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STATE OF PLAY – Frank Fahrenkopf interviews Martin Storm on the industry state of play
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Frank Fahrenkopf, former Founder & President of American Gaming Association, and current Non-Executive Director, BMM Testlabs interviews Martin Storm, BMM’s CEO on the industry state of play.
Fahrenkopf:
BMM’s 2019 business performance has been strong after an impressive 2018. What do you attribute continued growth to?
Storm:
Frank, BMM continues to outperform. We maintain our emphasis on test and certification, everywhere around the world for gambling products. We remain focused on organic growth – Revenue up 29% and EBITDA up 46% in 2018, and 2019 looks very good too. For the longest serving gaming lab that’s operated successfully for nearly 40 years, we repeatedly outperform our segment CAGR of 5-6%.
We continue to rate first among global labs for quality of testing, time-to-market and customer service. We rate first because of our people, our talented leadership, management and staff. It’s truly a privilege to work with them all, as their professionalism, commitment and care make growth happen for BMM. What a differentiating factor they are.
Fahrenkopf:
The gaming testlab market around the world is dominated by BMM and GLI, who certify more than 80% of all gaming products. Even with GLI’s acquisition of NMi in Europe, it seems that BMM is growing appreciably in the online test segment. How did that happen?
Storm:
In the early years I did not want to invest in the online test segment due to our focus on U.S. licensing and U.S. legislative restrictions, even though we wrote the first comprehensive set of gaming standards for Online Gaming in 2001. We had a look at TST some 10 years ago as a possible acquisition but the culture and numbers didn’t work for us. Then GLI’s acquisition of NMi in 2017 made available some very talented staff who chose BMM as their new home. We committed to them and their results have been remarkable.
Our European online business is growing at some 40% CAGR and can continue to do so into foreseeable future. Large online customers wanting to go everywhere can only choose BMM or GLI in online, so we are both competing actively for that business, and we win our fair share.
Fahrenkopf:
Speaking of GLI, while BMM has been very strong in international land-based testing markets for many years, it still remains the challenger brand in the U.S. Now that the jurisdictional gap between the companies has closed materially in the U.S., what should we expect next?
Storm:
Any major supplier in the U.S. that wants its slot machines and gaming systems certified, understandably wants a certification process that covers all the jurisdictions in a market to maximize product sales opportunities, without having to spend additional funds to test a second time for a handful of jurisdictions not initially covered. Because only GLI has complete jurisdictional coverage, it has essentially guaranteed itself of the vast majority of business within North America. While BMM is working on the last handful of tribal jurisdictions (from more than 300), GLI continues to offer free tools and services for jurisdictional exclusivity, effectively depriving major suppliers of competition among gaming labs, costing those same suppliers millions of dollars per annum. The time for real competition amongst labs in the U.S. is now, and its nearly here.
Fahrenkopf:
Has this exclusivity enjoyed by GLI served the U.S. gaming industry?
Storm:
It has certainly served GLI very well. James Maida, CEO and Owner, and Kevin Mullally, VP of Government Affairs, have worked very closely together in many jurisdictions over many years now developing regulatory relationships that have maintained those exclusive positions. When combined with their government lobbyists and tribal representatives, James and Kevin have been a very formidable and intimidating team.
But to answer the question directly, no, I don’t believe GLI’s continuing, effective monopoly for Class III games certification has served the gaming industry well. Having only one lab that can test for all jurisdictions in the U.S. has been inordinately expensive for gaming suppliers and operators, as a material inefficiency in the gaming industry. Industry experts have told us that testing costs have been too high for too long. With competition limited, testing performance has been slow – it seems to have taken GLI more than 10 years to make process and quality improvements in pursuit of BMM’s performance. And we know that testing quality is lower in markets serviced by only one gaming lab, as evidenced by the high number of product revocations. In my opinion, and others, GLI exclusivity in just a few gaming markets is the premium paid for by the gaming suppliers and their operator customers, and also regulators through administration and management overheads.
Fahrenkopf:
What happened in Illinois – that was huge news?
Storm:
The wonderful news is that BMM is now licensed in Illinois through the new Illinois Gaming Board. This major U.S. commercial gaming jurisdiction will now allow multiple qualified labs to service gaming suppliers and compete for business with the state itself, and the many suppliers who have reached out to me are thrilled. Thanks to all those that supported us all these years.
Fahrenkopf:
So what’s next for BMM?
Storm:
Frank, we are keeping it simple. We continue our focus on land-based gaming testing and certification, and have advanced our position in aligned segments that we can command over time – online and sports betting, machine inspections and cyber security. That combined with market access completion with tribes, enhanced operational coverage, staff development, and productivity evolution will see BMM grow its leadership amongst gaming labs in the U.S. and worldwide.
Fahrenkopf:
Martin, thanks for the update.
Storm:
My pleasure Frank.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: STATE OF PLAY – Frank Fahrenkopf interviews Martin Storm on the industry state of play
Latest News
POLYTOPIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 BREAKS RECORD PARTICIPATION AS FINALS DRAW CLOSER
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Celebrated strategy game The Battle of Polytopia confirms its first ever World Championships has exceeded expectations with over 10,000 sign-ups in its qualifying rounds. While no stranger to tournaments, previously hosting smaller scale, local tournaments called ‘Polysseums’, developer Midjiwan’s first step into global esports has been met with extreme success. The inclusive esports event has a $10,000 prize pool and will conclude on 6 December 2025, 14:00-21:00.
The finals will take place in front of a live-studio audience, with expert commentary and a chance to peek behind the scenes at Midjiwan itself. First place will receive $4,000, the runner-up will take away $2,000, the third and fourth place finishers will get $1,500, and the fifth and sixth place $500.
The Polytopia World Championship 2025 is being hosted by eSports platform, Challengermode, who Midjiwan has relied on for its monthly local tournaments since 2022. Midjiwan also partnered with Black Molly Entertainment to help organise and manage the event. Black Molly Entertainment have years of experience managing eSports tournaments, with notable events including the Geoguesser World Cup and CS:GO Pinnacle Cup Championship.
Midjiwan has worked closely with its community to ensure engagement is high with each round, building a bespoke ‘Spectator Mode’ into the game so fans can watch each game live through the game itself. In the spectator mode the viewer has visibility of all players simultaneously, with stats on how many cities, technologies, kills and more available for quick access.
Christian Lovstedt, CEO of Midjiwan commented:
“Polytopia has always been about welcoming all kinds of players into the world of 4X strategy. That’s why our championship is open to everyone – not just pros with sponsors. We’ve been thrilled at the amount of interest this tournament received from our community, reaching participation numbers way beyond our expectations. We’re excited to bring the finalists to Stockholm and can’t wait to see the strategies that emerge.”
The Polytopia World Championship 2025 kicked off in September, with its ‘Battle of the Tribes’ qualifying round – weekly battles where players competed to be the best in each of the game’s 12 tribes. After an exciting six weeks, the top player from each tribe faced-off, reducing the qualifiers to six finalists. These six winners are listed down below.
|
Tribe |
Qualifying Player |
|
IMPERIUS |
ArthurL248 |
|
BARDUR |
slimmingboy |
|
OUMAJI |
Dreamlander3000 |
|
HOODRICK |
Theetat |
|
XIN-Xi |
LeLiberateur |
|
LUXIDOOR |
Meisterlampe |
Recaps of each round of the tournament prior to the finals can be watched on the official Battle of Polytopia YouTube channel.
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Part 1: Polytopia World Championship 1st Qualifiers Wrap-Up – BARDUR, IMPERIUS, KICKOO, ZEBASI
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Part 2: Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Oumaji Hoodrick Yadakk & Quetzali – World Champoinship 2025
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Part 3: Final Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Xin-Xi, Luxidoor, Ai-Mo & Vengir – World Championship 2025
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Face-off stream: https://youtube.com/live/GnU6mWPoJiY?feature=share
To watch the finals live on December 6,visit here: https://polytopia.io/stream/
To stay up to date on the Polytopia World Championship 2025, or purchase one of the limited tickets for the live event, visit the official website or join the Official Polytopia Discord.
The post POLYTOPIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 BREAKS RECORD PARTICIPATION AS FINALS DRAW CLOSER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Second Prize Drop of N1 Puzzle Promo: Top Affiliates Score Porsche, Cartier, Leica & Apple for Driving High-Quality Traffic
N1 Partners is w
rapping up the second lottery of the N1 Puzzle Promo! From September 1 to November 30, partners were actively collecting puzzle pieces for FTDs and climbing the rankings to secure their place among the winners.
A notable trend this season: the Top-5 leaders by traffic and collected puzzles differ from the main leaderboard. This means some partners slowed down, while others pushed harder — and now have every chance to boost their position in the overall standings by the end of the promo.
Five luxury prizes will be awarded to partners with consistently strong performance who entered the Top-5 by puzzle count during the second mini-lottery period.
Which prizes did the leaders receive?
1st place — MacBook Pro
C*** *****h
2nd place — Porsche eBike Sport
A***********t
3rd place — Cartier Santos Medium watch
T****** ****d
4th place — Leica Q2 camera
P******k
5th place — Apple Vision Pro
S** ****s
“The promo is entering its final stretch — a crucial checkpoint for the entire N1 Puzzle Promo, where the fate of the leaderboard may be decided,” notes Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners. “With one month left until the end, even those who joined later still have a chance to make a breakthrough, while the leaders can strengthen their positions and widen the gap. N1 Puzzle Promo isn’t about luck — it’s about consistent work and mutual trust between partners and the affiliate program.”
The Grand Finale in Barcelona Is Getting Closer
The race continues: the more puzzle pieces collected throughout the promo, the higher the ranking — and the greater the chance to fly out of Barcelona in your very own helicopter!
On January 20, 2026, in Barcelona, during iGB Affiliate and ICE, N1 Partners will host the final N1 Puzzle Promo party, where winners will receive exclusive gifts — and the grand prize: a Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter.
Guests of the event can also expect:
- Exclusive prize ceremony;
- Live performance by top artists and the evening’s headliner (announcement coming soon)!
- Activities and surprises from the N1 Partners team;
Still Not Too Late to Join
N1 Puzzle Promo runs until December 31, 2025, and partners still have time to collect puzzle pieces, climb the leaderboard, and compete for the grand prize and additional rewards. Traffic from Tier-1 GEOs counts toward the ranking, and only registered N1 Partners partners can participate.
All details and registration are available at: https://n1.partners/puzzle_promo
There’s still time! Collect your puzzle pieces, level up in the leaderboard — and your team might be the one taking home the Robinson R22 Beta II right off the stage in Barcelona!
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bet365 PARTNERS WITH INSPIRED ENTERTAINMENT TO LAUNCH A BESPOKE GAME: SPIN O’REELY GRAND CHANCE
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Inspired Entertainment, Inc., a leading B2B provider of gaming content, systems, and solutions, is thrilled to announce the exclusive launch of its brand-new, bespoke slot game, Spin O’Reely Grand Chance, in collaboration with long time partners bet365.
Expanding bet365’s popular exclusive Irish-themed Spin O’Reely game series, the game will initially be available to players in the UK, Ontario, and New Jersey, with more markets to follow soon. The game can also be accessed via the bet365.com domain.
Spin O’Reely Grand Chance builds on Inspired’s successful Golden Winner slot, combining its fan-favourite mechanics with new features. This 5×3 slot includes a Free Spins bonus round with multipliers and the potential for additional Free Spins. Players will also discover dynamic reel upgrades, bell announcements, prize pots, a progressive bonus feature and the Golden Grand Chance Cherry feature.
Claire Osborne, VP of Interactive at Inspired Entertainment, said: “We’re thrilled to expand our long-standing partnership with bet365 through the launch of Spin O’Reely Grand Chance. By combining the proven mechanics of one of our top-performing titles with the lively charm of a bet365 Irish-themed classic, we’ve created a game that’s built for success. We can’t wait to see players enjoy it and look forward to building on this momentum together.”
A bet365 spokesperson said: “We are delighted to launch Spin O’Reely Grand Chance in collaboration with Inspired. This game combines enjoyable mechanics with innovative features that will provide our players entertaining gaming experience. We are confident that Spin O’Reely Grand Chance will be a popular addition to our portfolio of cutting-edge content.”
Experience the exciting new collaboration between bet365 and Inspired Entertainment with Spin O’Reely Grand Chance, available now exclusively at bet365.
The post bet365 PARTNERS WITH INSPIRED ENTERTAINMENT TO LAUNCH A BESPOKE GAME: SPIN O’REELY GRAND CHANCE appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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