60 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2022 IGT Grows Sports Betting Leadership in Washington State via Agreement with Kalispel Tribal Casino Illinois ends in-person registration requirement for sports betting, opening floodgates for online sportsbooks ahead of March Madness Kentucky's sports betting bill clears first legislative hurdles Apollo considers merging Yahoo Sports with betting companies Apollo Global Management, the private equity firm that acquired Yahoo from Verizon for $5 billion last year, is having preliminary discussions with sports-betting companies to merge their assets with Yahoo Sports, according to people familiar with the matter. All talks at this stage are early, and no deal is imminent, said the people. Gambling ads continue to get more airtime in the US Sports betting is here to stay, in the US and around the world. Like any industry, gambling operators want to be able to advertise to attract more customers. However, some believe that there is too much advertising. Countries like Italy, the UK, Australia and others are tightening up on how much – and when – gambling advertising is allowed. The same restrictions will soon enter the US market as well. Lawmakers expect sports gambling bill to pass in Minnesota this year New York generates $70M in revenue in first 30 days of mobile sports betting Survey Reveals 65% of Kentuckians Support Legal Sports Betting, 26% Opposed Legislation could make sports gambling legal in North Carolina Legislation introduced in Hawaii to offer sports wagering to residents and tourists of the islands Tribes join expensive California sports betting fight Mobile Sports betting resolution heading to South Dakota Senate floor WORLD NEWS European Parliament adopts position on new digital rules; EL welcomes new provisions to fight illegal online gambling ‘‘EL Members strongly believe in a high level of consumer protection and are fully committed to the fight against illegal online gambling. The DSA (Digital Services Act) foresees a number of new provisions that could be beneficial to this end. EL hopes that these will be at the disposal of its Members, most notably an improved notice-and-action mechanism, the concept of trusted flaggers and enhanced consumer protection and know-your-business-customer requirements.” says Arjan van ‘t Veer, EL Secretary General. The DSA is a future EU regulation with the aim to create a safer digital space in which users’ rights are protected through rules to tackle illegal products, services or content online; enhance the accountability and transparency of algorithms; and deal with content moderation. With the European Parliament now having reached its position, the path is paved towards the so-called “trilogues” – negotiations between all the three institutions which will see the final text of the future regulation hammered out. DSA rules could come into force as soon as 2023. EL will continue to closely monitor and – as appropriate – get actively involved in this discussion in the best interest of its Members. Allwyn Entertainment, the new group-wide brand for SAZKA Entertainment AG -now is listed on New York Stock Exchange Listing in Partnership with Publicly-Traded Cohn Robbins Holdings Corp (CRHC) UK Gambling Commission recommends Allwyn/Sazka as winning bidder for National Lottery The Gambling Commission has announced Allwyn Entertainment Ltd as its preferred applicant for the lottery's next licence, which starts in 2024. It said it had received the highest number of applications to run the National lottery since the first licence was awarded in 1994. Camelot has been named as the "reserve applicant" after four firms applied. Allwyn is a UK-based subsidiary of Europe's largest lottery operator Sazka, which is owned by Czech oil and gas tycoon Karel Komarek. It signalled its intent to run the National Lottery by launching in early 2021. Its board includes former members of the London 2012 Olympics organising committee, Lord Coe and entrepreneur Sir Keith Mills, who sit on its advisory board. La Française des Jeux (FDJ), France’s leading gaming operator, announces its 2021 results, its outlook for 2022 and its 2025 targets Stéphane Pallez, Chairwoman and CEO of FDJ, said: “The year 2021 marks FDJ's return to its pre-crisis growth trajectory for all its activities. 2021 revenue of €2.3 billion, up 10% compared with 20191 , based on an 11%1 increase in stakes to €19 billion - Growth in offline stakes (+5% vs 2019) and strong momentum in online stakes (+42% vs 2020) • 2022 targets: revenue growth of nearly 5% and EBITDA margin above 23.5% Svenska Spel Year-end report 2021: Continued growth despite strong impact of pandemic Hungary Introduces iGaming Legislation to End State Monopoly Hungary’s parliament has introduced online gaming legislation which opens the market to private online operators, bringing an end to the current state monopoly on sports betting. Any operators who have offered igaming in Europe without a licence during the ten years before their application will be prohibited from operating in Hungary. Changes to the legislation are designed to ensure a higher standard of player protection. Recognising that a more competitive gaming market could encourage excessive gambling, the bill stipulates that a player protection plan be drawn up by the operator “in accordance with the principle of responsible gaming and the protection of players”. The bill is subject to a standstill period following its notification to the European Commission, which runs until 4 May. Scientific Games Large-scale Lottery Retail and Digital Sports Betting Solution Now Live in Azerbaijan International Game Technology PLC Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Results - 2021 revenue increased 31% to $4.1 billion on double-digit growth across segments; met or exceeded all 2021 financial goals with key financial metrics above 2019 levels - Full year operating income of $902 million, the highest in Company history, on strong Global Lottery operating leverage and company-wide structural cost savings - Generated over $1.0 billion in cash from operations and $770 million in free cash flow in 2021, including record-level cash flows for a quarterly period in the fourth quarter, on strong performance and disciplined capital management P U L S E
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