Live Casino News (Week 5)
18th of February 2019
NetEnt Posts (mainly) Positive 2018 Results
The Stockholm-based developer released their 2018 report this week, and it was a mixed bag for the noted live blackjack provider.
Earnings went up by 9% over the whole year, but the newly regulated Swedish market did not perform as well as expected. The company laid off 55 employees in late December.
We covered a lot of NetEnt’s biggest moves in 2018, including a deal to provide live casino services for the UK’s William Hill and New Jersey’s Churchill Downs.
In 2019, they’re also planning to launch an industry first– Perfect Blackjack – in collaboration with Grosvenor Casinos. This game will offer players to opportunity to play on auto-pilot using perfect strategy every time.
Guts Launches Weekly Live Casino Rewards
Throughout February 2019, Guts Casino will be offering live casino players daily prizes. Simply meet the challenge condition on any day to earn your reward. These are:
- Monday – Roulette: Straight up bets of £1 or more, get £15 extra on a win.
- Tuesday – Blackjack: Pull three 7s in one hand for an instant £200 cash bonus.
- Wednesday – Roulette: Put £1 on an inside bet, and win £5 every time 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 appears in a winning combo. Maximum one prize per number each day.
- Thursday – Blackjack: Get dealt a blackjack and win an extra £10. Get dealt two in a row and win £40. In the unlikely event you pull three blackjacks in a row, you can win £300.
- Friday – Roulette: Straight up bet £1 or more on 0, to get £30 in cash if it wins.
- Saturday/Sunday – Blackjack: Wager a minimum of £50 and get 30% cashback (up to £30) if you make a loss.
All prizes can only be won once per player per day, except Wednesdays when all six numbers can be won on once each.
Welcome Bonus:
Norwegian Regulator Blocks Payments to Six Malta-Based Gambling Firms
Several major players in the live casino game, including the Betsson Group, Kindred Group and Gaming Innovation Group, have fallen foul of Norwegian regulators this month.
Despite receiving legal notices last year, the named companies have continued to operate in Norway without a valid licence – leading the Norwegian Gaming Authority to petition local banks to block payments to the offenders.
We’ll keep an eye on this story, and what it means for Norwegian live casino fans, as it develops over the next few months.
Evolution Releases 2018 Report
Our favourite live blackjack provider, Evolution Gaming, this week announced they’d had what anyone in the industry already expected: a bumper year that saw revenues go up 37% based upon 2017 levels.
Having launched Infinite Blackjack, picked up no-fewer than five-plus awards and acquired competitor developer Ezugi in that time, it was no surprise really.
‘With a new studio in Malta, and all our new games to be launched, I am confident we are in excellent shape to continue increasing our market leadership in 2019” said CEO Martin Carlesund.
Expect Evolution to keep pumping out quality new titles into 2019, as well as expanding into the newer parts of the North American market.
You can read the full 2018 report for yourself, here.
