Industry News
Paddy Power Co-founder Accuses Industry of Scaremongering Over Tax Hike Warnings
The co-founder of Paddy Power has accused industry chiefs of scaremongering after they warned new gambling taxes could push punters towards the black market.
Stewart Kenny, who resigned from the bookmaking giant in 2016 and has since become a vocal critic of the sector over problem gambling, claimed it was a red herring. He admitted using the “black market” argument during his time in charge, adding: “I’m embarrassed to admit this…we knew it was way exaggerated but it is the perfect way of saying ‘the government will lose money’ – but in fact it won’t.”
Among those issuing the black market warning is Paddy Paddy’s now owner.
His comments came as top bosses launched a fightback in the wake of calls for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to hike gambling taxes to fund welfare spending and tackle harmful gambling. It follows another round of bumper results from some of the industry’s big players who, together, are forecast to rake in profits of £4billion globally this year.
Peter Jackson, chief executive of Paddy Power parent company Flutter, which recently predicted annual profits would surge by around 40% to £2.45billion, said: “it’s really important (to) keep customers in the legitimate market where we can make sure we can look after them.”
Sean Wilkins, finance chief at William Hill owner Evoke, which analysts estimate will make £362million this year, said higher taxes will “only lead to a growth in the black market.” And Stella David, chief executive of Ladbrokes owner Entain, warned of “the law of unintended consequences”.
Pressure is growing for the government to use a consultation on updating the tax treatment of bookmakers to hit the sector with fresh levies. The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast current levies will bring in £3.8billion for the Treasury this financial year.
The post Paddy Power Co-founder Accuses Industry of Scaremongering Over Tax Hike Warnings appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry News
Wazdan schedules three-stage Network Promotion campaign for summer
The operator-facing series runs 29 June to 13 September and uses Mystery Drop and Mystery Multiplier Drop mechanics.
Wazdan will launch a summer-long Network Promotion series for partner casinos, running from 29th June to 13th September. The campaign is structured in three stages with breaks between each phase.
The promotion will use Wazdan’s Mystery Drop
and Mystery Multiplier
Drop mechanics. The supplier said the programme is designed to be easy for operators to activate and will be supported with marketing materials, including promotional assets, brochures and newsletter content for partners to use across their own channels.
Alongside the promotion, Wazdan has a summer content roadmap with three slot releases scheduled: Mighty Hot
: Amazonia (30th June), Magic Fruit$: Cherries (30th July) and Mighty Crown
: Empire of Gold (6th August).
Radka Bacheva, Head of Sales and Business Development at Wazdan, said: “Summer presents a valuable opportunity for operators to keep engagement levels high, and this promotion has been designed to deliver exactly that through Wazdan’s proven promotional tools.
“Combined with our upcoming game releases, we are excited to offer partners a strong seasonal campaign with plenty of player appeal.”
The post Wazdan schedules three-stage Network Promotion campaign for summer appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Casino Content
ICONIC21 launches Football Cup-branded casino games and debut network tournament
ICONIC21 has rolled out three limited-edition Football Cup-branded casino games and launched its first network tournament, ICONIC Showdown Football Cup, running from 9th of July to 19th of July.
The new titles are Football Cup Roulette, Football Cup Blackjack 360, and Football Cup Gravity Blackjack. ICONIC21 said the releases showcase different customisation approaches, including green screen production for the roulette environment and an updated visual rebrand for its RNG blackjack table.
For Football Cup Gravity Blackjack, ICONIC21 said it used its latest LED technology and applied the Gravity Series multiplier mechanic, with a custom felt, a football gate, and bespoke 3D-printed decorations.
Alongside the three new games, ICONIC21 pointed to its previously launched slot Soccer World Championship, plus The Kickoff and Top Card, which it said received football-season branding and UI/UX updates.
The ICONIC Showdown Football Cup tournament covers 11 games in total and is positioned around the quarter finals, semi-finals and final period. ICONIC21 said 1,000 winners will share a €50,000 prize pool, and operators can enroll via their account manager or by contacting the company directly.
Edvardas Sadovskis, Chief Product Officer at ICONIC21, said:
“What I’m most proud of with this project is the turnaround. We built three fully branded, technically distinct games, enhanced existing ones with promotional branding, and launched our first-ever network tournament around them, all timed to coincide with peak player interest and traffic.
That kind of speed doesn’t happen by accident, it reflects how this team works. ICONIC Showdown is a meaningful first step for us as a provider, and launching it during the Football Cup, with this much energy around the game, feels like the right way to do it. We’re genuinely excited to see how the leaderboard shapes up and even more excited for the finals.”
The post ICONIC21 launches Football Cup-branded casino games and debut network tournament appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Brand Ambassador
Ronaldinho visits CreedRoomz Yerevan studio to front Marble Cup and Kickoff Roulette
CreedRoomz has brought footballer Ronaldinho to its headquarters in Yerevan, where the company filmed an “exclusive interview” with the former player in connection with two new live casino game shows, Marble Cup and Kickoff Roulette. CreedRoomz said Ronaldinho is the global ambassador for both titles.
In the interview, Ronaldinho said: “For me, it’s a great joy to be a part of this partnership. Since arriving here at the office, everyone has treated me with great affection. I already feel at home, very happy.” Asked to choose between the two games, he added: “Honestly, it’s difficult to choose one, both are wonderful, I loved them, so it’s very difficult to choose one, I think everyone will really like them, I think the whole world will really enjoy them.”
Ronaldinho also described his first impressions of the studio and gameplay: “I was surprised and very happy, everything is very beautiful, everything is very innovative, so I believe that’s why everyone will really like them, so I’m looking forward to everyone starting to enjoy them a lot.”
On why CreedRoomz expects the titles to gain traction, he said: “These are different games. I think that will attract attention, the fact that football is a global passion also helps, so I believe everyone will like it for those reasons.. and for the innovation of everything that is happening.”
CreedRoomz linked the interview to upcoming “World Cup and R10 Tournaments,” with Ronaldinho closing by telling fans: “A message of gratitude for the continued affection. I’m very happy and excited. for the next competitions for the next games, the games are all ready, I hope everyone enjoys them and everyone be very happy and have good times together.”
The post Ronaldinho visits CreedRoomz Yerevan studio to front Marble Cup and Kickoff Roulette appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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