Home Blog Page 152

Konami’s SYNK Vision shortlisted for the 2026 Regulating the Game Global Awards

AGBrief Editorial
-
0
Konami’s SYNK Vision shortlisted for the 2026 Regulating the Game Global Awards

Konami’s SYNK Vision biometric player‑tracking solution has been shortlisted for “RegTech Solution of the Year” at the Regulating the Game Global Awards 2026, recognizing technology that advances compliance, anti‑money laundering (AML), safer gambling, and integrity outcomes.

Konami Gaming is a finalist in the 2026 Regulating the Game Global Awards, judged by experts from the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), and Leagues Clubs Australia.

Tom Soukup, Konami Gaming
Tom Soukup, SVP & Chief Systems Product Officer at Konami Gaming

“The potential for SYNK Vision to deliver transformative advancement is unmistakable, especially as it relates to anti-money laundering, compliance, and player protection,” said Tom Soukup, SVP & Chief Systems Product Officer at Konami Gaming. “This important acknowledgement of Konami’s SYNK Vision in the Regulating the Game Global Awards is credit to our valued casino customers and team members for working collaboratively, pushing casino systems technology to new heights of innovation, efficiency, and responsibility.” 

SYNK Vision has been independently selected as a finalist, bringing Konami’s patented facial-recognition technology to the forefront of responsible gaming. Installed at casino table games and electronic gaming machines (EGMs), SYNK Vision can securely identify, track, and protect players automatically based on biometric facial characteristics, regardless of whether they are members of the venue’s established player loyalty program. 

Gerard Crosby, Konami Gaming
Gerard Crosby, SVP & Chief Games Product Officer at Konami Gaming

“SYNK Vision equips gaming facilities to rapidly detect barred players, immediately notifying personnel and locking the machine from play if associated with an EGM—all while preserving player privacy across its gaming ecosystem,” added Gerard Crosby, SVP & Chief Games Product Officer at Konami Gaming and Director of Konami Australia. “In addition, its advanced identity‑verification capabilities enhance AML tracking and compliance efforts across regulated venues. Konami is happy to support regulated gaming markets with this previously unattainable ability, to the benefit of countless communities and individuals.”

Winners of the Regulating the Game Global Awards 2026 will be announced at the program’s Gala Dinner on March 10, 2026, during Regulating the Game 2026 Sydney inside the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

IBIA records 29% increase in integrity alerts in 2025 annual report

AGBrief Editorial
-
0
IBIA records 29% increase in integrity alerts in 2025 annual report

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), representing the regulated betting industry worldwide, has published its 2025 Sports Betting Integrity Report, which discloses that 300 suspicious betting alerts were reported to authorities during the year.

This represents an increase of 29% on the 232 alerts reported in 2024 and reflects IBIA’s expanding global monitoring coverage and enhanced analytical capability.

Key findings from the 2025 report include:

  • 300 suspicious betting alerts were reported across 16 sports.
  • Football (110) and tennis (74) remained the most reported sports.
  • Alerts were detected across all major regions, with Europe accounting for the largest share (35%), alongside increased activity in North and South America.
  • Operator intelligence from IBIA’s members contributed to 54 matches being proven corrupted.
IBIA records 29% increase in integrity alerts in 2025 annual report

Through its Global Monitoring & Alert Platform (Global MAP), the association monitors over 1.5 million matches across more than 80 sports, generating over US$300bn in sports betting turnover per annum. IBIA data again played a crucial role in supporting sporting and law-enforcement investigations. Sanctions announced in 2025 involving IBIA data included 54 matches proven to have been corrupted, with sanctions subsequently imposed on 24 players, teams and officials across five sports.

Khalid Ali, CEO, IBIA
Khalid Ali

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Our 2025 data highlights a familiar integrity risk pattern, with football and tennis continuing to account for most suspicious betting activity. At the same time, the greater scale and reach of our Global Monitoring & Alert Platform means our ability to detect, assess and support investigations across markets and sports has increased. This is driven by operator intelligence generated by our membership and their continued commitment to identifying, disrupting and preventing betting-related corruption through collective action and information-sharing with our partners.”

The 2025 report includes a dedicated Africa Focus, which highlights that IBIA reported 117 alerts on African sporting events during 2021-25. H2 Gambling Capital forecasts that Africa’s total betting gross gambling revenue (GGR) will grow from US$3.5bn in 2021 to US$19.4bn by 2030.

As regulated betting markets continue to develop across the African continent, IBIA views early engagement, data-driven monitoring and collaboration with regulators and sports bodies as essential to safeguarding sporting and betting market integrity.

Xtremepush strengthens partner ecosystem with Hybrid Interaction onboard

AGBrief Editorial
-
0
Xtremepush strengthens partner ecosystem with Hybrid Interaction onboard

Xtremepush has expanded its XP Partners programme with the addition of Hybrid Interaction, bringing advanced CRM and gamification expertise to operators through fully managed services.

The partnership has been agreed with the key objective of helping operators scale their CRM operations faster and more seamlessly, whether or not they have internal resource, while also focusing on a broader mission of empowering customers with best-in-class CRM tools backed by expert support.

The two brands have combined both product expertise and deep understanding of customer challenges to help brands manage complex, multi-market or multi-brand CRM programmes with greater consistency, efficiency, and speed, ensuring the fastest route to growth, irrespective of geography or igaming vertical.

Robbie Sexton, Director of Partnerships at Xtremepush
Robbie Sexton

Robbie Sexton, Director of Partnerships at Xtremepush, said of the partnership: “We’re constantly looking for ways to leverage complementary technologies and expertise in this sector, and bringing on Hybrid Interaction as the latest member of our XP Partners programme is a prime example of how we can leverage best-in-class expertise to deliver customer success.”

“By combining our category leading CRM and loyalty marketing platform and our laser focus on customer delivery with Hybrid Interaction’s expertise in gamification and CRM strategy implementation, we know we have a potent offering that can power brand growth quickly, no matter the complexity of the operation.”

Nelli Zhamagortsyan, Head of Business Development at Hybrid Interaction
Nelli Zhamagortsyan

Nelli Zhamagortsyan, Head of Business Development at Hybrid Interaction, added: “Our speciality lies in enhancing player engagement, retention, and lifetime value through data-driven strategies, personalized automation, and innovative gamification solutions. Working with Xtremepush via its XP Partners arm will help us deliver those gains faster and with more efficacy”.

The XP Partners programme is a means to deliver accelerated growth and enablement to customers via deeply-integrated partnerships with both solution and technology brands. Leveraging Xtremepush’s platform, with the input of expertise across specific product and service areas by external companies, operators can realise the benefits of a one-stop shop which enhances and scales the existing Xtremepush offering.

St8 accelerates growth strategy by entering Sweden’s regulated market

AGBrief Editorial
-
0
St8 accelerates growth strategy by entering Sweden’s regulated market

St8 is accelerating its European expansion as it prepares to enter Sweden’s regulated market, following the approval of its B2B supplier license from the country’s gambling authority, Spelinspektionen.

St8 can now provide its aggregator technology to Swedish-licensed operators for the first time. These operators gain access to a next-generation platform that has built a reputation for seamless integrations within days via a single API.

Vladimir Negine, Founder & CEO at St8, said: “Being awarded a B2B license by Spelinspektionen underlines the strength of St8’s technology and compliance-first approach. Sweden is one of Europe’s most respected regulated iGaming markets, and we are excited to now be able to support licensed operators there with our next-generation aggregation platform. 

“Our focus remains firmly on expanding in regulated jurisdictions, and adding Sweden further strengthens St8’s position as a trusted supplier to operators in leading global markets.”

Spelinspektionen is known for maintaining some of the highest standards of player protection in iGaming.

St8 has rapidly expanded into a number of high-profile regulated jurisdictions in recent months. In October, it was granted a supplier license in Ontario and in July it secured a B2B license in the United Kingdom.

1xAffiliates to unveil strategic vision for industry growth at AIBC Eurasia

AGBrief Editorial
-
0
1xAffiliates to unveil strategic vision for industry growth at AIBC Eurasia

The 1xAffiliates partner program team has announced its participation in the upcoming AIBC Eurasia, a key international affiliate industry exhibition that brings together leading digital marketing experts.

The event will be held in Dubai from February 9 to 11, and 1xAffiliates is gearing up to share its expertise, discuss core digital solutions for long‑term growth, and strengthen its regional presence.

Simon Westbury, 1XBET
Simon Westbury

One of the event’s highlights will be the panel discussion Flashy Thrills vs. Broken Sites: Why Some Brands Still Ignore Their Digital Foundations, featuring Simon Westbury, strategic advisor at 1xAffiliates.

Experts will explore the balance between brand visual impact and product quality. Simon Westbury’s participation underscores the involvement of the company in industry strategy and focus on growth mechanisms. 1xAffiliates aims not only to expand its partner network but also to showcase its high level of expertise.

AIBC Eurasia is the perfect platform for discussing global topics. It connects European and Asian markets, shifting the focus from short-term impact to a strong business infrastructure that ensures sustainable affiliate ecosystems and effective partnerships in the future.

At the conference, 1xAffiliates will showcase its booth and at the Festival Arena, visitors can enjoy engaging meetups, productive networking, and attractive offers. Additionally, on February 11 at 3:00 PM, special guest Blaise Matuidi, a Paris Saint-Germain legend and World Cup-winning French footballer, will appear at the booth.

1xAffiliates at AIBC Eurasia confirms the company’s status as a leading player in the international affiliate market.

Simon Westbury, strategic advisor for 1xAffiliates, shared: “I am looking forward to participating in AIBC Eurasia, for what promises to be three days of networking and knowledge exchange. Sharing the stage and speaking on an interesting panel with my industry colleagues is something I look forward to as knowledge exchange is intrinsic for the future development of our industry. Once again 1хAffiliates will be defining the future of the industry and I look forward to welcoming Blaine Matuidi to our stand.”

AI & crypto drive Asia fraud surge as gaming scams exposed: security consultancy

Nelson Moura
-
0
AI & crypto drive Asia fraud surge as gaming scams exposed: security consultancy

A spate of recent frauds linked to online gaming and investment scams has underscored how artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are fueling a surge in financial crime across Asia, according to specialist consultancy Steve Vickers & Associates (SVA).

Authorities in Hong Kong, mainland China and Cambodia have mounted high-profile crackdowns, including the January 8th arrest and extradition of Vincent Chen Zhi, head of Cambodia’s Prince Group, long accused of running illicit gaming and financial scams. 

‘Chen Zhi’s Prince Group had come under investigation in jurisdictions as varied as the US, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and the PRC, owing to the conglomerate’s role in international financial scams, and associated money laundering activities,’ SVA said.

The consultancy noted the scale of Chen’s network, with seizures including ‘perhaps $14 billion in Bitcoin […] 19 properties in London worth more than GBP40 million ($54.6 million), HK$2.75 billion ($352 million) in cash in Hong Kong, and some SG$150 million ($118.2 million) in luxury cars, a yacht, and properties in Singapore’.

Beyond Chen’s case, SVA highlighted the rise of ‘pig butchering’ scams, in which victims are lured into fake online relationships before being steered into bogus investments. ‘The stolen funds are often moved through cryptocurrency.

SVA warned that new technologies are lowering barriers for criminals. ‘AI tools allow for the quick and easy generation of fake documents, of a quality that readily meets most customer or bank due diligence standards’, it said, adding that synthetic identities and deepfake forgeries are now ‘much harder to spot’.

The consultancy cited a ‘1,900 percent year-on-year surge in deepfake fraud cases in Hong Kong in 2025’.

Cryptocurrency markets are also central to laundering operations. ‘Global illicit cryptocurrency flows reportedly surged 145 percent in 2025 on 2024, to a record (if probably understated) $158 billion’, SVA said, warning that even legitimate exchanges may ‘turn a blind eye […] for fear of deterring business.’

The firm cautioned that governments are struggling to keep pace. ‘Law enforcement is largely floundering in response’, it said, pointing to weak cross-border cooperation and the use of multiple passports by fraudsters to complicate extradition.

‘The rapid adoption of AI is lowering the barriers to entry for financial criminals, and the spread of cryptocurrency usage is easing money laundering and the movement of illicit funds. Companies cannot rely on official action, but need to help themselves – or risk debilitating losses,’ indicates the consultancy.

Wynn Al Marjan Island bridge project reaches half completion

Nelson Moura
-
0
Wynn Al Marjan Island bridge project reaches half completion

Construction of the 548-meter Wynn Bridge, a key infrastructure link to Wynn Al Marjan Island, has reached nearly half completion, the developer announced Tuesday.

The bridge will connect the resort via Wynn Boulevard to the E311 and E611 highways, creating a direct route from major UAE hubs to Ras Al Khaimah.

Piling works have been completed, with nine of 10 bridge column pile caps now in place. Overall progress stands at 48 percent, with completion scheduled for late 2026.

The company said the bridge will not only serve a functional role but also enhance the visitor experience, ensuring seamless access and “world-class standards” from the moment guests begin their journey north.

The integrated resort is expected to be able to receive guests in Spring 2027, with all tower structural concrete complete and nearly all guest-room structures finished as of late November 2025.

Wynn Resorts estimates the UAE could generate $3–5 billion in annual gaming revenue once three integrated resorts are operating. Based on its modelling, Wynn Al Marjan Island is expected to produce between $1 billion and $1.7 billion in gross gaming revenue at steady state.

SkyCity aiming to “lead the change” in online casino gaming in New Zealand: CEO

Kelsey Wilhelm
-
0
SkyCity aiming to “lead the change” in online casino gaming in New Zealand: CEO

SkyCity Entertainment Group is ‘looking to become the trusted local leader’ in regulated online casino gaming in New Zealand as the country moves closer to passing its Online Casino Gambling Act.

In a Monday press release, SkyCity CEO Jason Walbridge noted that “Gaming is evolving in exciting ways, bringing together the best of in‑person and digital experiences.”

The executive added that, while SkyCity aims to “lead this change […] Any move into a regulated online market would be built on strong consumer safeguards and SkyCity’s enduring commitment to responsible gambling, so the experience remains safe and enjoyable for everyone.”

The new bill would allow 15 licenses through a three-stage process – expression of interest, auction to invited parties, and full license application.

The bill is hoped to be enacted in early 2026, with the expression of interest scheduled for July, the auction for September and the application processing commencing in October. The new online casino gambling licenses could be issued from December 1st of this year.

The comments from the CEO come as SkyCity Auckland celebrated its 30th anniversary, having opened doors on February 2nd, 1996. The group welcomed over 100 million visitors at the property since its opening.

New Zealand International Convention Center, NZICC, New Zealand

Speaking of the group’s ongoing efforts, Walbridge highlighted the  upcoming opening of the New Zealand International Convention Center (NZICC) on February 11th, which hopes to increase visitation to SkyCity Auckland from the current 5 million per year.

“The venue is expected to attract 33,000 new international visitors annually, injecting more than $90 million into the economy. We can’t wait to share this magnificent building with the world as it’s set to be a game changer for Auckland and New Zealand,” highlighted the executive.

Paradise Co. sees 30.4% YoY increase in January casino sales, topping $65.23M

Kelsey Wilhelm
-
0
Paradise Co. sees 30.4% YoY increase in January casino sales, topping $65.23M

Foreigner-only Korean integrated resort operator Paradise Co. saw a 31.4 percent yearly increase in casino sales for January, topping KRW94.26 billion ($65.23 million).

According to results released on Tuesday, the figure was also 26.7 percent higher than December.

Table games brought in the majority of income, at KRW89.17 billion ($61.71 million), a sequential rise of 29.6 percent and a yearly uptick of 32.9 percent. Machine games sales saw a downturn from the previous month, dropping by 8.8 percent to KRW5.09 billion ($3.52 million), however the figure was a yearly rise of 9.4 percent.

The group’s Paradise City property continued to generate the highest returns, with KRW51.95 billion ($35.95 million) in casino sales, up by 47.4 percent yearly. The Incheon resort saw drop improve by just 4.9 percent yearly, hitting KRW327.87 billion ($226.89 million).

Paradise Walkerhill, South Korea

The second-highest drop at Paradise Co’s venues was at its Seoul property – Walkerhill Casino, up by only 2.5 percent yearly, to KRW228.37 billion ($158.04 million), resulting in a 2.1 percent rise in casino sales to nearly KRW30.02 billion ($20.77 million).

The monthly results follow a strong FY25, which saw casino sales increase by 9.9 percent year-on-year to KRW900.5 billion ($623.6 million), with table games generating KRW846.3 billion ($585.7 million) for the year, while slot machine revenue totaled KRW54.2 billion ($37.5 million).

Paradise Co. operates four foreigner-only casinos in South Korea: Walkerhill in Seoul, Paradise City in Incheon, Busan Casino, and Jeju Grand.

China lottery sales hit record $904B in 2025, growth slows to 0.7%

Viviana Chan
-
0
China lottery sales hit record $904B in 2025, growth slows to 0.7%

China’s lottery market set a new annual sales record in 2025, but growth decelerated sharply to just 0.7 percent year-on-year, reflecting a marked slowdown from the strong expansion seen a year earlier, according to official data released by the Ministry of Finance.

Nationwide lottery sales totaled CNY6.28 trillion ($903.6 billion) in 2025, surpassing the previous year’s CNY6.23 trillion ($897.1 billion) but falling well short of the 7.6 percent growth recorded in 2024. The data underscore a cooling trend in the lottery sector despite the record headline figure.

China sports lottery sales

Sports lotteries continued to account for the majority of sales, generating CNY4.19 trillion ($603.4 billion) for the year, up 0.9 percent year-on-year. Welfare lotteries contributed CNY2.09 trillion ($300.1 billion), representing a more modest increase of 0.3 percent.

By lottery type, the annual breakdown showed mixed performance. Instant lotteries were the main growth driver, with full-year sales rising 13 percent to CNY1.31 trillion ($188.7 billion). 

In contrast, sales of number-based lotteries edged down 0.7 percent to CNY1.78 trillion ($255.7 billion), while sports betting-style “guessing” lotteries declined 3.2 percent to CNY2.78 trillion ($399.6 billion). Keno-type lotteries also slipped slightly, down 0.9 percent year-on-year.

Regionally, lottery sales increased in 21 provinces over the full year, led by Shandong, Hubei, and Henan, while 10 provinces recorded declines, including Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Sichuan.

The Ministry of Finance said lottery authorities should closely monitor market developments and strengthen sales management to ensure stable operations, while fiscal departments were urged to reinforce oversight and maintain orderly market conditions to support the sector’s sustainable development.

1...151152153...1,810Page 152 of 1,810