ELA Games, an innovative slot provider in the iGaming industry geared towards creating an immersive experience for players through their engaging slots, has annouced a new strategic partnership with Rootz, an iGaming platform that focuses on exciting tech and automation.
Rootz is an all-encompassing iGaming solution built to help operators manage all aspects of their online casinos and power the brands of the future. Some innovative brands in the Rootz portfolio include Wildz, Chipz Casino and many more.
This strategic partnership will see ELA Games’ catalogue being hosted on many of Rootz’s brands. As a result, more players can experience ELA Games’ unique and innovative games like Cash Crab, Joker Cashpot and more. With many of the studio’s games implementing engaging gamification engines, Rootz’s brands can experience increased player acquisition, retention and engagement.
David Fall, ELA Games’ Business Development Manager and spokesperson, commented on the partnership: “We’re proud to announce this significant strategic partnership and are excited about the positive implications it will have on our growth. ELA Games will increase its market presence by being hosted on Rootz’s various platforms, and Rootz will experience increased player engagement from our innovative games. This partnership will prove to be a mutually beneficial one and a meaningful development for our studio.”
Sam Brown, Rootz’s CEO, added: “At Rootz, our players come first, so we’re always thrilled to augment our lobbies with top-quality casino content, like the titles in ELA Games’ catalogue. We’re sure our players will enjoy them, and we look forward to this mutually beneficial collaboration.”
ELA Games continues to experience expansive yet sustainable growth, as evidenced by this recent significant partnership. The studio continues its commitment to producing games with attractive UI and design that enhances the player experience.
WA.Technology, the award-winning B2B iGaming solutions provider, has reached a new milestone after being awarded the ISO 27001:2022 certification.
The globally recognised standard outlines the robust requirements that companies must meet for information security management systems (ISMS). The certification offers a comprehensive framework for developing, implementing, and maintaining robust data security practices in an online environment.
Being awarded the ISO 27001:2022 certification reflects WA.Technology’s ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest possible security controls and data integrity standards across its entire organisation.
The process involved an in-depth analysis of WA.Technology’s information security policies and analysis of the procedures and comprehensive security controls in place to protect the business against potential vulnerabilities. These threats include unauthorised data breaches, sharing of information, and other potential risks.
This is the International Organisation for Standardisation’s (ISO) latest version of the 27001 certification, which features enhanced provisions around emerging information security risks and challenges in the digital landscape, including those related to cloud security, remote working, building access, maintenance of company data, and the utilisation of new technologies. An upgrade from the 2013 certification, ISO 27001:2022 provides online-facing organisations with a clear framework for implementing and managing an effective ISMS to protect confidential information.
Francesca Grech, ISO Coordinator at WA.Technology, celebrated the new certification: “We are delighted to have received the ISO 27001:2022 certification – this is a true reflection of our commitment to upholding the highest standards in information and cyber security and improving our overall risk management and operational efficiency.”
“ISO 27001:2022 is the gold standard for security for any online business; it is no longer a ‘nice to have’ certification but an essential. At WA.Technology, we thoroughly understand the importance of deploying robust security systems across our entire business. This is imperative not only to protect our partners’ information but also to build trust and enhance credibility and confidence too.”
Play’n GO, one of the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has announced a new US operator partnership with leading brand Stardust Casino.
Stardust Casino, owned by Boyd Interactive, will now host Play’n GO content in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, meaning Stardust Casino players in these states will now have access to classic Play’n GO titles such as Piggy Blitz, Fire Joker, and Colt Lightning.
Play’n GO entered New Jersey in September 2022, and entered Pennsylvania earlier this year, making a total of five states where it is licensed as a games provider.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO, commented, “It’s great to join forces with Stardust Casino in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two of our most important markets globally, not just in the US. The Stardust Casino brand goes back decades in the gaming landscape of the United States, and the introduction of our games to their platform is an exciting prospect for both businesses.”
“Play’n GO is the world’s leading casino entertainment provider. We set the industry standard for game content and innovation. This partnership is another significant milestone on our journey in the US, and our focus now turns to unlocking the full potential of this partnership for both Play’n GO and Stardust Casino.”
Alexander Angelo, CRM Director, Stardust Casino, added “We’re equally enthusiastic to welcome Play’n GO to the Stardust Casino family, and we’re excited to introduce our players in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to some classic Play’n GO games. We’re determined to offer our players the best online casino gaming experience possible, so adding Play’n GO’s games to our portfolio of over 200 online games was a no-brainer. We’re looking forward to many years of success together.”
Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s Cantonese fine dining restaurant Jade Dragon at City of Dreams has been honored by Tatler Best as one of Asia’s top 100 finest restaurants. The distinction highlights Jade Dragon’s devotion to the creation of exquisite culinary masterpieces using the freshest seasonal ingredients and delicacies.
Designed to transform the luxury hospitality landscape, Tatler Best is presented by Tatler Asia as the ultimate celebration of Asia’s finest hotels, restaurants and bars. The new initiative showcases and honors the crème de la crème of hospitality across the region.
Jade Dragon, City of Dreams Macau
At a celebratory event hosted in Bangkok between November 24-25, Melco’s Jade Dragon was honored as part of the definitive selection of top 100 restaurants, meticulously curated by Tatler’s discerning team alongside a panel of esteemed industry experts.
Setting the benchmark for fine dining in Macau, Jade Dragon’s honors and awards include:
Tatler Best 2024 (Top 100 Restaurants)
MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2019 – 2024 (Three Stars)
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards 2014 – 2024
Black Pearl Restaurant Guide 2018, 2020 – 2024 (Three Diamonds)
Black Pearl Restaurant Guide 2019 (Two Diamonds)
Trip.com Gourmet Award 2024 (Diamond)
SCMP 100 Top Tables 2014 – 2024
Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2014 – 2024
Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman & CEO of Melco, said, “Thank you to Tatler Best for the accolade and congratulations to the Jade Dragon team. The honor once again highlights the Melco team’s exceptional dedication to pushing boundaries through providing guests with the most innovative and memorable experiences in hospitality and entertainment.”
With its spectacular designer décor and superlative personalized service, Jade Dragon further maintains its top-tier Three MICHELIN-Star status for the sixth consecutive year.
Starting on Wednesday, November 27th, Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) will set up a memorial area in the Galaxy International Convention Center for team members and various sectors of the community to pay tribute to Lui Che Woo, GEG’s Founder and Chairman.
Lui Che Woo passed away on November 7th at the age of 95.
According to a press release dated November 25th, the memorial area, located in Hall B on the Ground Floor of the Galaxy International Convention Center (GICC), will remain open until December 3rd.
On the first day, November 27th, it will be open from 3pm to 6pm; for the remaining days, the hours will be from 11am to 6pm. At the memorial area, members of the public can leave messages of condolences in the memorial guest book.
In the statement, Lui Che Woo is described as ‘a stalwart patriot of his country, Hong Kong, and Macau’.
Lui’s businesses include properties, entertainment and leisure, hospitality, and construction materials across mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia, and major cities worldwide.
In 2002, Lui established Galaxy Entertainment Group in Macau. Under his stewardship, GEG – known as a patriotic Chinese enterprise that is ‘deeply rooted in Macau’ – has been ‘supporting the moderate diversification of Macau’s economy and leading the stable, innovative, and sustainable development of the integrated tourism and leisure industry.’
Lui Che Woo’s successor has not yet been announced. According to a previous filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the group stated that ‘the new Chairman of GEG will be appointed in due course, and an announcement will be made regarding that appointment’.
Macau gaming operator SJM Holdings may only resume dividend payments in 2026, as its top priority remains deleveraging, according to a report from Morgan Stanley.
The information follows the Asia Pacific Summit 2024, where the Morgan Stanley research team met with SJM Holdings’ management.
Morgan Stanley notes that, despite expectations for SJM’s net income to turn positive in 2024, the company’s dividend policy is closely tied to its efforts to reduce debt.
With net debt still at a high level, SJM aims to reduce its net debt-to-EBITDA ratio to 5x over the next 18 months.
As of the end of the third quarter of 2024, SJM’s net debt-to-hold-adjusted EBITDA stood at 6.5x, and the company has projected capital expenditures of approximately HK$1 billion ($129 million) per year from 2024 to 2026.
While the company is expected to return to profitability in 2024, with third-quarter net income turning positive at HK$101 million ($13 million), compared to a loss of HK$60 million ($7.7 million) in 9M24, Morgan Stanley believes that the resumption of dividends will be slower than that of its peers.
Expansion plans for Grand Lisboa Palace
On the operational front, SJM is focusing on driving growth through its Grand Lisboa Palace (GLP) property. The company plans to boost GLP’s performance by introducing more dining options, with 10 new restaurants expected to open over the next six months. As of 3Q24, five restaurants have already opened.
Additionally, SJM has appointed a new Chief Gaming Officer and plans to hire 50 more staff, predominantly premium mass hosts, to enhance operations and guest services.
According to a recent report, former Star Entertainment Group COO and gaming veteran Damian Quayle has joined SJM Resorts as Chief Gaming Officer.
However, these changes are expected to increase daily operating expenses at GLP, which may rise to HK$8 million ($1.03 million), up from HK$7.6 million ($977,000) in 3Q24. The company aims to achieve a 3 percent market share in gross gaming revenue (GGR) at GLP within the next 2-3 quarters, up from 2.7 percent in 3Q24.
In addition to expanding its restaurant offerings, SJM is refurbishing its hotels at GLP and adding 50 suites to its existing 470-room inventory. This investment in infrastructure is part of SJM’s broader strategy to attract higher-spending customers and improve overall performance.
Gaming Realms, a leading provider of mobile-focused gaming content, has appointed Lauren Bradley as its new Director of Account Management, strengthening its growing team.
Lauren brings over a decade of iGaming experience to Gaming Realms, having held key leadership roles within the industry. Previously serving as the Head of Commercial at both Blueprint Gaming and Realistic Games, she has a proven track record of driving commercial success and strategic growth.
Before these positions, Lauren played a pivotal role in business development at Bede Gaming and honed her sales expertise as a Sales Manager at iSoftBet. Drawing upon her deep understanding of commercial success, Lauren will be instrumental in driving Gaming Realms’ continued expansion.
Her strategic leadership will be key in sustaining the company’s recent impressive total revenue growth of 18%. Lauren’s appointment follows numerous other appointments as Gaming Realms expands its team to accommodate a surge in demand for its Slingo titles.
Gareth Scott, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Realms, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lauren to the team. Her acumen and experience will prove valuable in ensuring we meet our commercial aspirations, maintaining our trajectory of growth in both existing and emerging regulated markets.”
Lauren Bradley, Director of Account Management at Gaming Realms, said: “Gaming Realms is a dynamic and rapidly growing brand. I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to contribute to its success and aid in the ongoing expansion. Supported by a roadmap of fresh entertainment experiences for players to enjoy and numerous new market entries and developments on the horizon, it’s an exciting time to be joining the team.”
Sportradar, the world’s leading sports technology company, at the intersection between sports, media and betting, has announced the launch of generative AI (gen AI) audio, a new feature within its ad:s multi-channel marketing service.
The tool leverages the power of gen AI integrated with Sportradar’s live data, to automate the creation of personalized, real-time audio adverts for sportsbook and casino operators across one of the fastest growing digital marketing channels globally.
Ad:s gen AI audio provides operators with a ready-to-use audio marketing solution, allowing them to generate creative content during key sporting and gaming moments to efficiently scale advertising efforts into podcast streaming services and internet radio networks.
Sportradar’s industry-leading technology automatically creates customised and dynamic adverts – featuring live-data to update odds, jackpots, and upcoming events— to increase brand awareness, uplift purchase intent and increase the likelihood of customer acquisition.
AI-generated audio adverts are the latest addition to Sportradar’s comprehensive, industry-leading, end-to-end marketing services, driving brand awareness, acquisition and retention across channels including programmatic display, video, audio, digital-out-of-home (DOOH), paid social media, paid search, sponsorships and affiliate marketing.
Niki Beier, SVP Marketing Services, said: “Sports fans and bettors are increasingly consuming audio content, with listenership increasing by over 1000% in the past seven years. To deliver maximum marketing efficiency, we’re providing a sophisticated yet simple-to-use solution to sportsbook and casino operators. Through our gen AI technology, we’re making it easy for clients to integrate audio adverts into their acquisition and branding campaigns, to reach more customers with real-time relevant audio messages, without the need for creative teams or a high production budget.”
Macau’s gaming industry is expected to see low single-digit growth over the next few years, with total gross gaming revenue (GGR) projected to increase by 3 percent year-on-year through 2025 and 2026, according to the investment bank UBS.
In a report focusing on the 2025 outlook, UBS notes that future growth is largely driven by the mass market, particularly in the premium mass segment, which benefits from new hotel room supply and increased tourism initiatives.
The mass gaming segment is expected to grow by 3 percent year-on-year for both 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile, the growth in hotel room supply is seen as a key factor supporting the expansion of mass-market GGR.
Currently, the Londoner Grand Hotel, located in Sands China’s integrated resort, and the Capella Hotel, under Galaxy Entertainment, are set to open soon, contributing to a 7 percent year-on-year increase in room availability.
Both hotels are targeting premium mass players, as their hotel rooms consist mainly of suites rather than regular rooms. This added capacity will support the growing demand for premium mass gaming, a segment that continues to show promise in the post-pandemic recovery.
UBS also indicates that the expansion of tourism offerings is expected to further drive visitation to Macau, with new residency shows and other enhanced attractions adding to the destination’s appeal. Additionally, the number of cities eligible for the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) has grown, with 10 new cities added in the first half of 2024.
UBS observes that visitors from these newly added IVS cities increased by 79 percent between June and September 2024, compared to the earlier part of the year.
Stimulus to offset macro uncertainties
Analysts also point to the importance of stimulus measures issued by Chinese authorities. While the global economic environment remains uncertain, there are expectations that potential stimulus from the Chinese government could help buffer any negative impacts on the Macau gaming market. This could provide additional support for the overall recovery and growth of the sector in the coming years.
On the cost front, UBS states that Macau’s gaming operators are likely to continue facing a competitive environment. However, a greater focus on the ‘efficiency of marketing expenditures’ is expected to lead to ‘more rational competition’, which should help stabilize EBITDA margins in the long term.
MGM and Wynn expected to lose market share
Recent revisions to Macau’s gaming market estimates show a downward trend in expectations for several key operators, with adjustments mainly driven by lower market share projections for MGM and Wynn.
For MGM, UBS has lowered its 2024 GGR forecast to $4.39 billion, a 2 percent reduction from its previous estimate, reflecting a weaker market share outlook. However, this new figure is 27 percent above 2019 levels.
Consequently, 2024 EBITDA estimates have been reduced to $266 million. Projections for 2025 and 2026 GGR and EBITDA were similarly cut, with the revised estimates for 2025 showing a 12 percent decline in GGR to $4.02 billion. MGM’s mass market share is now expected to dip to 14.3 percent in 2025 and 14 percent in 2026, reflecting stronger competition.
For Wynn Macau, GGR estimates for 2024 have been increased to $3.67 billion, still 31 percent below 2019 levels. However, projections for 2025 and 2026 have been cut, with a 6 percent reduction in 2025 GGR. Wynn’s mass market share is also expected to decline in the coming years.
Sands China, on the other hand, saw a slight upward revision for 2024, with its GGR now forecast at $6.85 billion, a marginal increase from the previous estimate. Despite this, EBITDA estimates for 4Q24 were raised by 6 percent to $633 million.
Sands is expected to benefit from the ramp-up of the Londoner Phase 2 project, which should help boost mass market share and drive strong EBITDA growth over the coming years. Projections for 2025 and 2026 also show growth, with GGR estimates of $7.53 billion and $7.93 billion, respectively.
Australia’s move to limit gambling advertisements in the nation has hit yet another roadblock, with authorities doubting whether there’s any possibility to push through gambling reforms within this year.
According to reports, the bill aiming to limit the exposure of gambling advertisements failed to gain enough Senate support and that the complexity of the bill has hindered it from advancing at this time.
Anika Wells, Minister for Sport
Minister for Sport of Australia, Anika Wells, indicated that the financial well-being of various sports had been a factor in both deliberations and the decision that the bill to limit adverts was not yet ready.
Meanwhile, another government official indicated that there wasn’t enough Senate support to push through the controversial blackout period on gambling ads proposed to take place before and after major sporting events.
There has been pushback, with politicians accusing officials of being overly influenced by sportsbooks, broadcasters and the sporting codes themselves.
The delay comes despite multiple studies on the topic and a proposed three-year phase-in for a total ban on gambling ads, proposed after a parliamentary inquiry mid this year.
Some 31 recommendations were outlined in the report following the inquiry, with the sports minister noting that “I think it needs more nuanced work and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Minister Rowland on the 31 recommendations”.
Wells, as quoted by The Guardian, noted that “I’ve got concerns about how [gambling] is impacting sport integrity and how this is impacting our athletes”.
The official furthered “On the flip side I have national sporting organizations, professional codes worried about how this will impact the viability of their financial models”.
While the concept has been widely discussed, there is no strict outline of what the proposed gambling ad restrictions would entail.
“More work needed to be done. We hadn’t landed on a model where all different people and all different stakeholders from all different parts of the sporting sphere were able to accept it and able to, I guess, enact it as quickly as I think what you’re looking for,” stated Wells.
