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Racecourse Media Group results return to pre-Covid levels

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Racecourse Media Group (RMG) has revealed its payments to racecourses have returned to pre-Covid levels, with £110m forecast to be paid to its shareholders for 2021.

The payments, earned through racecourses’ media and data rights, are expected to exceed 2019’s pre-Covid payments of £107m, and have been a contributory factor to many racecourses being able to return prize money to its pre-pandemic levels.

RMG is 100% owned by its racecourse shareholders and pays 100% of operating profit back to racecourses. This collective and collaborative ethos has seen RMG’s businesses become the biggest single funder of British horseracing. The 2021 results follow a hugely challenging year in 2020 when, due to the pandemic, RMG payments to racecourses fell by 25.9% on the previous year.

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Chairman Roger Lewis said: “I thank and congratulate everyone involved in racing for their herculean efforts in 2021. The RMG racecourses ensured that horseracing continued for a second year in the most demanding of circumstances, which allowed RMG to deliver as great a return as possible for racing. The RMG model was again tested in 2021 and again proved to be resilient and reliable.

“The investment in, and development of, our media assets and new innovative products – such as the Watch & Bet service, ultra-low latency, on-screen timing data, the exploration of in-play opportunities, and enhancements on Racing TV, headlined by the stunning Virtual Studio – aided our recovery.

“These initiatives all contribute to the RMG strategy of attracting more eyes on to our racing which, in turn, drives betting turnover, subscriptions, and sponsorship opportunities in the sport. And this all feeds into the RMG vision of increasing returns to our racecourses for the benefit of the industry.

“The 2021 performance will mean that RMG will have delivered £1bn to racecourses since the start of the business in 2004. This is a testament to our racecourses’ dedication and commitment to working together for the greater good of racing.”

Lewis steps down from his role at the end of 2022 and the search for a new Chairman is underway.

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He joined the Board of RMG in 2012 and was appointed Non-Executive Chairman on January 1, 2019. Over a 40-year career in sport, media and business, Lewis has held senior positions at the BBC, ITV, Classic FM, EMI and Decca, and was GCEO of the Welsh Rugby Union for nine years.

Lewis continues as Chair of the Churchill Lines Foundation, a military charity, a Director of Festival UK 2022 and President of the National Museums of Wales. He also sits on The Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Panel.

He added: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my decade at RMG and have been humbled by the boundless enthusiasm and support that we receive from our shareholder racecourses.

“I am particularly pleased RMG was able to announce last July that our British racecourses agreed a media rights renewal extension until December 31, 2028.

“This was a pivotal moment for British racing. The RMG racecourses have created business clarity and confidence for years to come. The certainty which this landmark, long-term agreement provides is very special for everyone involved in British racing.

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“I pay particular tribute to the outstanding leadership of the RMG CEO, Martin Stevenson, who together with his great team of RMG executives navigated this complex and detailed process with rigour, patience and clear focus and who continue to lead the business with dynamism.

“I have been very fortunate to have worked alongside an outstanding Board of Directors and I sincerely thank them for their friendship, help and support and their incredible insight into the business.”

The business is aiming to exceed 2021’s forecast payments of £110m for the year ahead.

Lewis continued: “RMG can now look forward to serving its shareholder racecourses, which, in turn, benefits the sport of racing for the foreseeable future.

“The unity of purpose which the RMG racecourses have created over the past 18 years, to build an evolving yet sustainable and secure financial business, is a rare and precious thing. It has been a privilege and an honour to have served racing for the past ten years. It’s been one hell of a ride!”

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Martin Stevenson, CEO of RMG, paid tribute to Lewis, saying: “I would like to pay tribute to Roger, who during his tenure as first Board member and then Chairman, has been instrumental in the development and success of RMG and its businesses over the last decade.

“In particular, Roger has helped steer RMG through the pandemic, and all the huge challenges it presented, to the point where the business is now producing results, which were on a par with pre-covid payments to racecourses. That is a terrific outcome.

“I thank Roger for his leadership and friendship and for all that he has done for horseracing. We wish him all the best for the future once his tenure comes to its conclusion at the end of the year.”

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7777 gaming signs strategic agreement with R. Franco Digital, expanding reach in Spain and Latin America

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7777 gaming signs a strategic agreement with R. Franco Digital, a prominent player in the gaming sector and part of the Orenes Group. This partnership sees 7777 gaming’s extensive portfolio of casino content distributed across Spain and key markets in Latin America, where R. Franco Digital has a significant presence.

Through this agreement, players in these regions will gain access to 7777 gaming’s popular and diverse titles, including Devil’s Deal Soul for Sale, Cash 100, Crazy 100 Bucks, Thracian Treasures, Crazy 20 Bucks, Barbarian, Candy Anyways, Club Mr. Luck, Jinn, Sea of Treasures, and many more. Known for their innovative features and captivating gameplay, these games are set to bring a fresh wave of excitement to players across Spain and Latin America.

Zhana Aleksandrova, Business Development Manager for Spain & Latin America at 7777 gaming, commented: “The signed agreement with R. Franco Digital gives us another level of motivation and dedication to two very important markets for us – Spain and Latin America. R. Franco Digital has a strong presence, a wide network of partners, and an audience that loves exciting and innovative casino games. We are confident in our mutual success and are looking forward to receiving feedback from the players’ community.”

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Guillermo Ruipérez, Head of Sales at R. Franco Digital, added: “We always strive to adapt our offerings to the requirements of our clients and their players. Our partnership with 7777 gaming aligns with our mission to offer the latest and most innovative gaming concepts available on the market right now. We are constantly upgrading and expanding our portfolio of providers to ensure that our clients are satisfied with what we can offer.”

This collaboration represents a significant step forward for both companies, as they work together to bring high-quality, engaging casino games to new and existing players in these vibrant markets.

The post 7777 gaming signs strategic agreement with R. Franco Digital, expanding reach in Spain and Latin America appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Asia

AFC signs MoU with IBIA to strengthen fight against match-fixing

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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s resolve to protect and safeguard the beautiful game in Asia was further underlined today through the signing of a four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).

Moving forward, the AFC and IBIA will work closely to detect irregular betting patterns and suspicious activities in football matches across Asia. IBIA, through its Monitoring and Alert Platform, will share real-time data on suspicious betting activity with the AFC, further enhancing the AFC’s abilities to promptly investigate potential match manipulation.

The AFC General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs, Mr. Andrew Mercer said: “The AFC’s Vision and Mission has outlined our steadfast ambitions to uphold the highest ethical and sporting standards, and we are committed towards preserving our key tenets of fair play and integrity.

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“Leveraging on strong collaborations with the world’s leading organisations is imperative to our fight against match-fixing and this MoU with IBIA further strengthens our ability to ensure football in Asia remains clean for the benefit of our future generation of fans, players and all our valued stakeholders.”

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Cooperation is a vital part of any effective integrity monitoring and investigatory framework and IBIA is delighted to be able to strengthen its relationship with the AFC through this important information sharing collaboration. For its part, IBIA will seek to safeguard the AFC ecosystem by utilising the monitoring of its members’ global customer account activity, which covers over $300bn in sports betting per annum.”

Mr. Mercer, added: “The AFC is committed to promoting integrity, ethics, and fair play in Asian football and we are pleased to work with IBIA as we strive to enhance our capabilities to monitor and address suspicious activities, ensuring that football in Asia is safeguarded from the threats of match manipulation.”

The MoU between the AFC and IBIA marks a significant step forward in the fight against match-fixing in Asian football with both organisations dedicated to creating a secure environment for the sport, fostering trust amongst fans, players and all stakeholders.

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ELA Games Concludes a Successful SBC Summit

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ELA Games, an innovative game studio, successfully concluded its participation in the prestigious SBC Summit in Lisbon. Over the course of the multiday event, the team demonstrated multiple games and new content to guests.

Over 25,000 delegates attended the networking conference, and the ELA Games team welcomed iGaming professionals, operators and industry leaders at its accommodating stand. Interest and attention around the studio’s new games and upcoming titles flourished as current and prospective partners and customers visited the stand to demo ELA Games’ offerings.

Joker Cashpot and Devil’s Treasures were key points of interest for visitors. The team described Joker Cashpot’s unique gameplay mechanics and outlined the game’s success. Visitors were also intrigued by Devil’s Treasures’ captivating PopWins™ mechanics, which allows players to chain together massive wins. Apart from these two key games, the team highlighted new releases like AquaMafia and Farm Hunt.

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David Fall, ELA Games’ Business Development Manager, commented on the studio’s attendance at the event, saying, “It’s always a pleasure to meet current and prospective partners, as it allows ELA Games to gather feedback and communicate with the public directly. The SBC Summit was a great success for our studio as we made valuable additions to our professional network and feel motivated to close 2024 strong. We look forward to future events where we can continue to demonstrate our growth.”

The ELA Games studio held key discussions with industry figures and outlined the company’s recent expansion. In 2024, ELA Games committed to double its game output to two titles per month. To facilitate this increase in production, the studio underwent a massive change, doubling its creative and technical teams. This news was well-received by partners, who are excited to see how ELA Games will continue to create innovative and high-performing games.

ELA Games has more expansive plans for 2024 Q4. It will continue to publish two games per month and attend key industry events. You can meet David Fall and the team at the SiGMA Summit Europe in Malta from November 11 to 14.

The post ELA Games Concludes a Successful SBC Summit appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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