Weekly SCCG Newsletter, Volume 116
Stephen Crystal
??????”Top Gaming Industry Voice”. Innovating & “Powering” the Gambling Industry in Las Vegas & Worldwide for over 33 Years!??????
A Remote Gaming Server (RGS) is the engine that powers gaming through servers, bridging the gap between developed games and online casino operators. Vendors and operators use an RGS to implement and distribute server based gaming content online. This allows them to have more control over player experience and ease the process of managing and integrating games to the user interface. The blockchain movement has played a major role in advancing industries of all types. The gaming industry is one of the main targets of the blockchain revolution. Of all the sectors within the iGaming industry, I believe that remote gaming servers will benefit the most from leveraging blockchain technology.
When people hear the term blockchain they tend to think of crypto currency. In reality, it’s a system that follows strict rules for adding data, making it nearly impossible to change, hack, and cheat the system, while effectively distributing the data across the entire network of computer systems that sit on the blockchain. The success of an RGS for an operator is directly correlated with its ability to deliver actionable insights based on the plethora of data collected from their players. This data helps operators tailor the gaming experience to the needs of each player by improving retention and measuring interaction, to provide commercial opportunities for operators. The blockchain prevents the need for operators to use human judgement to improve the player experience. It also prevents content developers from lobbying operators to prioritize their content, as opposed to prioritizing the content that the player actually wants.?
Cutting out human judgement helps improve the player experience because it provides exposure to games that the player prefers based on personal preferences and behaviors. It also helps the operators optimize the accuracy of the data generated from each session. RGS also improves the bonus structure and responsible gaming habits, with the ability to spot patterns and behavioral trends that suggest problematic gambling. Overall, blockchain technologies allow an RGS to improve its performance, security and manage high traffic.?
Overview?
Mobile Money is an electronic wallet service that allows?you to store, send and receive money using your mobile phone. Key requirement is to have a telecommunication provider Simcard, for Africa main providers are MTN group, Airtel, Safaricom and Vodafone.
As Mobile numbers are a key requirement to opening an igaming account for punters to place bets/ play online casino this paved way for integrations to be made into gaming and betting online platforms where punters can easily deposit money into their accounts with a few clicks from the mobile phones and also be able to withdraw their winnings straight to their mobile wallets.
Our Blog will highlight the role of mobile money service in the practice of gambling in general in Africa and other key must know about the payment service (Mobile Money).
Mobile money is one of the best things to happen to Africa – For a continent where the habit of banking is growing but not at a pace that catalyses fast development,?mobile money revolutionized the handling of money for paying for products & services, and?embracing?many industries?including the gaming & betting industry too across all gaming markets in Africa.
?Before Mobile money, it was simply the physical betting outlets and online banking cards that didn’t really sit well with majority of the clientele base that betting in Africa targeted. After it’s introduction the industry couldn’t be rivaled with?the amount of money that was moving through its systems on a daily basis. What spurred the phenomenon even more was the rapid growth of both mobile and internet penetration across many countries. The spread of Chinese made cheap smartphones also ensured that everything was accomplished with simply a few clicks which paved largely to the growth of online sports betting & gaming.
General Highlights?
Mobile money is undergoing rapid growth in Africa, driven by improved access to technology, difficulties accessing traditional financial services and an increase in contactless payments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.?
For those with no access to banking services, mobile money provides financial inclusion, a way to participate in the economy without a bank account. This has led to a boom in the use of mobile money in Africa, one of the most underbanked regions in the world. In 2019, 200 million users?made 24.46 billion mobile money transactions in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and Northern Africa, accounting for 64.15 of all transactions?made worldwide. Of the 690.1 billion U.S. dollars in mobile money transactions made in 2019, 456.3 billion U.S dollars was exchanged in Sub-Saharan Africa.?
Mobile money has become big business for telecommunication providers in Africa. Approximately 144 mobile money providers operate in Sub-Saharan Africa, with two companies such as, M-Pesa, MTN and Orange Money accounting for a significant share of the market.?
M-Pesa, managed by Vodafone and Safaricom and operating in seven countries, has seen significant growth in recent years. The service attracted an additional 12 million users from 2017 to 2020, reaching 41.5 million users by 2020.. M-Pesa users made 12.2 billion transactions in 2020, generating 784.36 million U.S dollars in revenue?for parent company Safaricom. MoMo – MTN Group’s mobile money offering – has enjoyed similar growth – reaching 35.1 million active customers in March 2020.
The effect of underbanking on the use of mobile money can be seen in Southern Africa, where banking services are easier to access. Mobile money has gained less of a foothold in that region, suggesting that unless another solution to financial exclusion in parts of Africa is discovered, that the use of mobile money in Africa is set to grow even more well into the future.?
By Najib Balinda attributed to by Statista.
El Salvador is a small Central American country that lacks a gambling tradition since it has been prohibited until 2002 and it was only allowed to play in government-sanctioned halls. Later, these laws were abolished and today all types of gambling are allowed. After the opening of the first NFT casino, El Salvador is considered a pioneer in the online casino community.?The Bitcoin Law was approved in June 2021.
In November 2021 the Ministry of Finance of El Salvador submitted a new Organic Law of the National Lottery of Charity (LNB) to the Legislative Assembly, which incorporates new modalities not regulated in the current 1960 regulations, such as electronic lotteries and sports betting, in addition to providing the agency with the role of national regulator and operator.
Other gaming modalities offered include traditional lottery, instant lottery, electronic lottery, and online games, such as bingo, slot machines, cards, and roulette.
With respect to sports betting, the LNB will be able to commercialize them and allow other operators to do so. Online sports betting is not in great demand in El Salvador compared to other countries. Horse racing is uncommon to bet on in the country, mainly because there are no racetracks. Sports betting is generally perceived as an illegal act so there are no sports betting operators in the country.
Casinos in El Salvador offer table games such as blackjack, Texas Hold'em, slot machines, video poker, roulette, Caribbean Stud poker and electronic bingo. Two of the four casinos in El Salvador have hotels and related services, while the other two are casinos only.
Among the favorite games of Salvadorans are online blackjack and online roulette. There are a huge variety of different games and all of them can be played at El Salvador online casinos. It is worth mentioning that Salvadorians are very fond of poker games and every time users try the different varieties of poker.
An?impressive change for the gaming industry has occurred in?El?Salvador in January 2022, when the country’s representatives stated there would be?a?launch of?the first online casino with the circulation of?NFTs. This meant that the clients would be?able to?purchase these tokens and sell them to?other people.
The online equivalent of?this casino, which take place in?the metaverse, allow the attendees to?perform financial operations with NFT. Astro Club House is the name of the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) trading casino opened in June 2022 by the Canadian company Astro Babies.?
The physical location of the NFT casino will be somewhere in Bitcoin City which is another venture of the El Salvador government to improve the economy and facilitate the Bitcoin monetary system adopted.
As Astro Babies operates on the Solana blockchain, a cheaper and faster alternative to the popular Ethereum blockchain, the collaboration has the potential to stabilize the Salvadoran economy.
This week has been a rollercoaster ride across the blockchain and crypto space. Im sure you heard that Bitcoin is over $20,000 again, since September it was being traded below. On the other hand, Reddit launched its first NFT collection, and guess what, it sold out with a BANG.?
Reddit has around 52 million users logging in daily, and around 2.5 million of them purchased an Avatar, which can be set as a profile picture within their platform and is in a form of a digital collectible (NFT). They surpassed Opensea in users with just the first collection, keep in mind, Opensea is the main NFT marketplace that is mainly used. Reddit collection is already competing with the famous Bored Apes by Yuga Labs, having the total volume going up to around 507k ETH (approx. $780,000), whereas BAYC have around 677k ETH. An interesting fact, which is the opposite of Reddit's success is Chris Brown's collections, which unfortunately failed with only 3% of the collection being sold (minted), although he has millions of followers.?
This week we had another big new update, where the crypto exchange Blockchain.com, partnered with Visa, to launch a crypto card, which will be available only to residents from the United States. No signup fees, annual fees, nor transactions, apart from that user can earn 1% from all purchases. This clearly shows that it's just a matter of time before financial institutions will continue to collaborate and adapt to blockchain technologies. BitOasis is another exchange from the Middle East, which will be partnering with MasterCard, to offer digital wallets, and links to a card, to be able to convert and buy crypto with fiat currencies. This will be expected to launch in 2023.?
领英推荐
Looking at the crypto market, it's been quite boring but interesting at the same time, having the recent pump past days has given a better overlook of what we might expect in market movements in the coming months, and to the close of the year. We are at a point where a lot believe that the bottom has been hit, looking at various
on-chain data, and technical analyses across the bitcoin chart, we might be expecting the next crypto rally to start around May or June of 2023.?
Though there are still some elements that show we might have another dip, we should still be careful when trading at these times, as crypto is very volatile. This is not financial advice and always do your own research before any investment into this space.
Stop the presses!
We’ll kick things off in the Golden State. Californian newspapers have united in opposition to Proposition 26, a ballot measure to restrict all sports betting in-state to tribal casinos.??
The union of publications claims that Prop 26 threatens local governments across California and will support the ‘No on Proposition 26’ coalition.??
Several publications made comments, including the Los Angeles Times: “The measure amounts to a toxic brew of industry interests designed not only to enrich the funders but also to push away their competitors.
“If California ever decides to embrace sports betting, it should be with a framework that is as even-handed as possible, and not one that so blatantly picks winners and losers.”
Although it passed initial legislative goalposts, Prop 26 has faced growing opposition as Californians prepare to vote.??
Veni, Vinny, vici
In other US news, Vince Vaughn – of Swingers, Dodgeball and Wedding Crashers fame – has become the face of Caesars iGaming and Casino platforms.
The American actor, dubbed ‘Prince Vaughn,’ will appear in upcoming marketing campaigns, promotions and social media content as the ‘Sultan of Slots’ and the ‘Ruler of Roulette.’
Vaughn has made his debut in the spot ‘Full Caesar,’ starring alongside actor and comedian JB Smoove and NFL family the Mannings: Archie, Cooper, Eli and Peyton.
“Working with Caesars is special for me,” said Vaughn. “With my long history of love for Las Vegas and gaming, I am excited to be part of the royal family with Caesar and Cleo.”
Not a Lotto love
Across the pond, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints against Lottoland ads that appeared on Bing and Google.??
The complainant alleged that the advertisements were “misleading” as Lottoland provides an opportunity to bet on the outcome of a lottery rather than the lottery itself.
Lottoland ads appearing on Bing and Google stated: “Lottoland Irish Lottery – Only ￡2 Here” and “Charity Combo for ￡2. Win-win charity Lotto + BRC Scratch 50% off. Support UK Charities Here.”?
The ASA has upheld the complaint because, despite Lottoland agreeing to make changes, issues arose with third-party ad templates which did not reflect Lottoland’s advertising amendments.
Use of terms such as “Lotto,” “Irish Lottery” and “US Powerball Lotto” – without context – would make consumers think the ads offered an opportunity to purchase tickets for official lottery draws, the ASA ruled.
Give Me Just a Little More Time
In Asia, Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has asked for a two-year extension of a pilot programme that allows citizens to gamble at a casino on Phu Quoc Island.
As noted by the Ministry, the Phu Quoc casino served 240,560 customers from 2019 to 2021 under the pilot programme, with Vietnamese citizens accounting for 65% of visitors.?
Revenue grew 10% per year in 2019 and 2020, but dropped sharply during the pandemic. Consequently, the Ministry is seeking an extension “to properly evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot programme.”
The programme is set to finish at the end of this year. The Kien Giang People’s Committee is also asking for an extension at a casino in the southern province of Kien Giang.?
Can we fix it? Yes we can!
Finally, Australian operator The Star Entertainment Group (TSEG) has secured the go ahead for a planned “remediation programme.”
Allen & Overy Consulting (A&O) was engaged by The Star in August to serve as Independent Monitor for the programme’s design and implementation.
Now, the London-based law firm has issued its first report. After assessing the embattled group’s multi-year remediation plan, A&O has waved the green flag.
“Based on this fieldwork, in our opinion the programme is sufficiently developed for the TSEG Board to consider commencing the execution phase,” A&O wrote.
In light of recent events, this will come as welcome news to The Star. Last week, the group’s Sydney casino licence was suspended, and a multimillion-dollar fine was issued.
However, The Star Sydney has remained open under the management of Nicholas Weeks, who was appointed by the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC).
Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management announced a partnership with Growth Leads, providing business development, and strategic advisory services with a focus on esports affiliate marketing.?
Stephen Crystal said of the partnership “We are very excited to move forward with Growth Leads. They are a leading affiliate marketing company in the iGaming space, with reputable expertise in the world of Esports. Our SCCG ecosystem includes various ‘best in class’ esports companies from around the world. We are excited to position Growth Leads as a resource to satisfy the growing demand for player acquisition within our network.”
Daniel Schweitzer, Director of Growth Leads said “We’re excited to team up with SCCG, to help strengthen our footprint in the US market and continue growing our portfolio and player acquisition with unprecedented speed, both locally and on a global scale. SCCG has become a household name in the iGaming, sweepstakes and esports industry and we’ve found a partner that matches our ambitions in terms of delivering qualitative solutions for our clients. With their long-standing experience and our state-of-the art acquisition tools, we believe we can scale our business to the next level, onboard new partners better and faster, and support SCCG with delivering even better products to their clients."?
Growth Leads is an affiliate marketing company that provides high value leads to operators across various industries. Their lead acquisition channels range from SEO over Paid Search to Social Media Marketing. Growth Leads is very dedicated when it comes to delivering high quality traffic. This is mainly done by aiming to have the best products on the market and to ensure we deliver value to the customer when visiting our sites. Not only our company is named after what we want to achieve, but also all of our company perks are part of the ?Growth Package”: Growth Gain, Growth Game, Growth Gratification and Growth Gathering.