Latin America

Brazil set to privatize lottery in December

Published

7 years ago

October 16, 2017

Brazil is set to privatize its lottery operations by the end of the year, a move that many analysts see as a significant step toward the commercialization of gambling in Latin America’s largest economy.

The country’s Secretary for Economic Monitoring announced that it will be bidding out Brazil’s Exclusive Instant Lottery (LOTEX) concession on December 2017. Public bank Caixa Economica Federal (Caixa) continues to operate the lottery even as instant ticket sales were halted in 2015 ahead of the privatization.

In its Thursday industry update, Union Gaming said that ten of the biggest names in gaming industry are expected to compete for the lottery concession, which will come with an with an initial term of 25 years. The minimum bid for the lottery operation is set at R$916 million (US$290 m based on current exchange rates).

Scientific Games, IGT, Intralot, and Pollard were reportedly among the 10 multinational investors that had expressed interest in the instant ticket concession and had actively participated in the LOTEX roadshows in Las Vegas and London over the past two weeks.

“Though it appears from our discussions that many of the major suppliers are still noncommittal on whether they would participate in the auction given some degree of uncertainty surrounding the regulatory landscape in Brazil and market opportunity,” analyst John DeCree said in a note issued on Thursday.

Brazil, which has over 200 million residents, is considered one of the last major untapped gaming markets in the world. Despite its attractiveness, Brazil’s instant ticket business is still in its infancy.

DeCree cautioned investors to carefully manage the sizeable upfront fee, which he said is more suited to an established market. He also expects the competition to heat up among the ten bidders.

“Given the potential for a bidding war and size-able upfront investment, we would not be surprised to see IGT and SGMS or other major suppliers team-up and follow a similar JV structure as Scratch & Win in Italy,” he said. “We think a JV would make sense here, allowing multiple partners to diversify the risk of entering a new market like Brazil, where it can be difficult to predict how the industry will mature over the duration of the concession. We also suspect a local partner would be valuable asset to include in any prospective consortium to help navigate the local landscape and business environment.”

George Miller

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Latest News

Novomatic provides the Voodoo in Mexico City

Published

5 years ago

November 12, 2018

George Miller

Novomatic provides the Voodoo in Mexico City Reading Time: 1 minute

Crown Gaming Mexico, the Mexican subsidiary of the premier Austria-based gaming technology company Novomatic, has conducted its third VIP Experience in Mexico City.

Gambling operators from around the country gathered for the events to have a real-time experience with a selection of new products. There was a special theme for the event: the Voodoo Fortunes slot game.

The game was presented for the first time in Mexico on the Panthera Curve 1.43 cabinet, which delivers the game in impressive 4K resolution on a 43ins curved display. Created by Winfinity Games, a Novomatic studio, Voodoo Fortunes is part of the Fortunes game series and impressed at the event with its detailed graphics and engaging gameplay.

The main attraction of the machines was their compatibility to the Enchanted Fortunes linked jackpot that features a four-level linked progressive and can connect multiples of the same game as well as a variety of titles.

Also displayed on the event were the widely popular Imperator 3.24 black edition and Impera Line HD Edition 6, which featured games such as Amazon’s Diamonds and Blue Moon.

Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network

Africa

BtoBet and iSoftBet join forces to expand in new markets in Africa and LatAm

Published

6 years ago

December 15, 2017

George Miller

iSoftBet, a premium online and mobile casino game supplier – operating in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Romania – and the sportsbook and iGaming platform provider BtoBet, fresh Sports betting innovator 2017 at the SBC awards, have successfully signed a partnership aimed at offering a wide range of exciting games to the ever demanding i-gaming players.

iSoftBet’s impressive portfolio of games that include exclusive branded content based on Hollywood films, famous TV series, unique original slots and excellent table games which will be fully integrated into BtoBet’s advanced, secure and flexible platform. The two companies are ready to expand in all regulated markets in Europe, Africa and Latin America, offering progressive technology, available in an HTML5 format, compatible with desktop as well as mobile.

Commenting on the partnership, iSoftBet’s Head of Business Development Michael Probert, stated:
“We are always looking to increase the distribution of our games, and this deal with BtoBet helps us to enter new markets, in particular Africa and Latin America. While these markets are still evolving, we believe they offer huge potential for the iGaming industry as more countries move towards regulation. We aim to assist operators by providing them with our high-quality, top-performing titles through BtoBet’s advanced platform, who, in addition, understand the market and regulations in place very well”.

BtoBet’s Integration manager Maja Janevska highlighted: “Our robust platform and technological intelligence, combined with iSoftBet’s games provide operators the possibility to elaborate unique offers, tailored for every single market, integrating easily more than 3,000 games. Additionally, our sophisticated Recommendation engine enables operators to suggest players their preferred games, at the ideal time and on their preferred device. We also maintain progressive operation with true technology innovation and assure a close collaboration to achieve mutual satisfaction.”

About BtoBet:

BtoBet is a multinational company and is part of a group with 20 years of experience in software development in IT, telecommunication, e-commerce and banking, strongly committed to technology and widely investing in technology research and development. The experience gained at the forefront in these advanced environments, compared with the more recent gambling industry, allows BtoBet to be visionary with a deep understanding of the requirements of the market, catching changing trends and anticipating bookmakers’ and operators’ needs. BtoBet is a true partner in technology, offering a standalone platform and services for the iGaming and Sports Betting industry. It counts on a very talented, continuously trained development team and day to day management support to clients. BtoBet allows licensees to be unique in the market, by giving them the opportunity to completely personalise their offers for Sports betting and iGaming business, online mobile and retail. BtoBet has technical branches with large ever-growing teams of developers in Skopje, Ohrid, Bitola, Belgrade, Nish, Tirana, and Rome. Malta hosts the commercial and marketing centre.

About iSoftBet:

iSoftBet is a premium online and mobile casino game supplier, providing games to some of the world’s largest and most successful iGaming operators. It is at the forefront of innovation and its tailor-made solutions are designed to meet customers’ needs. iSoftbet offers a wide range of unparalleled original video slots created in-house, exclusive branded games from some of the world’s largest TV and movie production companies. The iSoftBet games are built using progressive technology, and available in an HTML5 format that is compatible with desktop as well as mobile. It proposes online and mobile content from up to 30 additional game software providers to customers in one swift integration. iSoftbet is committed to responsible gaming and complies with the most stringent regulatory bodies in Europe. It is licensed in the UK and Alderney and distributes content in multiple regulated markets such as Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Romania.

Latin America

Codere has become the latest operator to launch an online betting website in Colombia

Published

6 years ago

November 30, 2017

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

Codere has become the latest operator to launch an online betting website in Colombia after obtaining a licence from national regulator Coljuegos.

The licence will run for a five-year period and cover sports betting online, via mobile and various face-to-face channels.

Codere will operate in Colombia through its ‘Codere Apuestas’ brand, which, as a result, will expand its current service offering from game rooms, bingo halls and casinos in the country.

Confirmation of the launch comes after Codere was earlier this month reported to have picked up a licence in the expanding Colombia online gaming market.

In October 2016, Colombia became the first jurisdiction in Latin America to formally approve online gambling, and regulator Coljuegos has issued a number of licences in recent months to allow companies to offer services legally.

Wplay.co picked up the first licence under new national laws in the country back in June and has since struck up a partnership with Quickfire to offer a selection of content from Microgaming.

Corredor Empresarial has also rolled out Betplay.com.co, while GAMING1 and Vicca Group have launched Zamba.co, while domestic operator Colbet last month acquired its own online gambling licence.

Gaming media reported the Codere launch comes after Coljuegos president Juan B. Perez Hidalgo stated that the regulator expects to award “at least two more” online licences before the end of the year.

Coljuegos also recently announced that it is to allow licensed operators to offer live online casino and share global liquidityfor online poker and exchange betting.