further growth. We will keep reaching out to new markets, developing country projects, expanding our product line with new high-end products and delivering top technology solutions to our customers. At 40, I feel very energetic and motivated to keep my company at the forefront of innovation.

The company has been vocal in its support for Ukraine amid the current geopolitical scenario, and has asked its colleagues to join its initiatives in this regard. How would you define the companys values, and what impact can SOFTSWISS make through its actions?

Our corporate values basically reflect the main human values, and the industry or type of business doesnt much matter here. We definitely put our customers as our top priority and focus on providing them with the highest quality service. To implement these goals, we need to take care of the relationships within the company and create an effective corporate culture. People are our main asset and I strongly believe that mutual respect within our teams and sincere support among our colleagues are the basic things we should start with. We are striving for open and honest communication with timely feedback and try to teach our employees to share the responsibility rather than compete.

We are trying to support the initiative and show people that a swift decision resulting in a mistake is still better than a delayed decision and a lost benefit. We try to be flexible in our processes and solutions, as the agile approach has proved to be the most effective one in running a company of 1,000+ people. Freedom of speech and opinion is also absolutely essential for the effective functioning of a company. Suppressing peoples opinions can only result in permanent dissatisfaction and lead to aggression.

If the world leaders would try to manage their countries based on the values above, I believe that we could avoid many mistakes and even tragedies, like the tragedy we are witnessing now. We are vocal in our support for Ukraine because now its absolutely important to call things by their names. What we are facing now is the war against humanity and no political motto can justify it. Many representatives of the IT business and iGaming, including SOFTSWISS and our partners, immediately reacted to the situation and took decisive actions to help people in Ukraine in all possible ways, from sending armour to helping evacuate women and children and providing them with shelter in neighbouring countries. We know each case of a life saved through our effort and will continue investing our time and money to help this disaster end sooner.

What plans does SOFTSWISS have for global expansion in 2022 and how will it approach new locations entered last year?

We are growing both in terms of the new offices and new geographical markets. For a company of 1,000+ people, it is hard to stay in one place. Besides, we need to keep competitive in the job market and offer the most comfortable conditions to our employees. Now people at SOFTSWISS can choose to work in Poland, Georgia, Malta, Estonia or Belarus, at any of the company offices. We also hire local specialists in these locations.

Expanding the geography of the markets is also our top priority. With the licences in Serbia, Greece, and Nigeria, we are reaching out to these promising regions and planning to launch country projects in cooperation with our partners in the near future.

What global trends do you, as a long-time representative of the iGaming industry, see in gambling right now? What should you pay attention to now, so that you won't be left behind in 5-10 years' time?

The most vivid trend that I see is the transfer from offline gaming to online gaming. It started more than a decade ago and will last for quite a few years. The land-based casinos will continue to lose profit and online gaming will be gaining popularity. The last couple of years of lockdowns have shown us how to work from home and we also mastered home entertainment. Many players seem to be comfortable with online games and do not strive to get back to the real-life experience. Fast penetration of mobile technologies into iGaming will strengthen this trend.

Crypto gaming also stays on top of the major industry trends. 2021 was a real breakthrough year for crypto. Our internal analysis showed that last year's growth was really amazing compared to 2020, and the share of crypto bets to fiat currency grew significantly. As the trend will obviously continue in 2022, iGaming wont miss a chance to use all of the benefits that crypto brings to the industry.

As crypto gaming gains momentum, does the company see operators actively seeking crypto solutions? What should they take into account before engaging with these technologies?

Operators interest in crypto solutions continues to grow. Many fiat-currency businesses are trying to jump in and get the benefits of the promising trend. The most popular mistake many of them make is an underestimation of the traffic costs for a crypto casino. They are much higher compared to those of real money casinos, because the sources are different and the competition involves various kinds of crypto projects, not just gaming sites. So, before getting into this business, it is crucial to evaluate your capability for traffic acquisition.

Continuing to talk about technology and innovation, what other trends, such as VR or AR, or the increasingly popular metaverse, should we expect to gain a footprint in gaming this year?

Talking about 2022 in particular, I dont think the year will be a breakthrough in terms of VR and AR in gaming. There have been very few cases of using the technologies in online casinos so far, and I dont observe any particular interest in them either from the operators or the players perspectives. With this lack of demand, the technologies are not developing as quickly as they could and theres very little content involving VR or AR for online casinos.

I can foresee the metaverse gaining more popularity in the next several years and stimulating the mass development of VR and AR technologies. However, mobile gaming still remains the present and the near future of online casinos. People are getting more and more attached to their mobile devices and are trying to manage their major activities with smartphones. Theres still a very large potential for development in this sphere, and its definitely too early to speak about the next generation of devices and technologies.

How does SOFTSWISS leverage artificial intelligence technology in its software and how do the companys products benefit from it? What advantages does the ability to analyse user behaviour and other similar analytics reports have to the industry?

Several years ago we created an R&D department at SOFTSWISS. Its main purpose is to investigate how artificial intelligence can be used in iGaming and to consult other departments on how to implement the technology in the most efficient way. AI has proven to be very effective in terms of improving online casino security as it can detect certain fraudulent intentions and take automated actions to prevent cheating. Our research has also shown that AI technologies are essential for analysing human behaviour and customising the gaming content according to the achieved data.

Approaching every player individually and providing them with a custom-tailored gaming experience can significantly increase their lifetime value which is basically what the operators are struggling for. However, the technology doesnt work the same for all projects and markets. Our experience has shown that for certain markets the human approach, in which managers analyse player behaviour and adapt the casino settings manually, is more effective than the machine learning approach. To put it in a nutshell, I believe that 90% of the future online casino operation will be performed by AI, but 10% will still need a more personalised human touch.

iGaming regulation is changing quickly, sometimes leaving operators behind. In what ways are they being affected, and what do you see as essential for a market to have in order to provide proper conditions to its operators?

Being flexible and open to innovation is absolutely essential for a modern regulator. Online gaming is a fast-evolving and highly technological industry, with new trends appearing every day and new projects entering the market, and the regulation should keep up to date with these changes. Unfortunately, very few jurisdictions can boast flexibility and an open approach to providing operators with adequate working conditions.

Unlike the industry itself, jurisdictions take really long to introduce the necessary changes, preferring stagnation over innovation and making it hard for the operators to offer new gaming experiences to players. Among the local regulators, I can only mention Estonia as a forward-looking jurisdiction. The Estonian local licence offers operators conditions similar to those of .com licences, which are more flexible and well adapted for the modern gaming market conditions. Other jurisdictions still have a long way to go.

SOFTSWISS has made a series of key announcements for its Affilka platform and the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook, which greatly improve the products, in addition to expanding the client list. What are the key new innovations SOFTSWISS is implementing within its portfolios, and how do they benefit clients? What impact do you expect them to have in the market?

SOFTSWISS Sportsbook and Affilka have both been developed to react to our clients growing demand for these products. Our aim was to make their online gaming business more attractive for players and more efficient from a management perspective. We used our profound understanding of the market trends and user needs to create the products that could complement the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform and games and provide our clients with a one-stop service for a successful online gaming business operation.

Some features implemented within the products are unique and completely new for the market. For instance, Affilka offers built-in payment processing, easy integration into any platform via API, ultra-flexible commission constructor and the possibility to have multiple brands under one affiliate program. The recently launched Reports API enables easy and convenient day-to-day communication with partners and provides real-time statistics on brands, marketing campaigns and player activity.

The independent research performed by our clients before choosing Sportsbook and Affilka showed that their functionality cannot be compared to that of any other product as it provides operators with strong competitive advantages and helps strengthen their position in the industry. As always, SOFTSWISS remains at the forefront of innovation and provides the market with new technologies and ideas. I expect other providers to follow the trend and implement our best practices within their products.

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"Mobile gaming still remains the present and the near future of online casinos" - Yogonet International

Details

The lengthy history of gambling in the United Kingdom has made it one of the most lucrative markets globally. Over the years, the law has taken different courses to protect minors and vulnerable adults from addiction.

The Gambling Act 2005, is the latest parliamentary act to govern gambling and also led to the formation of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission(UKGC). This is the regulatory body that supervises and regulates all gambling activities.

Before the Gambling Act of 2005, the government had established different Acts to regulate gambling. The first regulatory efforts were penned down in 1698, making all lotteries illegal unless operating under the statute's authority. It was not until the 20th century that the legalization and regulation of lotteries and bingo halls commenced.

This was through the 1934 Act followed by the Betting and Gaming Act 1960. Under these, small lotteries were legalized and bingo halls were established as members' only clubs. Even so, the Gambling Act 1968, is what set the precedent for the expansive gambling industry in the UK. This was by allowing more commercial casinos to be set up.

Online gambling and sports betting completely changed gambling through ease of accessibility, therefore, endangering minors and vulnerable adults. By 2005, this called for an update of the law in order to seal off any loopholes. Subsequently, the Gambling Act 2005 was passed and the UKGC was formed.

The Act had three objectives to fulfill which include;

Since then, there have been several amendments to ensure that the law is fit for the digital age.

As a measure to ensure the protection of vulnerable adults in the UK, the UKGC has a requirement for online casinos to be members of Gamstop. This is a self-exclusion program that helps gamblers to refrain from any gambling activities for a duration of their own choosing.

To use the platform, players have to register on the site's official website and choose a duration ranging from 6months to 5 years. During this period, players will not be able to access any online casinos in the UK. In addition, punters will not receive any promotions related to gambling.

It is legal for players in the UK to play on sites, not under Gamstop. These sites give players a way to bypass Gamstop self-exclusion. However, these sites will not hold a license from the UKGC. Also, these sites are not expected to market their products to UK players lest they lose their right to operate in the country.

There is a lot to expect from these sites. In this article about non-Gamstop sites, we highlight the advantages of wagering on these sites. Toping the list is that there is no limitation on maximum stakes nor bets to be placed. This is great for high rollers who prefer to place high stakes.

Moreover, non-Gamstop sites offer extensive gaming libraries to encompass different slot and table titles. The bonus offers are also extensive and offer players reasonable wagering requirements and easy ways to cash out.

When compared to Gamstop sites, players don't have to complete their exclusion times as requested earlier. They can always change their exclusion period when they feel they are okay to resume gambling.

As mentioned, any casino that doesn't comply with the Gamstop mandatory requirement doesn't receive a license from the UKGC. While this may be one of the most prestigious licenses around the world, there are other renowned licensing bodies. These include Malta Gaming Authority, Curacao eGaming, and Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

Casinos licensed by these regulatory bodies also have to follow stringent measures and rules. For instance, these casinos are expected to ensure players' funds have been protected plus use encryption to protect and secure private and financial data.

Moving forward, gambling will only intensify as mobile gaming continues to take the lead. With this, the commission is expected to tighten sanctions and standards to curb any violations and fulfill its threefold objectives. Players can expect an additional reduction in maximum stakes.

Identity verification will be more strict to protect minors and reduce the chances of multiple accounts. Players will also have to prove the source of their funds in a bid to reduce the chance of problem gambling. Clearly, these changes will strive to be beneficial to problem gamblers.

DISCLAIMER: Branded Voices features paid content from our marketing partners. Articles are not created by Native News Online staff. The views and opinions expressed in the Branded Voices are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Native News Online or its ownership. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

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How gambling laws in the UK changed over the years - Native News Online

Delegates at this months CasinoBeats Summit 2022 will have their say on what has been the most innovative slot release of the last 12 months during a special CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards live voting session on the final day of the conference.

The session, at the InterContinental in St Julians, Malta on 26 May, will see the studios behind the titles shortlisted in the hotly-contested Game Innovation awards category present their games to an audience of igaming industry executives and product specialists.

The presenting companies will also take questions about their exciting new mechanics or gameplay features from three members of the expert judging panel: Melanie Hainzer (CMO, Rootz), Josefine Hellstrm (Head of Casino Casumo), and Allan Auning-Hansen (CEO, CEGO).

Once they have heard the presentations and the answers to the questions, the audience will be invited to vote for what they believe is the most innovative game.

The winning game, which will be chosen based 50 per cent on judges scores and 50 per cent on the audience vote, will be announced at the Game Developer Awards ceremony at the Hilton, Malta that evening.

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: The online casino industry continues to break new ground, with the design and development teams of both long-established and new studios launching a succession of fantastic new games to entertain players.

The special Game Innovation session at CasinoBeats Summit is a great opportunity to celebrate the teams behind the standout recent releases, hear more about the technology used in the slots, and to have your say on what you think is the best game of the past year.

The titles shortlisted for the Game Innovation category are:

The CasinoBeats Summit 2022 conference and exhibition takes place at the InterContinental in St Julians on 24-26 May, and features a line-up of 160 igaming industry experts sharing insights and ideas about topics including the next generation of slots and live casino games, emerging market opportunities, and the impact of the latest technological developments.

Full details of the event, including how to book a pass, can be found at the Summits website.

The second edition of the annual CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards, on May 26, will celebrate the teams behind the most innovative and creative slots titles of the past 12 months. For information about booking a table at the ceremony, please contact [emailprotected].

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CasinoBeats Summit 2022 to showcase most innovative new games - Casino Beats

Fairplay India official website for online betting

Fair play is one of the best betting sites and casinos that offers users a large number of sports and over 200 casino games. The site uses software from well-known developers such as Evolution Gaming, Microgaming and Ezugi. The site also offers a large number of payment systems with which you can withdraw your winnings.

Fairplay India is quite a young site, which opened in 2019. Nevertheless, during this time she managed to collect a lot of positive feedback from users and earn a good reputation. The site has a gaming license of Curacao, which means that Indian players can spend time here, confident in the safety of their data and money.

The site offers betting on dozens of sports, including cricket, or casino games including live dealer games. A 100% first deposit bonus awaits new players, while everyone else gets weekly rewards and referral bonuses.

One of the main advantages of Fairplay Indian players can play here in rupees. At the same time from the payment methods a lot of convenient options are available: payment by card, e-wallet, cryptocurrency or bank transfer. A list of all available payment methods can be viewed on the site. In this case, start the game will be able to the player with any financial capabilities, because the minimum deposit at Fairplay only 500 rupees.

In case of various kinds of problems, you can contact the round-the-clock support team by e-mail or live chat on the website.

Advantages of Fairplay:

Disadvantages:

Each new player waits for a welcome bonus of 100% up to 3,000 rupees on the first deposit. There are a total of three bonus options available:

To be able to withdraw your money, you must wager a bonus with a 20x wager. For example, if your bonus is 1,000 rupees, you need to make bets of 20,000 rupees.

To get the bonus, you need to:

In addition to the welcome bonus, there are other bonus options that active players can take advantage of.

The following payment systems are available for deposits and withdrawals on Fairplay:

All deposits are credited instantly and are free of charge. Withdrawal is charged at 1% commission and can take up to 12 hours. The minimum withdrawal amount is Rs. 1,000.

At Fairplay, Indian players will be able to place both pre-match bets as well as view live streaming and betting. One of the attractive features of Fairplay is that you can bet on cricket here.

Indian players will be able to bet on:

In order to play casino games and betting on Fairplay, a special app has been developed. It allows you to use Fairplays services anytime, anywhere at high speed. The mobile client is available for both Android and iOS.

You can download the app for free on the official website. Your device must have 1GB of RAM or more to work properly.

The casino offers hundreds of different games including slots, roulette, baccarat and more. There are many varieties of these games on the site, and there is also an opportunity to play with real dealers. The company uses only quality software from reliable developers. For example, the slots use a random number generator with a good payoff, so the winnings will always be achieved only in a fair way.

Read: FC Barcelona set to get new Economic Boost

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Fairplay Club - betting and online casino with great bonuses - TechnoSports