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William Hill Profits Drop by 91% Due to Covid-19 Crisis
William Hill has reported that its annual profits dropped by 91% after the pandemic forced the closure of its betting shops and saw live sports events cancelled. The group saw underlying pre-tax profits slump to £9.1m in 2020 from £96.5m in 2019.
Its betting shops were hit hard by repeated lockdowns and restrictions, with the retail arm slumping to a £29.5m loss as like-for-like revenues plunged 30%. William Hill’s online business delivered a 3% rise in earnings to £121.9m, but this was not enough to offset the retail woes.
Ulrik Bengtsson, CEO of William Hill, said: “In what was an extraordinary year I am immensely proud of how the group has responded and the resilience we have seen in our performance.
“We prioritised the protection and safety of both our colleagues and our customers, and our employees went above and beyond for which I thank them.
“In 2020 we put our strategic plans firmly into action, diversifying our geographical footprint, expanding our team’s capabilities and rebuilding our technology.
“We are embedding proprietary components across the platform architecture and are delivering a constant flow of new features including faster product experience, improved navigation and greater protection to our customers around the world.
“The performance in the second half is clear testimony that our strategy is bearing fruit. In the UK, the competitive position of our online offerings for both gaming and sports has been materially strengthened, and our omni-channel product is delivering encouraging early results.
“Retail has undergone regional disruption although where stores did re-open, they quickly traded towards pre-Covid levels.
“We are delighted with our international online performance, where our investment in our product and technology is producing clear benefits, particularly in light of the regulatory headwinds in Germany and temporary restrictions elsewhere.
“We will continue to benefit from our agile marketing engine, and the recent agreement to acquire Alfabet S.A.S. in Colombia and our licence in Argentina both offer further promising growth opportunities in Latin America.”
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MGA Games has launched a new video slot, Pharaoh’s Mystery, for the .com market on April 29. The game will also be released in Spain under the name Misterio del Faraón.
Pharaoh’s Mystery runs a 5×3 reel layout with 25 paylines. MGA Games said the game supports bets from €0.25 up to €25 and carries a top prize of €125,000.
The slot includes five special symbols: Wild, Scatter, Money, Collect, and Accumulative. It also features a Buy Free Spins option, enabling players to access bonus rounds directly.
MGA Games said the title includes a Super Respin mechanic that triggers at the end of the Free Spins screen, positioning it as a retention-focused release designed to increase engagement and average ticket for operators.
The post MGA Games launches Pharaoh’s Mystery slot with Super Respin feature appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
PointsBet Canada has launched a new iCasino aggregation and bonusing platform supplied by Bede Gaming, rolling the solution into its live player environment in Ontario.
The operator said it selected Bede following a competitive process to add external content aggregation and player engagement capabilities for the regulated Canadian iGaming market. PointsBet Canada runs pointsbet.ca on a proprietary platform originally developed by its Australian-based parent company.
Bede’s open-API aggregation platform gives PointsBet Canada access to a broader casino catalogue, with the supplier naming Games Global, Pragmatic Play, Play’n GO and Light & Wonder among the available content providers.
PointsBet Canada said the platform will support its casino strategy through promotion management and campaign tooling, including “advanced campaign workflows, and automated player lifecycle segmentation.” Bede also said it will provide “a reliable infrastructure with 99.99% uptime, and 24/7 monitoring from its Network Operations Centre.”
“Our strategy emphasizes delivering outstanding digital content that creates exceptional player engagement,” said Scott Vanderwel, Chief Executive Officer of PointsBet Canada. “I’m excited by the innovative tools we now have available with Bede. This partnership positions us strongly in Ontario and prepares us for future growth across additional Canadian markets.”
Bede said the deal is multi-year and includes a roadmap for potential future provincial launches, “including Alberta, as new regulated markets emerge in Canada.”
The post PointsBet Canada rolls out Bede Gaming aggregation and bonusing platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
PointsBet Canada has now launched its new casino aggregation and bonusing platform with Bede Gaming, following a competitive selection process.
The new solution through Bede Gaming has now been successfully launched into the live PointsBet Canada player environment, enabling an expansive library of new, engaging content for its users. The open-API aggregation platform notably provides the operator with access to a robust casino catalogue that includes Games Global, Pragmatic Play, Play’n GO, Light & Wonder, and others.
This partnership will strengthen PointsBet Canada’s casino strategy by enabling more competitive player acquisition and improved long-term retention through an enhanced user experience. Bede’s comprehensive content catalogue and engagement toolkit offer greater configurability and flexibility in promotion management, advanced campaign workflows, and automated player lifecycle segmentation.
Bede will also deliver operational stability and efficiency through proven support processes, a reliable infrastructure with 99.99% uptime, and 24/7 monitoring from its Network Operations Centre.
“Our strategy emphasizes delivering outstanding digital content that creates exceptional player engagement,” said Scott Vanderwel, Chief Executive Officer of PointsBet Canada. “I’m excited by the innovative tools we now have available with Bede. This partnership positions us strongly in Ontario and prepares us for future growth across additional Canadian markets.”
In addition to Bede powering PointsBet’s iCasino offering in Ontario, the new multi-year agreement expands Bede’s international portfolio and establishes a shared roadmap for future provincial launches, including Alberta, as new regulated markets emerge in Canada.
“We are thrilled to partner with the PointsBet Canada team, and eager to support their ambitious goals in Canada,” said Colin Cole-Johnson, Bede Chief Executive Officer. “Our Partnership Model means that we mobilise to support the strategies of our customers, and we’re thrilled to already be demonstrating this through the successful launch of this new casino solution. Bede remains committed to providing stable, secure and pioneering technical solutions to the North American regulated gaming markets.”
The post PointsBet Canada and Bede Gaming Launch New iCasino Partnership appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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