Imperium-Games Prepares to Dazzle at iGB L!VE in Amsterdam: Meet Us There!

Amsterdam, the city of innovation and cutting-edge ideas, will host one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year for the iGaming world—iGB L!VE 2024, taking place from July 16-18. And guess what? Imperium-Games is more than ready to make waves at this prestigious event, showcasing our latest innovations and connecting with industry leaders like you.

At Imperium-Games, we live and breathe gaming, so it’s no surprise that we’re bringing a powerhouse lineup of tech and solutions for operators looking to stay ahead of the curve. This is your golden opportunity to dive into our newest offerings and discover how we can elevate your iGaming platform to the next level.

What Can You Expect From Us?

At iGB L!VE, we’ll be presenting our latest suite of games, software solutions, and groundbreaking technologies that you absolutely must experience:

• Next-Gen Gaming Solutions: Get a sneak peek at the next generation of slots, live casino APIs, and platform integration tools designed to maximize player engagement and operator efficiency.
• Cutting-Edge Blockchain Technology: We’re pulling back the curtain on the future of secure and transparent transactions for gaming. With blockchain, we’re ensuring operators and players alike benefit from a safer, faster, and more reliable gaming environment.
• Tailored Solutions for Every Operator: Whether you’re a startup looking to make waves in the industry or an established operator aiming to refine your offering, we’re bringing custom solutions for every need. Be it back-end management or game diversification, we’ve got you covered.

Why Should You Meet Us There?

This event isn’t just about what we have to show—it’s about building connections and fostering partnerships that will take your business to the next level. Our team will be on hand to answer your questions, demonstrate live demos, and offer personalized insights into how our solutions can enhance your operations. Plus, we’ve got some exciting surprises lined up, so trust us when we say you’ll want to be there!

Save the Date!

Mark your calendars for July 16-18 and join Imperium-Games at iGB L!VE in Amsterdam. Let’s take this chance to meet face-to-face, explore the latest trends, and discuss how our innovations can drive your business forward.

Merkur Gaming has celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its Peruvian office. This was a joint commemoration between business partners, clients and employees. Gauselmann Group’s Management Representatives were also present to rejoice this milestone, which involved a ceremony at Lima’s exclusive Country Club Hotel.

Country Director for Merkur Gaming Perú, Ronald Diaz, opened the event with a statement that embodied the business venture’s headway and accomplishments: “Year by year, we’ve managed to reinforce our brand appearance and improve our results.

“This has allowed Merkur Gaming to establish itself as one of the leading providers of gaming machines and games in the Peruvian market over the past ten years.”

He went on to say in his opening speech: “This successful development is mainly thanks to all of our qualified employees who give their best day by day and have made a significant contribution to today’s success.”

Throughout the event, several employees were awarded for their individual efforts in helping to build the status of the Peruvian office. One individual to be recognised for his instrumental efforts from the start was Tomás Mieles, who was responsible for the business development phase.

Chief Executive, International, Athanasios Isaakidis commented: “Merkur Gaming Perú has developed exceptionally well in the past ten years and has contributed enormously to the continued expansion of our business in the promising and future-strong gaming market in Latin America.

“Reflecting on all the unforgettable highlights of the past years together with our clients and business partners makes this celebratory event truly enjoyable.” 

The anniversary ceremony closed with a party that continued well into the early hours of the morning.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India has released an advisory paper, requesting that all advertisements for gambling products cease immediately across all platforms.

Five main avenues have been listed in the advisory paper, those being newspapers, television channels, online news outlets, online advertisement companies and social media platforms.

Attached to this latest advisory were three previous statements, all released by the Ministry within the last 14 months.

Kshitij Aggarwal, Ministry Deputy Director of Digital Media, explained in the statement: “The above-mentioned Advisories clearly mention that betting and gambling is an illegal activity and hence advertisements/promotion of such activities directly or indirectly on any of the media platforms fall foul of various statues, including under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Press Council Act 1978, etc.”

It may be noted that recently, the Central Government has taken action against a network of agents who had collected substantial money from users of gambling apps and subsequently funneled the funds out of India.

In this regard, it may be noted that advertisements of gambling or betting platforms not only pose significant financial and socio-economic risk for the consumers, especially youth and children, but also have links to money laundering networks, thereby threatening the financial security of the country.”

The advisory continued to explain that there had been a noticeable increase in advertising around major sporting events, such as cricket tournaments.

With a number of major international cricket tournaments approaching, the Ministry has released this advisory letter as a reminder to organisations, emphasising that ‘the Government would be constrained to take appropriate action under the various statues’ if any further advertisements are shown.

This announcement comes only a week after the Maharashtra Government, one of the largest states in India, repealed its 1976 Casinos Control and Tax Act and effectively banned casinos in the region.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has introduced a new regulatory framework for offshore gaming licensees.

PAGCOR has introduced a new regulatory framework to address illegal activities linked to offshore gaming operations in the Philippines.

PAGCOR’s Assistant VP for Offshore Gaming Licensing, Jessa Fernandez, expressed in a recent Senate Committee Hearing that under the new framework, all licensees and service providers were declared under probationary status and were directed to re-apply until 17 September 2023.

The new regulatory framework has been in effect since July 2023.

Fernandez said: “All service providers who are accepting bets are required to apply for a licence.”

Furthermore, she also stated that PAGCOR will evaluate the owners of operators, and will hold them liable if they are involved with any illegal activity.

Fernandez added: “Entities with findings of activities outside their granted licence or accreditation will not be granted a licence under the new framework. Likewise, licensees or service providers who shall not re-apply, or were granted licence within the given period shall be endorsed for cancellation.”

Aside from implementing a new regulatory framework for offshore gaming, PAGCOR has instituted reforms that will impose stricter sanctions on all aberrant licensed offshore gaming operators and service providers.

Among other reforms that are now in effect, Fernandez said further reforms will be: “Submission of reports to enforcement agencies for investigation and verification of findings; enhanced coordination with relevant government agencies; and stricter implementation of regulations and imposition of heavy penalties to licensees and service providers who violated existing regulations.”

The Chicago Department of Planning and Urban Development has officially accepted the proposed site plan for Bally’s Chicago Casino.

The mixed-use entertainment area’s construction is scheduled to start in late 2024. Over 3,000 full-time employments are expected to be created because of the $1.7bn development.

Renderings of Bally’s Chicago’s future permanent casino resort have also been made public.

A casino, food hall, restaurants, a theatre, an event space, a museum and exhibition area, VIP sections as well as a 500-key hotel are all part of the new casino resort development, which takes advantage of the urban riverfront site.

The more than 10 acres of outdoor space include a park for the neighbourhood, which will allow different programs like farmers markets and art fairs.

Joyen Vakil, Bally’s Senior VP of Design and Development, said: “Inspired by the city’s interplay – grit and grandeur, structure and the organic, historically-charged and cutting-edge – the design of Bally’s Chicago creates a sense of wonder and adventure accessible to everyone.

“The plan is focused on bringing in nature and wellness through the addition of numerous public plazas and parks.”

Several minority-owned enterprises with a presence in Chicago are part of the development team. The project’s master plan was created by SCB (Hotel, Rooftop Restaurant, Spa and F&B Venues) in association with V3 Companies, Gensler, and Site Design Group.

Gensler is designing the casino, museum/exhibition space, theatre/event center, F&B venues, river walk, south park and public realm.

The construction combines green space, venues for arts and entertainment and upscale hospitality spaces.

Vakil said: “We are confident that this team will bring to life this one-of-a-kind urban space. The exciting design celebrates Chicago’s motto, urbs in horto–a city in a garden–and creates a dynamic public realm on site.”

Bally’s will be the debut National Media Rightsholder and Exclusive Fantasy & Gaming Partner of MiLB.

Live video feeds and exclusive gaming content will be broadcast across Bally’s digital platforms.

Soo Kim, Chairman of Bally’s Corporation Board of Directors, said, “This exciting partnership presents a remarkable opportunity for Bally’s, MiLB, and the league’s teams to come together and collaborate on delivering an exceptional experience for MiLB’s more than 30 million fans across 120 teams and ballparks.

“With a rich legacy of innovation, Bally’s is dedicated to leveraging its expertise to elevate engagement and create truly immersive experiences that are sure to captivate and delight MiLB fans.”

The recently announced Bally Live platform will also be included in the partnership.

This means both fans watching games from inside the stadium and remotely through live streams will be able to share chat rooms and watch party features.

Players who participate in these immersive tools, such as trivia and predictor games, will be able to earn redeemable Bally Bucks.

Kenny Gersh, EVP, Media and Business Development for MiLB, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to have Bally’s Corporation as an Official Partner of MiLB.

“Since assuming operations of Minor League Baseball in 2021, we’ve focused on growing the reach and awareness of our impressive young prospects and iconic MiLB teams.

“Bally’s Corporation will be a critical partner for us in achieving that goal, providing extensive distribution of live MiLB broadcasts and enhancing the fan experience with fun and predictive free-to-play, fantasy, and real-money games that uphold the integrity of the sport.”

Rolling Hills Casino & Resort in Corning, California, will deploy Acres’ Cashless Casino technology application, a component of its Foundation platform.

Acres noted that it expects Cashless Casino to go live at the casino in the first half of 2023, with the latest deployment resulting in the technology solution being available in 10 US states at a total of 22 casinos, across almost 31,000 slot machines.

“We always support the approach to deploying innovative technologies to provide our players with a great gaming entertainment experience, and Acres’ Cashless Casino application furthers this focus,” said Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians Tribal Chairman Andrew ‘Dru’ Alejandre.

“The deployment of Cashless Casino on our gaming floor will allow us to further improve our guest experience by providing players with a seamless, easy-to-use cashless funding option.”

Acres added that its Cashless Casino application works on any slot machine or table game, with casinos needing only to provide a mobile app and select a payment processor to deploy it. The app then becomes the user interface, ensuring that branding is fully compatible with the rest of the operator’s player-facing options.

Rolling Hills General Manager Steve Neely commented: “Cashless Casino will help us increase our engagement with players while also providing us with operating efficiencies.

“The easy and quick implementation timing for Cashless Casino was a key factor in our selection of this technology for our cashless gaming functionality, and we look forward to working with the Acres team to bring this new feature to our players in early 2023.”

Yggdrasil and ReelPlay partner for new release

Yggdrasil and ReelPlay have partnered to deliver the latter’s latest release; Festival 10K Ways.

Yggdrasil’s partnership with ReelPlay represents a strategic move, leveraging Yggdrasil’s innovative GATI technology to streamline game development. This collaboration empowers ReelPlay to rapidly distribute unique titles like Festival 10K Ways across a vast network, enhancing their market reach. By utilizing Yggdrasil’s standardized toolkit, ReelPlay maximizes efficiency while ensuring each game retains its distinct flavor and appeal, a critical factor in today’s competitive gaming environment.

ReelPlay’s expanding portfolio, anchored by the 10K Ways franchise, continues to captivate both operators and players alike. The combination of Yggdrasil’s technological prowess and ReelPlay’s imaginative game design exemplifies how industry partnerships can redefine player experiences. Festival 10K Ways, with its high win potential and culturally rich theme, reflects the strength of Yggdrasil’s platform in facilitating groundbreaking content that resonates globally.

Yggdrasil and ReelPlay Drive the Future of Turnkey Gambling Software

This partnership also underscores the importance of adopting a reliable casino software solution to enhance the efficiency and innovation of game distribution. By combining their strengths, Yggdrasil and ReelPlay offer a dynamic example of how casino aggregator can accelerate game production and broaden global reach, providing operators with cutting-edge tools to captivate their audience.

The game features the Chinese lucky charm symbol Fu, with the 6-reel, 10,000 ways slot offering wins up to 10,000 by way of the Bonus Respins feature. It aims to ‘bring good fortune’ to players wanting to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The game is the latest title that contains ReelPlay’s proprietary IP to be produced as part of the YG Masters portfolio. This follows on from releases Arr! 10K Ways and Bananaz 10K Ways.

“This celebratory slot promises to offer good fortune to anyone wishing to immerse themselves in this beautifully designed Asian-inspired release,” said Yggdrasil Head of Product & Programmes Stuart McCarthy.

“With up to 10,000 ways to win and thrilling chains of explosions to further post-payout potential, we fully expect ReelPlay’s latest 10K Ways game to be a huge hit with operators and players alike.”

As with all YG Masters titles, the latest release is powered by Gati, Yggdrasil’s technology that enables partners to employ the standardized development toolkit to produce content, followed by quick distribution.

ReelPlay CEO David Johnson commented: “Festival 10K Ways is the latest instalment in our proprietary 10K Ways franchise. The 10K Ways series has fast become recognisable and trusted by operators and players alike. 

“Festival 10K Ways is a simple yet infinitely re-playable game offering exciting features and solid mechanics, wrapped in a sensitively considered and best-in-class production of art, animation, and sound.”

Last week, operator of Casino de Monte-Carlo, Société des Bains de Mer, reported a strong increase in revenue for the first six months of 2022/2023. Here, Gambling Insider dives into the figures and looks at what drove a successful half-year of growth for the casino operator.

Last year (2021/2022), a year still feeling the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, Société des Bains de Mer’s H1 dip in results was no surprise. Although lower than the casino’s pre-pandemic €408.6m H1 results for 2019/2020, reporting €311.4m ($327.4m) in revenue for half-year was not as bad as it could have been given the slew of lockdowns gripping European nations at the time. 

The operator of what is arguably Europe’s most iconic casino would, therefore, have been delighted to see €432.3m reported for H1 2022/2023, an amount greater than that reported in H1 two years prior – a pre-pandemic era.  

The result of strong revenue for the latest half-year means operating profit has risen to €91.9m, an increase on the €50.1m profit reported for the first six months of last year. What’s more significant is profit, just like revenue, is up on the company’s pre-pandemic H1 2019/2020 figure of €69.4m. 

This marked difference is made evident in the casino’s impressive income for H1 2022/2023, taking €918.8m. The year-on-year upturn is vast; the Casino de Monte-Carlo only generated €45.6m for the first six months of the fiscal year 2021/2022.  

Of the operator’s segments, a rise in revenue from hotel services, understandably, saw the greatest growth. The Casino de Monte-Carlo saw hotel revenue hit €235.4m in H1 2022/2023, compared to €140m for the prior-year period. This represents a 68% rise in revenue year-on-year.  

Revenue from gaming was up, rising from €112.6m in H1 2021/2022 to €131.3m in the half year 2022/2023. Although a rise, this growth is not as impressive as that from the operator’s hotel segment, perhaps reflecting customers’ renewed willingness to travel, but not necessarily gamble.  

However, things weren’t all rosy for Société des Bains de Mer’s casino resort on the French Riviera. The operator reported a negative financial result of -€2.3m for H1 2022/2023, a larger negative amount than the -€1.5m reported for the same period last year. 

This marked difference is made evident in the casino’s impressive income for H1 2022/2023, taking €918.8m. The year-on-year upturn is vast; the Casino de Monte-Carlo only generated €45.6m for the first six months of the fiscal year 2021/2022

The operator does note, though, that the shedding of its 47.3% stake in Betclic Everest Group in June 2022 played a part in this, given the revenue losses from Betclic.  

Selling its stake to Dutch operator FL Entertainment at an agreed amount of €850m, half of the amount was paid to Société des Bains de Mer in cash, while the other half was in the form of shares in FL Entertainment.  

This also included Société des Bains de Mer receiving 4.95% of the voting rights in FL Entertainment, holding 10.39% of the company’s economic interests.  

Therefore, despite contributing to a slightly worse negative financial result of -€2.3m for Société des Bains de Mer in H1 2022/2023, the sale amount resulted in the operator generating what it calls “exceptional” profit of €813.5m on its financial statement for H1 2022/2023. This also accounted for a positive share in the revenue of €15.6m for the first six months of 2022/2023.  

These positive results for Société des Bains de Mer mean the operator had greater cash flow from its business in the first six months of the fiscal year, growing to €116.3m from €82.4m in the prior-year period.  

The after-effects of Covid still linger over the controlling company of the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Despite selling its Betclic stake and a marked upturn in hotel revenue, its debt as of 30 September 2022 stood at €470.6m, compared to a debt of €30m in the prior-year period, when the effects of Covid hadn’t fully taken its toll on businesses.  

But, although a large amount of debt to clear, Société des Bains de Mer says it remains committed to its investment programmes. With the sale of its Betclic stake refuelling its pockets with much-needed cash, the company still managed to invest €70.5m in the first half of its 2022/2023 fiscal year. 

The Global Gaming Awards are the most trusted and prestigious Awards in the gaming industry, recognizing and rewarding the strongest performers across the previous 12 months.

The Awards are powered by Gambling Insider and independently adjudicated by KPMG in the Crown Dependencies. BetConstruct is the event’s lead partner.

There are three Global Gaming Awards events a year.

The first event of the year is held in London, usually in early February, and rewards success achieved by operators and suppliers across Europe and Africa.

Our second event rewards companies who have been successful across the Asia region.

The flagship Global Gaming Awards event is held in Las Vegas every October and recognizes the most successful companies and individuals from the Americas region.

Companies are always nominated on merit and the reason for their nomination is made public in the official Shortlist magazine. It is also seen by the Judging Panel, together with a supporting statement, during the voting process.

A panel of C-level executives from the industry decides the winners, with KPMG in the Crown Dependencies monitoring the entire voting process to ensure full transparency and fairness.

General rules include: every company category has a consistent number of nominees across the Shortlist; only one person per company is allowed to participate in the Judging Panel; any judge who is working for/associated with a company which is shortlisted, can only vote in the categories in which said company isn’t nominated.

This month, our team will be attending the Global Gaming Awards in Las Vegas. You can contact us to make an appointment.