Alea adopts Continent 8’s cutting-edge cybersecurity framework to safeguard operations

Europe

AGBrief Editorial

-

July 24, 2025

0

Alea adopts Continent 8’s cutting-edge cybersecurity framework to safeguard operations

Continent 8 Technologies, a leading provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions for the iGaming industry, has announced the expansion of its cybersecurity collaboration with the iGaming aggregator Alea.

Alea is a leading iGaming aggregator, offering a customizable platform that provides operators worldwide with seamless access to over 16,000 games from 160+ top-tier providers through a single API integration. In addition to game aggregation, Alea has introduced Alea Pay, an exclusive payment gateway that further optimizes financial transactions.

In 2024, the company strengthened its cybersecurity framework through a strategic partnership with Continent 8 and achieved VAPT certification.

Building on its current programme of Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) services with Continent 8, Alea has strengthened its partnership with Continent 8 and its cybersecurity division, C8 Secure, by integrating Security Audit and Vulnerability Scan (V-Scan) services. This strategic initiative further enhances Alea’s cybersecurity posture and underscores the company’s ongoing investment in the resilience and integrity of its infrastructure.

The expanded cybersecurity assessment programme delivers a wide range of benefits for Alea and its operator network, including:

Identifying, assessing and mitigating vulnerabilities in IT infrastructures, applications and networks;
Ensuring compliance with industry best practises and cybersecurity frameworks by evaluating security policies, procedures and governance;
Recognising new vulnerabilities, highlighting areas for improvement and prioritising remediation efforts;
Developing a customised roadmap for ongoing improvement to enhance cybersecurity posture and maturity;
Enhancing the trust and confidence of customers and partners by implementing industry-best cybersecurity measures.

Eduard Fumás, CTO at Alea, shared: “Security is built into everything we do at Alea. We’ve always believed that operators and their players deserve the highest level of protection. This is why we’ve invested in strong encryption, fraud prevention tools and a robust infrastructure from day one. Working with Continent 8 has helped us put that commitment to the test. Their expertise allows us to validate and strengthen our systems with confidence. We’re proud of how far we’ve come together, and even more excited about what’s next as we keep raising the bar and building a platform that our partners can trust completely.”

Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8 added: “As Alea continues to grow and expand, its proactive commitment to maintaining a secure iGaming aggregator platform becomes paramount. In our ongoing collaboration with Alea, we remain dedicated to fostering and supporting their cybersecurity initiatives – ensuring that both Alea and its extensive partner ecosystem stay protected, resilient and prepared.”

Continent 8 will be exhibiting at SBC Summit Lisbon, from 16-18 September at Stand C80, to share and explore the best practices and strategies for advancing organisations’ cybersecurity initiatives.

SOFTSWISS was the first company to secure certification for its flagship Game Aggregator in Brazil in late 2024. By early 2025, all products within the SOFTSWISS tech ecosystem – including the Jackpot Aggregator, Casino Platform, and Sportsbook – were certified for operation in this emerging market.

With over 1,350 brands, the company continues to earn trust through its proven stability and performance, maintaining system uptime at 99.999% worldwide. As a testament to this success, SOFTSWISS has received 73 industry and business awards over the past five years, recognising excellence in product innovation, compliance, marketing, and employer branding.

In 2025, the recognition was extended to individual SOFTSWISS leaders, highlighting their growing influence beyond iGaming and into the broader tech and business landscape. Ivan Montik, Founder, received multiple prestigious business awards. Sergey Kastukevich, Deputy CTO, was named CTO of the Year at the Oracle Customer Excellence Awards, reaffirming SOFTSWISS’ technological leadership. Valentina Bagniya, CMO, earned several accolades for her outstanding contributions to marketing and industry influence.

In addition to its product and leadership achievements, the company continues to invest in industry development through educational and social initiatives. Notably, SOFTSWISS was the first in the iGaming sector to launch large-scale industry research, collecting and analysing data to produce open-access reports to support market maturity and transparency. The 2025 edition of the SOFTSWISS iGaming Trends Report became a record-breaker, reaching over 13,000 downloads and cementing the company’s role as a thought leader.

Beyond technology, SOFTSWISS invests in people and purpose, supporting charitable, educational, and CSR initiatives as part of its commitment to responsible growth. The company with offices in Malta and Georgia, development hubs in Poland, has also a remote team across 46 countries.

“Last year, we celebrated 15 years with our partners, clients, and team – and this past year brought new challenges that we’ve faced with confidence and clarity. While SOFTSWISS is, at its core, a technology company – driven by AI, automation, and innovation – I firmly believe our people shape the company’s long-term success. Technology accelerates progress, but talent, vision, and shared values make it sustainable,” said Ivan Montik, Founder of SOFTSWISS.

“Five years ago, SOFTSWISS had fewer than 500 employees. I was 19 and had only just started my career, with only one job behind me. That initial experience in audience growth and analytics brought me to SOFTSWISS, where I was mentored, given tools to learn, and encouraged to step up. Today, I lead the Data Office – a 24-person team that supports the company with trusted, consistent data.. Looking back, I couldn’t have imagined this path. But I’m living proof that at SOFTSWISS, real growth isn’t just encouraged – it is made possible,” shared Anna Ivanova, Head of Data Office.

“As SOFTSWISS steps into its 17th year, one thing is clear: behind every product, every launch, and every success, there is a team of people driving it forward, and they are just getting started.”

The launch has seen a variety of top-performing games go live on Hard Rock Bet Casino in the Garden State, including player favourites Diamond Explosion Patriots, Immortal Ways Diamonds SE, and J Mania Loco Habanero. These titles have been selected to resonate with local audiences while showcasing RubyPlay’s distinctive design and gameplay innovation.

In the weeks following the launch, an additional 10 games will be introduced to the operator’s offering as part of a strategic rollout, reinforcing RubyPlay’s commitment to delivering entertaining, high-quality content to the biggest operator brands across regulated US iGaming markets.

Having made its US debut in New Jersey at the start of 2025, this partnership with Hard Rock Bet Casino demonstrates the studio’s growing influence and reputation within a key territory.

Dr. Eyal Loz, Chief Product Officer at RubyPlay, said: “Partnering with Hard Rock Bet Casino is a tremendous opportunity to build on our early success in the US. From day one, our goal has been to create content that American players love, and we’re thrilled to bring our most engaging titles to an operator brand that needs no introduction and shares our commitment to quality and innovation.”

Rich Criado, VP of Casino at Hard Rock Bet added: “Rolling with RubyPlay is a win for our players, who now have even more exciting and innovative games to explore. Their fresh portfolio adds to our diverse offering of over 3,000 games, keeping Hard Rock Bet Casino at the forefront of online entertainment.”

Odds Reactor is a global B2B odds feed provider headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, serving betting operators across European markets. With the new partnership, the company now has access to 50+ sports disciplines, 50,000+ monthly events, and 1,000+ markets through DATA.BET’s wide sports portfolio. All content is backed by official data sources with down-to-1-second bet delay and 93% market uptime, ensuring reliable service for their end clients. The plug-and-play API integration into the existing ecosystem took just three months to implement with minimal technical resources.

DATA.BET & Odds Reactor forge strategic alliance to enhance sports content coverage

DATA.BET’s sports coverage spans major leagues in football, basketball, and tennis, alongside niche competitions, providing the content diversity that modern operators demand. With the recent launch of Bet Builder functionality for football and hockey, Odds Reactor becomes one of the first partners to integrate this advanced feature, enabling their clients to offer combined bets including Player Props and other personalized selections.

“This partnership with Odds Reactor represents a successful deployment of our classic sports offering,” said Otto Bonning, Head of Sales at DATA.BET. “The solid technical foundation of our sports betting solution enabled rapid integration for Odds Reactor. This demonstrates how our modern infrastructure accelerates growth for both established players and emerging platforms in a market where speed-to-market determines competitive edge.”

“With future developments focusing on expanded sports coverage and enhanced tech capabilities, this partnership leverages both companies’ strengths to meet the demands of a dynamic and competitive betting market,” added Samuel Ahonen, Operations Manager at Odds Reactor.

At the heart of the action is the Sword Meter, granting Multipliers from x2 to x100 whenever a Multiplier Wild lands. These values climb during Free Spins, culminating in a dramatic x100 finale. And when two Scatters fall during Free Spins, five Thorn Spins are triggered – locking the current Multiplier in place for a sequence of exciting rewards.

The visuals continue Play’n GO’s tradition of richly illustrated Arthurian settings. Familiar faces return, but their designs are now shaded by the forest’s creeping curse. With these familiar characters combined with exciting gameplay and features, The Green Knight Oath of Thorns aims to captivate both lore-lovers and feature-seekers alike.

Fans of the original Green Knight or broader Camelot titles such as The Sword and the Grail will appreciate the continuity of tone, mechanics, and character. The game deepens the narrative arc while pushing gameplay into bolder, darker territory.

Magnus Wallentin, Games Ambassador at Play’n GO, said: “This return to Camelot sees The Green Knight face his most dangerous test yet. With each feature shaped by the game’s lore, Oath of Thorns sets a new bar for storytelling through slots.”

The all-cash offer, lodged by MIXI’s local subsidiary MIXI Australia, is open until 7:00 p.m. Melbourne time on August 25th, unless extended or withdrawn. It values PointsBet’s equity at around AU$460 million ($304.1 million) and implies an enterprise value of A$402 million ($276 million), based on the company’s FY25 guidance.

The bid, which requires a minimum acceptance of 50.1 percent, comes as MIXI faces competition from rival bidder Betr Entertainment, which has tabled a scrip-based alternative. PointsBet’s directors have backed the MIXI proposal in the absence of a superior offer, noting its certainty and simplicity compared to Betr’s stock-based approach.

In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, PointsBet said it had lodged its official Target’s Statement with the corporate regulator and had begun sending it to shareholders.

MIXI enters the offer period with 17.18 percent of PointsBet shares effectively locked in, thanks to pre-bid agreements covering 9.15 percent of issued stock, including from Bennelong Long Short Equity Management (2.76 percent) and Pictet Asset Management (Singapore) (6.40 percent), along with the 8.02 percent held by company directors.

The Japanese tech group’s offer represents a 44.6 percent premium to PointsBet’s closing price of AU$0.83 ($0.55) on February 25, the day before MIXI’s earlier scheme proposal was unveiled, and a 40.3 percent premium over the one-month VWAP of AU$0.86 ($0.57).

It also exceeds the upper end of an independent valuation range disclosed by PointsBet in May by as much as AU$0.24 ($0.16).

Regulatory approvals have already been secured in key markets, including Australia’s Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission and Canada’s Ontario gambling authorities (AGCO and iGO), removing one of the major hurdles to the deal.

Unlike Betr’s offer, MIXI’s bid is fully funded and carries no financing conditions or reliance on synergies. The Japanese firm argues this structure provides maximum deal certainty for PointsBet shareholders.

MIXI has been expanding its portfolio through strategic investments abroad, with PointsBet marking its most ambitious push yet into the Australian wagering sector.

Australia’s gambling watchdog finds ReadyBet breached national self-exclusion laws

Australia

Nelson Moura

-

July 24, 2025

0

Australia’s gambling watchdog finds ReadyBet breached national self-exclusion laws

Australian wagering company ReadyBet has been found to have repeatedly breached national gambling laws by sending promotional messages to individuals registered with the country’s self-exclusion system, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said in a report released this week.

This prompted the agency to issue the Victorian-licensed bookmaker with a remedial direction after the company marketed to customers who had registered with BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register.

The investigation found ReadyBet sent 273 marketing messages between August and December 2023 to electronic addresses linked to people who had signed up to BetStop, the national self-exclusion register designed to shield vulnerable Australians from gambling harm.

Under the remedial direction, ReadyBet must commission an independent review of its marketing systems, including its use of third-party suppliers.

ReadyBet must also engage a provider to deliver training to its staff to avoid messages being sent to self-excluded individuals, and the ACMA may seek civil penalties if ReadyBet does not comply with the remedial direction.

Under federal law, registered individuals are meant to be excluded from all licensed interactive wagering promotions. The ACMA concluded that ReadyBet either knowingly or recklessly contacted those individuals, in what it described as “unjustifiable risks” that violated civil penalty provisions of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

“These are not technical oversights,” the authority said. “They represent systemic failures in ReadyBet’s internal controls to comply with legal consumer protections.”

Systemic failings

The ACMA’s probe detailed a series of lapses, including failure to update marketing lists in time, manual processing errors, and delays in checking customer status against the self-exclusion register. In one case, the regulator found that a staff member filtered marketing lists using the wrong column — resulting in 85 messages being sent on December 21 to individuals clearly flagged as self-excluded.

On another occasion, a push notification promoting betting odds for a Cricket World Cup match was sent to 159 self-excluded users through the ReadyBet mobile app.

Despite prior warnings from the ACMA in September and October, the company continued to contact individuals on the register, the report said. “ReadyBet was aware of the risks… but failed to take timely and effective action,” it added.

The company was also found to have failed in its obligation to promote the BetStop service in electronic messages — a legal requirement under the register rules. While its SMS marketing complied by including links to webpages with the relevant information, 2,342 app push notifications sent in October omitted any reference to the service.

By law, licensed wagering providers must include information about BetStop in their messages to ensure that consumers are aware of how to opt out of gambling platforms.

Launched in August 2023, BetStop was introduced as a centralised tool allowing individuals to ban themselves from all licensed online betting services in Australia. The register forms part of a broader push by the federal government to strengthen protections around digital wagering, including mandatory pre-verification of customer identity and deposit limit tools.

Consumer advocates have long called for stricter enforcement of industry obligations, warning that online gambling poses a growing risk to public health.

The ACMA has not yet announced if penalties will be issued against ReadyBet, but the agency said enforcement actions remain under consideration. Civil penalties for violations can reach up to 180 units per offence.

ReadyBet has not issued a public response to the findings.

Sands admits Macau underperformance due to insufficient customer reinvestment in 2Q25

Macau

Viviana Chan

-

July 24, 2025

0

Sands admits Macau underperformance due to insufficient customer reinvestment in 2Q25

Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Rob Goldstein acknowledged that the company “underperformed” in the Macau market during 2Q25, attributing the shortfall to insufficient customer reinvestment programs against the company’s target of $2.7 billion annual EBITDA for Sands China.

This sentiment emerged during an earnings call following the release of LVS’s 2Q25 financial results.

Rob Goldstein, CEO, Las Vegas Sands — _{Rob Goldstein, Chairman / CEO of Las Vegas Sands}

Rob Goldstein, Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, stated, “Macao did $566 million of EBITDA for the quarter. We have underperformed in this market.” He attributed this to an initial conservative approach, admitting the company “was not aggressive enough as it relates to customer reinvestment. We believed our billings would be enough. We were wrong.” In response, a more assertive customer reinvestment program was implemented in late April.

Grant Cham, CEO and President of Sands China, elaborated on the strategic shift. “Around late April, we started to implement a more aggressive customer reinvestment program,” Cham noted. He added that the company is “seeing some encouraging initial results from those increased levels of reinvestment. As we get into May and June, the performance of SCL did improve.”

Patrick Dumont, President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands, echoed this sentiment, stating, “We’re not where we want to be at Macao.” He underscored the company’s focus on improving performance, recognizing that “we have work to do in our reinvestment programs.” Dumont reaffirmed the company’s commitment to driving revenue and cash flow growth across its Macau portfolio, particularly at The Londoner Macao.

According to the financial results, net revenues from Macau operations – where the company runs a portfolio of casino properties – were just under $1.80 billion in the second quarter, an increase of 2.5 percent compared with the April to June 2024 period. Net income for Sands China was $214 million in the second quarter of 2025, down 13.0 percent compared to $246 million a year earlier.

Discussion also touched upon capital allocation and dividend payouts. Notably, Sands China paid its first dividend in five years in mid-June, distributing a final dividend of HK$0.25 ($0.032) per share for the financial year ending December 31st, 2024.

Dumont indicated that the company remains focused on returning capital to shareholders through dividends at the SCL level. He mentioned that as capital expenditure related to The Londoner Macao’s significant investment rolls off, the company would “look to return to increasing the dividend over time with the support of the Sands China Board.”

Events “rearrange” rather than create new business

The role of non-gaming events, such as concerts, in driving visitation was also a key topic, as analysts have mentioned that concerts have been a major driver in beating June’s low seasonality.

When asked by an equity analyst how to make this sustainable, executives offered differing perspectives on the impact of entertainment programming.

Grant Cham highlighted Macau’s growing reputation as a regional entertainment hub. “Macau has really been successful in establishing itself as a regional center for entertainment, be it from Greater China artists, Asian artists, and even international artists,” Cham stated. He affirmed that the calendar of events is continually being filled by operators, contributing to the market’s appeal.

However, Rob Goldstein offered a more nuanced view on the actual business impact of major entertainment events. Drawing from the company’s experience across markets, he noted, “I think it was last year, I wouldn’t give credit in Singapore because Taylor Swift made the whole thing happen. She wasn’t available this quarter. We still did pretty well.”

Goldstein emphasized that while Macau has “lots of events,” his experience has taught him that “events just rearrange the customer visitation. They don’t necessarily create new [business] as much as they rearrange when people come and go.” This suggests that while high-profile entertainers like “Jacky Cheung and some of these high-end entertainers” help attract visitors, their primary impact is on timing rather than generating entirely new customer bases.

The Venetian Arena, Sands Resorts, Macau

Despite this measured view on events, Goldstein expressed optimism about Macau’s overall market strength. “I think that market is just showing strength,” he said, pointing to June results as evidence of building momentum. He noted that during his recent visit, “it looked for the first time like pre-pandemic Macau, very strong, lots of people at the tables.”

The CEO concluded that while entertainment calendars are “chock full of events” and “everyone has entertainment these days and terrific restaurants,” investors should focus on “the overall results in the last few months to be very encouraged” about where Macau appears to be heading. He advised not being overly concerned with event counts, as the underlying market fundamentals suggest sustainable strength beyond individual entertainment programming.

Alea adopts Continent 8’s cutting-edge cybersecurity framework to safeguard operations

Continent 8 Technologies, a leading provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions for the iGaming industry, has announced the expansion of its cybersecurity collaboration with the iGaming aggregator Alea.

The expanded cybersecurity assessment programme delivers a wide range of benefits for Alea and its operator network, including:

Table of Contents

SBC Summit Lisbon 2025

SBC Summit Lisbon is back for its 2nd edition, where global leaders in Sports Betting and iGaming assemble to discuss the future of the industry.

SOFTSWISS celebrates 16 years of innovation and impact in iGaming

Marking its 16th anniversary, SOFTSWISS reflects on a journey defined by bold decisions and continuous evolution in the iGaming sector.

“As SOFTSWISS steps into its 17th year, one thing is clear: behind every product, every launch, and every success, there is a team of people driving it forward, and they are just getting started.”

Table of Contents

RubyPlay signs distribution deal with Hard Rock to expand US presence

The innovative B2B iGaming development studio RubyPlay has signed a significant content distribution agreement with Hard Rock Bet Casino, bringing its dynamic portfolio of online slot games to one of the top-rated platforms in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

DATA.BET & Odds Reactor forge strategic alliance to enhance sports content coverage

DATA.BET, the sportsbook solution supplier, has announced a new partnership with Odds Reactor to deliver comprehensive sports betting content.

Table of Contents

LT Game announces partnership with the Majestic Pride Casino in Sri Lanka

Paradise Entertainment’s subsidiary LT Game announced a partnership with the Majestic Pride Casino in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Play’n GO revisits Arthurian lore with The Green Knight Oath of Thorns release

Play’n GO returns to the Arthurian legend with The Green Knight Oath of Thorns, a dark reimagining of a fan-favourite character now caught in a fight against forest-born sorcery.

Table of Contents

PointsBet backs takeover bid from Japan’s MIXI amid rival offer

Australian online betting firm PointsBet said Thursday its board had unanimously recommended a A$1.20-per-share ($0.82) takeover offer from Japan’s MIXI, as the Tokyo-listed tech company formally launched its off-market bid.

Australia’s gambling watchdog finds ReadyBet breached national self-exclusion laws

Australian wagering company ReadyBet has been found to have repeatedly breached national gambling laws by sending promotional messages to individuals registered with the country’s self-exclusion system, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said in a report released this week.

Sands admits Macau underperformance due to insufficient customer reinvestment in 2Q25

Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Rob Goldstein acknowledged that the company “underperformed” in the Macau market during 2Q25, attributing the shortfall to insufficient customer reinvestment programs against the company’s target of $2.7 billion annual EBITDA for Sands China.

Events “rearrange” rather than create new business

Table of Contents

ENQUIRIES & SUBSCRIPTIONS

CONTACTS

FOLLOW AGB