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SAZKA Group: COVID-19 update

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SAZKA Group wishes to give an update to its stakeholders regarding the measures our companies and retail partners have taken with regard to the COVID-19 virus outbreak.

First and foremost, in order to protect the health and safety of our customers, employees, partners and the public, all our companies have fully complied with all the decisions and recommendations of the public authorities in the countries of their operations. We have successfully implemented contingency and business continuity plans with no significant impact to our business processes, and almost all our employees are currently working from home.

While all our digital channels continue to operate without interruption, our physical retail networks have adopted various measures to safeguard public health and the health of our employees.

We anticipate that these developments will impact our financial performance. The extent of the impact will depend on factors including the duration of the outbreak, how longer current restrictions remain in place, further measures taken by governments, and the extent of economic disruption.

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Robert Chvatal, CEO commented: “Management are working on mitigating steps to minimise the financial impact for our companies, our employees, and our partners. SAZKA Group is in daily contact with its local operating companies to coordinate timely response to the developments in individual markets.”

Below is a brief overview of the current situation in our markets:

Greece

On Friday 13 March 2020, the Greek government published its decision to impose a temporary ban on the operation of a wide range of shops, indoor venues and other locations. As a result, all of the OPAP stores and PLAY gaming halls in Greece will be closed for two weeks, from Saturday 14 March until Friday 27 March 2020 inclusive. The horseracing facility at Markopoulo Park will also be closed.

Consequently, during this period, the company’s gaming activities will only be operating through its online platforms, which offer sports betting and certain other lottery games, and via the street vendor network of Hellenic Lotteries, which offers scratch cards and passive lotteries.

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OPAP’s stores in Cyprus have been temporarily closed as of.

Austria

On Friday 13 March 2020, the Austrian government published its decision to impose a temporary ban on the operation of a wide range of shops, excluding those providing basic services such as food retail, pharmacies, post offices, banks, petrol stations and tobacco stores. The decision went into force on Monday 16 March 2020. The ban has so far had only a limited impact on the availability of Austrian lotteries products through its main retail channels, as more than 90% of all point-of-sales are excluded from the ban.

Austrian Lotteries’ online gaming activities remain available to the public during the entire period. They include draw based games (including Austrian Lotteries’ major products Lotto and Euromillions), instant scratch cards, online casino, poker, bingo and sports betting.

In coordination with the authorities, Casinos Austria has decided to close all its casinos in Austria and its subsidiary Austrian Lotteries has decided to close all its 19 gaming halls on March 13, 2020. The casinos and gaming halls will be closed at least until April 13, 2020. The Austrian government is introducing measures to support part time work, which may allow reduce Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries to reduce the financial impact of the closure

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Casinos Austria International, which operates casinos and VLT businesses in multiple countries, is closely monitoring the situation and acting in accordance with the instructions of local governmental bodies.

Czech Republic

As of Monday 16 March, the State Security Council of the Czech Republic has decided to severely limit free movement in the Czech Republic in order to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic. Citizens are allowed going to work and shop for supplies limited to food, vital supplies, fuel and medicine, as well as use of necessary financial and postal services. We estimate that 70% of SAZKA’s Czech retail network, including newsstands and post offices, continues providing their services to the public.

At the same time, we are actively promoting the use of online platforms for lottery products as well as digital-only offerings. In recent weeks we have seen a 25-30% increase in sales via digital channels compared to previous weeks.

Italy

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Most shops, restaurants and cafes in Italy are currently closed as a result of a number of recent measures. Tobacconists, which are a key channel for LOTTOITALIA, are allowed to remain open, however traffic has declined.

 

About SAZKA Group:

We are one of the largest pan-European lottery operators. Our businesses operate lotteries in all the major continental European countries where lotteries are privately operated, including the Czech Republic, Greece, Austria and Italy, and in Cyprus. Our businesses focus on the lottery segment, including numerical lotteries (draw-based games) and instant lotteries (scratch cards), and also provide complementary products, including sports-betting and digital-only games. They sell their products both through various retail networks and through digital platforms.

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Industry News

NOVOMATIC Launches XTENSION LINK Volume 2 at FIJMA

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Leading gaming technology Group NOVOMATIC was an exhibitor at the international trade fair FIJMA from May 7-9, 2024, boasting a stand full of innovative products for the Spanish market. The Group’s local subsidiary NOVOMATIC Spain launched the brand new XTENSION LINK Volume 2, which was the star of the show.

The international gaming trade show FIJMA took place from May 7 to 9 at the IFEMA exhibition centre in Madrid, bringing together a large number of industry leaders. NOVOMATIC showcased an extensive range of products perfected for the Spanish market.

This arcade game was presented in the high performing BLACK EDITION II 1.49J cabinet and attracted a lot of attention from visitors, especially with its GOLDEN SPINS feature which ultimately increases the player’s chances of winning. The XTENSION LINK Volume 2 with its ten thrilling titles, Expanding Reels Feature and Free Games takes the player experience to new heights.

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“This cabinet is the result of hard and innovative work that has addressed the needs of our distributors and operators in order to offer a versatile and attractive experience for their gaming establishments,” Jordi Pedragosa, Commercial Director of NOVOMATIC Spain, said.

Other new products on display were the ROYAL LINK, “The Royal Seal for Arcades”, which offers extraordinary quality and excellence for an attractive price, and the NOVO LINE POWER LINK GOLD, which has come to Spain with a revamped and enlarged collection of games. Within this diverse offer for arcades, more powerful models were showcased, such as IMPERA LINK Series 2, CASH CONNECTION Fusion, River Queen Roulette or CLOVER LINK Xtreme, the latter from APEX.

NOVOMATIC’s local subsidiary also presented a wide range of products, exuding a level of freshness and innovation that positively captivated visitors. The section dedicated to the bar segment saw versatility resonating throughout these two new launches: NOVO LINE Supra Cash, with its fascinating games library including three roulette titles and IMPERA Cash Fusion, where Progressive Jackpot titles are combined with IMPERA classics. The second edition of NOVO LINE Power Cash was also shown with a series of new titles. All these models were showcased in the Winner HD+ cabinet, an evolution that features the NV22 bill acceptor. The nearly 1400 m2 of floor space tailored to the company stood out for the excellent way in which the company’s innovative products were staged and presented. Lighting and other decorative elements, fused with cutting-edge technology, played an important role in capturing the attention of visitors, for whom there were plenty of gifts and activities to be enjoyed. Of all the stand’s events, the one that stood out was the “Beat the Champ” event by Chris Mark, world table soccer champion, with whom guests could battle in an exciting duel.

Bernhard Teuchmann, Managing Director of the Product and Technology Division, said: “Participating once again in FIJMA has been a unique experience that has given us the opportunity to strengthen relationships with our customers and show our commitment to innovation. Our most sincere thanks go to all those who worked on preparing and attending this event with the same passion and responsibility that form the essence of who we are.”

The post NOVOMATIC Launches XTENSION LINK Volume 2 at FIJMA appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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CogniPlay Launches New Social Casino Platform

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CogniPlay has launched its new software product, which aims to provide a robust online sweepstakes or social gaming platform to its clients. The system is designed to be modular, allowing customers to tailor their brand and offering to what they believe will give them optimal performance.

The CogniPlay system has several key integrations which help to deliver the product, including games integrations with the likes of Pragmatic Play, BetSoft, Mascot Gaming and many more, giving them 100s of games for their clients. There are other integration options for their customers to pick from too, including affiliate programme software, CRM platforms and associated products, KYC, ID verification, Geo-IP systems, Gamification and customer support.

They also have a very long and extensive development pipeline which will see the product offering develop at pace, giving clients an extensive list of options and USPs, and of course giving players a great user experience as a result.

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As well as the platform itself the CogniPlay team, due to their considerable experience, also offer a whole host of managed services, with almost a menu that clients can choose from to fill any gaps in their own skillsets or experience.

CogniPlay’s Chief Executive Officer Allan Turner said: “We are very proud to take the CogniPlay product to market and are excited that people who want to start a new social or sweeps brand can get in touch with us to see what we can do for them, or in fact established brands that are unhappy with their existing provider.

“Our underlying principles are that we want to provide the most flexible platform in the space, to enable our clients to create the product they want to have, not for us to dictate the product to them. The two other main areas of focus are that we want to be the most future-proof product on the market with plans for any regulatory or legal changes that may arise in the future, and that we have all the right safeguards in place to ensure that we look after both our clients and players with our responsible gaming setup. This of course means having the right tech and processes in the key areas of KYC, Geo-IP tech, anti-money laundering, fraud, risk assessment and ID verification.”

The post CogniPlay Launches New Social Casino Platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Hard Rock International

The Mirage Hotel & Casino to Begin Transformation into Hard Rock Las Vegas on July 17, 2024

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Hard Rock International (HRI) announced its plans to cease operations of The Mirage Hotel & Casino as of July 17, 2024, to begin the transformation of the property into the highly anticipated Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas (HRHCLV).

Hard Rock will develop a new integrated resort featuring a nearly 700 ft. guitar-shaped hotel towering prominently in the center of the famous Las Vegas Strip.

“We’d like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage. We’d also like to thank the Unions, community leaders, local and state government organizations and the Gaming Commission for their support and fair negotiations over the past year. Also, we are grateful to MGM for assisting with our transition,” Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International, said.

“While we pause for the incredible transformation of this iconic property, I’d like to thank all team members at The Mirage for their incredible commitment and helping us provide memorable experiences for our guests. We are planning to host collaborative hiring events with other employers in the Las Vegas community over the coming months. Connecting the thousands of talented Mirage team members who provide outstanding service with new employment opportunities is a top priority,” Joe Lupo, President of The Mirage, said.

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HRHCLV is expected to double the current number of jobs at The Mirage for the Las Vegas community, while the renovation of the property will generate over 2500 construction jobs. Hard Rock will pay approximately $80 million in severance packages for eligible union and non-union employees remaining with the property through cessation of operations.

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