This round up features controversy over the prolonged construction of a new casino in the United States, a Northern Irish publican appealing the court’s decision that he isn’t fit to hold a licence and a Maltese DFS summit, amongst others.
Charity lottery launched in Scandinavia
Zeal Group and Unicef have teamed up to launch Norway’s first digital only charity lottery, which will be powered by its Lottovate brand.
Unicef-Lotteriet is to operate under a charity lottery licence, the first of its kind awarded by Lotteritilsynet, the Norwegian Lottery Authority, with millions set to be raised over the next nine years.
Consumers within Norway could be set to win 2 million Krone, approximately €210,000, each week, with proceeds from ticket sales to be split three ways.
Unicef is set to directly receive 30% of each ticket sold, 40% will be set aside for prize funding with the remaining 30% due to be used for the lottery’s operation.
Susan Standiford, ZEAL CTO and General Manager Lottovate, said: “With charities increasingly facing ‘giving fatigue’, the UNICEF-lotteriet is an innovative way to generate more funds, at no cost. It’s very scalable and a great way for the charity to expand their supporter base. We’re thrilled to be partnering with UNICEF Norway.”
Casino gets greenlight…..A decade later
A new casino due to be constructed near Omaha by the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, has been backed by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), almost a decade after it initially gave the thumbs up.
Larry White Jr, chairman of the tribe, has hailed the decision, which he says will provide significant new resources for the tribe and its members.
The Ponca Tribe has had ideas of building a new casino in the area since 2003, however, where exactly the gambling facility would be constructed was subject of a legal question before the court.
Under initial plans the casino will hold 2,000 slot machines, 50 table games and a 150-room hotel, creating 1,800 jobs in the process.
The project still has objection however, with the states of Iowa and Nebraska said to be unhappy about proposals of another development in an area which is already home to several casinos.
Betting costs republican licence
The landlord of a public house in the Northern Irish town of Lisnaskea has been refused his licence, after a “covert, intelligence led operation” captured evidence of betting being carried out on the premises.
Toal’s bookmakers objected to the application by Brian McGovern of Mac’s Bar, which became the first of some 20 similar applications that Toal’s and McLean’s bookmakers have objected to.
A local magistrates court was shown footage, captured earlier this year on a camera built into a pair of glasses, in relation to the accusation.
On balance of the evidence produced, a district judge deemed that McGovern was not a fit person to hold a licence, with the publican set to appeal the decision.
Free rounds with NetEnt
Digital gaming solutions provider NetEnt has another addition to its engage portfolio, after introducing a free round widget.
Designed to aid operators in player engagement and loyalty building, players will be able to take a spin at the lucky wheel with free rounds up for grabs as potential prizes.
Being fully customisable, customers will be able to tailor the widget with their own branding and messaging, making each one unique.
Henrik Fagerlund, Chief Product Officer of NetEnt, says: “Free Round Widget is a great addition to NetEnt Engage, which is packed full of performance-boosting products and features, and another example of how NetEnt is committed to driving the online casino market forward through better gaming solutions. We understand the huge value in placing player engagement at the fore and are constantly working on innovative and exciting ways to facilitate this.”
Malta to host DFS summit
A European Fantasy Sports Summit (EFSS) is due to be hosted this month, during the annual Summit of iGaming Malta (SiGMA) conference.
EFSS is due to explore the popularity of fantasy sport and its role within gaming markets on Thursday 23 November.
Ivan Filletti, Head of Operations and Business Development at GamingMalta, said: “Our island is experiencing significant growth and continues to attract foreign gaming companies. As part of this success story we are embracing new technologies and gaming verticals, such as Daily Fantasy Sports.
“With this summit we would like to emphasise our dedication to further support the DFS sector, which I believe has a bright future in Europe.”
Source: SBC News
