Category Archives: Casino Affiliate

As we have observed in a number of our prior posts (e.g., our post illustrating Canadas drop from the top 10 least corrupt countries in Transparency Internationals 2020 Annual Corruption Perceptions Index), Canada has been the subject of criticism for what is perceived as lax prevention of financial/white collar wrongdoing and enforcement of related prohibitions. As we have also reported, over the past number of years, the Canadian government has introduced a number of pertinent initiatives to address these criticisms. For example, there has been increasing emphasis on money laundering recently, and Budget 2021 released April 19, 2021 by the Government of Canada announced the implementation of a beneficial ownership registry for corporations in Canada.

Most significantly, a number of amendments to the regulations under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) were published in the Canada Gazette in 2019 and 2020, the bulk of which will come into force on June 1, 2021 (the Amendments). Taken together, these Amendments effect a sizeable overhaul of the anti-money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/ATF) regulatory landscape in Canada. In anticipation, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) issued new guidance in February and March of 2021 in key areas to assist reporting entities with complying with their new AML/ATF obligations. FINTRAC subsequently issued additional guidance on May 4, 2021. Given the scope and scale of these changes, FINTRAC has indicated that it will exercise an amount of discretion as it assesses compliance with the new and updated obligations under the Amendments. FINTRAC has, however, previously indicated that it does expect to enforce the new virtual currency obligations when the Amendments come into force; unless FINTRAC provides otherwise in the coming days, reporting entities should expect FINTRAC to enforce all virtual currency rules as of June 1st.

To assist individuals and businesses in navigating this regulatory overhaul, Osler has prepared a Client Guide to the changes effective on June 1 that will be of most interest to entities with obligations under the PCMLTFA (reporting entities). Our Client Guide, which was initially published April 30th, has been updated to include the additional guidance issued May 4th.

Please see here to access the Client Guide.

Below, we summarize key additions coming out of the May 4th guidance, which includes third-party identification requirements, identification methods, the travel rule, the 24-hour rule and prepaid payment products and accounts. Additional information, which includes wide-ranging updates to requirements across reporting entities obligations under the PCMLTFA, can be found in the Guide.

Third-party identification

The updated guidance describes the new third-party determination and recordkeeping requirements for large virtual currency transactions, as well as the new recordkeeping requirements that reporting entities must adhere to when third-party determinations cannot be made. The updated guidance also introduces new exemptions for financial entities, securities dealers, casinos, and life insurance companies and specifically provides that third-party determinations do not need to be made with respect to prepaid payment products for a merchant.

Identification methods for individuals and entities

The updated guidance largely contains minor changes to the prior guidance, although the format has been restructured, with several notable differences. Among other changes, the guidance introduces the reliance method for identifying both individuals and entities, which allows a reporting entity to rely on measures previously taken by another reporting entity or a foreign affiliate of a reporting entity. Although this method has been permitted under the regulations to the PCMLTFA for years, it did not previously appear in any FINTRAC guidance. The guidance also reflects the Amendments addition of the simplified identification process for entity verification, which may be used only by certain prescribed reporting entities. This method allows those prescribed entities to use a simplified process to verify other prescribed entities.

Travel rule

The new guidance from FINTRAC clarifies the travel rule requirements introduced under the Amendments. The travel rule applies only to financial entities, money services businesses, foreign money services businesses and casinos, and requires that each of these entities provide certain information when initiating electronic funds transfers or virtual currency transfers (casinos are not subject to the virtual currency requirements in the guidance). When receiving these types of transactions, reasonable measures must be taken to obtain the travel rule information. If one of these entities acts as a transfer intermediary, the travel rule prohibits the removal of the travel rule information before the transfer is sent.

24-hour rule

The updated 24-hour rule guidance issued on May 4th will only apply to large virtual currency reporting when it comes into effect on June 1st separate guidance will eventually be issued for large cash transactions, electronic funds transfers and casino disbursements. Until specific guidance for large cash transactions, electronic funds transfers and casino disbursements is issued, the prior guidance should be followed for these transaction types.

The updated guidance clarifies that the 24-hour window is static. Reporting entities can establish different static 24-hour windows for different business lines or for different types of reports, so long as the windows are consistent and reported to FINTRAC.

The updated guidance also sets out an exception to the 24-hour rule when the beneficiary of the transactions is a public body, a very large corporation, or an administrator of a regulated pension fund. However, this is not an exception to the reporting rules generally: if a public body, very large corporation or pension fund administrator is the beneficiary of any single transaction equivalent to $10,000 or more, that transaction must still be reported to FINTRAC.

Prepaid payment products and accounts

The new guidance on prepaid payment products and accounts contains definitions and obligations that reflect the Amendments, including the definition of prepaid payment account as an account connected to a prepaid payment product permitting funds or virtual currency totaling $1,000 or more to be added to the account within a 24-hour period, or that allow a balance of funds or virtual currency in the amount of $1,000 or more to be maintained in the account, excluding products that enable access to a credit or debit account or those products issued for use with a particular merchant or for a retail rebate program. The guidance further clarifies that prepaid payment product accounts do not include accounts that only a public body or registered charity acting for humanitarian purposes can add funds or virtual currency to. Prepaid payment product accounts are subject to account opening obligations and transaction obligations just like other types of accounts.

Businesses and individuals subject to obligations under the PCMLTFA need to be aware of the risks associated with increasing enforcement scrutiny of financial transactions, the preventative steps that regulators and enforcement agencies expect be taken, and the legal and reputational risks associated with failures to comply. A more in-depth summary of key changes and new obligations found in each of the May 4th FINTRAC guidance documents can now be found in the Client Guide along with other important changes due to come into effect on June 1st.

Please note that the Guide does not identify every change coming into force on June 1st. The focus of the Guide is rather on those changes that will be most important to entities with obligations under the PCMLTFA.

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Is Canada rising to the challenge? Responding to calls for more effective financial crime prevention and enforcement - Lexology

Tiffany Gambla launched her own gambling lifestyle YouTube channel back in 2020, and regularly reaches tens of thousands of casino fans with her vlogs. The videos follow Tiffany as she provides an insight into the slots, games and experiences available across Atlantic City.

Tiffany said: "I've loved visiting the Atlantic City casinos for years. Joining Slot Squad and being able to play the same games from my own home in front of an audience of viewers who share the same interests as me is really exciting. The Slot Squad is going places and I'm thrilled to be a part of it!" For more info on Tiffany, The Slot Squad and the streaming schedule please visit http://www.theslotsquad.com.

The Slot Squad was brought to life by US gaming affiliate Wedge Traffic and allows viewers to tune into the Twitch channel and witness jackpot wins, enter free giveaways and claim exclusive free bet offers in their state, across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia.

Wedge Traffic co-founder David Copeland said: "Tiffany Gambla knows the casino world inside-out and it was a no-brainer to get her onboard. Her YouTube channel attracts thousands of views, and we're looking forward to bringing her fans into our like-minded community. I have no doubt her presence will be a huge addition to our channel!"

The Slot Squad is a channel dedicated to educating slots and casino fans on casino games available in the United States.

Twitch is now owned by Amazon and has become the number 1 streaming platform in the world, welcoming over 140 million unique visitors every month.

SOURCE The Slot Squad

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Tiffany Gambla Joins The Slot Squad - PRNewswire - PRNewswire

Streaming is established as a huge component of the console gaming ecosystem, and the first generation of igaming streamers is beginning to emerge. This has the potential to become far more than just another affiliate marketing channel, writes Julian Buhagiar.

Watching Xposed play live blackjack on Twitch is a strangely serene experience. Contrary to most other gambling streamers, hes soft-spoken and fluidly pivots from conversing about the best SpaceX launches to his beloved Camaro while hitting on a Q-J pair.

You toast his highs on a pair of Aces, and even share his pain on a straight 15 round loss. In fact, if you set the volume at the right level, you could pop the window in the background and let his voice roll off like a Gen-Z Johnny Carson (who gambles) while you get on with some more important tasks for the day. Such as playing for real money with that 20 free bet from Xposed.

This is the new generation of affiliate marketing, and it is rising so rapidly that it will dominate most other forms of directed traffic to operators by the middle of this decade.

Having started predominantly in Europe, there are dedicated streamers across pretty much most of the world. Some Japanese casino players trend as high as their European counterparts, and thats just on Twitch a predominantly Western-facing medium.

Older stalwarts scoff at this medium, saying that properly scripted written content or well-placed media will remain stable revenue streams for affiliates. But theyre missing the point. Millennials and Gen-Zs dont give a frack about most long-form content, and even if they did youd have probably lost them somewhere around this paragraph anyway.

To be fair, this is not just happening in gambling. Instagram and TikTok (and YouTube before it) had effectively segmented consumer behaviour between long-form and streaming content long before gambling had a look-in. With Twitch this has increased tenfold, distorting all the other revenue streams.

The demographics are spot on: 82% of Twitch users are male, with 55% aged 18-34. Which partly explains why Ubisoft and Epic have recently increased their pay packets for dedicated streamers (as opposed to professional esports players).

And this is a crucial point. Because good promotion of product is very different to good playing of product. Its the main reason why gambling streamers were very lacklustre until a couple of years ago. Initially most played with their own money, and did it just for the lolz, or more pertinently, for the follows.

Then suddenly a raft of new-age players appeared almost simultaneously on the scene, each with great presenting skills and, crucially, good hardware for capturing and broadcasting high-quality picture-in-picture feeds. With them came the nascence of the brand-sponsored gambling streamer. To operators this was gold dust. Give the streamers some free credit, get them to showcase the best products, throw in a couple of promotions or two and you have a self-perpetuating relationship.

Which means theres a particularly cynical undertone to all of this. Its astounding that even today after an outright ban on all fake I changed my life by gambling feeder sites there still isnt a clear narrative differentiating promoted streamer content. Theres little effort to make the case that the majority of streamers up the food chain are all effectively affiliates.

Particularly those with 1,000 roulette spins.

Honestly speaking, a well-curated stream is entertaining nonetheless, promoted content or otherwise. As long as the underlying agenda is clear, you can even get creative with it. Remember those ludicrous three-minute YouTube clips with guys winning the jackpot, blowing it all in Vegas and escaping with the private jet pursued by the feds?

So where do streamers go from here? Lets start with the bad bits first. Theres no way that gambling streamers will continue unabated in their current form. If the regulated industry has clamped down with vigour on loot boxes, free bonuses, capped spending and even limits between spins, its only a matter of time before socialist legislative guns are pointed that way.

But the actual limit of restrictions is likely to be quite moot. Well probably see some more obvious disclaimers about sponsored content and corporate responsibility, and thats about it. Theres not much that can be done, not without some serious repercussions across the whole streaming medium about whats permissible and what isnt and that is a legislative matter that could take years even to draft let alone implement.

The other downside is more of a general issue with the major streaming platforms than with gambling itself. Its incredibly easy to get access to restricted content on sites like Twitch and YouTube, and we all know that stories such as EVIL streamers lure KIDS to GAMBLE! will shortly pop up on all our favourite right-leaning news portals.

Interestingly enough, theres a solid defence here. Its reasonable to argue that at any one time, freely available content such as Fortnite, LoL and especially CS:GO has significantly more graphic content and negative influence than a charming streamer trying to get a spin bonus.

These implications could suggest the possibility of a complete shutdown of gambling products on some streaming sites, but as things stand its unlikely. Eyeballs are increasing proportionally with new and live content, which is essential to paying hosting bills. And theres a perfectly legitimate argument (i.e. one that will hold water in a court of appeal) that says provided its properly gated and disclaimed, its no different to the likes of Hearthstone.

Having identified the issues with streamers, the upsides become significantly compelling and disruptive. Streamers are becoming strong brands in their own right and their fanbase enjoys momentum growth. What this means is that thanks to the long-tail effect of good content, eyeballs beget eyeballs, snowballing reputation and followers further.

In fact, it doesnt matter anymore how much is played and lost in a session as long as theres a fantastic streaming experience. The endgame here is that streamers themselves become assets in their own right, with potential to be bought and sold to the right agency that can direct them to various content depending on the opportunity, i.e. price.

Which also suggests that player lifetime revenue shares wont be as lucrative as they used to be compared with the streamers themselves. Thus the new world order for operators will be more about securing the right streamer partners as their outreach could far eclipse anything a marketer could achieve on a B2C level.

There is a double-edged sword to this, and one that could significantly affect operators. It is quite likely that streamers will soon have the ability to divert traffic to and from various brands in a much more meaningful way than other forms of marketing. That would be a monumental pivot and would fundamentally alter the dynamics between operator, player and streamer. Operators would have to refocus their efforts onto these new B2B2C clients to ensure they retain brand favour with their core fanbase.

This, then, will rapidly become the new normal. Captive ever more to the small screens given whats going on outside, and having existing gambling product (and affiliates) hampered by legislation and regulation, viewer demand invokes a void that is gradually being filled by these new content creators. Initially free rollers, they are now major sponsored franchises in their own right, and given their current momentum, stand to gradually take over traditional viewing habits.

Thus, assuming the streaming portals remain supportive, and properly caveat promoted content, the future for streamers will be bright indeed.

And as they take over Europe as the dominant accessible medium into gambling, their methods are being emulated (albeit with changes) into the Americas and Asia over the coming years as well. One question remains: what will happen once the brand value of the streamers surpasses the value of the operator theyre promoting?

Stay tuned for the second episode of iGB Affiliates new podcast, Affilipod, which will feature affiliate streamers discussing their growth plans. Listen to the first episode, featuring Ian Sims of Rightlander, here.

Co-founder of RB Capital, Julian Buhagiar is an investor, CEO and board director to multiple ventures in gaming, fintech and media markets. He has led investments, M&As and exits to date in excess of $370m.

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Following the stream - iGaming Business

Michael Daly took on the top job at Catena Media in January after a successful stint heading up the affiliate groups flagship US operations. He speaks to Scott Longley about his plans to revamp the entire inventory and chart a sustainable growth path for the business following the quickfire M&A-driven expansion of recent years.

There is a brutality to corporate life. Since late 2017, Catena Media has had in total five permanent and interim chief executives. The latest to take up the reins is Michael Daly (below right) who came to the post after the resignation of Per Hellberg.

Such was the swiftness of Hellbergs defenestration that board member Gran Blomberg took up as interim chief executive for a fortnight while the board undertook a brief search. They quickly plumped for Daly who until then was serving as the managing director of Catena Medias US operations.

The high turnover at the top might be said to be down, at least in some part, to indigestion. Between 2014 and late 2018, Catena Media undertook more than 30 buyouts at a rate of almost one per month. As the company led the charge in gaming affiliate M&A, revenues ballooned from around 2m in early 2015 to a peak of 27.8m in the second quarter of last year.

Growing pains were only to be expected when a company expands at such breakneck speed, not least because for all the revenue growth, the buying spree was financed by debt. Even as the company hit its revenue peak in the middle of last year, it was forced to go to shareholders with a hybrid rights issue of securities and warrants which raised a total SEK684m (around 67m).

The proceeds from this enabled the company to pay off 49.5m of an outstanding 150m bond that had been due for repayment in May. It was also able to renegotiate the repayment of the remainder for another year.

The rights issue gives the new CEO some breathing space. For all that Catena Media hit a revenue high point in the second quarter of last year, it has somewhat plateaued for the past two or more years. Its previous quarterly revenue high came in the third quarter of 2018 and on the headline numbers (revenues, EBITDA, NDCs) it has now been overtaken as the leading listed affiliate by major rival Better Collective.

Meanwhile, although Catenas adjusted EBITDA has been reasonably steady, pre-tax profits have been patchier. In the last quarter of 2019, for instance, it was forced to write down 32.1m on the value of various previously acquired assets, causing a quarterly 32.2m pre-tax loss.

The reassessment of the worth of some of its acquisitions is ongoing. Before Daly took up his post the board appointed McKinsey to take a look at further underperforming parts of the business. In his debut presentation to investors unveiling the companys fourth-quarter numbers, Daly spoke about the 15% of the business that had shown no growth and speaking to iGB, he says that turning that around is the first challenge.

We want to be able to focus the business and the teams involved on growth, he says. There is a lot of growth out there in the affiliate gaming sector.

Towards the end of his tenure Hellberg had taken to describing the European parts of Catenas business as the legacy element, with all that seemed to indicate with regard to priorities. Indeed, the word appears in the 4Q20 introductory statement from Blomberg.

But Daly wants legacy banished from Catenas corporate vocabulary. I want to avoid using the word, he says. That implicitly says, to me, that something is declining and dying. Instead, I would rather look at why it is an area is not performing. Maybe it is an acquisition where we didnt pay enough attention on the integration or where the teams involved didnt have proper performance guidance.

Implicit here is the admission that Catena Medias execution post-buyout may not have always been up to scratch, particularly with buyout piled on top of buyout. Maybe we did take on too many acquisitions at once a few years ago, he says. Maybe we spent too much time only focused on the bigger products. Regardless, it is now about revamping the entire inventory.

That revamp involves reinvigorating the various teams at Catena, incentivising them by granting more autonomy, greater responsibility and differing rewards. It is all of those things, Daly says. Each set of people might be incentivised differently, depending on where their focus is on the business. For some it could be about more content flow or the optimisation of the site funnel. For others it is also about maximising the deals we have with operators. This is all very multifunctional but a lot of it is about empowerment.

As mentioned, Daly takes over as CEO after having lately overseen the rise of Catena Medias US-focused business. The company may have somewhat lucked into the US when it bought the PlayNJ assets in December 2016 the PASPA repeal decision was still 18 months away but Daly and Catena have certainly played the hand that was dealt well enough.

The company is, by its own estimation, now the leading gambling-related affiliate in the regulating sports betting and igaming space in the US. By the end of the fourth quarter, the US was worth 30% of total revenues of 26.6m or circa 8m, representing year-on-year growth of 72%.

That growth continued into the early months of 2021 with the market openings in Michigan and Virginia driving 58% year-on-year revenue growth for the company as a whole in January. With the sporting schedule continuing to be friendly for the rest of the quarter, it seems likely the US operation will help Catena Media to break the cycle of circa 26m revenue quarters in the first three months of 2021.

The figures will be helped by the structure of Catenas US business where revenue is dominated by cost per acquisition (CPA) as opposed to the revenue-share arrangements more prevalent in Europe. The prevalence of CPA comes down to operator preference. Catenas clients in the US tend to have existing customer loyalty schemes or player databases and also capability. The multi-state regulatory landscape makes it difficult to run revenue share for many of them and for us also, Daly says.

The extent of CPA revenues in the US also creates its own (nice-to-have) issues as debuting states see what Daly calls a launch bubble as Catena reaps the benefits from the first onrush of new players.

CPAs put cash in hand early, says Daly. Catena can use that cash today to invest in the future. Michigan, for instance, was a very successful launch, thankfully, because we were there so early. To pay for that, you needed the infrastructure and the cash.

Sustainability of revenues will come from a mix of continued state-by-state sports betting openings, moves to add online gaming to the mix where it isnt already a factor, and similarly moves to add mobile betting to states such as New York where sports betting is currently land-based only.

Its a multifaceted picture, says Daly. Yes, the available player volume will decrease in current sports states but as the marketable case decreases, the operators are suffering the same thing. They need new players in that quarter, so we become more important as these markets change. We can deliver that player and we only charge them when they turn up.

Catena Media is on a different journey in Europe. Daly is keen to suggest that the lessons from wherever Catena Media operates can be applied in all markets, whether that is the US, Europe, Latin America or Japan.

In Europe, along with the rest of the sector, Catena Media faces the prospect later this year of the opening of the new German regulated regime for online casino and towards the end of the year the regulated market in the Netherlands. While in the US we are looking at market entries, in Europe some markets might be seen as an opportunity for re-entry, such as Germany, he says. The markets are shifting to almost-new models with new operators and new ways to market to customers.

It is about more than simply altering the product to suit the new regulatory boundaries. Its as much about changing the mindset, he suggests. We have a lot of talented people and they will have the answers. But we have to change the philosophy of how our business is structured. There is the consumer, the operator and then our company, likely in that order of importance. And that is how I believe we need to think.

More than that, Daly hopes to instil in his teams a self-solving ability when it comes to servicing the needs of the clients. We also have to respond to the operators and they dont operate one model across all their businesses, he adds. While many of our clients are global, how they work in differing jurisdictions and markets can vary a lot. We need to respect that and be agile enough to support it.

Part of the response involves paid media. In recent years, Catenas reliance on paid media for a proportion of its revenue diminished to the point in the second quarter of last year that it contributed only 5.4% of total revenues or 1.5m. However, the fourth quarter saw something of a revival with paid media revenue rising 20% year-on-year to 2.5m. Not coincidentally, perhaps, this revival comes at the same time that Better Collective has greatly enhanced its own claims in the paid media arena with the acquisition of Atemi Group.

Daly says that while paid media shouldnt be the largest segment of Catenas business, it needs to be part of the mix. My objective is for organic [SEO] to be the largest portion of the business, he says. That is where the strongest margins come from. But paid media is something that we should definitely have in our toolbox.

The explanation for the hesitancy is clear he doesnt want Catena to be competing with its own customers on search terms. They can spend more on PPC than we can in part because we are an intermediary, he points out. But at the same time, it is definitely an area where we should be looking for where there are opportunities.

This, he says, is Catenas job. All we do is find players for operators and then earn revenues off those players. We have more time in the day to focus on these things so there are elements of paid media we should be able to focus on and do better than anyone else, including operators.

As he concludes, I maybe be biased but I think we have the best sites and teams to take advantage of this, in the short and long game. Catena will be hoping it has found a CEO who will stick around at the top for long enough to find out if that is true.

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Daly delivery the new man at the top of Catena Media - iGaming Business

With its vast economy making almost a fifth of the Irish GDP, most would think that Corcaigh is much larger than it really is. The economical strength doesnt come from the number of citizens of the Rebel City, but the diversity of its businesses. But, what you might expect from remote jobs in Cork is not the same as in some other places, especially when it comes to cities.

Usually, working remotely is better if you are willing to relocate to the countryside. But, relatively low rental prices in Cork and the fact that a lot of your home expenses can be written off as business expenses when working from home makes Cork a good urban option.

During the last few years, three industries have come to prominence globally, which affects the labor options in this region as well:

1. Affiliate and online marketing2. Industrial and graphic design3. Web, app, and game development

And, the last one is usually the most lucrative, especially when it comes to young people. This is especially the case for the live casino industry that has expanded significantly in the last few years and which is constantly looking for new people.

Additionally, if you are someone who is familiar with how these casino games work, you will have an easy time adjusting to the development tools even if you dont have as much experience in app development directly.

With junior developer salaries being roughly 2000 per month, this can be a phenomenal opportunity for young people or those who simply want to work from home.

A decade ago, working from home wasnt even a possibility due to a lack of technology. Fast forward to today, where you have multiple remote jobs to choose from, and the biggest concern is to decide whether the benefits outweigh some downsides.

Some of the main benefits that working from home gives you are:

1. Comfort2. Freedom3. Money savings

Generally, most people dream of the ability to work from the comfort of their own homes. And, nowadays, that is entirely possible.

The main benefit of a remote job is the comfort and freedom it gives you. You can do your assignment from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a digital device and good Wi-Fi. In a way, you get to be your own boss and save some cash because you dont have to pay for transportation and food you usually do.

Every job has its own set of advantages and downsides, and a remote job is not an exception. People are very quick to transfer to work from home without realizing that its not as easy as it seems.

Although a remote job gives you the comfort, freedom, and privacy that most of us wish for, its also a benefit as it is a downside. You should think about whether you are capable of working from home.

At first, theres not a single flaw you can think of, but in reality, you have the same if not more responsibilities and assignments that you must do, and you have to force yourself to work, which is not easy at all.

The price you must pay for the comfort and freedom you get is excellent work habits and self-discipline. No more bosses and superior nagging above your shoulders. Now you have to nag yourself to finish the job in time.

It can be said that remote jobs have presented a whole bunch of new opportunities for rural Ireland. The main focus is to provide good quality jobs and allow people to work and live in their own communities.

As time passes, the options for jobs that people can do from home expands. And, some of the most wanted and well paid remote jobs are:

1. Programing2. Freelance writing3. Graphic design

Skilled programmers are some of the most well-paid professionals in todays market, and rightfully so.

Thinking outside the box is one of the essential skills you must possess to do this job. In a nutshell, this job requires you to solve problems, bring new and fresh ideas, and improves your creativity, critical thinking, and reasoning.

For those who are more creative and not so logical, freelance writing and graphic design can be an excellent career path. With both jobs, youll be able to learn new things every day and make your visions and ideas come to life. At the same time, youll be well-paid for doing so.

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What to expect from remote jobs in Cork? - Southern Star Newspaper

Tero Pivrinta, Head of Accounts at Mr-Gamble, lifts the lid on what is it like to enterthe US market and why online casino provides just as much opportunity as sports betting

Online casino is set to be huge in the USA and while most of the attention is given to sports betting, I believe casino will be just as big if not bigger. The sector is already off to a strong start, and as more players learn that online casino is legal, rapid growth will be seen as free play customers switch over to real money.

Casino also provides operators with a more stable revenue stream; sports betting is subject toincredible volatility whereas casino revenues are more predictable.This opportunity has caught the eye of affiliates in Europe, with Mr-Gamble among a growingnumber that have entered the New Jersey market after securing a license from the regulator.

But what is the licensing process really like and is the market really open to all affiliates or are the barriers to entry too high for smaller businesses with limited resources?Below, I share our experience of securing a license from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcementand how that compares to the process in other states.

New Jersey is open to all affiliates:

So long as you are applying for a CPA affiliate license, the process in New Jersey is fairly straightforward and mostly involves filling out forms and ticking boxes. The regulator then assesses your application form to ascertain suitability. They also require your siteand content to be live, but you are not allowed to onboard casino brands until approved.

We employed a lawyer to assist with our application which ensured the process was smooth and seamless. From start to finish, it took no longer than two months. It was not cost prohibitive, either. Had we not used a lawyer to assist with our application it would have cost around $4,000 which makes New Jersey open to affiliates of all sizes.

Additional states present additional hurdles:

Now live in New Jersey, we are looking to launch Mr-Gamble into additional states with Pennsylvania next on our priority list. We took the decision to handle license applications internally moving forwards as we wanted to fully understand the process and also to streamline costs.

Our plan is to launch into every regulated US state so this would have seen us incur significant legal costs that we believe are better spent reinvesting in our website and brand. However, applying for licenses in other states such as Pennsylvania is proving to be tougher thananticipated due to the additional information required by the regulator.

This makes it hard for larger affiliates to enter the market, let alone the smaller affiliates that lackthe resources and personnel to work on applications in addition to running their sites.

How we are overcoming these hurdles:

The key to any successful license application is honesty. Forms must be filled out accurately and with the correct information or they will simply be rejected by the regulator. Affiliates should also talk with their online casino partners as in most cases they will be willing to support them through the licensing process and provide assistance where they can.

While affiliates are keen to quickly enter states as and when they open up, a considered approach must be taken so that there are no delays to the licensing process. An incorrect form could delay the process by weeks or even months, so its best to take the time to make sure your application is correct and complete.

Responsible gambling is a key factor:

Another area of importance is responsible gambling; regulators want to see that affiliate companies are being run by reputable people and that player safety is prioritised. This actually helps affiliates already targeting players in European markets and in particular the UK as the responsible gambling standards there are so high.

So long as affiliates bring the same standards to the US, and take their time with applying forlicenses, the US is most certainly open for business for all. Whether you believe the online sports betting or online casino sector provides the biggest opportunity is open to debate, but at Mr-Gamble we are very much backing the latter.

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Tero Pivrinta: the realities of securing a US affiliate license - SBC Americas

Making Money Online

You do not have to be a web designer or programmer to make money online! There are some amazing ways to engage in activities that you enjoy that can provide some ways to earn additional income without having it be a form of employment. The internet offers many ways to access leading sites and you will find canadian online casino that can deliver hours of entertainment while providing ways to win real money payouts that can boost your income. With many forms of gambling offered online, you have some super options when it comes to generating some extra income.

The online gaming industry is always growing and it provides a safe and secure way for people all over the world to engage in wagering and winning. It is even possible to become a professional card player at some of the best casino sites and start enjoying streams of revenue while doing something you enjoy in your spare time! Read on to learn about some different ways you can start to earn additional income from the comforts of home.

If you are a fan of playing casino games, you will find there are hundreds of legally operating sites in the UK that accept real money wagers, providing a way to begin earning payouts. While online gambling at these sites is often simply a form of entertainment, some players can make some large amounts of money on a regular basis as they return to the best online casinos.

Earning additional income will be possible when playing card and table games instead of slots. The games like blackjack and poker require some skill and strategy and the best players can make thousands from a single visit at their trusted online casino site. Not only can you find high roller games that have massive payouts, but many of the best UK sites will also host tournaments regularly. You can enter high paying events and enjoy poker action while having the chance to win thousands, even millions in pot payouts.

While there is no guarantee you will win while gambling online, this is one way to earn some extra income online and enjoy the thrills of playing popular casino games.

Online sports betting is another way to earn some income and there is much to be won. This is not the same as playing casino games as sports betting will rely heavily on skills and knowledge. Many bettors who have the skills and strategies needed for success have been able to make a living off of sports betting!

Making money with sports betting is not always easy. You will have to have a hefty bankroll if you will often be wagering and will also have to accept risk and loss as it comes. The income earned can be quite inconsistent as there is never a way to guarantee that any wager placed will yield profits. As a new bettor, always start small and place bets that have low risk. While these will not offer the largest returns, it will help you pad the bankroll to prepare for placing larger and more frequent wagers.

Unlike traditional wagering on casino games, sports betting will make use of skill and luck and the better your skills, the more chances you will have at winning. With many trusted and reliable sportsbooks operating online, you can shop around for the best lines and odds when placing wagers, which will also help increase the profits earned.

It is also possible to earn some income without even playing games or betting online. There are many online casino affiliate programs that are available and these can offer great benefits financially. Online casino affiliates play a pivotal role in helping to attract new players to a casino site. As an affiliate, you will use an existing website to promote a certain site and get new players to sign up. As a result, you will earn commission payments from their deposits and playing activity at the site.

One of the great things about becoming an affiliate for a trusted casino site is that there is no start-up cist at all. It is completely free to join an affiliate program and all you need is a website where you can promote services and products. The most successful affiliates will make use of marketing materials like banners, emails to target audiences, and by posting reviews of online casinos as well as offering blog posts.

Being an affiliate is a great way to earn some additional income online and there are some great programs being offered. You will have a choice between revenue models, so you have a say in how you will get paid. Your overall goal is to increase traffic at your own site where you will be promoting a casino. This is done by offering appealing content that will draw the attention of a target audience, so you will want to include gambling posts such as information on new releases, player tips, strategies, and other things that will be of use to those that play online.

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Evolution of Additional Income Opportunities on the Internet Film Daily - Film Daily

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iGaming product development company launches Casino Intel and Slots Intel products

Following the launch last year of their landing page tool, CogniLander, iGaming product development company CogniGaming have now launched two new portals called Casino Intel and Slots Intel. These products are designed to provide intelligence and data about online casinos and slots, with the casino operators and slot developers on one side of the system, distributing their information to publishers, affiliates, operators, writers, designers on the other side of the platform. The idea being to streamline the data flow between these parts of the industry, which will in turn maximise time and money efficiencies, as well as data accuracy to enable greater compliance with regulatory bodies codes of practice.

CogniGaming is a product development company thats mission is to fill gaps in the market and resolve common problems in the iGaming industry. They are looking to achieve this by creating new and innovative products that help improve key efficiencies for operators, publishers, and software developers across the industry.

Allan Turner, Co-Founder of CogniGaming said Im very excited to announce the launch of Casino Intel and Slots Intel. We have been working on these products for quite a while now to ensure that when theyre launched, theyll be extremely beneficial to the users and the industry as a whole.

The Slots Intel product helps slot developers to distribute their game data points, image files, video files and more to affiliates/publishers in the industry for free. The Casino Intel product helps casino operators and their affiliate programmes to distribute their casino data points, significant terms, images, videos to publishers for free. On the other side of the system publishers can subscribe to use the product with various levels of subscription, giving different levels of access. Publishers also get a discount if they decide to use both systems simultaneously.

Not only do these products help provide accurate data, but because they use a full database solution CogniGaming also provide APIs to publishers, so that their sites can remain up to data in real-time. Clearly this also provides a huge opportunity for casino operators to bolster their efforts to ensure regulatory affiliate compliance, by supplying complete and accurate data themelves.

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CogniGaming launches two new products to help connect casino operators and slot developers with affiliates and publishers - European Gaming Industry...

A U.S. fund's acquisition of Great Canadian Gaming Corp., operator of the two casinos in Nova Scotia, took another step closer to completion Monday after the proposed $45-per-share deal received approval under the Investment Canada Act.

However, it still has a way to go before it is considered closed.

Raptor Acquisition Corp., an affiliate of funds managed by affiliates of New York-based Apollo Global Management, still must meet additional closing conditions before the sale is complete.

In December, Raptor received approval from the Supreme Court of British Columbia and was cleared under Canadas Competition Act. About 79 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the deal after the investment fund sweetened an earlier offer by more than 15 per cent.

Once the conditions are met, the takeover is expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year.

Founded in 1982, Great Canadian Gaming is an Ontario company that operates in that province, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Great Canadian has 26 casinos but, after Ontario operations at the Elements Casino Grand River and Shorelines Casino Belleville were suspended Friday due to stringent COVID-19 restrictions in that province, operations in Halifax, Sydney and Moncton are its only casinos to remain open, albeit with restrictions.

Chuck Keeling, who speaks on behalf of Great Canadian Gaming, said in an email Monday that the acquisition is not quite completed so he is not in a position to comment about operations.

However, Keeling pointed out that when it was announced in November that Apollo Global Management had made a bid for the casino company, Apollo indicated it is committed to maintaining the companys current operational footprint and anticipates Great Canadians properties will increase under the Apollo Funds ownership.

In a news release, Apollo indicated it intends to help drive additional incremental growth through initiatives such as expansion of non-gaming facilities, expanded loyalty and marketing programs, and gaming improvements that leverage the scale of the firms platform.

Alex van Hoek, partner at Apollo, was quoted in the November release:

Great Canadian is a leader in the gaming and entertainment industry and, based on our experience and knowledge of the space, we see opportunities to work with their talented team to drive additional growth and value. With an industry-leading portfolio of assets and established presence in the best geographic markets across Canada, we are excited to help bring an enhanced experience to more guests across Canada.

Last month, Great Canadian released its fourth-quarter and fiscal 2020 results. The company acknowledged the pandemic has had a significant effect on business since the temporary suspension of all of its gaming facilities and ancillary amenities on March 16, 2020.

Great Canadian operated its gaming properties in Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick under restriction for a portion of the fourth quarter but was required to temporarily close the majority of these properties again at various dates prior to year end due to local health mandates.

In the quarter that ended Dec. 31, Great Canadian reported a loss of $45 million (60 cents per diluted share) on revenue of $62.6 million. During the same quarter in 2019, the company registered a profit of $62.4 million (79 cents per diluted share) on total revenue of $357.4 million.

For the full fiscal year, Great Canadian had a 2020 loss of $101.9 million ($1.49 per diluted share) on total revenue of $442.3 million. Thats compared to pre-pandemic 2019 in which the company recorded a profit of $244.9 million ($3.78 per fully diluted share) on total revenue of $1.36 billion.

During the fourth quarter, Great Canadian management entered into amending agreements with its lenders that will continue to temporarily waive compliance with the company's financial and operational covenants under its credit facilities.

As of Dec. 31, the casino company was able to remain in stable capital and liquidity position with a cash balance of $434.8 million and $972.3 million of available undrawn credit on its credit facilities, subject to applicable covenants, the company revealed.

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ROGER TAYLOR: U.S. fund's acquisition of Great Canadian Gaming clears another hurdle - Cape Breton Post

Raptor Acquisition Corp., a U.S. affiliate of funds which is based in New York, has cleared another step in the process of acquiring the Great Canadian Gaming Corp. on Monday, the proposed $45 per share deal was approved under the Investment Canada Act.

Now, the New York-based Apollo Global Management must meet extra closing conditions before the sale is complete. In December, the British Columbia Supreme Court approved Raptor and was cleared under Canadas Competition Act. Seventy-nine percent of shareholders voted in favor of the deal.

When all the takeover conditions are met, the deal will be closed, probably in the second quarter of this year. The Great Canadian Gaming is an Ontario company that was founded in 1982. The company operates gaming in provinces that include British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

In total, Great Canadian has 26 casinos; however, due to the stringent COVID-19 restrictions, Elements Casino Grand River and Shorelines Casino Belleville have been suspended. In the fourth quarter of 2020, the company acknowledged that the pandemic had a significant effect on business since the facilities were temporarily suspended.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, Great Canadian reported a loss of $45 million. At the same quarter in 2019, the company made $62.4 million in profit. For the whole fiscal year 2020, Great Canadian made a loss of $101.9 million, while in the fiscal year 2019, the company reported $244.9 million in profits.

In the fourth quarter, Great Canadian enter into amending agreements with lenders to temporarily waive compliance under the credit facilities operational covenants. By December 31st, the company was able to maintain a cash balance of $434.8 million, and $972.3 million remained of undrawn credit.

Apollo Global Management made a bid for the casino company in November. Apollo is committed to maintaining the Great Canadians current footprints. Apollo is also devoted to ensuring that incremental drive growth through initiatives such as the expansion of non-gaming facilities, including loyalty, marketing program, gaming improvements, and leverages to scale the firm operation.

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New York-based Apollo Global Management Clears two Hurdles in the Acquisition of Great Canadian Gaming Corp. - West Island Blog