Press Releases

Majestic has Covid-19 lockdown to thank for re-inventing its online bingo offering

Published

4 years ago

June 16, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Majestic Bingo, which has 16 clubs throughout Britain, has used the enforced suspension of its retail business due to the Covid-19 lockdown, to reinvent its online presence in a way in which managing director Mark Jepp, believes will enhance and build the brand.

Mark Jepp explained: “The lockdown has had a profound impact on the way in which we all approach our personal and our work lives. Among the negatives – and there are a huge number impacting the business, our staff, suppliers and of course our customers – it has also provided an opportunity to reflect and reset.

“For a long time, Majestic had existed with an online offering that was adequate but lacked the WOW! that our community associates with the brand. As a consequence, the senior team mapped out a vision of where we wanted to be and agreed that if we are going to do it, then do it properly, which meant being prepared to invest at a time when income is virtually non-existent and to only work with the right partner.”

For Majestic, the right partner was found in the shape of Positively Distinct Media, a specialist bingo consultancy that shared the same passion for bingo and had the capabilities to transform the online offering to be one of the best in the industry.

Mark Jepp said: “Our online bingo offering was clearly not in line with our retail-led brand and player experience. We knew straight away that PDM were the right partner. They are as enthusiastic about bingo as we are and understand the business and the brand inside out.”

Moving from an everyday experience to one that really captures the Majestic personality has been key and references to ‘brand’ punctuate the vision down to the terminology used, the tone of voice, the promotional mechanics, being true to the integrity of the Majestic bingo experience and translating the sense of trust that its bricks and mortar customers have into the online space.

The solution has been to build on the profile that Mark Jepp enjoys as a ‘hands-on’ managing director. “I’m always at one of our clubs and as a consequence the customers recognise me” he explained. “Our online presence will become our 17th club and I will be fronting the promotions and initiatives as the face of and personality of the Majestic brand.”

Aware of the warnings that online will simply serve to cannibalize bricks and mortar income, the Majestic MD argues that customers are already playing online and the real danger is that they are probably playing with a competitor. Rather than keep the two verticals separate, the strategy is to embrace their coming together, with the official online launch expected to take place in the clubs when bingo is permitted to open its doors.

“The aim is to launch in time for the summer reopening and rather than be slightly awkward or shy about the new arrival really be loud and proud of our new, vibrant online presence. We are currently examining how we can bring the two together with customers being able to participate in the retail experience from their own homes. Our online initiative has energised the team, energised the brand and I’m sure it will energise the Majestic community of players both existing and new.”

Latin America

Vibra Solutions receives Peru regulatory accreditation

Published

1 hour ago

May 9, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

vibra-solutions-receives-peru-regulatory-accreditation

Go-to LatAm omnichannel platform developer gains registered B2B supplier status in newly regulating market.

Vibra Solutions, the go-to LatAm omnichannel platform developer has been officially registered as a B2B technology supplier in the newly regulating Peru market.

The rapidly growing company has received regulatory accreditation from Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade & Tourism (Mincetur) enabling it to soon launch customers into the new territory.

Vibra Solutions’ modular technology is designed to adapt to any operator need, online, retail or both, and is aimed at brands looking to move from existing platforms to a more flexible and customizable alternative. Its technology is GLI-certified and already live across several LatAm markets including Brazil and Argentina.

Vibra Solutions’ content aggregation is a key part of its flexible platform which contains more than 2,800 games from 20+ of the world’s most popular providers and a multi-currency payment gateway integrated with more than 30 suppliers.

Vibra has also launched a new VLT division in the region providing its own Electronic Game Machine (EGM) platform, in-house localized and third-party aggregated content, as well as adapting its technology to any existing hardware clients already have in place.

In June 2023, Vibra became one of the first providers to launch VLTs with lottery-certified content in Brazil, with its ‘Scratch-a-Lot’ games becoming an instant fan favorite.

Ramiro Atucha, CEO, Vibra Gaming, said: “Our official registration in Peru marks yet another milestone in our LatAm growth story, a region we are proud to call home, where we have gained a formidable reputation with our proprietary games and technologies, and where we are rapidly expanding.

“Peru is a great market of key importance to us, with many possibilities on the horizon. Vibra Solutions is poised to make its mark as the country establishes a regulated iGaming market.”

Press Releases

Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino Launches in New Jersey

Published

1 hour ago

May 9, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

fanatics-sportsbook-&-casino-launches-in-new-jersey

Fanatics Betting and Gaming, a subsidiary of Fanatics Holdings Inc, a global digital sports platform, launched the Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino today in New Jersey.

Sports fans living in and visiting New Jersey will be able to download the Fanatics Sportsbook on iOS and Android and begin their Fanatics Sportsbook and Casino experience. The Fanatics Sportsbook is now available to approximately 95% of the addressable online sports bettor market in the U.S.

On April 3, 2024, Fanatics Betting and Gaming completed its acquisition of the U.S. businesses of PointsBet. Today in New Jersey, PointsBet customers’ username, password, account balance, rewards points and responsible gaming settings will be automatically migrated to the Fanatics Sportsbook. New Jersey is the final PointsBet state and marks the twentieth state for the Fanatics Sportsbook and fourth state for Fanatics Casino.

The Fanatics Sportsbook makes being a fan easy with fast signup, easy betting, transparent withdrawals and is disrupting the sports betting industry with the following new features:

Building a better sportsbook: The Fanatics Sportsbook app was built natively on iOS and Android. The design, speed and quality of the navigation experience rival the sports betting apps in the market today that were not built specifically for iOS and Android.
FanCash: Get up to 5% FanCash back on bets, win or lose. Every bet gets you closer to more rewards like team merchandise, bonus bets, and more.
Live Betting: Real-time game and stat updates keep customers informed.
Discover: Get everything a customer cares about—marquee games, key stats and trending bets delivered straight to the Discover feed.
Search: Find promos, bets, and trending topics all from the advanced search functionality. Bet directly from the search results and spend time enjoying the game, not looking for a bet.
One App, One Wallet: Fanatics customers in NJ will now have a seamless sports betting experience and can travel to other legal sports betting states (like NY, PA and CT) to place wagers using one app and one wallet on the Fanatics Sportsbook.

Fanatics Sportsbook Discover Page Baseball

As part of the launch in New Jersey, Fanatics Betting and Gaming will also launch its new online casino, embedded in the Fanatics Sportsbook app. The newly designed Fanatics Casino will feature a range of classic and popular casino favorites like roulette, slots and blackjack along with offering customers the following exciting new features:

Play with IGT Play Digital: Fanatics Casino players can enjoy a range of highly engaging IGT PlayDigital games including many of the classic titles that iGaming players love including Cash Eruption, Fortune Coin and Cleopatra, as well as a suite of MegaJackpots titles, proprietary table games and video poker content.
Evolved Live Casino Games: Fanatics Casino has partnered with Evolution to provide customers with world-leading live casino games including Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and Poker variants. In addition, Evolution will provide Fanatics Casino with an exciting lineup of online slots, the award-winning Lightning Roulette, and many more.
Wonderful New Games: Light & Wonder will provide Fanatics Casino with a wide range of the company’s first party titles, including top-performing games 88 FORTUNES, JIN JI BAO ENDLESS TREASURES, DANCING DRUMS EXPLOSION, and ULTIMATE FIRE LINK CHINA STREET. In addition, Light & Wonder will offer Fanatics Casino customers access to third party aggregated content from some of the world’s biggest studios such as Big Time Gaming, Reel Play and Hacksaw.
Rewards: Casino customers can earn FanCash back on bets, spins and hands.
Fanatics Game Studios: Fanatics Betting and Gaming has produced exclusive content including the new Fanatics Blackjack and Fanatics Multi-Hand Blackjack games developed in partnership with Boom Entertainment.

To download images and videos of the Fanatics Sportsbook and Casino, visit the Fanatics Media Center and for more news and information, follow us on X.

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bet365

IBIA and PFA Canada join forces to provide sports integrity education to the Canadian Premier League

Published

7 hours ago

May 9, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

ibia-and-pfa-canada-join-forces-to-provide-sports-integrity-education-to-the-canadian-premier-league

CPL first to benefit from CA$300,000 education fund commitment by regulated sports betting operators.

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and its members bet365, Betway and FanDuel have partnered with the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada (PFA Canada) to design a bespoke two-year sports-integrity education program for players and staff in the Canadian Premier League (CPL).

In 2024, the program – which will start in May – will educate approximately 300 players and staff about the potential threat of sports-betting related match-fixing to the integrity of the Canadian Premier League, their careers, as well as its potential to defraud sports betting operators and customers. The agreement also stipulates a repeat training in 2025 to ensure new players joining the league are also able to protect themselves from criminals and corrupters and report any suspicious activity.

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “IBIA’s members take their role – as responsible regulated betting operators – in protecting the integrity of sporting competition and of betting markets seriously. Alongside balanced, efficient and evidenced-based regulation, protecting soccer players, staff and officials from being targeted by criminals is an essential first step to stamping-out sports-betting related match-fixing and fraud.”

The program will include a combination of dedicated in-person trainings and online resources for players and staff in the CPL’s eight league teams. The in-person sessions will educate players on the environment in which they are operating, including rules and sanctions, as well as highlighting the scale and accuracy of technology enabled sports integrity monitoring.

Dan Kruk, Executive Director of PFA Canada, said: “IBIA has delivered sports-integrity education to over thirty-five thousand athletes in Europe since 2010, and we’re grateful that they can leverage that know-how to design a bespoke training for CPL players. At PFA Canada we understand that, despite being more resource-intensive, in-person sports integrity education is essential to gain the trust and understanding of busy athletes, and to enable full, frank and open conversations.”

The CPL’s sports-integrity education program has been enabled by a CA$300,000 commitment over three years by IBIA and its member operators bet365, Betway and FanDuel for the Canadian market, from which other sports are also expected to benefit.

“At FanDuel Canada, we recognize the critical role athlete education plays in maintaining sports integrity,” said Dale Hooper, General Manager of FanDuel Canada. “We are thrilled to expand our engagement with IBIA through this new partnership helping to build a curriculum that will help athletes understand their role in protecting sport.”

Joachim Bjerg of Betway stated: “We’re very proud to partner and support IBIA and the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada that will design, create and implement a bespoke course that will further enhance Betway’s global commitment to educating players and staff involved in sport.

“As a responsible regulated betting operator, we see our role in this sector imperative to safeguarding the integrity of sports and we very much look forward to working with IBIA on this exciting and important initiative.”

Jean-Francois Reymond, IBIA’s Education Ambassador, who will work with the PFA Canada trainers on the May launch, said: “We look forward to working with PFA Canada to further protect the Canadian Premier League from the threat of sports-betting related match-fixing. Protecting the integrity of sport means protecting the integrity of athletes. Most often through a lack of awareness, it is the athletes who are risking their careers and livelihoods. IBIA’s objective is to help build a best-in-class program for all athletes that serves to protect the integrity of Canadian sport and the careers of Canada’s athletes.”

IBIA’s sports-integrity education program is a global offering, alongside IBIA’s not-for-profit model for sharing data on suspicious sporting events with sports regulators and law enforcement, player education can significantly reduce the threat of sports betting related match-fixing. In 2024, IBIA has already trained athletes at the EUBC’s European Boxing Championships in Serbia and is in active discussion with sports governing bodies in Canada and several other jurisdictions to ensure that as many athletes as possible can benefit from sports integrity education. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more.