Canada

Setting Up For The Big Game And Beyond

Published

2 years ago

January 23, 2023

With Super Bowl LVII heading to our screens on February 12^th, we sat down with Flows Director of Sales, Domenico Mazzola, to talk about how smart data collection and the use of no-code innovation platforms can enable sportsbooks to enhance their customer experience for the Big Game and beyond

The Super Bowl is the USA’s biggest sporting event and will invariably provide masses of opportunities for sportsbook operators to enhance their customer offering if they’re able to think outside the box.

As ever, the main driver here is always data – and with the NFL consisting of 17 games over an 18-week period in the run-up to the Super Bowl, there should be ample time to gather plenty of useful information on bettors. The trick is to then combine the key findings you have on player behavior with technology that will help you to create promotions and better inform your overall marketing strategy.

While at the time of writing the Super Bowl LVII finalists are yet to be announced, we already know that the majority of sportsbooks are placing the Kansas City Chiefs as their red hot favorites. So what can we do with this information? A good place to start would be to look at the betting activity of VIP customers and identify those who have actively bet on the Chiefs over the preceding 18-week period.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Once we’ve done that, we can work out where they’re based. If, for example, they’re located on the other side of the country or abroad, there’s a good chance that they won’t be able to make it to the main event – so why not offer them a special promotion to make up for that fact? Alternatively, if you’ve seen them winning specific bets, why not offer these markets to them on the Super Bowl too?

Of course, the real value in data collection stretches far beyond the Super Bowl, so the event is also a great time to start drilling down into the behavior you’re witnessing. Were your customers backing a certain team or were they betting on both sides? Did they prefer to bet on the overall points outcome or the individual actions of players? This is all valuable information that can help you develop automated workflows which trigger on specific events or when certain wagers are placed in future.

The first thing you should probably be looking at post-Super Bowl is whether there are any friendly matches being played in the run-up to the new season and if there are, how can you use the data that you’ve gathered up to this point to target them? Is there an opportunity to offer your customers an early promotion based on the last first touchdown bet they placed at Super Bowl LVII, for example?

When the season starts proper, you can further focus on bettors’ location to find out whether they’re situated within a set distance of a particular stadium. If they are and have previously placed a bet on the team that plays there, you could target them with a location-based promotion. This could be anything from providing them with early odds on their team to a special bet if they don’t have tickets.

Using a no-code innovation platform like Flows allows you to automate this kind of promotion without the need for manual targeting. You simply funnel in all the necessary data and set up a flow that will trigger based on certain parameters. This way, you’re able to quickly and easily offer tailored promotions to customers based on their previous activity that they’re far more likely to engage with.

Given that many sportsbook in the USA have partnerships with in-state teams, there’s also the opportunity to take this a step further by offering competitions for tickets and other behind-the-scenes incentives. Should a sportsbook have such an arrangement in place, you could use Flows to automate the awarding of matchday tickets as a prize for winning a certain bet or leaderboard event.

You could also use it to manage and distribute exclusive content that relates to a customer’s favorite team such as locker room footage and interviews with players or coaches. This way, bettors can enjoy a personalized content library that’s exclusive to them the minute they log in, meaning no two user experiences will ever be the same and that your sportsbook is able to provide something truly unique.

As a final suggestion on the topic, you could also use Flows to set up automated deals and discounts on NFL tickets and merchandise. You could, for example, create special offers that are automatically applied to a customer’s account whenever they bet on a certain team or outcome. This can help you further engage with the activity of individual bettors and create an even broader cross-market appeal.

Of course, tools like Flows can also help you adhere to state regulations by allowing you to set up automated audits and compliance checks. Our platform features a very flexible regulatory control panel in several areas that allows sportsbooks to configure many of their business regulatory requirements directly through Flows, rather than having to develop them after each and every update.

As regulatory authorities tend not to give much notice when changes are made to the current industry guidance, many organizations may find that their planned road map becomes interrupted. This can be significantly alleviated through Flows as it can allow certain regulatory directives and checks to be implemented on demand, cutting out the need for extensive and often time-consuming manual work.

Overall, using a no-code innovation platform like Flows can help you remain compliant while leveraging the data you’ve collected and any partnerships you might have with local in-state teams in a more efficient way. This in turn provides added value to the customer both during the NFL season and in the event their teams makes the next Super Bowl, ensuring a continual cycle of engagement.

Canada

IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference

Published

5 days ago

October 30, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

iagr-announces-toronto-as-host-city-for-2025-conference

Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.

The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.

‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.

‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’

AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’

Stay tuned for registration details early next year.

Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd

ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

ese-entertainment-completes-acquisition-of-gaming-production-company,-bombee-americas

ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.

Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.

Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”

Transaction Terms

The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.

In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.

No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.

The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.

Canada

Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis

Published

3 weeks ago

October 16, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

suspected-digital-fraud-coming-from-canada-up-nearly-11%-since-h1-2023,-reveals-new-transunion-analysis

In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion^® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.

According to a recent TransUnion survey,¹ more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).

The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:

Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain

TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.

Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024

Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
Retail – 9.2%
Government – 7.7%

Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada

Logistics – 172.9%
Gambling – 79.3%
Video gaming – 67.8%

“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.

“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.